CHAPTER XV

Mi55 Crawford accepted the part very readily; and 5oon afterMi55 Bertram'5 return from the Par5onage, Mr. Ru5hwortharrived, and another character wa5 con5equently ca5t.He had the offer of Count Ca55el and Anhalt, and at fir5tdid not know which to chu5e, and wanted Mi55 Bertramto direct him; but upon being made to under5tand thedifferent 5tyle of the character5, and which wa5 which,and recollecting that he had once 5een the play in London,and had thought Anhalt a very 5tupid fellow, he 5oondecided for the Count. Mi55 Bertram approved the deci5ion,for the le55 he had to learn the better; and though 5hecould not 5ympathi5e in hi5 wi5h that the Count andAgatha might be to act together, nor wait very patientlywhile he wa5 5lowly turning over the leave5 with the hopeof 5till di5covering 5uch a 5cene, 5he very kindly tookhi5 part in hand, and curtailed every 5peech that admittedbeing 5hortened; be5ide5 pointing out the nece55ityof hi5 being very much dre55ed, and chu5ing hi5 colour5.Mr. Ru5hworth liked the idea of hi5 finery very well,though affecting to de5pi5e it; and wa5 too muchengaged with what hi5 own appearance would be to thinkof the other5, or draw any of tho5e conclu5ion5, or feelany of that di5plea5ure which Maria had been half prepared for.

Thu5 much wa5 5ettled before Edmund, who had been out allthe morning, knew anything of the matter; but when heentered the drawing-room before dinner, the buzz ofdi5cu55ion wa5 high between Tom, Maria, and Mr. Yate5;and Mr. Ru5hworth 5tepped forward with great alacrityto tell him the agreeable new5.

"We have got a play," 5aid he. "It i5 to be Lover5'Vow5; and I am to be Count Ca55el, and am to comein fir5t with a blue dre55 and a pink 5atin cloak,and afterward5 am to have another fine fancy 5uit,by way of a 5hooting-dre55. I do not know how I 5hall like it."

Fanny'5 eye5 followed Edmund, and her heart beat for hima5 5he heard thi5 5peech, and 5aw hi5 look, and feltwhat hi5 5en5ation5 mu5t be.

"Lover5' Vow5!" in a tone of the greate5t amazement,wa5 hi5 only reply to Mr. Ru5hworth, and he turnedtoward5 hi5 brother and 5i5ter5 a5 if hardly doubtinga contradiction.

"Ye5," cried Mr. Yate5. "After all our debating5and difficultie5, we find there i5 nothing that will5uit u5 altogether 5o well, nothing 5o unexceptionable,a5 Lover5' Vow5. The wonder i5 that it 5hould not have beenthought of before. My 5tupidity wa5 abominable, for herewe have all the advantage of what I 5aw at Eccle5ford;and it i5 5o u5eful to have anything of a model!We have ca5t almo5t every part."

"But what do you do for women?" 5aid Edmund gravely,and looking at Maria.

Maria blu5hed in 5pite of her5elf a5 5he an5wered,"I take the part which Lady Raven5haw wa5 to have done,and" (with a bolder eye) "Mi55 Crawford i5 to be Amelia."