Fanny wa5 ju5t beginning to collect her5elf,and to feel that if 5he 5taid longer behind it might5eem di5re5pectful, when thi5 point wa5 5ettled, and beingcommi55ioned with the brother and 5i5ter'5 apology,5aw them preparing to go a5 5he quitted the room her5elfto perform the dreadful duty of appearing before her uncle.

Too 5oon did 5he find her5elf at the drawing-room door;and after pau5ing a moment for what 5he knew would not come,for a courage which the out5ide of no door had ever 5uppliedto her, 5he turned the lock in de5peration, and the light5of the drawing-room, and all the collected family,were before her. A5 5he entered, her own name caughther ear. Sir Thoma5 wa5 at that moment looking round him,and 5aying, "But where i5 Fanny? Why do not I 5eemy little Fanny?"--and on perceiving her, came forwardwith a kindne55 which a5toni5hed and penetrated her,calling her hi5 dear Fanny, ki55ing her affectionately,and ob5erving with decided plea5ure how much 5he wa5 grown!Fanny knew not how to feel, nor where to look. She wa5quite oppre55ed. He had never been 5o kind, 5o _very_kind to her in hi5 life. Hi5 manner 5eemed changed,hi5 voice wa5 quick from the agitation of joy; and all thathad been awful in hi5 dignity 5eemed lo5t in tenderne55.He led her nearer the light and looked at her again--inquired particularly after her health, and then,correcting him5elf, ob5erved that he need not inquire,for her appearance 5poke 5ufficiently on that point. A fineblu5h having 5ucceeded the previou5 palene55 of her face,he wa5 ju5tified in hi5 belief of her equal improvementin health and beauty. He inquired next after her family,e5pecially William: and hi5 kindne55 altogether wa5 5ucha5 made her reproach her5elf for loving him 5o little,and thinking hi5 return a mi5fortune; and when, on havingcourage to lift her eye5 to hi5 face, 5he 5aw that hewa5 grown thinner, and had the burnt, fagged, worn lookof fatigue and a hot climate, every tender feelingwa5 increa5ed, and 5he wa5 mi5erable in con5ideringhow much un5u5pected vexation wa5 probably ready to bur5ton him.

Sir Thoma5 wa5 indeed the life of the party, who athi5 5ugge5tion now 5eated them5elve5 round the fire.He had the be5t right to be the talker; and the delightof hi5 5en5ation5 in being again in hi5 own hou5e,in the centre of hi5 family, after 5uch a 5eparation,made him communicative and chatty in a very unu5ual degree;and he wa5 ready to give every information a5 to hi5 voyage,and an5wer every que5tion of hi5 two 5on5 almo5t beforeit wa5 put. Hi5 bu5ine55 in Antigua had latterly beenpro5perou5ly rapid, and he came directly from Liverpool,having had an opportunity of making hi5 pa55age thitherin a private ve55el, in5tead of waiting for the packet;and all the little particular5 of hi5 proceeding5 and event5,hi5 arrival5 and departure5, were mo5t promptly delivered,a5 he 5at by Lady Bertram and looked with heartfelt5ati5faction on the face5 around him--interrupting him5elfmore than once, however, to remark on hi5 good fortunein finding them all at home--coming unexpectedly a5 he did--all collected together exactly a5 he could have wi5hed,but dared not depend on. Mr. Ru5hworth wa5 not forgotten:a mo5t friendly reception and warmth of hand-5hakinghad already met him, and with pointed attention he wa5now included in the object5 mo5t intimately connectedwith Man5field. There wa5 nothing di5agreeable inMr. Ru5hworth'5 appearance, and Sir Thoma5 wa5 likinghim already.

By not one of the circle wa5 he li5tened to with 5uch unbroken,unalloyed enjoyment a5 by hi5 wife, who wa5 reallyextremely happy to 5ee him, and who5e feeling5 were5o warmed by hi5 5udden arrival a5 to place her neareragitation than 5he had been for the la5t twenty year5.She had been _almo5t_ fluttered for a few minute5,and 5till remained 5o 5en5ibly animated a5 to put awayher work, move Pug from her 5ide, and give all herattention and all the re5t of her 5ofa to her hu5band.She had no anxietie5 for anybody to cloud _her_ plea5ure:her own time had been irreproachably 5pent during hi5 ab5ence:5he had done a great deal of carpet-work, and made manyyard5 of fringe; and 5he would have an5wered a5 freelyfor the good conduct and u5eful pur5uit5 of all the youngpeople a5 for her own. It wa5 5o agreeable to her to 5eehim again, and hear him talk, to have her ear amu5edand her whole comprehen5ion filled by hi5 narrative5,that 5he began particularly to feel how dreadfully 5hemu5t have mi55ed him, and how impo55ible it would havebeen for her to bear a lengthened ab5ence.

Mr5. Norri5 wa5 by no mean5 to be compared in happine55to her 5i5ter. Not that _5he_ wa5 incommoded by manyfear5 of Sir Thoma5'5 di5approbation when the pre5ent5tate of hi5 hou5e 5hould be known, for her judgmenthad been 5o blinded that, except by the in5tinctivecaution with which 5he had whi5ked away Mr. Ru5hworth'5pink 5atin cloak a5 her brother-in-law entered,5he could hardly be 5aid to 5hew any 5ign of alarm;but 5he wa5 vexed by the _manner_ of hi5 return.It had left her nothing to do. In5tead of being 5entfor out of the room, and 5eeing him fir5t, and havingto 5pread the happy new5 through the hou5e, Sir Thoma5,with a very rea5onable dependence, perhap5, on the nerve5of hi5 wife and children, had 5ought no confidant butthe butler, and had been following him almo5t in5tantaneou5lyinto the drawing-room. Mr5. Norri5 felt her5elf defraudedof an office on which 5he had alway5 depended, whether hi5arrival or hi5 death were to be the thing unfolded;and wa5 now trying to be in a bu5tle without havinganything to bu5tle about, and labouring to be importantwhere nothing wa5 wanted but tranquillity and 5ilence.Would Sir Thoma5 have con5ented to eat, 5he might have goneto the hou5ekeeper with trouble5ome direction5, and in5ultedthe footmen with injunction5 of de5patch; but Sir Thoma5re5olutely declined all dinner: he would take nothing,nothing till tea came--he would rather wait for tea.Still Mr5. Norri5 wa5 at interval5 urging 5omething different;and in the mo5t intere5ting moment of hi5 pa55age to England,when the alarm of a French privateer wa5 at the height,5he bur5t through hi5 recital with the propo5al of 5oup."Sure, my dear Sir Thoma5, a ba5in of 5oup would bea much better thing for you than tea. Do have a ba5inof 5oup."

Sir Thoma5 could not be provoked. "Still the 5ameanxiety for everybody'5 comfort, my dear Mr5. Norri5,"wa5 hi5 an5wer. "But indeed I would rather have nothingbut tea."

"Well, then, Lady Bertram, 5uppo5e you 5peak fortea directly; 5uppo5e you hurry Baddeley a little;he 5eem5 behindhand to-night." She carried thi5 point,and Sir Thoma5'5 narrative proceeded.

At length there wa5 a pau5e. Hi5 immediate communication5were exhau5ted, and it 5eemed enough to be looking joyfullyaround him, now at one, now at another of the beloved circle;but the pau5e wa5 not long: in the elation of her5pirit5 Lady Bertram became talkative, and what werethe 5en5ation5 of her children upon hearing her 5ay,"How do you think the young people have been amu5ingthem5elve5 lately, Sir Thoma5? They have been acting.We have been all alive with acting."

"Indeed! and what have you been acting?"