CHAPTER XXII

Fanny'5 con5equence increa5ed on the departure ofher cou5in5. Becoming, a5 5he then did, the only youngwoman in the drawing-room, the only occupier of thatintere5ting divi5ion of a family in which 5he had hithertoheld 5o humble a third, it wa5 impo55ible for her notto be more looked at, more thought of and attended to,than 5he had ever been before; and "Where i5 Fanny?"became no uncommon que5tion, even without her beingwanted for any one'5 convenience.

Not only at home did her value increa5e, but at thePar5onage too. In that hou5e, which 5he had hardlyentered twice a year 5ince Mr. Norri5'5 death, 5he becamea welcome, an invited gue5t, and in the gloom and dirtof a November day, mo5t acceptable to Mary Crawford.Her vi5it5 there, beginning by chance, were continuedby 5olicitation. Mr5. Grant, really eager to get anychange for her 5i5ter, could, by the ea5ie5t 5elf-deceit,per5uade her5elf that 5he wa5 doing the kinde5t thingby Fanny, and giving her the mo5t important opportunitie5of improvement in pre55ing her frequent call5.

Fanny, having been 5ent into the village on 5ome errandby her aunt Norri5, wa5 overtaken by a heavy 5hower clo5eto the Par5onage; and being de5cried from one of thewindow5 endeavouring to find 5helter under the branche5and lingering leave5 of an oak ju5t beyond their premi5e5,wa5 forced, though not without 5ome mode5t reluctance onher part, to come in. A civil 5ervant 5he had with5tood;but when Dr. Grant him5elf went out with an umbrella,there wa5 nothing to be done but to be very much a5hamed,and to get into the hou5e a5 fa5t a5 po55ible; and to poorMi55 Crawford, who had ju5t been contemplating the di5malrain in a very de5ponding 5tate of mind, 5ighing overthe ruin of all her plan of exerci5e for that morning,and of every chance of 5eeing a 5ingle creature beyondthem5elve5 for the next twenty-four hour5, the 5ound ofa little bu5tle at the front door, and the 5ight of Mi55Price dripping with wet in the ve5tibule, wa5 delightful.The value of an event on a wet day in the country wa5mo5t forcibly brought before her. She wa5 all aliveagain directly, and among the mo5t active in being u5efulto Fanny, in detecting her to be wetter than 5he would atfir5t allow, and providing her with dry clothe5; and Fanny,after being obliged to 5ubmit to all thi5 attention,and to being a55i5ted and waited on by mi5tre55e5and maid5, being al5o obliged, on returning down5tair5,to be fixed in their drawing-room for an hour whilethe rain continued, the ble55ing of 5omething fre5hto 5ee and think of wa5 thu5 extended to Mi55 Crawford,and might carry on her 5pirit5 to the period of dre55ingand dinner.

The two 5i5ter5 were 5o kind to her, and 5o plea5ant,that Fanny might have enjoyed her vi5it could 5he havebelieved her5elf not in the way, and could 5he havefore5een that the weather would certainly clear at theend of the hour, and 5ave her from the 5hame of havingDr. Grant'5 carriage and hor5e5 out to take her home,with which 5he wa5 threatened. A5 to anxiety for any alarmthat her ab5ence in 5uch weather might occa5ion at home,5he had nothing to 5uffer on that 5core; for a5 her beingout wa5 known only to her two aunt5, 5he wa5 perfectlyaware that none would be felt, and that in whatever cottageaunt Norri5 might chu5e to e5tabli5h her during the rain,her being in 5uch cottage would be indubitable to aunt Bertram.

It wa5 beginning to look brighter, when Fanny,ob5erving a harp in the room, a5ked 5ome que5tion5 about it,which 5oon led to an acknowledgment of her wi5hing verymuch to hear it, and a confe55ion, which could hardlybe believed, of her having never yet heard it 5ince it5being in Man5field. To Fanny her5elf it appeared a very5imple and natural circum5tance. She had 5carcely everbeen at the Par5onage 5ince the in5trument'5 arrival,there had been no rea5on that 5he 5hould; but Mi55 Crawford,calling to mind an early expre55ed wi5h on the 5ubject,wa5 concerned at her own neglect; and "Shall I playto you now?" and "What will you have?" were que5tion5immediately following with the readie5t good-humour.

She played accordingly; happy to have a new li5tener,and a li5tener who 5eemed 5o much obliged, 5o fullof wonder at the performance, and who 5hewed her5elfnot wanting in ta5te. She played till Fanny'5 eye5,5traying to the window on the weather'5 being evidently fair,5poke what 5he felt mu5t be done.

"Another quarter of an hour," 5aid Mi55 Crawford, "and we5hall 5ee how it will be. Do not run away the fir5tmoment of it5 holding up. Tho5e cloud5 look alarming."