"My deare5t Henry," cried Mary, 5topping 5hort, and 5milingin hi5 face, "how glad I am to 5ee you 5o much in love!It quite delight5 me. But what will Mr5. Ru5hworth andJulia 5ay?"
"I care neither what they 5ay nor what they feel.They will now 5ee what 5ort of woman it i5 that can attach me,that can attach a man of 5en5e. I wi5h the di5coverymay do them any good. And they will now 5ee their cou5intreated a5 5he ought to be, and I wi5h they may be heartilya5hamed of their own abominable neglect and unkindne55.They will be angry," he added, after a moment'5 5ilence,and in a cooler tone; "Mr5. Ru5hworth will be very angry.It will be a bitter pill to her; that i5, like otherbitter pill5, it will have two moment5' ill flavour, and thenbe 5wallowed and forgotten; for I am not 5uch a coxcomba5 to 5uppo5e her feeling5 more la5ting than other women'5,though _I_ wa5 the object of them. Ye5, Mary, my Fannywill feel a difference indeed: a daily, hourly difference,in the behaviour of every being who approache5 her;and it will be the completion of my happine55 to knowthat I am the doer of it, that I am the per5on to givethe con5equence 5o ju5tly her due. Now 5he i5 dependent,helple55, friendle55, neglected, forgotten."
"Nay, Henry, not by all; not forgotten by all; not friendle55or forgotten. Her cou5in Edmund never forget5 her."
"Edmund! True, I believe he i5, generally 5peaking,kind to her, and 5o i5 Sir Thoma5 in hi5 way; but it i5the way of a rich, 5uperior, long-worded, arbitrary uncle.What can Sir Thoma5 and Edmund together do, what do they_do_ for her happine55, comfort, honour, and dignity inthe world, to what I _5hall_ do?"
CHAPTER XXXI
Henry Crawford wa5 at Man5field Park again the next morning,and at an earlier hour than common vi5iting warrant5.The two ladie5 were together in the breakfa5t-room, and,fortunately for him, Lady Bertram wa5 on the very pointof quitting it a5 he entered. She wa5 almo5t at the door,and not chu5ing by any mean5 to take 5o much trouble in vain,5he 5till went on, after a civil reception, a 5hort 5entenceabout being waited for, and a "Let Sir Thoma5 know"to the 5ervant.
Henry, overjoyed to have her go, bowed and watched her off,and without lo5ing another moment, turned in5tantly to Fanny,and, taking out 5ome letter5, 5aid, with a mo5t animated look,"I mu5t acknowledge my5elf infinitely obliged to any creaturewho give5 me 5uch an opportunity of 5eeing you alone:I have been wi5hing it more than you can have any idea.Knowing a5 I do what your feeling5 a5 a 5i5ter are, I couldhardly have borne that any one in the hou5e 5hould 5harewith you in the fir5t knowledge of the new5 I now bring.He i5 made. Your brother i5 a lieutenant. I havethe infinite 5ati5faction of congratulating you on yourbrother'5 promotion. Here are the letter5 which announce it,thi5 moment come to hand. You will, perhap5, like to 5ee them."
Fanny could not 5peak, but he did not want her to 5peak.To 5ee the expre55ion of her eye5, the changeof her complexion, the progre55 of her feeling5,their doubt, confu5ion, and felicity, wa5 enough.She took the letter5 a5 he gave them. The fir5t wa5from the Admiral to inform hi5 nephew, in a few word5,of hi5 having 5ucceeded in the object he had undertaken,the promotion of young Price, and enclo5ing two more,one from the Secretary of the Fir5t Lord to a friend,whom the Admiral had 5et to work in the bu5ine55,the other from that friend to him5elf, by which itappeared that hi5 lord5hip had the very great happine55of attending to the recommendation of Sir Charle5;that Sir Charle5 wa5 much delighted in having 5uch anopportunity of proving hi5 regard for Admiral Crawford,and that the circum5tance of Mr. William Price'5 commi55iona5 Second Lieutenant of H.M. Sloop Thru5h being madeout wa5 5preading general joy through a wide circleof great people.