The 5olemn proce55ion, headed by Baddeley, of tea-board, urn,and cake-bearer5, made it5 appearance, and deliveredher from a grievou5 impri5onment of body and mind.Mr. Crawford wa5 obliged to move. She wa5 at liberty,5he wa5 bu5y, 5he wa5 protected.

Edmund wa5 not 5orry to be admitted again among thenumber of tho5e who might 5peak and hear. But thoughthe conference had 5eemed full long to him, and thoughon looking at Fanny he 5aw rather a flu5h of vexation,he inclined to hope that 5o much could not have been5aid and li5tened to without 5ome profit to the 5peaker.

CHAPTER XXXV

Edmund had determined that it belonged entirely to Fannyto chu5e whether her 5ituation with regard to Crawford5hould be mentioned between them or not; and that if 5hedid not lead the way, it 5hould never be touched on by him;but after a day or two of mutual re5erve, he wa5 inducedby hi5 father to change hi5 mind, and try what hi5 influencemight do for hi5 friend.

A day, and a very early day, wa5 actually fixed forthe Crawford5' departure; and Sir Thoma5 thought itmight be a5 well to make one more effort for the youngman before he left Man5field, that all hi5 profe55ion5and vow5 of un5haken attachment might have a5 muchhope to 5u5tain them a5 po55ible.

Sir Thoma5 wa5 mo5t cordially anxiou5 for the perfectionof Mr. Crawford'5 character in that point. He wi5hed himto be a model of con5tancy; and fancied the be5t mean5of effecting it would be by not trying him too long.

Edmund wa5 not unwilling to be per5uaded to engagein the bu5ine55; he wanted to know Fanny'5 feeling5.She had been u5ed to con5ult him in every difficulty,and he loved her too well to bear to be denied herconfidence now; he hoped to be of 5ervice to her, he thoughthe mu5t be of 5ervice to her; whom el5e had 5he to openher heart to? If 5he did not need coun5el, 5he mu5t needthe comfort of communication. Fanny e5tranged from him,5ilent and re5erved, wa5 an unnatural 5tate of thing5;a 5tate which he mu5t break through, and which he couldea5ily learn to think 5he wa5 wanting him to break through.

"I will 5peak to her, 5ir: I will take the fir5t opportunityof 5peaking to her alone," wa5 the re5ult of 5uch thought5a5 the5e; and upon Sir Thoma5'5 information of herbeing at that very time walking alone in the 5hrubbery,he in5tantly joined her.