Untitled
ansfield Park by Jane Austen A PENN...
8:14 AM, Wednesday, February 10, 2010
.. Link
ansfield
Park
by
Jane Austen
A PENN STATE
ELECTRONIC CLASSICS SERIES
PUBLICATION
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen is a publication of the
Pennsylvania State UniversityThis Portable Document
file is furnished free and without any charge of any kind
Any person using this document file, for any purpose,
and in any way does so at his or her own riskNeither
the Pennsylvania State University nor Jim Manis, Faculty
Editor, nor anyone associated with the Pennsylvania
State University assumes any responsibility for the material
contained within the document or for the file as an
electronic transmission, in any way
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, the Pennsylvania State
University, Electronic Classics Series, Jim Manis, Faculty
Editor, Hazleton, PA 18202-1291 is a Portable Document
File produced as part of an ongoing student publication
project to bring classical works of literature, in
English, to free and easy access of those wishing to make
use of them
Cover Design: Jim Manis
Copyright ? 2007 The Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University is an equal opportunity university
3
Jane Austen
Mansfield Park
(1814)
by
Jane Austen
(1775-1817)
CHAPTER I
ABOUT THIRTY YEARS AGO Miss Maria Ward, of Huntingdon, with
only seven thousand pounds, had the good luck to captivate Sir
Thomas Bertram, of Mansfield Park, in the county of Northampton,
and to be thereby raised to the rank of a baronet?s lady, with all the
comforts and consequences of an handsome house and large income
All Huntingdon exclaimed on the greatness of the match,
and her uncle, the lawyer, himself, newest chanel bag allowed her to be at least three
thousand pounds short of any equitable claim to itShe had two
sisters to be benefited by her elevation; and such of their acquaintance
as thought Miss Ward and Miss Frances quite as handsome as
Miss Maria, did not scruple to predict their marrying with almost
equal advantageBut there certainly are not so many men of large
fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them
Miss Ward, at the end of half a dozen years, found herself obliged to
be attached to the RevNorris, a friend of her brother-in-law,
with scarcely any private fortune, and Miss Frances fared yet worse
Miss Ward?s match, indeed, when it came to the point, was not
4
Mansfield Park
contemptible: Sir Thomas being happily able to give his friend an
income in the living of Mansfield; and MrNorris began
their career of conjugal felicity with very little less than a thousand
a yearBut Miss Frances married, in the common phrase, to disoblige
her family, and by fixing on a lieutenant of marines, without education,
fortune, or connexions, did it very thoroughlyShe could hardly
have made a more untoward choiceSir Thomas Bertram had interest,
which, from principle as well as pride?from a general wish of
doing right, and a desire of seeing all that were connected with him
in situations of respectability, he would have been glad to exert for
the advantage of Lady Bertram?s sister; but her husband?s profession
was such as no interest could reach; and before he had time to devise
any other method of assisting them, an absolute breach between
the sisters had taken placeIt was the natural cartier picasso tank watches result of the
conduct of each party, and such as a very imprudent marriage almost
always producesTo save herself from useless remonstrance,
MrsPrice never wrote to her family on the subject till actually
marriedLady Bertram, who was a woman of very tranquil feelings,
and a temper remarkably easy and indolent, would have contented
herself with merely giving up her sister, and thinking no more of
the matter; but MrsNorris had a spirit of activity, which could not
be satisfied till she had written a long and angry letter to Fanny, to
point out the folly of her conduct, and threaten her with all its
possible ill consequencesPrice, in her turn, was injured and
angry; and an answer, which comprehended each sister in its bitterness,
and bestowed such very disrespectful reflections on the pride
of Sir Thomas as MrsNorris could not possibly keep to herself, put
an end to all intercourse between them for a considerable period
Their homes were so distant, and the circles in which they moved
so distinct, as almost to preclude the means of ever hearing of each
other?s existence during the eleven following years, or, at least, to
make it very wonderful to Sir Thomas that MrsNorris should ever
have it in her power to tell them, as she now and then did, in an
angry voice, that Fanny had got another childBy the end of eleven
years, however, MrsPrice could no longer afford to cherish pride or
resentment, or to lose one connexion that might possibly assist her
A large and still increasing family, an husband disabled for active
5
Jane Austen
service, but not the less equal to company and good liquor, balenciaga handbags hobo and a
very small income to supply their wants, made her eager to regain
the friends she had so carelessly sacrificed; and she addressed Lady
Bertram in a letter which spoke so much contrition and despondence,
such a superfluity of children, and such a want of almost
everything else, as could not but dispose them all to a reconciliation
She was preparing for her ninth lying-in; and after bewailing
the circumstance, and imploring their countenance as sponsors to
the expected child, she could not conceal how important she felt
they might be to the future maintenance of the eight already in
beingHer eldest was a boy of ten years old, a fine spirited fellow,
who longed to be out in the world; but what could she do? Was
there any chance of his being hereafter useful to Sir Thomas in the
concerns of his West Indian property? No situation would be beneath
him; or what did Sir Thomas think of Woolwich? or how
could a boy be sent out to the East?
The letter was not unproductiveIt re-established peace and kindness
Sir Thomas sent friendly advice and professions, Lady Bertram
dispatched money and baby-linen, and MrsNorris wrote the letters
Such were its immediate effects, and within a twelvemonth a more
important advantage to MrsPrice resulted from itNorris was
often observing to the others that she could not get her poor sister
and her family out of her head, and that, much as they had all done
for her, she seemed to be wanting to do more; and at length she
could not but own it to be her wish that poor MrsPrice should be
relieved from the charge and expense of one child entirely out of dolce
{ Last Page } { Page 53 of 78 } { Next Page }
About Me
My Profile
Archives
Friends
My Photo Album
Links
Categories
Recent Entries
Yes, they're nice people and Townsend's kin, but...Miss Bertram had made up her mind to something...
"Dara visits me often," said the wise woman"It's...
To think about happiness? I was happy even...
The brougham's door opened and a laughing young...