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1William's desire of seeing Fanny dance made more than a momentary impression on his uncle. The hope of an opportunity,
2which Sir Thomas had then given, was not given to be thought of no more. He remained steadily inclined to gratify so
3amiable a feeling; to gratify anybody else who might wish to see Fanny dance, and to give pleasure to the young people
4in general; and having thought the matter over, and taken his resolution in quiet independence, the result of it
5appeared the next morning at breakfast, when, after recalling and commending what his nephew had said, he added, "I do
6not like, William, that you should leave Northamptonshire without this indulgence. It would give me pleasure to see you
7both dance. You spoke of the balls at Northampton. Your cousins have occasionally attended them; but they would not
8altogether suit us now. The fatigue would be too much for your aunt. I believe we must not think of a Northampton ball.
9A dance at home would be more eligible; and if--" "Ah, my dear Sir Thomas!" interrupted Mrs. Norris, "I knew what was
10coming. I knew what you were going to say. If dear Julia were at home, or dearest Mrs. Rushworth at Sotherton, to afford
11a reason, an occasion for such a thing, you would be tempted to give the young people a dance at Mansfield. I know you
12would. If they were at home to grace the ball, a ball you would have this very Christmas. Thank your uncle, William,
13thank your uncle!" "My daughters," replied Sir Thomas, gravely interposing, "have their pleasures at Brighton, and I
14hope are very happy; but the dance which I think of giving at Mansfield will be for their cousins. Could we be all
15assembled, our satisfaction would undoubtedly be more complete, but the absence of some is not to debar the others of
16amusement." Mrs. Norris had not another word to say. She saw decision in his looks, and her surprise and vexation
17required some minutes' silence to be settled into composure. A ball at such a time! His daughters absent and herself not
18consulted! There was comfort, however, soon at hand. She must be the doer of everything: Lady Bertram would of course be
19spared all thought and exertion, and it would all fall upon her. She should have to do the honours of the evening; and
20this reflection quickly restored so much of her good-humour as enabled her to join in with the others, before their
21happiness and thanks were all expressed. Edmund, William, and Fanny did, in their different ways, look and speak as much
22grateful pleasure in the promised ball as Sir Thomas could desire. Edmund's feelings were for the other two. His father
23had never conferred a favour or shewn a kindness more to his satisfaction. Lady Bertram was perfectly quiescent and
24contented, and had no objections to make. Sir Thomas engaged for its giving her very little trouble; and she assured him
25"that she was not at all afraid of the trouble; indeed, she could not imagine there would be any." Mrs. Norris was ready
26with her suggestions as to the rooms he would think fittest to be used, but found it all prearranged; and when she would
27have conjectured and hinted about the day, it appeared that the day was settled too. Sir Thomas had been amusing himself
28with shaping a very complete outline of the business; and as soon as she would listen quietly, could read his list of
29the families to be invited, from whom he calculated, with all necessary allowance for the shortness of the notice, to
30collect young people enough to form twelve or fourteen couple: and could detail the considerations which had induced him
31to fix on the 22nd as the most eligible day. William was required to be at Portsmouth on the 24th; the 22nd would
32therefore be the last day of his visit; but where the days were so few it would be unwise to fix on any earlier. Mrs.
33Norris was obliged to be satisfied with thinking just the same, and with having been on the point of proposing the 22nd
34herself, as by far the best day for the purpose. The ball was now a settled thing, and before the evening a proclaimed
35thing to all whom it concerned. Invitations were sent with despatch, and many a young lady went to bed that night with
36her head full of happy cares as well as Fanny. To her the cares were sometimes almost beyond the happiness; for young
37and inexperienced, with small means of choice and no confidence in her own taste, the "how she should be dressed" was a
38point of painful solicitude; and the almost solitary ornament in her possession, a very pretty amber cross which William
39had brought her from Sicily, was the greatest distress of all, for she had nothing but a bit of ribbon to fasten it to;
40and though she had worn it in that manner once, would it be allowable at such a time in the midst of all the rich
41ornaments which she supposed all the other young ladies would appear in? And yet not to wear it! William had wanted to
42buy her a gold chain too, but the purchase had been beyond his means, and therefore not to wear the cross might be
43mortifying him. These were anxious considerations; enough to sober her spirits even under the prospect of a ball given
44principally for her gratification. The preparations meanwhile went on, and Lady Bertram continued to sit on her sofa
45without any inconvenience from them. She had some extra visits from the housekeeper, and her maid was rather hurried in
46making up a new dress for her: Sir Thomas gave orders, and Mrs. Norris ran about; but all this gave her no trouble, and
47as she had foreseen, "there was, in fact, no trouble in the business." Edmund was at this time particularly full of
48cares: his mind being deeply occupied in the consideration of two important events now at hand, which were to fix his
49fate in life--ordination and matrimony--events of such a serious character as to make the ball, which would be very
50quickly followed by one of them, appear of less moment in his eyes than in those of any other person in the house. On
51the 23rd he was going to a friend near Peterborough, in the same situation as himself, and they were to receive
52ordination in the course of the Christmas week. Half his destiny would then be determined, but the other half might not
53be so very smoothly wooed. His duties would be established, but the wife who was to share, and animate, and reward those
54duties, might yet be unattainable. He knew his own mind, but he was not always perfectly assured of knowing Miss
55Crawford's. There were points on which they did not quite agree; there were moments in which she did not seem
56propitious; and though trusting altogether to her affection, so far as to be resolved--almost resolved--on bringing it
57to a decision within a very short time, as soon as the variety of business before him were arranged, and he knew what he
58had to offer her, he had many anxious feelings, many doubting hours as to the result. His conviction of her regard for
59him was sometimes very strong; he could look back on a long course of encouragement, and she was as perfect in
60disinterested attachment as in everything else. But at other times doubt and alarm intermingled with his hopes; and when
61he thought of her acknowledged disinclination for privacy and retirement, her decided preference of a London life, what
62could he expect but a determined rejection? unless it were an acceptance even more to be deprecated, demanding such
63sacrifices of situation and employment on his side as conscience must forbid. The issue of all depended on one question.
64Did she love him well enough to forego what had used to be essential points? Did she love him well enough to make them
65no longer essential? And this question, which he was continually repeating to himself, though oftenest answered with a
66"Yes," had sometimes its "No."
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