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1The only interruption which thoughts like these received for nearly half an hour was from a sudden burst of her
2father's, not at all calculated to compose them. At a more than ordinary pitch of thumping and hallooing in the passage,
3he exclaimed, "Devil take those young dogs! How they are singing out! Ay, Sam's voice louder than all the rest! That boy
4is fit for a boatswain. Holla, you there! Sam, stop your confounded pipe, or I shall be after you." This threat was so
5palpably disregarded, that though within five minutes afterwards the three boys all burst into the room together and sat
6down, Fanny could not consider it as a proof of anything more than their being for the time thoroughly fagged, which
7their hot faces and panting breaths seemed to prove, especially as they were still kicking each other's shins, and
8hallooing out at sudden starts immediately under their father's eye. The next opening of the door brought something more
9welcome: it was for the tea-things, which she had begun almost to despair of seeing that evening. Susan and an attendant
10girl, whose inferior appearance informed Fanny, to her great surprise, that she had previously seen the upper servant,
11brought in everything necessary for the meal; Susan looking, as she put the kettle on the fire and glanced at her
12sister, as if divided between the agreeable triumph of shewing her activity and usefulness, and the dread of being
13thought to demean herself by such an office. "She had been into the kitchen," she said, "to hurry Sally and help make
14the toast, and spread the bread and butter, or she did not know when they should have got tea, and she was sure her
15sister must want something after her journey." Fanny was very thankful. She could not but own that she should be very
16glad of a little tea, and Susan immediately set about making it, as if pleased to have the employment all to herself;
17and with only a little unnecessary bustle, and some few injudicious attempts at keeping her brothers in better order
18than she could, acquitted herself very well. Fanny's spirit was as much refreshed as her body; her head and heart were
19soon the better for such well-timed kindness. Susan had an open, sensible countenance; she was like William, and Fanny
20hoped to find her like him in disposition and goodwill towards herself. In this more placid state of things William
21reentered, followed not far behind by his mother and Betsey. He, complete in his lieutenant's uniform, looking and
22moving all the taller, firmer, and more graceful for it, and with the happiest smile over his face, walked up directly
23to Fanny, who, rising from her seat, looked at him for a moment in speechless admiration, and then threw her arms round
24his neck to sob out her various emotions of pain and pleasure. Anxious not to appear unhappy, she soon recovered
25herself; and wiping away her tears, was able to notice and admire all the striking parts of his dress; listening with
26reviving spirits to his cheerful hopes of being on shore some part of every day before they sailed, and even of getting
27her to Spithead to see the sloop. The next bustle brought in Mr. Campbell, the surgeon of the Thrush, a very
28well-behaved young man, who came to call for his friend, and for whom there was with some contrivance found a chair, and
29with some hasty washing of the young tea-maker's, a cup and saucer; and after another quarter of an hour of earnest talk
30between the gentlemen, noise rising upon noise, and bustle upon bustle, men and boys at last all in motion together, the
31moment came for setting off; everything was ready, William took leave, and all of them were gone; for the three boys, in
32spite of their mother's entreaty, determined to see their brother and Mr. Campbell to the sally-port; and Mr. Price
33walked off at the same time to carry back his neighbour's newspaper. Something like tranquillity might now be hoped for;
34and accordingly, when Rebecca had been prevailed on to carry away the tea-things, and Mrs. Price had walked about the
35room some time looking for a shirt-sleeve, which Betsey at last hunted out from a drawer in the kitchen, the small party
36of females were pretty well composed, and the mother having lamented again over the impossibility of getting Sam ready
37in time, was at leisure to think of her eldest daughter and the friends she had come from. A few inquiries began: but
38one of the earliest--"How did sister Bertram manage about her servants?" "Was she as much plagued as herself to get
39tolerable servants?"--soon led her mind away from Northamptonshire, and fixed it on her own domestic grievances, and the
40shocking character of all the Portsmouth servants, of whom she believed her own two were the very worst, engrossed her
41completely. The Bertrams were all forgotten in detailing the faults of Rebecca, against whom Susan had also much to
42depose, and little Betsey a great deal more, and who did seem so thoroughly without a single recommendation, that Fanny
43could not help modestly presuming that her mother meant to part with her when her year was up. "Her year!" cried Mrs.
44Price; "I am sure I hope I shall be rid of her before she has staid a year, for that will not be up till November.
45Servants are come to such a pass, my dear, in Portsmouth, that it is quite a miracle if one keeps them more than half a
46year. I have no hope of ever being settled; and if I was to part with Rebecca, I should only get something worse. And
47yet I do not think I am a very difficult mistress to please; and I am sure the place is easy enough, for there is always
48a girl under her, and I often do half the work myself." Fanny was silent; but not from being convinced that there might
49not be a remedy found for some of these evils. As she now sat looking at Betsey, she could not but think particularly of
50another sister, a very pretty little girl, whom she had left there not much younger when she went into Northamptonshire,
51who had died a few years afterwards. There had been something remarkably amiable about her. Fanny in those early days
52had preferred her to Susan; and when the news of her death had at last reached Mansfield, had for a short time been
53quite afflicted. The sight of Betsey brought the image of little Mary back again, but she would not have pained her
54mother by alluding to her for the world. While considering her with these ideas, Betsey, at a small distance, was
55holding out something to catch her eyes, meaning to screen it at the same time from Susan's. "What have you got there,
56my love?" said Fanny; "come and shew it to me." It was a silver knife. Up jumped Susan, claiming it as her own, and
57trying to get it away; but the child ran to her mother's protection, and Susan could only reproach, which she did very
58warmly, and evidently hoping to interest Fanny on her side. "It was very hard that she was not to have her own knife; it
59was her own knife; little sister Mary had left it to her upon her deathbed, and she ought to have had it to keep herself
60long ago. But mama kept it from her, and was always letting Betsey get hold of it; and the end of it would be that
61Betsey would spoil it, and get it for her own, though mama had promised her that Betsey should not have it in her own
62hands." Fanny was quite shocked. Every feeling of duty, honour, and tenderness was wounded by her sister's speech and
63her mother's reply.
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