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MANSFIELD PARK -
MANSFIELD PARK - JANE AUSTEN MANSFIELD PARK
(1814)
by
Jane Austen
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 allowed her to be at least
three thousand pounds short of any equitable claim to it.
She 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 advantage.
But 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 Rev. Mr. Norris
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 contemptible: Sir Thomas being happily able
to give his friend an income in the living of Mansfield;
and Mr. and Mrs. Norris began their career of conjugal
felicity with very little less than a thousand a year.
But 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 thoroughly. She could hardly have made
a more untoward choice. Sir 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 place.
It was the natural result of the conduct of each party
and such as a very imprudent marriage almost always produces.
To save herself from useless remonstrance Mrs. Price never
wrote to her family on the subject till actually married.
Lady 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 Mrs. Norris
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 consequences. Mrs. Price
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 Mrs. Norris 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 Mrs. Norris 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 child.
By the end of eleven years however Mrs. Price 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 service
but not the less equal to company and good liquor 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 being. Her 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 unproductive. It re-established
peace and kindness. Sir Thomas sent friendly
advice and professions Lady Bertram dispatched
money and baby-linen and Mrs. Norris wrote the letters.
Such were its immediate effects and within a twelvemonth
a more important advantage to Mrs. Price resulted from it.
Mrs. Norris 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 Mrs. Price
should be relieved from the charge and expense of one child
entirely out of her great number. "What if they were
among them to undertake the care of her eldest daughter
a girl now nine years old of an age to require more
attention than her poor mother could possibly give?
The trouble and expense of it to them would be nothing
compared with the benevolence of the action." Lady Bertram
agreed with her instantly. "I think we cannot do better"
said she; "let us send for the child."
Sir Thomas could not give so instantaneous and unqualified
a consent. He debated and hesitated;--it was a serious charge;--
a girl so brought up must be adequately provided for
or there would be cruelty instead of kindness in taking
her from her family. He thought of his own four children
of his two sons of cousins in love etc.;--but no sooner
had he deliberately begun to state his objections
than Mrs. Norris interrupted him with a reply to them all
whether stated or not.
"My dear Sir Thomas I perfectly comprehend you and do
justice to the generosity and delicacy of your notions
which indeed are quite of a piece with your general conduct;
and I entirely agree with you in the main as to the propriety
of doing everything one could by way of providing for a
child one had in a manner taken into one's own hands;
and I am sure I should be the last person in the world to
withhold my mite upon such an occasion. Having no children
of my own who should I look to in any little matter I
may ever have to bestow but the children of my sisters?--
and I am sure Mr. Norris is too just--but you know I am
a woman of few words and professions. Do not let us
be frightened from a good deed by a trifle. Give a girl
an education and introduce her properly into the world
and ten to one but she has the means of settling well
without farther expense to anybody. A niece of ours
Sir Thomas I may say or at least of _yours_ would not
grow up in this neighbourhood without many advantages.
I don't say she would be so handsome as her cousins.
I dare say she would not; but she would be introduced into
the society of this country under such very favourable
circumstances as in all human probability would get her
a creditable establishment. You are thinking of your sons--
but do not you know that of all things upon earth
_that_ is the least likely to happen brought up as they
would be always together like brothers and sisters?
It is morally impossible. I never knew an instance of it.
It is in fact the only sure way of providing against
the connexion. Suppose her a pretty girl and seen by Tom
or Edmund for the first time seven years hence and I dare
say there would be mischief. The very idea of her having
been suffered to grow up at a distance from us all in poverty
and neglect would be enough to make either of the dear
sweet-tempered boys in love with her. But breed her up
with them from this time and suppose her even to have the
beauty of an angel and she will never be more to either than
a sister."
"There is a great deal of truth in what you say"
replied Sir Thomas "and far be it from me to throw any
fanciful impediment in the way of a plan which would be
so consistent with the relative situations of each. I only
meant to observe that it ought not to be lightly engaged in
and that to make it really serviceable to Mrs. Price
and creditable to ourselves we must secure to the child
or consider ourselves engaged to secure to her hereafter
as circumstances may arise the provision of a gentlewoman
if no such establishment should offer as you are so sanguine
in expecting."
"I thoroughly understand you" cried Mrs. Norris
"you are everything that is generous and considerate
and I am sure we shall never disagree on this point.
Whatever I can do as you well know I am always ready
enough to do for the good of those I love; and though I
could never feel for this little girl the hundredth
part of the regard I bear your own dear children
nor consider her in any respect so much my own
I should hate myself if I were capable of neglecting her.
Is not she a sister's child? and could I bear to see
her want while I had a bit of bread to give her?
My dear Sir Thomas with all my faults I have a warm heart;
and poor as I am would rather deny myself the necessaries
of life than do an ungenerous thing. So if you are not
against it I will write to my poor sister tomorrow
and make the proposal; and as soon as matters are settled
_I_ will engage to get the child to Mansfield; _you_ shall
have no trouble about it. My own trouble you know
I never regard. I will send Nanny to London on purpose
and she may have a bed at her cousin the saddler's and the
child be appointed to meet her there. They may easily get
her from Portsmouth to town by the coach under the care
of any creditable person that may chance to be going.
I dare say there is always some reputable tradesman's wife
or other going up."
Except to the attack on Nanny's cousin Sir Thomas no longer
made any objection and a more respectable though less
economical rendezvous being accordingly substituted
everything was considered as settled and the pleasures
of so benevolent a scheme were already enjoyed.
The division of gratifying sensations ought not
in strict justice to have been equal; for Sir Thomas was
fully resolved to be the real and consistent patron of the
selected child and Mrs. Norris had not the least intention
of being at any expense whatever in her maintenance.
As far as walking talking and contriving reached
she was thoroughly benevolent and nobody knew better
how to dictate liberality to others; but her love of money
was equal to her love of directing and she knew quite as
well how to save her own as to spend that of her friends.
Having married on a narrower income than she had been
used to look forward to she had from the first
fancied a very strict line of economy necessary;
and what was begun as a matter of prudence soon grew
into a matter of choice as an object of that needful
solicitude which there were no children to supply.
Had there been a family to provide for Mrs. Norris might
never have saved her money; but having no care of that kind
there was nothing to impede her frugality or lessen the
comfort of making a yearly addition to an income which they
had never lived up to. Under this infatuating principle
counteracted by no real affection for her sister
it was impossible for her to aim at more than the credit
of projecting and arranging so expensive a charity;
though perhaps she might so little know herself as to
walk home to the Parsonage after this conversation
in the happy belief of being the most liberal-minded
sister and aunt in the world.
When the subject was brought forward again her views
were more fully explained; and in reply to Lady Bertram's
calm inquiry of "Where shall the child come to first
sister to you or to us?" Sir Thomas heard with some
surprise that it would be totally out of Mrs. Norris's
power to take any share in the personal charge of her.
He had been considering her as a particularly welcome
addition at the Parsonage as a desirable companion
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Unpublished Work 
