-
Главная
-
- Книги
-
- Авторы
-
- Джейн Остен
-
- Мэнсфилд Парк
-
- Стр. 1/228
Mansfield Park
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
.
