ng left so long, and to listen with an anxious desire of hearing their steps and their voices again. She listened, and at length she heard; she heard voices and feet approaching; but she

st salutations. She told her story. "Poor dear Fanny," cried her cousin,

Nothing was fixed on; but Henry Crawford was full of ideas and projects, and, generally speaking, whatever he proposed was immediately approved, first by her, and then by Mr. Ru

Crawford's opinion; and he directly saw a knoll not half a mile off, which would give them exactly the requisite command of the house. Go therefore they must to that knoll, and through that gate; but the gate was locked. Mr. Rushworth wished he had brought the key; he had been very near thinking whether he should not brin

o now, as we are so far from the house alr

But now, sincerely, do not you find the

ay not be the best. And to tell you the truth," speaking rather lower, "I do not think that I shall ev

a man of the world not to see with the eyes of the world. If othe

in some points. My feelings are not quite so evanescent, nor my memory of the p

eemed to enjoy your drive here very much this morning. I was glad to s

ion at what. Oh! I believe I was relating to her some ridiculous sto

more light-hear

" smiling, "better company. I could not have hoped to ente

as lively as Julia, but I

irits would denote insensibility. Your prospects, however, are too fai

But unluckily that iron gate, that ha-ha, give me a feeling of restraint and hardship. 'I cannot get out,' as the starling said."

or I think you might with little difficulty pass round the edge of the gate, here, with my assistance; I think

at way, and I will. Mr. Rushworth will be here in

as to tell him that he will find us near t

rt yourself, Miss Bertram," she cried; "you will certainly hurt yourself against those spikes; y

nd, smiling with all the good-humour of success, she said, "Thank you,

By taking a circuitous route, and, as it appeared to her, very unreasonable direction to the knoll, they were soon beyond her eye; and for some minutes longer she remained without sight or sound of an

rincipal walk. She expected Mr. Rushworth, but it was Julia, who, hot and out of breath, and with a look of disapp

expl

oking eagerly into the park. "But they cannot be very far off,

be here in a moment with the k

horrible mother. Such a penance as I have been enduring, while you were sitting here so composed and so happy! It m

Julia was vexed, and her temper was hasty; but she felt that it would not last,

upon life and death, and could but just spare tim

ould have so much t

er sins. The mother I could not avoid, as long as my tiresome aunt was

so much of their continued absence, however, as she might have done. She felt that he had been very ill-used, and was quite unhappy in having to communicate what had passed. He joined her within five minutes after Julia's exit; and though she made the be

ia charged me to say that you would fi

y; "I see nothing of them. By the time I get to the knoll

th a most gloomy c

ry unlucky." And she longed to be able

, "I think they might as wel

thought you wo

had to follow her

he went on-"Pray, Miss Price, are you such a great admirer of this Mr

ink him at a

hould not wonder if he is not more than five foot eight. I think he is an ill-looking fel

y here, and she did not k

he key, there might have been some excuse, but

ou could; but still it is some distance, you know, from this spot to the house, quite into the hous

ion of relenting, which encouraged her to another attempt, and she said, therefore, "It is a pity you should not join them. They expected to have a better

h was worked on. "Well," said he, "if you really think I had better go: it would be foolish t

stened, had tempted them very soon after their leaving her, and they had been across a portion of the park into the very avenue which Fanny had been hoping the whole morning to reach at last, and had been sitting down under one of the trees. This was their history. It was evident that they had been spending their time pleasantly, and were not aware of the length of their absence. Fanny's best consolation was in being assured that Edmund had wished for her ve

leasures of her nieces, she had found a morning of complete enjoyment; for the housekeeper, after a great many courtesies on the subject of pheasants, had taken her to the dairy, told her all about their cows, and given her the receipt for a famous cream cheese; and since Julia's leaving them they had been met by the ga

able, or at all productive of anything useful with regard to the object of the day. By their own accounts they had been all walking after each other, and the junction which had taken place at last seemed, to Fanny's observation, to have been as much too late for re-establishing harmony, as it confessedly had been for determining on any alteration.

eches to Mrs. Rushworth, was ready to lead the way. At the same moment Mr. Crawford, approaching Julia, said, "I hope I am not to lose my companion, unless she is afraid of the evening air in so exposed a seat." The request had not been foreseen, but was very graciously received, and Julia's day was likely to end almost as well as it began. Miss Bertram had made up her

h the park. "Nothing but pleasure from beginning to end! I am sure you ought to be very much obliged

etty well yourself, ma'am. Your lap seems full of good things, and here is a

st like the excellent one we had at dinner. Nothing would satisfy that good old Mrs. Whitaker, but my taking one of the cheeses. I stood out as long as I could, till the tears almost came into her eyes, and I knew it was just the sort that my sister would be delighted with.

" said Maria, half-pleased that So

me, as she understood I lived quite alone, to have a few living creatures of that sort; and so to be sure it will. I shall get the dairymaid to set them under the first spare hen, and if they co

when Mrs. Norris ceased speaking, it was altogether a silent drive to those within. Their spirits were in general exh