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no influence, I can do nothing; I have offended them, and they will not hear me; but when I have put them
in good humor by this concession, I am not without hopes of persuading them to confine the
representation within a much smaller circle than they are now in the high road for. This will be a material
gain. My object is to confine it to Mrs. Rushworth and the Grants. Will not this be worth gaining?"
"Yes, it will be a great point."
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"But still it has not your approbation. Can you mention any other measure by which I have a chance of
doing equal good?"
"No, I cannot think of anything else."
"Give me your approbation, then, Fanny. I am not comfortable without it."
"Oh! cousin."
"If you are against me, I ought to distrust myself and yet But it is absolutely impossible to let Tom go
on in this way, riding about the country in quest of anybody who can be persuaded to act no matter
whom; the look of a gentleman is to be enough. I thought you would have entered more into Miss
Crawford's feelings."
"No doubt she will be very glad. It must be a great relief to her," said Fanny, trying for greater warmth of
manner.
"She never appeared more amiable than in her behavior to you last night. It gave her a very strong claim
on my good will."
"She was very kind indeed, and I am glad to have her spared." . . .
She could not finish the generous effusion. Her conscience stopped her in the middle, but Edmund was
satisfied.
"I shall walk down immediately after breakfast," said he, "and am sure of giving pleasure there. And
now, dear Fanny, I will not interrupt you any longer. You want to be reading. But I could not be easy till
I had spoken to you, and come to a decision. Sleeping or waking, my head has been full of this matter all
night. It is an evil but I am certainly making it less than it might be. If Tom is up, I shall go to him directly
and get it over; and when we meet at breakfast we shall be all in high good humor at the prospect of
acting the fool together with such unanimity. You in the meanwhile will be taking a trip into China, I
suppose. How does Lord Macartney go on?16 (opening a volume on the table and then taking up
some others.) And here are Crabbe's Tales,17and the Idler18, at hand to relieve you, if you tire of your
great book. I admire your little establishment exceedingly; and as soon as I am gone, you will empty your
head of all this nonsense of acting, and sit comfortably down to your table. But do not stay here to be
cold."
He went; but there was no reading, no China, no composure for Fanny. He had told her the most
extraordinary, the most inconceivable, the most unwelcome news; and she could think of nothing else. To
be acting! After all his objections objections so just and so public! After all that she had heard him say,
and seen him look, and known him to be feeling. Could it be possible? Edmund so inconsistent. Was he
not deceiving himself? Was he not wrong? Alas! it was all Miss Crawford's doing. She had seen her
influence in every speech, and was miserable. The doubts and alarms as to her own conduct, which had
previously distressed her, and which had all slept while she listened to him, were become of little
consequence now. This deeper anxiety swallowed them up. Things should take their course; she cared
not how it ended. Her cousins might attack, but could hardly tease her. She was beyond their reach; and
if at last obliged to yield no matter it was all misery now .
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Chapter 17
It was, indeed, a triumphant day to Mr. Bertram and Maria. Such a victory over Edmund's discretion
had been beyond their hopes, and was most delightful. There was no longer anything to disturb them in
their darling project, and they congratulated each other in private on the jealous weakness to which they
attributed the change, with all the glee of feelings gratified in every way. Edmund might still look grave,
and say he did not like the scheme in general, and must disapprove the play in particular; their point was
gained; he was to act, and he was driven to it by the force of selfish inclinations only. Edmund had
descended from that moral elevation which he had maintained before, and they were both as much the
better as the happier for the descent.
They behaved very well, however, to him on the occasion, betraying no exultation beyond the lines
about the corners of the mouth, and seemed to think it as great an escape to be quit of the intrusion of
Charles Maddox, as if they had been forced into admitting him against their inclination. "To have it quite
in their own family circle was what they had particularly wished. A stranger among them would have been
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