Mansfield Park Revisited by Joan Aiken

Author:Joan Aiken
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2013-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

For one reason and another, the excursion to Stanby Cross and Easton Wood had to be several times postponed: little Tommy Yates must be taken to Northampton for the extraction of an inflamed tooth, and was so poorly for several days thereafter that his fond mamma dare not leave his bedside; one of the Maddox carriage horses fell lame; Mr. Wadham’s barouche had a cracked wheel; and then regrettable but necessary meetings of churchwardens and magistrates kept Tom and Mr. Wadham from the pursuit of pleasure for several days.

Meanwhile, however, the informal hop at Mansfield was in active preparation, and a night towards the end of the following week selected for the purpose. Tom rode about the neighbourhood issuing invitations; Lady Bertram was, as an afterthought, informed, but raised no objection, provided she was not required to take any active part in the business; Susan made the arrangements for the furniture to be removed and floors to be waxed; the violin-playing woodman was instructed to practise his country-dances and a companion who played the flute was presently discovered. Julia, of course, soon got wind of the scheme and came hurrying over to be affronted that she had not been consulted in the matter, complain that it was by far too soon after Sir Thomas’s death to be undertaking any entertainment of the kind, to be won over by degrees as she reflected on the opportunity provided for Miss Yates and Tom getting onto closer terms; then to be annoyed all over again at the inclusion of the Maddoxes and Miss Harley among the guests; and to make a hundred and one suggestions for the betterment of Susan’s arrangements.

“In the old days we always did such-and-such; balls at Mansfield were never conducted thus,” was her constant cry.

“My sister Julia grows more infernally like Aunt Norris every week, I swear,” grumbled Tom, throwing himself back in his armchair one evening when Julia had left them after an unusually lengthy discussion. “She is always so busy in other folk’s affairs. She behaves as if everybody in the world had nothing to do but obey her whims and behests. It is the outside of enough. I begin to be quite sorry that she and Yates ever came to this neighbourhood. If only she had married Rushworth and settled twenty miles off at Sotherton, we should not be plagued with her advice and opinions a dozen times a week. By the bye, Susan,” in a lower tone, glancing towards his mother who, across the room on her sopha, was just sinking into a gentle doze, “talking of Rushworth, and all that, I hear that my sister Maria is in a fair way to be married again.”

“Indeed? From what quarter comes your information?”

“A fellow named Brooks with whom I was friendly at Oxford—now he is in Parliament and has a house in Hans Crescent; he writes me that the engagement is universally spoken of in London society, and it is thought that, all things considered, Maria has done remarkably well for herself.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.