Mansfield Park - Chapter 11

The day at Sotherton, with all its imperfections, afforded the Miss Bertrams much more agreeable feelings than were derived ¹ from the letters from Antigua, which soon afterwards reached Mansfield. It was much pleasanter to think of Henry Crawford than of their father; and to think of their father in England again within a certain period, which these letters obliged them to do, was a most unwelcome exercise., ,November was the black month fixed ² for his return. Sir Thomas wrote of it with as much decision as experience and anxiety could authorise. His business was so nearly concluded as to justify ³ him in proposing to take his passage in the September packet, and he consequently looked forward with the hope of being with his beloved family again early in November., ,Maria was more to be pitied than Julia; for to her the father brought a husband, and the return of the friend most solicitous ⁴ for her happiness would unite her to the lover, on whom she had chosen that happiness should depend. It was a gloomy prospect ⁵, and all she could do was to throw a mist over it, and hope when the mist cleared away she should see something else. It would hardly be early in November, there were generally delays, a bad passage or something; that favouring something which everybody who shuts their eyes while they look, or their understandings while they reason, feels the comfort of. It would probably be the middle of November at least; the middle of November was three months off. Three months comprised thirteen weeks. Much might happen in thirteen weeks., , ,Edmund looked round at Mr. Rushworth too, but had nothing to say., ,"Your father's return will be a very interesting event.", ,He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》,Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？