曼斯菲尔德庄园 Chapter 24

CHAPTER XXIV ,Henry Crawford had quite made up his mind by the next morning to give another fortnight to Mansfield, and having sent for his hunters, and written a few lines of explanation to the Admiral, he looked round at his sister as he sealed and threw the letter from him, and seeing the coast clear of the rest of the family, said, with a smile, "And how do you think I mean to amuse myself, Mary, on the days that I do not hunt? I am grown too old to go out more than three times a week; but I have a plan for the intermediate days, and what do you think it is?" ,"To walk and ride with me, to be sure." ,"Not exactly, though I shall be happy to do both, but _that_ would be exercise only to my body, and I must take care of my mind. Besides, _that_ would be all recreation and indulgence, without the wholesome ¹ alloy ² of labour, and I do not like to eat the bread of idleness. No, my plan is to make Fanny Price in love with me." ,"Fanny Price! Nonsense! No, no. You ought to be satisfied with her two cousins." ,"But I cannot be satisfied without Fanny Price, without making a small hole in Fanny Price's heart. You do not seem properly aware of her claims to notice. When we talked of her last night, you none of you seemed sensible of the wonderful improvement that has taken place in her looks within the last six weeks. You see her every day, and therefore do not notice it; but I assure you she is quite a different creature from what she was in the autumn. She was then merely a quiet, modest, not plain-looking girl, but she is now absolutely pretty. I used to think she had neither complexion ³ nor countenance ⁴; but in that soft skin of hers, so frequently tinged ⁵ with a blush as it was yesterday, there is decided ⁶ beauty; and from what I observed of her eyes and mouth, I do not despair of their being capable of expression enough when she has anything to express. And then, her air, her manner, her _tout_ _ensemble_, is so indescribably improved! She must be grown two inches, at least, since October." ,Her brother gave only a smile to this accusation ⁹, and soon afterwards said, "I do not quite know what to make of Miss Fanny. I do not understand her. I could not tell what she would be at yesterday. What is her character? Is she solemn? Is she queer? Is she prudish ¹⁰? Why did she draw back and look so grave at me? I could hardly get her to speak. I never was so long in company with a girl in my life, trying to entertain her, and succeed so ill! Never met with a girl who looked so grave on me! I must try to get the better of this. Her looks say, 'I will not like you, I am determined ¹¹ not to like you'; and I say she shall." ,"Foolish fellow! And so this is her attraction after all! This it is, her not caring about you, which gives her such a soft skin, and makes her so much taller, and produces all these charms and graces! I do desire that you will not be making her really unhappy; a _little_ love, perhaps, may animate ¹² and do her good, but I will not have you plunge ¹³ her deep, for she is as good a little creature as ever lived, and has a great deal of feeling." ,"It can be but for a fortnight," said Henry; "and if a fortnight can kill her, she must have a constitution which nothing could save. No, I will not do her any harm, dear little soul! only want her to look kindly ¹⁴ on me, to give me smiles as well as blushes, to keep a chair for me by herself wherever we are, and be all animation ¹⁵ when I take it and talk to her; to think as I think, be interested in all my possessions and pleasures, try to keep me longer at Mansfield, and feel when I go away that she shall be never happy again. I want nothing more." ,"Moderation itself!" said Mary. "I can have no scruples ¹⁶ now. Well, you will have opportunities enough of endeavouring to recommend yourself, for we are a great deal together." ,And without attempting any farther remonstrance ¹⁷, she left Fanny to her fate, a fate which, had not Fanny's heart been guarded in a way unsuspected by Miss Crawford, might have been a little harder than she deserved; for although there doubtless are such unconquerable young ladies of eighteen (or one should not read about them) as are never to be persuaded into love against their judgment ¹⁸ by all that talent, manner, attention, and flattery can do, I have no inclination ¹⁹ to believe Fanny one of them, or to think that with so much tenderness of disposition ²⁰, and so much taste as belonged to her, she could have escaped heart-whole from the courtship (though the courtship only of a fortnight) of such a man as Crawford, in spite of there being some previous ill opinion of him to be overcome, had not her affection been engaged elsewhere. With all the security which love of another and disesteem of him could give to the peace of mind he was attacking, his continued attentions--continued, but not obtrusive ²¹, and adapting themselves more and more to the gentleness and delicacy ²² of her character--obliged her very soon to dislike him less than formerly ²³. She had by no means forgotten the past, and she thought as ill of him as ever; but she felt his powers: he was entertaining; and his manners were so improved, so polite, so seriously and blamelessly polite, that it was impossible not to be civil to him in return. ,It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的
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