CHAPTER IAbout thirty years ago Miss Maria Ward, of Huntingdon, with only seventhousand pounds, had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram, ofMansfield Park, in the county of Northampton, and to be thereby raisedto the rank of a baronet's lady, with all the comforts and consequencesof an handsome house and large income. All Huntingdon exclaimed on thegreatness of the match, and her uncle, the lawyer, himself, allowed herto be at least three thousand pounds short of any equitable claim to it.She had two sisters to be benefited by her elevation; and such of theiracquaintance as thought Miss Ward and Miss Frances quite as handsome asMiss Maria, did not scruple to predict their marrying with almost equaladvantage. But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune inthe world as there are pretty women to deserve them. Miss Ward, at theend of half a dozen years, found herself obliged to be attached tothe Rev. Mr. Norris, a friend of her brother-in-law, with scarcely anyprivate fortune, and Miss Frances fared yet worse. Miss Ward's match, indeed, when it came to the point, was not contemptible: Sir Thomasbeing happily able to give his friend an income in the living ofMansfield; and Mr. and Mrs. Norris began their career of conjugalfelicity with very little less than a thousand a year. But Miss Francesmarried, in the common phrase, to disoblige her family, and by fixing ona lieutenant of marines, without education, fortune, or connexions, didit very thoroughly. She could hardly have made a more untoward choice.Sir Thomas Bertram had interest, which, from principle as well aspride--from a general wish of doing right, and a desire of seeing allthat were connected with him in situations of respectability, he wouldhave been glad to exert for the advantage of Lady Bertram's sister; buther husband's profession was such as no interest could reach; and beforehe had time to devise any other method of assisting them, an absolutebreach between the sisters had taken place. It was the natural result ofthe conduct of each party, and such as a very imprudent marriage almostalways produces. To save herself from useless remonstrance, Mrs. Pricenever wrote to her family on the subject till actually married. LadyBertram, who was a woman of very tranquil feelings, and a temperremarkably easy and indolent, would have contented herself with merelygiving up her sister, and thinking no more of the matter; but Mrs.Norris had a spirit of activity, which could not be satisfied till shehad written a long and angry letter to Fanny, to point out the folly ofher conduct, and threaten her with all its possible ill consequences.Mrs. Price, in her turn, was injured and angry; and an answer, whichcomprehended each sister in its bitterness, and bestowed such verydisrespectful reflections on the pride of Sir Thomas as Mrs. Norriscould not possibly keep to herself, put an end to all intercoursebetween them for a considerable period.Their homes were so distant, and the circles in which they moved sodistinct, as almost to preclude the means of ever hearing of eachother's existence during the eleven following years, or, at least, tomake it very wonderful to Sir Thomas that Mrs. Norris should ever haveit in her power to tell them, as she now and then did, in an angryvoice, that Fanny had got another child. By the end of eleven years, however, Mrs. Price could no longer afford to cherish pride orresentment, or to lose one connexion that might possibly assist her.A large and still increasing family, an husband disabled for activeservice, but not the less equal to company and good liquor, and a verysmall income to supply their wants, made her eager to regain the friendsshe had so carelessly sacrificed; and she addressed Lady Bertram ina letter which spoke so much contrition and despondence, such asuperfluity of childre