And Mary added, “Now, I am well aware that I shall not be half so welcome to Mrs. Fraser in consequence of his situation with you. When she comes to know the truth she will wish me in Northamptonshire again; for she has a stepdaughter whom she is wild to get married, and wants Henry to take. Oh! she has been trying for him to such a degree. Innocent and quiet as you sit here, you cannot have an idea of the sensation that you will be occasioning—”

“Pray, do not speak of that.”

But Mary was relentless. “In their house, with their spirit of irritation, I shall call to mind the conjugal manners of Mansfield Parsonage with respect. In my heart, I shall be at Mansfield for ever, Fanny. My own sister as a wife, Sir Thomas Bertram as a husband, are my standards of perfection. Poor Janet has been sadly taken in, her match is not ideal—By the bye, another friend, Flora Ross was dying for Henry the first winter she came out. But were I to attempt to tell you of all the women whom I have known to be in love with him, I should never have done. It is you, only you, insensible Fanny, who can think of him with anything like indifference! But are you so insensible as you profess yourself? No, no, I see you are not.”

There was, indeed, so deep a blush over Fanny’s face at that moment as might warrant strong suspicion in a predisposed mind. In fact, it was utter frustration.

“Excellent creature! I will not tease you. Everything shall take its course. But, dear Fanny, you must allow that you were not so absolutely unprepared to have the question asked. You must have had some thoughts on the subject. You must have seen that Henry was trying to please you by every attention in his power. Was not he devoted to you at the ball—before all that delightful mayhem, of course? And then before the ball, the necklace! Oh! you received it just as it was meant, as conscious as heart could desire. I remember it perfectly.”

“Do you mean, then, that your brother knew of the necklace beforehand? Oh! Miss Crawford, that was not fair.”

“Knew of it! It was his own doing entirely, his own thought. I am ashamed to say that it had never entered my head, but I was delighted to act on his proposal for both your sakes.”