He mentioned that he had spent half an hour with his sister the evening before his leaving London; that she had sent her best and kindest love, but had had no time for writing. He thought himself lucky in seeing Mary for even half an hour, having spent scarcely twenty-four hours in London, after his return from Norfolk, before he set off again. Also, her cousin Edmund was in town, had been in town a few days. Mr. Crawford had not seen him himself, but Edmund was well, had left them all well at Mansfield, and was to dine with the Frasers.

Fanny listened collectedly, even to the last-mentioned circumstance. Nay, it seemed a relief to her worn mind to be at any certainty. The words, “then by this time it is all settled,” passed through her thoughts, without more evidence of emotion than a faint blush.

After talking a little more about Mansfield, a subject in which her interest was most apparent, Crawford began to hint at the expediency of an early walk.

“It was a lovely morning, and at that season of the year a fine morning so often turned off, that it was wisest for everybody not to delay their exercise;”—such hints produced nothing. He soon proceeded to a positive recommendation to Mrs. Price and her daughters to take their walk without loss of time.

Now, Mrs. Price scarcely ever stirred out of doors, except of a Sunday. She owned she could seldom, with her large family, find time for a walk.

“Would you, then, persuade your daughters to take advantage of such weather, and allow me the pleasure of attending them?” Mr. Crawford’s charm was potent here as well.

Mrs. Price was greatly obliged and very complying. “Her daughters were very much confined; Portsmouth was a sad place with a shabby lumbering populace, with the worst of skin conditions; they did not often get out; and she knew they had some errands in the town, which they would be very glad to do.”

And the consequence was, that Fanny, strange as it was—strange, awkward, and distressing—found herself and Susan, within ten minutes, walking towards the High Street with Mr. Crawford.

It was soon pain upon pain, confusion upon confusion; for they were hardly in the High Street before they met her father, whose appearance was not the better from its being Saturday. He stopt; and, ungentlemanlike as he looked, Fanny was obliged to introduce him to Mr. Crawford.

“Sir!”

“Fanny!”

“Mr. Price.”

“Mr. Crawford.”

“Father!”

“Susan!”

“Mr. Price.”

“Mr. Crawford.”

That went on for quite some while. . . . The harrowing introductions over with eventually, Fanny had now to deal with the potentially even more harrowing consequences.