Mrs Grant，with a temper to love and be loved，must have gone with some regret，from the scenes and people she had been used to；but the same happiness of disposition must in any place and any society，secure her a great deal to enjoy，and she had again a home to offer Mary；and Mary had had enough of her own friends，enough of vanity，ambition，love，and disappointment in the course of the last half year，to be in need of the true kindness of her sister's heart，and the rational tranquillity of her ways.-They lived together；and when Dr Grant had brought on apoplexy and death，by three great institutionary dinners in one week，they still lived together；for Mary，though perfectly resolved against ever attaching herself to a younger brother again，was long in finding among the dashing representatives，or idle heir apparents，who were at the command of her beauty，and her ā20，000anyone who could satisfy the better taste she had acquired at Mansfield，whose character and manners could authorise a hope of the domestic happiness she had there learnt to estimate，or put Edmund Bertram sufficiently out of her head.
Edmund had greatly the advantage of her in this respect.He had not to wait and wish with vacant affections for an object worthy to succeed her in them.Scarcely had he done regretting Mary Crawford，and observing to Fanny how impossible it was that he should ever meet with such another woman，before it began to strike him whether a very different kind of woman might not do just as well-or a great deal better；whether Fanny herself were not growing as dear，as important to him in all her smiles，and all her ways，as Mary Crawford had ever been；and whether it might not be a possible，an hopeful undertaking to persuade her that her warm and sisterly regard for him would be foundation enough for wedded love.
I purposely abstain from dates on this occasion，that everyone may be at liberty to fix their own，aware that the cure of unconquerable passions，and the transfer of unchanging attachments，must vary much as to time in different people.-I only entreat everybody to believe that exactly at the time when it was quite natural that it should be so，and not a week earlier，Edmund did cease to care about Miss Crawford，and became as anxious to marry Fanny，as Fanny herself could desire.
With such a regard for her，indeed，as his had long been，a regard founded on the most endearing claims of innocence and helplessness，and completed by every recommendation of growing worth，what could be more natural than the change？Loving，guiding，protecting her，as he had been doing ever since her being ten years old，her mind in so great a degree formed by his care，and her comfort depending on his kindness，an object to him of such close and peculiar interest，dearer by all his own importance with her than any one else at Mansfield，what was there now to add，but that he should learn to prefer soft light eyes to sparkling dark ones.-And being always with her，and always talking confidentially，and his feelings exactly in that favourable state which a recent disappointment gives，those soft light eyes could not be very long in obtaining the pre-eminence.
