The Miss Bertrams were much to be pitied on the occasion；not for their sorrow，but for their want of it.Their father was no object of love to them，he had never seemed the friend of their pleasures，and his absence was unhappily most welcome.They were relieved by it from all restraint；and without aiming at one gratification that would probably have been forbidden by Sir Thomas，they felt themselves immediately at their own disposal，and to have every indulgence within their reach.Fanny's relief，and her consciousness of it，were quite equal to her cousins'，but a more tender nature suggested that her feelings were ungrateful，and she really grieved because she could not grieve.‘Sir Thomas，who had done so much for her and her brothers，and who was gone perhaps never to return！that she should see him go without a tear！-it was a shameful insensibility.’He had said to her moreover，on the very last morning，that he hoped she might see William again in the course of the ensuing winter，and had charged her to write and invite him to Mansfield as soon as the squadron to which he belonged should be known to be in England.‘This was so thoughtful and kind！’-and would he only have smiled upon her and called her ‘my dear Fanny’，while he said it，every former frown or cold address might have been forgotten.But he had ended his speech in a way to sink her in sad mortification，by adding，‘If William does come to Mansfield，I hope you may be able to convince him that the many years which have passed since you parted，have not been spent on your side entirely without improvement-though I fear he must find his sister at sixteen in some respects too much like his sister at ten.’She cried bitterly over this reflection when her uncle was gone；and her cousins，on seeing her with red eyes，set her down as a hypocrite.
Chapter 4
Tom Bertram had of late spent so little of his time at home，that he could be only nominally missed；and Lady Bertram was soon astonished to find how very well they did even without his father，how well Edmund could supply his place in carving，talking to the steward，writing to the attorney，settling with the servants，and equally saving her from all possible fatigue or exertion in every particular，but that of directing her letters.
The earliest intelligence of the travellers'safe arrival in Antigua after a favourable voyage，was received；though not before Mrs Norris had been indulging in very dreadful fears，and trying to make Edmund participate them whenever she could get him alone；and as she depended on being the first person made acquainted with any fatal catastrophe，she had already arranged the manner of breaking it to all the others，when Sir Thomas's assurances of their both being alive and well，made it necessary to lay by her agitation and affectionate preparatory speeches for a while.
The winter came and passed without their being called for；the accounts continued perfectly good；-and Mrs Norris in promoting gaieties for her nieces，assisting their toilettes，displaying their accomplishments，and looking about for their future husbands，had so much to do as，in addition to all her own household cares，some interference in those of her sister，and Mrs Grant's wasteful doings to overlook，left her very little occasion to be occupied even in fears for the absent.
The Miss Bertrams were now fully established among the belles of the neighbourhood；and as they joined to beauty and brilliant acquirements，a manner naturally easy，and carefully formed to general civility and obligingness，they possessed its favour as well as its admiration.Their vanity was in such good order，that they seemed to be quite free from it，and gave themselves no airs；while the praises attending such behaviour，secured，and brought round by their aunt，served to strengthen them in believing they had no faults.
Lady Bertram did not go into public with her daughters.She was too indolent even to accept a mother's gratification in witnessing their success and enjoyment at the expense of any personal trouble，and the charge was made over to her sister，who desired nothing better than a post of such honourable representation，and very thoroughly relished the means it afforded her of mixing in society without having horses to hire.
Fanny had no share in the festivities of the season；but she enjoyed being avowedly useful as her aunt's companion，when they called away the rest of the family；and as Miss Lee had left Mansfield，she naturally became everything to Lady Bertram during the night of a ball or a party.She talked to her，listened to her，read to her；and the tranquillity of such evenings，her perfect security in such a tête-à-tête from any sound of unkindness，was unspeakably welcome to a mind which had seldom known a pause in its alarms or embarrassments.As to her cousins'gaieties，she loved to hear an account of them，especially of the balls，and whom Edmund had danced with；but thought too lowly of her own situation to imagine she should ever be admitted to the same，and listened therefore without an idea of any nearer concern in them.Upon the whole，it was a comfortable winter to her；for though it brought no William to England，the never failing hope of his arrival was worth much.
