From this day Fanny grew more comfortable.She felt that she had a friend,and the kindness of her cousin Edmund gave her better spirits with everybody else.The place became less strange,and the people less formidable;and if there were some amongst them whom she could not cease to fear,she began at least to know their ways,and to catch the best manner of conforming to them.The little rusticities and awkwardnesses which had at first made grievous inroads on the tranquillity of all,and not least of herself,necessarily wore away,and she was no longer materially afraid to appear before her uncle,nor did her aunt Norris's voice make her start very much.To her cousins she became occasionally an acceptable companion.Though unworthy,from inferiority of age and strength,to be their constant associate,their pleasures and schemes were sometimes of a nature to make a third very useful,especially when that third was of an obliging,yielding temper;and they could not but own,when their aunt inquired into her faults,or their brother Edmund urged her claims to their kindness,that ‘Fanny was good-natured enough.’
Edmund was uniformly kind himself,and she had nothing worse to endure on the part of Tom,than that sort of merriment which a young man of seventeen will always think fair with a child of ten.He was just entering into life,full of spirits,and with all the liberal dispositions of an eldest son,who feels born only for expense and enjoyment.His kindness to his little cousin was consistent with his situation and rights;he made her some very pretty presents,and laughed at her.
As her appearance and spirits improved,Sir Thomas and Mrs Norris thought with greater satisfaction of their benevolent plan;and it was pretty soon decided between them,that though far from clever,she showed a tractable disposition,and seemed likely to give them little trouble.A mean opinion of her abilities was not confined to them.Fanny could read,work,and write,but she had been taught nothing more;and as her cousins found her ignorant of many things with which they had been long familiar,they thought her prodigiously stupid,and for the first two or three weeks were continually bringing some fresh report of it into the drawing-room.‘Dear Mamma,only think,my cousin cannot put the map of Europe together-or my cousin cannot tell the principal rivers in Russia-or she never heard of Asia Minor-or she does not know the difference between water-colours and crayons!-How strange!-Did you ever hear anything so stupid?’
‘My dear,’their considerate aunt would reply;‘it is very bad,but you must not expect everybody to be as forward and quick at learning as yourself.’
‘But,aunt,she is really so very ignorant you know,we asked her last night,which way she would go to get to Ireland;and she said,she should cross to the Isle of Wight.She thinks of nothing but the Isle of Wight,and she calls it ‘the Island’as if there were no other island in the world.I am sure I should have been ashamed of myself,if I had not known better long before I was so old as she is.I cannot remember the time when I did not know a great deal that she has not the least notion of yet.How long ago it is,aunt,since we used to repeat the chronological order of the kings of England,with the dates of their accession,and most of the principal events of their reigns!’‘Yes,’added the other;‘and of the Roman emperors as low as Severus;besides a great deal of the Heathen Mythology,and all the Metals,Semi-Metals,Planets,and distinguished philosophers.’
‘Very true,indeed,my dears,but you are blessed with wonderful memories,and your poor cousin has probably none at all.There is a vast deal of difference in memories,as well as in everything else,and therefore you must make allowance for your cousin,and pity her deficiency.And remember that,if you are ever so forward and clever yourselves,you should always be modest;for,much as you know already,there is a great deal more for you to learn.’
‘Yes,I know there is,till I am seventeen.But I must tell you another thing of Fanny,so odd and so stupid.Do you know,she says she does not want to learn either music or drawing.’
‘To be sure,my dear,that is very stupid indeed,and shows a great want of genius and emulation.But all things considered,I do not know whether it is not as well that it should be so,for,though you know (owing to me)your papa and mamma are so good as to bring her up with you,it is not at all necessary that she should be as accomplished as you are;-on the contrary,it is much more desirable that there should be a difference.’
Such were the counsels by which Mrs Norris assisted to form her nieces'minds;and it is not very wonderful that with all their promising talents and early information,they should be entirely deficient in the less common acquirements of self-knowledge,generosity,and humility.In everything but disposition,they were admirably taught.Sir Thomas did not know what was wanting,because,though a truly anxious father,he was not outwardly affectionate,and the reserve of his manner repressed all the flow of their spirits before him.
