Chapter 26 Richard's return, which makes Ma...
Richard's return brought a beautiful piece of Chinese porcelain to Mary's desk, which she would look at whenever she was tired.
Through this plum vase, she seemed to see her brother's weary figure traveling overseas, and she seemed to see the smoke and fire of war that opium was about to bring. This porcelain that had come from afar stirred up waves in her heart.
Fortunately, the rapidly passing time did not give Mary Price much opportunity to wallow in self-pity, as thinking too much was not good for her mental health.
Besides managing the household chores and continuing their hat business, Mary and Susan devoted more time to reading. The sisters rented books from the mobile library more frequently than ever before, subscribed to all sorts of magazines, chatted with Charlotte, and corresponded with relatives and friends in Mansfield and London.
Books, family, and friendship—these nourishing elements provided Mary with support, allowing her to focus on her own life and try not to think about things she couldn't change.
About two years later, in 1815, the Price family had several happy events.
First, John graduated, and Sir Thomas did not disappoint Mrs. Price's expectations of him, arranging for John to stay in London as a clerk in the government.
The job didn't pay much at the beginning; as a junior clerk newly hired by the Treasury, his annual salary was only ninety pounds. Even for a young man who didn't need to think about starting a family yet, that was barely enough to make ends meet in London.
John had to share an apartment with a friend who was interning at the law firm, and he would take on copying jobs to earn a living.
During his four years at Wenshi Middle School, John covered his daily expenses with these jobs, except for the money he brought from home. Although Mary sent him money a few times, he did not want to accept his underage sister's help frequently and refused after accepting it only once.
Now that he is finally able to support himself, he is eagerly hoping to repay his sister as soon as possible, so he is even more frugal.
Once he gets through the first two or three years of his job and becomes a senior clerk, he won't have to worry like he does now, because his income will be at least £120 to £150. If he can continue to get promoted, he can look forward to settling down and starting a family in London.
At that time, it was generally believed that a middle-class man with an annual income of three hundred pounds could start a family, because he could afford two servants, which was exactly the lifestyle the Price family was living. Of course, for the lower middle class, one hundred and fifty pounds was enough for them to get married.
Besides John, the Price couple's biggest worry was also resolved at the end of the year.
With the war over and thanks to General Maxwell's connections, William's service record was reviewed by the Navy Department, and he successfully passed the Naval Commission exam, earning a promotion and no longer being an insignificant officer cadet (i.e., a candidate lieutenant).
William was overjoyed that he had not let down those who had been helping him. Upon hearing the good news, he couldn't wait to tell his relatives and friends, and there's no need to go into the long list of words of gratitude.
His promotion was something everyone had been looking forward to; Mrs. Price had been hoping for it since he had just completed six years of service.
Sir Thomas also tried his best to ask friends for help, but unfortunately he had no such connections. Not long ago, when William went to Mansfield Park to reunite with Fanny, they talked about this matter.
Although Mary maintained contact with her godfather's family, since Anne went to London to study and the General's wife moved there, General Maxwell no longer lived in Portsmouth. Mary could neither mention this in her letters to Anne nor had the means to meet with her godfather in person to discuss it.
Upon learning that William had met Henry Crawford and Mary Crawford in Mansfield, Mary became increasingly worried. She was extremely unwilling for William and Fanny to have to accept a favor from Mr. Crawford.
In her correspondence with Fanny, although the letters did not mention anything about her two cousins and the man, Mary regretfully realized from Fanny's tone when she mentioned Miss Crawford that Fanny still loved Edmund. Therefore, for Fanny's sake, it would be best if William's promotion had nothing to do with Mr. Crawford.
Coincidentally, General Maxwell recently came across William Price's meritorious service in the Napoleonic Wars while reviewing documents in London. He was happy to continue mentoring this young man whom he had helped seven years ago. This hardworking young man had now become a brave and fearless young man who brought glory to his country.
You can imagine that when Henry Crawford invited William to London for dinner at Admiral Crawford's house, William learned from his uncle that William's promotion was already a sure thing. The person who had arranged this was none other than Rear Admiral Maxwell, another friend of the general.
Crawford was so disappointed. He really wanted to do something for Fanny's happiness, but things went wrong in the area where he was most confident.
Upon learning that his nephew was so eager to help young Price, General Crawford did his part. He wrote a letter to his friend, doing William a small favor, which left William equally grateful to his friend Henry.
At this point, the Royal Navy had to face a reality: they already had too many officers, far exceeding the number needed by the army.
Many junior officers who passed the examinations were waiting for appointments from the Admiralty. According to records, "In 1814, of the 4,920 officers on the list, only 50% were serving on 713 ships. By 1816, only 278 ships were in service, a 61% decrease, while the number of officers had increased to 5,937, of whom only about 17% were serving at sea" (Note 1). William was now in this awkward situation; without an appointment from the Admiralty, he would have to wait for his call-up with half pay.
Fortunately, with the support of two generals, William was promoted and appointed as a junior lieutenant on the British light cruiser HMS Thrushcross Grange. This favor was insignificant to General Crawford, but William and Fanny were still very grateful to him.
Mr. Crawford had already made up his mind that in a year or two he would ask his uncle to help William Price get promoted to lieutenant. Mary only learned these details from her brother when William returned home.
William was now the happiest naval lieutenant in the world. He rushed home to fully enjoy his newfound promotion. A naval lieutenant's salary wasn't particularly high, but with the sea allowance, post allowance, and the spoils he could enjoy, his annual income was roughly estimated to be no less than £180, a dramatic improvement compared to his past.
He's so young, he has every right to be happy. If he's still a second lieutenant in ten years, or just a first lieutenant like his father was, he'll be looked down upon by everyone again.
Before he even stepped inside, he received a warm welcome from his family. Sam, Tom, and Charles, the three boys, rushed to the front, eager to be the first to see their eldest brother, and they ran outside.
When Mrs. Price saw her son, she was so excited she didn't know where to put her hands. His new uniform was so beautiful; she was almost in tears with joy. She kept asking, "Oh, dear William, it's so good to see you. How long will you be staying at home this time? It's only January; it'll be February, won't it?"
She was even happier to learn that her son could stay until the "Thrush" set sail: "Yes, of course we'll wait for the 'Thrush,' you're now a lieutenant on that ship."
“Sam, Tom, Charles, don’t crowd on the porch. William, Mother, come in quickly.” Mary instructed the maid Lily to take William’s luggage upstairs, where Kate was preparing tea and snacks.
The group then entered the living room. Before William could sit down, Mrs. Price continued to press, "Did you see General Maxwell in London? Is he still the same as before? I remember Mary hasn't seen him and the General's wife for at least three or four years. Mary, is that right?"
“Yes, Mother, I haven’t seen my godparents since Anne went to school in London.” Mary urged William to sit down and echoed her mother’s words.
"We really have to thank him for this. The general was a huge help, and so was William's friend. Thanks to him for making some reliable friends," Mrs. Price said, her face beaming. "Think about it, without these friends, no matter how capable William is, the officials in the Admiralty wouldn't have noticed. Now everything is finally settled. Luckily, we have some true friends."
Mrs. Price's words were not pleasant to hear, but her son did not forget the relatives who could not help, just like she did: "Mother, don't forget Sir Thomas, Uncle also asked many people for help with my matter!"
“Yes, your uncle should help you out, since you are his nephews.” Mrs. Price didn’t continue on this topic, but instead asked her son if he was tired and hungry from his journey. “You must be starving. Kate has prepared tea and snacks. You remember her, don’t you? The other maid is Lily. We replaced her after you left. It’s not easy to find a suitable maid in Portsmouth.”
As the group sat around in the living room, Mr. Price entered, loudly praising the ship he had seen: "Hey, I've seen the Thrush, it's damn good! There's no ship in all of England more perfect than it."
When he saw his most prized eldest son, he warmly shook William's hand: "Welcome back, son. Have you heard any news? Your captain, Walsh, is a very good man. I'm so happy for you."
Afterwards, he kept talking to his son about the various details of the "Thrush" that he had learned from his friends.
Despite William's long day on the road, he was still very enthusiastic about talking about these things. The family spent a happy afternoon and evening together, and only after dinner did he have time to go upstairs and chat with Mary alone.
A note from the author:
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Note 1: The data here is quoted from "The Pioneers of the British Empire: The British Navy in the Nelson Era".
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