Chapter 27 (Reverse V) "Dear..."
“My dear Mary, you wouldn’t believe who I ran into on my way home today! I saw Lucy and Jane from the Gregory family on the street, and I said hello to them. Lucy was quite surprised to see me in my lieutenant’s uniform!” William helped his sister sit down. “I heard from Mother that Lucy has accepted Captain Thompson’s proposal?”
Mary nodded, intending to comfort her brother, when William shook his head: "No need to comfort me. I don't intend to hide it from you. I was indeed a bit depressed when I came back last time. She was so cold to me at the ball, completely disregarding our childhood affection. But back then, I really wasn't qualified to pursue her. What is a junior lieutenant? Now it's different. I don't mind at all that she's accepted a captain. I hope she can live a good life as she wishes."
“I understand that success in one’s career can make up for heartbreak. As for Miss Gregory, I truly believe that it wasn’t a bad thing for you to miss out on her.” Mary didn’t continue on this topic.
She didn't want to appear too harsh, but she knew Miss Gregory's character well enough. Poor Captain Thompson, she sincerely hoped he would be happy after marriage, as long as he could satisfy his wife's extravagant spending.
“Mary, I have to thank you for this. General Maxwell must have promoted me because of you! He's such a good person! I should thank you as well as him.”
Mary retorted loudly, "No, William, you overestimate me. The Godfather's appreciation of you is entirely due to your courage. If I were to take credit for myself, I would be incredibly naive."
After a few polite exchanges, William brought up Mary's hat business: "Is your business doing quite well? I never imagined you and Susan could manage it so well together. Last time in Mansfield, Fanny told me that her two cousins bought hats through her; I doubt she knew the inside story."
At this point, William blinked: "Don't worry, I didn't tell Fanny about the little tricks you were playing in here."
“It’s not that we deliberately kept it from her, but Fanny would be terrified if she knew the truth. The key issue is that Sir Thomas has a niece who is in business; how could he possibly bear that!”
Mary spoke of her uncle with a hint of sarcasm, and seeing William's disapproving expression, she added, "Don't worry, in recent years our hats have become more custom-made. My godfather warned me long ago that business should never be done openly."
Speaking of the general, William smiled again: "General Maxwell mentioned you in London this time. He praised you for your excellent judgment. Several years ago, you invested in bonds through him, which made him believe that the Price family would definitely have a bright future. This surprised me greatly, considering how young you were back then! The general has high hopes for you."
Mary hadn't expected her godfather to tell William about it. This was understandable; to General Maxwell, Mary was, after all, just a girl, and since William Price was an honest and courageous young man, he saw no reason to hide his sister's situation from him.
On the contrary, it would be beneficial for both William and his sister to get to know each other better. He even suggested to the young man that when Mary Price turned eighteen, General Maxwell's wife would introduce her to social circles.
When William mentioned this, Mary became even more embarrassed. Although she was filled with gratitude towards her godfather, she did not feel that she needed to enter the social world.
Since General Maxwell left Portsmouth, she hadn't been able to mail the seven hundred pounds she'd saved in recent years to London. Cashing checks wasn't easy for her, and such a large sum of money was a real test of the postman's conscience. She bought a special lock and kept all the money in a box, but she was always afraid it would be stolen.
Now that William knew, she asked her brother to help her hand over the money to her godfather for continued investment, so that her annual pension would increase further.
This was the first time William had handled such a large sum of money: "No wonder you insisted on going into the hat business, and no wonder Richard chose to be a merchant ship sailor instead of a navy officer. I only have enough money to buy the house we live in now. I plan to talk to Mr. Brant; I know he's an unpleasant fellow, and I hope he won't overcharge me. Three hundred pounds should be enough to buy a house in this neighborhood, leaving me with forty or fifty pounds. If he asks for an exorbitant price, we might as well buy a plot of land in the suburbs and build our own house. I wonder what kind of mission the 'Thrush' will undertake on this voyage. I really hope it will be a great success, and if it can earn another merit and award, then we'll have the money to renovate this house beautifully."
“Three hundred pounds is more than enough, not even that much. The Evans family next door only paid a little over two hundred pounds when they bought it. After all, it’s just an old house. You and your father should talk to Mr. Brant together. I remember when I asked my father to renegotiate the lease agreement with him more than two years ago, we added a clause that we have the right of first refusal to buy the house.”
William's eyes sparkled, and his face beamed with joy. As the eldest son in the family, he was willing to spend most of his current money on buying a house, so that his parents and younger siblings could live comfortably, and also for his own future comfort. He really had an affection for this little house and wanted to make it more presentable.
Like many loving young siblings, William Price now felt he had settled several major life events and was determined to take care of his beloved family.
He stood up and paced around the room twice, seemingly undecided, before finally speaking with a mixture of joy and doubt.
“Mary, there’s something else you’ll never guess. It’s Mr. Crawford. Do you remember me mentioning him in my letter? (Seeing his sister nod, he continued.) My guess in the last letter was right. He offered to help so readily, so warmly and politely. It couldn’t be just because he’s a friend. His attitude in London this time made it clear. But I’m still not sure about Fanny’s attitude. Did she tell you anything in her letter?”
“William, Fanny hasn’t mentioned this man much in her letters, but from her few words, I feel that Fanny’s attitude towards Mr. Crawford is different from what you think. Of course, she is certainly grateful to Mr. Crawford for helping you, but as for those kinds of feelings, at least I haven’t seen them.” Mary carefully chose her words, not revealing Fanny’s secret: she loved another person and probably would find it difficult to accept Mr. Crawford’s advances.
William looked at Mary with suspicion. He had hoped to get some information from his sister, Fanny, who was probably too embarrassed to tell her brother certain things. But considering that Mary's fourteenth birthday was still three months away, William didn't quite trust her judgment.
In William's eyes, Henry Crawford, a wealthy man with an annual income of four thousand pounds, was one of the best people in the world who was willing to be his friend and even help him. Who wouldn't be happy that such a person was pursuing his sister? William's thinking was understandable, given his lack of knowledge of the specifics.
Mary couldn't reveal to William what kind of person Mr. Crawford really was. She couldn't explain how she knew the inside story, and could only vaguely say, "Even if Mr. Crawford is a perfect man, there has to be room for someone not to love him. A happy marriage can only be formed when two people love each other. I think you should be able to find out Fanny's attitude when you go to Mansfield this time."
William nodded. He planned to take ten days off to go to Northamptonshire to share his joy of promotion with his other beloved sister.
If Fanny's attitude is really firm at that time, he will not deliberately speak up for Mr. Crawford. He is at an age where he values relationships and cannot blame his sister for rejecting a rich man.
In this era where connections are essential for everything, Mary decided to go back to her room and write a letter to thank her dear godfather for all the trouble he had helped her with.
As for Mr. Crawford and Fanny's situation, let William worry about it. This is the real world, and Mary can't guarantee how things will develop next. Perhaps Fanny will be moved by Mr. Crawford.
The next day, Mr. Price was overjoyed when he and his son went to talk to Mr. Brandt. He was proud of his eldest son for being so promising and caring for his family. He thought that this was all he could do in his life, but his son was so young and had become a second lieutenant. Maybe one day he would become a colonel!
The house was purchased smoothly; they hired a lawyer to draft the contract, and it only cost them two hundred and eighty pounds. The Price family finally had their own house, and the thought of it made Mrs. Price very happy.
In a family, if one person prospers, the others will always benefit. Besides the house, William's success also helped his younger brother.
After William returned home, Sam had already made up his mind to become a sailor on his brother's ship, the "Thrush," and begin his seafaring career. Anyway, he only had six months left before graduation, so it didn't matter if he didn't go to school.
With William taking care of him, Mr. and Mrs. Price could rest assured. Sam had always admired his older brother William since he was a child, and now his wish had finally come true.
Tom and Charles regretted that they were not old enough to go with him (they viewed this line of work as a heroic adventure), and could only think that William might become a captain or major in a few years before they resigned themselves to going to school.
After all the paperwork for the house sale was completed, William set off for Mansfield Park in Northampton. He had hoped that Fanny would also be able to see what he looked like in his new uniform, but unfortunately, due to the strict military regulations, he had to leave the uniform in Portsmouth.
Mary watched her brother board the stagecoach, thinking that if nothing unexpected happened, William would bring his beloved Fanny back with him when he returned.
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