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 4
 
 THE 
 
 SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 VOL. I. 1
 
 London : 
 
 Printed by A. & R. Spottiswoode, 
 
 New-Street- Square.
 
 THE 
 
 SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 a €cile 
 
 FOR YOUNG WOMEN', 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF 
 
 THE STORIES OF OLD DANIEL," &c. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR 
 
 LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, BROWN, AND GREEN, 
 
 PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 
 182-i.
 
 
 
 1 CONTENTS 
 
 ^ ' OF 
 
 THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Page 
 A prosperous Family. — Unexpected Events.... 1 
 
 fi CHAP. n. 
 
 ^ A Village and a Country Cousin 12 
 
 2 CHAP. m. 
 
 ^ Comparisons and Inconveniences 26 
 
 " CHAP. IV. 
 : Household Arrangements 38
 
 VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Page 
 
 A fine Bonnet. — A new Acquaintance 51 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 A Walk to Church, and a Visit to the Country 
 Cousin , ,.... 63 
 
 CHAP. vn. 
 
 Amusements of the Country An unknown 
 
 Kinswoman 76 
 
 CHAP. vm. 
 
 Condolences and an unexpected Proposal 89 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 Enquiries, Guesses, and unsatisfied Curiosity. 103 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 A Compromise. — Answers to Letters. — Re- 
 turn of the Lady 116 
 
 CHAP. XL 
 
 Separation of the Sisters. — Curious Enquiries... 128
 
 CONTENTS. VU 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Page 
 
 Letter of Harriet from Town. — Answer of 
 Fanny from the Country , 143 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 An old Lady's Prudence. — A young Lady's 
 Imprudence, and a Country Girl's Astonish- 
 ment 157 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 Coquetry. — Jealousy. — A Surprise 173 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 A mysterious Note. — A Nosegay. — Frights, 
 and a clandestine Interview... 187 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Embarrassments. — Enquiries. — A young 
 Shepherd. — An involuntary Shepherdess... 201 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 
 An Evening's Walk. — A troublesome Dog. — 
 Mrs. Pemberton's Return , 215
 
 Vni CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 Page 
 Conversation on Matrimony. —A Wedding— 
 
 Rover andMrs. Stubbs 230 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 A Letter, and its Answer. — Mrs. Stubbs a 
 Person of Importance..,., 243
 
 THE 
 
 SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A prosperous Family ^unexpected Events. 
 
 Harriet and Fanny Maynard had almost 
 completed their seventeenth and fifteenth years, 
 amidst all the advantages attendant on the heir- 
 esses of a large property. Their education and 
 habits of life accorded with their prospects of 
 affluence, and they were so fortunate as to ha\'e 
 a prudent and affectionate mother, as well as a 
 most indulgent father: of the latter they saw 
 little, as his time was chiefly occupied by ih% 
 
 VOL. I. R
 
 if THE SISTERS OF NANSFlELOr 
 
 parliament house, political dinners, clubs, races> 
 visits to his numerous friends, &e. ; but from 
 their mother they had never been separatedc 
 They were both handsome, and both had good 
 dispositions : but in character, as in appearance* 
 they were very different. 
 
 Harriet, the eldest, was above the middle 
 size, and uncommonly well made ; she had very 
 regular features, was fair and light -haired, with 
 soft hazel eyes ; her deportment was mild and 
 graceful, but rather haughty; and to many 
 people, her beauty appeared more striking than 
 attractive. 
 
 Fanny, who was not quite so tall as her sis- 
 ter, had a browner skin ; her eyes were dark 
 grey, and her hair a shining chesnut: her 
 mouth and nose Were not so perfect as those of 
 Harriet; but when she spoke or smiled, the 
 animated and intelligent expression of her 
 countenance was so pleasing, as to persuade
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 3 
 
 some who saw the sisters for the first time, that 
 the younger was the handsomest. 
 
 Harriet was of a gentle disposition and rather 
 indolent; very prone to admire what those 
 about her applauded, and much inclined to 
 imitate what she admired. Fanny was of a 
 more quick and lively temper, disposed to see 
 the ridiculous wherever it existed, and some- 
 what too fond of making severe remarks. Her 
 faults were so conspicuous that her mother was 
 ever on the watch to correct them ; while those 
 of her elder daughter being less visible, she had 
 not so often occasion to reprove her; and, 
 therefore, Harriet was supposed by her inti- 
 mates to be the favourite. 
 
 The sisters were much attached to each 
 other, and extremely fond of their mother ; but 
 though very affectionate to their father also, 
 they were too little in his company to form that 
 intimate friendship with him which subsisted 
 B 2
 
 * THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 between them and their other parent. He was, 
 however, extremely khid to them when they did 
 meet ; and it was by his particular desire, that 
 Harriet had been already taken to some balls, 
 and was in a few weeks to come otd entirely; as 
 her mother would rather have deferred it longer, 
 
 Mr. Maynard's father, the younger son of an 
 earl who valued himself on the antiquity of his 
 nobility, had been disinherited by his father on 
 account of his marriage with the daughter of a 
 merchant, although she was a woman of good 
 chai'acter and large fortune: but he had as- 
 sumed the name of her family in compliance 
 with the will of his father-in-law — a crime 
 never to be forgiven. When, however, after 
 the death of the honourable John Maynard, his 
 only son William arrived at manhood, the old 
 gentleman relented and proposed a reconcili- 
 ation with his gi'andchild, the conditions of 
 which were that he should re-assume the family 
 name, and marry one of the numerous offspring
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 5 
 
 of the earl's eldest son. But the youth had 
 already formed an attachment to the beautiful 
 daughter of a poor country clergyman, and 
 with the approbation of his motlier, who desired 
 no reconciliation with the person who had 
 treated her with contempt for so many years, 
 married her as soon as he was of age; thus 
 throwing up another barriei' between him and 
 his noble relations, which was never removed : 
 and after the death of the old earl, the families 
 remained totally divided. Mr. Maynard, how- 
 ever, being a very vain man, was weak enough 
 to take pride in his parentage with nobility, 
 and not unfrequently talked of his uncle the 
 Earl of Dernham, and his aunts the Lady Sarah 
 and the Lady Letitia Rowland; so that his 
 daughters knew that they had such relations, 
 although they had never seen them, 
 
 Harriet, who in many respects resembled her 
 father, could not help feeUng pleasure in the 
 idea of being related to persons of rank, and 
 B 3
 
 6 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD, 
 
 this was combined with an almost unconscions 
 contempt for the family of her mother, who 
 were of an inferior class. Fanny, on the con- 
 trary, was more interested by Mrs. Maynard's 
 anecdotes of her virtuous parents ; and could 
 not help sometimes thinking her father's con- 
 stant citation of his ^' grandfather the late 
 Earl," and his " uncle the present Earl," rather 
 ridiculous, as she had never heard him tell any 
 thing great or good of them, nor known of any 
 one of this noble family showing the least care 
 for him or his offspring. Once, when they 
 were little children, Fanny had laughed so 
 much at her sister for saying something of 
 " her great grandfather the Earl of Dernham," 
 to her writing master, that Harriet had never 
 ventured to talk in the same manner again: 
 but she now nourished a secret hope of meeting 
 with her great relations ere long, in some of 
 those brilliant assemblies which had been the 
 chief objects of her thoughts for many months. 
 Both the sisters had already enjoyed a foretaste
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. T 
 
 of the expected pleasures; as Mrs. Maynard, 
 notwithstanding the retired habits of her early 
 life, in compliance with her husband's wishes, 
 had become a woman of fashion, as far as 
 good sense and good morals would allow ; and 
 from time to time gave splendid entertainments 
 at her magnificent abode in London. 
 
 One Sunday evening, which, according to the 
 custom of her father, Mrs. Maynard always 
 spent at home and in private, the mother and 
 4.1aughters were conversing cheerfully on the 
 subject of the approaching Thursday, the time 
 appointed by her father for Harriet to be pre- 
 sented at court ; when a very sudden and loud 
 single knock at the hall door, followed imme- 
 diately by an impatient ringing of the bell, in- 
 terrupted their discourse; and in a moment 
 after, the confidential servant of Mr. Maynard, 
 who had accompanied him three days before to 
 ihe races, entered the room with a countenance 
 ^expressive of the wildest sorrow. " Where is 
 B 4
 
 8 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 your master ?" said Mrs. Maynard in a trem- 
 bling voice : the man attempted to reply, but 
 burst into tears. Mr, Maynard was dead. In 
 examining a favourite horse that was to run 
 next day, he received a kick on the temple 
 which killed him on the spot. 
 
 I shall not attempt to describe the dreadful 
 effects which this fatal and unexpected intelli- 
 gence produced on the hearers. For many 
 hours the house was in a state of the utmost 
 confusion ; but towards morning, when the vio- 
 lence of grief began to subside and give way to 
 reflection, Mrs. Maynard exerted herself and 
 tried to reason with her daughters, who, as was 
 natural at their age, abandoned themselves en- 
 tirely to their sorrow. Their mother was a 
 woman of strong mind, whose sense of duty 
 was always uppermost in her thoughts ; and 
 having reason to fear that her husband might 
 have lefl many small debts, she set about ex- 
 amining into the state of his affairs as soon as
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. i) 
 
 possible. The details of all she went through 
 would be dull and uninteresting. Suffice it to 
 say, that instead of finding her daughters heir- 
 esses to a large property, as every one sup- 
 posed, Mrs. Maynard had the pain of discover- 
 ing that her husband had entirely made away 
 with a considerable sum of money in the funds, 
 that his estate was mortgaged to the utmost 
 of its value, and that his personal property was 
 scarcely sufficient to pay his debts. His wife, 
 though ignorant of the real state of his affairs, 
 as well as of the extent to which he carried his 
 love of gaming, had often remonstrated at the 
 immense sums lavished on new furniture, showy 
 equipages, and useless ornaments : but he al- 
 ways laughed at her prudent fears, which he 
 ascribed to her rustic education, and told her 
 to "be under no apprehension, for that his 
 daughters would have more wealth than was 
 requisite for women." This tranquillised her 
 dread of embarrassments, though it did not 
 satisfy her feelings respecting the habitual mode 
 B 5
 
 1.0 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 of employing riches ; but she was a prudent 
 woman, and knew how to submit quietly to 
 what she could not remedy. It now appeared 
 that what she had sometimes hinted to her hus- 
 band, half in joke, as a possibility, proved to 
 be a melancholy fact ; namely, his having dis- 
 sipated his entire property, and nothing re- 
 maining for her and her daughtei^' subsistence 
 but the produce of a small farm, which the 
 mother of Mr. Maynard had given to his wife 
 for her separate property soon after her mar- 
 
 I refrain from any account of the variety of 
 painful circumstances which followed the death 
 of Mr. Maynard, as they could only occasion 
 disagreeable feelings to my readers, without 
 exciting great interest or supplying any mixture 
 of amusement. The mother and daughters 
 were obliged to remain above two months 
 longer in London; and, during most part of 
 that time, Harriet was afflicted with a violent
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 11 
 
 bilious complaint, which caused great uneasi- 
 ness to her mother and sister, who, however, 
 contrived to preserve their health unimpaired 
 amidst all their misfortunes ; though their pal- 
 lid cheeks and swollen eyes would often show 
 what they suffered. 
 
 B 6
 
 12 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 CHAP. 11. 
 
 A Village and a country Cousin, 
 
 At length, bills being paid, servants dismissed, 
 and plate, carriages, &c. given up to the credit- 
 ors, the widow and her daughters set out in a 
 hired postchaise for the habitation which re- 
 mained to them ; where they could not hope to 
 arrive till the fourth day after their departure 
 from the metropolis. On the way, it may well 
 be supposed that they were melancholy : the 
 sisters talked little, but Mrs. Maynard, from 
 time to time, exerted herself to discourse on 
 subjects which she thought applicable to their 
 circumstances; or to recount events which 
 might be calculated to console or give courage 
 to her daughters.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. IS 
 
 " Our situation, my dear children," said she, 
 " is mu9h altered," and the tears of Harriet 
 began to flow in abundance. " For that which 
 is irremediable," continued Mrs. Maynard, 
 after pausing for a moment, " the death of your 
 dear father, we must be resigned, and support 
 our loss as well as we cah, by the aid of reason 
 and religion." At the mention of her father, 
 the tears ran down Fanny's cheeks also. 
 " But," resumed her mother, endeavouring to 
 take a more cheerful tone," we may by our own 
 exertions render our new situation comfortable ; 
 and we should be thankful to God that we have 
 still the means of subsistence, and are not like 
 my cousin Bennet, whose story I yesterday re- 
 lated to you, that on the death of his father 
 found himself with a wife and three children 
 absolutely destitute of food. We have still a 
 roof to shelter us and means to support exist*- 
 ence, without the necessity of fatiguing labours 
 or humiliating obligations. A worthy relation 
 and old friend of mine, who lives at the same
 
 H THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 village where my farm is situated, as soon as he 
 heard of our misfortunes, wrote to offer his ser- 
 vices ; and, through his kindness, we shall find 
 our little home in some degree prepared for 
 our reception. But, my dear children, you 
 must adapt yourself to a place far more humble 
 than any you have yet seen.*' 
 
 During the latter part of this speech, Fanny 
 had dried her tears and seemed to listen with 
 great attention ; but those of Harriet had not 
 ceased to flow, and at the concluding words 
 redoubled. Hev mother did not seem to ob- 
 serve it, and after a few minutes' pause, began 
 to speak again. " We must accustom ourselves 
 to the abode and the persons we shall find, and 
 forget as quickly as possible the luxuries to 
 which we have been habituated. You, my dear 
 Harriet, must exchange your embroidery for 
 more useful work ; while your sister, instead of 
 amusing us with the piano-forte, must confine
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 15 
 
 herself to the sweet sounds which nature has 
 bestowed on her voice." 
 
 Both the sisters immediately joined in declar- 
 ing their readiness to do all that their kind 
 mother could desire ; but the tone of Fanny 
 was far more cheerful than that of Harriet. 
 
 Mrs. Maynard then proceeded : " In our 
 humble situation, we must endeavour to make 
 ourselves liked, and that chiefly by not offend- 
 ing. Enemies wantonly acquired are always 
 hurtful, but especially to those who are poor. 
 This, Fanny, I say particularly for your bene- 
 fit; as your propensity to ridicule, and quick- 
 ness in discovering the faults of your acquaint- 
 ance, if not carefully suppressed, may subject 
 us to many inconveniences in our present situa- 
 tion." The tears came again into Fanny's 
 eyes, and she said, " I hope, my dear mother, 
 that I shall never make an enemy by the pert- 
 ness you have so often reproved — indeed I do
 
 16 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 not feel as if I should ever again be merry 
 enough to run the risk." — "Ah! my child," 
 said Mrs. Maynard, " at your age people re- 
 cover their spirits sooner than you imagine; 
 but when you reflect that it may be very inju- 
 rious to your mother and sister, if you make 
 an enemy by thoughtless words, I think you will 
 be on your guard." 
 
 Notwithstanding Fanny's supposition that 
 her melancholy would continue, on the third 
 day she felt her spirits revive considerably, 
 while their road led through a beautiful and 
 romantic country ; and she expressed a senti- 
 ment which appeared very strange to her sister, 
 when she said that she was sure " people must 
 be able to bear misfortunes much better in the 
 country than in town ;" but her mother seemed 
 to think that she was right, and to feel grati- 
 fication in her exclamations at the objects which 
 pleased her as they travelled on. " Oh ! how 
 I should like to walk down that green lane I
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 17 
 
 I wish we could climb that wooded hill. Look, 
 Harriet, at that beautiful river. How pretty 
 those cows and sheep are on the bank !" — Mrs. 
 Maynard often replied to her remarks ; but 
 Harriet appeared to be blind to all they saw, 
 and remained absorbed in her grief, which 
 rather seemed to augment than diminish by 
 change of scene. 
 
 At length on the fourth morning, they came 
 in sight of a church steeple, rising out of a 
 wood, behind which, at a little distance, was a 
 magnificent range of mountains. Fanny kept 
 her eyes fixed on that part of the landscape as 
 they advanced towards it, and in a few minutes 
 cried out, " Look, mother ! Look, Harriet ! 
 What a beautiful valley ! What a pretty vil- 
 lage !" — "I am glad you like it, my child," 
 sajd Mrs. Maynard in a melancholy tone; 
 " that is the village of Sunbury^ where I was 
 born; and there we are in future to live; but 
 talk to your sister, and do not speak to me any
 
 18 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 more at present. I cannot prevent some pain- 
 ful recollections, and must remain silent." She 
 then leaned back in the corner of the carriage, 
 drew down her veil, and continued without 
 speaking. 
 
 Fanny endeavoured to turn her sister's atten- 
 tion to the beautiful prospects which presented 
 themselves on all sides; but Harriet only 
 looked at them with a careless glance, and re- 
 plied to her remarks in a languid voice ; " Yes, 
 — very pretty, — I see." 
 
 In a few minutes they approached a bridge 
 over a broad clear river, and at a little distance 
 on the other side, stood the village which was 
 to be the end of their journey. Soon after 
 crossing the water, they were stopped by a 
 turnpike, and Mrs. Majmard, then throwing up 
 her veil and sitting forward, said to her daugh- 
 ters, " We have now almost reached our home, 
 and you see it is to no dismal dreary country
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. i9 
 
 we have removed." — "No, indeed," said Har- 
 riet, looking round her for the first time. " It 
 is quite beautiful," cried Fanny, " and what a 
 fine river that is !" — " You will see a smaller 
 one much prettier by and by," said her mother : 
 and the postillion now stopping to enquire 
 which of two roads he should take, Mrs. May- 
 nard leaned out of the window and pointed to 
 one which passed behind the church, telling 
 him to turn down the next lane on the right 
 hand, and then enquire, from the first person 
 he should meet, the way to Nafisfield. 
 
 In a few minutes after they had entered the 
 lane, which was delightfiilly shaded with hedges 
 full of woodbine and wild roses, a man to whom 
 the postillion spoke, opened a gate into a field 
 through which they passed by a verj^ jolting 
 road which brought them immediately in sight 
 of a small good-looking farm house. " That is 
 Nansfield /" said Mrs. Maynard. — " It seems 
 to me, that I have heard that name years ago,"
 
 20 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 said Fanny. — « Very likely, my dear," replied 
 her mother; "your grandmother called the 
 farm so in compliment to me, and made me a 
 present of it a few days after my marriage, 
 that I might have it, she said, for pin money." 
 Here Mrs. Maynard gave a deep sigh, and no 
 one spoke till they entered the farm-yard. 
 
 A red faced, good-humoured looking, elderly 
 man met them at the door of the house, and as 
 he helped Mrs. Maynard out of the carriage, 
 addressed her with, " Heartily welcome ! cou- 
 sin Nanny," — at the same time giving her a 
 smack, which astonished Harriet and amused 
 Fanny in no small degree. " V\e got every 
 thing in order for you, as well as I could. 
 These are your daughters, I suppose. Hand- 
 some lasses ! and I must have a kiss of each." 
 They were obliged to submit, for there was no 
 eluding his grasp : but Harriet gave a slight 
 look of contempt, and Fanny could not heJp
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 21 
 
 smiling at his dress and deportment, which 
 were quite new to her. 
 
 He then led the way into the house, where 
 all was plain and comfortable, without any thing 
 ornamental, and opening the door of a little 
 parlour where he had prepared some bread and 
 cheese, with ale of his own brewing, said he 
 was sure they must be tired and hungry, and 
 immediately began to cut large slices from the 
 loaf, while he continued talking to Mrs. May- 
 nard. 
 
 " Do you know, Nanny, that I have been 
 waiting for you these two hours (though I might 
 have guessed you could not be here so soon,) 
 and I assure you it is not every one I would 
 throw away so much time for. But you were 
 always a good girl, as well as the prettiest girl 
 in Sunbury church on the Sabbath-day ; and 
 though it's twenty years since we met, I never
 
 22 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 forgot you : and sorry as I am that you should 
 want my service, I am as ready to give it to 
 you now, as when you were not the height of 
 my stick, that I used to carry you through the 
 snow on my back. But I dare say you have 
 forgot those days." — " No, indeed, I have not," 
 said Mrs. Maynard with a faint smile ; " and it 
 was a great consolation to me in my distressed 
 state, to receive a kind letter from such a wor- 
 thy relation, by whom I did not suppose myself 
 I'emembered." — "I could be of no use to you, 
 Nanny, when you were a rich woman. Gilbert 
 Harris was no kinsman for great folks : but as 
 soon as I heard of your downfall, it struck me 
 that I might be of some service, and so I wrote 
 that letter to you directly." 
 
 Harriet's tears began to flow at the word 
 " downfall," and Fanny endeavoured to screen 
 her from observation : but their new acquaint- 
 ance showed it was to no purpose, by saying, 
 " Excuse a plain man's rough words, my good
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 2S 
 
 girl, and dry your tears, as they will only spoil 
 your eyes and vex honest hearts that wish you 
 well." He then proposed to Mrs. Maynard to 
 show her how he had arranged the house ; and 
 the two sisters were left to themselves. 
 
 As soon as the door was shut, Harriet ex- 
 claimed, " What an odious, vulgar creature, is 
 this cousin of ours ! How different from what 
 we have heard of our father's relation Lord 
 Dernham !" — " Different, indeed ! and in more 
 ways than one," said Fanny ; " the vulgar 
 country farmer wrote to offer his services to 
 my mother the moment he heard of her misfor- 
 tunes, though some hundred miles distant ; and 
 the noble lord only sent his footman to enquire 
 after her health, from the neighbouring square." 
 — " That is true," said her sister ; " but then 
 you should consider that this man is our mo- 
 ther's own relation, and the earl was only our 
 father's." — "Yes, Harriet; but we are the 
 same relations to both." — " Well; I am sure I
 
 24 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 never shall be able to endure this man," said 
 Harriet. — "And yet he looks very good-natured 
 at our mother," replied Fanny ; " besides, don't 
 you remember in the melancholy story she told 
 us of Charles Bennet, that Gilbert Harris was 
 the name of the kind relation who sheltered his 
 wife and children ? I am sure if I had known 
 it when the old gentleman saluted me, I should 
 not have turned my cheek to him so impatient- 
 ly." — " Let him be ever so good, I cannot 
 help thinking him a very intolerable person, 
 and " 
 
 Harriet was interrupted by the return of her 
 mother with Gilbert, who said, " Now, Nanny, 
 as I have shown you all that is in your house, 
 I will leave you ; and remember, when I come 
 to-morrow, to have a hst ready of whatever you 
 want me to do for you, that we may lose no 
 time ; and though I have none of your London 
 compliments, I hope you know that I have an
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 25 
 
 honest heart, and will be right glad to do any 
 thing to serve you." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard thanked him affectionately for 
 his kindness : and, after cordially shaking hands 
 with her, and nodding in a friendly manner to 
 her daughters, he strode away; and clapped 
 the gate of the farm -yard after him, calling in a 
 loud voice to the old gardener. " to take care 
 and keep it shutc" 
 
 VOL. r.
 
 /r^ 
 
 26 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Comparisons and Inconveniences. 
 
 As soon as Gilbert Harris was gone, Mrs. 
 Maynard showed her daughters every part of 
 their new habitation ; and they could not con- 
 ceal how much they were struck with the glaring 
 contrast between this and the fine house they 
 had left. Their mother was before well aware 
 of the change, as she was only returning to the 
 life she had led in her early days : but to Har- 
 riet and Fanny, who had never known other 
 than affluence, all that now surrounded them 
 appeared new and strange. 
 
 There were only two moderate sized rooms, 
 with a couple of closets, on each floor, and the
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 27 
 
 house was but two stories high ; a small wing, 
 however, had been added after the rest was built; 
 and this contained the kitchen and a room over 
 it, in which a bed had been placed for the ser- 
 vant. The door of the kitchen was just oppo- 
 site to that of tlie best parlour, which surprised 
 Fanny and shocked Harriet, neither of them 
 having ever before beheld a place where food was 
 prepared ; that of the house which they inha- 
 bited in town being underground; and that of 
 the country-seat in a distant part of the build- 
 ing. Another subject of great astonishment to 
 both the sisters was the servant Gilbert Harris 
 had engaged for them ; her dress, language, and 
 manners being totally different from any thing 
 they had ever seen before. 
 
 The two bed-rooms were opposite to each 
 other, and the closets were not withinside them, 
 but seemed to have been cut off from the passage : 
 the furniture was all of the cheapest sort, according 
 to Mrs. Maynard's directions to her cousin, who, 
 c 2
 
 28 THE SISTERS OJF NANSFlELD. 
 
 however, had taken pains to procure the best of 
 the kind; and one of the closets had been fitted 
 up with shelves and drawers for a store-room, 
 exactly after the model of that which had ex- 
 isted time out of mind in Gilbert's patrimonial 
 dwelling. The ground floor contained a hall, 
 on one side of which was a tolerably good par- 
 lour, and on the other, the before-mentioned 
 object of Harriet's horror, to which one of the 
 little rooms under the closets was attached ; the 
 other was fitted up for a breakfast parlour, 
 though it could scarcely contain a very small 
 sopha, three chairs, and a table ; which, with a 
 little cupboard in the wall, completed the furni- 
 ture. But Gilbert Harris had omitted nothin<r 
 that he thought might contribute to the comfort 
 of his " cousin Nanny, who, poor thing ! had 
 been so long accustomed to more of every thing 
 than she knew what to do with." 
 
 The room destined for Mrs. Maynard was 
 next the staircase, and that which was opposite,
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 29 
 
 was provided with two small beds for her 
 daughters, because it looked into the garden ; 
 and Gilbert thought " they, like his own girl, 
 would rather see flowers and fruit trees from 
 their window, than the contents of the farm- 
 yard, which a woman of good sense, like their 
 mother, would naturally prefer." 
 
 The garden was large and well stocked with 
 vegetables and fruit; and close to the house 
 were a few plots of sweet-smelling flowers ; one 
 side only was walled, and the remainder sur- 
 rounded by a thick hedge, which divided it from 
 a lane, terminating the possessions of Mrs. May- 
 nard on that side ; a little neglected shrubbery 
 extended for a short distance along this lane, 
 and finished at a low wall, which separated it 
 from a common, into which a door opened. All 
 the rest of the land was occupied by profitable 
 cultivation, under the care of an old steward, 
 who lived in the village (where his wife kept a 
 shop), and who had never had any communica- 
 c 3
 
 30 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 tion with the mistress of the farm, as the income 
 had been regularly remitted through her hus- 
 band's agent in London. 
 
 The new inhabitants of Nansfield were too 
 much fatigued to take more than a cursory view 
 of the surrounding objects, and retired to rest 
 at an early hour ; Mrs. Maynard still more ex- 
 hausted by the exertions she had made to sup- 
 press her various emotions, than by the journey. 
 
 As soon as the sisters were shut up in the 
 room, Harriet, sitting down on the side of her 
 bed, burst into tears, and cried out, " What a 
 melancholy change 1" — " We have, indeed, had 
 a severe misfortune," said Fanny, who happened 
 just then to be thinking of her father, " but as 
 our mother bears it so well, I am sure we ought 
 to do so ; she supports the loss of my father 
 much better than I should have expected." — 
 " No one can have more reason to regret him 
 than I have," said Harriet, " but that is not
 
 TftE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 31 
 
 what I was thinking of just now. I was think- 
 ing what an odious little house this is, and how 
 different every thing here is from all that we 
 have been accustomed to." — " When our mo- 
 ther does not seem to mind the change," replied 
 Fanny, " I think we may very well endui^e it ; 
 indeed, after the account she gave us of that un- 
 fortunate Charles Bennet, we should consider 
 ourselves very lucky." — " That is true," said 
 Harriet ; " but still I do not know what we shall 
 do in this dismal place." — ** By what my mo- 
 ther said, Harriet, I fancy there will be enough 
 to do ; and we ought to be very happy that we 
 are old enough to assist her." — " But tell truth 
 now, Fanny, are you not very sorry at leaving 
 London ?" — " No, indeed ; you know how I 
 always loved the country, and how glad I used 
 to be when the time came for going out of town. 
 Don't you remember how my poor father called 
 me his little rustic, when I cried at leaving 
 Maynard Hall the last time we were there two 
 years ago ? We shall never see the beautiful 
 c 4
 
 30 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 tion with the mistress of the farm, as the income 
 had been regularly remitted through her hus- 
 band's agent in London. 
 
 The new inhabitants of Nansfield were too 
 much fatigued to take more than a cursory view 
 of the surrounding objects, and retired to rest 
 at an early hour ; Mrs. Maynard still more ex- 
 hausted by the exertions she had made to sup- 
 press her various emotions, than by the journey. 
 
 As soon as the sisters were shut up in the 
 room, Harriet, sitting down on the side of her 
 bed, burst into tears, and cried out, " What a 
 melancholy change !" — *' We have, indeed, had 
 a severe misfortune," said Fanny, who happened 
 just then to be thinking of her father, " but as 
 our mother bears it so well, I am sure we ought 
 to do so; she supports the loss of my father 
 much better than I should have expected." — 
 " No one can have more reason to regret him 
 than I have," said Harriet, " but that is not
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 31 
 
 what I was thinking of just now. I was think- 
 ing what an odious little house this is, and how 
 different every thing here is fi'om all that we 
 have been accustomed to." — " When our mo- 
 ther does not seem to mind the change," replied 
 Fanny, " I think we may very well endm^e it ; 
 indeed, after the account she gave us of that un- 
 fortunate Charles Bennet, we should consider 
 ourselves very lucky." — " That is true," said 
 Harriet ; " but still I do not know what we shall 
 do in this dismal place." — " By what my mo- 
 ther said, Harriet, I fancy there will be enough 
 to do ; and we ought to be very happy that we 
 are old enough to assist her." — " But tell truth 
 now, Fanny, are you not very sorry at leaving 
 London ?" — " No, indeed ; you know how I 
 always loved the country, and how glad I used 
 to be when the time came for going out of town. ' 
 Don't you remember how my poor father called 
 me his little rustic, when I cried at leaving 
 Maynard Hall the last time we were there two 
 years ago ? We shall never see the beautiful 
 c 4.
 
 ^4f THE SISTERS OF NAISrsFlilLfy. 
 
 to assist and console Harriet to little purpose, 
 for she did nothing but lament; declaring, at last, 
 that she could not wash herself without warm 
 water, and finding a new misfortune in the want 
 of a bell to ring for it. Fanny immediately 
 offered to seek what she wanted, but on opening 
 the door was called by Mrs. Maynard, who, 
 having enquired what she was going for, stopped 
 her, and coming into her daughters' room, after 
 kissing them both, said, " My dear children, we 
 must now break through all those customs of 
 rich people in which we have heedlessly indulged 
 so long, and the sooner we begin the better. It 
 was for this reason I refused all the kind assist-^ 
 ance offered me by my good girls on our jour- 
 ney. I did not know till now that Harriet, when 
 not ill, had occasion for warm water to wash 
 herself; but it is right that she should leave it 
 off at once ; for we must rather think of assist- 
 ing our one servant than requiring any unneces- 
 sary attendance from her." After saying this 
 Mrs. Maynard went down stairs, and Harriet,
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIElt). 35 
 
 at length, contrived to make use of cold water, 
 as her sister had already done while she lay in 
 bed lamenting the change in their situation. 
 
 Fanny had hastened down stairs after her 
 mother, and when Harriet entered the parlour 
 she found her sister employed in placing the 
 cups and saucers on the table, while Mrs. May-^ 
 nard was giving directions to the servant in the 
 kitchen. The breakfast equipage was of com- 
 mon white earthen ware. Harriet took one of 
 the cups in her hand, and, turning it round with 
 a look of contempt, said, " This is exactly such 
 a cup as Molly the gate-keeper's wife was drink- 
 ing her tea out of the evening we took shelter 
 from the thunder storm in the porter's lodge at 
 Maynard Hall." — "I dare say it may," said 
 Fanny ; " but however I can assure you these 
 cups are perfectly clean, for I have this moment 
 washed them." Harriet looked surprised, and 
 was going to speak, when her mother came into 
 the room, accompanied by the servant with the 
 c 6
 
 36 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 tea-kettle, and immediately after they sat down 
 to breakfast. 
 
 " This is very bad tea," said Harriet, putting 
 down the cup she had just tasted. " It is cer- 
 tainly inferior to what we have been accustomed 
 to," said the mother, " but it has the merit of 
 costing much less, which is no small recom- 
 mendation." — " How much better the cream 
 is than what we used to have in London, and 
 what excellent butter !" cried Fanny. Mrs. 
 Maynard smiled and said, " I am glad to see 
 you so ready to point out any little advantages 
 in our situation ; for, without your help, I am 
 afraid that Harriet and I, not being endowed 
 with your lively observation, might not discover 
 half of them ; and in truth," continued she, with 
 a suppressed sigh, " it is much our interest to 
 make the best of every thing, as we have no 
 prospect of any change in our mode of life. 
 But every state has its advantages, and we shall 
 accustom ourselves in time to this, as well as I
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 3? 
 
 conformed myself to a contrary change, when I 
 married your father twenty years ago. It ap- 
 peared to me, then, quite as extraordinary to 
 have my own waiting woman and my own car- 
 riage, as it does now to be in this humble habit- 
 ation, with no equipage, and only a peasant girl 
 to attend us." Harriet sighed; but Fanny, with 
 a cheerful air, asked her mother " if she had 
 observed the beautiful views from the windows?" 
 This led to another stile of conversation, and 
 Mrs. Maynard gave such an account of the 
 neighbouring hills, the rocks, the woods, and 
 the ruined buildings found amongst them, as to 
 engage even the attention of Harriet.
 
 38 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Household Atrangements. 
 
 When they had finished breakfast, Mrs. May- 
 nard said to her daughters, " We had better not 
 let these cups and saucers go into the kitchen, 
 but wash them ourselves here ; therefore bring 
 a bason of hot water, Fanny ;" and as the 
 younger went to obey her mother, the elder 
 sister also accompanied her ; but Harriet had no 
 sooner closed the parlour door than she said, 
 " Really one would suppose that frightful 
 crockery was fine china^ my mother seems so 
 careful of it." — " It is of as much consequence 
 to us as if it was of the most costly manufac- 
 ture," said Fanny^ " for if it is broke we can 
 get no other." The servant not being in the
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFlELD. 39 
 
 kitchen, Fanny had to put a kettle of water on 
 the fire, and, while she waited for it to boil, 
 Harriet stood by her listening, as she continued, 
 "My mother told me, this morning, that she can- 
 not expect any more money these three months ; 
 and that she could not prudently have supplied 
 herself with half the necessaries contained in 
 this house if her good-hearted cousin Gilbert 
 had not given her several and lent her others. 
 She says we must not get a pin or a bit of tape 
 until she has ready money to pay for them, for 
 she is determined never to have a debt of one 
 penny ; so you see we must be very careful." 
 
 "What a sad change !" said Harriet, with a deep 
 sigh. Fanny agreed that the change was great. 
 "But, "added she, ^'perhaps when we are used to it, 
 we may be just as happy as if we were not grown 
 poor." — " How can you talk such nonsense ?" 
 cried her sister in a half angry, half melancholy 
 tone. " I recollect," said Fanny, " often to 
 have heard our mother talk of the happiness of
 
 iO THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 the life she led in her father's house ; and cer- 
 tainly he was no rich man." — " But our mo- 
 ther had not been used to every thing we have 
 had." — " Very true ; but we shall soon forget 
 all that, I dare say ; and I must own, Harriet, it 
 does me good to see the country again, after 
 being two whole years in town." — " And I," 
 said her sister, " should not care if I were never 
 to set eyes on the country at all." 
 
 Fanny looked very grave on hearing her sif- 
 ter speak thus ; and the water now being warm, 
 she poured it into the basin, and reminded Har- 
 riet to go and put by her night-things befoi'e her 
 mother went up stairs : the latter gladly availed 
 herself of the excuse to avoid the degradation 
 of what she called " the kitchen-maid's work," 
 and left Fanny to wash the tea-things with her 
 mother. 
 
 " I wish I could see your sister as resigned as 
 you are, my dear child," said Mrs. Maynard.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 41 
 
 " I dare say she soon will," replied Fanny ; 
 " but you know, mother, she has more reason 
 to feel our change of situation than I have, as 
 she was to have come 02it at this time ; a thing so 
 far off for me that I had never thought about it; 
 and that is the reason you see me more contented 
 than my sister." — " You are a good girl, 
 Fanny," said her mother, " and I am sure will 
 do what you can to make all go well." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard now made use of much know- 
 ledge which she had acquired in the early part 
 of her life, and showed her daughters an ex- 
 ample of cleverness and activity in the humbler 
 affairs of the household, which was quite new to 
 them. " Really, mother," said Fanny, '' I am 
 astonished to see what a number of things you 
 know, and how cheerfully you do so much that 
 the servants used to do when we lived in town." 
 — " And I," said Harriet, " wonder how you 
 can turn yourself to perform so many servile 
 offices." — "I should be sorry," replied Mrs.
 
 42 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Maynard, " not to be able to adapt myself to 
 any situation : a person who cannot do that at 
 my age must be very deficient in understanding : 
 and, after all, it is not a greater fatigue to wash 
 tea-cups and give instructions to the girl who 
 cooks our victuals, than to look over a visiting 
 book, or arrange a crovv d of card tables." — 
 " That is very true," said Fanny, smiling, " for 
 I have often seen you tired of such employ- 
 ments ; and, indeed, it appears to me much 
 pleasanter to go into the garden and gather a 
 sallad for supper, than sit looking at a stupid 
 card-table in a shut up room." — " Are you 
 sure, Fanny, that you will hke gathering a sal- 
 lad better than you did dancing at my mother's 
 last ball ?" said Harriet, with rather a malicious 
 tone. " Ah, no ! I well remember how I liked 
 the ball when it did come ; but I did not like 
 the preparations at all ; nor dining in that little 
 ugly closet (where we were obliged to have the 
 blind closed to prevent people fi'om looking in) 
 when all the parlours were crammed with sup-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 43 
 
 per tables. And then my mother and you, Har- 
 riet, with such busy faces, and all the servants 
 so cross, I thought the day sadly long and tire- 
 some ; and I was quite sleepy before the night 
 came. Had I gone to the ball in another per- 
 son's house, without knowing any thing of the 
 preparations, I should have thought it all de- 
 lightful ; for I do love dancing. Tell me, mo- 
 ther, shall we ever dance again now that we are 
 poor ?" — " Why not, my dear ?" said her mo- 
 ther. " When I was your age I often danced 
 merrily on the green with the numerous family 
 of our neighbour, the brewer." — " The village 
 brewer's family?" said Harriet, with a slight 
 toss of her head, which gave her sister pain, but^ 
 which her mother did not seem to observe. 
 " Yes, indeed," replied Mrs. MajTiard, " and I 
 have seen few young men or women in London 
 dance better than the eldest son and daughter : 
 ceitainly none so merrily. But," continued she, 
 " we have no time to lose. I see you have both 
 dined ; so, do you, Harriet, put the plates which
 
 44 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 have not been used into that cupboard, and also 
 any of the knives and forks that are clean ; take 
 care that you have only the clean ones. Fanny 
 will help Jenny to carry the others into the 
 kitchen and wash them ; and when all is done 
 we will go into the garden. 
 
 Harriet did as she was desired ; but slowly 
 and sorrowfully : and before she had finished, 
 her sister and the servant had cleared the table 
 and taken away every thing. When she turned 
 round she perceived her mother sweeping up the 
 crumbs with the hearth-brush, and gazed on her 
 with silent astonishment. Soon after they went 
 into the garden, the ornamental part of which, 
 was not in very good order, fo»i' there was no 
 one to take care of it but an old peasant, the 
 father of their servant Jenny ; and he could not 
 attend to the flowers, though he had his cab- 
 bages and sallad in excellent condition, and ex~ 
 hibited them with great pride to his mistress.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 45 
 
 Mrs. Maynard then told her daughters, that, 
 for their pastime, she would assign to each a 
 share of that part of the garden next the house, 
 which she hoped they would take good care of: 
 and desired Harriet, as the eldest, to make her 
 choice between the flower plots and the straw- 
 berry beds. Harriet said that she did not un- 
 derstand the care of either; but, on her mother 
 telling her that she must learn, and that the old 
 man would instruct her, she chose the flowers. 
 " I myself," said Mrs. Maynard, " will under- 
 take the care of this little arbour ; and Fanny 
 shall be mistress of those strawberry beds, which 
 I hope her care will render very productive." 
 
 Fanny immediately set about weeding her 
 portion of the garden ; and her mother smiled 
 at seeing the alacrity with which she commenced 
 a work, of which her town life had rendered her 
 so ignorant. " You will be able to do little now, 
 Fanny," said she, " for we have still a great 
 deal of other business before us to-day, and to^
 
 46 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 morrow you will be able to find an hour for 
 what you seem already to understand so well." 
 In the mean time Harriet had gathered some 
 pinks and roses for her mother, who thanked 
 her and said, " I shall depend on you for orna- 
 menting my chimney-piece." Harriet sighed, 
 and her eyes filled with tears ; but her emotion 
 was not observed by either her mother or sister. 
 Fanny was still over her strawberry bed, and 
 Mrs. Maynard was patiently listening to the 
 gardener's account of a prodigious cauliflower 
 he had cut last year. 
 
 After having examined all parts of the garden, 
 and conversed with old Thomas respecting the 
 means of rendering it more profitable, Mrs. 
 Maynard returned with her daughters into the 
 house to open the boxes which had just arrived, 
 and arrange her small quantity of house linen 
 in a press. Harriet carried the things to her 
 mother, as Fanny lifted them out of the trunk, 
 and on perceiving it nearly emptied, she said
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 47 
 
 with surprise, " Are these all ?" — " Yes, my 
 dear," replied Mrs. Maynard ; " don't you think 
 there is plenty to make us three very clean and 
 comfortable?" — " Oh, yes !" said Harriet, but 
 rather in a hesitating manner. " And yet you 
 look as if you did not think so." — '• Indeed, 
 mother, I do thmk the quantity quite sufficient ; 
 
 but " — " But what ?" — " The sheets and 
 
 tablecloths appear to me very coarse." — " They 
 are such as suit our present circumstances," said 
 Mrs. Maynard; " nothing is more absurd than 
 putting things together which do not accord. It 
 was for this reason I desired you and your sister 
 to give your new bonnets to Benson when we 
 were leaving town." 
 
 Harriet blushed deeply ; for, instead of obey- 
 ing her mother's orders, she had contrived to 
 smuggle the object in question into the box 
 which contained their straw bonnets. Fanny 
 knew nothing of this, but perceiving the con- 
 fusion of her sister, she endeavoured to relieve
 
 J 
 48 THE SISTERS OF NANSFltLD. 
 
 it by attracting her mother's attention to some- 
 thing else. '' Where am I to put these books?" 
 — " You may take the largest of the Bibles 
 to put with your Prayerbooks in your own 
 room," answered Mrs. Maynard ; " and the 
 other books you may place on one of those 
 shelves for the present. And now," said she, 
 " I shall leave you to finish the arrangement of 
 this press, as I have business in the kitchen : 
 see that you have every thing mentioned in this 
 paper, and then lock the press." 
 
 As soon as she was gone Harriet burst into 
 tears, and throwing her arms round her sister's 
 neck, cried, " Oh, my dear Fanny ! what un- 
 fortunate wretches we are !" — '• What i,. the 
 matter ?" said Fanny, who had observed nothing 
 new in their situation. ^* Good heavens ! How 
 can you ask such a question ? Do not you see 
 we are grown so poor that for the future we 
 must dress and work like housemaids?" — " But, 
 dear Harriet ! surely we have nothing to fret
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 49 
 
 about now more than what we have known these 
 three months. You see, too, how well our mo- 
 ther bears the loss of fortune ; and I think that 
 ought to make us do so too. Besides, I do not 
 perceive, as yet, any very hard work we have 
 got to do. The care of flowers and strawberry 
 beds will be quite an amusement; and there is 
 no great trouble in what we are about at this 
 moment." — " Oh ! but I am sure there is 
 worse to come." — " And suppose there is ; let 
 us only determine to bear it well, and always 
 remember how much better off we are than that 
 relation of ours who had not food to give his 
 crying children." 
 
 " Well ; I do wonder at you, Fanny," said 
 Harriet ; " I really believe you were born to be 
 a poor woman," added she, in rather a spiteful 
 tone, " but never should have dreamt that I was 
 so too." — " Dearest Harriet !" said Fanny, 
 " let us make the best of every thing ; and 
 come what will of misfortune, let us always love 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 one another." Harriet could not refuse the 
 offered kiss, and said with a sigh, " You are a 
 good girl, Fanny ; much better than I am ;" and 
 then with a melancholy tone, she began to read 
 aloud the paper her mother had given her, while 
 Fanny looked over the things. When all was 
 finished, she exclaimed, " Not one damask nap- 
 kin or table-cloth !" — " But are these necessa- 
 ries ?" said Fanny, laughing : " You heard my 
 mother say, before w^e left town, that she would 
 bring away nothing but mere necessaries. Don't 
 you think we may contrive to live without damask 
 table linen ?" — " Certainly : but when we have 
 any one to dine with us " — '" Dear Har- 
 riet ! you forget that we shall not have any one 
 to dine with us now." — " That is too true," 
 cried Harriet ; and she was going to relapse 
 into her despair, when Mrs. Maynard calling 
 her from the bottom of the stairs, she hastened 
 to obey her mother's voice.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 51 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Ajine Bonnet, — A new Acquaintance. 
 
 Meanwhile Fanny continued to arrange the 
 press, and as she placed the few books on a 
 shelf, she thought jvith some regret of the hand- 
 some library at Maynard Hall: but in pro- 
 ceeding to reflect on their change of situation, 
 though by no means insensible to the consequent 
 privations, yet it did not appear to her so 
 dreadful as to her sister. The story Mrs. May- 
 nard had related of the Bennet family, on their 
 journey, had fully answered her purpose in 
 regard to Fanny, though it did not sufficiently 
 resemble her own situation to make much im- 
 pression on Harriet. 
 
 D 2 
 
 n Tii jo^n
 
 52 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 The opening of the other boxes was deferred 
 till next day, and when the sisters retired for 
 the night, Harriet confided to Fanny the folly 
 she had been guilty of, in packing up her fine 
 new bonnet ; and the latter, after a little joking 
 on the subject, promised to assist to the utmost 
 of her power in concealing her sister's mis- 
 demeanor. 
 
 Next morning, when Mrs. Maynard came to 
 look over the remainder of the things which had 
 been sent from town, the sisters contrived to 
 defer opening the box which contained the 
 straw bonnets, and some other small matters, to 
 the last, in hopes their mother might be called 
 away before they reached the end of their work. 
 One after another, each box and each parcel 
 was opened, till at length the fatal moment ar- 
 rived when the bonnets were to be displayed 
 to public view. Fanny hesitated, and endea- 
 voured to retard the exposure by moving so 
 slowly, that her mother, quite astonished at her
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 53 
 
 change of manner, came to assist, and putting 
 her own hand to the lid of the box, it was at 
 length raised. Just then the servant came to 
 call Mrs. Maynard down stairs, and Fanny in- 
 stantly hastened to remove the ornament to 
 which Harriet had been so foolishly attached, 
 in hopes to save her sister from reproof and her 
 mother from the vexation this slight act of dis- 
 obedience might cause. She therefore quickly 
 took out the straw bonnets, and under them 
 discovered the object of her search, where it 
 had been placed by Harriet's rarefiil hands, 
 which were however so Httle accustomed to 
 packing that the bonnet was completely spoiled ; 
 all the flowers being crushed, and such creases 
 made in the satin as nothing could remove. 
 Fanny could not help laughing at its droll ap- 
 pearance ; and setting it on the top of her head 
 in a ludicrous manner, said, " Don't you think, 
 Harriet, that I should look very well in this 
 bonnet, weeding the strawberry bed or gather- 
 ing a sallad ? I really believe the birds would 
 J> 3
 
 B4f THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 take me for a scarecrow, especially with the 
 ornaments squeezed and twisted in such a 
 graceful manner/* Harriet did not know whe- 
 ther to cry or laugh ; and at that moment their 
 mother, most unexpectedly, entered the room, 
 and stopping short at beholding Fanny deco- 
 rated in that ridiculous way, exclaimed with 
 surprise, " Is it possible, Fanny, that you have 
 thus disobeyed my orders ? I thought you had 
 more sense than to show this absurd love of 
 unsuitable finery." 
 
 Fanny made no answer to this unjust re- 
 proof, as she did not wish to say that her sister 
 was in fault ; but Harriet, as soon as the first 
 shock occasioned by her mother's sudden ap- 
 pearance was over, cried out, " Oh ! do not 
 blame Fanny for my folly: she had already 
 shown me what a silly thing it was to pack up 
 this unlucky bonnet, afler you had desired me 
 to give it away, and was now- only trying to 
 make me laugh at it before it should be de-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSEIELD. 55 
 
 stroyed." — " Well," said Mrs. Maynard, "in 
 consideration of your being convinced of the 
 folly of carrying away a thing perfectly useless 
 to you, and which might have been serviceable 
 to Benson, I shall say no more about the bon- 
 net; but remember, that nothing can be less 
 suitable to our present situation than those sort 
 of ornaments, which would only serve to put us 
 on a level with chambermaids, as we should be 
 obliged to have recourse to their sort of expe- 
 dients for obtaining them. We are no longer 
 rich: but let us not lose either the external 
 appearance, or the internal feeling of being 
 gentlewomen ; and let us evei' distinguish our- 
 selves from the vulgar, by the modesty of our 
 dress and the unaffectedness of om* manners, as 
 well as by the cultivation of our minds and the 
 purity of our language." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard then taking the key she had 
 come to seek, went down stairs again, and 
 Fanny congratulated her sister on having got 
 D 4
 
 56 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 rid of the pain of a secret, and escaped with so 
 slight a reproof. " But what shall we do with 
 this useful ornament now ?" added she, holding 
 it up between her finger and thumb with much 
 less respect than she would have dared to do a 
 month before. " Tie a stone to it," replied 
 Harriet, snatching it from her, "and fling it 
 into that river at the foot of the hill."—" No, 
 indeed,"^ said Fanny, " you shall give it to me." 
 — " Give it to you ! And what will you do with 
 it?" — "I will make it useful. The satin I 
 will turn into pincUshions ; the gauze will serve 
 for sifting various matters; the lace — indeed I 
 don't well know what I shall do with the lace ; 
 but no doubt I shall find a use for it on re- 
 flection ; as to the ribbon, there is enough for 
 us both to tie down our bonnets when the wind 
 blows hard ; the flowers I shall lay by, to take 
 to pieces when I have time in the long winter's 
 evenings, that I may learn how they are made, 
 which you know I have always wished to do ; 
 and the crown, with the help of a little hay, I
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 57 
 
 shall turn into a comfortable bed for the kitten 
 below stairs. So you see I shall find a use for 
 every part of it in time." Harriet, laughing, 
 gave the bonnet to her sister ; and so ended an 
 adventure which threatened more uneasiness at 
 first. 
 
 There were still in the village of Sunbury 
 many persons who remembered Mrs. Maynard 
 when she was Nancy Davis, the beauty of the 
 place, some of whom came, as soon as they 
 heard of her arrival, to offer their services. 
 She received them without affectation, thank- 
 ing them for their attention, expressing her 
 remembrance of former kindnesses, recalling 
 past days to their minds, and adapting herself 
 to their homely ways, as well as if she had 
 never been out of their society. 
 
 Harriet was astonished how her mother 
 could endure such strange vulgar creatures ; but 
 Fanny thought them very comical, and was only 
 D 5
 
 'S8 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD, 
 
 deterred from the free exercise of her powers of 
 ridicule, by the great regard these old acquaint- 
 ance showed for her mother. One day, how- 
 ever, she ventured to indulge herself completely; 
 for even Mrs. Maynard could not refrain from 
 acknowledging the absurdity of a fat, squat, red- 
 faced, elderly person, whom she never had seen 
 before, but who entered the parlour with great 
 familiarity, announcing herself as, " the widow 
 of poor Billy Stubbs, who I am sure, Ma'am, 
 you must remember, for I often heard him talk 
 of how he used to dance with pretty Nanny 
 Davis, before the Squire carried her off. And 
 so I hear you've lost all your fortune — I'm 
 sure I'm very sorry for it. And these fine 
 Misses, how in the world will you get husbands 
 for them ? I suppose they'll hardly take up 
 with folks in our line, or I could offer my ser- 
 vices — for there's not a bachelor in the neigh- 
 bourhood but what I know of — and some 
 smart lads among them, I assure you, and all 
 very respectful to me."
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 59 
 
 Mrs. Maynard thanked her civilly for her 
 condolences, but declined her obliging offers, 
 saying, " her daughters were much too young 
 to think of marrying." Harriet coloured with 
 indignation, and Fanny bit her lips to repress 
 the laughter which every moment threatened to 
 burst forth, while the good lady proceeded to 
 descant on the advantages of marrying eai'ly, 
 and to describe the sort of men who might suit 
 Mrs. Maynard for sons-in-law. 
 
 " There's Jemmy Brice the cabinet-maker; 
 a man that's worth his good eight thousand 
 pounds, if he's worth a shilling ; and has a great 
 respect for me, I assure you; and there's his 
 next door neighbour, the apothecary's son — - 
 his father's very rich, and he would be a hand- 
 some man if he had not that cast in his eyes, 
 which after all will. not make him the worse 
 husband ; and then there's my own cousin Jerry 
 Flink, the saddler, who lost his wife at Michael- 
 mas : and the kindest soul he was to her, and
 
 60 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 bought her such fine clothes ; and there's young 
 Richardson, and the Harrises, and several 
 others. In short, young ladies, don't be cast 
 down ; when the time comes, we'll find husbands 
 for you ; — that's to say, if you're not too proud* 
 There's not one of them but will listen to a 
 word of advice from the Widow Stubbs, little 
 as you may think of her. But, in the mean 
 time, let me see what I can do for you, my 
 good Mrs. Maynard. We disconsolate widows 
 ought to be friends, and try to comfort each 
 other. Shall I come and make up your card 
 party of an evening ? I dare say I could ma- 
 nage to come twice a week." Mrs. Maynard 
 thanked her, but said that she never played 
 cards. " What ! not play cards ! you, that have 
 lived in London 1 Well, now that strikes me 
 as so odd. Then I'll come and take a quiet 
 dish of tea with you, and chat an hour or so." 
 Mrs. Maynard again returned thanks for her 
 obliging offers, but said that " she must for the 
 present decline the pleasure of seeing her in the
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 61 
 
 evening, as she had many letters about business 
 to write, and that was the only convenient time 
 for them." 
 
 " Well, if you won't let me come here, I hope 
 at least that I shall see you and these pretty 
 Misses at my tea parties." Mrs. Maynard re- 
 plied, that, "in her present situation, she wished 
 to live quite retired." — " Aye, very true, you 
 have not been a desolate widow as Ions: as me." 
 She then made other offers of her society, which 
 wei'e all civilly declined by Mrs. Maynard; 
 and after almost an hour's visit, took her leave, 
 without seeming to feel the rebuffs she had met 
 with, and went away telling Harriet and Fanny, 
 " not to be cast down, for she would find hus- 
 bands for them in time." 
 
 " Oh, mother ! what a dreadful woman that 
 is !" exclaimed Harriet : " How delightfully 
 comical !" cried Fanny. Mrs. Maynard said, 
 " she hoped that neither the horror of Harriet,
 
 62 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 nor the admiration of Fanny would be visible, 
 as she feared they were equally calculated to 
 make an enemy of Mrs. Stubbs, which she did 
 not desire:" but assured them, however, that 
 they might rely on her avoiding such an ac- 
 quaintance as much as possible.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 63 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 A Walk to Churchy and a Visit to the Country 
 Cousin, 
 
 1 HE village af Sunbury, which took its name 
 from the beautiful valley in which it lay, was 
 seated on a rising ground between two rivers, 
 and, though composed of few houses, covered 
 a good deal of space, as these were scattered at 
 unequal distances, and all had gardens. Near 
 the centre of a long street where the greater 
 number stood, were half a dozen good-looking 
 houses together, on one side, with long walled 
 gardens behind them extending to a meadow, 
 into which each had a small door for the con- 
 venience of passing by a short way to the church : 
 this was situated about a quarter of a mile at the
 
 64? THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Other side of the long meadow (as it was called), 
 with the parsonage and^^ome few inferior habi- 
 tations near it. 
 
 One of the above-mentioned houses belonged 
 to Mrs. Stubbs, and at the next door lived her 
 friend Miss Blakeney, a maiden lady about her 
 own age ; the only two persons in the village 
 who had nothing to do. The other houses in 
 the row were inhabited by trades-people : on the 
 opposite side of the street were the post-office 
 and the apothecary's, and exactly facing Miss 
 Blakeriey's abode stood the inn : a place little 
 frequented, except by the better sort of farmers 
 from the neighbouring villages, at certain sea- 
 sons ; the proprietor supporting his family more 
 by the products of a small farm, and a haber- 
 dasher's shop kept by his wife, than the profits 
 of an inn where few travellers stopped. 
 
 Nansfield was about half a mile from this spot 
 on one side, and the farm of Gilbert Harris
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 65 
 
 more than twice as far in another direction, but 
 not so distant fi*om Mrs. Maynard's house, which 
 was also less than half a mile from the church : 
 near Nans field was a small deep river, crossed 
 by a ferry boat, on the opposite side of which 
 was a hill covered with wood, chiefly evergreens, 
 that went by the name of the Fh' Grove, 
 
 Gilbert Harris, proprietor of the largest farm 
 in the valley, and Richardson the miller, who 
 lived in a pretty house near the bridge, at the 
 entrance of the village, were considered as the 
 most wealthy inhabitants of the place. The 
 hunting-lodge, about three miles distant, which 
 had formerly belonged to Mr. Maynard, and had 
 been sold many years before, was now inhabited 
 by an industrious farmer; and there was no 
 gentleman's seat within ten miles of the village 
 of Sunbury: so that Mrs. Maynard could 
 scarcely have selected a more retired spot than 
 the place where she was destined to live.
 
 $0 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 The inhabitants oi Naiisfield hdidi little time 
 for lamenting over their change of situation, as 
 they had abundance of employment; and Fanny 
 soon found much amusement in her occupations. 
 Harriet also endeavoured to perform her tasks 
 cheerfully, but was not easily reconciled to any 
 thing like labour; and though she ceased to 
 complain, she did not cease to suffer : but often 
 when her mother and sister were asleep, would 
 shed tears for hours, in recollecting the circum- 
 stances of her past life, and comparing them with 
 the present. She could not adapt herself to her 
 situation, nor enjoy any of the amusements of 
 the place ; and it frequently happened, that in- 
 cidents which gave Fanny subject for amusing 
 details, and called up a smile in the countenance 
 of her mother, appeared to Harriet dull and 
 tiresome. She could not forget London, its 
 inhabitants, and its excitements, and found no 
 pleasure in any thing the country afforded. 
 
 Fanny, on the contrary, was chiefly recon-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 6t 
 
 ciled to her change of situation, by the circum- 
 stance of having removed to the country, and 
 often said to Mrs. Maynard how much more 
 she should have perceived their being grown 
 poor had they remained in town, and how for- 
 tunate she considered it that her mother's little 
 property happened to be in a small village in- 
 stead of a great city. Harriet lamented being 
 obliged to relinquish those ornamental works 
 in which she delighted to pass her leisure hours; 
 but Fanny showed no dislike to the plain needle- 
 work which they were obliged to perform, and 
 piqued herself on learning quickly all those 
 household duties which fell to her lot. 
 
 The Maynard family had arrived at Nansfield 
 on a Tuesday ; so that by Sunday they were 
 completely settled in their new abode. Gilbert 
 Harris had called and sent several times, to 
 know if he could be of any use, but " would not 
 waste his own time or other people's," he said, 
 *• by coming to prate about nothing," nor would
 
 B^ THE SISTERS OF NANSHELD. 
 
 he " let his women come to disturb the strangers.'^ 
 But on Sunday morning, soon after they had 
 breakfasted, he made his appearance dressed in 
 his holiday apparel, which strongly excited the 
 risibility of Fanny, suppressed however imme- 
 diately by a glance from her mother. 
 
 Gilbert's dress consisted of a grass-green coat 
 and scarlet waistcoat, both of a shape which had 
 not appeared in London for half a century; 
 black breeches with white stockings, and small 
 silver buckles in his shining shoes; and to 
 complete all, his wig well powdered for the 
 occasion. 
 
 " Well, Nanny," said he, " I would not 
 plague you with my company when it could be 
 of no use : but now I think you may like to have 
 me walk to church with you, the first time of 
 showing yourself there after so many years." 
 Mrs. Maynard thanked him, and expressed the 
 sincere pleasure it always gave her to see him.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NAXSFIELD. 69 
 
 " Well then, if you are glad to see me, you will 
 not refuse to come home with me after church, 
 and pass the day with your old friend, my sister 
 Bess, and my good Lucy, whom I have kept 
 from plagumg you at Nansfield all this time. 
 They wxnt yesterday to see a sick friend of my 
 sister's a few miles off, and will go to church there, 
 but they will be home before us for all that." 
 Mrs. MajTiard promised to accompany him to 
 his house, and he said, " Perhaps you may meet 
 one or two persons besides my own family ;" 
 and hearing Fanny say to her sister in a low 
 voice, " I wonder whether Mrs. Stubbs will be 
 there," — " No, mdeed," cried Gilbert; " she would 
 let nobody talk but herself — beside, she's always 
 putting husbands in girls' heads, and I don't 
 want to have the brains of mine set a wool- 
 gathering." Mrs. Maynard then enquired about 
 his family, and heard, for the first time, that his 
 wife had been dead some years, and that he had 
 an only daughter of nineteen, and two sons, one 
 older and one younger ; but the female only was 
 at present at home.
 
 70 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 The walk to the church, through a shady lane 
 and by the path bordering the long meadou\ was 
 very agreeable ; but Mrs. Maynard paid little 
 attention to it : for her thoughts had returned 
 to former times, and a crowd of recollections 
 filled her mind, on approaching the place where 
 she had so often heard the words of truth from 
 the lips of her venerable father. Gilbert Harris, 
 though his exterior was rough, had a gentle 
 heart: he guessed what she felt; and leaving 
 her in silence, addressed his conversation to her 
 daughters ; or rather to Fanny alone, for Har- 
 riet scarcely repUed to his words with cold mo- 
 nosyllables. 
 
 The church was commodious and the con- 
 gregation small, so that the inhabitants of Nans- 
 field had a pew to themselves, and after con- 
 ducting them to it, Gilbert Harris retii'ed to 
 that appropriated to his own family. When the 
 service was over, he returned to join Mrs. May- 
 nard, and on going out, stopped to present his 
 17
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 7l 
 
 cousin and her daughters to Mr. Hammond, the 
 worthy successor of her deceased father, whom 
 she had not yet seen, as she had been occupied 
 in unpacking her boxes when he called at her 
 house to welcome her to Sunbury. 
 
 They then proceeded to the house of Gilbert, 
 through pleasant fields and shady lanes, well 
 known to Mrs. Maynard in her youthful days. 
 As they walked along, she perceived a sort of 
 embarrassment in the manner of her cousin 
 which gave her pain, as she could not imagine 
 what might be the cause ; and on asking him to 
 tell her frankly why he appeared uneasy, he 
 stopped and begged she would make her daugh- 
 ters walk on before them, as he had a few words 
 to say to her in private. Then, after some he- 
 sitation and many apologies, he proceeded to 
 " hope that her children, with their grand 
 London education, would not put down or ridi- 
 cule his Lucy, who was a good soul, but a plain 
 country girl that could make no noise with
 
 72 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 pianos^ and draw no green and red pictures like 
 some he had known : but nobody ought to look 
 down on Lucy for that, as it was more his fault 
 than her's. — For to tell you the truth, cousin 
 Nanny, I think the spinning-wheel becomes a 
 farmer's daughter better than the piano (if that's 
 what you call it), and a sweeping brush more 
 than a painting brush : and after seeing how 
 poor Nicholson's daughters in the next village, 
 with their music, and their drawing, and their 
 reading, turned out, in running away with those 
 officers who had been quartered for a month in 
 their neighbourhood, I determined to keep my 
 girl clear of all those sort of things ; and in this 
 I have had a good helper in my sister Bess : so 
 that you will find Lucy quite a plain country 
 girl, and I wish you would prepare your daugh- 
 ters for it, and beg of them for the love of heaven 
 not to spoil her : and pray don't take amiss my 
 plain ways. I will step on before you to the 
 house — you see it yonder, if you have forgot the 
 way — and leave you time to talk to the girls."
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 73 
 
 Mrs. Maynard promised to do immediately 
 what he desired, and while he strode on before, 
 she slackened her pace and mentioned the sub- 
 ject to her daughters, whose curiosity had been 
 excited by the secret conference. " By what 
 my cousin tells me, I believe we shall find his 
 daughter a very plain sort of country girl, with- 
 out any advantages of education ; but beware 
 how you despise her, or any one else, for those 
 trifling deficiencies; and above all things do not 
 be excited to ridicule by any little awkwardness 
 you may observe." — *'' I am sure," said Harriet, 
 " I shall not know what to talk of to a girl of 
 that sort." — " And if she affects to be vastly 
 genteel, like some I have heard described, how 
 shall I avoid laughing ?" said Fanny. — " Cir- 
 cumstances will bring forward subjects of con- 
 versation," returned Mrs. Maynard, " and there 
 is little probability that the daughter of Gilbert 
 Harris should have any affectation to authorize 
 ridicule : but be she ever so dull or ever so ab- 
 surd, remember she is the favourite child of a 
 
 VOL. T. E
 
 74 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 relation to whom I am under obligations, and 
 that you meet her in his house." 
 
 By this time they had reached the habitation 
 of Gilbert, a large handsome farm-house, with 
 the appearance of every thing comfortable about 
 it, but not much of the ornamental. The master 
 stood at the door to receive them, between two 
 females : one a portly dame about his own age, 
 and with a strong resemblance of him in visage ; 
 the other, a very pretty little girl, not at all like 
 either of them, whose sparkling black eyes, ruddy 
 dimpled cheeks, and smiling countenance, ex- 
 pressed cheerful innocence and content. She 
 blushed on being presented to the strangers, and 
 seemed at first to have a sort of awe of them, 
 which, however, soon wore off. Mrs. Maynard 
 and Betty Harris were old acquaintance, and 
 met as long parted relations, though with a little 
 embarrassment on the side of the country cousin: 
 but in the course of the day all the old lady's 
 prejudices were removed, when she found her-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 75 
 
 self consulted on sundry matters of household 
 economy, by which her vanity was flattered ; 
 and before they parted she was quite enchanted 
 with her " lady cousin," as she called her, whom, 
 she had not been inclined to like ; supposing 
 (notwithstanding her brother's assurances to the 
 contrary) that having married the squire, she 
 must have become proud and impertinent. This 
 Mrs. Maynard had never been; and now she felt 
 quite humble in the presence of a person so 
 much more skilful than herself in what she 
 chiefly wished to learn ; the arts of frugality and 
 industry. The order, regularity, and neatness 
 of every thing, even the most trifling, in the 
 house of Gilbert Harris, occasioned much ad- 
 miration in his cousin, and drew forth many 
 commendations which flattered the housewifery 
 of Mrs. Betty ; by whose instructions, Mrs. 
 Maynard said she hoped to profit, as well as her 
 daughters by the good example of Lucy. 
 
 E 2
 
 76 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELUi. 
 
 CHAP. VIL 
 
 Aimisements of the Country, — An unlcnoxai 
 Kinswoman, 
 
 H-ARRIET, who always languished after town 
 amusements and town talk, was little interested 
 by the conversation of her new acquaintance ; 
 but Fanny, who w^as always attracted by any thing 
 to which she was unaccustomed, was astonished 
 to find how much useful information she might 
 obtain from the country girl whom they sup- 
 posed to know nothing. Cookery, gardening, 
 agriculture, and various useful sorts of work, of 
 all which they were completely ignorant, were 
 famiUar to her ; and when they walked out in 
 the evening, Fanny found it very agreeable to 
 have a companion who could tell her the names
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 77 
 
 of all the trees, and the uses of all the plants 
 they saw. 
 
 Though neither a botanist nor a florist, Lucy 
 knew all that was necessary to have her garden 
 in the most prosperous state ; and even Harriet 
 admired the beauty of the carnations and auri- 
 culas which she gathered and presented to her 
 guests with as much grace, though not as much 
 grimace, as some of their London acquaintance. 
 The sisters had lived so little in the country, 
 that they hardly distinguished one tree from 
 another, and did not know the name of any sort 
 of grain which they saw growing ; and in all 
 these things the, superior knowledge of their 
 new acquaintance was very striking. Lucy, 
 however, instead of wondering or laughing at 
 their ignorance, as a vulgar-minded person 
 would have done, only said with a modest blush, 
 *' We country folks, who live always among 
 these things, cannot help knowing them, and 
 E 3
 
 78 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 before you have been here a month, you will 
 know as much of them as I do." 
 
 Fanny was much delighted with Lucy's pretty 
 spinning-wheel, a present from her aunt, who 
 had ffiven it to her in return for half a dozen 
 pair of stockings which her niece had both spun 
 and knit for her, and which were never worn 
 but on extraordinary occasions ; and even Har- 
 riet was struck with the beauty of these, as well 
 as the patch- work quilts, which she had never 
 seen in perfection before. Nothing, however, 
 sui'prised her so much, as to discover that this 
 little country girl's skill in writing and arith- 
 metic far exceeded not only her's, but that of 
 Fanny, who was superior to her sister in this 
 branch of education. Of what are usually meant 
 by the word accomplishments, Lucy had none ; 
 but when, as they were sitting in the garden 
 after tea, Gilbert desired his daughter to amuse 
 his cousin vnih one of his favourite old ditties..
 
 THE SISTERS OF KANSFIELD. 79 
 
 both Mrs. Maynard and her daughters were 
 astonished and delighted by her melodious and 
 powerful voice. 
 
 At an early hour ^in the evening the good 
 farmer conducted his relations back to Nansfield 
 in a sort of chaise cart, and seemed to be much 
 gratified by their sincere commendations of his 
 daughter. " She is a good girl," said he, " by 
 nature, and I have taken some pains to prevent 
 her being spoiled by art: — I am very glad to see, 
 cousin, that your daughters do not despise Lucy 
 for being a mere country lass." — " No, my 
 good friend," said Mrs. Maynard, " and God 
 forbid they should despise her for what they 
 must adapt themselves to be the rest of their 
 lives." — " She is an ignorant poor thing in 
 comparison of them, no doubt," rejoined Gilbert, 
 " but she has never been out of this place, where 
 she was born." — " She knows a great many 
 things that we do not know," said Fanny, " and 
 has taught me several already." Gilbert, with 
 E 4
 
 80 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 an astonished air, enquired what she meant ; 
 and on her explaining in what respect Lucy's 
 knowledge so much exceeded theirs, he ap- 
 peared excessively gratified, and said, he was 
 " happy to find his girl could tell them any 
 thing they liked to know ;" he added, however,, 
 m his blunt manner, that he " hoped they would 
 not in return teach her any of their town-bred 
 ways." 
 
 Harriet coloured indignantly, and a satirical 
 smile began to play upon the lips of Fanny ; 
 when Mrs. Maynard said gravely, that " she 
 flattered herself he could never have reason in 
 any way to repent of his kind attention to her 
 in her fallen state ;" which made the good-na- 
 tured man seize her hand, and, w^ith the tears in 
 his eyes, entreat her not to be offended with him. 
 " But in truth, Nanny," said he, " I could not 
 help being reminded, by the genteeler air and 
 politer ways of your daughters, that they had 
 been bred in a town ; and you know if my poor
 
 THE SISTERS OF XANSFIELD. 81 
 
 Lucy was to get any of their lady-like notions, 
 she might grow tired of the village, and the 
 people she has been used to ; and then I should 
 see her moping like an owl, instead of being as 
 merry as a lark from morning till night." Mrs. 
 Maynard told him she thought he w^as perfectly 
 right, and charged her daughters before him 
 to attend to his wishes, and not talk of the cus- 
 toms or amusements of the metropolis to Lucy 
 Harris. 
 
 Mrs. Maynard, at the same time that she oc- 
 cupied her daughters continually with all that 
 was suitable to their new mode of life, and 
 showed them an admirable example of industry 
 and resignation, did not fail to afford them eveiy 
 opportunity of amusement that was suitable to 
 their situation; and she was happy to see one 
 at least derive advantage from it. Fanny's 
 health and looks improved every day, and an 
 excursion to the mountains, or a walk to some 
 neighbouring farm, always seemed to augment 
 E 5
 
 82 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 her cheerfulness ; but Harriet continued for a 
 long time pale and melancholy, though she 
 joined in her sister's diversions, and partook of 
 all the parties of pleasure which Mrs.Maynard's 
 kind relations and old acquaintance offered 
 them. 
 
 Sometimes the Harris family would invite 
 them with some other neighbours to dine in a 
 wood a few miles off, where the young people 
 amused themselves with climbing the hills and 
 exploring the rocks, while the elder folks sat by 
 the river side or walked along the plain. Mrs. 
 Maynard, who had been very active in her 
 youth, sometimes joined one party and some- 
 times the other ; and before she had been six 
 months at Nansfield, Gilbert Harris and his 
 sister declared she was " grown ten years 
 younger." The neighbouring mountains were 
 often visited, and some curious caves searched 
 into, which gave variety to the excursions of 
 the enterprising walkers, who would afterwards
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 83 
 
 repose at a farm of Gilbert's, where they were 
 regaled with excellent fish and fruit, the product 
 of the place. 
 
 Fanny enjoyed all these little novelties in the 
 utmost degree ; but her sister was scarcely ever 
 more than half pleased ; for fine people, fine 
 clothes, and flattery were wanting to her hap- 
 piness : and when Lucy would come out in a 
 new cotton gown, bought by her father at the 
 last fair, and show it in triumph to her young 
 companions, a smile of contempt might always 
 be discovered on the face of Harriet ; while 
 Fanny, on the contrary, would praise the co- 
 lours, and observe to her friend hov/ well her 
 father knew what became her. 
 
 A year had passed away with little variety, 
 during which the Maynard family had become 
 known to their few neighbours; the good clergy- 
 man, the apothecary of the village, the miller, 
 the brewer, &c,, and two or three old gossips, 
 E 6
 
 84 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 intimates of Mrs. Stubbs : but their retirement 
 was seldom interrupted by visitors, as Mrs. May- 
 nard obstinately resisted all the attempts of the 
 elderly gentlewomen on this point ; and the idle 
 habits of great towns had not crept in amongst 
 the younger part of the community ; who had 
 no idea of a visit but as an evening party of 
 pleasure, after the business of 'the day was 
 over. 
 
 It was therefore with some surprise that one 
 morning, as the mother and daugl iters were 
 sitting at work in the parlour, which looked into 
 the garden, they heard a loud' double knock at 
 the front door of the house. Fanny, who ran 
 to see who it could be, returned immediately to 
 tell her mother that it was a livery servant who 
 had knocked, and on Mrs. Maynard going to 
 enquire his business, he put a card into her 
 hand, with the name of Mrs. Pemberton on it, 
 saying, that ^* his lady was waiting in her car- 
 riage at the gate of the field, to know whether Mrs.
 
 1 
 
 THE SISTERS OF XANSFIELD. 85 
 
 Maynard and the young ladies were at home." 
 Mrs. Maynard did not recollect any one of the 
 name of Pemberton^ but saw no reason to decline 
 the visit ; " for," said she to her daughters, when 
 the servant was gone, " this is very different 
 from visits of near neighbours ; and though the 
 name of the lady is unknown to me, she may be 
 some person whom I ought to see." 
 
 As soon as Mrs. Maj^nard declared her inten^ 
 tion of receiving this visit, Harriet left the room, 
 and Fanny occupied herself in putting some of 
 the incumbrances of their humble parlour out 
 of the way, while her mother endeavoured in 
 vain to recall to her mind some person of the 
 name written on the card, and at length con- 
 cluded that it must be some old acquaintance 
 of her own or young one of her daughters, who 
 had changed her name by marrying : how ever, 
 being quite sure that nothing but a kind feeling 
 could impel any one to seek after her in her 
 present reduced circumstances, she reconciled
 
 86 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIEtfi. 
 
 herself to the interruption, by the expectation 
 of seeing a face of good will. 
 
 At length the lady arrived ; and Mrs. May- 
 nard, advancing to meet her, beheld an utter 
 stranger. She was a woman between fifty and 
 sixty, who might have once been very handsome, 
 and still appeared to have some pretensions, for 
 she was dressed very expensively and with great 
 attention to the prevailing mode: her manner 
 was equally polite and friendly as she announced 
 herself to Mrs. Maynard for a first cousin of her 
 deceased husband, saying, " I think you must 
 have heard poor William mention his mother's 
 niece, Sarah Hilton,'' Mrs. Maynard now re- 
 membered to have often heard her husband 
 speak with much affection of a cousin, who, in 
 consequence of a matrimonial disappointment 
 when he was quite a child, had gone to India 
 and become the wife of a rich man in that 
 country, but the name was Andrews^ and 
 on her mentioning this, the lady said, " It is
 
 THE SISTERS OF XANSFIELD. 8« 
 
 very true : Andrev:s was the name of my first 
 husband ; but he did not live long, and after 
 his death I married Mr. Pembet'ton : and he 
 also having died, as well as my daughter, I 
 resolved to return to my native countiy, after an 
 absence of thirty years, and see if any one was 
 left w^ho might still remember or care for Sally 
 Hilton. It was a severe disappointment to me 
 to find my favourite William Maynard, who was 
 some years younger than myself, gone ; and 
 still more so to hear that he had left his family 
 in circumstances so different from what was 
 to be expected. On hearing that they had 
 retired to this remote place, I determined to 
 take a journey hither, rather than trust to the 
 chance of letters ; therefore, as soon as I could 
 escape from town, I hastened to come and offer 
 my friendship and sendees to the widow of my 
 dear William and his children, whom I longed 
 so much to see." 
 
 As Mrs. Pemberton spoke tliese words, Har-
 
 88 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD* 
 
 riet (who had gone to arrange her dress) en- 
 tered the room, and that lady, exclaiming at her 
 likeness to her father, overwhelmed her with 
 caresses ten times warmer than those she had 
 bestowed upon Fanny, of whom she had also 
 shown much approbation. 
 
 " Tell me, my dear Madam," said she, turn- 
 ing to Mrs. Maynard, " shall I incommode you 
 by staying here till evening? To say the 
 truth, relying on the hope of your permission to 
 pass a few hours with you, I have sent my car- 
 riage and servants to wait at the inn." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard assured her with truth, that 
 her company would afford great satisfaction, and 
 after a short time left her daughters with the 
 visitor, and went to give some necessary directions 
 to their one servant.
 
 f 
 
 THE SISTERS OF XANSFIELD. 89 
 
 CHAP. VIIL 
 
 Condolences and an unexpected Proposal, 
 
 When Mrs. Pemberton was left alone with 
 the sisters, she began to condole with them on 
 the melancholy change in then* situation. 
 
 " And so, poor things ! you are obhged to 
 live like farmers' daughters, and mend your own 
 clothes, and go on foot, and keep company with 
 the villagers. \Miat a misfortune I" 
 
 The tears came into Harriet's eyes ; but 
 Fanny answered cheerfully, " M^e are not 
 unhappy, and have many things to amuse 
 us." 
 
 " And you, my lovely Harriet, what do you 
 say?" continued Mrs. Pemberton. '• Are you so 
 well content with your situation ?"
 
 90 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Harriet, who only suppressed her repinings 
 because no one encouraged them, was quite 
 overcome by this sympathy with her feelings, 
 and could neither speak nor restrain her tears. 
 Mrs. Pemberton redoubled her caresses, and 
 Fanny knew not what to do, but trembled lest 
 her mother should return to witness a scene 
 which would infallibly give her pain. 
 
 " Poor thing!" said Mrs. Pemberton to Har- 
 riet, " I do pity you most sincerely." 
 
 Just then Mrs. Maynard called Fanny, who 
 was her most useful assistant, and the eldest 
 sister was left to entertain her new-found rela- 
 tion ; with whom she had not been alone ten 
 minutes until she had confided to her how un- 
 willingly she submitted to her present mode of 
 existence, and that she never should be able to 
 adapt herself, as Fanny did, to the occupations 
 and amusements of a country life. 
 
 " I must bear it," said she, " because I have 
 no prospect of any other ; but I own I never can
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 91 
 
 be happy, when I think of the different manner 
 in which I was brought up, and the different 
 prospects I once had." 
 
 Here her tears began to flow afresh, and 
 Mrs. Pemberton, gently wiping them away with 
 a highly perfumed handkerchief, said, " Do 
 not fret, my sweet girl, — perhaps there is a 
 remedy for your woes, — and nearer than you 
 imagine." 
 
 She was interrupted by the return of Mrs. 
 Maynard ; and Harriet, to conceal her confu- 
 sion, hastened out of the room and went to 
 seek her sister, whom she found shelling peas 
 in the kitchen. Fanny perceived that she had 
 been in tears, and said to her, " I wish this 
 Mrs. Pemberton, with her rouged face, and 
 her perfumes, and her compassion, had kept 
 far away from Nansfield, instead of coming to 
 remind you, my dear Harriet, of our mis- 
 fortunes, and undo in a moment all that our
 
 92 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIElD. 
 
 mother's prudence, and my gaiety, and the 
 good-nature of Lucy Harris^ had been labouring 
 for' so long." 
 
 '• Oh ! Fanny, don't speak unkindly of Mrs. 
 Pemberton," said Harriet, " for you can't think 
 how friendly she is, nor how affectionately she 
 speaks of our poor father, whom she says I re- 
 semble so much." 
 
 " But if she tries to make you discontented, 
 what is the value of her kind words ? I am sure 
 you looked quite another creature this morning 
 before she came here to lament over you and 
 make you cry. I can tell you I don't like her 
 at all." 
 
 WTiile this conversation was passing between 
 the sisters, Mrs. Maynard and Mrs. Pemberton 
 were engaged in one more interesting. 
 
 " What fine girls your daughters are !" said 
 the latter, " and what a pity that they should be 
 doomed to pass their lives in obscurity !" 
 
 " I flatter myself," said Mrs. Maynard, "that
 
 THE SISTERS OF NAXSFIELD. 93 
 
 they will have good sense enough to adapt them- 
 selves to circumstances, and religion enough to 
 do their duty in that state of life to which it 
 pleases God to call them." 
 
 " Harriet is a beautiful creature," continued 
 Mrs. Pemberton : " What a fine skin and what 
 lovely hair she has !" (the old lady had herself 
 been a fair beauty;) " but don't you think her 
 health rather delicate ?" 
 
 " It was so in the winter," replied her mother; 
 " but within these few months she has regained 
 much of her strength." 
 
 " Are you sure the dear creature does not 
 fret a little at her change of situation ?" 
 
 " I hope not now," said Mrs. Maynard, 
 " though she did feel it more severely than her 
 sister at the beginning." 
 
 " Pray, don't you think it might be a great 
 advantage to her if she could be introduced to 
 the world in a respectable manner ?" 
 
 " It is a thin<T I have never thoudit of, anv 
 more than other impossibilities," said Mrs. 
 Maynard.
 
 945 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 " I loved her father dearly," said Mrs. Pem- 
 berton, " and she resembles him strongly." 
 
 " So every one thinks who has had the op- 
 portunity of judging," said Mrs. Maynard. 
 
 " Would you, my dear Madam, trust the 
 dear girl to me ?" 
 
 " What do you mean ? I do not perfectly 
 understand you," replied Mrs. Maynard, with 
 some feeling of surprise at the abrupt question. 
 
 " I will explain myself clearly," resumed 
 Mrs. Pemberton, drawing her chair close to 
 Mrs. Maynard, and speaking in a confidential 
 tone of voice. " You must know I have taken 
 a house in London, where I propose receiving 
 the very best company. My late husband was 
 connected with several persons of high rank ; 
 and even if that were not the case, with the pro- 
 perty left me by him and my first husband, I 
 am able to command the first society in the 
 metropolis. Now my project is (if you will 
 permit) to take your lovely Harriet with me to 
 town, where I have little doubt of her making 
 17
 
 THE SISTERS OF XANSFIELD. 95 
 
 a match which will reinstate her in the situation 
 to which she was born." 
 
 Here Mrs. Maynard interrupted the discourse, 
 to express her " doubts of the prospect of happi- 
 ness to be obtained by seeking a rich marriage, 
 and her opinion respecting the disadvantages of 
 inequality in the wedded state," of which she 
 knew but too much by her own experience, 
 though she did not say so. Mrs. Pemberton 
 hastened to assure her that " she had no idea of 
 Harriet's going to town to look for a husband : — 
 fai* be such a thought from her mind ; and as to 
 the inequality of fortune, she flattered lierself 
 that she had it in her power to make her relation 
 and favourite a good match for any gentleman 
 or nobleman v.ho might seek her alliance." 
 
 In short, she bore down all Mrs. Maynard'> 
 objections, and declared so explicitly that it was 
 her intention to leave a handsome fortune to the 
 child and image of her dear cousin William,
 
 96 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 that her mother, though not as much dazzled or 
 delighted with the prospect of affluence for her 
 daughter as many others would have been, was 
 induced to grant a half consent, and to promise 
 that she would consider of the matter and ffive 
 her final answer on the return of Mrs. Pem- 
 berton from an excursion she was going to 
 make further northward for six weeks : and she 
 only requested that the project might not be 
 mentioned to Harriet till that time. To this 
 Mrs. Pemberton agreed, on condition, however, 
 that she might be " the first to announce her 
 good fortune to the dear girl ; for, indeed, my 
 friend," said she, " I flatter myself that, though 
 like a prudent mother you demand time to con- 
 sider, there can be no danger of your refusing 
 an offer, which on reflection you must be con- 
 vinced is for the benefit of your daughter ; I 
 may say, for both your daughters, as the pro- 
 sperity of Harriet must without doubt extend 
 also to her sister."
 
 'THfi SlSTEHS OF NANSFltLB. 9? 
 
 The day passed very agreeably. Harriet did 
 not happen to be again alone with Mrs. Pember- 
 ton, except for a few moments just before dinner, 
 in which, however, the latter, notwithstanding her 
 promise, contrived to give some mysterious hints 
 of " brightening prospects,— future gaieties, — 
 change of scene," which, though they in some 
 degree confused the brain of Harriet, yet at the 
 same time produced an exhilaration of spirits 
 that gave great pleasure to her mother and sister, 
 and completed the conquest of Mrs. Pemberton's 
 good will. That lady appeared in the most 
 amiable point of view ; praised every thing ; 
 admired the situation of the farm and the beauty 
 of the surrounding country; found the house 
 very convenient and comfortable ; and even at 
 last went so far as to protest, that if she could 
 resign the society of her friends in town, she 
 should like of all things to build a cottage in 
 such a place. " But," added she, " I have 
 been so accustomed to live in the world, that I 
 
 VOL. I. F
 
 98 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELIK 
 
 should be afraid of finding myself very lone- 
 some." 
 
 " Perhaps if you had two daughters," said 
 Mrs. Maynard, " you would care less for ge- 
 neral society." 
 
 " Ah f that is very true ; and if my dear little 
 Mary Ann had lived, I should have had a charm- 
 ing companion. I am sure she would have been 
 just like Harriet ; but I should never have per- 
 suaded myself to hide such a beautiful creature 
 from the admiration of the world." 
 
 Harriet blushed and sighed; but no one 
 made any remark on her change of counte- 
 nance, though each observed it with different 
 thoughts and different feelings. Mrs. Pemberton 
 contemplated her own triumph in bringing ouf 
 such a handsome relation; while Mrs. Maynard 
 wished she wou.J ' e more moderate in her 
 praises of Harriet's good looks ; and Fanny 
 regretted that her sister should be reminded of 
 the town life she had regretted so much.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 99 
 
 On Mrs. Pemberton's expressing a wish to 
 see the entire house, she was conducted to the 
 bed-rooms which she found very convenient, and 
 particularly admired that of the sisters ; where 
 Fanny, in compassion to Harriet's horror of 
 white walls, had pasted up most of the drawings 
 of her port folio. 
 
 *' But don't you think," said the visitor, turning 
 to Harriet, " that this room would look much 
 better with only one bed ?" 
 
 Mrs. Maynard gave a beseeching glance, and 
 therefore she stopped short ; but her words were 
 not lost on the person to whom she addressed 
 them, and a vague hope brightened in the soul 
 of Harriet, which became stronger on hearing 
 Mrs. Pemberton tell her mother, with peculiar 
 eijiphasis, that she should " certainly come back 
 in six weeks." 
 
 Mrs. Pemberton requested to have tea very early, 
 and had scarcely drank a cup, when the same 
 
 F 2
 
 100 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELB'. 
 
 servant who had announced her arrival, came to 
 inform her that all was ready for her departure 
 and that her carriage was in the place she had 
 appointed. Dismissing the man with orders 
 for her equipage to wait, she renewed her pro- 
 testations of regard for all and each of " her 
 cousins ;" but especially " her lovely Harriet, 
 to whom Fanny must pardon her partiality, on 
 account of the striking resemblance to her fa- 
 ther." Fanny replied, that " all who loved her 
 sister were dear to her," with a countenance so 
 cheerful and sincere, that Mrs. Pemberton was 
 struck with admiration, and, turning to Mrs. 
 Maynard, said, " What a happy woman you are 
 to have two such daughters !" She then rose to 
 take her leave; but Mrs. Maynard proposing to 
 conduct her by a shorter way to the high road, 
 where her carriage waited, they all accompanied 
 her through the garden (which the visitor had 
 already seen and admired) to the door at the 
 opposite end from the house, opening into the 
 lane, along which they walked slowly j Mrs.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 101 
 
 Pemberton leaning on the arm of her favourite, 
 conversing, however, only about the persons she 
 was going to visit, and other indifferent subjects. 
 In ten minutes they reached the carriage, which 
 appeared to be heavily laden with trunks, and 
 had several bandboxes in the inside, where sat 
 a female servant, who Mrs. Maynard w^as glad 
 to perceive appeared a quiet elderly w^oman, 
 and not one of those flaunting Abigails who 
 usually attend on fine ladies ; a class to which 
 she could not conceal from herself that her 
 new-found relation belonged. The appearance 
 of the equipage accorded with the affluence 
 visible in the dress of the owner, the ease of 
 whose manner showed her to be habituated to 
 both, though she seemed a person who laid a 
 great stress on external advantages of every 
 sort. Her fiirewell was extremely kind to all ; 
 but she particularly addressed to Harriet her 
 last words, expressing a re-assurance of her re- 
 turn at the end of six weeks. 
 
 F 3
 
 102 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 As they walked back, the elder sister re- 
 marked what a handsome equipage Mrs. Pem- 
 berton had, and what beautiful lace on her 
 gown, while Fanny added praises of her very 
 good-natured countenance ; for Harriet having 
 recovered her spirits, her sister was perfectly 
 sensible to that sort of flattering manner which 
 always attracts the good-will of young people.
 
 THE SISTER.^ OF NANSFIELD. 105 
 
 CHAP. IX, 
 Enquiries, Guesses^ and unsatisfied Gariositi/, 
 
 >V HEN" the inhabitants o? Nansfiefd i-eth-ed at 
 the acaistomed hour tor the night, ^Irs. Mav- 
 nard did not go to bed, but sat down to her 
 vsTiting-tahle : and before she slept, addressed 
 letters to two confidential friends in London, 
 requesting them immediately to make tlie most 
 accurate enquiries respect hig the character, for- 
 tune, and connexions of Mrs. Pemberton, and 
 above all things into her moral habits, and those 
 of lier intimates. One of these letters was ad- 
 dressed to a female friend of long standing ; and 
 the other to an old gentleman who was acquainted 
 with every one : a pei*son who had been attached 
 to her husband fi-om his childhood, and used 
 
 F 4
 
 104 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD, 
 
 every exertion to prevent the follies which had 
 occasioned the indigence of his family. After 
 having done this, and added to her customary 
 devotions an ardent prayer to be directed to the 
 best conduct on this occasion, she composed 
 herself to sleep. 
 
 The sisters also remained awake longer than 
 usual. As soon as they were in their bed-room, 
 Harriet said, " Don't you think Mrs. Pem- 
 berton very good-natured, Fanny ?" 
 
 " Indeed I do ; how kind she looked at us 
 when she was going away, and how much she 
 praised you, Harriet !" 
 
 " I really think she likes me: and do you 
 know, Fanny — but I am afraid you will think 
 me very silly — " 
 
 " I believe I can guess what you are going 
 to say; for the same thing struck me," said 
 Fanny. 
 
 " Do tell me what it was then,*' said Harriet.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 105 
 
 '^ It was that I have a great notion this good 
 Mrs. Pemberton intends to leave you a hand- 
 some legacy in her will." 
 
 The countenance of Harriet fell on hearing 
 this ; which her sister perceiving, said, " Was 
 iK)t that what you w^ere going to say?" 
 
 " No, indeed ; I never thought of any such 
 thing." 
 
 " What was it you did think of?' 
 
 " Though I am afraid you will laugh at me, 
 yet I will tell you that I suspect Mrs. Pemberton 
 has some intention of asking me to go to Chel- 
 tenham, or to accompany her in some of her 
 visits to those country houses where she has so 
 many invitations." 
 
 " Very likely," said Fanny, " and your guess 
 does not at all invalidate mine : at any rate I am 
 very glad of this adventure; it has given us some- 
 thing new to think and talk about, and what is 
 better than all, it has raised your spirits, dear 
 Harriet, and I flatter myself you have acquired 
 a useful friend." 
 
 F 5
 
 106 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Harriet kissed her good-natured sister; and 
 went to sleep that night in a more cheerful frame 
 of mind than she had done since she had inha- 
 bited Nansfield^ now more than a year. 
 
 Next morning at breakfast, Mrs. Femberton 
 was naturally the subject of discourse, and Mrs. 
 Maynard joined reservedly in the praises her 
 daughters bestowed on their visitor, for she felt 
 in a state of doubt respecting her character and 
 conduct, and was determined that if she should 
 ascertain any thing on those subjects absolutely 
 contrary to her own principles, no prospect of 
 affluence for Harriet should induce her to con- 
 sent to Mrs. Pember ton's proposal : her part of 
 the conversation was therefore kept up rather by 
 silent assent than any uttered opinion, and this 
 prevented her daughters from expressing what 
 they had conjectured in regard to Mrs. Pem- 
 berton's designs in favour of Harriet. 
 
 As soon as breakfast was over and the tea-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 107 
 
 things washed and put in their places, a work 
 in which Harriet assisted on this morning with 
 more than usual alacrity, Mrs. Maynard said 
 they must set about some business they did not 
 much like ; namely, ripping the seams of some 
 house linen which was to be repaired, and, as 
 her eyes were not equal to take a part in this 
 occupation, she offered to amuse them during 
 their labour by reading one of Shakspeare's 
 plays. This was her constant practice when- 
 ever they had any tiresome needle-work in hand; 
 and as she had early learnt to read the works 
 of tlie immortal bard, by listening to her father, 
 whose favourite author he was, it was a thing 
 she did so well, that it would at any time recon- 
 cile Harriet and Fanny to the most disagreeable 
 tasks. 
 
 The sisters, therefore, sat down very cheer- 
 fully to their work, and Mrs. Maynard was in 
 the midst of one of the finest passages in Henry 
 the Fourth, when a brisk double knock was 
 F 6
 
 108 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 heard at the house door, and in a few minutes 
 after, the loud voice of Mrs. Stubbs disputing 
 with Jenny, who wanted to prevent her from 
 entering the parlour. 
 
 " But I tell you I have business with your 
 mistress, and I know she will be glad to see me; 
 and you know very well, you saucy hussey, that 
 I never disturb any body." 
 
 Fanny could not help laughing, and Mrs. 
 Maynard said, " You had better go and let 
 her in, or she will keep Jeimy doing nothing for 
 half an hour." 
 
 " And so we must have this odious woman 
 instead of Shakspeare," said Harriet. 
 
 " We'll ask her to read the part of Dame 
 Quickley," whispered Fanny, as she opened the 
 parlour door to admit the sturdy assailant, who 
 had scarcely uttered the common salutations, and 
 occupied the chair which Harriet half offered 
 her, than she assured Mrs. Maynard " she had 
 taken the walk that sultry day merely to do 
 her a service," On being asked what that was»
 
 THE SISTERS OF NAySFIELD. 109 
 
 she replied, that " there was a pedlar in the 
 main street selling the beauti/idlest things she 
 ever laid eyes on, and as cheap as dirt." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard thanked her coldly, and said, 
 that " he could not possibly have any thing that 
 she wanted :" and Mrs. Stubbs then changed her 
 discourse to the real object of her \nsit. 
 
 " And so I hear you have had a fine lady" — 
 
 Fanny here interrupted her to say, " Pray 
 tell me some of the beautiful things that the 
 pedlar is selling." 
 
 " Oh ! there are printed caUicoes, and silk 
 handkerchiefs, and ribbons, and aU sorts of 
 things. But this fine lady — " 
 
 " Never mind the lady; but tell us what co- 
 lours are the handkerchiefs." 
 
 " All colours of the rainbow. But this lady 
 who — " 
 
 " What do you mean by all colours of the 
 rainbow? Is there one the colour of spinage 
 
 green ?" 
 
 I really don't know. And so this — '
 
 110 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 " Has he any umbrellas ?" continued the tor- 
 menting Fanny. ^ 
 
 " I did not see any." 
 
 " But as you were so kind as to come here 
 for no other purpose than to tell my mother 
 about this pedlar, I wonder you do not know 
 more of what he has to sell." 
 
 " Indeed, Miss Fanny, if you will not give me 
 a moment's peace about this pedlar, I shall not 
 be able to say a word or two which I want to 
 speak to your mother." 
 
 " Ah !" thought Fanny, " now comes the true 
 cause of the visit," and she remained silent. 
 
 " And so, my good Mrs. Maynard, I hear you 
 have had a fine lady to visit you." 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Maynard. " Have you 
 any thing to tell me about her ?' 
 
 " I ! What should I have to tell about her ? 
 I only wanted you to tell me who she is, — and 
 why she came here, — and what she said to you, 
 -^ and whether it is true that she had fine lace 
 on her gown, and a heap of gold chains about 
 her neck ?"
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. Ill 
 
 Mrs. Maynard could no more refrain from 
 smiling at this speech than Fanny herself, but 
 replied, " What you have heard of her dress 
 appears to be very accurate ; and as to the 
 lady's name and business here, she is a Mrs. 
 Pemberton, and was nearly related to poor 
 Mr. Maynard : she came here to see me and 
 my daughters, and, I believe, had no other 
 business at Sunbury." 
 
 " Ah ! she's a relation of the young ladies ; 
 she must be a very rich woman ; I saw her grand 
 equipage and her two Hvery servants, and I 
 heard she had her own lady's maid with her. 
 And pray what relation is she ? And where does 
 she live ? And where is she gone to ?" 
 
 Mrs. Majnard now lost all patience, and 
 rismg from her seat said, that " Mrs. Stubbs 
 must be so good as to excuse her, for she had 
 business in another part of the house," and 
 left the room, after desiring her daughters to 
 " attend to their work,"
 
 112 THE SISTERS OF NANSPIELD. 
 
 It might naturally be supposed that upon this 
 hint the unwelcome visitor would have taken her 
 leave ; but her curiosity weighed too heavily ta 
 allow her rising from her chair, and she re- 
 mained immoveable. 
 
 " And how do you like the lady, Miss Har- 
 riet ?" said she, addressing herself to the person 
 who had not yet spoken. 
 
 " Very well," replied Harriet, in a tone of 
 indifference, and then turning to her sister said, 
 " Fanny, do give me a stronger pin to rip this 
 seam, the one I have is good for nothing, and 
 bends every way." 
 
 Fanny got up to search the pin-cushion, which 
 was on another table ; and the sisters contrived 
 to prolong the conversation on this important 
 subject for several minutes : but the patience of 
 Mrs. Stubbs proved to be inexhaustible, and she 
 waited in silence till they had finished their con- 
 sultation. 
 
 " And so," said the indefatigable enquirer, 
 ** you don't much like this lady ?"
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 113 
 
 " W^o told you that ?" said Fanny. 
 
 " I thought your sister seemed to answer very 
 coldly about her." 
 
 " That is very natural, considering she never 
 saw her till yesterday." 
 
 " Ah ! very true. Well, and was she really 
 dressed so very fine ? And what had she on ?* 
 
 " I do not exactly know," replied Harriet, to 
 whom this question was dii'ected» 
 
 " But what colour w^as her gown ?" 
 
 ** A grass green, with scarlet trimmings," 
 said Fanny. 
 
 This was the description of one of the gala 
 dresses of Mrs. Stubbs. " That is delightful," 
 cried she, clapping her hands together ; and 
 both the sisters began to laughs 
 
 " I recollect now," said Harriet, who could 
 not endure the idea of her favourite decorated 
 like Mrs. Stubbs, '« that Mrs. Pemberton was 
 dressed in white." 
 
 " White !" exclaimed the visitor, with a dis-
 
 114 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 appointed air ; " How could Miss Fanny make 
 such a mistake ?" 
 
 " That is easily explained," said Fanny ; " I 
 was looking at Mrs. Stubbs, and thinking of the 
 gown she wore the last time I had the pleasure 
 of seeing her, I fancied I saw it upon Mrs. 
 Pemberton." 
 
 Mrs. Stubbs began to suspect they were 
 laughing at her ; but still her curiosity got the 
 better of every other feeling, and she continued 
 the conversation. 
 
 " I suppose you saw her chaise and four, and 
 her two livery servants." 
 
 " Oh ! yes," replied Fanny ; " and her dwarf 
 page also." 
 
 " Lord bless us f Has she a dwarf page ? 
 And what was he like ?" 
 
 " He was very short, very squat, very bandy- 
 legged ; had little grey eyes, and a large bottle 
 nose ; and, moreover, smelt terribly of snuiF." 
 
 Mrs. Stubbs, to Harriet's great surprise, did 
 not recognise her own portrait; but said,
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 115 
 
 " Well, now^, that strikes me as very odd;" 
 but still made no movement to retire, till Fanny 
 added, " The place where you would be likely 
 to hear most about the whole party is the apo- 
 thecary's, where the lady was obliged to stop 
 for a dose of rhubarb to give her lap-dog, who 
 was attacked by a violent fit of the colic when 
 she left us." 
 
 After a few more attempts to gratify' her in- 
 satiable curiosity, which were baffled in the 
 same not very laudable manner by Fanny, Mrs. 
 Stubbs at length took her leave.
 
 116 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD, 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 A Compromise, — Answers to Letters, — Return of 
 the Lady, 
 
 VVhat a tiresome woman !" cried Harriet. 
 
 " She is very comical, however," said Fanny, 
 " and believes every thing one tells her." 
 
 " True," rejoined Harriet ; " but I do not 
 think my mother would have approved of — " 
 
 " What should I not have approved of?" 
 said Mrs. Maynard, who returned to the par- 
 lour on finding that her troublesome visitor had 
 disappeared. 
 
 Both the sisters blushed; for Fanny had 
 often been reproved for pertness, and that sort 
 of jesting which induces the utterance of false-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 117 
 
 lioods : and their mother had to repeat her 
 question before her youngest daughter confessed 
 what she had done ; in excuse for which she 
 said, that " it was really impossible to repel the 
 enquiries of Mrs. Stubbs with mere truth, and 
 that her credulity tempted people to invent 
 stories for her." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard then quoted what she had 
 often done before on the same subject : " Use 
 not any manner of falsehood, for the custom 
 thereof is not good ;" adding, that " she much 
 feared Fanny's propensity to ridicule would one 
 day prove an injury to her." 
 
 " But surely, my dear mother, you must 
 allow that Mrs. Stubbs appears to have been 
 made on purpose to laugh at." 
 
 " I own she is a very absurd person ; but she 
 is not one of your lawful subjects for laughter, 
 Fanny. You ought to remember that I only 
 gave you free liberty to ridicule affectation. 
 Now certainly Mrs. Stubbs cannot be called an 
 affected woman."
 
 118 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 " That is true," said Fanny ; " and I sin- 
 cerely wish you would except impertinent cu- 
 riosity also, and then, indeed, I should have full 
 licence to laugh at this inquisitive dame." 
 
 " I wonder," said Harriet, " how you can 
 find so much pleasure in laughing at disagree- 
 able people : they make me angry; and I declare 
 I would rather never laugh again during my 
 whole life, than see that odious Mrs. Stubbs 
 once a week." 
 
 " Not so I," rejoined her sister ; " but, mo- 
 ther, surely I may laugh at her, so as I do not 
 invent any stories, nor ridicule her before her 
 face : may I not ?" 
 
 " I am almost afraid to give you this permis- 
 sion," replied Mrs. Maynard, smiling; " but if 
 you adhere to truth and avoid giving pain, I 
 believe I must yield, as our neighbour is un- 
 doubtedly a very ludicrous being." 
 
 This was a great consolation to Fanny, who 
 had dreaded an absolute prohibition : and she 
 loved her mother so well, that had this taken 
 14
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 119 
 
 place she could never again have enjoyed the 
 absurdities of the widow Stubbs. 
 
 In the mean time, that person had hurried 
 away to the apothecary's, where she had excited 
 some hearty laughter by her enquiries about 
 the fine lady who had stopped there to have her 
 lap-dog cured of the coKc ; and was assured by 
 the people in the shop that they had only seen 
 the lady pass by in her carriage, and did not 
 know any thing of her lap-dog. This seemed 
 very strange to Mrs. Stubbs, who did not yet 
 suspect the story to be an invention ; and 
 luckily recollecting that she had not lately called 
 to see the innkeeper's infirm mother, she di- 
 rected her steps immediately to the inn, and 
 there speedily ascertained that Fanny had jested 
 with her : for on mentioning the sick lap-dog, and 
 the dwarf page, whom she described, the whole 
 family fell into such convulsions of laughter as 
 increased the original gravity of her counte- 
 nance to an extraordinary degi-ee ; and the inn-
 
 120 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 keeper, who was a plain speaking man, and 
 not very fond of his visitor, at length com- 
 posing his face, said to her, " I have often 
 told you, Mrs. Stubbs, that your great curiosity 
 about things which do not concern you makes 
 you hear many false stories ; and it is very 
 plain to see that these have been fabricated 
 on pui-pose for you, especially the descrip- 
 tion of the dwarf page." — And here he was 
 obliged to give way to his laughter again ; but 
 after a moment recovering himself, he pro- 
 ceeded, — " Take my advice, and ask no more 
 questions of any one else; for we have told you 
 all that can be known, except, indeed, how the 
 lady herself looked, for we did not see her ; but 
 we know she was alone in her visit at Nansfield, 
 from whence she sent her carriage here with all 
 her servants ; and I must say they behaved very 
 creditably, and like the domestics of a rich and 
 generous lady." 
 
 This adventure made Mrs. Stubbs the deter-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 121 
 
 mined enemy of Fanny, whom she vowed never 
 to forgive ; and though not usually a very ill- 
 natured woman, on this occasion she felt a de- 
 gree of acrimony which only wanted an oppor- 
 tunity to display itself. For the present, how- 
 ever, she was obliged to confine her revenge to 
 certain prudent insinuations addressed to Mr. 
 Jerry Flink and other " bachelors who had a 
 great respect for her," touching the probability 
 that Fanny w^ould prove " a termagant wife, if 
 ever she met with a man fool enough to marry 
 her." 
 
 In the meantime all went on smoothly at 
 Nansfield. Mrs. Pemberton's visit and myste- 
 rious hints had produced the most beneficial 
 effects on Harriet's temper, and consequently 
 on her health : and her mother and sister had 
 the pleasure of seeing her colour improve and 
 her eyes brighten every day. She also joined 
 in all the household labours with a willingness 
 and cheerfulness she had never shown before ; 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 122 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELDo 
 
 and while she performed the part allotted to her 
 share, she repeated to herself with delight, 
 " Perhaps this may not last long." She counted 
 every week that passed, and at the conclusion 
 of every Wednesday evening said to her sister 
 when they retired to rest, " Another week of 
 the six is over;" and the good-natured Fanny 
 congratulated her. 
 
 At length the sixth day of the sixth week 
 arrived, and Fanny said to her mother at break- 
 fast, " I suppose Mrs. Pemberton will be here 
 to-morrow." 
 
 " Why do you suppose so, my dear ?" 
 ** Because it will be the end of the six weeks." 
 " You must not expect Mrs. Pemberton to be 
 so exact, Fanny; a woman of the world, like 
 her, may have various causes to delay her return ; 
 and though she intended to be here again at the 
 end of six weeks, she may not be able to come 
 for eight or ten."
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 123 
 
 Harriet said nothing; but she became very 
 peevish and irritable in thinking that the fulfil- 
 ment of her hopes was not to take place imme- 
 diately : and Fanny found great difficulty, when 
 they were alone together, in tranquillising the 
 fears she began to entertain that Mrs. Pemberton 
 " might delay her coming for as many more 
 weeks, or, perhaps, not even return at all." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard had some days before received 
 answers to her letters of enquiry ; and though 
 they were not exactly every thing she could 
 have wished, yet they were quite as favourable 
 as she had any right to expect. That from her 
 female friend informed her that " Mrs. Pember- 
 ton was understood to have returned from the 
 East Indies with immense wealth, which had 
 been bequeathed to her by the two infirm old 
 men to whom she had been married : that she had 
 been a very handsome and a very vain woman, 
 who had sought the admiration of the other sex 
 in her youth more than was perfectly prudent, 
 G 2
 
 124 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIEI^D>, 
 
 but without having ever been accused of any 
 absolute impropriety; that she was visited by 
 many of the first people in London, and that 
 the relations of Mr. Pemberton professed great 
 esteem for her; that nobody dressed better, 
 kept a more fashionable equipage, or had a 
 handsomer establishment altogether; in short, 
 that she was considered as a person quite comme 
 ilfaut ; and the letter concluded by congra- 
 tulating Mrs. Maynard on having " made ac- 
 qaintance with such a creditable relation." 
 
 The other letter said, that " Mrs. Pemberton, 
 though not many months returned from India, 
 was a person well known and respected for her 
 years, wealth, and decorous appearance; that 
 her society was composed of persons of good 
 birth and fortune ; that she was remarkable for 
 shunning all those sort of acquaintance which 
 are called people that nobody hioKS; and that 
 there was no kind of blot in her moral character, 
 though she was not a w^oman remarkable for any 
 particular virtue."
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 125 
 
 Mrs. Majnard saw nothing in either of these 
 letters that could justify her refusing to trust 
 her daughter with a relation who appeared so 
 friendly, and promised so much; but she did 
 not feel by any means so elated with the cir- 
 cumstance as might have been expected. 
 
 That veiy evening, which was one day sooner 
 than Mrs. Pemberton had appointed for her 
 return, she sm-prised the inhabitants of Xatis- 
 Jktd by her appearance when no one expected 
 her ; and telling Mrs. Majnard that she had 
 only come to drink tea with her, and must go 
 twelve miles farther that night, she accompa- 
 nied her into the parlour, where they remained 
 alone, the sisters being in the garden. 
 
 " Well, my dear madam," cried Mrs. Pem- 
 berton, the moment the door was shut, " what 
 have you determined on ? will you entrust your 
 lovely Harriet to me ?" 
 
 ** I have determined," replied Mrs. May- 
 G 3
 
 126 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 nard, " to profit by your most friendly offer ; 
 but, according to your desire, have given my 
 daughter no hint of your kind intentions." 
 
 " That is delightful ! How much obliged to 
 you I am, my dear Mrs. Maynard: depend 
 upon it you will never have reason to repent of 
 yom' compliance with my request. But we 
 must hasten to inform the dear girl of our pro- 
 ject, as I am forced to go away in two hours." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard regretted that her visits were 
 so short, and enquired when and where she 
 would expect Harriet to join her ? 
 
 " I purpose to take her with me this very 
 evening,'* replied Mrs. Pemberton. 
 
 Mrs. Maynard felt some uneasiness at the 
 thoughts of this sudden removal, and endea- 
 voured to persuade her relation to stay a day 
 or two, offering to give up her own bed, and 
 share that of one of her daughters, if she would 
 do her that favour : but on Mrs. Pemberton 
 assuring her that she had particular engage-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 127 
 
 ments in town, which rendered a night's delay 
 impossible, she conducted her to the bower in 
 the garden, where the sisters had prepared tea, 
 and a nosegay of Harriet's best flowers, to be 
 presented to her favourite, of whose arrival the 
 servant who opened the door for her had ap- 
 prised them. 
 
 t> 4
 
 128 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 CHAP. XL 
 
 Separation of the sisters, — Curious enquiries. 
 
 Harriet and Fanny received Mrs. Pemberton 
 with every demonstration of joy and good-will ; 
 but in the countenance of the elder there was 
 a good deal of agitation visible, in consequence 
 of the internal hopes and fears which occupied 
 her mind ; however, they had scarcely uttered 
 a welcome to their visitor, when she said, 
 " Do you know, my dear Fanny, that I am 
 come to run away with your sister, if I can 
 have your consent and hers, for I have already 
 obtained that of your mother/'
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 129 
 
 The sisters, who expected something of this 
 sort, smiled, and expressed their satisfaction ; but 
 when she proceeded to say, that Harriet must 
 be ready to accompany her in less than two 
 hours, they changed countenance, and both 
 exclaimed, " What, so soon ?" But the colour 
 and tone of voice in each was different : Har- 
 riet's cheek grew red, and Fanny's pale ; and 
 the tone of the latter was, contrary to custom, 
 less animated than that of the former. 
 
 Mrs. Maynard then, exerting herself to over- 
 come her feelings, explained in a cheerful man- 
 ner Mrs. Pember ton's wish of departing im- 
 mediately ; and enlarged upon the kindness of 
 her intentions towards Harriet, which she had 
 not before been at liberty to communicate, and 
 which ought to reconcile Fanny, as it did her 
 mother, to their sudden separation. Both the 
 sisters expressed their gratitude for Mrs. Pem- 
 berton's goodness, and Fanny's words appeared 
 even more cordial than those of the favoured 
 G 5
 
 130 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Harriet. After a short stay in the arbour, she 
 reminded her sister of the necessity for some 
 preparation, and they went together into the 
 house. 
 
 " What a happy woman you are to have two 
 such daughters !" exclaimed Mrs. Pemberton ; 
 " for though Harriet is decidedly my favourite, 
 yet I must say, that I think Fanny the best na- 
 tured girl in the world. Many would feel envi- 
 ous at the better prospects of a sister, but she 
 seems quite rejoiced. I only observed her 
 countenance fall at hearing of Harriet's going 
 away so immediately.'* 
 
 " I understand her feelings on that point," 
 said Mrs. Majmard, " for at the first it startled 
 me also ; but a moment's reflection showed me 
 it was an unreasonable emotion, which I, there- 
 fore, quickly suppressed: but," added she, 
 wishing for a few minutes' private conversation 
 with her daughter before her departure, " I will 
 go to hasten Harriet's preparations, and will 
 send Fanny to attend you till my return."
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 131 
 
 " Oh," said Mrs. Pemberton, " pray tell her 
 to make no preparation but what is necessary 
 for a sufficient change of clothes during our 
 journey, and a couple of days after our arrival 
 in town, as I shall stop no where on the road. 
 No doubt her wardrobe is only supplied in a 
 country fashion, and, therefore, would be only 
 an incumbrance; but the moment we reach 
 London she shall have every thing that is suit- 
 able to my relation and friend, and I shall not 
 let her appear till all is in order." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard, without making any reply to 
 this speech, hastened to her daughter's room, 
 and sent Fanny to supply her place, and enter- 
 tain Mrs. Pemberton, which she exerted her- 
 self to do in the best manner possible, though 
 her spirits were much depressed with the pros« 
 pect of her sister's sudden departure. 
 
 Mrs. Maynard, in the mean time, assisted 
 Harriet's preparations, while she repeated to her 
 G 6
 
 132 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 in the most impressive language, some few 
 maxims of religion and morality, which she 
 wished to fix more firmly than ever in her 
 mind. Fortunately they were nothing new, or 
 they would scarcely have been remembered, as 
 Harriet's thoughts were more upon the plea- 
 sures of a London life, than any of the counsels 
 of her mother. Long before the arrival of 
 Mrs. Pemberton's equipage, Harriet's prepara- 
 tions were made, and Mrs. Maynard returned 
 to her visitor, that the sisters might spend the 
 last moments together. 
 
 When the carriage was announced, Mrs. 
 Pemberton was in too great a hurry to allow 
 much time for taking leave, and little was said 
 on the occasion ; but the expression of joy and 
 grief was blended in the countenances of the 
 sisters when they exchanged the last farewell at 
 the door of the vehicle that v>^as to convey the 
 elder to those scenes for which she had pined 
 so long.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 133 
 
 Mrs. Maynard's looks denoted more of care- 
 ful anxiety, for though in one way pleased at the 
 change in Harriet's fortune, she trembled at the 
 thought of trusting a daughter so young from 
 under her own eye, and with a person whom 
 she could not consider as perfectly qualified to 
 supply her place: but inwardly commending 
 her child to Providence, she saw her depart 
 without any external demonstrations of what 
 she felt; and both she and Fanny exerted 
 themselves to suppress every sorrowful emotion 
 which their separation from Harriet excited. 
 Fanny, however, could not avoid feeling some 
 degree of melancholy when she retired to her 
 solitary apartment for the night : but considering 
 that what was a loss to her would be so great an 
 advantage to her sister, she composed her mind, 
 and at last fell asleep, while calculating how 
 soon Harriet would reach London, and how^ 
 long it would be before they could receive the 
 letter she promised to wTite immediately on her
 
 134 THE SISTERS OF NANSPIELD. 
 
 The next morning Mrs. Maynard contrived 
 that they should employ in a variety of house- 
 hold offices, which hurried them away from 
 breakfast, and prevented their missing Harriet, 
 or talking of her as much as might have been 
 expected : but when they sat down to dinner, 
 and looked towards the vacant place which she 
 used to occupy, the eyes of the mother and 
 daughter met, and both filled with tears. 
 
 '• This is folly,'* said Mrs. Maynard, recover- 
 ing herself, " we must not indulge in this sort 
 of weakness. Harriet is gone with our free will 
 and her own ; she will lead a sort of life much 
 more ^reeable to her taste than she could with 
 us ; and, 'perhaps^'' continued she, with a sigh, 
 " her removal may be ultimately conducive to 
 her happiness." 
 
 " Oh ! dear mother, do not say pci^haps with 
 that melancholy emphasis, for there can be no 
 doubt that she will be happier as the favourite 
 and heir of the rich Mrs. Pemberton, than she 
 could be in sharing our poverty."
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 135 
 
 " I don't know that," said Mrs. Maynard, 
 " felicity is not always the companion of wealth; 
 and I think my Fanny feels that she can be 
 happy in poverty; — comparative poverty, I 
 mean, for our situation is affluence compared 
 with that of many around us." 
 
 " As to me, mother," said Fanny, '•' I shall 
 always be happy where you are with me." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard's countenance brightened at 
 hearing these words, and she listened with a 
 cheerful air as Fanny proceeded to describe the 
 pleasure of their future meeting in the approach- 
 ing spring, when Harriet was to pay them a 
 visit ; and the amusement her letters would af- 
 ford them in the mean time. 
 
 This conversation was prolonged for some 
 time after dinner, and the mother and daughter 
 were just going to separate, and continue their 
 usual avocations, when they were surprised by 
 the unannounced entrance of Mrs. Stubbs, who
 
 136 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 finding the house door open, had walked hi 
 without any ceremony. 
 
 *' Dear me !" exclaimed she, fanning herself 
 with her pocket-handkerchief, as she sat down 
 in an arm-chair uninvited, and only saluted in 
 silence, " what a walk I have had ! I am quite 
 out of breath." 
 
 " I am sorry you gave yourself so much 
 trouble," said Mrs. Maynard, " especially as I 
 shall be obliged to leave you in a few minutes." 
 
 " Oh ! no matter, no matter, I only want to 
 ask a question or two, and then I shall go away 
 directly. You must know I had got as far as 
 the turn-stile in the lower meadow, on my way 
 to pay a visit to poor Mrs. Green, who has just 
 buried her grandmother, — you remember the 
 old woman in the blue gown who had lost the 
 use of both hands and one side so long ago ; — 
 well, as I was saying, I was just going to con- 
 dole with poor Mrs. Green, when at the turn- 
 stile I was overtaken by Billy Simpson, the 
 grocer's 'prentice, with a bundle in his hand. —
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 137 
 
 ' Good day to you, Mr. Simpson/ said I, (for 
 I am always very condescending to these kind 
 of people,) ' what news is stirring?' — ' None 
 that I hear of, madam,* (speaking very respect- 
 fully, with his hat in his hand,) * none that I 
 hear of, madam, except that one of the young 
 ladies at Nansfield is gone away with the great 
 lady that came to visit them some weeks ago/ 
 — ' And who told you this, Mr. Simpson ?' said 
 I, all astonished,, for I thought it could hardly 
 be time. — * Oh, many of the neighbours,' said 
 he, * and, among the rest, Mr. Hammond's 
 housekeeper, who saw them set off.' — Ho, tliinks 
 I, that is pretty good authorit3^ * And pray,' 
 says I, * which of the young ladies is it ?' — 'I 
 don't know,' said he, ' and I must wish you a 
 good evening, madam, as I am in haste to 
 carry this parcel to Mrs. Green.' With that, 
 I told him to carry my compliments and con- 
 dolences also to the poor woman, and turned 
 back directly to come here and know the truth 
 of this strange story. — Miss Fanny I see is here."
 
 138 THE SISTERS OF NANSFlELt). 
 
 " At your service, Mrs. Stiibbs," said Fanny, 
 with an arch smile ; but a look from her mother 
 checked what she was going to add, and Mrs. 
 Maynard replied gravely, " You have been 
 perfectly well informed on the subject. My 
 daughter Harriet is gone to London with her 
 cousin, Mrs. Pemberton." 
 
 " And what is she gone for ? — And how 
 long does she stay ? — And won't you be very 
 lonesome without her? — And do you think she 
 will get a husband in London ? — Hardly the 
 last, I should suppose, as you are not there to 
 assist her." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard frowned, and Fanny deter- 
 mined to be silent. 
 
 Her mother then spoke : — " It is a difficult 
 matter to answer so many questions at once ; 
 but if Mrs. Stubbs has any commission for 
 Harriet to execute in London, there will cer- 
 tainly be full time to do it, and I am ready to 
 send any message she pleases in my next letter." 
 
 " Lord bless me ! I have no commission to
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 139 
 
 send to London : — how should I that never 
 was near it in my life ? I only came to enquire 
 into the truth of the report, because you know 
 one likes to know what one's neighbours are 
 about. Pray when do you expect Miss Harriet 
 back again ?" 
 
 " The time of her return is very uncertain ; 
 and if you have no other business with us, Mrs. 
 Stubbs, Fanny and I will retire to our affairs 
 in the kitchen and dairy, whither we cannot in- 
 vite you to accompany us." She then stood 
 up, saying to her daughter, " Fanny, my dear, 
 you will conduct Mrs. Stubbs to the door, and 
 then return to me immediately." 
 
 Fanny obeyed her mother by accompanying 
 the visitor to the house door, but just as she 
 opened it, Mrs. Stubbs perceiving they- were 
 alone, though perfectly aware of the satirical 
 humour of her companion, could not refrain 
 from asking a few more questions. 
 
 " And so your sister is really gone to live in 
 London ?"
 
 140 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 " No doubt that is her intention." 
 
 " I thought your mother talked as if she 
 would come back ?" 
 
 "Yes, she did so." 
 
 " Then what do you mean by saying she is 
 gone to live there ?" 
 
 " I mean, that it is not her intention to die 
 there." 
 
 At these words the face of Mrs. Stubbs swelled 
 up with rage, and she was going to say some- 
 thing, which, however, she suppressed into a 
 spiteful- sounding " Good evening to you, Miss 
 Fanny," and left the house, more incensed 
 against her than ever. 
 
 Fanny joined her mother, who was waiting 
 for her in the parlour, so much^ dissatisfied with 
 herself for having given way to this silly pert- 
 ness, that she looked quite unhappy. Mrs. 
 Maynard immediately enquired the cause of her 
 change of countenance ; and on her candidly 
 owning her fault, this affectionate parent sighed
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 141 
 
 deeply, and said, " My dear child, I am sin- 
 cerely sorry to perceive that you make so little 
 progress in conquering a defect which is unbe- 
 coming to all young women, but particularly 
 inconvenient to persons in our situation. Depend 
 upon it this Mrs. Stubbs will yet find a time 
 for repaying the offence you gave her; and 
 though you may laugh at the thoughts of any 
 thing she can do, be assured it gives me un- 
 easiness." 
 
 Fanny was vexed to see her mother look so 
 grave, and endeavoured to make her smile, by 
 a rehearsal of the only injuries which she sup- 
 posed it possible Mrs. Stubbs could do her ; 
 concluding it by saying, that " certainly she 
 must relinquish all hopes of an offer of marriage 
 from the brewer's gawky son, who seemed to 
 have borrowed the legs and arms he made use 
 of; the smart young linen-draper, who minced 
 his words and walked on tiptoe, or any other 
 of Mrs. Stubbs's respectful bachelors." 
 17
 
 142 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Mrs. Maynard smiled faintly, and then said, 
 '^ Ah ! ipy dear Fanny, if I thought as you do I 
 might laugh too ; but we never can foresee what 
 mischief the revenge and maUce of the most 
 insignificant person may have the power of pro- 
 ducing." 
 
 Fanny seeing her mother continue so serious 
 became so too ; and the conversation ended by 
 her promising (as she had often done before) " to 
 exert herself to the utmost in endeavouring to 
 suppress her propensity to ridicule ;" to which 
 she added an internal wish, that she might not 
 often meet with subjects so tempting as the in- 
 quisitive Mrs. Stubbs.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 143 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Letter of Harriet from Tcmiu — Answer ofTanny 
 from the Country, 
 
 Harriet had no sooner arrived in London, 
 than she wrote to both her mother and sister in 
 such high spuits, and with such accounts of the 
 kindness of Mrs. Pemberton, that they felt the 
 greatest consolation : and even Mrs. Maj-nard 
 began to think that the change in her daughter's 
 manner of life might be advantageous to her. 
 Every thing at Nansfeld went on in the usual 
 way, and the affairs of their little household 
 having long since been put into a regular train 
 by the inhabitants, there was more time for 
 reading, drawing, and other amusing occupations, 
 than during the first months of their abode in
 
 144 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 the country. The care of the flowers had now 
 devolved on Fanny, who took pleasure in 
 cherishing those which had been her sister's 
 favourites, and in the thoughts of showing her 
 how well they had been attended to on her next 
 visit; for visits alone were they to expect from 
 Harriet in future. She was now established in 
 the house of Mrs. Pemberton as her acknow- 
 ledged heiress ; and her home was no longer at 
 Nansfield, but in Grosvenor-square. 
 
 Harriet's letters continued to be written in 
 high spirits, though they were shorter and less 
 frequent than in the first months of her ab- 
 sence : but, as she said in excuse, her time in 
 the evenings was now so taken up with going 
 to pubUc places and private entertainments, 
 or presiding at Mrs. Pemberton's assemblies, 
 and in the mornings with accompanying that 
 lady to shops or in visiting, that she had scarcely 
 a moment to herself. However, from time to 
 time she would write an accurate account of
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 145 
 
 «ome delightful ball to her sister, always adding 
 how much she wished to have had her with her. 
 Fanny, in reading these letters, would sometimes 
 feel a great desire to partake of such pleasures ; 
 but, on reflection, she always considered that, 
 delightful as they were, she should not like any 
 thing that would make her live in town, and 
 allow her no time to herself. 
 
 Nothing will show more clearly the different 
 characters of the two sisters, and their different 
 modes of life, than two of their letters. The 
 following was written by Harriet some months 
 after her arrival in London: 
 
 " I seize the first moment of leisure that I / 
 
 have had this fortnight to write to my dearest 
 Fanny, and thank her for her delightful long 
 letter, and the good account it contained of our 
 mother's health and spirits. As to me, I con- 
 tinue to like living with Mrs. Pemberton of all 
 things, and I do think London a most charming 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 146 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 place. We were last night at a magnificent 
 
 ball given by the Duchess of N . I shall not 
 
 attempt to describe it to you, as I should never 
 have time enough, and shall only say that it was 
 far more brilliant, in every respect, than that of 
 
 Lady C , which I gave you a full account of 
 
 in a former letter. We did not come away till 
 five o'clock this morning, and Mrs. Pemberton 
 had such a headache in consequence, that she 
 could not get up ; so I breakfasted at her bed- 
 side, and she has now just fallen asleep, by 
 which I have a moment to myself. Well, 
 Fanny, you need not laugh at me any more 
 for talking of my father's relations without 
 knowing them. Last night my two cousins, 
 the sons of Lord Dernham, desired to be pre- 
 sented to me, and I assure you they are very 
 agreeable young men, and paid me a thousand 
 compliments ; the youngest is reckoned one of 
 the handsomest men in town. Mrs. Pemberton, 
 who, though she is so very good, sometimes takes 
 odd fancies, has already been advising me not
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 147 
 
 to fall in love with Edwin Rowland, saying that 
 he is extravagant and libertine, and moreover 
 in the army, which is an additional objection to 
 him in her eyes : but she assures me his eldest 
 brother would be an excellent match, and meet 
 with her perfect approbation. I really have no 
 thoughts of either. Their sisters' looks I don't 
 like so well as their's; — they have a cold haughty 
 .air; but I have seen them only once, and that 
 at a distance. I had almost forgot to tell you, 
 that, since I wrote last, Mrs. Pemberton has 
 given me a long string of most beautiful pearls, 
 which are greatly admired by every one : she 
 has also shown me some very fine diamonds, as 
 handsome as those she wears, and she says they 
 shall be mine one of these days ; but she does 
 not think them suitable to unmarried women. 
 I have a thousand things to say to you, my dear 
 Fanny, but am interrupted continually; and now 
 
 Mrs. P is awake and calls me, so I must say 
 
 adieu. Every thing most affectionate and re- 
 spectful to our excellent mother : my next letter 
 H 2
 
 4» 
 
 148 THE SISTERS OF NANSFlELD. 
 
 will, as usual, be addressed to her. Pray write 
 soon, and tell me a great deal about her and 
 yourself. You cannot make your letters too 
 long ; for though I have little leisure for writing, 
 I have always time to read when my maid is 
 dressing my hair, &c. &c." 
 
 The letter of Fanny, in answer to this, was 
 as follows : 
 
 " DEAREST HARRIET, 
 
 " We are happy to hear that you continue to 
 like your present situation, which is the only 
 thing that consoles us for your absence : but 
 we long for the time of your promised visit, for 
 your letters are so short that they do not tell us 
 half enough about you, and when you come 
 here we intend to make you talk all day. Your 
 last letter, however, approaches nearer to a rea- 
 sonable length, and I was almost wicked enough 
 to wish that Mrs. Pemberton would get the 
 headache frequently, that you might have time 
 to wa'ite to us. I wish you joy of having at last
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 149 
 
 seen those relations to whom you have ever been 
 so instinctively partial, and should like to know 
 what sort of people they are ; for I have only 
 ascertained that the elder brother is, in Mrs. 
 P/s estimation, a good match^ and the younger 
 a very handsome man, but not in favour with 
 your old lady ; — however, I suppose I must 
 have patience till you come, and then we shall 
 hear every thing. In the meantime, you shall 
 have all the news of our village ; and you must 
 know, Harriet, that I too was at a ball last night, 
 and danced till I was almost tired. As it was a 
 very different thing from a London ball, I shall 
 give you an account of it. You must know that 
 the only child of Richardson, the miller, has 
 fixed his affections on the daughter of his neigh- 
 bour Gilbert Harris, and is doing every thing 
 he can to obtain her favour — (between ourselves, 
 I think it will end in a wedding before long); — 
 so being a great favourite with his mother, he 
 easily persuaded her to give a ball on that pretty 
 green behind their house last night, and invite 
 H 3
 
 150 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 all her acquaintance. You have no notion how 
 pleasant it was to dance on the grass, which was 
 new-mown for the occasion. 1 do not now 
 wonder at what our mother has so often said, 
 that no one knows half the pleasure of dancing, 
 who has never enjoyed it in the open air. The 
 weather was delightful, and we began to dance 
 at six o'clock. At ten we went to supper in the 
 house, and a very grand affair it was ; for, be- 
 sides much poultry and fish, with a quantity of 
 fruit from every body's garden, there were a 
 number of curious cakes and sweetmeats which 
 I had never seen before, and which were no 
 doubt quite the fashion a hundred and fifty years 
 ago, as old Mrs. Richardson said she had learnt 
 to make them from her grandmother. Our 
 music consisted of the old blind fiddler and his 
 son the dulcimer player, whom you remember, 
 with three more musicians from other places. 
 Not one of your acquaintance was absent. Old 
 Mr. Hammond staid the whole evening, and his 
 nephew, of whom you have heard him speak so
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSflELD. 151 
 
 often, was the best dancer on the gi-een. There 
 were two or three other young men whom I had 
 not seen before ; but all the women were known 
 to me. You can*t think how wdl I behaved, 
 Han-iet ; did not laugh at any one, or say one 
 saucy word the whole evening, though my friend 
 Mrs. Stubbs, in one c^ her finest gowns, was 
 hobbling abou^ a most conspicuous figure ! 
 interrupting every body, and asking a thousand 
 impertinent questions. My mother commended 
 me when we returned home, but I am afraid 
 there was little merit in my forbearance, being 
 so well amused otherwise that I had no tempt- 
 ation to be pert. However, I do indeed take 
 great pains to correct myself:; but I shall never 
 recover the fevour of Mrs. Stubbs, as I saw by 
 her looks last night. 
 
 '' The whole entertainment was crver before 
 
 twelve o'clock, and the company sepai'ated mi- 
 
 willingly, neither tired of their amusement nor 
 
 of each other. Can you say that, Harriet, of a 
 
 H 4
 
 152 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 London ball ? Lucy Harris looked remarkably 
 well : very few of the party knew that she was 
 in secret the queen of the feast ; but those who 
 did, saw that young Richardson's mother was 
 his confidante; for she took more notice of 
 Lucy than of any other girl present. As we 
 changed partners fi-equently, the young man did 
 not dance the whole evening with Lucy, so that 
 there was nothing very particular in his be- 
 haviour to her, which I was glad of; for she 
 has such a custom of blushing, to a painful 
 degree, that if any one had joked with her on 
 the subject, she would not have been at her ease 
 the whole evening. Richardson is much im- 
 proved since you saw him ; grown much gentler 
 in his manners, and more attentive to women : 
 he dresses also with more care, and is, upon the 
 whole, a very well-looking young man, and 
 more good-humoured and merry than ever. 
 Mrs. Betty Harris is always talking against 
 early marriages ; but I don't know what she 
 calls eai'ly, or what is her brother's opinion on
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 153 
 
 the subject, and Lucy is not yet one-and-twenty. 
 I wish she was married to Richardson, as I 
 have always been afraid of her leaving Sunbury, 
 since that merchant from Liverpool last year 
 wanted to take her away from us, 
 
 " But I ought not to omit telling you something 
 of our dresses and ornaments. All the unmar- 
 ried women were dressed in white gowns, 
 trimmed in various ways with ribbons of differ- 
 ent colours. Lucy's and mine were grass 
 green; and many wore garlands of natural 
 flowers ; but ours were artificial, made after the 
 pattern of those on a certain famous bonnet. 
 Amongst the old ladies none were very re- 
 markable, except the incomparable Mrs. Stubbs, 
 and her bosom friend Miss Blakeney, who were 
 dressed almost alike, in bright yellow silks, 
 apparently manufactured in some distant cen- 
 tury, and scarlet ribbons, which emulated the 
 entire face of the widow, and the nose of the 
 maiden lady. I am afraid, if I had not been 
 H 5
 
 154f THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Otherwise occupied, I should have laughed 
 indecorously at two figures so different from 
 all the rest of the company; but my good 
 fortune kept me the whole evening at a dis- 
 tance from them. We had a very agreeable 
 walk home, and the two Mr. Hammonds 
 accompanied us to our door, as Nansfield 
 was in their way. The old gentleman has in- 
 vited us to drink syllabub in his garden on 
 Sunday evening with the Harris family ; so in 
 my next letter I shall have to give you an ac- 
 count of that. My mother writes herself; I 
 shall therefore say nothing of her, but that she 
 looks uncommonly well. Lucy sends a thou- 
 sand kind messages, and longs for your pro- 
 mised visit. Be sure to say all that is proper 
 for me to Mrs. Pemberton, &c. &c." 
 
 The foregoing letter will give some idea of 
 
 the amusements of Fanny at a distance from 
 
 the metropolis. Whilst Harriet was sated to 
 
 fatigue with constant diversions, her sister now 
 
 17 '
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 155 
 
 and then enjoyed an accidental merry-meeting, 
 which was looked forward to or reflected on with 
 real pleasure, because of its rarity : for the 
 continual recurrence of gaiety produces indif- 
 fo'ence. Harriet had not leisure to relate half 
 the amusements which formed the business of her 
 life ; whilst Fanny enjoyed her few diversions a 
 second time in recounting them to her sister. 
 A walk in the woods, an excursion to the neigh- 
 bouring mountains, a boating party with the 
 Harris family, were all sources of pleasure to 
 Fanny: but when Harriet, surrounded with 
 admirers, and cloyed with flattery, in all the 
 most fashionable meetings of the metropolis, 
 read the descriptions her sister gave of her 
 amusements, she wondered how such things 
 could delight, or such rustic companions in- 
 terest. She even one day expressed her sur- 
 prise to Mrs. Pemberton, who said, " No 
 wonder that poor Fanny should catch at any 
 little shadow of diversion which offers itself in 
 that dismal retirement ; and I think it a most 
 u 6
 
 156 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 lucky circumstance for her never to have come 
 out in town, or she would despise these gaieties, 
 which are, probably, the only sort she can ever 
 hope for. But you, my lovely Harriet, are 
 destined to move in a higher sphere, and, I 
 flatter myself, that, before long, I shall have the 
 happiness of seeing my adopted daughter make 
 a match which will do honour to me and to 
 herself." 
 
 This was a hint by no means acceptable to 
 Harriet, for she knew that Mrs. Pemberton 
 alluded to a certain elderly widower of high 
 rank and great wealth, but very disagreeable in 
 his person and manners, who paid her extreme 
 attention, and stood first in the old lady's favour. 
 She therefore pretended a great wish to answer 
 her sister's letter before she sat down to her 
 toilette, and hurried to her dressing-room, 
 thinking that at least Fanny was so fortunate as 
 not to be teazed about marrying a frightful old 
 marquis.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 157 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 An old lady's j^rudence, — A young ladi/s impru-' 
 dence, and a country girVs astonishmeiit. 
 
 In a short time after the above-mentioned con- 
 versation had taken place, encouraged by the 
 behaviour of Mrs. Pemberton, whose large for- 
 tune was his greatest inducement, the noble suitor 
 did actually make an offer of his hand to 
 Harriet ; and, fortunately for her, when her 
 protectress was not within hearing, to witness 
 the expression of sentiments which would have 
 equally surprised and displeased her : for 
 Harriet's extreme dislike to the gentleman occa- 
 sioned her to act with more decision of character 
 than she usually evinced. She immediately 
 gave a positive reflisal ; for which, irritated by the 
 importunity of the lover, she peevishly assigned
 
 158 THE SISTERS OF NANsFlELD. 
 
 reasons so much clearer than were necessary, 
 that he parted from her in anger ; and to the 
 inexpressible consternation of Mrs. Pemberton, 
 she saw his departure for the continent an- 
 nounced in one of the newspapers, three days 
 after she had met him all smiles and com- 
 placency. 
 
 During several weeks after, she regretted, 
 and murmured, and blamed Harriet for not 
 having " played her cards better f but never 
 suspected what had really happened, as she 
 could scarcely have believed any young woman 
 capable of what she considered such an insane 
 action ; and her favourite took care to keep the 
 matter a profound secret from her. It was not, 
 however, so well concealed from every one else? 
 and several elderly ladies whispered to each 
 other, that Harriet had behaved extremely ill 
 in jilting the marquis. 
 
 Mrs. Pemberton, although she got every new
 
 THE SISTERS OF XAKSFIELD. 159 
 
 novel from a circulating library, and was gi'eatly 
 amused by the romantic love stories which she 
 sometimes made Harriet read to her when they 
 had nothing better to do, had no idea that any 
 person of common sense should consider affec- 
 tion a necessary ingredient in matrimony, 
 especially on the side of the female ; and had 
 often expressed to her intimates her satisfaction 
 in having met with " the early disappointment 
 which had banished all such follies from her 
 mind," and ultimately led to her marriages with 
 two rich men, for neither of whom she had ever 
 felt the slightest regard, though she had flattered 
 each as long as he hved. She was one of those 
 women who can love only themselves, but who 
 wish to be loved by every one, and had several 
 times in her youth been on the brink of losing 
 her character, by the lengths she went in en- 
 deavouring to attract the admiration of men for 
 whom she felt no preference. In regard to the 
 happiness of the married state, she considered 
 affluence as the first object, and, in consequence,
 
 160 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Harriet was often obliged to listen to tedious 
 lectures on the advantages of matrimony without 
 affection, and was frequently told, that even the 
 necessity of esteem was a matter of doubt. 
 
 " For my part," Mrs. Pemberton would say, 
 " the happiest marriages I have ever seen, were 
 those of young women married to rich old men. 
 Ah ! Harriet, if you had managed the marquis 
 properly, what a happy woman you might have 
 been !" Harriet did not exactly agree in this 
 opinion, but she suppressed the utterance of her 
 sentiments, through fear of exciting any sus- 
 picions, which would not, however, have been 
 easy, in the mind of Mrs. Pemberton, who 
 could scarcely have supposed it possible, for a 
 person who had so often heard her prudent 
 maxims repeated, to act so directly contrary to 
 them. 
 
 After the flight of the marquis, no other 
 match so accordant with the plans of Mrs. Pern-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 161 
 
 berton, appeared to be immediately attainable. 
 Harriet was followed, and admired, and flat- 
 tered, by the most fashionable men in town, 
 and her own vanity, as well as that of her 
 adopted parent, highly gratified; but no one 
 talked of matrimony whom Mrs. Pemberton 
 could approve, as all younger brothers and men 
 of small fortune were out of the reach of her 
 favour. 
 
 Amongst Harriet's most assiduous attendants, 
 were her two cousins, the sons of Lord Dern- 
 ham ; and Mrs. Pemberton frequently gave her 
 to understand, that the elder would not be dis- 
 approved by her, though he was far from being 
 so eligible a match as the old marquis she had 
 lost ; but, at the same time, charged her, as she 
 valued her favour, not to let herself be cajoled 
 by the insinuating manners and handsome per- 
 son of the younger; who, besides being a man 
 of light character and dissipated habits, would
 
 162 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 have but a very small fortune. The old lady^s 
 manner to Captain Rowland, so very different 
 from that she assumed towards his brother, 
 piqued the young man, and urged him to what 
 he had not at first thought of, a serious endea- 
 vour to obtain the preference of Harriet, whose 
 attention to him had also been awakened by the 
 indiscreet precautions and reiterated prohibitions 
 of Mrs. Pemberton. By this means, a sort of 
 clandestine intimacy was created between them, 
 and whenever they danced together, which hap- 
 pened frequently, in spite of Mrs. Pemberton's 
 manoeuvres to prevent it, something more than 
 the usual common-place conversation occurred. 
 At length, Edwin, the most dissipated man 
 about town, began to talk of the delights of 
 love in a cottage ; without, however, losing 
 sight of Mrs. Pemberton's large fortune, to 
 which Harriet was the acknowledged heiress ; 
 and Harriet agreed with him, that wealth was 
 unnecessary to happiness, though she looked
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 163 
 
 back with horror to the time she had spent 
 with her kind mother and sister in the huml^le 
 abode of Nansfield, 
 
 Thus, partly urged by the spirit of contradic- 
 tion, and partly by admiration of each other's 
 beauty, fashion, and sympathy in all that was 
 gay, light, and thoughtless, these two giddy 
 creatures formed by degrees something like an 
 attachment, which, with the aid of secret 
 cherishing, soon made them believe themselves 
 desperately in love. They knew little of each 
 othei^'s real character, as they seldom met, ex- 
 cept at public places; for, notwithstanding 
 the brothers were so much encouraged by 
 Mrs. Pemberton and Harriet, no intimacy ever 
 took place with their sisters; and a formal 
 dinner at the earl's, followed by its ditto at 
 Mrs. Pemberton's, was the only approach to- 
 wards a friendly intercourse. At balls, Harriet 
 always danced or stood up to dance, and as 
 the daughters of Lord Dernham oftener sat
 
 \^4f THE SISTERS Of NANSFIELD. 
 
 Still, they had seldom even the common oppor-^ 
 tunities of conversing : but with the two brothers 
 she appeared to be equally intimate ; and the 
 gossipping friends of Mrs. Pemberton frequently 
 asked that lady " whether it was not to be a 
 match betw^een Harriet and Lord Rowland ?" 
 
 In the mean time, Fanny continued to lead a 
 far more tranquil life, though still interspersed 
 with occasional diversions, of which she always 
 wrote an account to her sister ; who smiled a 
 smile of conscious superiority as she read of 
 syllabub-drinkings, excursions to the moun- 
 tains, dances on the green, and other such rural 
 entertainments. However, she was very glad when 
 the time of her promised return to Nansfield ap- 
 proached; partly, because she really wished to see 
 her mother and sister, and partly, because it was 
 to save her from a very dull visit to a dowager, 
 one of Mrs. Pemberton's particular favourites, 
 and as particularly Harriet's aversion. At the
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 165 
 
 house of this lady, who lived farther to the 
 north than Sunbury, Mrs. Pemberton had de- 
 termined to pass ten days, after leaving Harriet 
 at Naiisfield ; and on her return, they were to 
 proceed to a fashionable sea-port town, where 
 Edwin had privately announced his intention of 
 meeting them. 
 
 At length the day arrived when Mrs. Maynard 
 and Fanny were to expect Harriet, and after 
 watching hour after hour till very late, the distant 
 sound of a carriage drew them from their often 
 interrupted occupations to the front door of 
 the house, which they had scarcely passed, when 
 Harriet sprang into the arms of her mother, 
 having run on before the servant who had been 
 
 sent to accompany her. 
 
 » 
 
 Mrs, Pemberton did not make her appear- 
 ance, having stopped at a little distance, but 
 hurried on to the end of her journey, leaving a 
 kind message with Harriet to announce her in-
 
 166 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 tention of paying a visit at Nansfield on her 
 return. Mrs. Maynard and Fanny found 
 Harriet somewhat thinner and paler than when 
 she left them, but the animation of her counte- 
 nance and her look of content more than com- 
 pensated for this alteration. Her mother, 
 however, observed with pain, a little of that sort 
 of conceit, which young people, who have not 
 very good sense, are apt to acquire in fashionable 
 life : but Fanny, who had no experience in 
 such matters, saw nothing but improvement, 
 and felt nothing but joy. Both the mother and 
 sister were much gratified by Harriet's account 
 of the conduct of Mrs. Pemberton, who had, 
 indeed, made quite a spoiled child of her ; and 
 they longed for the arrival of that lady to ex- 
 press their feelings towards her. 
 
 When the sisters were alone, they had a 
 thousand things to say to each other; and the 
 open-hearted Fanny, who had no secrets to 
 confide, related various trifling circumstances,
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 167 
 
 which, being mteresting to her, she supposed 
 would be interesting to her sister ; but she had 
 the mortification of perceiving, that the little 
 incidents of the village and neighbourhood ex- 
 cited no sympathy in the bosom of Harriet, who 
 only hearkened with a listless smile to what 
 appeared to her so little worthy of attention. 
 However, when she in her turn related long 
 histories of the gaieties of the metropolis, and 
 gave an account of her conquests and triumphs^ 
 which she did with an air of self-sufficiency that 
 surprised her rustic sister, she became animated 
 to the highest degree ; and Fanny, as she gazed 
 on her beautiM face, took an interest in all she 
 said. 
 
 On the third day of her abode at Nansfield^ 
 with some hesitation, a great deal of mystery, 
 and after obtaining a promise of secrecy, Harriet 
 confided to her sister the state of her feelings 
 (or at least what she supposed it to be) respect-
 
 168 THE SISTERS OF NANSflELD. 
 
 ing Edwin Rowland : but on this occasion, she 
 did not find Fanny the quiet, contented listener 
 she expected. Mrs. Maynard had, some months 
 before, been informed by Mrs. Pemberton, of 
 her apprehensions on this subject, in a letter 
 which she wrote to say, that she feared it might 
 be necessary for her to remonstrate with her 
 daughter ; laying a particular stress on " the 
 wealthy matches to which Harriet might aspire, 
 and the very small fortune of Captain Rowland." 
 Mrs. Maynard had, in consequence, taken pairis 
 to make enquiries respecting the moral character 
 of Edwin, and the answers to her letters had 
 convinced her, that there were stronger reasons 
 than those advanced by Mrs. Pemberton to 
 suppose that Harriet was not likely to be happy 
 with such a man. It was, therefore, with great 
 satisfaction that, very sOon after, she received 
 another letter from that lady, informing her that 
 " her fears were quite dispersed, and that she 
 believed they had been more excited by her sus-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 169 
 
 picious anxiety for Harriet's welfare, than any 
 real liking on her part, or that of Captain Row- 
 land." 
 
 Mrs. Maynard had talked over all this affair 
 with Fanny, had confided to her all her fears, 
 and had shown her the letters which depicted 
 Edwin as one of the most dissolute, unprincipled 
 young men about town, as well as one of the 
 handsomest in person, and most fascinating in 
 manners ; so that when Harriet, with romantic 
 expressions and tears in her eyes, communicated 
 to her sister the point at which her intimacy with 
 Edwin had arrived, Fanny started back with 
 horror, exclaiming, " Is it possible, Harriet, 
 that you have entered into a clandestine cor- 
 respondence with such a man?" 
 
 Harriet was astonished by what she termed 
 tlie " strange prudery" of her sister, and when 
 the latter proceeded to explain to her all the 
 c^iuses of her feelings on this subject, she ex- 
 
 VOL. I. 1
 
 170 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 pressed the most violent indignation at " the 
 persons who had been so cruel as to calumniate 
 Edwin to her mother." Fanny, on hearing her 
 say this, was in great hopes that she could vindi- 
 cate his character from the strong charges against 
 it, and, therefore asked her " whether it was false 
 that he was a libertine and a gamester?" But 
 her surprise was beyond all description when 
 Harriet replied, that " certainly he had been a 
 little wild, as all men of fashion are, but since 
 
 that unlucky affair with Lady Charlotte B , 
 
 which cost him so much, she was sure he was 
 quite altered. In regard to gaming, she knew 
 he was not fond of that amusement, though he 
 was sometimes obliged to do as others did; 
 however, he had no debts of honour now, his 
 granduncle having lately paid them all, on his 
 promising never again to play for any large sum." 
 
 Fanny seemed absolutely petrified at hearing 
 her sister talk so lightly of vices, which ap- 
 peared to her of the first magnitude in every
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 171 
 
 point of view, but especially as obstacles to all 
 domestic happiness ; and when Harriet laughed 
 at her for her rustic notions, she expressed her 
 opinions with a gravity so unusual to her, and 
 showed herself so extremely pained, that her 
 sister, who was very fond of her, threw her 
 arms about her neck, and asked pardon for her 
 levity of speech, assured her she had never 
 received but three short notes from Edwin, and 
 then trying to turn the whole affair into a joke, 
 she changed the conversation to other subjects. 
 
 After this, Harriet's manner towards her sis- 
 ter was more amiable and caressing than ever, 
 and she talked no more of Edwin; so that 
 Fanny endeavoured to persuade herself, that 
 notwithstanding the epistolary intercourse they 
 had carried on (by means of a milliner who 
 worked for Mrs. Pemberton) during the last 
 month of Harriet's abode in London, the match 
 would not take place ; and in this opinion she 
 had the satisfaction of being strengthened by 
 I 2
 
 172 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD, 
 
 her mother's assurances, that she was convinced 
 Captahi Rowland was not a man at all likely to 
 wish that Harriet should marry him without the 
 consent of Mrs. Pemberton, "which," added 
 she, " I am certain he never will obtain while 
 he is a younger brother with a small fortune ; 
 though I should tremble if he was at the head 
 of his family, for his bad morals do not appear 
 to be by any means, in the estimation of Mrs* 
 Pemberton, as in mine, the chief objection to a 
 union with Harriet."
 
 'THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 173 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 Coquetry, — Jealousy, — A surprise. 
 
 IJuRiNG the first few days after Harriet's arri* 
 val all her old acquaintance in the neighbour- 
 hood came to welcome her ; and, according to 
 the caprice of the moment, she was condescend- 
 ing or haughty, silent or loquacious, flattering 
 or reserved. When Mrs. Stubbs called, she 
 chanced to be in remarkable good humour, and 
 therefore behaved to her curious visitor with 
 great affability, answering all her questions 
 about new fashions and public places, and disco- 
 vering a striking resemblance between her and a 
 maiden lady of quality, about the same age, 
 whom she used to meet in London. This last 
 I 3
 
 174 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 observation, which was not made with any in- 
 tention of flattering Mrs. Stubbs, but because one 
 tiresome red-faced old woman naturally recalled 
 another to her mind, made a strong impression, 
 of the most agreeable sort, on the clothier's 
 widow, who failed not to relate in every house 
 of the village, where she could obtain admit- 
 tance, before she slept that night, that she was 
 
 the very image of Lady Sophia F , a lady 
 
 of the first fashion in London, and a particular 
 friend of Miss Harriet Maynard's. Perhaps, 
 had she known that this lady was the superlative 
 bore of the society Harriet frequented, she 
 might not have taken so much trouble. Fanny 
 happened not to be present when Mrs. Stubbs 
 paid her visit, and, therefore, that person had 
 the good fortune to escape without any of the 
 usual discipline, from which all Mrs. Maynard's 
 advice, and Fanny's own good resolutions, could 
 never entirely protect her. 
 
 The Harris family was, of course, among the
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 175 
 
 first who came to welcome Harriet's return, and 
 invited her to fix a day for an excursion to Gil- 
 bert's mountain farm, a place she had never 
 seen, but of which Fanny had written her a de- 
 scription. The Thursday after, as the most 
 convenient to all parties, was appointed, and 
 during the intervening four days much convers- 
 ation took place between the inhabitants of 
 Nansfield^ but not of sufficient importance to 
 relate at length. Fanny, however, discovered 
 by her sister's communications that she was 
 often fatigued with her amusements in town, and 
 frequently went to places that she did not like, 
 and into company that she thought dull, merely 
 " because she must do as other people did;" 
 and she even went to a large party once with a 
 violent head-ache, through fear of being foigot- 
 ten in the invitations to a great ball at the same 
 house, where every body v ent, and which proved 
 to be so crowded that it was almost impossible 
 to dance ; and where she was more tired than 
 she had ever been in her life, as Mrs. Pember- 
 I 4
 
 176 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 ton sat down to cards after supper, and stayed 
 to the very last. These were grievances un- 
 known in the life that Fanny led, and reconciled 
 her completely to her absence from the metro- 
 polis, in the pleasures of which she had some- 
 times felt a wish to partake. 
 
 At length the day appointed for their excur- 
 sion to the mountain arrived, and Fanny was 
 glad of something new to entertain Harriet, 
 who seemed to be growing languid in the retire- 
 ment of Na^isfield, though she was little aware 
 that continual excitement was become so ha- 
 bitual to her that it was necessary to her happi- 
 ness : but she remembered of old, that Harriet 
 had always required novelty to exhilarate her. 
 
 The company consisted of all the Harris fa- 
 mily, now augmented by the arrival of Lucy's 
 two brothers, who were just come to pass a few 
 weeks of the summer at home ; their friend, the 
 miller's son ', the elder Mr. Hammond, with his
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 177 
 
 n«phew, and the Maynards. Harriet had re- 
 solved to adapt herself to her associates for the 
 short time she expected to remain at Nansfield, 
 and though she heartily despised the whole 
 party she was to meet at the house of Gilbert 
 Harris, yet her vanity made her desirous of 
 eclipsing " the country girls," as she considered 
 Fanny and her friend Lucy ; she therefore took 
 some pains with her dress, and, on her first ap- 
 pearance, struck the whole company w^ith ad- 
 miration ; particularly the young men, who had 
 not seen her before. Being accustomed to a 
 tribe of adorers, she immediately contrived to 
 attract to her side young John and James Har- 
 ris, between whom she sat at dinner, and 
 enchanted them with her conversation. 
 
 The repast was shortened to allow sufficient 
 time for the walk ; and the young people, leav- 
 ing the elder part of the company still at table, 
 hastened to ascend the mountain ; which, though 
 little in comparison of some of its neighbours, 
 I 5
 
 178 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 was Still of a considerable height. Soon after they 
 set out Harriet found means to engross tlie at- 
 tention of young Richardson as well as Lucy's 
 brothers; but Henry Hammond, who had 
 passed some time iri London, and had seen wo- 
 men of her character before, was quite invulner- 
 able to her attempts: he, therefore, paid her 
 no particular attention, but divided all his care 
 between her sister and Lucy, the latter of v, hom 
 he took great pains to amuse; and when Har- 
 riet walked up the hill, leaning on the young 
 miller, whose arm she had seized at the first 
 rugged step, with John and James Harris close 
 behind, listening with gaping admiration to her 
 accounts of London amusements, Henry re- 
 mained at a little distance from them with 
 Fanny and her friend. 
 
 At length the young people reached the end 
 of their walk, which was a little plain near 
 the summit of the hill, offering a delight- 
 ful view of the whole vale of Sunbury, where
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 179 
 
 the good-hearted Gilbert had made a stone 
 bench, and planted a few evergreens about it, 
 to please his daughter and Fanny, who had 
 taken a fancy to that spot. They had only 
 just sat down when Fanny exclaimed, " What 
 is the matter with you Lucy, are you ill?" 
 
 Henrv looked at her, and saw that she was 
 as pale as ashes, but the other young men w^ere 
 so occupied with Harriet that they did not 
 perceive Lucy's change of colour. 
 
 " I am afraid I have made you both w^alk up 
 the hill too fast," said Henry to Fanny, " shall I 
 run to the herdsman's house yonder for some 
 water for her ?" 
 
 Fanny said, " Yes, do;" but Lucy catching 
 him by the coat as he was going, said, in a faint 
 voice, " No, pray don't go^ — I am already 
 better, — it was just as you said, — we have 
 walked a little too fast." 
 
 The younger Harris, catching the last words 
 cried out, " What, Lucy ! you who have so often 
 I 6
 
 180 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 laughed at me for being tired with walking up a 
 mountain, are you really conquered by such a 
 little hill as this?" 
 
 A pause in Harriet's lively discourse had 
 given him an opportunity of making this 
 remark, which drew the attention of Richard- 
 son towards Lucy, and seeing her look as 
 if she was ready to faint, he sprang from the 
 place where he had appeared fixed as by en- 
 chantment, and, like a man just awake, asked, 
 " What had happened? — Had any thing fi-ight- 
 ened Lucy ? — Would she return to the cot- 
 tage? — Woilld she lean on his arm?" — 
 Henry renewed his offer of going for water, 
 and Richardson saying, " That's a good fellow, 
 do," Lucy made no further opposition ; and 
 the good-natured Fanny, who had suspected 
 that her friend's indisposition was occasioned 
 by the unusual inattention of him, who had ever, 
 till that day, shown a decided preference for 
 her company, left the seat she had occupied 
 next Lucy, and going to the other end of the
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 181 
 
 bench, made the elder Harris sit between her 
 and her sister, and contrived to engage them both 
 by an account of one of those adventures of 
 Mrs. Stubbs, which never failed to engross the 
 attention of any one who heard it related by 
 Fanny. ^Mlile they were in fits of laughter at 
 the description of that old lady's discomfited 
 curiosity, Henry returned with a cup. of water, 
 which he offered to Lucy, who immediately 
 tasted it, though it was evident that she was no 
 longer in want of any thing, as her natural fine 
 colour had returned to her cheeks, and her eyes 
 sparkled as usual. 
 
 During the rest of the walk Richardson 
 never left the side of Lucy notwithstanding the 
 renewed eflforts of Harriet to attract his notice. 
 She made also another attempt to obtain that 
 of Henry Hammond, but with him her allure- 
 ments were still powerless, and she was obliged 
 to content herself with the admiration of Lucy's 
 brothers, which, however she might despise
 
 182 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 them, she thought better than none at all. She 
 would have preferred the attendance of Henry, 
 because he was the handsomest and best edu- 
 cated man of the party, and, moreover, one she 
 recollected to have seen at a ball in town ; or 
 that of Richardson, on account of the triumph 
 to her charms in drawing his attention from 
 another woman to whom his heart was devoted; 
 and her vanity rendered her so selfish, that she 
 thought not of the pain she inflicted on thatother. 
 
 Harriet, with her two delighted attendants, 
 was a little behind the rest of the party, and all 
 were walking merrily down the hill, when a 
 small stick, flung from behind a bush, struck 
 her on the shoulder ; the two young men ran 
 immediately towards the place, with intention 
 to punish the offender ; but the rugged stones 
 and thick bushes impeded their progress, and 
 he had full time to iescape. Meanwhile Harriet, 
 looking on the ground at the harmless weapon 
 which had fallen at her feet, saw, to her great 
 17
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 18S 
 
 astonishment, that there was a bit of white pa- 
 per tied to it ; she immediately snatched it up, 
 and recocrnized the hand-writino[ of Edwin in 
 the pencilled direction to herself. 
 
 Before she could unfold the paper the younger 
 Harris appeared, and she had but a moment to 
 conceal it in her bosom, when he was at her 
 side, declaring that he never had seen a man 
 run so fast as the fellow who threw the stick. 
 " However," added he, " John is after him, 
 and as he is more swift of foot than I, it is to 
 be hoped he will make him give an account of 
 himself before long." This intelligence aug- 
 mented the embarrassment of Harriet, and 
 when they joined the party who were at tea in 
 the cottage, she was quite as pale as Lucy had 
 been a short time before. Every body was 
 surprised at the change in her looks, and to 
 their enquiries respecting the cause, James 
 Harris replied, by relating " how she had been 
 terrified by an insolent fellow, who had flung a 
 great stick at her ;" and then gave an account
 
 184 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 of his vain attempt to overtake him. He had 
 scarcely done speaking when John returned by 
 another path, quite out of breath, and recounted 
 his part of the adventure, which furnished great 
 cause of astonishment and conjecture to the 
 company ; for he said, that " though it was im- 
 possible for him to overtake the delinquent, yet 
 he had got near enough to him, when they 
 reached the plain, to distinguish that he was not 
 dressed as a country lad, but exactly like the 
 young nobleman he had met returning from 
 Newmarket last year." This incident supplied 
 a new subject for conversation, and though 
 some of the party joked with Harriet about it, 
 saying, they supposed some rejected admirer of 
 her's had employed this strange mode of re- 
 venge, no one had any suspicion of the real 
 state of the case. 
 
 In the mean time Harriet was trembling with 
 impatience to peruse her epistle, and felt not a 
 little uneasy in thinking it possible that Edwin,
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 185 
 
 who had evidently watched her steps, might 
 have witnessed her coquettish endeavours to 
 charm young Richardson. This had such an 
 effect on her spirits, that both her mother and 
 sister observed it, and Mrs. Maynard said, " I 
 am afraid Harriet is not so good a walker as 
 our country girls, for she looks quite tired, 
 though Fanny and Lucy do not seem as if they 
 had undergone the slightest fatigue." 
 
 " And yet," said James Harris, " Lucy was 
 still paler than she is when we were up yonder 
 at the mountain seat." 
 
 " I suppose they take it in turns," said John 
 Harris, laughing, " and that my neighbour 
 here," looking at Fanny, by whom he was sit- 
 ting, " will be the next." 
 
 Old Mr. Hammond said it was a fashion he 
 did not wish to see followed, for he recollected 
 at one time in his youth, when it was the mode 
 for ladies to be pale and thin, and that he had 
 known several who lost their health by endea- 
 vouring to acquire that appearance; and this
 
 186 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 occasioned Mrs. Betty Harris to relate several 
 dismal stories of " unfortunate young women of 
 her acquaintance, who had for this purpose 
 starved themselves and drank vinegar, by which 
 they were at length brought to the grave." 
 
 To all this Harriet, who sat near them, was 
 obliged to listen, as she could find no pretence 
 for leaving the company; of which, however, 
 each individual was employed in such a manner 
 as not to perceive her increasing embarrassment. 
 The worthy Gilbert had engaged Mrs. Maynard 
 in a conversation respecting his plans for the 
 establishment of his sons, which interested her 
 much, as she was sincerely attached to this 
 friendly relation. Lucy was completely occu- 
 pied by Richardson, who was talking to her 
 earnestly in a low tone of voice ; and Fanny was 
 listening to Henry Hammond's account of a 
 pedestrian tour among the Welsh mountains, 
 which also engrossed the entire attention ot 
 John and James Harris.
 
 THE SISTERS OF N'ANSPIELD. 187 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 A mysterious note. — A nosegay. — Frights, and 
 a clandestine interview. 
 
 Harriet's anxiety was great, but though her 
 lieart beat violently against the paper concealed 
 in her bosom, she assumed an appearance of 
 calnmess, which showed a great power of dis- 
 simulation. The weather was delightful, and 
 the friends were unwilling to separate, so that it 
 was not till a late hour that the party returned 
 to their respective homes, all in high spirits ; 
 excepting Harriet, who had various causes of 
 uneasiness. Even after their arrival at Nans- 
 field, she could find no opportunity of reading 
 Zdwin's note till Fanny was in bed ; when,
 
 188 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 taking the light on pretence of searching for 
 something she had left in their closet, she un- 
 folded the paper, and read the following pen- 
 cilled lines : 
 
 " Beloved Harriet ! — I have been two days 
 lurking about the place of your abode, in hopes 
 of obtaining a moment's interview. I have 
 matters of importance to communicate, and 
 cannot meet you where you are going, as I had 
 hoped to do. I have followed you from your 
 house, and seeing you ascend the hill, I write 
 these lines, which I shall find some means of 
 conveying to you. Grant me five minutes in 
 private to-morrow evening, and leave a line to 
 say when and where, early to-morrow morning 
 in the cleft of the large ash tree which stands 
 close to the farm-yard gate. Confide this to no 
 one, and oh ! do not refuse so small a favour to 
 one whom you may never see again, but who 
 must be to the last moment of his life your 
 devoted— E.R,"
 
 THE SISTERS OF XANSFIELD. 189 
 
 This mysterious note did not contribute to 
 tranquillise the mind of Harriet, and her deter- 
 mination to do what she felt to be wrong, 
 disturbed her rest so much that it was long ere 
 she fell into a slumber, and then only to dream 
 of a thousand disagreeable objects. However, 
 for the first time since her return to Nansjkld, 
 she awoke as early as her sister, who pressed 
 her to repose again, as her pallid cheeks in- 
 duced Fanny to suppose she had been too much 
 fatigued by their walk. She appeared to take 
 her advice, but the moment her sister left the 
 room, she rose hastily, dressed as quickly as 
 possible, and wrote the following words with a 
 trembling hand : 
 
 " Though I know I ought to refuse your 
 request, yet I will meet you in some moment 
 between seven and nine, at the great oak next 
 the fir-grove on the opposite side of the river. 
 Till then, adieu. — H."
 
 190 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Having folded the paper without directing it, 
 she hurried down stairs, run across the farm- 
 yard, and had but just concealed her note in 
 the appointed place, when her mother appeared 
 at the door of the dairy, where she had been 
 paying her accustomed early visit. She was 
 surprised to meet Harriet at that hour, espe- 
 cially as she had heard from her sister that she 
 was indisposed. Harriet blushed extremely at 
 seeing her mother, and stammered out some- 
 thing of the fine weather having enticed her into 
 the fresh air sooner than usual, and Mrs. May- 
 nard seeing her colour so good, observed that 
 " the morning air was the best of all cosmetics," 
 and being in haste to follow her usual occupa- 
 tions, passed quickly on, after saying, in answer to 
 Harriet's enquiry, that " she would find Fanny 
 in the garden." Thither Harriet immediately 
 went, for she did not like to remain alone with 
 her conscience, which every moment reminded 
 her that she had done wrong.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 191 
 
 Fanny was busily watering her plants and 
 humming a Scotch air that Henry Hammond 
 had sung for them, as they returned from the 
 mountain. She expressed her joy at seeing her 
 sister able to get up, and kindly enquired if she 
 felt quite recovered from her fatigue : she then 
 proceeded to question her about the fright she 
 had met with the evening before, and asked if 
 it was really true that a large stick, such as 
 James Harris described, had been thrown at her? 
 " for," said Fanny, " I know our good friend 
 James is apt to exaggerate." Harriet replied, 
 that " though it was verj^ probable he might 
 have magnified the dimensions of the stick, yet 
 the fact had occurred, and agitated her ex- 
 tremely." Her sister, on hearing her say this, 
 began to rally her on the weakness of her nerves, 
 that could be disturbed by such a trifling cir- 
 cumstance, saying she was afraid " London air 
 had done her harm ;" when at length Harriet, 
 whose secret (in spite of Edwin's injunction) 
 was struggling to escape, said, " But if you
 
 192 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 knew all, Fanny" — " All what ?" and Fanny 
 put down her watering-pot and stood in an 
 attitude of attention, while her sister paused to 
 consider in what manner she should relate her 
 adventure, and how much of it. But at that 
 moment a bunch of flowers, far more beautiful 
 than any in Mrs. Maynard's garden, was flung 
 over the hedge next the lane, and the impatient 
 bark of a dog, who seemed to be restrained 
 from following them, was heard. Harriet, who 
 directly thought of her secret correspondent, 
 ran to pick up the nosegay : but it was a simple 
 nosegay without address, or billet, or any thing 
 mysterious about it, except the mode of convey- 
 ance. 
 
 " What can this mean ?" said Harriet, look- 
 ing towards her sister, whose colour seemed to 
 be heightened by the surprise. 
 
 " I believe I can explain it," said she, fixing her 
 eyes on the nosegay ; " these are flowers out of 
 Mr. Hammond's garden, and sometimes when
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 193 
 
 his nephew passes this way, he throws a bunch 
 of them over the hedge." 
 
 " Very gallant indeed !" cried Harriet, smell- 
 ing to the flowers. 
 
 " He knows my mother is particularly fond of 
 this sort of geranium," said Fanny, " and we 
 have none of it : — but," continued she, "there 
 is a larger quantity to-day than usual, so no doubt 
 part is designed for you. Pray take the flowers 
 into the parlour and put them in the glasses on 
 the chimney piece, while I finish watering this 
 bed of strawberries, and by that time my mother 
 will be ready for breakfast." 
 
 This incident checked the curiosity of Fanny, 
 and the moment of confidence was lost. Mrs. 
 Maynard entered the room while Harriet was 
 arranging the flowers, and showed no surprise 
 at hearing her relate the mode of their arrival. 
 She only said it was some time since Henry 
 Hammond had brought them a nosegay, and 
 remarked that this was much finer and larger 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 194 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD, 
 
 than the last. Nothing shows the foolish vanity 
 of Harriet more, than her being ready to 
 imagine that a young man who had appeared 
 so indifferent to all her attractions as Henry, 
 should have intended this compliment particu- 
 larly for her; and yet she was really weak 
 enough to be flattered by it. At breakfast when 
 they talked about the flowers, Harriet said, it 
 was a pity the donor was so well known, as 
 they would be much more valuable if there was 
 a secret attached to them ; which occasioned 
 Fanny to express a difference of opinion on the 
 subject, and strongly profess her aversion to all 
 secrets ; and as her sister listened to what she 
 said, she rejoiced inwardly to have been pre- 
 vented from imparting to her that which 
 trembled on her tongue at the moment the 
 flowers were thrown into the garden. 
 
 As evening approached, Harriet began to 
 feel herself veiy much embarrassed to find out 
 by what means she should contrive to keep the 
 
 17
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 195 
 
 promise she had made: but very opportunely 
 for her purpose, Mrs. Maynard was obliged to 
 go and see a sick neighbour, and desired her 
 daughters not to walk farther than the garden 
 till her return. Fanny said she had some 
 work to do which would keep her in the house 
 at least two hours, and her mother went away, 
 saying she did not expect to be detained so 
 long as that. Harriet, who perceived she had 
 no time to lose, only waited to see her sister 
 settled at her occupation, and then said her 
 head ached violently, and that she would go 
 and try the fresh air of the garden, but if that 
 did not relieve her she would lie down on the 
 bed. Fanny offered to accompany her, but she 
 said she was sure it would do her more good to 
 go alone, and immediately hurrying out of the 
 house, she ran down to the river side, crossed 
 the ferry with some labourers who were going 
 to their homes, and reached the oak just as the 
 village clock struck seven. 
 K 2
 
 196 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELO, 
 
 The rapidity of lier progress from the little' 
 parlour at Nansfield to the place of appointment, 
 and the terror she had felt lest some one who 
 knew, her might have been in the ferry-boat, 
 had prevented Han-iet from reflecting on her 
 imprudence by the way; but when she found 
 herself quite alone, at the entrance of the fir- 
 grove, in the dusk of the evening, and thought 
 why this was so, she could not help blaming 
 herself for the glaring impropriety of her con- 
 duct, and reproached herself for not having 
 confided in Fanny, who would have given her 
 advice. — But what advice ? - — Certainly not to 
 do as she had done. 
 
 Her train of thought was suddenly inter- 
 rupted, to her great terror, by finding herself 
 seized with a strong arm, and hearing a rough 
 voice behind her say, " So, my pretty lady; — 
 what are you doing here all alone?" and, turning- 
 round, she beheld a large ill-looking man, with a 
 great club in his hand, which made her almost
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 197 
 
 faint with fear; but, to her astonishment, on seeing 
 her face he let go his hold, and taking off his 
 hat, said, " I beg your pardon, Miss Harriet ; 
 I meant no offence ; I had no thought that it 
 was you I saw looking so curiously about this 
 old oak." 
 
 In the first moment, it was a consolation to 
 Harriet to find herself recognised and treated 
 with ci^^lity ; but, in the next, she experienced 
 great pain in considering that her secret expe- 
 dition was thus in tlie power of Gilbert Harris's 
 ploughman (for such on enquiry she found iiini 
 to be) ; and while 'She hesitated what to do, and 
 trembled lest he should either see Edwin, or 
 mention what he had already seen, the man said, 
 " If you don't want me, Miss, I will say good 
 evening to you ; but if you've any message for 
 our house, please to give it to me, for I must 
 make haste, as I have lost some time by tlie 
 foolish curiosity which brought me from the 
 river side yonder, to see who it could be that 
 K 3
 
 198 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 seemed to be doing nothing at the edge of the 
 fir-grove." 
 
 This recalled Harriet's recollection, and she 
 saw she must submit to either the disagreeable 
 alternative of letting this man relate his having 
 seen her, or the degradation of bribing him to 
 silence. She chose the latter : so taking a piece 
 of gold out of her purse, she gave it to him, 
 saying, " You will particularly oblige me by not 
 telling any one that you have met me this even- 
 ing." The man received the money with great 
 joy, and promised faithfully " to keep her secret;" 
 but Harriet felt herself sadly humiliated in hear- 
 ing him make use of this expression, and was 
 only relieved by seeing him hurry away. When, 
 however, she found herself again quite alone, 
 she began to tremble lest some other person 
 should observe her, and was on the point of 
 hiding herself among the trees, w hen all her 
 terrors were banished by the well known voice 
 of Edwin, who sprung forward with joy to meet 
 her, saying, he had been expecting her above
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 199 
 
 an hour, and waited till the departure of the 
 countiyman before he dared to make his appear- 
 ance. Edwin then proceeded to tell her that 
 he had come fi'om London on purpose to see 
 her, and explain why he could not meet her 
 according to his promise. " Tlie fact is," said 
 he, " that the odious Miss Ambrose, to whom 
 her family and mine have so long wanted to 
 many me, is to be there, and were I to meet 
 her in company with you, at a place where every 
 thing is so much more remarked than in the 
 metropolis, it would be impossible to prevent 
 the persons who wish to promote this match, 
 fi'om thinking you the cause of my aversion to 
 this creature; though, in truth, the presence of a 
 being, perfect like my Harriet, was not necessary 
 to make me feel abhorrence for such a piece of 
 deformity as the little heiress." 
 
 Harriet was much disappointed at finding that 
 the pleasure she had promised herself in going to 
 the sea-side would be so much diminished, but 
 K 4
 
 200 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 could not help owning that it was more prudent for 
 him to absent himself. He then told her that his 
 regiment was likely to be ordered abroad,and that 
 had she refused to meet him, he had determined 
 to go with it, instead of accepting an offer of ex- 
 changing into another with higher rank. Harriet 
 entreated he would not think of leaving England ; 
 and, after as many protestations, and as much flat- 
 tery as another quarter of an hour could contain, 
 Edwin received her promise to meet him once 
 more; and, leaving it to her to contrive the mpst 
 suitable time and place, said, he should come at 
 dusk the following evenino^ to look for a billet in 
 the ash-tree. The approaching darkness obliged 
 them to separate, and Harriet reached the ferry 
 just as the boatman was going to lay up his bark 
 for the night. " I have been waiting for you some 
 time, Miss Maynard," said he, " and began to 
 think you had gone home the other way, when 
 I saw you had some one to accompany you." 
 And again the haughty Harriet found herself, 
 obliged to ask a favour of one of the lowest class 
 of society, and bribe him to secrecy.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 201 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Emharmssments, — Enquiries. — AyoungShephenL 
 — An involuntary Shepherdess, 
 
 1 HE little river was soon crossed, and Harriet 
 met with no farther obstacles in her return : she 
 hastened immediately to the garden, but was 
 somewhat embarrassed at hearing the voices of 
 her mother and sister, as she did not well know 
 how to account for her absence. Returnino-, 
 therefore, into the house, she enquired from the 
 servant in the kitchen how long Mrs. Maynard 
 had been at home, and having ascertained that 
 she was just arrived, and that Fanny had never 
 left the parlour during her absence, till she 
 accompanied her mother into the garden, she 
 formed her plan in a moment. 
 K 5
 
 202 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Going, therefore, to meet her mother and 
 sister, she anticipated their enquiries by saying, 
 that " repose had been of more use to her head- 
 ache than the fresh air, and that she felt now 
 much recovered." They then returned into the 
 house ; but when light was brought, both Mrs. 
 Maynard and Fanny exclaimed at the deadly 
 paleness of Harriet, who immediately ascribed 
 it to having walked a little too much the day 
 before. 
 
 " Indeed," said Mrs. Maynard, " you must 
 not over-fatigue yourself again ; and as it is 
 not destined for you, my dear child, to lead 
 the sort of life that we do, it is not necessary 
 that you should be accustomed to so much exer- 
 cise : besides, in so few days as you remain with 
 us, you could never acquire habits which are 
 now new to you. You must go to bed early 
 to-night, and let me see you with a better co- 
 lour to-morrow morning." She then changed 
 the conversation to the subject of her visit that 
 evening, and Harriet by degrees recovered an 
 appearance of composure : however, she was
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 203 
 
 very glad when her sister reminded her to retire 
 half an hour sooner than usual, and pretending 
 to be asleep when Fanny came to bed, avoided 
 any conversation with her. 
 
 But though Harriet lay still, repose of mind 
 was far from her. She was more discontented 
 with herself, more humiliated in her own eyes, 
 than she had ever been before : she had deceived 
 her mother and sister, and she had been obliged 
 to ask a favour of two persons of the lowest class, 
 which, to one of her way of thinking, was pecu- 
 liarly distressing. She had besides the anxiety 
 of finding means to effect another interview with 
 Edwin, and the fear of being discovered in con- 
 cealing the writing which was to give him notice 
 of her plan. In short, her mind was in a state 
 of unhappiness that banished sleep, and she 
 heard the clock on the staircase strike eleven, 
 twelve, one, two, before she was able to slumber : 
 at first, too, she was disturbed by a variety of 
 confused and painful dreams, and had only just 
 K 6
 
 204 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD, 
 
 begun to repose calmly, when her sister, who, 
 free from secrets and embarrassments, had slept 
 tranquilly the whole night, went down stairs to 
 follow her usual occupations. 
 
 At eight o'clock, Mrs. Maynard, going softly 
 into her daughter's chamber, found Harriet in 
 a sound sleep, and, after giving a charge to the 
 servant not to disturb her, went to breakfast 
 with Fanny. Since they had lived alone toge- 
 ther, the mother had been accustomed to talk 
 to her youngest daughter in the most confi- 
 dential manner on all subjects, and the present 
 opportunity led her immediately to converse 
 with her about Harriet. 
 
 " Does it appear to you, my child, that your 
 sister is quite happy ?" 
 
 " I don't well know what to think, for you 
 may remember that Harriet's disposition was 
 always much graver than mine." 
 
 '• But does it appear to you that she has any 
 secret cause of sorrow or discontent ?"
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 205 
 
 " Yesterday, and not before, I thought I did 
 perceive something of that kind ; but when I 
 asked what was the matter with her, she com- 
 plained of a violent headache, and, saying she 
 would tiy the fresh air of the garden, went out 
 immediately : I offered to accompany her, but 
 she wished to be alone, and I did not see her 
 again till you came home.*' 
 
 " I much fear," continued Mrs. Maynard, 
 " that brilliant as Harriet's lot in life appears 
 to be, it might be much happier ; and often 
 when I am congratulated on her good fortune, 
 I feel as if it was very doubtful. How does your 
 sister speak to you of Mrs. Pemberton in pri- 
 vate?" 
 
 '' With the greatest affection and respect." 
 
 " Has she ever mentioned Captain Rowland ?" 
 
 " Once only." 
 
 " And in what manner ?" 
 
 " With commendation. But to say the truth, 
 we did not exactly agree on the subject, and it 
 has never been resumed."
 
 206 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Mrs. Maynard then questioned Fanny re- 
 specting the tenour of their conversation about 
 Edwin, and was extremely sorry to find that 
 Harriet, who was always so severe on vulgarity, 
 should have become so tolerant to vice ; but she 
 had seen too much of fashionable life, to feel 
 any of that surprise which had struck Fanny, 
 when her sister talked so lightly of what ap- 
 peared to her of such importance. 
 
 At length Harriet made her appearance with 
 such marks of indisposition on her countenance, 
 that her mother and sister were both struck by 
 it, and proposed sending to the next town for a 
 physician ; but Harriet, making a great effort, 
 assured them, with a smiling face, that the only 
 thing which could make her really ill would be 
 the sight of a doctor ; and, by extraordinary 
 exertions to eat and converse, she at last per- 
 suaded them that her paleness was accidental. 
 When they had done breakfast, Mrs. Maynard 
 told her daughters she was going to do a very
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 207 
 
 Strange thing that day, which was to dine out 
 of her house when they were in it. Fanny said, 
 that was indeed a novelty, and expressed much 
 curiosity to know the cause ; which her mother 
 explained by saying, that she and her cousin, 
 Gilbert Harris, were to meet a London la\vyer 
 about business at the inn, and as he was only 
 passing through Sunbury, and they could not 
 know at what hour he would arrive, they had de- 
 termined to dine there ; " for," said she, " it is 
 of consequence that we should see him together; 
 therefore you must not be surprised if I should 
 stay till late in the evening." 
 
 Harriet inwardly rejoiced to hear of this bu- 
 siness, as she flattered herself it might be easier 
 to escape from one than two observers, and she 
 had written a note to tell Edwin at what hour 
 she should expect him '« to conceal himself in 
 the shrubbery, where she would contrive to go 
 and meet him ;" for, after the adventures of the 
 preceding evening, she feared to go far from the
 
 208 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 house : but the note was not yet deposited in its 
 receptacle, and the difficulties attending this 
 were greater than she had supposed ; for at 
 certain hours of the day the shade of the ash- 
 tree, and the pleasant turf around its root, were 
 much sought after, and various loungers, both 
 of men and beasts, were to be found there. 
 
 The first time she went out with her letter, 
 which was as soon as she saw her mother and 
 Fanny occupied seriously after breakfast, she 
 found an old woman sitting at the foot of the 
 tree with her knitting, and appearing to have 
 no intention of moving from thence. In two 
 hours after she took an opportunity of returning: 
 the old woman was gone ; but three labouring 
 men had chosen that spot to eat their dinner, 
 which they were only beginning, so that it was 
 to no purpose for her to wait. Harriet returned 
 back into the house, and listened impatiently 
 till the sound of the clock assured her that 
 another hour had passed ; but when she came
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 209 
 
 again to the foot of the tree, she lost all hope, 
 on seeing it surrounded by a flock of sheep, and 
 the boy who took care of them lying comfort- 
 ably on the grass. Plowever, she continued to 
 approach the tree, and, on coming nearer, per- 
 ceived that the young shepherd was asleep ; so 
 passing softly by him, she was going to put 
 her billet into the cleft, when, jumping up sud- 
 denly, the boy cried out in a rough tone, 
 '' Who's there ?" which made Harriet start 
 back and conceal the paper. " Oh ! Miss, I 
 beg your pardon, I thought it was some one 
 coming to steal my sheep ;" and he looked much 
 confused at the mistake that he had made, but 
 showed no inclination to remove from the tree. 
 
 Harriet knew that it would not be easy for 
 her to return to that place again before dinner, 
 and not liking to lose this opportunity, thought 
 of an expedient which she determined to put in 
 practice without delay ; so taking a small piece 
 of money out of her purse, she said to the boy.
 
 210 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 " Do you see that white wall by the river side, 
 a few yards on this side of the ferry ?" The 
 boy said he did. " Well, then," continued she, 
 *' if you will promise to bring me a bunch of 
 honeysuckles from the hedge which joins it, di- 
 rectly, I will give you this sixpence, and stay 
 with your sheep till you return." The boy 
 gladly accepted the offer, and, grasping the 
 money with a grin of joy, ran off as fast as pos- 
 sible, and Harriet no sooner saw him turn his 
 back, than she hastened to deposit her billet in 
 the tree. 
 
 This being done, she felt more at ease, and 
 stood patiently looking at the sheep which 
 were browsing near her. She had been there 
 about half an hour, and was beginning to won- 
 der the boy did not return, when she saw her 
 mother come out of the house ; who, instead of 
 going through the garden into the lane, as she 
 usually did, came through the farm-yard. 
 Harriet's conscience made her remove as far
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 211 
 
 from the treeids she could without quite aban- 
 doning the sheep ; and, therefore, when her 
 mother arrived, she was close to the wall of the 
 pig-stye, the inhabitants of which were making 
 a very unharmonious noise. Mrs. Maynard 
 stopped for a moment to express her surprise 
 at finding Harriet in such a disagreeable neigh- 
 bourhood, but had no time to demand an 
 explanation ; so she only said, " Don't expect 
 me early this evening ;" and pursued her way 
 to Sunbury. 
 
 Harriet remained another half hour, without 
 venturing to leave the sheep she had promised 
 to take care of: at length she heard the dinner 
 bell rung, and doubted not that Fanny would 
 be much astonished at her absence ; and she 
 had almost determined to leave the sheep to 
 themselves, when she perceived her sister come 
 out of the house and cross over to the farm-yard. 
 Fanny wondered to see Harriet at the other side 
 of the gate ; and when, to her enquiry of what she
 
 212 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 was doing there, she replied in a S(^].TOwful tone^ 
 " I am watching these sheep," — she could not 
 refrain from laughing. Before Harriet could 
 give any farther explanation, the shepherd boy 
 returnedj with a bunch of woodbine in one 
 hand and a lump of gingerbread in the other, 
 Harriet felt so angry with him for having kept her 
 waiting there such a length of time, that she could 
 not help reproaching him with having detained 
 her in that place a great deal more than an 
 hour. He first attempted to persuade her it 
 was not an hour, by rehearsing the places he 
 had been to since he left her ; by which it ap- 
 peared, that he had made the best of his way to 
 the village to lay out the sixpence she had given 
 him, before he went on her message at all. 
 This made her very angry, and she told him 
 she was very sorry to have given the money till 
 he had brought the woodbine. This only caused 
 him to answer, by way of apology, that " if he 
 had not taken that opportunity, how did he 
 know whether he should find any one else to
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELDc 213 
 
 watch Ixis sheep?" and without minding hen 
 anger, he began to count his flock so coolly, 
 that Harriet, doubly irritated by his manner, 
 said, in a peevish tone, " Do you think, you 
 little blockhead, that I have stolen any of your 
 sheep ?" — "I can't say till I have counted them 
 all, and now you have put me out." — Fannys-' 
 could no longer restrain herself from bursting 
 into a fit of loud laughter, in which Harriet at 
 length joined her ; and the boy having finished 
 counting his sheep, they left him. The elder 
 sister, on reflection, was well satisfied that this 
 adventure afforded so great a subject of mirth 
 to the younger, as to prevent her making any 
 enquiries respecting Harriet's motives for select- 
 ing that place in preference to the garden or 
 shrubbery for her walk. 
 
 The gaiety of Fanny's conversation during 
 dinner time, made her sister for a time forget 
 the weight upon her mind ; but after she had 
 retired to assist the servant in some household
 
 2H THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 affairs, the reflections of Harriet were by no 
 means enviable. She felt the imprudence of 
 her conduct ; and though she endeavoured to 
 persuade herself that she was impelled (like 
 some of those heroines whose adventures she 
 had read to Mrs. Pemberton) by " the irresist- 
 ible force of an unconquerable attachment," she 
 could not reconcile her better feelings to the 
 duplicity of her actions. She was also much 
 embarrassed to think in what manner she should 
 contrive to get into the shrubbery unobserved, 
 at the hour she had appointed Edwin to meet 
 her, and trembled lest he might be seen by her 
 mother as she returned home.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 215 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 
 A?i Evefung^s Walk. — A troublesome Dog, — 
 Mrs, Pemberton^s Retur7i, 
 
 When Fanny had finished her business in the 
 house, she came to propose to her sister, that 
 they should take their work into the garden, 
 and sit in the arbour, until the hour approached 
 when they might expect their mother, and then 
 go to meet her. Harriet was glad to have 
 her painful thoughts interrupted, and willingly 
 accompanied her lively sister, who rung many 
 changes on the morning's adventure, and pro- 
 iTused herself much amusement in relating to 
 Lucy the next time they met, the important 
 affair in which she had found Harriet engaged. 
 
 These sallies at first excited the smiles of
 
 216 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 Harriet; but as the evening wore away, she 
 became melancholy and silent, and thus sub- 
 jected herself to many enquiries from Fanny, 
 which she could not answer in a satisfactory 
 manner. At length they heard the clock strike 
 seven, and soon after Fanny said she thought it 
 was time for them to set out to meet their 
 mother ; upon which, Harriet's confusion be- 
 came so evident, that her sister asked, " if she 
 was ill ?" This question suggested an expedient 
 of which she resolved to avail herself; so, saying 
 that in fact she did not feel herself quite well, 
 added, that nothing would be more likely to do 
 her good, than the walk she proposed. They 
 therefore left the garden, to pass through the 
 shrubbery towards the village ; Harriet having 
 objected to the usual way through the lane, on 
 pretence that her mother not having taken the 
 key of the garden, would therefore return by 
 the other road. 
 
 They had not proceeded far, when the dog
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 217 
 
 that usually accompanied Fanny in her rambles, 
 gave notice that there was something more than 
 common in the vicinity ; and as they advanced 
 he ran in amongst the shrubs, barking and 
 howling in such a violent manner, that his 
 mistress said to her sister, *' I wonder what 
 Rover can have found amongst those bushes. 
 
 Let us go and see." 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, do not ;" said Harriet, 
 
 trembling with other fears than what Fanny 
 
 supposed ; " how do you know that it is not 
 
 a robber ?" 
 
 *' That is the very reason I want to gc," said 
 
 her sister, " because some idle boys have lately 
 
 cut too many switches here, and I should be 
 
 glad to detect them." 
 
 The dog continued to bark, and Fanny was 
 
 goin£)forward, when Harriet caught her by the 
 
 arm, saying, " No, indeed, you shall not go, — 
 
 perhaps a robber may shoot you." 
 
 Fanny laughed at her sister's fears, but said, 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 " Then let us go back, and bring old Thomas 
 and his boy with us." 
 
 This did not by any means accord with 
 Harriet's project ; so she said, " After all, per- 
 haps, it is only a cat or a weazel, which has 
 roused the vigilance of Rover. — No one ap- 
 pears to impede our progress, so I think you 
 had better call the dog off, and let us proceed 
 to the road." 
 
 " Since you wish it, I will ; but I should like 
 to have caught the brats who broke my beau- 
 tiful laburnum." — Then calling to Rover in 
 an authoritative voice, he sprang to her side, 
 and they pursued their way ; Harriet watching 
 for a favourable opportunity of putting into ex- 
 ecution the plan she had formed. 
 
 At length they came to a turn in the ji'irub- 
 
 bery where there was a seat, and Harriet 
 
 throwing herself on it, declared she felt so faint, 
 
 that she could go no farther. Fanny, quite 
 
 17
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 219 
 
 alarmed, asked what she could do for her ; 
 but Harriet seemed scarcely able to reply. 
 After a moment's pause, she said in a languid 
 tone, that " if she had her bottle of salts, she 
 was sure it would do her good ; but, alas ! she 
 had left it on the table in the arbour." 
 
 " Shall I run back for it ?" said Fanny. 
 '' But you will be afraid to stay here alone." 
 
 " I feel too ill to be afraid," replied Harriet, 
 apparently gasping for breath. 
 
 " Well, then, I will go," said Fanny, " for 
 I know there is nothing to fear, as I have often 
 walked here at a much later hour." 
 
 Rover now began a sort of suppressed growl, 
 and Fanny stopping, said, " You are more timid 
 than I, Harriet ; are you sure you will not be 
 frightened when I am gone ?" 
 
 " Oh ! no ; but pray make haste, for I grow 
 so weak, — and don't leave your dog, for if he 
 should bark, the noise would make me faint :" 
 and the voice with which she uttered the last 
 words, was but " the shadow of a sound." 
 
 L 2
 
 220 THE SISTERS OF NANSPIELD. 
 
 " Rover I Rover [" cried Fanny, as she rail 
 towards the garden; and they were scarcely 
 out of sight, when Edwin sprung out from 
 amongst the bushes, and Harriet had again 
 the pleasure of heai'ing herself addressed in 
 those accents of passionate nonsense, which had 
 so often dispelled her languor by soothing her 
 vanity. After settling a plan of correspondence 
 to be employed on Harriet's return to town^ 
 during the time Edwin was forced to remain 
 with his regiment, they had nothing now to say 
 to each other : but he was to depart next day, 
 and it might be many weeks, or even months, 
 before they should meet : and so they lingered, 
 until Fanny's dog, who preceded his mistress, 
 approached with a noise which betrayed the 
 presence of a stranger. " Fly, Edwin," cried 
 Harriet, catching the dog and patting his head : 
 *^' you will be seen if you stay a moment longer." 
 — " Farewell then, angelic creature," said he, 
 Jiissing the hand he held, at which Rover re-
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 221 
 
 doubled his barkings, and could scarcely be 
 restrained by Harriet's utmost exertions. 
 
 Edwin had scarcely leapt over the railing, 
 and got behind some shrubs, when Fanny ar- 
 rived quite out of breath with running. " What 
 is the matter with Rover ?" cried she ; " I was 
 terrified at hearing him bark so loud as I -cpjiie 
 along, and began to think he had really met 
 some stranger ; and I was so long finding this 
 smelling-bottle, which, after all, was not in the 
 garden, but in your basket in the parlour. " — 
 Harriet knew that when she sent her for it. — 
 " But you look better, my dear sister," con- 
 tinued Fanny. 
 
 " Yes," said Harriet, " I find that resting 
 in the fresh air has quite recovered me. Let 
 us sit here a little longer ;" and she made room 
 for Fanny on the seat, of which she had placed 
 herself in the middle, as soon as Edwin left her. 
 
 " But why do you hold Rover so fast, 
 Harriet? Poor thing! he wants to run about." 
 L 3
 
 222 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 " I held him till you came ; for I was afraid 
 of his being stolen, when I judged b}^ his bark 
 that there might be strangers near." 
 
 " Oh !" said Fanny, " it is not quite so 
 easy to catch Rover against his will. But, look, 
 Harriet ! Is not that a man creeping along by 
 the rails yonder ?" 
 
 " No," said Harriet, looking the contrary 
 way, " I see no one." 
 
 " I don't mean there," said Fanny, " but 
 on the road towards the church. He is trying 
 to get over the wall. If Rover was but near 
 him, he would teach him not to return. Do, 
 Harriet, let the dog go." But Harriet held 
 him fast, and the intruder disappeared. 
 
 Harriet then, declaring she felt quite re- 
 covered, proposed that they should continue 
 the walk to meet their mother, and the sisters 
 pursued their way in perfect good-humour; 
 the eldest exhilarated by the lucky conclusion 
 to her present embarrassments, and the younger 
 rejoiced to see her so cheerful.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 223 
 
 They had not walked half way down the lane 
 leading to Sunbury, when they met Mrs. May- 
 nard, who immediately enquired, " if any one 
 had been at Nansfield during her absence ?" 
 Fanny said " No." — " No stranger at all?" — 
 " None," replied both the sisters ; and Fanny 
 added, " Why do you ask ? Did you expect 
 anyone?" — No," replied Mrs. Maynard; " but 
 as I passed the corner near the long meadow 
 I saw a gentleman who seemed to have come 
 from hence, and I thought, perhaps, he might be 
 some person who had called in my absence." 
 
 The setting sun was now almost obscured, 
 and there remained hardly sufficient light to 
 distinguish the objects around ; yet Harriet in- 
 stinctively covered her glowing cheeks with her 
 handkerchief, while Fanny exclaimed, " As sure 
 as possible that was the stranger Rover barked 
 at so furiously. Did he look like a robber?" 
 
 " I don't know exactly the distinguishing 
 L 4
 
 224 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 marks of a robber," said Mrs. Maynard, laugh- 
 ing; " but I should not have thought this person 
 likely to come under that description." 
 
 " Tell us what sort of a man he is," said 
 Fanny ; and her mother proceeded to give her 
 such an account as convinced Harriet that her 
 suspicions were just, and that Mrs. Maynard 
 had seen Edwin. 
 
 " I'm sorr}^, Harriet, that you did not let 
 Rover go after him," said Fanny. 
 
 " Would you really have wished the dog to 
 hurt a gentleman, merely because he was a 
 stranger ?" 
 
 " By no means ; my mother can tell you, as 
 well as I, that Rover never hurts any one, 
 though he is very capable of keeping off in- 
 truders by looking ferocious." Mrs. Maynard 
 corroborated all that was said in praise of 
 Rover, and Harriet was well satisfied that the 
 subject of conversation had been changed. She 
 felt verv elad that her interview with Edwin
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 'JiiO 
 
 had passed off so secretly, but could not help 
 being humiliated by her own joy. 
 
 Nothing of importance occurred during the 
 rest of the time that elapsed before the return 
 of Mrs. Pemberton ; but many trifling circum- 
 stances convinced Mrs. Maynard that her 
 eldest daughter would never have been happy 
 in the retired and humble line of life to which 
 she and her youngest child were destined ; and, 
 therefore, though not perfectly satisfied with 
 the principles and habits of Mrs. Pemberton, 
 she thought it, on the whole, a very fortunate 
 circumstance that Harriet had acquired her 
 protection. At length that lady returned, just 
 as her favourite was beginning to be very much 
 tired of her rustication^ (as they called it when 
 conversing together in private,) and with a 
 thousand expressions of affection embraced the 
 whole family ; but especially her " lovely 
 Harriet," declaring she never had found a fort- 
 L 5
 
 226 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 night pass so heavily as this, in which she was 
 separated from her young companion. 
 
 She remained two days at Naiisfield^ sup- 
 porting air the mconveniences of a farm-house 
 with the most philosophic politeness ; keeping 
 her equipage and attendants at the inn, from 
 whence her women came at an early hour in 
 the morning to be ready to dress her, and re- 
 mained till after her lady was in bed at night, 
 (a very late hour to the inhabitants of that 
 neighbourhood,) when the footman came to 
 conduct her back to Sunbury. This arrange- 
 ment did not accord with the views of Mrs. 
 Stubbs, who had flattered herself that she 
 should contrive, in her visits to the innkeeper's 
 wife, to meet the great lady's confidential 
 woman, and by her talent for questioning, to 
 " find out everything about her." She was, 
 therefore, much disappointed, that the object 
 of her designs left the inn at such an early hour, 
 and returned so late : the second morning,
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 227 
 
 however, she contrived to throw herself in the 
 way of Mrs. Baker, just as she was setting out 
 from the inn, and joining in the conversation 
 which passed between her and the innkeeper at 
 the door, offered to accompany her, as she had 
 also occasion to go pait of the way to Naiisfield^ 
 a project which the people of the house, who 
 dreaded a ^4sit from Mrs. Stubbs, strenuously 
 encouraged. 
 
 They had not made two steps, when the 
 widow commenced her usual train of questions; 
 but, alas ! to little puq^ose; for her companion, 
 who was naturally consequential and mysterious, 
 and had lived along time with Mrs. Pemberton, 
 piqued herself on " never giving any inform- 
 ation respecting her lady's affairs ;" and the 
 avidit\^ with which Mrs. Stubbs made her en- 
 quiries rendered her more taciturn than ever. 
 
 " And so, Ma'am, Mss Harriet is a great 
 favourite with your lady ?" 
 L 6
 
 228 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 « So I hear, Ma'am." 
 
 " And she's to leave her a large fortune. — 
 Pray, how much may it be ?" 
 
 " These are things, Ma'am, which I never 
 enquire about." 
 
 " But every one says she is to be her heiress." 
 
 " Do they indeed ?" 
 
 " Ah! now, I'm sure you could tell if you 
 pleased. I dare say you know all your lady's 
 secrets. — How long have you hved with her ?" 
 
 " Nineteen years." 
 
 " A long time indeed ! And pray, do you 
 attend Miss Harriet ?" 
 
 Here Mrs. Baker drew up her head very high, 
 and replied, " I attend no one but my lady. 
 Miss Maynard has her own waiting-woman." 
 
 " And pray — " 
 
 " I wish you a good morning. Ma'am," said 
 Mrs. Baker, interrupting her, " for I must walk 
 faster, or Mrs. Pemberton will be awake before 
 I reach the house;" and she quickened her pace 
 to such a degree, that any one except Mrs.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 229 
 
 Stubbs would have relinquished the pursuit. 
 But her curiosity was ever indefatigable; so 
 declaring she could walk remarkably fast, she 
 trudged ouj'puffing and blowing after her more 
 meagre companion, who continued to distract 
 her with her taciturnity, until they at length 
 reached the gate of Mrs. Maynard's farm-yard, 
 which she was seeking some pretext for enter- 
 ing as she passed through the rails, when the 
 sight of Fanny feeding the chickens hastened 
 her departure, and she retired to seek inform- 
 ation through some other channel.
 
 230 THE SISTERS OF SAN'SFIELD. 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 Conversation on Matrimony, — A Wedding, — 
 Hover and Mrs, Stuhbs. 
 
 jVIrs. Pemberton and Mrs. Maynard had a 
 great deal of conversation about the two sisters, 
 during the short time the former remained at 
 NaJisfield, Mrs. Pemberton boasted much of 
 the triumphs of Harriet, and painted her pro- 
 spects of future prosperity in the most brilliant 
 colours : Mrs. Maynard sighed in listening to 
 her, though she scarcely knew why ; but she 
 had experienced enough of high life to make 
 her suspect that happiness was more unlikely to 
 be found amidst the luxuries of superabundant 
 wealth, than in the lesser comforts of modest
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 231 
 
 competence. Mrs. Pemberton thought very 
 differently,- and, therefore, did not observe the 
 countenance of Mrs. Maynard, though she 
 thought her rather cold to show so little dehght 
 in the probability of Harriet's making " a great 
 match ;" for that was the constant burthen ot" 
 Mrs. Pemberton's song, which she repeated so 
 often, that Mrs. Maynard, notwithstanding her 
 rule of never contradicting without the hope of 
 doing some good, could scarcely refi'ain from 
 expressing very different sentiments. 
 
 At length Mrs. Pemberton, changing the 
 subject to the other sister, said, " But, my dear 
 Mrs. Maynard, what will you do about Fanny ? 
 She is a sweet girl, though not equal to my 
 lovely Harriet. How in the world will you get 
 her married ?" 
 
 Mrs. Maynard could not help smiling at the 
 compassionate tone in which this was uttered, 
 but replied, " I do not think it absolutely ne- 
 cessary that she should marry."
 
 2'3^ THE SISTERS OF ^ANSFiElD. 
 
 " Good heaven I you quite astonish me. Have 
 you really any idea of your daughter being an 
 old maid ?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed ; I think it a very possible 
 thing ; and my object has always been, to 
 educate my daughters so as to be happy in a 
 single life." 
 
 Mrs. Pemberton clasped her hands and threw 
 up her eyes, saying, " Well ; this is the first 
 time I ever heard of a mother bringing up 
 daughters on purpose to live unmarried." 
 
 " Perhaps," said Mrs. Maynard, " it would 
 be an advantage to our sex if the practice was 
 more general. The education which is cal- 
 culated to render a woman tranquil and con- 
 tented in a state of celibacy, will ever be 
 found that best suited to make her a happy 
 wife and mother: but a young female who is 
 brought up with the idea that she must seek for 
 a husband, and that as quickly as possible, for 
 fear of opportunities escaping, at once sacrifices 
 all independence of character in fancying she
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 233 
 
 cannot live alone, and is likely to marry the 
 first man who offers, without any other motive 
 than the early-taught notion that matrimony is 
 to be a necessary event of her life. I am con - 
 vinced that this custom of educatinor mrls to be 
 married is the cause of much unhappiness and 
 misconduct." 
 
 Mrs. Pemberton listened impatiently to the 
 end of this sentence, and then said, " I hope, 
 my dear Mrs. Maynard, that you have not been 
 talking against matrimony before my Harriet." 
 
 " I don't recollect," repUed Mrs. Maynard, 
 " that the subject has been mentioned lately ; 
 nor is it one on which I have ever been accus- 
 tomed to talk to my daughters : indeed I have 
 not endeavoured to influence their opinions one 
 way or other on this matter; but I have cer- 
 tainly never talked to them of being creatures 
 born to be married." 
 
 " I am rejoiced to hear you have said nothing 
 to Harriet. But, seriously, my dear friend, are 
 you positively determined that Fanny shall 
 never be married ?"
 
 234 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 " By no means," replied Mrs. Maynard, 
 smiling at the old lady's earnestness ; '' and if it 
 should be her lot to meet with such a man as 
 she and I should agree in approving of, I 
 should rather wish her to marry than live single, 
 because" 
 
 " Oh ! that's well," said Mrs. Pemberton, in- 
 terrupting her; " and I suppose you intend to 
 take Fanny to some of the balls at N — . It's only 
 
 about ten miles off, and Lady F , who lives 
 
 in the neighbourhood, and goes to them con- 
 stantly, has often told me that there is very 
 tolerable company at them. When do you 
 intend to go there ?" 
 
 " Never," replied Mrs. Maynard. 
 
 " Never ! And how then is Fanny to see 
 people, and have a chance of making a good 
 match ?" 
 
 Mrs. Maynard laughed at Mrs. Pemberton's 
 mode of viewing the matter, and then assuming 
 a serious air, said, " Be assured that I will 
 never take a daughter of mine to market ;
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 235 
 
 neither will I run the risk of Fanny's making 
 acquaintance and acquiring notions unsuitable 
 to her situation in life." 
 
 Mrs. Peniberton, perceiving that Mrs. May- 
 nard was incorrigible, changed the conversation 
 to other subjects ; and early next morning she 
 and Harriet set out for the place of their desti- 
 nation, where she hoped to see her favourite 
 eclipse all the other beauties assembled there. 
 
 In a very short time after their departure, 
 the expected marriage between Lucy Harris 
 and Charles Richardson took place, much to 
 the satisfaction of Fanny, who was thus assirred 
 of her friend not leaving Sunbury Vale. On 
 occasion of the wedding, many rustic entertain- 
 ments were given by the friends of both parties, 
 at which the absence of Harriet was not much 
 regretted, as her presence had always rather 
 awed than enlivened the village youth. Among 
 the rest, Mrs. Maynard gave a syllabub in her 
 garden to the new-married couple and their
 
 236 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 relations; but no one else was invited, except 
 Mr. Hammond and his nephew, who were her 
 nearest neighbours : a circumstance which gave 
 great offence to the Widow Stubbs, who de- 
 clared " it was a shame for people to be so 
 unsociable," and reminded all her acquaintance 
 that she had been one of the first persons who 
 Went to visit Mrs. Maynard on her arrival at 
 Nansfield. " But truth was truth, and she must 
 say that this family was altogether the most 
 unneighbourly she had ever met with. Often 
 and often had she proposed to go and play a 
 quiet game of cards with them of an evening, 
 and many a time had she invited them to take 
 a comfortable dish of tea at her house ; but 
 never had any of her friendly offers or invitations 
 been accepted. Miss Harriet, indeed, was a very 
 genteel young lady, and had shown respect for 
 her ; but as for that little pert Fanny," Mrs. 
 Stubbs protested " she could not endure her," 
 
 The company in the arbour, however, drank
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 237 
 
 their syllabub and played merrily at dvss pur- 
 poses, IMiafs my thought like ? and other similar 
 games, without ever thinking of the " discon- 
 solate widow" of Billy Stubbs : but while Fanny 
 and Lucy were singing a favourite duet at the 
 request of old Mr. Hammond, they were sud- 
 denly interrupted by the watchful Rover, who, 
 running to the hedge by which a part of the 
 garden was divided from the lane, barked 
 loudly, as he usually did on discovering an in- 
 truder. John Harris and his brother instantly 
 jumped up and ran to the dog, whom they found 
 holding fast in his teeth the edge of a yellow 
 silk petticoat which peeped through the bushes. 
 After liberating Mrs. Stubbs, who was on the 
 other side of the hedge trembling for the peril- 
 ous state of her finery, and protesting she was 
 only passing that way down to the ferry, when 
 the dog flew at her in a furious manner, and 
 dragged her petticoat through the hedge ; they 
 returned to the arbour, laughing heartily, and 
 amused the company much with a description
 
 238 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 of the scene they had witnessed, which could 
 not, however, surprise any one who was aware 
 of the insatiable curiosity of Mrs. Stubbs. 
 
 This circumstance brought Rover into notice, 
 and old Mrs. Richardson commended him for 
 not suffering listeners to remain near unmo- 
 lested ; which led Fanny to give an account of 
 his watchful inquietude the evening she and 
 Harriet went to meet their mother when she 
 had dined at Sunbury. " That puts me in 
 mind," said James Harris, " of an odd circum- 
 stance : you remember the man who flung a 
 stick at your sister." — Fanny assented. — " Well, 
 the evening after I met a gentleman, who I am 
 almost sure was the same person, and I dis- 
 covered by accident that he had passed four 
 days in this place ; not at the inn where travel- 
 lers usually stop, but at a kind of pedlar's ale- 
 house near the turnpike, where none ever go 
 but the poorest people."
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 239 
 
 " Pray what sort of a looking man was he ?'' 
 said old Mr. Richardson. 
 
 " A very handsome man, with beautiful 
 curling hair and bright black eyes; as tall as 
 my father, but much thinner, and looking quite 
 like a nobleman." 
 
 " Where did you meet him ?" said the elder 
 Mr. Hammond. 
 
 " In the fir-grove, where he appeared like a 
 person hiding; but I was in a hurry going home, 
 so I did not observe where he went to." 
 
 Mrs. Betty Harris here gave a significant look 
 at Lucy, who blushed a deep red, which Fanny 
 observed with some surprise, but endeavoured 
 to hide by making a remark which drew the 
 attention of the others from her friend, whose 
 confusion soon wore off. 
 
 Next day Gilbert Harris had invited all his 
 friends to dinner, and Fanny, being alone with 
 Lucy in her own room before the whole party 
 had assembled, suddenlv recollected her blushes
 
 240 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 when the mysterious stranger was mentioned, 
 and with the hberty which their intimacy au- 
 thorised, entreated she would tell her candidly 
 the cause of her embarrassment. Lucy again 
 blushed, remained silent, and looked very un- 
 determined ; but on Fanny's earnestly pressing 
 for an explanation, she related, yet not without 
 hesitation, the story her aunt had told her of 
 their ploughman having confided to the old 
 dairymaid (to whom he had applied for change of 
 his gold piece,) how he had met Harriet and been 
 bribed to secrecy. Fanny was shocked and 
 mortified at her sister's want of confidence in 
 her, as well as at her very imprudent behaviour; 
 and after a little more conversation with Lucy on 
 the subject, she felt convinced of what however 
 she concealed in her own bosom, that the fine 
 gentleman who had lodged at the ale-house, 
 was no other than Edwin Rowland. 
 
 This discovery occasioned great uneasiness 
 to Fanny, especially as she felt that she ought
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 241 
 
 to do something, but knew not what. Her first 
 idea was to confide in her mother, to whom she 
 was accustomed to tell eveiy thing; but on 
 reflection, she could discover no adequate ad- 
 vantage to result from this communication, 
 which would perhaps distress the hearer to no 
 pui-pose. She was still wavering in her mind 
 about what she ought to do, when the evening 
 afler, as she was crossing the ferry vrith Lucy, 
 her husband and her aunt Richardson asked 
 the boatman what time he usually went away, 
 that they might not miss the boat on their 
 return, bs Mrs. Betty Harris did not like to go 
 round by the bridge. The man replied, that 
 " he usually left the place very soon after eight, 
 but that if he was sure of any one coming he 
 would stay later : he had waited till near nine 
 o'clock one evening, not very long ago, because 
 he saw a lady hurrying down to the water side 
 alone." They all felt curious to know who the 
 lady was, but on Richardson's enquu'ing, the 
 boatman replied, to the astonishment of the 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 242 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 party, that " he would never tell her name — 
 he had been well paid for holding his tongue." 
 Mrs. Betty Harris, however, by employing some 
 art in questioning him, drew forth such answers 
 as made it clear to Fanny that the lady was 
 Hari'iet, and this adventure took place on the 
 same evening she was met by the ploughman. 
 This circumstance decided her to write imme- 
 diately to her sister, which she had before 
 thought of doing ; for now it seemed to be her 
 duty, though she feared to little purpose, to 
 relate to her all she had heard, were it for no 
 other reason than to show her the disgrace of 
 bringing herself to the necessity of confiding in 
 such persons.
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 243 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 A Letter and its aiis'voer, — Mrs» Stubbs a j)ersoii 
 of importance. 
 
 r anny's letter to her sister related simply what 
 she had heard, and her distress at hearing it : the 
 truth of it she could not pretend to doubt, as all 
 the circumstances were too apparent ; and, be- 
 sides, on recollection, many trifling incidents re- 
 turning to her mind, corroborated the story. 
 *' But who, my dear Harriet," continued she, " is 
 this concealed friend ? — and why should there 
 be concealment if there is not something wrong ? 
 I much fear that the individual in question, is no 
 other than that cousin of whom we had heard 
 such a bad character, and whom you yourself did 
 not represent in such a point of view as should 
 M 2
 
 24-4- THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD: 
 
 make me wish to see him the husband of my 
 beloved sister. Do consider seriously what you 
 are about, and beware of engaging yourself 
 without the consent of those who love you best. 
 Though our excellent mother and the good 
 Mrs. Pemberton do not agree in all their opi- 
 nions, you know that in two things they are per- 
 fectly in unison, — theu' love for you, Harriet, 
 and their disapprobation of Edwin Rowland." 
 
 Not very long after she had sent this letter, 
 Fanny was much surprised one^ Sunday, on 
 coming out of church, to see Mrs. Stubbs wink- 
 ing and making mysterious signs to her, as she 
 v/alked behind her mother, who was conversing 
 with Mrs. Betty Harris; and still more so, 
 when sliding up close to her, she attempted to 
 put a letter into her hand. Fanny's first im- 
 pulse was to refuse it, but on Mrs. Stubbs 
 whispering, " It is from your sister : — don't 
 read it till you are alone," she took it; and 
 though veied as well as astonished at the mode 
 5*
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 24-5 
 
 of conveyance, determined to wait, until she 
 VrHs in private to peruse it. An opportunity 
 soon offered, for Mrs. Maynard accompanied 
 the old lady, who had walked home with her, 
 into the garden, to show her the growth of 
 some plants which had been a present from 
 herself some time before, and Fanny retired to 
 her own room. 
 
 She immediately hastened to open her sister's 
 letter, w^hich confirmed all her fears respecting 
 Captain Rowland ; and she felt greatly shocked 
 at the light manner in which Harriet confessed 
 what she could no longer deny. She even hinted, 
 though in an obscure manner, at a positive en- 
 gagement between herself and Edwin ; saying 
 he was the most amiable of men, and that she 
 wished Fanny had seen him when so near. 
 ^' But indeed, my dear sister," said the letter, 
 " you looked so dreadfully prudent, two or 
 three times, when I was on the point of confid- 
 ing in you, and seemed to consider a secret as 
 M 3
 
 246 THE SISTERS OF NANSFlELC. 
 
 .'Rich a mortal sin, that I did not dare to telt 
 jou of my imprudence. Besides, I was afraid 
 lest you should tell it to our mother, and she, 
 Fanny, must not know it. Remember, if you 
 betray me, I will never forgive you ; and your 
 doing so would answer no purpose but to 
 give me pain, for nothing can change my des- 
 tiny." 
 
 There was much respecting this letter which 
 occasioned great uneasiness to Fanny. The 
 certainty of her sister's obstinate imprudence ; 
 the knowing a secret of that importance which 
 she could not confide to her mother ; and that 
 odious Mrs. Stubbs having become the confi- 
 dant of her sister, and even of herself; for did 
 she not know that Fanny had received a letter 
 which her mother was not to see ? All these cir- 
 cumstances made her feel very unhappy, and the 
 last appeared to her quite incomprehensible ; but 
 this was explained a very few days after, when 
 Mrs. Stubbs came to pay one of her unwelcome
 
 THE SISTERS OF KANSFJELD.' ^4? 
 
 visits at Narisfield ; and meeting Fanny in the 
 farm-yard, through which she always preferred 
 passing, she said, " Well, Miss Fanny, I hope 
 you and I are to be better friends in future, now 
 that we have secrets together." Fanny felt very 
 indignant ; but suppressing her anger,' enquired 
 '•' how that letter had fallen into the hands of 
 Mrs. Stubbs, and whether it had not put her to 
 some expense for the postage? as she wished to 
 pay her debt immediately, if she had one." 
 Mrs. Stubbs repUed, that it had cost her nothing 
 at all, for it was enclosed in a letter franked by 
 some great lord ; a letter about a little business 
 which Mrs. Pemberton's coachman had written 
 to her from London." 
 
 " Mrs. Pemberton's coachman !" repeated 
 Fanny, w^ith some surprise; " and how should 
 my sister's letter have been entrusted to him ?" 
 
 " Oh ! I can explain all that," said Mrs. 
 Stubbs, in a tone equally important and confi- 
 dential. " You must know that Mrs. Pember- 
 ton's coachman, who is a very decent proper 
 M 4
 
 248 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 sort of person, and treated me with the greatest 
 respect, is the brother of your sister Harriet's 
 own woman ; and so it is easy enough to guess 
 how he came by the letter. And you see, Miss, 
 that little as you think of me, I can be of use 
 sometimes : but I promise you, that if Miss 
 Harriet had not shown me a little more civility 
 than yourself, you would never have got that 
 letter from me; and who else do you think 
 would have slipt it into your hand so cleverly, 
 without your mother knowing any thing of the 
 matter?" 
 
 " Indeed, Mrs. Stubbs," said Fanny, strug- 
 ghng to conceal her mortification, " I am 
 heartily sorry you should ever have been trou- 
 bled with such a commission ; and the best 
 thing you can do to serve my sister, is to forget 
 it as soon as possible." 
 
 Mrs. Stubbs did not quite comprehend, or 
 like the tone of this speech, which Fanny left 
 her no time to answer, saying immediately, 
 " You must excuse me for not asking you to
 
 * THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 249 
 
 come into the house, as I know my mother is 
 too busy to see you to-day." 
 
 " No matter, no matter," said Mrs. Stubbs ; 
 " my \'isit was indeed to you, for I wanted to 
 know what your sister said in her letter. I dare 
 say she would have no objection to my reading 
 it, — you know I might easily have done so 
 when I found it enclosed in mine." 
 
 Fanny at first thought she had not heard 
 ^ right; but when Mrs. Stubbs continued, " If 
 you have not time to tell me what is in the let- 
 ter, you may as well give it to me to read my- 
 self," her vexation gave way to her sense of the 
 ridiculous, and she could not refrain from burst- 
 ing into a laugh, which Mrs. Stubbs felt no in- 
 clination to join ; at length she said, " Indeed, 
 Mrs. Stubbs, it is impossible for me to show 
 you my sister's letter." — " What !" returned 
 she ; " and you really suppose I do not know 
 Miss Harriet's secrets ? No, no ; I haven't 
 heard of the meeting in the fir grove, nor the
 
 250 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 handsome young gentleman who lodged at 
 Betty Thomson's" — 
 
 " For heaven's sake ! don't speak so loud, 
 Mrs. Stubbs. — I am very sorry my sister has 
 any secrets ; but as you seem so friendly to her, 
 surely, you would not betray her." 
 
 " No, no ; but let me see her letter." 
 
 " It's quite impossible at present," said Fanny, 
 trying to temporise, " for my mother is very 
 busy, and expects me to assist her." 
 
 "What is she doing?" 
 
 " Indeed I cannot stay to tell you now: but 
 must wish you good morning:" and away she 
 ran to the house, leaving her curious visitor 
 quite discomfited in her project. 
 
 " Saucy creature !" muttered the offended 
 widow, as she waddled out of the farm-yard ; 
 ** may be I shall find out some of her secrets 
 one of these days, and if I don't publish them 
 through all the neighbourhood, my name is not 
 Catherine Stubbs."
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 251 
 
 For several days after this the spirits of Fanny 
 remained so depressed that her mother began 
 to fear she was ill. Unaccustomed to the weight 
 of a secret, she felt as if she was to blame for 
 knowing it ; and yet, when her habitual pro- 
 pensity to communicate every thing to her mo- 
 ther was sometimes on the point of leading her 
 to beti'ay it, she shrunk with horror from the 
 thought of a dishonourable action; and her 
 only consolation in the concealment was, that 
 the pubUcation of it could be of no benefit. 
 She, therefore, commended her sister to Pro- 
 vidence, and endeavoured not to think of her 
 imprudence ; but her repugnance to meet Mrs. 
 Stubbs became stronger and stronger every 
 day, and she was so little able to hide her feel- 
 ings on the subject, that her friend Lucy, at 
 length asked her, " whether she was determined 
 to do penance for her sins of ridicule, by avoid- 
 ing the presence of a person who had occasioned 
 so many of them, and so often afforded her 
 such abundant amusement ?" But the absurd-
 
 252 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 ities of the widow had lost all their value in tlie 
 eyes of poor Fanny, who could now only see in 
 her the hateful witness of her sister's impru- 
 dence ; and yet forced herself to be civil to her, 
 through fear of her resentment being shown in 
 some act which might injure Harriet. 
 
 The amusements caused by rejoicings for the 
 wedding being over, every thing went on as 
 usual in the vale of Sunbury, and all at Na7is- 
 Jield returned to its accustomed tranquil course. 
 The summer gaieties were now at an end : no 
 more dances on the green : no more rambles to 
 explore mountains or caverns : no more repasts 
 in arbours, or by the river side. Short days 
 and long nights appeared, and those who loved 
 the sun lived much within their houses. The 
 brothers of Lucy had long since returned 
 to their respective occupations in distant towns, 
 and the clergyman's nephew to finish his studies 
 at the university. The mhabitants of Nansfeld 
 and the females of the Harris family met much
 
 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 253 
 
 seldomer in winter than in summer, thouorh 
 Gilbert never failed, in fair or foul weather, to 
 carry news back and forward between them, 
 two or three times even,- week. 
 
 The only person in whose visits to Na'fisfield 
 the winter season made no change, was old 
 Mi\ Hammond ; who, being the solitary inha- 
 bitant of the Parsonage, and Mrs. Maynard's 
 nearest neighbour, frequently came to drink tea 
 with a person to whom he was always welcome, 
 and with whom he might talk of his adopted 
 son. "WTienever he had received a letter from 
 Henry, he always brought it ^^ith him to read 
 some part to Mrs. Maynard, and on these occa- 
 sions he never failed to relate some anecdote of 
 his infantine years .: exhibiting either the good- 
 ness of his heart, his courage, or self-denial ; 
 some token of \artue or promise of wisdom. 
 During these evening visits Fanny was usually 
 working by her mother's side, and though she 
 joined but httle in the conversations which took
 
 ^54 THE SISTERS OF NANSFIELD. 
 
 place between the old gentleman and Mrs. 
 Maynard, yet she listened attentively to all that 
 was said ; and one evening heard, with much 
 pleasure, that as soon as Henry could be or- 
 dained, he was to come and assist his uncle in 
 the performance of his parochial duties, which 
 would fix him in the neighbourhood, at least 
 for a time. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOI^UME. 
 
 London : 
 
 Printed by A. & R. Spottiswoode, 
 New- Street- Square.
 
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