Mansfield Park

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. 1st World Library-Literary Society is a non-profit educational organization. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - About thirty years ago Miss Maria Ward of Huntingdon with only seven thousand pounds had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram of Mansfield Park in the county of Northampton and to be thereby raised to the rank of a baronet's lady with all the comforts and consequences of an handsome house and large income. All Huntingdon exclaimed on the greatness of the match and her uncle the lawyer himself allowed her to be at least three thousand pounds short of any equitable claim to it. She had two sisters to be benefited by her elevation; and such of their acquaintance as thought Miss Ward and Miss Frances quite as handsome as Miss Maria did not scruple to predict their marrying with almost equal advantage. But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them. Miss Ward at the end of half a dozen years found herself obliged to be attached to the Rev. Mr. Norris a friend of her brother-in-law with scarcely any private fortune and Miss Frances fared yet worse. Miss Ward's match indeed when it came to the point was not contemptible: Sir Thomas being happily able to give his friend an income in the living of Mansfield; and Mr. and Mrs. Norris began their career of conjugal felicity with very little less than a thousand a year. But Miss Frances married in the common phrase to disoblige her family and by fixing On a lieutenant of marines without education fortune or connexions did it very thoroughly. She could hardly have made a more untoward choice. Sir Thomas Bertram had interest which from principle as well as pride - from a general wish of doing right and a desire of seeing all that were connected with him in situations of respectability he w