CHAPTER XVI

ItwasnotinMissCrawford’spowertotalkFannyintoanyrealforgetfulnessofwhathadpassed.Whentheeveningwasover,shewenttobedfullofit,hernervesstillagitatedbytheshockofsuchanattackfromhercousinTom,sopublicandsoperseveredin,andherspiritssinkingunderheraunt’sunkindreflectionandreproach.Tobecalledintonoticeinsuchamanner,tohearthatitwasbutthepreludetosomethingsoinfinitelyworse,tobetoldthatshemustdowhatwassoimpossibleastoactandthentohavethechargeofobstinacyandingratitudefollowit,enforcedwithsuchahintatthedependenceofhersituation,hadbeentoodistressingatthetimetomaketheremembrancewhenshewasalonemuchlessso,especiallywiththesuperaddeddreadofwhatthemorrowmightproduceincontinuationofthesubject.MissCrawfordhadprotectedheronlyforthetimeandifshewereappliedtoagainamongthemselveswithalltheauthoritativeurgencythatTomandMariawerecapableof,andEdmundperhapsaway,whatshouldshedo?Shefellasleepbeforeshecouldanswerthequestion,andfounditquiteaspuzzlingwhensheawokethenextmorning.Thelittlewhiteattic,whichhadcontinuedhersleeping-roomeversinceherfirstenteringthefamily,provingincompetenttosuggestanyreply,shehadrecourse,assoonasshewasdressed,toanotherapartmentmorespaciousandmoremeetforwalkingaboutinandthinking,andofwhichshehadnowforsometimebeenalmostequallymistress.Ithadbeentheirschool-roomsocalledtilltheMissBertramswouldnotallowittobecalledsoanylonger,andinhabitedassuchtoalaterperiod.ThereMissLeehadlived,andtheretheyhadreadandwritten,andtalkedandlaughed,tillwithinthelastthreeyears,whenshehadquittedthem.Theroomhadthenbecomeuseless,andforsometimewasquitedeserted,exceptbyFanny,whenshevisitedherplants,orwantedoneofthebooks,whichshewasstillgladtokeepthere,fromthedeficiencyofspaceandaccommodationinherlittlechamberabove:butgradually,ashervalueforthecomfortsofitincreased,shehadaddedtoherpossessions,andspentmoreofhertimethereandhavingnothingtoopposeher,hadsonaturallyandsoartlesslyworkedherselfintoit,thatitwasnowgenerallyadmittedtobehers.TheEastroom,asithadbeencalledeversinceMariaBertramwassixteen,wasnowconsideredFanny’s,almostasdecidedlyasthewhiteattic:thesmallnessoftheonemakingtheuseoftheothersoevidentlyreasonablethattheMissBertrams,witheverysuperiorityintheirownapartmentswhichtheirownsenseofsuperioritycoulddemand,wereentirelyapprovingitandMrs.Norris,havingstipulatedfor