Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 68 Promise and Plan

Mrs. John Dashwood now regarded herself as the mistress of Norland Park, while her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were instead the dependent guests.However, although she treats the sisters-in-law as guests, in this way, she has to treat them with courtesy.Her husband was kind to them too, as he always was to everyone but his own wife and children.He did, with some sincerity, beg them to make Norland Park their home, and Mrs. Dashwood, as she could not find a suitable house in the neighbourhood, could think of no other better way, so she Accept his invitation and live there.

Nothing could be more agreeable to Mrs. Dashwood than to be in a place where every part of her could remind her from time to time of her former joys.When she is happy, no one is as happy as she is, and no one is as optimistic as she is always looking forward to the arrival of happiness, and to her, anticipation itself seems to be a kind of happiness.However, when she is sad, she can't help herself, just like when she is happy, she can't help herself. When she is sad, she will become more and more sad, so that she can't get rid of it.

Mrs. John Dashwood disapproved of her husband's contribution to his sisters.Scraping three thousand pounds from their dear darling's fortune would make him pauper.She asked him to think again.How could he be so heartless and so worthy of taking such a large sum of money from his own child, and the only son?The three Dashwood sisters, who were only his half-sisters, were not, in her opinion, any kind of relations at all, and what right had they to receive such a large sum of money from his generosity?Everyone knows that half-children have always had no feelings for each other, but why would he want to entrap himself, entrap their poor little Harry, and give his property to those half-sisters? ?
"My father charged me on his deathbed," replied the husband, "to help his widow and his daughters."

"I bet he's talking nonsense, nine times out of ten he's out of his mind by then. If he was in his right mind he couldn't have dreamed up something like that and begged you to take it from your own child." Take out half of your property and give it away for nothing."

"My dear Fanny, he didn't set a specific amount, but asked me in general to help them and make them better off than he could do himself. Perhaps he might as well put this kind of Leave everything to me. He would never think that I would ignore them. But since he asked me to make a promise, I couldn't refuse, at least that's what I thought at the time. So I agreed , and if you promise, you have to do it. No matter when they leave Nolan Manor and settle in another place, I must help them a little bit."

"Well, then, do them a little favor; but it doesn't take three thousand pounds to do them that little favor. Just think," she went on, "that once the money is sold, it never comes back. Once your younger sisters get married in the future, won't the money be wasted? However, if the money can be returned to our poor baby..."

Her husband became very serious, and said: "Oh, really, it would be terrible if that happened. When Harry grows up and knows we throw away such a large amount of money, he will resent us." .And once he has more people in the future, if he has this money, it will be of great use.”

"That's for sure."

"Or perhaps it would be better for all of us to halve the amount. What they have now, and the five hundred pounds we have given them, would be an astonishingly great fortune to them."

"Oh, it's so big that there is no comparison. Which brother in the world would take care of his sister like this? Even if he is a real brother and sister, which brother would be willing to pay such a large sum of money for his sister? What's more, you are actually just different people. Mother, brother and sister! You are so generous!"

"I've never disliked stingy things," replied the husband. "It's better to give generously and generously than to be too stingy. At least no one will say that I have treated them badly; There will be no more arguments."

The wife said: "God knows how much they want. But it doesn't matter how much they want. The question is how much you can give."

"Yes. I think I can still afford five hundred pounds each. In fact, even if I don't give any money, they can get more than three thousand pounds each when their mother dies. What kind of young For a girl, it is quite a fortune."

"Who's to say otherwise! In fact, it seems to me that they don't need extra subsidies at all. They have ten thousand pounds to share equally. If they are married, they must live well. Even if they are not married, the three of them Living together and living on the ten thousand pounds interest, they can live comfortably together."

"Yeah, so looking at the whole thing, I think it's better to help their mother while she's alive than to help them; I mean, like giving her an annuity or something. And my sisters will get the good of it. Give her a hundred pounds a year, and they'll all be very well off."

However, his wife was a little hesitant about the plan and did not immediately agree."Of course," she said, "it's better than fifteen hundred pounds all at once. But if Mrs. Dashwood lives another fifteen years, we're at a great loss."

"Fifteen years! My dear Fanny, she won't live half that time."

"Of course not. But look carefully, if a man can get a little pension, he will live forever; and she is strong and healthy, not yet forty. Pensions are not easy things." , give it year after year, and you won't be able to stop it when the time comes. You don't know what you're going to do. I know exactly how troublesome it is to give people an annuity. My father's will is You can't imagine how much it bothers my mother to have to pay three annuities every year to three retired old servants. The annuities are paid twice a year, and It took a lot of trouble to send it to them. Later I heard that one of them died, but later found out that there was no such thing. My mother was very troubled by this. Her property has been looted for such a long time, where is her income? Is it still my own? Otherwise, the money is not all my mother’s, and I can use it as I want? This way, it will appear that my father is too ruthless to my mother. Therefore, I hate the annuity to the core. Whoever pays an annuity, I will never do such a self-imposed thing.”

"A man's income is consumed in this way year after year," said Mr. Dashwood, "of course it is not a pleasant thing to do. Your mother is right. The property is not in one's own hands. When the annuity comes, the To spend a prescribed amount of money is certainly not a good thing: it takes away a person's autonomy."

"No. What's worse, you are not flattering. They think that they can get the money when it is due, and take it safely, but you just did what you should do, and there is nothing worthy of their gratitude. If I were you , no matter what you do, you must be completely up to yourself. I will not be bound by myself to give them some pension. Maybe in some years, we will squeeze out a hundred pounds or even fifty pounds from our own expenses. It's very difficult."

"My dear, I think you're right. It's better not to have an annuity in this matter. It's much better for me to give them some money now and then to help them out than an annuity. Because if there is more money, they will They will feel that their income has increased and they have something to rely on. In this way, they will only become extravagant. At the end of the year, there will be no money left. This is the best way. Give them fifty pounds occasionally to avoid They are embarrassed for want of money, and besides, I can fully fulfill my promise to my father."

"Of course. To be honest, I have always felt that your father never meant you to give them money. I dare say that when he said help, he just expected you to do something reasonable, such as take care of them. Find a nice little house, and help them with their stuff, and when the season comes, send them some fish and game, and so on. I'll bet my life he doesn't mean anything else. Otherwise , that would be really grotesque and unreasonable. My dear Mr. Dashwood, you only have to think how much better your stepmother and her daughters would live on the interest on that seven thousand pounds. Comfortable. Very comfortable. Besides, each girl has a thousand pounds, which brings fifty pounds a year to each of them. Of course, they have to pay for their mother's board and lodging out of it. The four Together, the women will have an income of five hundred pounds a year. Isn’t this enough for their expenses? No matter how much they want, what is the use? Their daily life can’t cost much! There will be some domestic expenses. They don't need a carriage, they don't need horses, they don't need servants; they never see strangers, they don't have any company, they don't have any expenses! Look how comfortable they must be! Five hundred pounds! I can't imagine how they could spend half that money. It's absurd to think you're going to give them some more. In terms of money, they should give you something more or less. .”

"Oh! indeed," said Mr. Dashwood, "I believe you are quite right. My father asked me to do no more than what you say. I see now that I Strictly fulfill my promise according to what you said, help them, do some good things, and take care of them. When my mother moves, I will try my best to help her settle the house happily. Give her some small household items and the like, probably these things will be welcomed."

"Yes," replied Mrs. John Dashwood, "but you have to take into account that, when your parents moved to Norland Park, they sold all their furniture at Stanhill, where they were at home. All the china, crockery, linens, etc., have been left, and all these things are now in your mother's hands. So, when she moves, her house must be full of splendor."

"How thoughtful you are. Those are family heirlooms indeed! It would be lovely to send us some gold and silver vessels."

"That's right. The china tableware is much more beautiful than the ones in our house. I don't think such beautiful things will fit in a room they can afford. But let's not worry about it." , who makes things so unfair. Your father only cares about them. And I'll tell you the truth: you don't owe your father anything, don't take into account his last wishes, because obviously, if he If I can do it, I will definitely leave everything to them."

This argument is indisputable.If Mr. Dashwood had hesitated before, he made up his mind at once after hearing this.He finally decided that, according to his wife, it was enough to be helpful to his father's widow and daughter as he was to his neighbors;

(End of this chapter)