Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility

Chapter 71: Preparing to Relocate
As soon as Mrs. Dashwood sent her reply, she could not restrain her joy in announcing to her son and daughter-in-law that she had found the house, and would not bother them as soon as she was ready to move.Hearing what she said, the two couldn't help being surprised.Mrs. John Dashwood was silent, but her husband said politely that he wished to move not too far from Norland Park.Mrs. Dashwood replied triumphantly that she was moving to Devonshire.Upon hearing this, Edward quickly turned around to look at her, and repeated, "Devonshire, where are you really going? It's so far from here! Where are you going in Devonshire?" He was surprised and concerned. Tone (this was not what she expected, she certainly understood why he was so concerned).Mrs. Dashwood gave the location, just north of Exeter, less than four miles from the city.

"It's only a cottage," she went on, "but I hope to receive many of my friends there. The house could easily add a room or two. If my friends don't come all the way If you find it inconvenient to see me, I will definitely arrange accommodation for them without any difficulty."

In the end she invited John Dashwood and Mrs. John Dashwood to Barton with great civility, and even more cordially to Edward.Although her recent unpleasant conversation with her daughter-in-law had made her resolve not to stay at Norland Park for an extra day unless absolutely necessary, the main intention expressed by her daughter-in-law in that conversation had no influence on her in the slightest.As in the past, the purpose of her moving this time was by no means to separate Edward and Eleanor, but to show Mrs. John Dashwood by inviting Edward tit for tat: "Just don't worry about this marriage. , I don't buy your account at all!"

Mr. John Dashwood repeatedly told his stepmother that the house she rented was so far from Norland Park that he could not do his best to move the furniture for her, and he was very sorry and very sorry.At this time, he really felt uneasy in his conscience. He only wanted to fulfill his promise to his father by helping out, but he didn't expect that he couldn't help even this little: all the furniture was transported away by water!The principal possessions included household linens, gold and silverware, china, books, and Marianne's beautiful piano.Mrs. John Dashwood sighed as she watched the packages go away.How could Mrs. Dashwood's possession of so much fine furniture, which was so meager in comparison with theirs, not make her feel sick?

The house, which Mrs. Dashwood had rented for a year, was fully furnished and ready for her to live in at once.The parties did not encounter any difficulties in the agreement.Mrs. Dashwood waited only to get rid of the present matter before she set off westward.She had to take care of her belongings in Nolan Manor, and she had to decide how many servants she would use at home in the future.Because she was so quick to deal with her concerns, she got those two things done in no time.The horses left by her husband were sold shortly after his death.Now there was another opportunity to dispose of the carriage, and after the earnest persuasion of the eldest daughter, she finally agreed to sell the carriage.If it had been her own wish, she would have preferred to keep the carriage, as it would make life more comfortable for the children.But Eleanor was considerate, and in the end she had to follow the eldest daughter.She also, on Eleanor's wise suggestion, reduced the number of servants to three--two maids and a man-servant, all of whom were quickly selected from her servants at Norland Hall.

The manservant and a maid were at once sent to Devonshire to make the house ready for its mistress.As Mrs. Dashwood and Mrs. Middleton are strangers, she would rather go to the cottage at once than visit Barton Park.She was so sure of Sir John's description of the house that she had no intention of going to see it for herself, until she had moved in.

She felt more and more urgent to leave Nolan Manor.Obviously, seeing that she was about to move, the daughter-in-law couldn't help feeling elated.Although she hypocritically and coldly persuaded her to move later, it was just to cover up her complacency.Now is the time for Mr. John Dashwood to honor his promise to his father.Since he failed to fulfill his responsibilities due to negligence when he first inherited the family property, now when they are about to leave may be the best time for him to fulfill his promise.But Mrs. Dashwood soon gave up, for she could hear from his words that his so-called care meant nothing more than six months of boarding them at Norland Park.He went on and on about the ever-increasing family expenses, the endless places to spend money, the immeasurable expenses faced by a person, no matter how important, and so on.These words made people feel as if he was short of money to spend, and it would be better to have more income. In this way, how could he be expected to spend money to support their mother and daughter.

Within a few weeks of the receipt of Sir John Middleton's first letter to Norland Park, the Dashwoods and Dashwoods' new home was ready and they could start their journey.

The mother and daughter did not shed a few tears as they bid farewell to this lovely place at the end. "Dear Nolan Manor," Marianne said as she wandered alone in front of the house the night before parting, "how long will it take me not to miss you? What about the land? Oh, happy homeland! I stand here and look at you now, but do you know how painful it is for me? Maybe I can never stand here and look at you again! And you, what a familiar tree , you will still be the same as yesterday. You will not have a leaf rot because we moved it away, nor a branch that will stop shaking because we can no longer look at it! I don't know whether you bring joy or sorrow to people, and I don't know what changes have taken place in the people who walk under your feet! But who will be here to enjoy watching you in the future?"

(End of this chapter)