 a third very useful, especially when that third
was of an obliging, yielding temper; and they could not but own, when their aunt
inquired into her faults, or their brother Edmund urged her claims to their
kindness, that »Fanny was good-natured enough.«
    Edmund was uniformly kind himself, and she had nothing worse to endure on
the part of Tom, than that sort of merriment which a young man of seventeen will
always think fair with a child of ten. He was just entering into life, full of
spirits, and with all the liberal dispositions of an eldest son, who feels born
only for expense and enjoyment. His kindness to his little cousin was consistent
with his situation and rights; he made her some very pretty presents, and
laughed at her.
    As her appearance and spirits improved, Sir Thomas and Mrs. Norris thought
with greater satisfaction of their benevolent plan; and it was pretty soon
decided between them, that though far from clever, she showed a tractable
disposition, and seemed likely to give them little trouble. A mean opinion of
her abilities was not confined to them. Fanny could read, work, and write, but
she had been taught nothing more; and as her cousins found her ignorant of many
things with which they had been long familiar, they thought her prodigiously
stupid, and for the first two or three weeks were continually bringing some
fresh report of it into the drawing-room. »Dear Mamma, only think, my cousin
cannot put the map of Europe together - or my cousin cannot tell the principal
rivers in Russia - or she never heard of Asia Minor - or she does not know the
difference between water-colours and crayons! - How strange! - Did you ever hear
any thing so stupid?«
    »My dear,« their considerate aunt would reply; »it is very bad, but you must
not expect every body to be as forward and quick at learning as yourself.«
    »But, aunt, she is really so very ignorant! - Do you know, we asked her last
night, which way she would go to get to Ireland; and she said, she should cross
to the Isle of Wight. She thinks of nothing but the Isle of Wight, and she calls
it the Island, as if there were no other island in the world. I am sure I should
have been ashamed of myself, if I had not known better long before I was so old
as she is. I cannot remember the time when I did not know a great deal that she
has not the least notion
