 in anticipation which she ought to have had, or must
have been supposed to have, by the many young ladies looking forward to the same
event in situations more at ease, but under circumstances of less novelty, less
interest, less peculiar gratification than would be attributed to her. Miss
Price, known only by name to half the people invited, was now to make her first
appearance, and must be regarded as the Queen of the evening. Who could be
happier than Miss Price? But Miss Price had not been brought up to the trade of
coming out; and had she known in what light this ball was, in general,
considered respecting her, it would very much have lessened her comfort by
increasing the fears she already had, of doing wrong and being looked at. To
dance without much observation or any extraordinary fatigue, to have strength
and partners for about half the evening, to dance a little with Edmund, and not
a great deal with Mr. Crawford, to see William enjoy himself, and be able to
keep away from her aunt Norris, was the height of her ambition, and seemed to
comprehend her greatest possibility of happiness. As these were the best of her
hopes, they could not always prevail; and in the course of a long morning, spent
principally with her two aunts, she was often under the influence of much less
sanguine views. William, determined to make this last day a day of thorough
enjoyment, was out snipe shooting; Edmund, she had too much reason to suppose,
was at the Parsonage; and left alone to bear the worrying of Mrs. Norris, who
was cross because the house-keeper would have her own way with the supper, and
whom she could not avoid though the house-keeper might, Fanny was worn down at
last to think every thing an evil belonging to the ball, and when sent off with
a parting worry to dress, moved as languidly towards her own room, and felt as
incapable of happiness as if she had been allowed no share in it.
    As she walked slowly up stairs she thought of yesterday; it had been about
the same hour that she had returned from the Parsonage, and found Edmund in the
east room. - »Suppose I were to find him there again to-day!« said she to
herself in a fond indulgence of fancy.
    »Fanny,« said a voice at that moment near her. Starting and looking up she
saw across the lobby she had just reached Edmund himself, standing at the head
of a different staircase. He come towards her. »You
