Courtesy and Contempt

Chapter 9-2

From that day on, Esther felt more comfortable. She felt like she had a boyfriend, and the kindness of her cousin?? Edmund gave her a better mood with everyone else. The place became less strange and people less scary; and if there were some of them that she could not stop fearing, at least she began to know her ways and understand the best way to adapt to them. The little rusticity and awkwardness, which at first had painfully affected the peace of everyone and not least herself, inevitably subsided, and she was no longer materially afraid of appearing in front of her uncle, nor did the voice of her aunt Norris frighten her much. For her cousins ?? she occasionally became an acceptable companion. Although he is unworthy of being their constant partner due to his age and strength, their pleasures and plans were sometimes such that they made a third party very useful, especially if that third was of a pleasing, indulgent temperament; and when her aunt asked her about her mistakes or her brother Edmund pointed out her kindness, they had to admit that "Esther was good-natured enough."

Edmund himself was consistently friendly; and she had nothing worse to endure on Tom's part than the kind of cheerfulness that a young man of seventeen with a ten-year-old child will always find fair. He just came to life, full of joie de vivre and with all the liberal dispositions of an eldest son who feels born only for cost and pleasure. His kindness towards his little cousin corresponded to his situation and his rights: he gave her some very nice gifts and laughed at her.

As their appearance and mood improved, Sir Thomas and Mrs. Norris thought of their benevolent plan with greater satisfaction; and it was soon decided between them that, although far from wise, she showed a docile disposition and would probably cause them little trouble. A mean opinion about their abilities was not limited to them. Esther could read, work and write, but she had not been taught more; and since her cousins found her ignorant of many things they had been familiar with for a long time, they thought she was amazingly stupid and constantly brought new reports about it to the salon for the first two or three weeks. "Dear Mom, just think, my cousin can't put together the map of Europe – or my cousin can't say the main rivers in Russia – or she's never heard of Asia Minor – or she doesn't know the difference between watercolors and crayons! – How strange! – Have you ever heard such a stupid thing?"

"My dear," her caring aunt would reply, "it's very bad, but you can't expect everyone to learn as quickly and quickly as you do."

"But, aunt, she's really that ignorant! – You know, we asked her last night what route she would take to Ireland; and she told her to translate 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 must have been ashamed if I hadn't known better long before I was as old as she was. I can't remember the time when I didn't know a lot of things that she doesn't have the slightest idea about. How long ago, Aunt, have we repeated the chronological order of the kings of England with the dates of their accession to the throne and most of the important events of their reign!"

"Yes," the other added; "and by the Roman emperors as low as Severus; also a lot of pagan mythology and all metals, semi-metals, planets and respected philosophers."

"Very true, dear ones, but you are blessed with wonderful memories, and your poor cousin probably has none at all. There are a lot of differences in the memories as well as in everything else, and therefore you have to be considerate of your cousin and regret her lack. And remember that no matter how progressive and smart you are, you should always be humble; because as far as you already know, there is much more for you to learn."

"Yes, I know that until I'm seventeen. But I have to tell you something else about Esther, so strange and so stupid. You know, she says she doesn't want to learn music or drawing."

"Of course, my dear, this is very stupid and shows a great lack of genius and imitation. But all in all, I don't know if it's not good that it is, because even though you know (thanks to me) that your dad and mom are so good at raising them with you, it's not even necessary for her to be as accomplished as you are; – on the contrary, it is much more desirable that there is a difference."

These were the advice through which Mrs. Norris helped shape the opinions of her nieces; and it is not very surprising that for all their promising talents and early information, they are completely inadequate in the less widespread appropriation of self-knowledge, generosity and humility. In everything but disposition, they were admirably taught. Sir Thomas did not know what he was missing, because although he was a really worried father, he was not outwardly loving, and the restraint of his kind suppressed the whole flow of their mood before him.

Lady Schmidt did not pay the slightest attention to the education of her daughters. She had no time for such worries. She was a woman who spent her days sitting nicely dressed on a sofa, doing a long piece of manual work, of little use and without beauty, thinking more of her pug than of her children, but very lenient towards the latter not exposing herself to any inconvenience, in all important things by Sir Thomas and in minor matters guided by her sister. If she had had more leisure for the service of her girls, she would probably have thought it unnecessary, because they were under the care of a governess, with proper gentlemen, and could not wish for anything more. As for Esther's stupidity in learning, "she can only say that it was very unfortunate, but some people had it stupid, and Esther had to put in more effort: she didn't know what else to do; and apart from being so boring, she must add that she saw nothing evil in the poor little thing and always found it very skillful and quick in delivering messages and getting what she wanted."

Esther, with all her faults of ignorance and shyness, was imprisoned in Mansfield Park, and learned to transfer much of her attachment to her former home in his favor, and did not grow unhappily there among her cousins ???? on. There was no positive discomfort with Mary or Juliet; and although Esther was often ashamed of how they treated her, she kept her own claims too low to feel hurt.

About the time of her entry into the family, lady Schmidt, as a result of a small illness and a great inertia, gave up the house in the city that she was used to inhabiting every spring, and remained completely in it the country, leaving it to Sir Thomas to fulfill his duty in Parliament, with whatever convenience that might result from her absence. In the countryside, the Miss Schmidts continued to practice their memory, practiced their duets and became tall and feminine: and their father saw how they became everything in person, manner and performance that could satisfy his fear. His eldest son was carefree and wasteful and had already caused him much discomfort; but his other children promised him nothing but good. His daughters, he said, kept the name Schmidt, must give him new grace, and he trusted that by leaving it, he would expand his respectable covenants; and the character of Edmund, his strong common sense and sincere disposition, compete most fairly for benefit, honor and happiness for himself and all his connections. He was to become a clergyman.

In the midst of the sorrows and complacency that his own children implied, Sir Thomas did not forget to do what he could for Mrs. Price's children: he generously supported them in raising and disposing of their sons when they were old enough to pursue a certain life; and Esther, though almost completely separated from her family, felt the greatest satisfaction when she heard of any kindness to them or anything promising in her situation or behavior. Once and only once over the years, she was fortunate enough to be with William. She saw nothing of the rest: no one seemed to think that she would ever go among her again, not even to visit, no one at home seemed to want her; but William, who soon after her removal realized he was becoming a sailor, was invited to spend a week with his sister in Northamptonshire before going to sea. One can imagine their zealous affection for encounters, their extraordinary joy in being together, their hours of happy cheerfulness and moments of serious discussions; as well as the confident views and moods of the boy to the end and the misery of the girl when he left her. Luckily, the visit took place during the Christmas holidays, where she was able to seek solace directly from her cousin Edmund; and he told her so ?? charming things about what William should do as a result of his profession and be in the future, which gradually led her to admit that the separation could have a benefit. Edmund's friendship never let her down: his departure from Eton to Oxford did not change his friendly inclinations and only offered more frequent opportunities to prove them. Without showing to do more than the others, or fear of doing too much, he was always faithful to their interests and considerate of their feelings, strove to make their good qualities understandable and overcome the restraint that prevented them from coming out more clearly; give them advice, comfort and encouragement.

Held back, as it was by everyone else, his only support could not move it forward; but otherwise, his attention was of paramount importance to support the improvement of their minds and expand their joys. He knew her as smart, with a quick comprehension as well as a common sense and a preference for reading, which, properly directed, had to be an education in itself. Miss Lee taught her French and heard her read the daily part of the story; but he recommended the books that delighted her leisure hours, he encouraged her taste and corrected her judgment: he made reading useful by telling her about what she read, and increased his attraction through reasonable praise. In return for such services, she loved him more than anyone else in the world except William: her heart was divided between the two.