Courtesy and Contempt

Chapter 1

Chapter 1The Hargrove family had long resided in Sussex. Their estate was large, and their residence was in Norland Park, at the center of their property, where they had lived for many generations in such a respectable way that they took advantage of the general good opinion of their surrounding acquaintances. The late owner of this property was a single man who reached a very old age and had a constant companion and housekeeper in his sister for many years of his life. But her death, which happened ten years before his own, brought about a great change in his house; for in order to compensate for their loss, he invited the family of his nephew Mr. Henry Hargrove, the legal heir of the Norland estate, and the person to whom he wanted to bequeath it, to his house and received it. In the company of his nephew and niece and their children, the old gentleman's days were pleasantly spent. His attachment to them all increased. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hargrove's constant attention to his desires, which arose not only from interest but also from kindness of heart, gave him every degree of firm comfort his age could receive; and the cheerfulness of the children added spice to his existence.

From a previous marriage, Mr. Henry Hargrove had a son, and three daughters from his current lady. The son, a steady, decent young man, was abundantly supplied by his mother's large fortune, half of which fell to him when he came of age. Also through his own marriage, which took place soon after, he increased his wealth. For this reason, the succession on the Norland estate was not as important to him as it was to his sisters; for their wealth could only be small, regardless of what they would be entitled to from their father's inheritance. Her mother had nothing and her father only seven thousand pounds at his disposal; for the remaining part of his first wife's fortune was also secured for her child, and he had only a lifelong interest in it.

The old gentleman died: his will was read, and like almost every other will, it brought as much disappointment as joy. He was neither so unjust nor so ungrateful as to leave his estate from his nephew – but he left it to him on terms that destroyed half the value of the legacy. Mr. Hargrove had wanted it more for his wife and daughters than for himself or son; but his son and the son of his son, a four-year-old child, were assured in this way, so as not to give themselves any power to care for those who were dear to him most and who most needed a supply from a burden on the estate or from a sale of his precious forests. The whole thing was tied up for the benefit of this child, who had hitherto won the affection of his uncle on occasional visits to his father and mother in Norland, through stimuli that are by no means unusual in children aged two or three; an imperfect articulation, a serious desire to impose his own will, many cunning tricks and much ado to outweigh the full value of all the attention he had received for years from his niece and her daughters. However, he did not want to be unkind, and as a sign of his affection for the three girls, he left them a thousand pounds each.

Mr Hargrove's disappointment was severe at first; but his temperament was cheerful and confident; and he could reasonably hope to live for many years, and by living frugally, he could provide a considerable sum from the yield of an already large estate that can be improved almost immediately. But the fortune that had come so late was his only twelvemonth year. He no longer survived his uncle; and ten thousand pounds, including the late legacies, was all that was left for his widow and daughters.

As soon as his danger became known, his son was brought in, and Mr. Hargrove recommended to him the interest of his mother-in-law and sisters with all the strength and urgency that an illness could command.

Mr. John Hargrove did not have the strong feelings of the rest of the family; but he was affected by such a recommendation at such a time, and he promised to do everything in his power to make them comfortable. His father was relieved by such an assurance, and Mr. John Hargrove then had time to think about how much was reasonably in his power to do for them.

He was not an evil-minded young man, unless being rather cold-hearted and quite selfish means being evil-minded: but in general he was very respected; for he behaved decently in the performance of his ordinary duties. If he had married a more amiable woman, he might have become even more respectable than he was: – perhaps he himself would have become amiable; for he was very young when he married and loved his wife very much. But Mrs. John Hargrove was a strong caricature of himself; – narrow-minded and selfish.

When he made his promise to his father, he meditated within himself to increase his sisters' fortune by giving him a thousand pounds each. He really thought he was. The prospect of four thousand a year, in addition to his current income, in addition to the remaining half of his own mother's wealth, warmed his heart and made him feel capable of generosity. "Yes, he would give them three thousand pounds: it would be generous and pretty! It would be enough to make it easy for them. Three thousand pounds! he could do without such a considerable sum with little inconvenience." – He thought about it all day, and many days in a row, and he does not regret.

His father's funeral was barely over when Mrs. John Hargrove arrived with her child and companions without sending her mother-in-law a message of her intention. No one could deny her the right to come; the house belonged to her husband since the death of his father; but the indecency of their behavior was all the greater, and for a woman in Mrs. Hargrove's situation, who had only common feelings, it must have been highly unpleasant; – but in YOUR opinion, such a pronounced sense of honor, such generosity was romantic that any insult of this kind, by whomever it was committed or received, was a source of unshakeable disgust for them. Mrs. John Hargrove had not been popular with any of her husband's family members; but she had not had an opportunity until now,

Mrs. Hargrove felt this indecent behavior so much and despised her daughter-in-law so earnestly that when the latter arrived, she would have silenced the house forever if she had not been her request The oldest girl first made her think about the appropriateness of walking, and her own tender love for all her three children later determined her to stay and avoid a break with her brother for her sake.

Eleanore, that eldest daughter whose counsel was so effective, possessed a strength of reason and cool judgment that, even though she was only nineteen years old, made her her her mother's counselor and enabled her to often work to the advantage of all of them, that zeal of the spirit in Mrs. Hargrove, which must have generally led to unwiseness. She had an excellent heart; their affection was loving, and their feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern her: it was a knowledge that her mother still had to learn; and one of her sisters had decided never to be taught.

Marianne's abilities were equal to eleanore's in many ways. She was reasonable and wise; but zealous in everything: their sorrows, their joys could not have moderation. She was generous, kind, interesting: she was anything but prudent. The similarity between her and her mother was strikingly great.

Eleanore saw with concern the excess of sensitivity of her sister; but it was appreciated and cherished by Mrs. Hargrove. They now encouraged each other in the ferocity of their suffering. The pain of grief that initially overwhelmed her was voluntarily renewed, sought, recreated again and again. They gave themselves completely to their grief, sought the increase of misery in every reflection it could afford, and decided not to allow any consolation in the future. Eleonore was also deeply affected; but still she could fight, she could make an effort. She was able to consult with her brother, receive her sister-in-law on her arrival and treat her with due attention; and could strive to shake her mother to similar efforts and encourage her to similar forbearance.

Margaret, the other sister, was a good-humoured, kind-hearted girl; but since she had already absorbed much of Marianne's romance without much of her mind, at thirteen she didn't want to be fair enough to do the same as her sisters at a more advanced stage of life.