Learn English through story ★ Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

chapter one a new home about 30 years before our story begins miss maria ward a young lady with only about 7 000 pounds of her own was lucky enough to catch the eye of a rich baronet he was sir thomas bertram of mansfield park a large country house in northamptonshire about 80 miles north of london he fell in love with her and married her and she became lady bertram with a fine house and plenty of money however her two sisters although pretty did not manage to find husbands as good as hers sadly there are more lovely women in the world than rich men to marry them her older sister married a poor clergyman mr norris sir thomas kindly offered mr norris the living of mansfield so mr and mrs norris began their married life at the parsonage near the great house the younger sister francis chose an even worse husband a young officer in the navy and because she knew her sisters would not accept him in the family she did not tell them until after her wedding lady bertram who preferred a quiet life was too lazy to do anything much about it but mrs norris could not rest until she had written a long letter to francis now mrs price to tell her how stupid she had been mrs price wrote back angrily saying bitter things about mrs norris lady bertram and sir thomas and his unnecessarily high opinion of himself mrs norris felt unable to keep this reply to herself how could francis say those terrible things about you and dear sir thomas she said sadly to lady bertram i knew her letter would make you both unhappy but i felt it was my duty to inform you of it and from then on there was a cold silence for some years between lady bertram and mrs price who lived many miles away and moved in very different social circles however interestingly mrs norris continued to hear from her younger sister and almost every year she told the bertrams in an angry voice really it's too bad of her francis has had another child by the end of 11 years mrs price had a large family of eight children and would soon have a ninth it seemed her husband was well enough to go drinking with his friends but couldn't earn enough money to keep his family and they were very poor now mrs price was sorry that she had cut herself off from her sisters so she wrote a letter to lady bertram asking for help sir thomas and lady bertram were happy to reply they sent money and baby clothes often mrs norris said to sir thomas and lady bertram when she visited them in the evenings i wish we could do more for my poor sister she has so many children per thing and soon she had an idea her oldest daughter is a girl of nine or so why shouldn't we the three of us offered to take care of her she could live with us at mansfield that would be a great help to poor francis lady bertram agreed at once but sir thomas said seriously if we take her away from her family we must take care of her well and that will cost quite a lot of money and there are my sons to think of i wouldn't want them to fall in love with the girl mrs norris did not wait for him to finish my dear sir thomas i do understand you always so ready to think of other people i completely agree with you it may be expensive but as i have no children of my own i'll be only too pleased to help and you know your sons will see her as their sister so there'll be no danger there of course i'll never love her as i love your own dear dear children but after all she is my poor sister's child and i feel i must help her as long as i have a bit of bread to give her so it was agreed and mrs norris wrote to mrs price who accepted the offer sir thomas was ready to pay for it all while mrs norris who talked so often about how kind and generous she was was hoping to pay nothing her love of money was as great as her love of managing people and she found saving her own money as easy as spending other people's the day before the little girl whose name was fanny price was expected to arrive sir thomas was surprised to learn that mrs norris was unable to take the girl at the parsonage poor mr norris is so ill at the moment she said shaking her head sadly that i'm very much afraid a child's noise would be bad for him of course when he gets better if he gets better i'll be happy to take care of her so it was decided that fanny price would live at mansfield park with her aunt and uncle their two sons and two daughters the sons edmund and tom were tall good-looking young men of 16 and 17 while the daughters maria and julia were beautiful well-grown girls only a year or two older than fanny they all had their own opinions liked talking and were much more sure of themselves than little fanny from the moment she arrived at the great house so different from her parents small one she was afraid of everybody ashamed of herself and very unhappy she missed her family and could not say a word without crying but she spoke so little that nobody noticed how miserable she was then one day edmund the younger son found her sitting crying on the stairs [Music] my dear little cousin he said gently what can be the matter are you ill how can i help you nothing no thank you it is very good of you all to have me here she whispered still crying you miss your family i'm sure he said smiling yes i do but most of all my brother william he's the oldest in my family you know and my greatest friend it's so hard to be away from him and poor little fanny started crying all over again he'll write to you i'm sure said edmund kindly yes he promised to but he told me to write first and when will you do that she looked away from him and said unhappily i don't know i don't have any paper if that's the only problem i can give you paper would it make you happy to write to william yes very well then come with me to the breakfast room he sat her down at her desk and found some paper and stayed with her while she wrote her letter with his own hand he generously added his love to his cousin william which pleased fanny even more and then he called a servant to take it to the post from this day on edmonds continued kindness to fanny made her feel happier the place became less strange to her and the people there less frightening she learned to play with maria and julia to read and talk to edmund and not to mind aunt norris too much mansfield park became her home and edmund became her favorite person there she loved him better than anybody in the world except her older brother william but would her happiness last chapter 2 ideas of marriage [Music] five or six years after fannie arrived at mansfield park mr norris died and mrs norris now a widow had to move from the parsonage into another house in the village a new clergyman dr grant took the living and moved into the empty parsonage with his young wife sir thomas thought it was a good time for fanny to go and live with mrs norris when fanny heard about this she was very unhappy but there was no need for her to worry because her aunt had no intention of giving her a home mrs norris had been careful to choose a very small house so when lady bertram asked about fanny mrs norris was able to reply my dear sister i'm an unhappy helpless woman now widowed in poor health and with only a little money to live on i couldn't possibly have fanny to live with me and really you know i haven't a bed to give her because i must keep a spare room for a friend no friends had ever come to stay at the parsonage but mrs norris now felt the need of a spare room for a friend very strongly so to her great delight fanny stayed at mansfield park and life went on as pleasantly as before about a year later sir thomas began to worry about his business interests in antigua in the west indies so he decided to travel there to find out what was happening it was his intention to go on the journey with his oldest son tom to take him away from the circle of careless friends with whom he usually spent most of his time and lots of the family's money they would be away for nearly 12 months the miss bertrams were not sorry to see their father go they felt that they were now free to enjoy themselves that autumn and winter they were invited to all the parties and balls in the country towns around them and were very popular with the young men lady bertram was too lazy to go with her daughters but luckily mrs norris was happy to take her sister's place fanny was not invited by anybody she did not expect it but she made herself very useful to lady bertram while the rest of the family were out she enjoyed the quiet evenings by the fire listening to her aunt and reading to her then when her cousins returned she loved to hear all about the parties and the balls who did edmund dance with was the first question that she always asked in the spring edmond noticed that fanny was not looking well he decided that she was spending too much time indoors so he bought a new horse for her to use and after that fanny rode out every [Music] morning she was delighted with the horse but even more delighted with edmund's kindness she could not find the words to tell him how grateful she was by now mrs norris had managed to introduce her favorite niece maria to mr rushworth one of the richest young men in the country he was not very intelligent and was no good at making conversation but he looked pleasant enough he had seen the beautiful maria and thought he was in love maria who was almost 21 was beginning to think that it was time to marry as mrs rushworth she would have a larger income than her father as well as a townhouse in london so she felt that it was her duty to marry mr rushworth if she could mrs norris did her best to help things along how delightful it will be to see dear maria well married she thought and how grateful dear sir thomas and lady bertram will be to me soon maria and mr rushworth were engaged to the delight of both their families edmund was the only one who did not like his sister's future husband he often said to himself if rushworth didn't have an income of 12 000 a year we'd all think him very stupid when tom arrived home from antigua soon afterwards he brought with him a letter from sir thomas the letter gave sir thomas's consent to maria's choice of husband asking only that maria and mr rushworth should not marry until he returned home in the summer in july when fanny had just had her 18th birthday two new people henry and mary crawford arrived in the village because they were the younger brother and sister of mrs grant the new clergyman's wife they came to stay at the parsonage for a time henry owned a large house and land in another part of the country while mary had an income of twenty thousand pounds a year mary was very pretty and her brother was really charming mrs grant had a plan which she discussed with her sister mary who could be a better husband for you than tom bertram sir thomas's oldest son mary liked the idea very much although she pretended to laugh at her sister's choice and then added mrs grant i'd like henry to marry julia the younger miss bertram she'll make him very happy i'm sure my dear sister said mary smiling if you can persuade henry to think of marriage you are cleverer than half the women in england he has broken so many hearts the miss bertrams liked mary crawford at once and they liked her brother even more before henry had been at mansfield a week julia was ready for him to fall in love with her and maria although she was engaged clearly enjoyed spending time with him henry himself did not want them to die of love but he just could not keep away from these two beautiful girls he persuaded himself that they could take care of themselves well enough when they were with him mary crawford soon decided that mrs grant's plan for her was a sensible one both edmund and tom were fine looking men but she felt she liked the oldest son best it was no surprise to her she often did prefer the oldest son in a family when tom's father died the young man would become sir thomas a baronet with his own country house and gardens and a large income she thought she would consent to marry him but in a few days he was leaving mansfield to spend time with some friends at the horse races perhaps before he left he would ask her to be his wife [Music] chapter 3 falling in love [Music] when tom bertram left mansfield for the horse races he had still not said anything about marrying anyone mary crawford felt sure she would miss his good-looking face and amusing conversation that evening the grants and the crawfords were invited to dinner at mansfield park mr rushworth maria's fiancee was also there for the first time since the crawford's arrival he had recently returned from a visit to a friend's house and could not stop talking about it i wish you could see it he said i never saw a place so changed in all my life i think that now the gardens are some of the finest in the country when i got back to my house southerton court you know i felt very low it looked just like a prison a miserable old prison oh really mr rushworth cried mrs norris southerton court is far from a prison it's the most wonderful old place in the world mr rushworth shook his head sadly smith that's my friend you know had a man called repton to help him plan all the changes i think i'd better have him to help me at southerton he costs five guineas a day how right you are cried mrs norris an excellent choice and what is five guineas daily after all i always say the cost doesn't matter if the man really knows his job smith's place is so much better than before mr rushworth continued everyone says so i think i shall have repton mr rushworth can do as he pleases of course said edmund politely but i think i'd prefer to make my own mistakes and plan my garden myself mary crawford listened what a stupid man mr rushworth is she thought but edmund is so sensible mr bertram she said turning brightly towards edmond i have news of my harp it has arrived safely at northampton and tomorrow henry who was always so generous and kind is going to fetch it for me the harp is my favorite instrument miss crawford edmund replied i hope you will soon let me hear you play i've never heard the harp at all said fanny i would love to hear it too i shall be most happy to play for you both replied mary with a charming smile and so the evening ended [Music] the next morning edmund asked fanny eagerly what do you think of miss crawford i like her very much she talks amusingly and she's so pretty yes what a lovely face what intelligent conversation it was clear that edmund admired mary crawford greatly and in the next few days his admiration for her grew still greater the harp arrived and he went every day to the parsonage to hear his favorite instrument played beautifully a pretty clever young woman like mary crawford playing a harp as fine looking as herself near a door opening onto a garden in summer was enough to catch any man's heart [Music] mary realized to her surprise that she had begun to look forward to edmond's visits she did not know why because he was only a younger son and he did not try to flatter her but she liked to have him near her that was enough fanny did not wonder that edmund visited the parsonage every day she was sorry that she herself did not see him so often now but she did feel hurt when edmund asked if miss crawford could borrow her horse the horse which he himself had generously bought for her to use mary had decided to learn to ride and edmund wished to teach her fanny gave her consent but she knew this was an opportunity for edmund and miss crawford to spend even more time together at first edmond began with good intentions he kept miss crawford's riding lessons short so that he could return the horse to fanny for her daily exercise but soon mary crawford wanted to ride for a longer time and for the next four days the miss bertrams the grants the crawfords and edmund rode round the countryside all day the weather was very hot but the riders were able to keep cool by keeping under the trees and out of the sun and they greatly enjoyed themselves when edmund returned to mansfield park one very warm evening he looked round the sitting room and said where's fanny i'm here called a soft voice from a dark corner at the other end of the room where she was sitting on the sofa what are you doing over there on the sofa fanny you lazy girl said mrs norris crossley come and do some sewing at the table with us you should learn to think of your duty to other people before she had finished speaking fannie was at the table working at her sewing edmond looked closely at her fanny he said i'm sure you have a headache well yes edmund but it's not very bad really did you go out today when it was so hot indeed she did edmund said lady bertram she was cutting flowers for me in the garden and then she had to walk twice to the village and back for mrs norris what cried edmund walking as well as cutting flowers in this heat of course she has a headache fanny should take more exercise said mrs norris angrily she hasn't been riding for four days now and if she doesn't ride she should walk she is not as strong as you are mom replied edmund he said no more but brought a glass of wine to fanny and made her drink most of it as a medicine to bring the color back to her face he was angry with his mother and aunt but still angrier with himself he was ashamed to think that for four days she had not been able to take her usual exercise because he had thought only of miss crawford's wishes fanny went quietly upstairs to bed in her dark corner of the sitting room the ache in her heart had been much greater than the ache in her head now edmund's kindness in bringing her that wine had made her so happy that she could not think very clearly chapter 4 a visit to southerton fanny was out riding the next day when mr rushworth and his mother arrived they came to invite the bertrams and the crawfords to visit southerton court mr rushworth hoped they would give him ideas for improving his gardens [Music] mrs norris was very excited we shall be delighted to accept my dear mrs rashworth she said eagerly our two dear girls edmund and myself that is lady bertram cannot come she gets tired so easily but fanny will stay and be her companion edmund turned to his mother i don't suppose mom that you wish to stop fanny enjoying herself he asked well no replied lady bertram slowly but i need her at home with me you won't need her if i stay with you i know fanny would really like to see southerton and she doesn't often get what she wants mrs norris was very cross at this change to her plan but luckily mrs grant offered to be lady bertram's companion for the day so edmund could join the party on the day of the visit the miss bertrams mrs norris miss crawford and fanny were driven by henry crawford in his carriage while edmund rode his horse to southerton fannie was very happy to look silently out of the carriage windows at the beautiful countryside she was not like mary crawford whose only interest was in people and who preferred talking but they were like each other in one way they both kept their eyes on the road looking out for edmond and when they saw his horse both of them cried there he is at the same moment mr rushworth welcomed his guests to southerton they at a light meal and then mrs rushworth showed them round the many rooms of the house finally they reached the old chapel the family and servants used to say their prayers here in the past said mrs rushworth but my husband decided it wasn't necessary to continue with this that was an improvement said miss crawford with a smile to edmund well i'm sorry it was stopped cried fanny bravely it's a fine thing when a whole family says their prayers together very fine indeed said miss crawford laughing just think how the daughters of the family hated getting up early and saying their prayers in this cold chapel i'm sure they had no choice in the matter and i don't suppose the poor clergyman was even worth looking at there was a short silence fanny reddened and felt too angry to speak edmund was just going to reply when julia called to them do look at mr rushworth and maria they're standing side by side in front of the altar all ready for their wedding henry crawford had noticed this too he went closer to maria and said in a voice which only she could hear i don't like to see you so near the altar she whispered a reply to him julia continued how unlucky that you aren't ordained yet edmund you could marry them here and now miss crawford's face lost all its color when she heard this ordained she said to edmund what are you going to be a clergyman yes soon after my father returns from antigua i'm sorry i spoke of clergyman with so little respect by now they all seemed to feel they had been in the chapel long enough and decided to go out into the gardens henry crawford maria and mr rushworth started discussing possible improvements in the flower garden while miss crawford edmund and fanny walk towards a small wood mrs rushworth and mrs norris walked more slowly behind them all and poor julia had to walk with these older ladies she wanted so much to escape to the flower garden miss crawford said to edmund i'm surprised that you're going to be a clergyman mr bertram why are you surprised miss crawford because as a clergyman you will never be rich or well known in the world a clergyman is nothing i think a clergyman has an important job to do helping people see what's right and what's wrong would you call that nothing come change your plans mr bertram it's not too late you really could do something better i'm afraid you can't persuade me miss crawford there was a silence after a moment fanny said gently if you don't mind i'd like to sit down when we come to a seat my dear fanny cried edmund taking her arm at once i'm so thoughtless i hope you aren't very tired would you take my other arm miss crawford the three of them walked on to the next seat where fanny sat down to rest but edmund and mary crawford wanted more exercise so they walked on into the wood promising to return very soon twenty minutes passed then maria her fiance and henry crawford came up to fanny's seat nearby there was a gate into the park but it was locked maria and henry were eager to enter the park and they persuaded mr rushworth to return to the house to fetch the key while he was away they managed to push their way round the side of the gate and walked quickly off together into the park fanny was surprised at their bad behavior when mr rushworth came back with the key to the gate he was very cross to discover that maria and henry had not waited for him he hurried after them into the park leaving fanny alone again finally she decided to go and search for edmund and miss crawford she found them sitting happily under a tree and realized sadly that edmund had not missed her at all soon it was time for everyone to return to the house for dinner conversation seemed a little difficult only maria bertram and henry crawford had plenty to say and on the way home in the evening there was silence in the carriage as mr rushworth's guests thought long and hard about their day chapter five the play several days after the visit to southerton a letter from sir thomas in antigua reached mansfield park the miss bertrams were sorry to learn from it that their father would be home soon november was the black month fixed for his return julia would no longer be free to go to parties when she wished and maria poor maria when her father returned she would have to marry the man she had chosen as her husband mr rushworth she could not bear to think of it november is three months away she said to herself hopefully anything could happen between now and then miss crawford heard the news that evening at mansfield park how happy mr rushworth looks today she said to edmund he's looking forward to november but i can't help thinking mr bertram that your sister is sacrificing herself to marry him not at all replied edmund with a serious smile she decided to accept him herself oh yes i know i was just joking she's doing what any young woman would do and i'm sure she'll be very happy but what about you mr bertram are you sacrificing yourself you mean by being ordained i can promise you no one has persuaded me to do it it's my own wish it's lucky isn't it that your father has a good living ready for you which you'll be able to take i suppose you think that has influenced my choice i'm sure it hasn't cried fanny who was listening to their conversation thank you for thinking well of me fanny but perhaps it did influence me a little i don't think that's wrong a man can still be a good clergyman it doesn't matter if he has a comfortable income but why not go into the army or the navy asked mary crawford eagerly you'd live the exciting dangerous life of a brave officer people would invite you to all the fashionable parties what kind of life is a clergyman's he just reads the newspaper watches the weather and quarrels with his wife the only thing he's really interested in is his dinner do you know any clergyman like that miss crawford i do my sister's husband dr grant is most kind to me but i'm afraid he's just like the clergyman i've described to you my poor sister how can she bear it i am sorry to hear that edmund replied fanny what can we say how can we persuade miss crawford to agree with us dr grant is still an excellent clergyman even if he is sometimes a little cross said fanny there are many army and navy officers i'm sure who enjoy their food and argue with their wives well miss price said mary crawford laughing i hope you never marry a clergyman who quarrels with you every day there's no man alive who could often quarrel with fanny said edmund smiling kindly at his cousin just then miss crawford was called by the miss bertrams to play the piano for them as mary walked over to the instrument edmund's eyes followed her in admiration how well she walks he said to fanny how amusing and charming she is how generously she gives her time to others fanny felt she had to agree edmund stood next to her for a short while but he kept looking towards the ladies at the other end of the room soon he too went to join his sisters round the piano fanny was left alone looking sadly out of the window at the stars in the sky in august tom bertram arrived home again he was as good-looking as ever but mary crawford realized she was no longer interested in him it's stupid of me of course she thought crossly but i really don't want to marry him now although he'll be a baronet one day henry crawford often visited mansfield park where he spent as much time with maria as with julia both young women were flattered and each thought she was his favorite fanny was worried by this behavior and spoke to edmund about it but he told her there was no danger of maria falling in love with mr crawford because she was engaged to mr rushworth don't worry about it fanny edmund added so fanny tried hard not to think about it anymore a friend of tom bertram's called john yates came to stay for a few days at mansfield park he was a fashionable young man who had nothing to do except spend his father's money at a house where he had recently stayed the family and their guests had acted in a play yates had enjoyed this very much and now suggested that they should do the same at mansfield park the young people accepted his idea with delight tom bertram as the head of the family while sir thomas was away offered the use of any room in the house but edmund did not like the plan at all and later he spoke quietly to tom about it surely tom you can't want to amuse yourself by acting when our father is away on a dangerous journey and what about maria we must be careful of her good name she's engaged to mr rushworth and shouldn't be alone with any other unmarried men you're so serious edmund laughed tom it's just a bit of fun rushworth himself is making no difficulty about it i know our father wouldn't like it edmund said i know him as well as you do edmund take care of your own business and i'll take care of the rest of the family don't act yourself but don't expect to decide for other people i have no intention of acting myself tom walked out of the room fanny who had heard it all and who agreed with edmund said to him perhaps you can use your influence with the others to stop it happening but edmund was not hopeful the next day he tried to persuade his sisters that it was a bad idea but both were eagerly looking forward to acting in the play lady bertram did not mind what her children and guests did as long as they did not wake her from her afternoon sleep mrs norris was pleased that she was needed to help with the costumes henry and mary crawford also wanted to act in the play none of them could understand what edmund was worrying about soon the group of actors had chosen a play called lovers promises maria took the part of the beautiful agatha an unmarried woman with a secret love in her past and henry crawford took the part of frederick agatha's clever only son who wants to help her meet and marry her old lover these two started rehearsing at once and for the next few days were often seen whispering together in quiet corners of the house other parts were discussed and finally accepted even fannie was offered a small part but she knew she would hate acting and refused mary crawford took the part of amelia another beautiful woman in the play but there was a problem who would act the part of her lover a clergyman called anholt edmund was asked but he refused so tom suggested inviting a young man who lived in the next village to be ann holt that evening edmund came to find fanny this acting gets worse and worse he said what an unsuitable play they've chosen it's all about love and lovers and now they're going to bring in a stranger to act with my sisters and miss crawford but what can we do fanny asked there is only one thing to do i must take the part of anholt and then miss crawford won't have to act with a stranger what do you think fanny fanny did not know what to say i'm sure she will be very pleased she began there i knew you'd agree with me thank you dear fanny i'll go and tell the others at once and before fanny could tell him her real opinion he hurried eagerly out of the room how strong miss crawford's influence on him is thought fanny miserably he will do anything for her for the next few days the house was full of noise and people workmen came to build a stage in sir thomas's library and servants ran here and there to obey tom's orders the actors rehearsed morning and evening and fanny helped mrs norris with the sewing of the costumes the worst moment for fanny came when edmond and miss crawford asked her to help them rehearse their love scene at first she felt flattered to be of help but soon she saw the way they looked at each other as they spoke their words it's only a play she told herself but oh i don't think they're acting and that night she cried herself to sleep in her small bedroom the next evening there was going to be a full rehearsal in costume in front of lady bertram mrs norris the grants and fanny they were all waiting for the play to begin when suddenly julia ran into the room our father is here she cried he's in the hall at this moment [Music] chapter 6 mr crawford's plan sir thomas was in the house it was a moment of horror for all in the room what will he say about the play was the question they were all thinking henry and mary crawford decided this was a good time for them to return to the parsonage and left the house unnoticed yates stayed in the library while everyone else went into the hall to welcome home the head of the family sir thomas was delighted to be home again he asked how all his family were there seemed to be no danger of his finding out about the play just then but suddenly he said i'm sorry to leave you all like this but i really must go and take a look at my library i missed having my own quiet room in antigua and before they could say a word he was gone fearing the worst they all followed they found him staring in horror at the stage at the costumes thrown untiedly over the chairs and at yates who was loudly rehearsing his part tom stepped forward to introduce yates to his father who clearly did not think highly of his son's friend yates took the opportunity to explain all about the play he was not intelligent enough to notice that behind sir thomas's back the others were trying to stop him talking about it sir thomas listened politely but his face was serious he said nothing at the time but the next day he spoke to edmund there will be no more acting in this house he said the stage must go and mrs norris can give the costumes away i can only say how sorry i am sir said edmund unhappily i knew it was wrong but i was persuaded to agree to it but fanny has always respected your wishes don't be angry with her sir thomas accepted edmund's apology and said no more to any of his children but he did speak to mrs norris about it i am surprised that you gave your consent to this play acting he said for the first time in her life mrs norris did not know what to say well you see sir thomas well then she thought of a way of changing the subject your daughters wanted to act so of course i agreed ah how lucky that i made it my business to bring dear maria and mr rushworth together it was all my doing you know sir thomas when i saw his admiration for maria i helped things along in every possible way and now the dear young couple are happily engaged you must thank me for that sir thomas yes i am sure we are all very grateful to you mrs norris replied the baronet quickly in order to stop her saying any more about it evening was quieter than usual at mansfield park maria was worried she was expecting henry crawford to ask her to marry him in her opinion he had shown he loved her while they were acting together mr rushworth had gone home to southerton and she hoped he would not need to return but a whole day had passed and henry had stayed away at last he arrived and with delight she saw her father talking to the man she loved but her happiness did not last long after speaking to sir thomas henry told tom he was going to visit an uncle in bath he said goodbye to them all and was soon gone so ended all the hopes of maria and julia bertram the next day yates left and sir thomas was pleased to see him go but the baronet had other worries by now he had discovered what a very stupid young man mr rushworth was and he wondered how maria really felt about her fiance maria he said kindly to her if you no longer wish to marry mr rushworth just tell me thank you sir replied maria after only a moment's thought but i have the greatest respect for mr rashworth and every intention of marrying him now that she had no hope of marrying henry crawford she was determined to escape from mansfield park and her father's influence marrying mr rushworth seemed to her now the best way of doing that her father accepted her answer as an honest one and hoped that mr rushworth would improve as he got older [Music] two months later maria bertram married mr rushworth at southerton church the young couple moved to brighton a town on the south coast for several weeks julia was invited to join them because maria needed a more interesting companion than her husband the two sisters enemies when charming mr crawford had been around were close friends once more fanny was now the only young woman at mansfield park the family began to notice her and listen to her opinions far more than before she was also welcomed warmly as a guest at the parsonage mrs grant was finding it difficult to keep her sister mary amused during the long wet autumn so she often invited fanny one day mrs grant happened to invite edmund to dinner that evening and then remembered fanny would you like to come too miss price she asked kindly fanny was surprised and embarrassed no one had invited her to dinner before but edmund persuaded fanny to accept he now had to use his influence with his mother to let fanny go out that evening but how will i manage without her asked lady bertram mrs norris will be with you mom i'm surprised that mrs grant should ask fanny at all sir thomas did not think it's surprising nothing in my opinion could be more natural mrs grant is showing politeness to our niece of course fanny should go mrs norris was very cross when she heard of the plan well fanny you should be very grateful to mrs grant for inviting you and to your aunt for letting you go make sure you don't talk too much don't think you're anyone important and if it rains it looks like a wet evening to me don't expect to have the carriage fannie agreed with everything her aunt said and when sir thomas said to her later fanny what time would you like the carriage she was very surprised my dear sir thomas cried mrs norris red with anger fanny can walk walk repeat it sir thomas i can't expect my niece to walk to a dinner party at this time of year will 20 past four suit you fanny yes sir fanny whispered unnecessary much too kind said mrs norris when sir thomas had left the room but edmund is going so it's for him i suppose but fanny knew in her heart that the carriage was for her and she felt very grateful to her uncle on the way to the parsonage edmund looked kindly at fanny and admired her dress it's very pretty fanny hasn't miss crawford got one like it for a moment fanny felt sad but she was pleased at least that edmund liked her dress the evening went well for her the grants and their guests enjoyed talking so she was able to look around her and listen henry crawford had just arrived for another visit he tried to talk to fanny about the play but she was determined not to have a conversation with him she wanted to hear what edmund was saying to dr grant about the living he would soon take up i'll be ordained in a few weeks edmund was saying just then fanny noticed mary crawford's face it had lost all its color she hates the idea of him becoming a clergyman thought funny he and she could never be happy together the evening ended with a pleasant drive home in the carriage and fanny had much to think about as she went to bed the next morning henry crawford said to his sister i've decided to stay here a few weeks longer mary ah to walk and ride with me i hope i'll be happy to do that but i have a more important plan i want to make fanny price fall in love with me fanny price really henry you ought to be satisfied with her two cousins but i can't be satisfied without her you haven't realized how much she's improved in the last six weeks she's beautiful now but even if i do my best to flatter her she doesn't smile at me oh she's so different from all the other girls i've met i'm determined to make a small hole in her heart well don't make her really unhappy henry she's a sweet girl and a dear friend of mine [Music] in the next few days henry tried very hard to make fanny like him and although fanny had not forgotten his bad behavior in the past she was ready to be polite to him but she had someone else to think of her brother william who was now in the navy his ship had returned to england and sir thomas had invited him to stay at mansfield park soon her dear brother was actually there with her fanny cried when she first saw him and spent most of her time at his side sir thomas was pleased with william who was a fine looking honest respectful young man all the family listened in admiration as william described the dangers of life at sea henry crawford watched fanny and saw that her lovely eyes never left her brother's face what a girl he thought if i can only make her fall in love with me he tried harder than ever to please fanny even sir thomas who was usually too grand to notice these things began to think that mr crawford was interested in his niece one day sir thomas was listening to a conversation between fanny and william i don't know if i'll ever get a commission fanny william was saying sadly but i must become an officer if i'm to have a real future in the navy oh my dear william don't be sad i'm sure our uncle will help you get a commission if he can do you like dancing fanny yes very much but i get tired quickly i'd like to see you dance don't you ever have any balls around here then he noticed sir thomas was nearby and asked him is fanny a very good dancer sir fanny was very embarrassed but her uncle said calmly i'm afraid i haven't seen fanny dance since she was a child i have had the pleasure of seeing your sister dance mr price said henry crawford who was also listening but i can't tell you about it in front of everyone because i know she doesn't like people talking about her in fact henry crawford had only seen fanny at a ball once and he could not really remember very clearly how fanny had danced there but his polite and charming words made sir thomas feel sure he admired fanny and that gave the baronet an idea [Music] the next day he told his family that he was giving a ball at mansfield park for fanny and william fanny thought it was almost too great an honor my first ball she thought i'll dance with william and edmund i hope but i'll have to talk to so many important people and everyone will look at me and what shall i wear but when the day of the ball arrived fanny really began to enjoy herself she wore a new dress and round her neck she wore a cross which william had given her on a chain which edmund had given her presents from the two people who were dearest in the world to her another chain which mary crawford had given fanny to wear an old present from henry lay upstairs in fanny's room still in its box [Music] the ball went much better than she had expected she had to dance with henry crawford but he spoke politely and gently to her and she realized how much his behavior had improved sir thomas felt very proud of his niece and he was sure that mr crawford was in love with her it's just a question of time before he asks to marry her he thought chapter 7 a proposal of marriage the day after the ball henry crawford went to london on business william returned to his ship and edmund went to stay with a friend mr owen for a few days mary crawford found she missed edmund very much when a week passed with no news of his return she decided to ask fanny about him are you surprised that your cousin is staying so long at mr owens she said as likely as she could not really replied fanny but mr owen has three daughters i hear i expect they are all very pretty perhaps they sing well and play the piano the harp or some other instrument i know nothing of the miss owens replied fanny calmly i shall have to leave mansfield soon myself i'm sorry i won't see your cousin again before i leave fannie's honesty made her say you know that people here will miss you greatly miss crawford waited for more but when fanny was silent she said with a laugh oh well anyone who wants to see me will be able to find me there was another short silence i don't wander at the miss owens a baronet's youngest son is somebody important even if he is a clergyman what do you think miss price do you think your cousin edmund will marry soon no i don't said fanny softly hoping she was right her companion looked happier at this and changed the subject [Music] that evening mary's brother returned from london the first thing he did was to visit mansfield park why were you there so long mary asked him crossly when he finally arrived at the parsonage i didn't want to leave any earlier fanny looked so lovely i must tell you mary i am determined to marry fanny price mary's surprise soon changed to pleasure lucky lucky girl she cried and you will have the sweetest little wife who will be very grateful to you does she know yet no what are you waiting for take the first opportunity to propose to her henry she will never have the heart to refuse i will mary [Music] the next morning henry was at mansfield park again much earlier than the usual visiting hour luckily for him he found fanny alone my dear miss price he said it is with great delight that i bring you this news i have here a commission for your brother william would you like to see it fanny could not speak but took the papers with a shaking hand while she read them crawford said this was my reason for going to london so you have done this cried fanny how very very kind how did you manage it my uncle is an admiral you know admiral crawford and i told him about your brother he agreed that william would make a fine officer so he spoke to all the right people and the result is this commission he took fanny's hand i wanted to help your brother miss price but i had another reason for doing it i'm sure you can guess it at first fanny did not understand what he meant but soon it became all too clear everything i've done has been for you miss price i've never felt a love as strong as this before say that you like me say that you love me i offer myself my hand my heart my fortune to you fanny did not think he was serious no no no she cried hiding her face don't say anymore i know it's all untrue you're only flattering me you don't really feel for me in that way she pulled away from him and ran out of the room she felt very confused and hoped mr crawford would never speak to her again like that he's probably talked of love like that to 50 other women she told herself but there was one thing at least she could be happy about in all of this william was going to be an officer at last [Music] the next morning fanny woke early i hope mr crawford and his sister will leave mansfield soon she thought then my worries will be at an end but when she looked out of her sitting room window she saw mr crawford coming to the house why has he come so early she wondered she was determined to stay in her room and not to talk to him after half an hour or so there was a heavy step outside her sitting room and her uncle entered my dear fanny mr crawford has visited me this morning i have pleasure in telling you he greatly admires you and proposes to marry you i must say he's an excellent young man with a very fine fortune he's in the library and is hoping to see you there oh no sir i cannot see him cried fanny wildly mr crawford knows i told him yesterday i don't want to hear his proposal sir thomas was very surprised do you mean fanny that you're going to refuse mr crawford yes sir for what reason may i ask i i do not like him enough to marry him sir this is very strange replied sir thomas coldly here is a young man who is well known to us who is liked by everybody and who moves in the best social circles i cannot understand why you do not like him fanny said nothing i can't explain about mr crawford's true character she thought because it means telling him about maria's and julia's bad behavior up to now i've had a very good opinion of you fanny her uncle went on i thought you were a good respectful girl but now i'm disappointed in you you're thinking only of yourself what about your family they want you to make a good marriage and to help them if you can you seem ungrateful to me all these years lady bertram and i have taken care of you it is your duty to respect our wishes you will never have a better proposal than this and i think you should accept it but fanny sobbed and sobbed saying she could never accept mr crawford sir thomas began to feel sorry for her when he saw how miserable she was he went downstairs to the library to tell mr crawford that fanny was not ready to accept his proposal yet in the next few days fanny had much to bear mr crawford repeated his proposal to her and although she explained to him that they could never be happy together he was still determined to persuade her in time sir thomas told fanny there was no question of making her marry against her wishes she must decide for herself many surprises were waiting for edmund when he returned home the first was seeing miss crawford he had expected her to be in london by now she welcomed him with delight and this made him feel more hopeful again he was also very pleased to hear of williams commission which all the family were talking about but the greatest surprise was henry crawford's proposal of marriage sir thomas asked edmund to use his influence with fanny to persuade her to accept dear fanny edmund said to her later the next day i know you're worried about crawford's proposal i think it's a very honest one but of course you should refuse him if you really can't love him oh edmund i'm so happy to hear you say that i thought you were against me like your father no fanny but think of this crawford really loves you and wants to make you happy let him succeed fanny oh never he will never persuade me we are so very different well i think it may sometimes be good to have a husband and wife who see things differently fanny knew he was thinking of himself and mary crawford i must say cousin she said that i don't like his character i haven't thought well of him since the play he made both maria and julia think he was in love with them don't think of that time fanny we were all doing wrong then think of crawford's warm heart he will make you a happy woman fanny but you you will make him a good man it's what his sister wants too she speaks so lovingly of you fanny fanny was too tired and miserable to reply she could not bear to hear edmund speak admiringly of miss crawford perhaps he'll propose to her before she leaves mansfield she thought sadly [Music] chapter 8 a family visit [Music] the day after edmond returned to mansfield mary crawford came to visit fanny in her small sitting room upstairs fanny was afraid that mary would be angry with her for refusing her brother henry's proposal of marriage but instead of talking about that mary looked around her dreamily it was here in this room that we rehearsed our love scene your cousin edmund and i she said softly i shall never forget those happy moments oh why must such times pass fanny's face coloured as she too remembered then mary shook herself and said with a smile i feel sure that you and i will be sisters fanny you're closer to me than all my fashionable london friends good gentle fanny i hate to leave you fanny felt the influence of these loving words and gave a small sob don't cry fanny oh i wish you could see how angry half the young women in london are now that henry's in love with you soon you'll decide you love him won't you fanny he loves you with all his heart and remember he got your brother's commission oh yes i am most grateful to him for that said fanny feelingly well i must leave you now dear fanny write to me in london i expect i'll see your cousin edmund there [Music] it was over and mary had not guessed fanny's love for edmund the crawfords left mansfield the following morning on the same day fanny's brother william arrived for a 10-day holiday so she was able to forget about mr crawford for a while but sir thomas did not want her to forget him he had a plan which he hoped would persuade her to think more kindly of mr crawford's proposal he suggested that when william returned to his ship in portsmouth fanny should travel with him and spend some time with her family there she has lived in a very comfortable home for the last few years he thought perhaps she'll have a better opinion of mr crawford and his income after staying with her family and seeing how poor people live fannie agreed to the plan with delight and looked forward to seeing her dear family again everyone liked the idea except lady bertram i don't know how i'll manage without fanny she said but i can be your companion my dear sister offered mrs norris and so it was decided in a few days time fanny and william were on their way the journey took two days and by the time they arrived at the price's small house in portsmouth they were both very tired [Music] fanny's mother welcomed her warmly but her younger brothers and sisters did not remember her well she was left in a dark corner of the sitting room while the boys ran around shouting and the girls argued among themselves mrs price and her servant were busy packing the clothes that william was taking back to his ship mr price spoke a few words to fanny but soon returned to reading his newspaper fanny felt disappointed and miserable no one seemed interested in her what a home it was an untidy little house in a back street full of noisy quarreling children with a dirty looking servant who did not obey orders her mother could not control her large family and looked tired her father often swore in a loud voice and smelt of alcohol fanny thought sadly of mansfield park her kind uncle and aunt the beautiful rooms the well-cooked meals the polite servants the intelligent conversation i miss it all so much she said to herself but as the days went by she began to get used to her new life she spent much of her time with her fourteen-year-old sister susan this young girl had realized how much was wrong at home and was trying to put things right fanny found she had a good influence on susan and under her care her young sister improved greatly together they read books did their sewing and talked about all kinds of things time passed and fanny tried not to think about mr crawford's proposal seven weeks after her arrival in portsmouth a letter from edmund arrived mansfield park my dear fanny i am back at home now less hopeful of marriage than before has miss crawford told you of her feelings for me don't worry i won't ask you to tell me but i like the idea that she and i both have you as a friend that we both love you i spent three weeks in london and saw her often i'm afraid her fashionable friends have a bad influence on her they've persuaded her that a woman needs to marry for money and a high social position but i can't give her up fanny she's the only woman in the world whom i could ever think of as my wife i think she has real goodness but she hides it with her playful behavior perhaps i'll explain myself by writing to her i can't live much longer without knowing how she feels i had dinner at the rushworth's house they don't seem to be an unhappy couple and julia is enjoying london very much mr yates visits her from time to time i shall write to miss crawford yours ever dearest fanny edmund fanny could not control herself she sobbed bitterly as she read his letter he can't give her up oh he'll marry her and be poor and miserable all his life the only woman in the world he could ever think of as his wife oh edmund more bad news arrived a few days later in a letter from lady bertram she told fanny that tom bertram had fallen from his horse while on a visit to the races after a lot of drinking two friends had carried him to another friend's house and had left him there with only servants to take care of him he had caught a fever and was now seriously ill sir thomas had gone in a carriage to fetch him and tom was now safely back at mansfield park but the doctor said that his life was in great danger chapter 9 news from london about a week after she heard about tom's fall and illness fanny received a second letter from edmund he told her that tom's fever had gone but that he was still very seriously ill edmund was spending most of his time by tom's bedside and when she read these words fanny loved edmond all the more for his care of his brother she noticed sadly that even in these difficult times mary was not far from edmond's thoughts at the end of the letter edmund had written in my last letter i wrote to you about my feelings for miss crawford well i started to write to her but i fear the influence of her friends if she asks them what she should do they'll persuade her against me so i've decided that when tom is better i'll go to london and speak to her there myself [Music] the weeks passed and tom's health improved painfully slowly fanny hoped that when easter came her uncle would send a carriage to fetch her it would soon be almost three months that she had been away from mansfield park she knew how useful she could be there playing cards with lady bertram to amuse her reading to poor sick tom listening to mrs norris taking messages from one end of the house to another she longed to be there with all the family now she realized that portsmouth was just portsmouth but mansfield park was home but easter was very late this year and there was still no word from her uncle i suppose he's too worried about tom to think of me she thought miserably but what about tom's sisters they don't seem worried at all it's easy for them to travel but they both prefer to stay in london then a few days later fanny received a letter from mary crawford it said london my dear fanny i write to ask you how things are at mansfield park of course this is a worrying time for tom bertram's family people here are saying that he's in danger of dying is that true i need not say how pleased i shall be if there has been any mistake now don't smile like that fanny i promise you i've never bribed a doctor in my life it's always sad when a young man dies but i can't help thinking that sir edmund would do more good with the bertram fortune than his older brother sir tom write to me by return of post with your answer i need to know as soon as possible henry tells me he's visited maria rushworth who's spending the easter holiday with some friends her husband is away at the moment now don't be jealous henry loves only you and he's wild to see you again dear fanny if you want to return to mansfield park just let me know henry and i can take you there in his carriage and stay a few days at the parsonage it will be no trouble and we can see our friends at mansfield park i think edmund would be in london if tom weren't ill don't you agree yours ever marry fanny was disgusted by this letter it showed the true characters of both henry and mary crawford in the clearest possible light mary had a cold-hearted interest in money and social position she was suddenly eager to marry edmund if he became a baronet and had a large fortune bribing a doctor thought fanny in horror how can she joke about that kind of thing and talk so lightly of tom's death and henry was continuing his bad behavior with maria now a married woman far from feeling jealous fanny was disappointed in him she had thought his character was improving there was no difficulty about her reply she wrote a few short lines describing honestly the seriousness of tom's illness and politely refusing ms crawford's offer to take her back to mansfield she knew she must wait for her uncle to decide when she should return fanny thought miss crawford would write again to ask for more information and to repeat her offer sure enough a week later she received a second letter from mary as she opened it she was surprised to see how short it was this was the letter london dear fanny a most unpleasant rumor has reached me and i'm writing now to warn you not to listen to it if it reaches you i expect there is some mistake and in a day or two it will all be clear i'm sure henry has done nothing wrong maybe his head was turned for a moment but i know he thinks of no one except you don't say a word to anyone about this don't even whisper it until i write again it will all quieten down and the only thing that people will remember about it all is that mr rushworth was so stupid perhaps they've gone to mansfield park and perhaps julia is with them but why didn't you let us fetch you from portsmouth i hope you aren't going to regret it yours ever mary fanny looked up from her reading in horror no unpleasant rumor had reached her so she did not fully understand this strange letter she could only guess that something very bad had happened what could it be she wondered is it the rush worths who've gone away and what has mr crawford done oh dear this rumor will worry them all at mansfield park i really hope mary writes again soon i must know what's happened [Music] chapter 10 two more weddings the next day came but there was no letter for fanny either from mary crawford or from mansfield park fanny was very disappointed she could think of nothing but that strange and terrible rumor that mary had talked about what could it be in the afternoon her father brought the daily newspaper home fanny sat in the hot dirty sitting room with a headache while he read it suddenly he said what's the name of your rich cousins in london fanny rushworth sir well they're very fine people to be sure it says here that mrs rushworth has left her husband's house it seems she's run away with a mr crawford what will the great sir thomas think of that there must be some mistake cried fanny but when she read the report herself she knew it was true she was too shocked and disgusted to say any more now she understood miss crawford's letter clearly now she could see her own earlier mistake about who had gone away it was not mr and mrs rushworth it was mrs rushworth and henry crawford she did not sleep that night maria married for only six months and henry who said he loved me it's terrible she thought feverishly the bertrams will be so miserable so thomas will feel the disgrace very strongly and edmund poor edmund she could not bear to think of his feelings there was no more news for two days but on the third day she received a letter from edmond mansfield park dear fanny i expect you have heard by now about maria and mr crawford but i have more bad news to tell you julia has eloped with mr yates my father wishes you to return home to be a comfort to my mother at this difficult time he invites your sister susan to come with you i'll be in portsmouth the morning after you receive this to bring you both to mansfield park don't ask me to describe my feelings yours ever edmund fannie was surprised and shocked to hear about julia but the good news was that she would see edmund the next day and return to her dear mansfield park she now had a lot to do telling susan and her parents about the invitation packing clothes for both of them and getting everything ready for the journey she was almost able to forget for a while the horror of what maria rushworth and henry crawford had done edmund arrived early the next morning for a moment he held fanny in his arms saying dearest fanny my only sister my only comfort now she noticed sadly how ill and unhappy he looked soon all three of them were on their way with susan in the carriage there was no opportunity to talk about maria julia or the crawfords it was a silent journey edmund kept his eyes closed most of the time fannie looked eagerly out of the window at the road which was bringing her closer to mansfield park susan was looking forward excitedly to her first visit to the great house when they arrived at mansfield park it was clear how miserable everyone there was mrs norris was really the unhappiest of them all maria was her favorite and the marriage to mr rushworth was the result of her work so this disgrace was almost too much for her to bear unusually for her lady bertram was also miserable but she received fanny back into the family with delight and welcomed susan very kindly fanny was able to be a great comfort to her aunt again once they had fully discussed the terrible business fannie helped her aunt to think of other subjects of conversation soon lady bertram became karma fanny also saw how unhappy her poor uncle was he had been to london to try to find maria but with no success mr rushworth was very angry and wanted a divorce he was determined that maria should never enter his house again sir thomas had other worries too julia's disgrace was less than maria's but in his opinion she had chosen a useless young man to elope with what will happen if yates refuses to marry her he thought then there was tom who had been shocked by maria's behavior and whose illness had recently got worse and finally sir thomas was worried about edmund he knew his younger son was in love with miss crawford and had no chance of happiness with her now fanny herself was worried about edmund too is he still in love with miss crawford she wondered it was fully two days before he began to talk to her on the subject if you don't mind my dear fanny i want to tell you what happened at my last meeting with her he said it will be a great relief to talk about it when i went to london with my father to find maria miss crawford asked me to visit her so i did i thought she'd be ashamed of her brother's behavior but oh funny she wasn't she spoke of it lightly she even joked about it she called henry and maria stupid that's all and wished you'd agree to marry him fanny i know i was confused before but my eyes have been opened i see now what kind of character she has what happened next asked fanny she longed to know how the conversation had ended she went on to say that henry must give you up of course she hoped to persuade him to marry maria edmund stopped and it was some time before he could speak again in my reply i told her we would never want maria to marry a man like henry crawford i told her how much she'd hurt me i hadn't realized how different her opinions were from mine she has no understanding of honor and no idea of the disgrace to our family i said that perhaps it was all for the best i had less to regret in giving her up i must say she looked surprised and a little embarrassed at that she said goodbye to me in a laughing careless way and i left the room just then i heard her voice behind me mr bertram she said i looked round and saw her playful smile inviting me back i walked on i have since but only for a moment regretted that i didn't go back but i know i was right thank you for listening fanny this has been the greatest relief to me from now on fanny was happy to be at home again happy to be useful happy to be safe from henry crawford she was happier still that edmund now understood mary crawford's true character sir thomas knew he had made mistakes as a father he had never taught his daughters to think of others or to do always what was right the result was that they did not seem to know their duty to the church their family or their social position but there was some good news of julia she and mr yates were actually married and she was really sorry for her behavior sir thomas accepted her apology and once he'd got used to the idea he decided that mr yates wasn't a bad husband for his younger daughter after all he was also happier about tom who was now in good health again tom's character had improved since his illness and maria's disgrace he no longer thought only of himself and had become a real help to his father but there was no easy answer to the problem of maria mr rushworth got his divorce but mr crawford did not in the end want to marry her sir thomas refused to have her back under his roof so he decided to buy a small house for her in the country far from mansfield and mrs norris went to live with her there the baronet thought the two women would punish each other more than enough very soon edmund stopped regretting mary crawford and started thinking about a very different kind of woman he realized there was someone who was already very dear to him who would make a far better wife for him than miss crawford he had no difficulty in persuading fanny to accept his proposal she had loved him since she was 10 and her wedding day was the happiest time of her life sir thomas was highly satisfied with the wife his son had chosen taking fannie into my home to bring her up all those years ago was the best thing i ever did he told himself proudly she's a better daughter to me than my own girls even lady bertram was persuaded to manage without fanny because she now had young susan to fetch and carry for her [Music] when dr grant died edmund was able to take the living at mansfield he and fanny moved into the parsonage close to mansfield park with true love and a good income and many friends the young couple were as happy as any young couple could be [Music] you

Channel: Enjoy English

Views: 103,203

Rating: 4.8199153 out of 5

Keywords: Enjoy English, English Stories, English story, Learn English through story, learn English through stories, English stories with subtitle, conversation, listening practice, speaking practice, listen and repeat, học tiếng Anh qua truyện, learn English, học tiếng Anh, truyện tiếng Anh, Historia inglesa, Histoire anglaise, Английская история, 英語故事, 영어 이야기, イングリッシュストーリー, Angla rakonto, अंग्रेजी कहानी, audio book, Mansfield Park, Jane Austen, story level 3

Id: Ny1ysnGLvSY

Length: 106min 8sec (6368 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 16 2020