Miss Crawford's uneasiness was much lightened by this conversation, and
she walked home again in spirits which might have defied almost another
week of the same small party in the same bad weather, had they been put
to the proof; but as that very evening brought her brother down from
London again in quite, or more than quite, his usual cheerfulness, she
had nothing farther to try her own. His still refusing to tell her
what he had gone for was but the promotion of gaiety; a day before it
might have irritated, but now it was a pleasant joke--suspected only
of concealing something planned as a pleasant surprise to herself. And
the next day did bring a surprise to her. Henry had said he should
just go and ask the Bertrams how they did, and be back in ten minutes,
but he was gone above an hour; and when his sister, who had been
waiting for him to walk with her in the garden, met him at last most
impatiently in the sweep, and cried out, "My dear Henry, where can you
have been all this time?" he had only to say that he had been sitting
with Lady Bertram and Fanny.

"Sitting with them an hour and a half!" exclaimed Mary.

But this was only the beginning of her surprise.

"Yes, Mary," said he, drawing her arm within his, and walking along the
sweep as if not knowing where he was: "I could not get away sooner;
Fanny looked so lovely! I am quite determined, Mary. My mind is
entirely made up. Will it astonish you? No: you must be aware that I
am quite determined to marry Fanny Price."