It ended in Mrs. Norris's resolving to quit Mansfield
and devote herself to her unfortunate Maria, and in an
establishment being formed for them in another country,
remote and private, where, shut up together with little society,
on one side no affection, on the other no judgment,
it may be reasonably supposed that their tempers became
their mutual punishment.
Mrs. Norris's removal from Mansfield was the great supplementary
comfort of Sir Thomas's life. His opinion of her had
been sinking from the day of his return from Antigua:
in every transaction together from that period, in their
daily intercourse, in business, or in chat, she had been
regularly losing ground in his esteem, and convincing
him that either time had done her much disservice,
or that he had considerably over-rated her sense,
and wonderfully borne with her manners before. He had
felt her as an hourly evil, which was so much the worse,
as there seemed no chance of its ceasing but with life;
she seemed a part of himself that must be borne for ever.
To be relieved from her, therefore, was so great a
felicity that, had she not left bitter remembrances
behind her, there might have been danger of his learning
almost to approve the evil which produced such a good.
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