standards of the day, and Fanny's could be considered the worst, in that she married an uneducated man whose profession would mean that he could be gone for long periods of time and would never have much money. Mrs Norris's marriage would be somewhere between the two. I agree that she had hoped for a better match at one time -- and I also agree that a longing for children of her own may have become twisted. Children are generally seen as a desireable outcome of marriage, particularly at a time when one generally had a large family to ensure that a few children would survive to adulthood. In the 19th century a childless marriage would be considered a misfortune, and if the very fecund sister was married to a man considered to be "unworthy," that could be a real blow: "not only did she not take my advice, but she just has one child after another!" Yep, angry might very well be the outcome.