I think that Edmund is irritated about the fuss about "out and not out" made by society... and sees it as a superficial thing, as TOm and Mary C make out, a matter of young women's dress bieng different and then the girls being encouraged to push themselves forward in what he problaby sees as an immodest way to catch husbands..

For him, Fanny is "grown up".. without any of this palaver...

but I think that he's not all that exercised about "what happens to her".. and does not see that for a girl, marriage is important unless she has a great fortune and even then a single woman has a more restricted lifestyle... but I think that that does not really worry him. I dont know if it is true that Sir T intended entirely to depend on Mrs Norris providing for Fanny and leaving her her money when she dies, I think he originally meant to make some provision for her, himself (and he probably thought that Mrs N would also "chip in" since she seemed to be the one who wanted Fanny at Mansfield..). but as time has gone by I think that he's become totally blind to Mrs N's faults, (if he ever knew them) and he has also rather let Fanny slip to the back of his mind.. and he has financial problems so he is relieved to let her "disappear" from his radar... and as long as the problems continue, he's not that worried about her... SHe may say "catch" a husband, a not very well off one like a curate, and he mgiht fork out a litlte money... or better still she can be a companion and helper to Lady B and if he thinks that far ahead, he will probably leave her a small annuity....enough for a "poor relation" but not really the "provision for a gentlewoman" that he originally intended...