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I often have little questions like this while reading but I wonder if anyone will answer this one:
In the first part of the book, around the first fourth or so, it is mentioned that, though Edmund is bound for the church, and soon, that somehow Tom's carelessness and extravagance have prevented Edmund from taking a better church position and that Edmund must wait a bit now to take a position, and that the father is cross because of it but cannot do anything.
I thought in the reading I may eventually understand it but still don't as the point seems dropped. I'm midway through now, and Edmund is about to leave to become ordained and will then set up in Thornton Lacey and it seems the position will be, if not great, nice and well off enough for someone in the church, and there's no other mention of this being his second-best church option but rather is insinuated as his only real church option.
So what I wonder is what position was Edmund unable to take because of his brother and why. What I don't understand is how it was prevented. Because it was said earlier that Edmund should take a position sooner to make money sooner and help out the family. But then at this point it's said that he can't take a position presumable because of a shortage of money in the family. So it's contradictory.
Was it the parsonage at Mansfield? It mentions that Sir Thomas could've installed an old friend to temporarily occupy it until Edmund is ready, but then instead they give it to Dr. Grant who seems ready to stay for a long while.
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