sick of mercenary connexions , prizing more and more the sterling good of principle and temper , and anxious to bind all that remained to him of domestic felicity , he had pondered on the possibility of the two young friends finding consolation in each other ; and the joyful consent which met edmund 's request , the high sense of having realised a great acquisition in fanny for a daughter , formed a striking contrast with his early opinion on the subject when the poor little girl 's coming had been first discussed .