The Letters of Jane Austen: Selected from the compilation of her great nephew, Edward, Lord BradbourneAusten, Jane
General
The Letters of Jane Austen: Selected from the compilation of her great nephew, Edward, Lord Bradbourne
Austen, Jane
Austen, Cassandra, 1773-1845; Austen, Jane, 1775-1817 -- Correspondence; Novelists, English -- 19th century -- Correspondence
By the by, as I must leave off being young, I find many _douceurs_ in
being a sort of _chaperon_, for I am put on the sofa near the fire, and
can drink as much wine as I like. We had music in the evening: Fanny and
Miss Wildman played, and Mr. James Wildman sat close by and listened, or
pretended to listen.
Yesterday was a day of dissipation all through: first came Sir Brook to
dissipate us before breakfast; then there was a call from Mr. Sherer,
then a regular morning visit from Lady Honeywood in her way home from
Eastwell; then Sir Brook and Edward set off; then we dined (five in
number) at half-past four; then we had coffee; and at six Miss Clewes,
Fanny, and I drove away. We had a beautiful night for our frisks. We
were earlier than we need have been, but after a time Lady B. and her
two companions appeared,--we had kept places for them; and there we sat,
all six in a row, under a side wall, I between Lucy Foote and Miss
Clewes.
Lady B. was much what I expected; I could not determine whether she was
rather handsome or very plain. I liked her for being in a hurry to have
the concert over and get away, and for getting away at last with a great
deal of decision and promptness, not waiting to compliment and dawdle
and fuss about seeing dear Fanny, who was half the evening in another
part of the room with her friends the Plumptres. I am growing too
minute, so I will go to breakfast.
When the concert was over, Mrs. Harrison and I found each other out, and
had a very comfortable little complimentary friendly chat. She is a
sweet woman,--still quite a sweet woman in herself, and so like her
sister! I could almost have thought I was speaking to Mrs. Lefroy. She
introduced me to her daughter, whom I think pretty, but most dutifully
inferior to _la Mère Beauté_. The Faggs and the Hammonds were
there,--Wm. Hammond the only young man of renown. Miss looked very
handsome, but I prefer her little smiling flirting sister Julia.
I was just introduced at last to Mary Plumptre, but I should hardly know
her again. She was delighted with me, however, good enthusiastic soul!
And Lady B. found me handsomer than she expected, so you see I am not so
very bad as you might think for.
It was twelve before we reached home. We were all dog-tired, but pretty
well to-day: Miss Clewes says she has not caught cold, and Fanny's does
not seem worse. I was so tired that I began to wonder how I should get
through the ball next Thursday; but there will be so much more variety
then in walking about, and probably so much less heat, that perhaps I
may not feel it more. My china crape is still kept for the ball. Enough
of the concert.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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