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
You express so little anxiety about my being murdered under Ash Park
Copse by Mrs. Hulbert's servant, that I have a great mind not to tell
you whether I was or not, and shall only say that I did not return home
that night or the next, as Martha kindly made room for me in her bed,
which was the shut-up one in the new nursery. Nurse and the child slept
upon the floor, and there we all were in some confusion and great
comfort. The bed did exceedingly well for us, both to lie awake in and
talk till two o'clock, and to sleep in the rest of the night. I love
Martha better than ever, and I mean to go and see her, if I can, when
she gets home. We all dined at the Harwoods' on Thursday, and the party
broke up the next morning.
This complaint in my eye has been a sad bore to me, for I have not been
able to read or work in any comfort since Friday; but one advantage
will be derived from it, for I shall be such a proficient in music by
the time I have got rid of my cold, that I shall be perfectly qualified
in that science at least to take Mr. Roope's office at Eastwell next
summer; and I am sure of Elizabeth's recommendation, be it only on
Harriet's account. Of my talent in drawing I have given specimens in my
letters to you, and I have nothing to do but to invent a few hard names
for the stars.
Mary grows rather more reasonable about her child's beauty, and says
that she does not think him really handsome; but I suspect her
moderation to be something like that of W---- W----'s mamma. Perhaps
Mary has told you that they are going to enter more into dinner-parties;
the Biggs and Mr. Holder dine there to-morrow, and I am to meet them. I
shall sleep there. Catherine has the honor of giving her name to a set,
which will be composed of two Withers, two Heathcotes, a Blackford, and
no Bigg except herself. She congratulated me last night on Frank's
promotion, as if she really felt the joy she talked of.
My sweet little George! I am delighted to hear that he has such an
inventive genius as to face-making. I admired his yellow wafer very
much, and hope he will choose the wafer for your next letter. I wore my
green shoes last night, and took my white fan with me; I am very glad he
never threw it into the river.
Mrs. Knight giving up the Godmersham estate to Edward was no such
prodigious act of generosity after all, it seems, for she has reserved
herself an income out of it still; this ought to be known, that her
conduct may not be overrated. I rather think Edward shows the most
magnanimity of the two, in accepting her resignation with such
incumbrances.
The more I write, the better my eye gets; so I shall at least keep on
till it is quite well, before I give up my pen to my mother.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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