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
I shall be able to send this to the post to-day, which exalts me to the
utmost pinnacle of human felicity, and makes me bask in the sunshine of
prosperity or gives me any other sensation of pleasure in studied
language which you may prefer. Do not be angry with me for not filling
my sheet, and believe me yours affectionately,
J. A.
Miss AUSTEN,
Godmersham Park, Faversham.
XIII.
STEVENTON, Monday (January 21).
MY DEAR CASSANDRA,--I will endeavor to make this letter more worthy your
acceptance than my last, which was so shabby a one that I think Mr.
Marshall could never charge you with the postage. My eyes have been
very indifferent since it was written, but are now getting better once
more; keeping them so many hours open on Thursday night, as well as the
dust of the ballroom, injured them a good deal. I use them as little as
I can, but you know, and Elizabeth knows, and everybody who ever had
weak eyes knows, how delightful it is to hurt them by employment,
against the advice and entreaty of all one's friends.
Charles leaves us to-night. The "Tamar" is in the Downs, and Mr. Daysh
advises him to join her there directly, as there is no chance of her
going to the westward. Charles does not approve of this at all, and will
not be much grieved if he should be too late for her before she sails,
as he may then hope to get into a better station. He attempted to go to
town last night, and got as far on his road thither as Dean Gate; but
both the coaches were full, and we had the pleasure of seeing him back
again. He will call on Daysh to-morrow to know whether the "Tamar" has
sailed or not, and if she is still at the Downs he will proceed in one
of the night coaches to Deal. I want to go with him, that I may explain
the country to him properly between Canterbury and Rowling, but the
unpleasantness of returning by myself deters me. I should like to go as
far as Ospringe with him very much indeed, that I might surprise you at
Godmersham.
Martha writes me word that Charles was very much admired at Kintbury,
and Mrs. Lefroy never saw any one so much improved in her life, and
thinks him handsomer than Henry. He appears to far more advantage here
than he did at Godmersham, not surrounded by strangers and neither
oppressed by a pain in his face or powder in his hair.
James christened Elizabeth Caroline on Saturday morning, and then came
home. Mary, Anna, and Edward have left us of course; before the second
went I took down her answer to her cousin Fanny.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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