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
Yes, we have got another fall of snow, and are very dreadful; everything
seems to turn to snow this winter.
I hope you have had no more illness among you, and that William will be
soon as well as ever. His working a footstool for Chawton is a most
agreeable surprise to me, and I am sure his grandmamma will value it
very much as a proof of his affection and industry, but we shall never
have the heart to put our feet upon it. I believe I must work a muslin
cover in satin stitch to keep it from the dirt. I long to know what his
colors are. I guess greens and purples.
Edward and Henry have started a difficulty respecting our journey,
which, I must own with some confusion, had never been thought of by us;
but if the former expected by it to prevent our travelling into Kent
entirely, he will be disappointed, for we have already determined to go
the Croydon road on leaving Bookham and sleep at Dartford. Will not that
do? There certainly does seem no convenient resting-place on the other
road.
Anna went to Clanville last Friday, and I have hopes of her new aunt's
being really worth her knowing. Perhaps you may never have heard that
James and Mary paid a morning visit there in form some weeks ago, and
Mary, though by no means disposed to like her, was very much pleased
with her indeed. Her praise, to be sure, proves nothing more than Mrs.
M.'s being civil and attentive to them, but her being so is in favor of
her having good sense. Mary writes of Anna as improved in person, but
gives her no other commendation. I am afraid her absence now may deprive
her of one pleasure, for that silly Mr. Hammond is actually to give his
ball on Friday.
We had some reason to expect a visit from Earle Harwood and James this
week, but they do not come. Miss Murden arrived last night at Mrs.
Hookey's, as a message and a basket announced to us. You will therefore
return to an enlarged and, of course, improved society here, especially
as the Miss Williamses are come back.
We were agreeably surprised the other day by a visit from your beauty
and mine, each in a new cloth mantle and bonnet; and I dare say you will
value yourself much on the modest propriety of Miss W.'s taste, hers
being purple and Miss Grace's scarlet.
I can easily suppose that your six weeks here will be fully occupied,
were it only in lengthening the waists of your gowns. I have pretty well
arranged my spring and summer plans of that kind, and mean to wear out
my spotted muslin before I go. You will exclaim at this, but mine really
has signs of feebleness, which with a little care may come to
something.
Martha and Dr. Mant are as bad as ever; he runs after her in the street
to apologize for having spoken to a gentleman while she was near him the
day before. Poor Mrs. Mant can stand it no longer; she is retired to one
of her married daughters'.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account