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
to any education. Her manners are as unaffected and pleasing as ever.
She had heard from her mother to-day. Mrs. Craven spends another
fortnight at Chilton. I saw nobody but Charlotte, which pleased me best.
I was shown upstairs into a drawing-room, where she came to me; and the
appearance of the room, so totally unschoollike, amused me very much: it
was full of modern elegances.
Yours very affec^{tly},
J. A.
FOOTNOTE:
[17] The present Lady Pollen, of Redenham, near Andover, then at a
school in London.
XLIV.
SLOANE STREET, Monday (May 24).
MY DEAREST CASSANDRA,--I am very much obliged to you for writing to me.
You must have hated it after a worrying morning. Your letter came just
in time to save my going to Remnant's, and fit me for Christian's, where
I bought Fanny's dimity.
I went the day before (Friday) to Layton's as I proposed, and got my
mother's gown,--seven yards at 6_s._ 6_d._ I then walked into No. 10,
which is all dirt and confusion, but in a very promising way; and after
being present at the opening of a new account, to my great amusement,
Henry and I went to the exhibition in Spring Gardens. It is not thought
a good collection, but I was very well pleased, particularly (pray tell
Fanny) with a small portrait of Mrs. Bingley,[1] excessively like her.
I went in hopes of seeing one of her sister, but there was no Mrs.
Darcy.[18] Perhaps, however, I may find her in the great exhibition,
which we shall go to if we have time. I have no chance of her in the
collection of Sir Joshua Reynolds's paintings, which is now showing in
Pall Mall, and which we are also to visit.
Mrs. Bingley's is exactly herself,--size, shaped face, features, and
sweetness; there never was a greater likeness. She is dressed in a white
gown, with green ornaments, which convinces me of what I had always
supposed, that green was a favorite color with her. I dare say Mrs. D.
will be in yellow.
Friday was our worst day as to weather. We were out in a very long and
very heavy storm of hail, and there had been others before, but I heard
no thunder. Saturday was a good deal better; dry and cold.
I gave 2_s._ 6_d._ for the dimity. I do not boast of any bargains, but
think both the sarsenet and dimity good of their sort.
I have bought your locket, but was obliged to give 18_s._ for it, which
must be rather more than you intended. It is neat and plain, set in
gold.
We were to have gone to the Somerset House Exhibition on Saturday, but
when I reached Henrietta Street Mr. Hampson was wanted there, and Mr.
Tilson and I were obliged to drive about town after him, and by the time
we had done it was too late for anything but home. We never found him
after all.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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