CASTLE SQUARE, Tuesday (December 27).
MY DEAR CASSANDRA,--I can now write at leisure and make the most of my
subjects, which is lucky, as they are not numerous this week.
Our house was cleared by half-past eleven on Saturday, and we had the
satisfaction of hearing yesterday that the party reached home in safety
soon after five.
I was very glad of your letter this morning; for, my mother taking
medicine, Eliza keeping her bed with a cold, and Choles not coming, made
us rather dull and dependent on the post. You tell me much that gives me
pleasure, but I think not much to answer. I wish I could help you in
your needlework. I have two hands and a new thimble that lead a very
easy life.
Lady Sondes' match surprises, but does not offend me; had her first
marriage been of affection, or had there been a grown-up single
daughter, I should not have forgiven her; but I consider everybody as
having a right to marry once in their lives for love, if they can, and
provided she will now leave off having bad headaches and being pathetic,
I can allow her, I can wish her, to be happy.
Do not imagine that your picture of your _tête-à-tête_ with Sir B. makes
any change in our expectations here; he could not be really reading,
though he held the newspaper in his hand; he was making up his mind to
the deed, and the manner of it. I think you will have a letter from him
soon.
I heard from Portsmouth yesterday, and as I am to send them more
clothes, they cannot be expecting a very early return to us. Mary's face
is pretty well, but she must have suffered a great deal with it; an
abscess was formed and opened.
Our evening party on Thursday produced nothing more remarkable than Miss
Murden's coming too, though she had declined it absolutely in the
morning, and sitting very ungracious and very silent with us from seven
o'clock till half after eleven, for so late was it, owing to the
chairmen, before we got rid of them.
The last hour, spent in yawning and shivering in a wide circle round the
fire, was dull enough, but the tray had admirable success. The widgeon
and the preserved ginger were as delicious as one could wish. But as to
our black butter, do not decoy anybody to Southampton by such a lure,
for it is all gone. The first pot was opened when Frank and Mary were
here, and proved not at all what it ought to be; it was neither solid
nor entirely sweet, and on seeing it, Eliza remembered that Miss Austen
had said she did not think it had been boiled enough. It was made, you
know, when we were absent. Such being the event of the first pot, I
would not save the second, and we therefore ate it in unpretending
privacy; and though not what it ought to be, part of it was very good.
James means to keep three horses on this increase of income; at present
he has but one. Mary wishes the other two to be fit to carry women, and
in the purchase of one Edward will probably be called upon to fulfil his
promise to his godson. We have now pretty well ascertained James's
income to be eleven hundred pounds, curate paid, which makes us very
happy,--the ascertainment as well as the income.
Mary does not talk of the garden; it may well be a disagreeable subject
to her, but her husband is persuaded that nothing is wanting to make the
first new one good but trenching, which is to be done by his own
servants and John Bond, by degrees, not at the expense which trenching
the other amounted to.
I was happy to hear, chiefly for Anna's sake, that a ball at Manydown
was once more in agitation; it is called a child's ball, and given by
Mrs. Heathcote to Wm. Such was its beginning at least, but it will
probably swell into something more. Edward was invited during his stay
at Manydown, and it is to take place between this and Twelfth-day. Mrs.
Hulbert has taken Anna a pair of white shoes on the occasion.
I forgot in my last to tell you that we hear, by way of Kintbury and the
Palmers, that they were all well at Bermuda in the beginning of Nov.
_Wednesday._--Yesterday must have been a day of sad remembrance at
Gm.[10] I am glad it is over. We spent Friday evening with our friends at
the boarding-house, and our curiosity was gratified by the sight of
their fellow-inmates, Mrs. Drew and Miss Hook, Mr. Wynne and Mr.
Fitzhugh; the latter is brother to Mrs. Lance, and very much the
gentleman. He has lived in that house more than twenty years, and, poor
man! is so totally deaf that they say he could not hear a cannon, were
it fired close to him; having no cannon at hand to make the experiment,
I took it for granted, and talked to him a little with my fingers, which
was funny enough. I recommended him to read "Corinna."
Miss Hook is a well-behaved, genteelish woman; Mrs. Drew well behaved,
without being at all genteel. Mr. Wynne seems a chatty and rather
familiar young man. Miss Murden was quite a different creature this last
evening from what she had been before, owing to her having with Martha's
help found a situation in the morning, which bids very fair for comfort.
When she leaves Steventon, she comes to board and lodge with Mrs.
Hookey, the chemist--for there is no Mr. Hookey. I cannot say that I am
in any hurry for the conclusion of her present visit, but I was truly
glad to see her comfortable in mind and spirits; at her age, perhaps,
one may be as friendless oneself, and in similar circumstances quite as
captious.
My mother has been lately adding to her possessions in plate,--a whole
tablespoon and a whole dessert-spoon, and six whole teaspoons,--which
makes our sideboard border on the magnificent. They were mostly the
produce of old or useless silver. I have turned the 11_s._ in the list
into 12_s._, and the card looks all the better; a silver tea-ladle is
also added, which will at least answer the purpose of making us
sometimes think of John Warren.
I have laid Lady Sondes' case before Martha, who does not make the least
objection to it, and is particularly pleased with the name of Montresor.
I do not agree with her there, but I like his rank very much, and always
affix the ideas of strong sense and highly elegant manners to a general.
I must write to Charles next week. You may guess in what extravagant
terms of praise Earle Harwood speaks of him. He is looked up to by
everybody in all America.
I shall not tell you anything more of Wm. Digweed's china, as your
silence on the subject makes you unworthy of it. Mrs. H. Digweed looks
forward with great satisfaction to our being her neighbors. I would
have her enjoy the idea to the utmost, as I suspect there will not be
much in the reality. With equal pleasure we anticipate an intimacy with
her husband's bailiff and his wife, who live close by us, and are said
to be remarkably good sort of people.
Yes, yes, we will have a pianoforte, as good a one as can be got for
thirty guineas, and I will practise country dances, that we may have
some amusement for our nephews and nieces, when we have the pleasure of
their company.
Martha sends her love to Henry, and tells him that he will soon have a
bill of Miss Chaplin's, about 14_l._, to pay on her account; but the
bill shall not be sent in till his return to town. I hope he comes to
you in good health, and in spirits as good as a first return to
Godmersham can allow. With his nephews he will force himself to be
cheerful, till he really is so. Send me some intelligence of Eliza; it
is a long while since I have heard of her.
We have had snow on the ground here almost a week; it is now going, but
Southampton must boast no longer. We all send our love to Edward junior
and his brothers, and I hope Speculation is generally liked.
Fare you well.
Yours affectionately,
J. AUSTEN.
My mother has not been out of doors this week, but she keeps pretty
well. We have received through Bookham an indifferent account of your
godmother.
Miss AUSTEN, EDWARD AUSTEN'S, Esq.,
Godmersham Park, Faversham, Kent.