The chickens are all alive and fit for the table, but we save them for
something grand. Some of the flower seeds are coming up very well, but
your mignonette makes a wretched appearance. Miss Benn has been
equally unlucky as to hers. She had seed from four different people, and
none of it comes up. Our young piony at the foot of the fir-tree has
just blown and looks very handsome, and the whole of the shrubbery
border will soon be very gay with pinks and sweet-williams, in addition
to the columbines already in bloom. The syringas, too, are coming out.
We are likely to have a great crop of Orleans plums, but not many
greengages--on the standard scarcely any, three or four dozen, perhaps,
against the wall. I believe I told you differently when I first came
home, but I can now judge better than I could then.
I have had a medley and satisfactory letter this morning from the
husband and wife at Cowes; and in consequence of what is related of
their plans, we have been talking over the possibility of inviting them
here in their way from Steventon, which is what one should wish to do,
and is, I dare say, what they expect, but, supposing Martha to be at
home, it does not seem a very easy thing to accommodate so large a
party. My mother offers to give up her room to Frank and Mary, but there
will then be only the best for two maids and three children.
They go to Steventon about the 22d, and I guess--for it is quite a
guess--will stay there from a fortnight to three weeks.
I must not venture to press Miss Sharpe's coming at present; we may
hardly be at liberty before August.
Poor John Bridges! we are very sorry for his situation and for the
distress of the family. Lady B., is in one way severely tried. And our
own dear brother suffers a great deal, I dare say, on the occasion.
I have not much to say of ourselves. Anna is nursing a cold caught in
the arbor at Faringdon, that she may be able to keep her engagement to
Maria M. this evening, when I suppose she will make it worse.
She did not return from Faringdon till Sunday, when H. B. walked home
with her, and drank tea here. She was with the Prowtings almost all
Monday. She went to learn to make feather trimmings of Miss Anna, and
they kept her to dinner, which was rather lucky, as we were called upon
to meet Mrs. and Miss Terry the same evening at the Digweeds; and though
Anna was of course invited too, I think it always safest to keep her
away from the family, lest she should be doing too little or too much.
Mrs. Terry, Mary, and Robert, with my aunt Harding and her daughter,
came from Dummer for a day and a night,--all very agreeable and very
much delighted with the new house and with Chawton in general.
We sat upstairs, and had thunder and lightning as usual. I never knew
such a spring for thunderstorms as it has been. Thank God! we have had
no bad ones here. I thought myself in luck to have my uncomfortable
feelings shared by the mistress of the house, as that procured blinds
and candles. It had been excessively hot the whole day. Mrs. Harding is
a good-looking woman, but not much like Mrs. Toke, inasmuch as she is
very brown and has scarcely any teeth; she seems to have some of Mrs.
Toke's civility. Miss H. is an elegant, pleasing, pretty-looking girl,
about nineteen, I suppose, or nineteen and a half, or nineteen and a
quarter, with flowers in her head and music at her finger-ends. She
plays very well indeed. I have seldom heard anybody with more pleasure.
They were at Godington four or five years ago. My cousin Flora Long was
there last year.
My name is Diana. How does Fanny like it? What a change in the weather!
We have a fire again now.
Harriet Benn sleeps at the Great House to-night, and spends to-morrow
with us; and the plan is that we should all walk with her to drink tea
at Faringdon, for her mother is now recovered; but the state of the
weather is not very promising at present.
Miss Benn has been returned to her cottage since the beginning of last
week, and has now just got another girl; she comes from Alton. For many
days Miss B. had nobody with her but her niece Elizabeth, who was
delighted to be her visitor and her maid. They both dined here on
Saturday while Anna was at Faringdon; and last night an accidental
meeting and a sudden impulse produced Miss Benn and Maria Middleton at
our tea-table.
If you have not heard it is very fit you should, that Mr. Harrison has
had the living of Fareham given him by the Bishop, and is going to
reside there; and now it is said that Mr. Peach (beautiful wiseacre)
wants to have the curacy of Overton, and if he does leave Wootton, James
Digweed wishes to go there. Fare you well.
Yours affectionately, JANE AUSTEN.
The chimneys at the Great House are done. Mr. Prowting has opened a
gravel-pit, very conveniently for my mother, just at the mouth of the
approach to his house; but it looks a little as if he meant to catch all
his company. Tolerable gravel.
Miss AUSTEN,
Godmersham Park, Faversham, Kent.