GODMERSHAM PARK, Oct. 18.
MY DEAR AUNT CASSANDRA,--I am very much obliged to you for your long
letter and for the nice account of Chawton. We are all very glad to hear
that the Adams are gone, and hope Dame Libscombe will be more happy now
with her deaffy child, as she calls it, but I am afraid there is not
much chance of her remaining long sole mistress of her house.
I am sorry you had not any better news to send us of our hare, poor
little thing! I thought it would not live long in that _Pondy House_; I
don't wonder that Mary Doe is very sorry it is dead, because we promised
her that if it was alive when we came back to Chawton, we would reward
her for her trouble.
Papa is much obliged to you for ordering the scrubby firs to be cut
down; I think he was rather frightened at first about the great oak.
Fanny quite believed it, for she exclaimed, "Dear me, what a pity, how
could they be so stupid!" I hope by this time they have put up some
hurdles for the sheep, or turned out the cart-horses from the lawn.
Pray tell grandmamma that we have begun getting seeds for her; I hope we
shall be able to get her a nice collection, but I am afraid this wet
weather is very much against them. How glad I am to hear she has had
such good success with her chickens, but I wish there had been more
bantams amongst them. I am very sorry to hear of poor Lizzie's fate.
I must now tell you something about our poor people. I believe you know
old Mary Croucher; she gets _maderer_ and _maderer_ every day. Aunt Jane
has been to see her, but it was on one of her rational days. Poor Will
Amos hopes your skewers are doing well; he has left his house in the
poor Row, and lives in a barn at Builting. We asked him why he went
away, and he said the fleas were so starved when he came back from
Chawton that they all flew upon him and _eenermost_ eat him up.
How unlucky it is that the weather is so wet! Poor Uncle Charles has
come home half drowned every day.
I don't think little Fanny is quite so pretty as she was; one reason is
because she wears short petticoats, I believe. I hope Cook is better;
she was very unwell the day we went away. Papa has given me
half-a-dozen new pencils, which are very good ones indeed; I draw every
other day. I hope you go and whip Lucy Chalcraft every night.
Miss Clewes begs me to give her very best respects to you; she is very
much obliged to you for your kind inquiries after her. Pray give my duty
to grandmamma and love to Miss Floyd. I remain, my dear Aunt Cassandra,
your very affectionate niece,