steventon, tuesday (december 18).
my dear cassandra,—your letter came quite as soon as i expected, and so your letters will always do, because i have made it a rule not to expect them till they come, in which i think i consult the ease of us both.
it is a great satisfaction to us to hear that your business is in a way to be settled, and so settled as to give you as little inconvenience as possible. you are very welcome to my father's name and to his services if they are ever required in it. i shall keep my ten pounds too, to wrap myself up in next winter.
[38]
i took the liberty a few days ago of asking your black velvet bonnet to lend me its cawl, which it very readily did, and by which i have been enabled to give a considerable improvement of dignity to cap, which was before too nidgetty to please me. i shall wear it on thursday, but i hope you will not be offended with me for following your advice as to its ornaments only in part. i still venture to retain the narrow silver round it, put twice round without any bow, and instead of the black military feather shall put in the coquelicot one as being smarter, and besides coquelicot is to be all the fashion this winter. after the ball i shall probably make it entirely black.
i am sorry that our dear charles begins to feel the dignity of ill-usage. my father will write to admiral gambier. he must have already received so much satisfaction from his acquaintance and patronage of frank, that he will be delighted, i dare say, to have another of the family introduced to him. i think it would be very right in charles to address sir thomas on the occasion, though i cannot approve of your scheme of writing to him (which you communicated to me a few nights ago) to request him to come home and convey you to steventon. to do you justice, however, you had some doubts of the propriety of such a measure yourself.
i am very much obliged to my dear little george[39] for his message,—for his love at least; his duty, i suppose, was only in consequence of some hint of my favorable intentions towards him from his father or mother. i am sincerely rejoiced, however, that i ever was born, since it has been the means of procuring him a dish of tea. give my best love to him....
wednesday.—i have changed my mind, and changed the trimmings of my cap this morning; they are now such as you suggested. i felt as if i should not prosper if i strayed from your directions, and i think it makes me look more like lady conyngham now than it did before, which is all that one lives for now. i believe i shall make my new gown like my robe, but the back of the latter is all in a piece with the tail, and will seven yards enable me to copy it in that respect? . . .
i have just heard from martha and frank: his letter was written on november 12. all well and nothing particular.
j. a.
miss austen,
godmersham park, faversham.
