steventon, wednesday (january 14).
poor miss austen! it appears to me that i have rather oppressed you of late by the frequency of my letters. you had hoped not to hear from me again before tuesday, but sunday showed you with what a merciless sister you had to deal. i cannot recall the past, but you shall not hear from me quite so often in future.
your letter to mary was duly received before she left deane with martha yesterday morning, and it gives us great pleasure to know that the chilham ball was so agreeable, and that you danced four dances with mr. kemble. desirable, however, as the latter circumstance was, i cannot help wondering at its taking place. why did you dance four dances with so stupid a man? why not rather dance two of them with some elegant brother officer who was struck with your appearance as soon as you entered the room?
martha left you her best love. she will write to you herself in a short time; but trusting to my memory rather than her own, she has nevertheless desired me to ask you to purchase for her two bottles of steele's lavender water when you are in town, provided you should go to the shop on your own account, otherwise you may be sure that she would not have you recollect the request.
[83]
james dined with us yesterday, wrote to edward in the evening, filled three sides of paper, every line inclining too much towards the northeast, and the very first line of all scratched out, and this morning he joins his lady in the fields of elysium and ibthorp.
last friday was a very busy day with us. we were visited by miss lyford and mr. bayle. the latter began his operations in the house, but had only time to finish the four sitting-rooms; the rest is deferred till the spring is more advanced and the days longer. he took his paper of appraisement away with him, and therefore we only know the estimate he has made of one or two articles of furniture which my father particularly inquired into. i understand, however, that he was of opinion that the whole would amount to more than two hundred pounds, and it is not imagined that this will comprehend the brewhouse and many other, etc., etc.
miss lyford was very pleasant, and gave my mother such an account of the houses in westgate buildings, where mrs. lyford lodged four years ago, as made her think of a situation there with great pleasure, but your opposition will be without difficulty decisive, and my father, in particular, who was very well inclined towards the row before, has now ceased to think of it entirely. at present the environs of laura place seem to be[84] his choice. his views on the subject are much advanced since i came home; he grows quite ambitious, and actually requires now a comfortable and a creditable-looking house.
on saturday miss lyford went to her long home,—that is to say, it was a long way off,—and soon afterwards a party of fine ladies issuing from a well-known commodious green vehicle, their heads full of bantam cocks and galinies, entered the house,—mrs. heathcote, mrs. harwood, mrs. james austen, miss bigg, miss jane blachford.
hardly a day passes in which we do not have some visitor or other: yesterday came mrs. bramstone, who is very sorry that she is to lose us, and afterwards mr. holder, who was shut up for an hour with my father and james in a most awful manner. john bond est à lui....
