chawton, thursday (june 6).

by this time, my dearest cassandra, you know martha's plans. i was rather disappointed, i confess, to find that she could not leave town till[177] after ye 24th, as i had hoped to see you here the week before. the delay, however, is not great, and everything seems generally arranging itself for your return very comfortably.

i found henry perfectly predisposed to bring you to london if agreeable to yourself; he has not fixed his day for going into kent, but he must be back again before ye 20th. you may therefore think with something like certainty of the close of your godmersham visit, and will have, i suppose, about a week for sloane street. he travels in his gig, and should the weather be tolerable i think you must have a delightful journey.

i have given up all idea of miss sharpe's travelling with you and martha, for though you are both all compliance with my scheme, yet as you knock off a week from the end of her visit, and martha rather more from the beginning, the thing is out of the question.

i have written to her to say that after the middle of july we shall be happy to receive her, and i have added a welcome if she could make her way hither directly, but i do not expect that she will. i have also sent our invitation to cowes.

we are very sorry for the disappointment you have all had in lady b.'s illness; but a division of the proposed party is with you by this time, and i hope may have brought you a better account of the rest.

[178]

give my love and thanks to harriot, who has written me charming things of your looks, and diverted me very much by poor mrs. c. milles's continued perplexity.

i had a few lines from henry on tuesday to prepare us for himself and his friend, and by the time that i had made the sumptuous provision of a neck of mutton on the occasion, they drove into the court; but lest you should not immediately recollect in how many hours a neck of mutton may be certainly procured, i add that they came a little after twelve,—both tall and well, and in their different degrees agreeable.

it was a visit of only twenty-four hours, but very pleasant while it lasted. mr. tilson took a sketch of the great house before dinner, and after dinner we all three walked to chawton park,[14] meaning to go into it, but it was too dirty, and we were obliged to keep on the outside. mr. tilson admired the trees very much, but grieved that they should not be turned into money.

my mother's cold is better, and i believe she only wants dry weather to be very well. it was a great distress to her that anna should be absent during her uncle's visit, a distress which i could not share. she does not return from faringdon till this evening, and i doubt not has had plenty[179] of the miscellaneous, unsettled sort of happiness which seems to suit her best. we hear from miss benn, who was on the common with the prowtings, that she was very much admired by the gentlemen in general.

i like your new bonnets exceedingly; yours is a shape which always looks well, and i think fanny's particularly becoming to her.

on monday i had the pleasure of receiving, unpacking, and approving our wedgwood ware. it all came very safely, and upon the whole is a good match, though i think they might have allowed us rather larger leaves, especially in such a year of fine foliage as this. one is apt to suppose that the woods about birmingham must be blighted. there was no bill with the goods, but that shall not screen them from being paid. i mean to ask martha to settle the account. it will be quite in her way, for she is just now sending my mother a breakfast-set from the same place.

i hope it will come by the wagon to-morrow; it is certainly what we want, and i long to know what it is like, and as i am sure martha has great pleasure in making the present, i will not have any regret. we have considerable dealings with the wagons at present: a hamper of port and brandy from southampton is now in the kitchen.

your answer about the miss plumbtrees proves you as fine a daniel as ever portia was; for i maintained emma to be the eldest.

[180]

we began pease on sunday, but our gatherings are very small, not at all like the gathering in the "lady of the lake." yesterday i had the agreeable surprise of finding several scarlet strawberries quite ripe; had you been at home, this would have been a pleasure lost. there are more gooseberries and fewer currants than i thought at first. we must buy currants for our wine.

the digweeds are gone down to see the stephen terrys at southampton, and catch the king's birthday at portsmouth. miss papillon called on us yesterday, looking handsomer than ever. maria middleton and miss benn dine here to-morrow.

we are not to enclose any more letters to abingdon street, as perhaps martha has told you.

i had just left off writing and put on my things for walking to alton, when anna and her friend harriot called in their way thither; so we went together. their business was to provide mourning against the king's death, and my mother has had a bombazine bought for her. i am not sorry to be back again, for the young ladies had a great deal to do, and without much method in doing it.

anna does not come home till to-morrow morning. she has written i find to fanny, but there does not seem to be a great deal to relate of tuesday. i had hoped there might be dancing.

mrs. budd died on sunday evening. i saw[181] her two days before her death, and thought it must happen soon. she suffered much from weakness and restlessness almost to the last. poor little harriot seems truly grieved. you have never mentioned harry; how is he?

with love to you all,

yours affectionately, j. a.

miss austen, edward austen's, esq.,

godmersham park, faversham.