godmersham park, monday (oct. 11).
[my dearest aunt cass.,—i have just asked aunt jane to let me write a little in her letter, but she does not like it, so i won't. good-by!]
you will have edward's letter to-morrow. he tells me that he did not send you any news to interfere with mine, but i do not think there is much for anybody to send at present.
[210]
we had our dinner-party on wednesday, with the addition of mrs. and miss milles, who were under a promise of dining here in their return from eastwell, whenever they paid their visit of duty there, and it happened to be paid on that day. both mother and daughter are much as i have always found them. i like the mother—first, because she reminds me of mrs. birch; and, secondly, because she is cheerful and grateful for what she is at the age of ninety and upwards. the day was pleasant enough. i sat by mr. chisholme, and we talked away at a great rate about nothing worth hearing.
it was a mistake as to the day of the sherers going being fixed; they are ready, but are waiting for mr. paget's answer.
i inquired of mrs. milles after jemima brydges, and was quite grieved to hear that she was obliged to leave canterbury some months ago on account of her debts, and is nobody knows where. what an unprosperous family!
on saturday, soon after breakfast, mr. j. p. left us for norton court. i like him very much. he gives me the idea of a very amiable young man, only too diffident to be so agreeable as he might be. he was out the chief of each morning with the other two, shooting and getting wet through. to-morrow we are to know whether he and a hundred young ladies will come here for the ball. i do not much expect any.
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the deedes cannot meet us; they have engagements at home. i will finish the deedes by saying that they are not likely to come here till quite late in my stay,—the very last week perhaps; and i do not expect to see the moores at all. they are not solicited till after edward's return from hampshire.
monday, november 15, is the day now fixed for our setting out.
poor basingstoke races! there seem to have been two particularly wretched days on purpose for them; and weyhill week does not begin much happier.
we were quite surprised by a letter from anna at tollard royal, last saturday; but perfectly approve her going, and only regret they should all go so far to stay so few days.
we had thunder and lightning here on thursday morning, between five and seven; no very bad thunder, but a great deal of lightning. it has given the commencement of a season of wind and rain, and perhaps for the next six weeks we shall not have two dry days together.
lizzy is very much obliged to you for your letter and will answer it soon, but has so many things to do that it may be four or five days before she can. this is quite her own message, spoken in rather a desponding tone. your letter gave pleasure to all of us; we had all the reading of it of[212] course,—i three times, as i undertook, to the great relief of lizzy, to read it to sackree, and afterwards to louisa.
sackree does not at all approve of mary doe and her nuts,—on the score of propriety rather than health. she saw some signs of going after her in george and henry, and thinks if you could give the girl a check, by rather reproving her for taking anything seriously about nuts which they said to her, it might be of use. this, of course, is between our three discreet selves, a scene of triennial bliss.
mrs. breton called here on saturday. i never saw her before. she is a large, ungenteel woman, with self-satisfied and would-be elegant manners.
we are certain of some visitors to-morrow. edward bridges comes for two nights in his way from lenham to ramsgate, and brings a friend—name unknown—but supposed to be a mr. harpur, a neighboring clergyman; and mr. r. mascall is to shoot with the young men, which it is to be supposed will end in his staying dinner.
on thursday, mr. lushington, m.p. for canterbury, and manager of the lodge hounds, dines here, and stays the night. he is chiefly young edward's acquaintance. if i can i will get a frank from him, and write to you all the sooner. i suppose the ashford ball will furnish something.
as i wrote of my nephews with a little bitterness[213] in my last, i think it particularly incumbent on me to do them justice now, and i have great pleasure in saying that they were both at the sacrament yesterday. after having much praised or much blamed anybody, one is generally sensible of something just the reverse soon afterwards. now these two boys who are out with the foxhounds will come home and disgust me again by some habit of luxury or some proof of sporting mania, unless i keep it off by this prediction. they amuse themselves very comfortably in the evening by netting; they are each about a rabbit net, and sit as deedily to it, side by side, as any two uncle franks could do.
i am looking over "self-control" again, and my opinion is confirmed of its being an excellently meant, elegantly written work, without anything of nature or probability in it. i declare i do not know whether laura's passage down the american river is not the most natural, possible, every-day thing she ever does.
tuesday.—dear me! what is to become of me? such a long letter! two-and-forty lines in the second page. like harriot byron, i ask, what am i to do with my gratitude? i can do nothing but thank you and go on. a few of your inquiries, i think, are replied to en avance.
the name of f. cage's drawing-master is o'neil. we are exceedingly amused with your shalden[214] news, and your self-reproach on the subject of mrs. stockwell made me laugh heartily. i rather wondered that johncock,[25] the only person in the room, could help laughing too. i had not heard before of her having the measles. mrs. h. and alethea's staying till friday was quite new to me; a good plan, however. i could not have settled it better myself, and am glad they found so much in the house to approve, and i hope they will ask martha to visit them. i admire the sagacity and taste of charlotte williams. those large dark eyes always judge well. i will compliment her by naming a heroine after her.
edward has had all the particulars of the building, etc., read to him twice over, and seems very well satisfied. a narrow door to the pantry is the only subject of solicitude; it is certainly just the door which should not be narrow, on account of the trays; but if a case of necessity, it must be borne.
i knew there was sugar in the tin, but had no idea of there being enough to last through your company. all the better. you ought not to think this new loaf better than the other, because that was the first of five which all came together. something of fancy, perhaps, and something of imagination.
dear mrs. digweed! i cannot bear that she[215] should not be foolishly happy after a ball. i hope miss yates and her companions were all well the day after their arrival. i am thoroughly rejoiced that miss benn has placed herself in lodgings, though i hope they may not be long necessary.
no letter from charles yet.
southey's "life of nelson." i am tired of "lives of nelson," being that i never read any. i will read this, however, if frank is mentioned in it.
here am i in kent, with one brother in the same county and another brother's wife, and see nothing of them, which seems unnatural. it will not last so forever, i trust. i should like to have mrs. f. a. and her children here for a week, but not a syllable of that nature is ever breathed. i wish her last visit had not been so long a one.
i wonder whether mrs. tilson has ever lain-in. mention it if it ever comes to your knowledge, and we shall hear of it by the same post from henry.
mr. rob. mascall breakfasted here; he eats a great deal of butter. i dined upon goose yesterday, which, i hope, will secure a good sale of my second edition. have you any tomatas? fanny and i regale on them every day.
disastrous letters from the plumptres and oxendens. refusals everywhere—a blank partout—and it is not quite certain whether we go or not; something may depend upon the disposition of uncle edward when he comes, and upon what[216] we hear at chilham castle this morning, for we are going to pay visits. we are going to each house at chilham and to mystole. i shall like seeing the faggs. i shall like it all, except that we are to set out so early that i have not time to write as i would wish.
edwd. bridges's friend is a mr. hawker, i find, not harpur. i would not have you sleep in such an error for the world.
my brother desires his best love and thanks for all your information. he hopes the roots of the old beech have been dug away enough to allow a proper covering of mould and turf. he is sorry for the necessity of building the new coin, but hopes they will contrive that the doorway should be of the usual width,—if it must be contracted on one side, by widening it on the other. the appearance need not signify. and he desires me to say that your being at chawton when he is will be quite necessary. you cannot think it more indispensable than he does. he is very much obliged to you for your attention to everything. have you any idea of returning with him to henrietta street and finishing your visit then? tell me your sweet little innocent ideas.
everything of love and kindness, proper and improper, must now suffice.
yours very affectionately, j. austen.
miss austen, chawton, alton, hants.
