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,[228] 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[229] 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,

elizth. knight.

thursday.—i think lizzy's letter will entertain you. thank you for yours just received. to-morrow shall be fine if possible. you will be at guildford before our party set off. they only go to key street, as mr. street the purser lives there, and they have promised to dine and sleep with him.

cassy's looks are much mended. she agrees pretty well with her cousins, but is not quite happy among them; they are too many and too boisterous for her. i have given her your message, but she said nothing, and did not look as if the idea of going to chawton again was a pleasant one. they have edward's carriage to ospringe.

i think i have just done a good deed,—extracted charles from his wife and children upstairs, and made him get ready to go out shooting, and not keep mr. moore waiting any longer.

[230]

mr. and mrs. sherer and joseph dined here yesterday very prettily. edw. and geo. were absent,—gone for a night to eastling. the two fannies went to canty. in the morning, and took lou. and cass. to try on new stays. harriet and i had a comfortable walk together. she desires her best love to you and kind remembrance to henry. fanny's best love also. i fancy there is to be another party to canty. to-morrow,—mr. and mrs. moore and me.

edward thanks henry for his letter. we are most happy to hear he is so much better. i depend upon you for letting me know what he wishes as to my staying with him or not; you will be able to find out, i dare say. i had intended to beg you would bring one of my nightcaps with you, in case of my staying, but forgot it when i wrote on tuesday. edward is much concerned about his pond; he cannot now doubt the fact of its running out, which he was resolved to do as long as possible.

i suppose my mother will like to have me write to her. i shall try at least.

no; i have never seen the death of mrs. crabbe. i have only just been making out from one of his prefaces that he probably was married. it is almost ridiculous. poor woman! i will comfort him as well as i can, but i do not undertake to be good to her children. she had better not leave any.

[231]

edw. and geo. set off this day week for oxford. our party will then be very small, as the moores will be going about the same time. to enliven us, fanny proposes spending a few days soon afterwards at fredville. it will really be a good opportunity, as her father will have a companion. we shall all three go to wrotham, but edwd. and i stay only a night perhaps. love to mr. tilson.

yours very affectionately, j. a.

miss austen,

10 henrietta st., covent garden, london.