Part 17 (1/2)

The Hurstbourne ball took place on Noveraced by the presence of Lieutenant Charles Austen He had distinguished himself on the _Endyale His shi+p was now at Ports for orders

Steventon: Thursday [November 20, 1800]

MY DEAR CassANDRA,--Your letter took ; you are very welcoed to you I believe I drank too ht at Hurstbourne; I know not how else to account for the shaking of my hand to-day You will kindly , by attributing it to this venial error

Naughty Charles did not co About two o'clock he walked in on a Gosport hack His feeling equal to such a fatigue is a good sign, and his feeling no fatigue in it a still better He walked down to Deane to dinner; he danced the whole evening, and to-day is no ht to be

Your desire to hear fro you a more particular account of the ball than you may care for, because one is prone to thinkafter they happen, than when time has entirely driven the; Charles found it remarkably so, but I cannot tell why, unless the absence of Miss Terry, towards who now perfectly indifferent, was a relief to him There were only twelve dances, of which I danced nine, and wasthe rest by the want of a partner We began at ten, supped at one, and were at Deane before five There were but fifty people in the room; very few families indeed from our side of the county, and not many more from the other My partners were the two St Johns, Hooper, Holder, and very prodigious Mr Mathehom I called[115] the last, and whom I liked the best of my little stock

There were very few beauties, and such as there were not very handsoer did not look well, and Mrs Blount was the only one much admired She appeared exactly as she did in September, with the same broad face, diamond bandeau, white shoes, pink husband, and fat neck

The two Miss coxes were there; I traced in one the reirl who danced at Enhao; the other is refined into a nice, co I looked at Sir Thoht of poor Rosalie; I looked at his daughter, and thought her a queer animal with a white neck

Mary said that I looked very well last night I wore own and handkerchief, and my hair was at least tidy, which was all my ambition I will now have done with the ball, and I willlady whom it is expected that Sir Thomas[116] is to marry is Miss Emma Wabshaw; she lives somewhere between Southampton and Winchester, is handso but rich He is certainly finishi+ng his house in a great hurry Perhaps the report of his being to inate in his attentions to this very lady--the naweeds all caweed left Hampshi+re to-day I think he o to the Faversham balls, and likewise frorief at your absence Was not it a gallant idea? It never occurred to me before, but I dare say it was so

I rejoice to say that we have just had another letter from our dear Frank It is to you, very short, written from Larnica in Cyprus, and so lately as October 2nd He came from Alexandria, and was to return there in three or four days, knew nothing of his promotion, and does not write above twenty lines, fro you, and an idea of all letters being opened at Vienna He wrote a few days before to you from Alexandria by the _Mercury_ sent with despatches to Lord Keith Another letterto us besides this, _one_ if not _two_; because none of these are to ht only

The visit to Ibthorp ca letter:--

Ibthorp: Sunday [November 30, 1800][117]

MY DEAR CassANDRA,--Shall you expect to hear from me on Wednesday or not? I think you will, or I should not write, as the three days and half which have passed since my last letter have not producedanother sheet of paper But, like Mr Hastings, 'I do not despair,'

and you perhaps, like the faithful Maria, may feel still more certain of the happy event I have been here ever since a quarter after three on Thursday last, by the Shrewsbury clock, which I am fortunately enabled absolutely to ascertain because Mrs Stent once lived at Shrewsbury, or at least at Tewksbury I have the pleasure of thinkingmy time very pleasantly

Martha looks well, and wants rows fat; but I cannot carry my complaisance farther than to believe whatever she asserts on the subject Mrs Stent gives us quite as much of her company as ish for, and rather more than she used to do; but perhaps not e in the end, because it is too dirty even for such desperate walkers as Martha and I to get out of doors, and we are therefore confined to each other's society froowns Three of the Miss Debaries[118] called here theafter my arrival, but I have not yet been able to return their civility You know it is not an uncommon circumstance in this parish to have the road froethan the road froe to Ibthorp I left my Mother very hen I came away, and left her with strict orders to continue so

The endless Debaries are of course very well acquainted with the lady who is to marry Sir Thomas, and all her family I pardon them, however, as their description of her is favourable Mrs Wapshi+re is a ith several sons and daughters, a good fortune, and a house in Salisbury; where Miss Wapshi+re has been for ht and twenty, and tho' still handsome, less handsome than she has been This promises better than the bloom of seventeen; and in addition to this they say that she has always been re her far above the general classes of townthem

Martha has promised to return withto Whitchurch, and then throw ourselves into a post chaise, one upon the other, our heads hanging out at one door and our feet at the opposite one If you have never heard that Miss Dawes has been married these two o to the Canterbury Ball; I shall despise you all ed stoke Ball; I have placed my spies at different places that theyto the Town-hall[119] itself, and posting my mother at Steventon I hope to derive froeneral idea of the whole

Miss Austen, Yours ever, Godmersham Park, J A

Faversham, Kent