Part 25 (1/2)

CHAPTER XIII

FROM SOUTHAMPTON TO CHAWTON

1808-1809

We do not doubt that the orange as duly made and the pleasure of unreserved conversation enjoyed during the remainder of the suone to God and a sad visit She arrived just at the time of the birth of her sister-in-law's sixth son and eleventh child, John For a time all ith mother and child; but on October 8 Elizabeth Austen was suddenly seized with sickness, and died before the serious nature of her attack had been fully realised[176] This sad event occurred, as the reader will see, between the second and third of the following letters Edward Austen's two eldest boys, Edward and George, were now at Winchester School, but were taken away for a time on their mother's death They went at first to the Ja to think a journey to so distant a county as Kent feasible; and Jane, whose immediate impulse seened thely for the tirandmother and aunt at Southampton; and then their Aunt Jane was able to devote herself entirely to them, as her own Jane Bennet once did to her small cousins, and to sho her 'steady sense and sweetness of te to the them'--words which she probably intended as a description of what Cassandra would have done in a similar position

Castle Square: Saturday [October 1, 1808]

MY DEAR CassANDRA,--Your letter this s such good news to counterbalance the disappointed full of proper hopes about your journey, intending to co for certainty till to-lad to hear of the birth of the child, and trust everything will proceed as well as it begins His mamma has our best wishes, and he our second best for health and coh I suppose, unless he has our best too, we do nothing for _her_ We are glad it was all over before your arrival, and I am most happy to find who the God the names

About an hour and a half after your toils on Wednesday ended, ours began At seven o'clock Mrs

Harrison, her two daughters and two visitors, with Mr Debary and his eldest sister, walked in

A second pool of coirls, who during the first had one corner of the table and spillikins to themselves, was the ruin of us; it completed the prosperity of Mr Debary, however, for he won them both

Mr Harrison came in late, and sat by the fire, for which I envied hi It rained when our coain before they left us

The Miss Ballards are said to be remarkably well-infor, but they do not talk quite freely enough to be agreeable, nor can I discover any right they had by taste or feeling to go their late tour

We have got the second volume of _Espriella's Letters_,[177] and I read it aloud by candlelight

The lish He deserves to be the foreigner he assu cured for another year; after waiting soreed for, he is gone into Cornwall to order a vessel built for hio abroad a twelvemonth hence

With love to all, Yours affectionately, J A

fanny Austen (afterwards Lady Knatchbull), Edward's eldest daughter, had nearly completed her sixteenth year She was admirably adapted for the difficult position into which she was about to be thrown: that of coe household, and adviser to her younger brothers and sisters She was sensible, even-tempered, affectionate, and conscientious She did indeed prove 'almost another sister' to Jane, who, as Cassandra said afterwards, was perhaps better known to her than to any other huh this niece did not profess any special literary ability, her Aunt always valued her sound judgave her, without fear of offending, advice[179] on the most delicate subjects The short extracts froives us, sho constantly 'Aunt Jane' was the object of her thoughts

Castle Square: Friday [October 7, 1808]

MY DEAR CassANDRA,--Your letter on Tuesday gave us great pleasure, and we congratulate you all upon Elizabeth's hitherto happy recovery; to- in the salad to know that you are so well yourself, and pray you to continue so

We found ourselves tricked into a thorough party at Mrs M's, a quadrille and a commerce table, and music in the other room There were two pools at commerce, but I would not play s, and I cannot afford to lose that twice in an evening The Miss M's were as civil and as silly as usual

_Saturday_--Thank you for your letter, which found reatly pleased with your account of fanny; I found her in the summer just what you describe, almost another sister; and could not have supposed that a niece would ever have been so ive her my best love, and tell her that I always think of her with pleasure