Part 26 (2/2)

Adieu! remember me affectionately to everybody, and believe me,

Ever yours, J A

The hoh none of its future inhabitants inspected it until February 1809, when Cassandra visited it on her way back from Godmersham

It was some years since they had lived in the country, and their future home was likely to be very quiet; so, as Jane recovered her spirits, she deter months at Southampton as much society and amusement as possible She went to two of the Southampton asseoer

Castle Square: Friday [December 9, 1808]

MY DEAR CassANDRA,--Soon after I had closed my last letter to you ere visited by Mrs dickens and her sister-in-law, Mrs Bertie, the wife of a lately-made Admiral Mrs F A, I believe, was their first object, but they put up with us very kindly, and Mrs D finding in Miss Lloyd a friend of Mrs Dundas, had another reeable woreat many of our connections in West Kent Mrs Bertie lives in the Polygon, and was out e returned her visit, which are _her_ two virtues

A larger circle of acquaintance, and an increase of a reo to as ain

Everybody is veryaway, and everybody is acquainted with Chawton, and speaks of it as a ree, and everybody knows the house we describe, but nobody fixes on the right

I aht for such a proof of the interest she takes in me, and she may depend upon it that I _will_ marry Mr

Papillon,[190] whatever may be his reluctance orsacrifice

Our ball was ratherthan I expected

Martha liked it very ape till the last quarter of an hour It was past nine before ere sent for, and not twelve e returned The room was tolerably full, and there

were, perhaps, thirty couple of dancers Theby without partners, and each of thely naked shoulders

It was the saht it all over, and in spite of the sha so much older, felt with thankfulness that I was quite as happy now as then We paid an additional shi+lling for our tea, which we took as we chose in an adjoining and very comfortable room

There were only four dances, and it went to my heart that the Miss Lances (one of them, too, named Emma) should have partners only for two You will not expect to hear that _I_ was asked to dance, but I was--by the gentlene We have always kept up a bowing acquaintance since, and, being pleased with his black eyes, I spoke to hiht on me this civility; but I do not know his nae, that I believe his black eyes ot a shi+p

Having now cleared away my smaller articles of news, I coht: no less than thatto allow Jah Steventon Mary sent us the other day an extract from my aunt's letter on the subject, in which the donation is reatest kindness, and intended as a compensation for his loss in the conscientious refusal of Ha all that he had at the time called its worth, as I find it was always intended at Steventon to divide the real income with Kintbury[192]