Love and Friendship, and Other Early Works, Jane Austen [bts books to read txt] 📗

are at this very moment unknown

to yourself, cherishing a most tender affection for him.”

 

“Law, Lady Scudamore replied I blushing how can you think of such

a thing?”

 

“Because every look, every word betrays it, answered she; Come my

dear Henrietta, consider me as a freind, and be sincere with me

—Do not you prefer Mr Musgrove to any man of your acquaintance?”

 

“Pray do not ask me such questions Lady Scudamore, said I turning

away my head, for it is not fit for me to answer them.”

 

“Nay my Love replied she, now you confirm my suspicions. But why

Henrietta should you be ashamed to own a well-placed Love, or why

refuse to confide in me?”

 

“I am not ashamed to own it; said I taking Courage. I do not

refuse to confide in you or blush to say that I do love your

cousin Mr Musgrove, that I am sincerely attached to him, for it

is no disgrace to love a handsome Man. If he were plain indeed I

might have had reason to be ashamed of a passion which must have

been mean since the object would have been unworthy. But with

such a figure and face, and such beautiful hair as your Cousin

has, why should I blush to own that such superior merit has made

an impression on me.”

 

“My sweet Girl (said Lady Scudamore embracing me with great

affection) what a delicate way of thinking you have in these

matters, and what a quick discernment for one of your years! Oh!

how I honour you for such Noble Sentiments!”

 

“Do you Ma’am said I; You are vastly obliging. But pray Lady

Scudamore did your Cousin himself tell you of his affection for

me I shall like him the better if he did, for what is a Lover

without a Confidante?”

 

“Oh! my Love replied she, you were born for each other. Every

word you say more deeply convinces me that your Minds are

actuated by the invisible power of simpathy, for your opinions

and sentiments so exactly coincide. Nay, the colour of your Hair

is not very different. Yes my dear Girl, the poor despairing

Musgrove did reveal to me the story of his Love—. Nor was I

surprised at it—I know not how it was, but I had a kind of

presentiment that he would be in love with you.”

 

“Well, but how did he break it to you?”

 

“It was not till after supper. We were sitting round the fire

together talking on indifferent subjects, though to say the truth

the Conversation was cheifly on my side for he was thoughtful and

silent, when on a sudden he interrupted me in the midst of

something I was saying, by exclaiming in a most Theatrical tone—

 

Yes I’m in love I feel it now

And Henrietta Halton has undone me

 

“Oh! What a sweet way replied I, of declaring his Passion! To

make such a couple of charming lines about me! What a pity it is

that they are not in rhime!”

 

“I am very glad you like it answered she; To be sure there was a

great deal of Taste in it. And are you in love with her, Cousin?

said I. I am very sorry for it, for unexceptionable as you are

in every respect, with a pretty Estate capable of Great

improvements, and an excellent House tho’ somewhat out of repair,

yet who can hope to aspire with success to the adorable Henrietta

who has had an offer from a Colonel and been toasted by a

Baronet”—“THAT I have—” cried I. Lady Scudamore continued.

“Ah dear Cousin replied he, I am so well convinced of the little

Chance I can have of winning her who is adored by thousands, that

I need no assurances of yours to make me more thoroughly so. Yet

surely neither you or the fair Henrietta herself will deny me the

exquisite Gratification of dieing for her, of falling a victim to

her Charms. And when I am dead”—continued her—

 

“Oh Lady Scudamore, said I wiping my eyes, that such a sweet

Creature should talk of dieing!”

 

“It is an affecting Circumstance indeed, replied Lady Scudamore.”

“When I am dead said he, let me be carried and lain at her feet,

and perhaps she may not disdain to drop a pitying tear on my poor

remains.”

 

“Dear Lady Scudamore interrupted I, say no more on this affecting

subject. I cannot bear it.”

 

“Oh! how I admire the sweet sensibility of your Soul, and as I

would not for Worlds wound it too deeply, I will be silent.”

 

“Pray go on.” said I. She did so.

 

“And then added he, Ah! Cousin imagine what my transports will

be when I feel the dear precious drops trickle on my face! Who

would not die to haste such extacy! And when I am interred, may

the divine Henrietta bless some happier Youth with her affection,

May he be as tenderly attached to her as the hapless Musgrove and

while HE crumbles to dust, May they live an example of Felicity

in the Conjugal state!”

 

Did you ever hear any thing so pathetic? What a charming wish,

to be lain at my feet when he was dead! Oh! what an exalted mind

he must have to be capable of such a wish! Lady Scudamore went

on.

 

“Ah! my dear Cousin replied I to him, such noble behaviour as

this, must melt the heart of any woman however obdurate it may

naturally be; and could the divine Henrietta but hear your

generous wishes for her happiness, all gentle as is her mind, I

have not a doubt but that she would pity your affection and

endeavour to return it.” “Oh! Cousin answered he, do not

endeavour to raise my hopes by such flattering assurances. No, I

cannot hope to please this angel of a Woman, and the only thing

which remains for me to do, is to die.” “True Love is ever

desponding replied I, but I my dear Tom will give you even

greater hopes of conquering this fair one’s heart, than I have

yet given you, by assuring you that I watched her with the

strictest attention during the whole day, and could plainly

discover that she cherishes in her bosom though unknown to

herself, a most tender affection for you.”

 

“Dear Lady Scudamore cried I, This is more than I ever knew!”

 

“Did not I say that it was unknown to yourself? I did not,

continued I to him, encourage you by saying this at first, that

surprise might render the pleasure still Greater.” “No Cousin

replied he in a languid voice, nothing will convince me that I

can have touched the heart of Henrietta Halton, and if you are

deceived yourself, do not attempt deceiving me.” “In short my

Love it was the work of some hours for me to Persuade the poor

despairing Youth that you had really a preference for him; but

when at last he could no longer deny the force of my arguments,

or discredit what I told him, his transports, his Raptures, his

Extacies are beyond my power to describe.”

 

“Oh! the dear Creature, cried I, how passionately he loves me!

But dear Lady Scudamore did you tell him that I was totally

dependant on my Uncle and Aunt?”

 

“Yes, I told him every thing.”

 

“And what did he say.”

 

“He exclaimed with virulence against Uncles and Aunts; Accused

the laws of England for allowing them to Possess their Estates

when wanted by their Nephews or Neices, and wished HE were in the

House of Commons, that he might reform the Legislature, and

rectify all its abuses.”

 

“Oh! the sweet Man! What a spirit he has!” said I.

 

“He could not flatter himself he added, that the adorable

Henrietta would condescend for his sake to resign those Luxuries

and that splendor to which she had been used, and accept only in

exchange the Comforts and Elegancies which his limited Income

could afford her, even supposing that his house were in Readiness

to receive her. I told him that it could not be expected that

she would; it would be doing her an injustice to suppose her

capable of giving up the power she now possesses and so nobly

uses of doing such extensive Good to the poorer part of her

fellow Creatures, merely for the gratification of you and

herself.”

 

“To be sure said I, I AM very Charitable every now and then. And

what did Mr Musgrove say to this?”

 

“He replied that he was under a melancholy necessity of owning

the truth of what I said, and that therefore if he should be the

happy Creature destined to be the Husband of the Beautiful

Henrietta he must bring himself to wait, however impatiently, for

the fortunate day, when she might be freed from the power of

worthless Relations and able to bestow herself on him.”

 

What a noble Creature he is! Oh! Matilda what a fortunate one I

am, who am to be his Wife! My Aunt is calling me to come and

make the pies, so adeiu my dear freind, and beleive me yours etc—

H. Halton.

 

Finis.

*

SCRAPS

To Miss FANNY CATHERINE AUSTEN

 

MY Dear Neice

As I am prevented by the great distance between Rowling and

Steventon from superintending your Education myself, the care of

which will probably on that account devolve on your Father and

Mother, I think it is my particular Duty to Prevent your feeling

as much as possible the want of my personal instructions, by

addressing to you on paper my Opinions and Admonitions on the

conduct of Young Women, which you will find expressed in the

following pages.—

I am my dear Neice

Your affectionate Aunt

The Author.

THE FEMALE PHILOSOPHER A LETTER

My Dear Louisa

Your friend Mr Millar called upon us yesterday in his way to

Bath, whither he is going for his health; two of his daughters

were with him, but the eldest and the three Boys are with their

Mother in Sussex. Though you have often told me that Miss Millar

was remarkably handsome, you never mentioned anything of her

Sisters’ beauty; yet they are certainly extremely pretty. I’ll

give you their description.—Julia is eighteen; with a

countenance in which Modesty, Sense and Dignity are happily

blended, she has a form which at once presents you with Grace,

Elegance and Symmetry. Charlotte who is just sixteen is shorter

than her Sister, and though her figure cannot boast the easy

dignity of Julia’s, yet it has a pleasing plumpness which is in a

different way as estimable. She is fair and her face is

expressive sometimes of softness the most bewitching, and at

others of Vivacity the most striking. She appears to have

infinite Wit and a good humour unalterable; her conversation

during the half hour they set with us, was replete with humourous

sallies, Bonmots and repartees; while the sensible, the amiable

Julia uttered sentiments of Morality worthy of a heart like her

own. Mr Millar appeared to answer the character I had always

received of him. My Father met him with that look of Love, that

social Shake, and cordial kiss which marked his gladness at

beholding an old and valued freind from whom thro’ various

circumstances he had been separated nearly twenty years. Mr

Millar observed (and very justly too) that many events had

befallen each during that interval of time, which gave occasion

to the lovely Julia for making most sensible reflections on the

many changes in their situation which so long a period had

occasioned, on the advantages of some, and the disadvantages of

others. From this subject she made a short digression to the

instability