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

Hand. Whether

it was from this circumstance, of its being easily taken, or from

a wish of being independant, or from an excess of sensibility (for

which we were always remarkable) I cannot now determine, but

certain it is that when we had reached our 15th year, we took the

nine Hundred Pounds and ran away. Having obtained this prize we

were determined to manage it with eoconomy and not to spend it

either with folly or Extravagance. To this purpose we therefore

divided it into nine parcels, one of which we devoted to Victuals,

the 2d to Drink, the 3d to Housekeeping, the 4th to Carriages, the

5th to Horses, the 6th to Servants, the 7th to Amusements, the 8th

to Cloathes and the 9th to Silver Buckles. Having thus arranged

our Expences for two months (for we expected to make the nine

Hundred Pounds last as long) we hastened to London and had the

good luck to spend it in 7 weeks and a Day which was 6 Days sooner

than we had intended. As soon as we had thus happily disencumbered

ourselves from the weight of so much money, we began to think of

returning to our Mothers, but accidentally hearing that they were

both starved to Death, we gave over the design and determined to

engage ourselves to some strolling Company of Players, as we had

always a turn for the Stage. Accordingly we offered our services

to one and were accepted; our Company was indeed rather small, as

it consisted only of the Manager his wife and ourselves, but there

were fewer to pay and the only inconvenience attending it was the

Scarcity of Plays which for want of People to fill the Characters,

we could perform. We did not mind trifles however—. One of our

most admired Performances was MACBETH, in which we were truly

great. The Manager always played BANQUO himself, his Wife my LADY

MACBETH. I did the THREE WITCHES and Philander acted ALL THE REST.

To say the truth this tragedy was not only the Best, but the only

Play that we ever performed; and after having acted it all over

England, and Wales, we came to Scotland to exhibit it over the

remainder of Great Britain. We happened to be quartered in that

very Town, where you came and met your Grandfather—. We were in

the Inn-yard when his Carriage entered and perceiving by the arms

to whom it belonged, and knowing that Lord St Clair was our

Grandfather, we agreed to endeavour to get something from him by

discovering the Relationship—. You know how well it succeeded—.

Having obtained the two Hundred Pounds, we instantly left the

Town, leaving our Manager and his Wife to act MACBETH by

themselves, and took the road to Sterling, where we spent our

little fortune with great ECLAT. We are now returning to Edinburgh

in order to get some preferment in the Acting way; and such my

Dear Cousin is our History.”

 

I thanked the amiable Youth for his entertaining narration, and

after expressing my wishes for their Welfare and Happiness, left

them in their little Habitation and returned to my other Freinds

who impatiently expected me.

 

My adventures are now drawing to a close my dearest Marianne;

at least for the present.

 

When we arrived at Edinburgh Sir Edward told me that as the

Widow of his son, he desired I would accept from his Hands of four

Hundred a year. I graciously promised that I would, but could not

help observing that the unsimpathetic Baronet offered it more on

account of my being the Widow of Edward than in being the refined

and amiable Laura.

 

I took up my Residence in a Romantic Village in the Highlands

of Scotland where I have ever since continued, and where I can

uninterrupted by unmeaning Visits, indulge in a melancholy

solitude, my unceasing Lamentations for the Death of my Father, my

Mother, my Husband and my Freind.

 

Augusta has been for several years united to Graham the Man of

all others most suited to her; she became acquainted with him

during her stay in Scotland.

 

Sir Edward in hopes of gaining an Heir to his Title and Estate,

at the same time married Lady Dorothea—. His wishes have been

answered.

 

Philander and Gustavus, after having raised their reputation by

their Performances in the Theatrical Line at Edinburgh, removed to

Covent Garden, where they still exhibit under the assumed names of

LUVIS and QUICK.

 

Philippa has long paid the Debt of Nature, Her Husband however

still continues to drive the Stage-Coach from Edinburgh to

Sterling:—

Adeiu my Dearest Marianne.

Laura.

 

Finis

 

June 13th 1790.

*

AN UNFINISHED NOVEL IN LETTERS

To HENRY THOMAS AUSTEN Esqre.

 

Sir

 

I am now availing myself of the Liberty you have frequently

honoured me with of dedicating one of my Novels to you. That it

is unfinished, I greive; yet fear that from me, it will always

remain so; that as far as it is carried, it should be so trifling

and so unworthy of you, is another concern to your obliged humble

Servant

 

The Author

 

Messrs Demand and Co—please to pay Jane Austen Spinster the sum

of one hundred guineas on account of your Humble Servant.

 

H. T. Austen

 

L105. 0. 0.

*

LESLEY CASTLE

LETTER the FIRST is from

Miss MARGARET LESLEY to Miss CHARLOTTE LUTTERELL.

Lesley Castle Janry 3rd—1792.

 

My Brother has just left us. “Matilda (said he at parting) you

and Margaret will I am certain take all the care of my dear

little one, that she might have received from an indulgent, and

affectionate and amiable Mother.” Tears rolled down his cheeks

as he spoke these words—the remembrance of her, who had so

wantonly disgraced the Maternal character and so openly violated

the conjugal Duties, prevented his adding anything farther; he

embraced his sweet Child and after saluting Matilda and Me

hastily broke from us and seating himself in his Chaise, pursued

the road to Aberdeen. Never was there a better young Man! Ah!

how little did he deserve the misfortunes he has experienced in

the Marriage state. So good a Husband to so bad a Wife! for you

know my dear Charlotte that the Worthless Louisa left him, her

Child and reputation a few weeks ago in company with Danvers and

dishonour. Never was there a sweeter face, a finer form, or a

less amiable Heart than Louisa owned! Her child already

possesses the personal Charms of her unhappy Mother! May she

inherit from her Father all his mental ones! Lesley is at

present but five and twenty, and has already given himself up to

melancholy and Despair; what a difference between him and his

Father! Sir George is 57 and still remains the Beau, the flighty

stripling, the gay Lad, and sprightly Youngster, that his Son was

really about five years back, and that HE has affected to appear

ever since my remembrance. While our father is fluttering about

the streets of London, gay, dissipated, and Thoughtless at the

age of 57, Matilda and I continue secluded from Mankind in our

old and Mouldering Castle, which is situated two miles from Perth

on a bold projecting Rock, and commands an extensive veiw of the

Town and its delightful Environs. But tho’ retired from almost

all the World, (for we visit no one but the M’Leods, The

M’Kenzies, the M’Phersons, the M’Cartneys, the M’Donalds, The

M’kinnons, the M’lellans, the M’kays, the Macbeths and the

Macduffs) we are neither dull nor unhappy; on the contrary there

never were two more lively, more agreable or more witty girls,

than we are; not an hour in the Day hangs heavy on our Hands. We

read, we work, we walk, and when fatigued with these Employments

releive our spirits, either by a lively song, a graceful Dance,

or by some smart bon-mot, and witty repartee. We are handsome my

dear Charlotte, very handsome and the greatest of our Perfections

is, that we are entirely insensible of them ourselves. But why

do I thus dwell on myself! Let me rather repeat the praise of

our dear little Neice the innocent Louisa, who is at present

sweetly smiling in a gentle Nap, as she reposes on the sofa. The

dear Creature is just turned of two years old; as handsome as

tho’ 2 and 20, as sensible as tho’ 2 and 30, and as prudent as

tho’ 2 and 40. To convince you of this, I must inform you that

she has a very fine complexion and very pretty features, that she

already knows the two first letters in the Alphabet, and that she

never tears her frocks—. If I have not now convinced you of her

Beauty, Sense and Prudence, I have nothing more to urge in

support of my assertion, and you will therefore have no way of

deciding the Affair but by coming to Lesley-Castle, and by a

personal acquaintance with Louisa, determine for yourself. Ah!

my dear Freind, how happy should I be to see you within these

venerable Walls! It is now four years since my removal from

School has separated me from you; that two such tender Hearts, so

closely linked together by the ties of simpathy and Freindship,

should be so widely removed from each other, is vastly moving. I

live in Perthshire, You in Sussex. We might meet in London, were

my Father disposed to carry me there, and were your Mother to be

there at the same time. We might meet at Bath, at Tunbridge, or

anywhere else indeed, could we but be at the same place together.

We have only to hope that such a period may arrive. My Father

does not return to us till Autumn; my Brother will leave Scotland

in a few Days; he is impatient to travel. Mistaken Youth! He

vainly flatters himself that change of Air will heal the Wounds

of a broken Heart! You will join with me I am certain my dear

Charlotte, in prayers for the recovery of the unhappy Lesley’s

peace of Mind, which must ever be essential to that of your

sincere freind

M. Lesley.

 

LETTER the SECOND

From Miss C. LUTTERELL to Miss M. LESLEY in answer.

Glenford Febry 12

 

I have a thousand excuses to beg for having so long delayed

thanking you my dear Peggy for your agreable Letter, which

beleive me I should not have deferred doing, had not every moment

of my time during the last five weeks been so fully employed in

the necessary arrangements for my sisters wedding, as to allow me

no time to devote either to you or myself. And now what provokes

me more than anything else is that the Match is broke off, and

all my Labour thrown away. Imagine how great the Dissapointment

must be to me, when you consider that after having laboured both

by Night and by Day, in order to get the Wedding dinner ready by

the time appointed, after having roasted Beef, Broiled Mutton,

and Stewed Soup enough to last the new-married Couple through the

Honey-moon, I had the mortification of finding that I had been

Roasting, Broiling and Stewing both the Meat and Myself to no

purpose. Indeed my dear Freind, I never remember suffering any

vexation equal to what I experienced on last Monday when my

sister came running to me in the store-room with her face as

White as a Whipt syllabub, and told me that Hervey had been

thrown from his Horse, had fractured his Scull and was pronounced

by his surgeon to be in the most emminent Danger. “Good God!

(said I) you dont say so? Why what in the name of Heaven will

become of all the Victuals! We shall never be able to eat it

while it is good. However, we’ll call in the Surgeon to