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

him to marry any one without a

fortune, and that Matilda’s is entirely dependant on her Father,

who will neither have his own inclination nor my permission to

give her anything at present, I thought it would be doing a good-natured action by my Brother to let him know as much, in order

that he might choose for himself, whether to conquer his passion,

or Love and Despair. Accordingly finding myself this Morning

alone with him in one of the horrid old rooms of this Castle, I

opened the cause to him in the following Manner.

 

“Well my dear William what do you think of these girls? for my

part, I do not find them so plain as I expected: but perhaps you

may think me partial to the Daughters of my Husband and perhaps

you are right— They are indeed so very like Sir George that it

is natural to think”—

 

“My Dear Susan (cried he in a tone of the greatest amazement) You

do not really think they bear the least resemblance to their

Father! He is so very plain!—but I beg your pardon—I had

entirely forgotten to whom I was speaking—”

 

“Oh! pray dont mind me; (replied I) every one knows Sir George

is horribly ugly, and I assure you I always thought him a

fright.”

 

“You surprise me extremely (answered William) by what you say

both with respect to Sir George and his Daughters. You cannot

think your Husband so deficient in personal Charms as you speak

of, nor can you surely see any resemblance between him and the

Miss Lesleys who are in my opinion perfectly unlike him and

perfectly Handsome.”

 

“If that is your opinion with regard to the girls it certainly is

no proof of their Fathers beauty, for if they are perfectly

unlike him and very handsome at the same time, it is natural to

suppose that he is very plain.”

 

“By no means, (said he) for what may be pretty in a Woman, may be

very unpleasing in a Man.”

 

“But you yourself (replied I) but a few minutes ago allowed him

to be very plain.”

 

“Men are no Judges of Beauty in their own Sex.” (said he).

 

“Neither Men nor Women can think Sir George tolerable.”

 

“Well, well, (said he) we will not dispute about HIS Beauty, but

your opinion of his DAUGHTERS is surely very singular, for if I

understood you right, you said you did not find them so plain as

you expected to do!”

 

“Why, do YOU find them plainer then?” (said I).

 

“I can scarcely beleive you to be serious (returned he) when you

speak of their persons in so extroidinary a Manner. Do not you

think the Miss Lesleys are two very handsome young Women?”

 

“Lord! No! (cried I) I think them terribly plain!”

 

“Plain! (replied He) My dear Susan, you cannot really think so!

Why what single Feature in the face of either of them, can you

possibly find fault with?”

 

“Oh! trust me for that; (replied I). Come I will begin with the

eldest—with Matilda. Shall I, William?” (I looked as cunning as

I could when I said it, in order to shame him).

 

“They are so much alike (said he) that I should suppose the

faults of one, would be the faults of both.”

 

“Well, then, in the first place; they are both so horribly tall!”

 

“They are TALLER than you are indeed.” (said he with a saucy

smile.)

 

“Nay, (said I), I know nothing of that.”

 

“Well, but (he continued) tho’ they may be above the common size,

their figures are perfectly elegant; and as to their faces, their

Eyes are beautifull.”

 

“I never can think such tremendous, knock-me-down figures in the

least degree elegant, and as for their eyes, they are so tall

that I never could strain my neck enough to look at them.”

 

“Nay, (replied he) I know not whether you may not be in the right

in not attempting it, for perhaps they might dazzle you with

their Lustre.”

 

“Oh! Certainly. (said I, with the greatest complacency, for I

assure you my dearest Charlotte I was not in the least offended

tho’ by what followed, one would suppose that William was

conscious of having given me just cause to be so, for coming up

to me and taking my hand, he said) “You must not look so grave

Susan; you will make me fear I have offended you!”

 

“Offended me! Dear Brother, how came such a thought in your

head! (returned I) No really! I assure you that I am not in the

least surprised at your being so warm an advocate for the Beauty

of these girls “—

 

“Well, but (interrupted William) remember that we have not yet

concluded our dispute concerning them. What fault do you find

with their complexion?”

 

“They are so horridly pale.”

 

“They have always a little colour, and after any exercise it is

considerably heightened.”

 

“Yes, but if there should ever happen to be any rain in this part

of the world, they will never be able raise more than their

common stock—except indeed they amuse themselves with running up

and Down these horrid old galleries and Antichambers.”

 

“Well, (replied my Brother in a tone of vexation, and glancing an

impertinent look at me) if they HAVE but little colour, at least,

it is all their own.”

 

This was too much my dear Charlotte, for I am certain that he had

the impudence by that look, of pretending to suspect the reality

of mine. But you I am sure will vindicate my character whenever

you may hear it so cruelly aspersed, for you can witness how

often I have protested against wearing Rouge, and how much I

always told you I disliked it. And I assure you that my opinions

are still the same.—. Well, not bearing to be so suspected by

my Brother, I left the room immediately, and have been ever since

in my own Dressing-room writing to you. What a long letter have

I made of it! But you must not expect to receive such from me

when I get to Town; for it is only at Lesley castle, that one has

time to write even to a Charlotte Lutterell.—. I was so much

vexed by William’s glance, that I could not summon Patience

enough, to stay and give him that advice respecting his

attachment to Matilda which had first induced me from pure Love

to him to begin the conversation; and I am now so thoroughly

convinced by it, of his violent passion for her, that I am

certain he would never hear reason on the subject, and I shall

there fore give myself no more trouble either about him or his

favourite. Adeiu my dear girl—

Yrs affectionately

Susan L.

 

LETTER the SEVENTH

From Miss C. LUTTERELL to Miss M. LESLEY

Bristol the 27th of March

 

I have received Letters from you and your Mother-in-law within

this week which have greatly entertained me, as I find by them

that you are both downright jealous of each others Beauty. It is

very odd that two pretty Women tho’ actually Mother and Daughter

cannot be in the same House without falling out about their

faces. Do be convinced that you are both perfectly handsome and

say no more of the Matter. I suppose this letter must be

directed to Portman Square where probably (great as is your

affection for Lesley Castle) you will not be sorry to find

yourself. In spite of all that people may say about Green fields

and the Country I was always of opinion that London and its

amusements must be very agreable for a while, and should be very

happy could my Mother’s income allow her to jockey us into its

Public-places, during Winter. I always longed particularly to go

to Vaux-hall, to see whether the cold Beef there is cut so thin

as it is reported, for I have a sly suspicion that few people

understand the art of cutting a slice of cold Beef so well as I

do: nay it would be hard if I did not know something of the

Matter, for it was a part of my Education that I took by far the

most pains with. Mama always found me HER best scholar, tho’

when Papa was alive Eloisa was HIS. Never to be sure were there

two more different Dispositions in the World. We both loved

Reading. SHE preferred Histories, and I Receipts. She loved

drawing, Pictures, and I drawing Pullets. No one could sing a

better song than she, and no one make a better Pye than I.— And

so it has always continued since we have been no longer children.

The only difference is that all disputes on the superior

excellence of our Employments THEN so frequent are now no more.

We have for many years entered into an agreement always to admire

each other’s works; I never fail listening to HER Music, and she

is as constant in eating my pies. Such at least was the case

till Henry Hervey made his appearance in Sussex. Before the

arrival of his Aunt in our neighbourhood where she established

herself you know about a twelvemonth ago, his visits to her had

been at stated times, and of equal and settled Duration; but on

her removal to the Hall which is within a walk from our House,

they became both more frequent and longer. This as you may

suppose could not be pleasing to Mrs Diana who is a professed

enemy to everything which is not directed by Decorum and

Formality, or which bears the least resemblance to Ease and Good-breeding. Nay so great was her aversion to her Nephews behaviour

that I have often heard her give such hints of it before his face

that had not Henry at such times been engaged in conversation

with Eloisa, they must have caught his Attention and have very

much distressed him. The alteration in my Sisters behaviour

which I have before hinted at, now took place. The Agreement we

had entered into of admiring each others productions she no

longer seemed to regard, and tho’ I constantly applauded even

every Country-dance, she played, yet not even a pidgeon-pye of my

making could obtain from her a single word of approbation. This

was certainly enough to put any one in a Passion; however, I was

as cool as a cream-cheese and having formed my plan and concerted

a scheme of Revenge, I was determined to let her have her own way

and not even to make her a single reproach. My scheme was to

treat her as she treated me, and tho’ she might even draw my own

Picture or play Malbrook (which is the only tune I ever really

liked) not to say so much as “Thank you Eloisa;” tho’ I had for

many years constantly hollowed whenever she played, BRAVO,

BRAVISSIMO, ENCORE, DA CAPO, ALLEGRETTO, CON EXPRESSIONE, and

POCO PRESTO with many other such outlandish words, all of them as

Eloisa told me expressive of my Admiration; and so indeed I

suppose they are, as I see some of them in every Page of every

Music book, being the sentiments I imagine of the composer.

 

I executed my Plan with great Punctuality. I can not say

success, for alas! my silence while she played seemed not in the

least to displease her; on the contrary she actually said to me

one day ” Well Charlotte, I am very glad to find that you have at

last left off that ridiculous custom of applauding my Execution

on the Harpsichord till you made my head ake, and yourself

hoarse. I feel very much obliged to you for keeping your

admiration to yourself.” I never shall