Love and Freindship [sic]
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.
LESLEY CASTLE
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
£105. 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 help us. I shall be able
to manage the Sir-loin myself, my Mother will eat the soup, and You and
the Doctor must finish the rest.” Here I was interrupted, by seeing my
poor Sister fall down to appearance Lifeless upon one of the Chests,
where we keep our Table linen. I immediately called my Mother and the
Maids, and at last we brought her to herself again; as soon as ever she
was sensible, she expressed a determination of going instantly to
Henry, and was so wildly bent on this Scheme, that we had the greatest
Difficulty in the World to prevent her putting it in execution; at last
however more by Force than Entreaty we prevailed on her to go into her
room; we laid her upon the Bed, and she continued for some Hours in the
most dreadful Convulsions. My Mother and I continued in the room with
her, and when any intervals of tolerable Composure in Eloisa would
allow us, we joined in heartfelt lamentations on the dreadful Waste in
our provisions which this Event must occasion, and in concerting some
plan for getting rid of them. We agreed that the best thing we could do
was to begin eating them immediately, and accordingly we ordered up the
cold Ham and Fowls, and instantly began our Devouring Plan on them with
great Alacrity. We would have persuaded Eloisa to have taken a Wing of
a Chicken, but she would not be persuaded. She was however much quieter
than she had been; the convulsions she had before suffered having given
way to an almost perfect Insensibility. We endeavoured to rouse her by
every means in our power, but to no purpose. I talked to her of Henry.