Austen Said:

"Dear Miss Woodhouse!"—

"Dear Miss Woodhouse,"

"Whatever you say is always right,"

"and therefore I suppose, and believe, and hope it must be so; but otherwise I could not have imagined it. It is so much beyond any thing I deserve. Mr. Elton, who might marry any body! There cannot be two opinions about him. He is so very superior. Only think of those sweet verses—'To Miss ———.' Dear me, how clever!—Could it really be meant for me?"

"It is a sort of thing which nobody could have expected. I am sure, a month ago, I had no more idea myself!—The strangest things do take place!"

"That Mr. Elton should really be in love with me,—me, of all people, who did not know him, to speak to him, at Michaelmas! And he, the very handsomest man that ever was, and a man that every body looks up to, quite like Mr. Knightley! His company so sought after, that

every body says

that

And so excellent in the Church! Miss Nash has put down all the texts he has ever preached from since he came to Highbury. Dear me! When I look back to the first time I saw him! How little did I think!—The two Abbots and I ran into the front room and peeped through the blind when we heard he was going by, and Miss Nash came and scolded us away, and staid to look through herself; however, she called me back presently, and let me look too, which was very good-natured. And how beautiful we thought he looked!He was arm-in-arm with Mr. Cole."

"Yes, very true. How nicely you talk; I love to hear you. You understand every thing. You and Mr. Elton are one as clever as the other. This charade!—If I had studied a twelvemonth, I could never have made any thing like it."

"I do think it is, without exception, the best charade I ever read."

"It is as long again as almost all we have had before."

"It is one thing,"

"to have very good sense in a common way, like every body else, and if there is any thing to say, to sit down and write a letter, and say just what you must, in a short way; and another, to write verses and charades like this."

"Such sweet lines!"

"these two last!—But how shall I ever be able to return the paper, or say I have found it out?—Oh! Miss Woodhouse, what can we do about that?"

"Oh! Miss Woodhouse, what a pity that I must not write this beautiful charade into my book! I am sure I have not got one half so good."

"Oh! but those two lines are"—

"I shall never let that book go out of my own hands,"

"Oh! no— I hope I shall not be ridiculous about it. Do as you please."

"I dare say they are, sir. I am sure I do not know who is not."

"Oh, what a sweet house!—How very beautiful!—There are the yellow curtains that Miss Nash admires so much."

"I do so wonder, Miss Woodhouse, that you should not be married, or going to be married! so charming as you are!"—

"Ah!—so you say; but I cannot believe it."

"Dear me!—it is so odd to hear a woman talk so!"—

"But then, to be an old maid at last, like Miss Bates!"

"But still, you will be an old maid! and that's so dreadful!"

"Dear me! but what shall you do? how shall you employ yourself when you grow old?"

"Do you know Miss Bates's niece? That is, I know you must have seen her a hundred times— but are you acquainted?"

"These are the sights, Harriet, to do one good. How trifling they make every thing else appear!—I feel now as if I could think of nothing but these poor creatures all the rest of the day; and yet, who can say how soon it may all vanish from my mind?"

"Very true,"

"Poor creatures! one can think of nothing else."

"Oh! dear, no,"

"Oh! dear, yes,"

"Mr. Elton is so good to the poor!"

"Mrs. Cole had just been there, just called in for ten minutes, and had been so good as to sit an hour with them, and she had taken a piece of cake and been so kind as

to say

and, therefore, she hoped Miss Woodhouse and Miss Smith would do them the favour to eat a piece too."

"Oh! yes —Mr. Elton, I understand —certainly as to dancing —Mrs. Cole was telling me that dancing at the rooms at Bath was— Mrs. Cole was so kind as to sit some time with us, talking of Jane; for as soon as she came in, she began inquiring after her, Jane is so very great a favourite there. Whenever she is with us, Mrs. Cole does not know how to shew her kindness enough; and I must say that Jane deserves it as much as any body can. And so she began inquiring after her directly, saying,

and when I immediately said, 'But indeed we have, we had a letter this very morning,' I do not know that I ever saw any body more surprized.

said she;

"Thank you. You are so kind!"

"Oh! here it is. I was sure it could not be far off; but I had put my huswife upon it, you see, without being aware, and so it was quite hid, but I had it in my hand so very lately that I was almost sure it must be on the table. I was reading it to Mrs. Cole, and since she went away, I was reading it again to my mother, for it is such a pleasure to her —a letter from Jane —that she can never hear it often enough; so I knew it could not be far off, and here it is, only just under my huswife—and since you are so kind as to wish to hear what she says;—but, first of all, I really must, in justice to Jane, apologise for her writing so short a letter—only two pages you see —hardly two —and in general she fills the whole paper and crosses half. My mother often wonders that I can make it out so well. She often says, when the letter is first opened,

don't you, ma'am?—And then I tell her, I am sure she would contrive to make it out herself, if she had nobody to do it for her— every word of it —I am sure she would pore over it till she had made out every word. And, indeed though my mother's eyes are not so good as they were, she can see amazingly well still, thank God! with the help of spectacles. It is such a blessing! My mother's are really very good indeed. Jane often says, when she is here,

"You are extremely kind,"

"you who are such a judge, and write so beautifully yourself. I am sure there is nobody's praise that could give us so much pleasure as Miss Woodhouse's. My mother does not hear; she is a little deaf you know. Ma'am,"

"do you hear what Miss Woodhouse is so obliging to say about Jane's handwriting?"

"My mother's deafness is very trifling you see —just nothing at all. By only raising my voice, and saying any thing two or three times over, she is sure to hear; but then she is used to my voice. But it is very remarkable that she should always hear Jane better than she does me. Jane speaks so distinct! However, she will not find her grandmama at all deafer than she was two years ago; which is saying a great deal at my mother's time of life— and it really is full two years, you know, since she was here. We never were so long without seeing her before, and as I was telling Mrs. Cole, we shall hardly know how to make enough of her now."

"Oh yes; next week."

"Thank you. You are very kind. Yes, next week. Every body is so surprized; and every body says the same obliging things. I am sure she will be as happy to see her friends at Highbury, as they can be to see her. Yes,