Letter #11, Post #2

Tuesday 12 June 2012
To Cassandra, from Steventon, "-now for myself. Mrs. Lefroy did come last Wednesday, and the Harwoods came likewise, but very considerately paid their visit before Mrs. Lefroy's arrival, with whom, in spite of interruptions both from my father and James, I was enough alone to hear all that was interesting, which you will easily credit when I tell you that of her nephew she said nothing at all, and of her friend very little. She did not once mention the name of the former to me, and I was too proud to make any enquiries; but on my father's afterwards asking where he was, I learnt that he was gone back to London in his way to Ireland, where he is called to the Bar and means to practise. She showed me a letter which she had received from her friend a few weeks ago (in answer to one written by her to recommend a nephew of Mrs Russell to his notice at Cambridge), towards the end of which was a sentence to this effect: 'I am very sorry to hear of Mrs Austen's illness. It would give me particular pleasure to have an opportunity of improving my acquaintance with that family-with a hope of creating to myself a nearer interest. But at present I cannot indulge any expectation of it.' This is rational enough; there is less love and more sense in it than sometimes appeared before, and I am very well satisfied. It will all go on exceedingly well, and decline away in a very  reasonable manner. There seems no likelihood of his coming into Hampshire this Christmas, and it is therefore most probable that our indifference will soon be mutual, unless his regard, which appeared to spring from knowing nothing of me at first, is best supported by never seeing me. Mrs. Lefroy made no remarks on the letter, nor did she indeed say anything about him as relative to me. Perhaps she thinks she has said too much already." - Saturday 17-Sunday 18 November 1798

Her nephew refers to Mr. Tom Lefroy.
Her friend refers to Reverend Samuel Blackall (1770-1842)

This is it, the end of Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy. Almost a year has past and he is still a topic in the Austen household. She was too proud to ask about him and I can imagine Mr. Austen asked about him because he knew she really wanted to know. I wonder how things went down between the Lefroy's and the Austen's. The way Jane Austen is speaking here it seems that maybe this is the first time Mrs. Lefroy has visited in quite some time.

Apparently Mrs. Lefroy had tried her hand at matchmaking in a match between Reverend Samuel Blackall and Jane. It sounds like he was a great deal more interested in her than she was in him. And, perhaps, this attempt at matchmaking was Mrs. Lefroy's way of trying to make up for the incident with Tom Lefroy. There is no way to know for sure, but at least we can be content in the fact that Jane Austen was "very well satisfied" with the end of it.

                                     Madame Lefroy

                                      Lady Russell played by Alice Krige

Speaking of Mrs. Russell reminded me of Lady Russell and how while reading Persuasion I kept saying, Lady Russell is Mrs. Lefroy, she just has to be, right? How could you not make that comparison? Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen book, followed closely by Pride and Prejudice, of course. In movies, it's Pride and Prejudice 2005 and then Persuasion.

I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie