Letter #4

Monday 2 January 2012
To Cassandra, from Rowling, "I am sorry that you found such a conciseness in the strains of my first letter. I must endeavour to make you amends for it, when we meet, by some elaborate details, which I shall shorty begin composing." - Jane Austen, Thursday 1 September 1796

It is well known that Cassandra destroyed some of the letters that Jane wrote and there is, at least, one letter missing between the third letter written from Cork Street in London on the morning of Tuesday 23 August 1796 and this fourth letter. So, we cannot be sure what she means, but it sounds to me like she is making use of the Austen wit, since she had just been discussing how she would be getting back to Steventon and just after these few sentences she discusses her gowns. It seems like a second thought, like she would make-up an elaborate tale to tell her when she would see her next.

Personally, I would love to have read the letters Cassandra wrote to Jane also. I wonder what happened to them. I wonder if Cassandra destroyed them also.