Letter 14, Post 2

Sunday 4 August 2013

To Cassandra, from Steventon, "I took liberty a few days ago of asking your Black velvet Bonnet to lend me its cawl, which it very readily did, & by which I have been enabled to give a considerable improvement of dignity to my Cap, which was before too nidgetty to please me.-I shall wear it on Thursday, but I hope you will not be offended with me for following your advice as to its ornaments only in part-I still venture to retain the narrow silver round it, put twice round without any bow, & instead of the black military feather shall put in the Coquelicot one, as being smarter;-& besides Coquelicot is to be all the fashion this winter.- After the ball, I shall probably make it entirely black.- Jane Austen, Tuesday 18-Wednesday 19 December 1798

Okay, cawl is a Welsh stew, so, Jane Austen must have been referring to caul which Dictionary.com has as two of it's definitions, "a net lining in the back of a woman's cap or hat" and "a cap or hat of net formerly worn by women." This is an old word from the 1300's.

A rare meaning of "nidgetty" is trifling. A Google search seems to give Jane Austen credit for this word, as this letter comes up for most of the entries. I think I will try to add this word to my vocabulary!... nidgetty...I like it.

Perhaps this is an example of what the military feather would have looked like.

Coquelicot is a color of red. So she must have been wearing black and red to the ball, Humm.

I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie

Letter #14, Post #1

Friday 2 August 2013

There are several letters missing between letter thirteen, written Tuesday 18-Wednesday 19 December 1798, and letter fourteen, which was written Saturday 1-Sunday 2 December 1798. Jane Austen had celebrated her twenty-third birthday on 16 December 1798. I am sure Cassandra would have written to her to wish her happy.

Letter 14 was given by Cassandra to their niece Fanny, Lady Knatchbull, in 1845. Lord Brabourne inherited it in 1882; it went to Sotheby's 11-14 May 1891; then to Alfred Morrison; then back to Sotheby's on 10 December 1918; to J.P. Morgan in 1920; and finally to the Pierpoint Library in New York. How fortunate that we still have it with us.

Letter #14, To Cassandra, from Steventon, "My dear Cassandra, Your letter came quite as soon as I expected, and so your letters will always do, because I have made it a rule not to expect them till they come, in which I think I consult the ease of us both. - It is a great satisfaction to us to hear that your Business is in a way to be settled, & so settled as to give you as little inconvenience as possible.-You are very welcome to my father's name, & [as] to his Services if they are ever required in it. -I shall keep my ten pounds too to wrap myself up in next winter." - Jane Austen, Tuesday 18-Wednesday 19 December 1798

The notes in the back of the book say that Cassandra's business could have been concerning the inheritance she received from her fiance Tom Fowle.

The [as] was cancelled by Jane Austen.

Jane Austen's ten pounds might have been a Christmas present from Reverend Austen or perhaps a present from Mrs. Knight. Jane Austen was very careful with her money. She mentions money quite a bit in her letters; that is not to say she was stingy. She was not. She also mentions wanting to give and help.

I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie