12 May 1801 – Tuesday – from Paragon, Bath

My dear Cassandra

My Mother has heard from Mary & I have heard from Frank; we therefore know something now of our concerns in distant quarters, & You I hope by some means or other are equally instructed, for I do not feel inclined to transcribe the letter of either.– You know from Elizabeth I dare say that my father & Frank, deferring their visit to Kippington on account of Mr M. Austen’s absence are to be at Godmersham to day; & James I dare say has been over to Ibthrop by this time to enquire particularly after Mrs Lloyd’s health, & forestall whatever intelligence of the Sale I might attempt to give.– sixty one Guinea & a half for the three Cows gives one some support under the blow of only Eleven Guineas for the Tables.– Eight for my Pianoforte, is about what I really expected to get; I am more anxious to know the amount of my books, especially as they are said to have sold well.–

My Adventures since I wrote last, have not been very numerous; but such as they are, they are much at your service.– We met not a creature at Mrs Lillingstone’s, & yet were not so very stupid as I expected, which I attribute to my wearing my new bonnet & being in good looks.– On sunday we went to Church twice, & after evening service walked a little in the Crescent fields, but found it too cold to stay long.  Yesterday morning we looked into a House in Seymour St which there is reason to suppose will soon be empty, and as we are assured from many quarters that no inconvenience from the river is felt in those Buildings, we are at liberty to fix in them if we can;– but this house was not inviting;– the largest room downstairs, was not much more than fourteen feet square, with a western aspect.–

In the evening I hope you honoured my Toilette & Ball with a thought; I dressed myself as well as I could, & had all my finery much admired at home.  By nine o’clock my Uncle, Aunt & I entered the rooms & linked Miss Winstone on to us.– Before tea, it was rather a dull affair; but then the beforetea did not last long, for there was only one dance, danced by four couple.– Think of four couple, surrounded by about an hundred people, dancing in the upper rooms at Bath!– After tea we cheered up; the breaking up of private parties sent some scores more to the Ball, & tho’ it was shockingly & inhumanly thin for this place, there were people enough I suppose to have made five or six very pretty Basingstoke assemblies.– I then got Mr Evelyn to talk to, & Miss Twisleton to look at; and I am proud to say that I have a very good eye at an Adultress, for tho’ repeatedly assured that another in the same party was the She, I fixed upon the right one from the first.– A resemblance to Mrs Leigh was my guide.  She is not so pretty as I expected; her face has the same defect of baldness as her sister’s, & her features not so handsome;– she was highly rouged, & looked rather quietly & contentedly silly than anything else.– Mrs Badcock & two young Women were of the same party, except when Mrs Badcock thought herself obliged to leave them, to run round the room after her drunken Husband.– His avoidance, & her pursuit, with the probable intoxication of both, was an amusing scene.–

The Evelyns returned our visit on saturday;–we were very happy to meet, & all that;– they are going tomorrow into Gloucestershire, to the Dolphins for ten days.– Our acquaintance Mr Woodward is just married to a Miss Rowe, a young lady rich in money & music.– I thank you for your Sunday’s letter, it is very long & very agreable.–

I fancy you know many more particulars of our Sale than we do–; we have heard the price of nothing but the Cows, Bacon, Hay, Hops, Tables, & my father’s Chest of Drawers & Study Table.– Mary is more minute in her account of their own Gains than in ours– probably being better informed in them.– I will attend to Mrs Lloyd’s commission–& to her abhorrence of Musk when I write again.– I have bestowed three calls of enquiry on the Mapletons, & I fancy very beneficial ones to Marianne, as I am always told that she is better.  I have not seen any of them.– Her complaint is a billious fever.–

I like my dark gown very much indeed, colour, make, & everything.– I mean to have my new white one made up now, in case we should go to the rooms again next monday, which is to be really the last time.

[To be continued on the following day, Wednesday 13th May]