The Annotated Persuasion

by Jane Austen

  41. Since Bath was a popular retirement destination, especially for widows, and is close to Uppercross, she probably has a number of friends there.

  42. Buying wedding clothes was a standard part of marriage preparations. It meant not only clothes for the wedding itself—in fact, at this time weddings were mostly modest affairs, and the bride’s gown one that could also be worn on other occasions. It also meant outfitting the bride with items she could wear afterward and that would help her start her new life. In Emma being able to display fine clothes is mentioned as a privilege of the newly married woman, while in Pride and Prejudice the heroine’s mother shows more interest in whether one daughter will be able to select good wedding clothes than in almost anything else about the marriage.

  Bath would be a natural destination for those buying wedding clothes, for its many affluent visitors had caused it to abound in stores; it was perhaps second only to London as a contemporary shopping center (and London would be both more expensive and much farther away for those living in Somerset). Jane Austen herself mentions shopping for clothes in many of her letters from Bath, and in one, written shortly before the family was to move there, she writes that she will wait to buy a new gown there (Jan. 25, 1801).

  43. forwardness: advancement toward completion.

  44. This means the living, i.e., position as clergyman for a parish, is controlled by one wishing to give it eventually to someone, probably a relation now too young to hold it. Charles Hayter has been hired to perform the duties and collect the income until this designee comes of age. This would make a substantial difference in Charles Hayter’s situation, for the income of a living was usually much higher than that of a curate, his current position (see note 48, for curates).

  45. This could be the curacy at Uppercross, something already discussed as a possibility for him (this page and this page), though he could be sure of that only as long as the current holder, who is old, stays alive. Charles had earlier spoken of his cousin’s good chance of getting something from the bishop (this page); he may have meant a permanent living and be alluding to that now.

  46. Thus, as easygoing and sympathetic to the young people as the Musgroves are, they consent to the engagement only when adequate means are assured. This issue will soon arise again, with particular pertinence to Anne.

  47. Dorsetshire is immediately southeast of Somersetshire (see map).

  48. Preserves refer to areas of land for game. Preserves were an increasingly prominent feature of the countryside in this period—the word itself, with this meaning, had only recently developed. They had arisen due to the increased demand for game that was caused by improved methods of killing, including better guns. Landowners would foster the breeding of game in the preserves, while also protecting the animals being bred through the systematic killing of any creatures who preyed on them.

  The proprietors’ jealousy could be directed against poachers or other landowners: once people took the trouble to cultivate preserves, they also frequently took steps, such as no trespassing notices, to discourage other country gentlemen from pursuing game on their land. At the same time, they could always make exceptions for friends or for those whose goodwill they sought: in Charles Hayter’s case, someone with good connections with two of the proprietors would presumably give him his special recommendation.

  49. The strict settlement governing landed property usually dictated a certain amount for each daughter’s dowry. But this did not necessarily mean the sum was set aside in a specific investment or account. Instead, much of the family’s money would be invested in and used for the estate to maximize its profitability. Thus a landowner like Mr. Musgrove might have to take special steps, or restrict other expenditures, when he needed large sums quickly, as he would when raising the money for two different dowries.

  50. streightens: straitens, i.e., restricts (in this case financially).

  51. The standard settlement gave the estate itself to the eldest son, while allotting a specified amount, of much lesser value, to younger sons and daughters. The former would use it to begin their careers, the latter to marry.

  52. liberal: generous financially.

  53. As explained before, Charles and Mary do not own property of their own but rely primarily on grants from Mr. Musgrove (note 19). Hence any financial constraints on his father would affect Charles. That may be why Charles bothers to mention it, even as he professes his lack of complaint.

  54. The end of the European war in 1814 led to increased imports of food from overseas, and this hurt those gaining their income from land.

  55. Anne’s reaction to the news differs completely from Charles’s. He speaks of the financial aspects of the marriage, she of the young people’s happiness.

  56. An odd statement, considering that Charles has just said, “My father would be as well pleased if the gentlemen were richer,” suggesting he is not “totally free” of ambitious feelings. Anne, who at other points attributes her own high-mindedness to others, may engage in excessive praise here because it was ambition regarding a daughter’s marriage that caused her such misery.

  57. This suggests one reason for her affinity with Captain Benwick now.

  58. A dabchick is a small grebe, a type of diving waterfowl.

  59. illiberal: narrow-minded.

  60. Though this was not a predominantly warrior society, those men who served in the army or navy tended to have greater prestige than any others, with the possible exception of landed gentlemen, and it was considered important for all men to be courageous and to be able and willing to fight if needed.

  61. set-to: fight, contest.

  62. These are the largest barns on his estate, which would naturally attract rats.

  63. In Sense and Sensibility Jane Austen declares that a sportsman “esteems only those of his sex who are sportsmen likewise.” Charles has just disclaimed such an attitude, but he still manifests it strongly, first in his saying earlier that the worst of Charles Hayter is his being “too cool about sporting,” and now in explaining that his good opinion of Captain Benwick was truly gained from the latter’s successful performance in hunting rats.

  64. Large wall mirrors were a common feature of interiors then, especially in rooms used for company. The reason was that they added considerably to the brightness of rooms by reflecting the dim light given off by candles or lamps. This picture shows a contemporary room with numerous mirrors. These mirrors frequently had elaborate gilded frames, which would make them worth showing to others.

  China, whether in the form of dishes or purely decorative pieces, was also a standard feature of affluent homes at this time, frequently displayed in glass cases or on top of tables and other surfaces.

  65. Four horses, in addition to making the ride faster, were a sign of affluence and distinction.

  66. consequence: social importance or prestige.

  67. “Just enough” implies that Mary might not wish to have her consequence increased too much by her father and sister’s house. While glad to gain some prestige from their nice living arrangements, she does not want them to outshine her and her husband, or to owe too much of her own importance to them. A similar mixture of feelings will characterize Mary’s reaction at the end to Anne’s change of condition (see this page).

  68. Most servants’ labor was done out of the sight of guests (much was also done out of the sight of those living in the house). Hence in general others could only speculate on the number of servants employed by the family—as they might well do, for it was an important measure of status. The Elliots have already been shown trying to maximize the numbers attending on those arriving at their door (see note 47). Such expedients would meet their limits at a formal dinner, however, for there a large number of servants would normally be visible, if they were available, due to the elaborate labor required to serve the various courses and attend to the guests.

  The reduction of the Elliots’ staff, a product of their own reduced resources, would have been encouraged by the con
ditions of urban living. A town house, being much smaller, required considerably less labor, since much of what servants did involved cleaning the house and its furnishings. Moreover, servants boarded with their employers, and while they could be, and often were, crammed into tight quarters with other servants, a smaller house inevitably imposed limits on the number that could be hired. Finally, wages for servants were generally higher in towns.

  69. Hospitality was a long-standing country tradition; the Musgroves were earlier described as frequently inviting people to their house. One reason was the strong local ties of people in the country. Another was that hospitality bolstered the social prestige and influence of landowners.

  70. The Elliots were mentioned as generally not giving dinners (this page), so Elizabeth is not simply fabricating this reason. But they also had made an exception for Mr. Elliot, who is only their cousin, while Elizabeth is making no such exception now for her own sister.

  71. “Lady + first name” is used only by a woman who is the daughter of a duke, marquess, or earl, the three highest ranks of nobility. Thus Lady Alicia is of very high rank, making her a natural model for Elizabeth to follow.

  72. She may be right that Mrs. Musgrove and others in her family would not feel easy, but Elizabeth also may be thinking of how uncomfortable she might feel from seeing the Musgroves’ lack of polish, especially in her own dining room and in front of those the Elliots associate with in Bath.

  73. They would use both drawing rooms for the evening party, for they would need the space for card tables. In contrast, a dinner party might require the use of only one drawing room, before and after the meal.

  74. regular: well-ordered, correctly done.

  75. This is the most sustained glimpse we get of Elizabeth’s mind. It shows that while she does have a sense of propriety—in fact, it may be her most important moral principle—even it is relatively weak.

  76. attention: act of courtesy or politeness.

  77. Anne’s decision to delay her message shows how much more she cares about all related to the Musgroves than about Elliot affairs. For the route from Camden Place to Rivers Street and then to the White Hart, see map.

  78. views: expectations, prospects.

  79. business: what one is busy about; that is, the Musgroves’ errands and tasks.

  80. There was a great variety of shops in Bath, so someone who had been living there would naturally be able to point out which were best for various wares.

  81. Ribbons could be used in various ways in the dress of the time; they were especially likely to be found on the head, either directly on the hair or on hats and caps. In Mary’s case, sitting inside, the strongest likelihood is that the ribbon in question is attached to her cap (see also note 43).

  82. As the mistress of her house, Mary would be in charge of most household accounts, and would keep the household keys. The household keys, of which there was usually only one set, were of great importance and prestige, which is why Mary has brought hers with her to Bath rather than leaving them with a servant. They were used especially for the various places—rooms, cupboards, boxes—where valuable items were stored.

  83. trinkets: small ornaments, especially personal jewelry. These could include necklaces, earrings, bracelets, brooches, and hair ornaments.

  84. amused: entertained, occupied.

  85. pump-room: the Pump Room was a large room where the Bath waters could be drunk; its name came from the pumps that raised the water from below. It was a prominent place for people to meet others and converse, as the heroine of Northanger Abbey does on several occasions. Most likely the opportunity to observe the many people entering and leaving the Pump Room is what draws Mary to her vantage point and keeps her at least mostly occupied and entertained. For contemporary pictures of the interior and the exterior, see this page and this page. Mary would look out on the street from the side of the Pump Room shown in the exterior picture; the picture gives an even more exact sense of the vantage point.

  86. The parcel is presumably from a shop.

  87. This would be part of their apartment at the inn. Better inns often had such accommodations for large, affluent parties.

  Interior of the Pump Room (from a contemporary picture).

  [From Emma Austen-Leigh, Jane Austen and Bath (London, 1939), p. 8]

  88. The concert was two days ago (see chronology), and this is their first time together since then. The Musgroves’ arrival provides a basis for their meeting that they would not have had otherwise (see note 59, for the barriers to their seeing each other). It thus helps solve a difficulty in the plot: in Jane Austen’s initial version of the novel, she had to contrive an awkward, and not completely plausible, meeting at the Crofts’ residence to bring Anne and Captain Wentworth together once more. This passage also indicates that Anne has not forgotten this happy product of the Musgroves’ arrival—it may be this thought that made her eager to leave Lady Russell and come here. Captain Wentworth may have thought of this too, though his behavior at the moment does not suggest it.

  89. dependance: confidence, trust. His argument at the concert that a man does not forget a superior woman he truly loved would give her a rational basis of confidence or trust.

  90. inadvertence: oversight.

  91. mischievous: harmful (in a serious, not playful way).

  92. colonnade: a series of columns supporting a roof or covering. There were several built in the vicinity of the baths, providing a sheltered passageway for those going to or from the baths. Some, such as those on each side of Bath Street (see next note; for a picture, see this page), consist of one row of columns with a building forming the other side of the passage. What Mary would be able to see from a window at the White Hart, across Stall Street, is the colonnade extending north from the Pump Room, which has two rows of columns and is open on both sides (see illustration; for location, see map).

  93. Bath-street: a short street perpendicular to Stall Street, and hence a natural place for Mr. Elliot and Mrs. Clay to have emerged from. The street was created to connect the Cross Bath to the King’s and Queen’s Baths, which are part of the same complex as the Pump Room (see map).

  94. It takes Mary a moment to recognize him because she has had only one brief glimpse of him at Lyme. This will not stop her from shortly expressing indignation that anyone would imagine she could not easily recognize him.

  95. For his stated departure and return, see this page, and chronology.

  96. Anne’s inability to speak, which makes her situation worse, obviously results from surprise, but it also may be a product of the passive role of observer that her longtime circumstances have forced upon her. She is now again, as she was at the concert, in a position where she must do something to counteract the misleading impressions in Captain Wentworth’s mind.

  97. Shaking hands was a sign of closeness in this society. In Jane Austen’s novels it almost never occurs between an unmarried woman and an unmarried man unless they are related or one of them is engaged. A contemporary guide to etiquette and beauty, The Mirror of Graces (1811), warns women against shaking hands, declaring, “When any man, who is not privileged by the right of friendship or of kindred, attempts to take her hand, let her withdraw it immediately, with an air so declarative of displeasure, that he shall not presume to repeat the offence.… A touch, a pressure of the hands, are the only external signs a woman can give of entertaining a particular regard for certain individuals” (this page). Hence Mrs. Clay’s willingness to shake Mr. Elliot’s hand represents a significant gesture on her part.

  98. Thus Anne does begin to act, albeit in a limited way. Her difficulty in trying to alert Captain Wentworth about her feelings is compounded by the prevailing rules of feminine propriety, which dictated that she should not make overt advances to him. The heroine of Pride and Prejudice, in the latter part of that novel, is in a similar situation of waiting and trying to give what encouragement she can to the man she loves. In both cases the woman had rejected an earlier offer of ma
rriage from the man, which naturally makes him more hesitant about approaching her and asking again.

  99. might not attend: may not have attended. “Might” is used here as the past tense of “may,” as it was once before (see note 44).

  100. comfortable: pleasant, reassuring, encouraging.

  101. Thus Anne ultimately turns the sighting of Mr. Elliot, which had seemed initially such an unlucky chance, to her advantage. In a sense she has passed her first test of action. At the same time, this change of fortune shows that all events are not conspiring against the heroine, as is frequently the case in novels of the time, including those by the two novelists who influenced Jane Austen the most, Samuel Richardson and Frances (or Fanny) Burney. They present such extremes of misfortune to underline certain moral messages and for the sake of dramatic tension. Jane Austen, while valuing both of these things, especially the first, values realism at least as highly, which means avoiding what clearly violates the normal experience of life.

  102. Charles’s behavior serves as a reminder of the Musgroves’ rougher manners, and thus of their limitations, even with the greater friendliness and good cheer that their presence in Bath has brought to Anne.

  103. The theater was one of the most popular entertainments in Bath and a major attraction of the city. Spurred by the presence of large numbers of affluent people in search of amusement, the principal Bath theater flourished enough to become in 1768 the first theatrical company to receive a royal patent. Its success continued in subsequent years, and in 1804 a guidebook said that it and its affiliated Bristol theater “have long been held next in consideration to those of London” (Feltham, Guide to all the Watering and Sea-Bathing Places, page 41).

  Hiring a box at the theater would be standard for those as affluent as the characters here. Boxes were very popular: theaters constructed in this period had several levels of boxes, covering both sides and often the rear as well; in some of the grander playhouses between one-third and one-half of the seats were in the boxes. Seats in boxes could be sold separately, or the whole box could be taken—Charles’s wording suggests he has done the latter. A new, very grand theater had been opened in Bath in 1805: it contained three tiers of boxes, including twenty-six private boxes (boxes completely secluded by a floor-to-ceiling partition). The latter also enjoyed a special suite of rooms for relaxing and a separate entrance from the rest of the audience.