Complete Novels of Maria Edgeworth

by Maria Edgeworth

  Lefevre’s, [Footnote: Daughter of Lady Elizabeth Whitbread, married to

  Charles Shaw Lefevre, afterwards Viscount Eversley.] where Fanny and

  Harriet had good partners.

  I have subscribed £10 to the Irish poor subscription. Spring Rice, whom I very much like, tells me he has been touched to the heart by the generous eagerness with which the English merchants and city people have contributed to this fund. A very large sum is already at his disposal, and he has wisely considered that if this money be not judiciously applied it will do more harm than good. He has done me the honour to consult me about his plan, of which I enclose a copy.

  At Captain Kater’s breakfast yesterday we met Greenough, Captain Beaufort, Warburton, and young Herschel, a man of great abilities,[Footnote: Afterwards Sir John Herschel, the famous astronomer and philosopher.] to whom Sir Humphry Davy paid an elegant compliment the other day in a speech as President to the Royal Society. “His father must rejoice in such a son, who secures to him a double immortality.”

  Just received yours of the 17th. Curious that you should have been saying to me the same thing I was saying to you about the Irish subscriptions. Poor Peggy Mulheeran! her letter is most pathetic. Fanny and Harriet are at this moment dining at dear Mrs. Lushington’s, and I am going alone to a dinner at Lydia’s, to meet Sidney Smith — they come in the evening. We met Lady Byron lately at Mrs. Lushington’s. Dinner at Lord and Lady Darnley’s — all manner of attention. Greenough has been most kind; admirable collection of fossils — taking out all his thousand drawers for us. Bellman.

  May 28.

  In the hurried life we have led for some weeks past, and among the great variety of illustrious and foolish people we have seen pass in rapid panoramas before us, some remain for ever fixed in the memory, and some few touch the heart. We have just breakfasted with Spring Rice and Lady Theodosia. She has a placid, amiable, and winning countenance — pretty curly-haired children, such as you or Sir Joshua would paint.

  At this breakfast were Mr. Rice’s sister, Lady Hunt, a charming woman. Mr. Grant, our late secretary, with sense, goodness, and indolence in his countenance, and Mr. Randolph, the American, very tall and thin, as if a stick instead of shoulders stretched out his coat; his hair tied behind with a black ribbon, but not pigtailed, it flows from the ribbon, like old Steele’s, with a curl at the end, mixed brown and gray; his face wrinkled like a peach-stone, but all pliable, muscles moving with every sensation of a feeling soul and lively imagination; quick dark eyes, with an indefinable expression of acquired habitual sedateness, in despite of nature; his tone of voice mild and repressed, yet in this voice he speaks thoughts that breathe and words that burn; he is one of the most eloquent men I ever heard speak, and there is a novelty in his view of things, and in his new world of allusions, in art and nature, which is highly interesting.

  Besides the pleasure we should naturally have taken in his conversation, we have been doubly pleased by his gratifying attention to ourselves, and, my dearest mother, still more by the manner in which he distinguished your Francis,[Footnote: Her half-brother, son of Mrs. Edgeworth.] who was with us. Spring Rice told us that Mr. Abercromby, who had met him at Joanna Baillie’s, told him he was one of the finest and most promising boys he had ever seen.

  Do, for heaven’s sake, some good soul or body, write forthwith to Black Castle, and learn whether Aunt Ruxton likes the gown I sent her — gray cloth. If not, I will get her another.

  FROGNEL, HAMPSTEAD, June 3.

  A few lines ever so short and hurried are better than none. We gave up our house and paid all our bills on Saturday; left London and came to Frognel [Footnote: To Mr. Carr’s] — delicious Frognel! Hay-making — profusion of flowers — rhododendrons as fine as four of mine, flowering down to the grass. All our friends with open arms on steps in the verandah to receive us.

  A large party of Southebys, etc., including Mrs. Tuite, put by for future description. Second day: Wollaston, Dr. and Miss Holland. Harriet sat beside Wollaston at dinner, and he talked unusually, veiling for her the terror of his beak and lightning of his eye. He has indeed been very kind and amiable in distinguishing your daughters as worth speaking to.

  To-day I came to town with Mrs. Carr, and my sisters, and the Miss Carrs, and they went to a Prison Discipline meeting to hear Macintosh speak; but I was not able to go, and have done worlds of business since.

  We have changed our plans a little: going to Portsmouth first, and to

  Slough on our return; we were to have gone by Slough, but the Prince of

  Denmark and the King going to Ascot took up all horses and beds, so we

  were obliged to go the other road.

  51 MANCHESTER STREET, LONDON,

  June 10.

  We have accomplished, much to our satisfaction, our long-intended journey to Portsmouth. On Tuesday, at nine o’clock in the morning, we found ourselves according to appointment, in our own dear carriage, at your brother’s door, and he and Francis seated themselves on the barouche seat. The weather was bronzing and melting hot, but your brother would insist on being bronzed and melted there during the heat of the day, in a stoical style disdaining a parasol, though why it should be more unmanly to use a parasol than a parapluie I cannot, for the sense of me, understand.

  Lady Grey, wife of the commissioner — he is away — ordered all the works and dockyard to be open to us, and the Government boat to attend upon us; saw the Nelson — just finished; and went over the Phaeton, and your brother showed us his midshipman’s berth and his lieutenant’s cabin. And now for the Block machinery, you will say, but it is impossible to describe this in a letter of moderate or immoderate size. I will only say that the ingenuity and successful performance far surpassed my expectations. Machinery so perfect appears to act with the happy certainty of instinct and the foresight of reason combined.

  We took a barge to the Isle of Wight — charming day. You take a sociable, and the Felicity-hunter goes in it as far as the horses can take him. It was the most gratifying thing to me to see “Uncle Francis” and all of them so happy. We slept at Steephill; and in the morning went to see Carisbrook Castle. Dined at Portsmouth with Sir James and Lady Lyon.

  But oh, my dear mother, at the little pretty flowery-lawned inn where we dined on our way to Slough, as your brother was reading the newspaper, he came to the death of our dear Mr. Smith, of Easton Grey. At Sir Benjamin Hobhouse’s, a few months ago, he was the gayest of the gay, and she the fondest and happiest of wives.

  At Slough we saw the great telescope — never used now. Drove to Windsor — building and terrace equal to my expectations. At night the clouds were so good as to disperse, and we saw a double star.

  * * * * *

  Miss Edgeworth’s wonderful conversational powers, combined with her homely aspect, and perfectly unassuming manners, made a great impression upon many of those who met her in London. Ticknor says of Maria Edgeworth: “There was a life and spirit about her conversation, she threw herself into it with such abandon, she retorted with such brilliant repartee, and, in short, she talked with such extraordinary flow of natural talent, that I don’t know whether anything of the kind could be finer.”

  On 27th June Miss Edgeworth returned with her half-sisters to Edgeworthstown, taking up the thread of her domestic affairs as if there had been no interruption, and she immediately set to work on the sequel to Harry and Lucy.

  * * * * *

  MARIA to MRS. RUXTON. EDGEWORTHSTOWN, July 23, 1822.

  Honora is staying at Lough Glyn with Mr. and Mrs. Strickland; they are making judicious and incessant exertions for the relief of the poor and the improvement of the people in their neighbourhood. It is very extraordinary that, in the part of the County of Monaghan to which Mr. Strickland went last week for flax seed for the poor tenants in his neighbourhood, he found that there is plenty of everything — no distress felt. The famine seems to have been as capricious as the malaria in passing over some places and settling upon others. Here we go
on in our parish without having recourse to public subscription.

  August 7.

  We have just returned, all of us, from walking two miles on the Mullingar road, in hopes of meeting Francis, who was expected in a chaise from Mullingar, as the coach sleeps there. Just as we had reached the hall door by moonlight, in despair, we heard a doubtful noise, which none but a maternal ear — a very nice ear on some occasions — could judge whether of cart or chaise: it was a chaise, with Francis in it; and here he is, one of the most agreeable and happy boys I ever saw.

  I have written to Walter Scott, claiming his promise of coming here; but I doubt his being in Ireland: I agree with you that his play is very stupid. Joanna Baillie [Footnote: Halidon Hill] suggested the subject, and he wrote it as a contribution to a miscellany formed of voluntaries from all the poets and wits of the day, to make a fund for some widowed friend of hers in great distress. He wrote it with good intentions; but, as Madame de Staël says, “Les bons intentions ne sont pour rien dans les ouvrages d’esprit.”

  Never read The Lollards if it falls in your way, unless you like to see John Huss burned over again. What pleasure have people in such horrid subjects?

  You ask me what I am doing besides Early Lessons, and if I have made any progress in “Travellers.” [Footnote: A tale she had thought of writing, but she never even made a sketch of it.] Do you think, my dearest aunt, that I can write Early Lessons with my left hand and “Travellers” with my right? You have too good an opinion of my dexterity. I assure you it is all I can do to satisfy myself tolerably as I go on with this sequel to Harry and Lucy, which engages all my attention. I am particularly anxious to finish that well, as it was my dear father’s own and first book. As it must be more scientific than the other Early Lessons, it is more difficult to me, who have so little knowledge on those subjects, and am obliged to go so warily, lest I should teach error, or pretend to teach what I do not know. I have written about fifty pages. I fear you will not like it as well as you were so kind as to like Frank. I could never be easy writing anything else for my own amusement till I have done this, which I know my father wished to have finished. You will see in Dr. Holland’s letter some admirable hints for “Travellers,” and I expect many more, from you, dear aunt: we will talk it over in the days of October. How many things we have talked over together! Rackrent especially, which you first suggested to me, and encouraged me to go on with.

  August 10.

  My dear aunt, I know how you must have been shocked when you heard of the manner of Lord Londonderry’s death. As Dr. Holland says, “If we were to have looked from one end of the British Empire to the other, we could not have pitched on an individual that seemed less likely to commit suicide.”

  Whitbread, Sir Samuel Romilly, Lord Londonderry — all to perish in the same manner!

  Sept. 10.

  In this frank you will receive a copy of a very interesting letter from Fanny Stewart. The post and steam vessels bring the most distant parts of the world now so much within our reach that friends cannot be much more separated by being at “Nova Zembla, or the LORD knows where,” than by being in different counties of the same kingdom. There is Fanny Stewart dining with Sneyd’s friends, the Bishop of Quebec’s family; and young Mountain was in Switzerland when we were at Interlachen with Sneyd and Henrica, and the year before at Ardbraccan and Edgeworthstown. Things are odd till they pair off, and so become even. Sneyd and Henrica, who were at Geneva, have been invited to the Baron Polier’s, near Lausanne, the brother of Madame de Montolieu, whom I told you of. Madame Polier was the intimate friend of an intimate friend of Henrica’s, Miss French, of Derby, who has married a Cambridge friend of Sneyd’s, Mr. Smedley, and they are now on a visit at the said Madame Polier’s — a Derbyshire party in the heart of Switzerland, and by various connections felted together!

  When Honora is on the sofa beside you, make her give you an account of Francis’s play, Catiline, which he and Fanny, and Harriet and Sophy, and James Moilliet and Pakenham got up without our being in the secret, and acted the night before last, as it were impromptu, to our inexpressible surprise and pleasure. Francis, during his holidays with us in London, used to be often scribbling something; but I never inquired or guessed what it was. Fanny and Harriet, in the midst of the hurry of London dissipation, and of writing all manner of notes, etc., for me, and letters home innumerable, contrived to copy out fair for him all his scraps; and when put together they made a goodly tragedy in two acts, wonderfully well written for his age — some parts, for any age, excellent.

  After tea the library became empty suddenly of all the young people. My aunt Mary, my brother Lovell, and I remaining with Quin, who had dined here, talking on, never missed them; and the surprise was as great as heart could wish when my mother put into our hands the play-bills, and invited us to follow her to her dressing-room.

  CATILINE,

  A Tragedy, in Two Acts.

  Catiline (in love with Aurelia) Francis.

  Cato (father of Aurelia) Pakenham.

  Cicero (in love with Aurelia) Harriet.

  Caesar Moilliet.

  Aurelia (daughter of Cato) Sophy.

  Julia (wife to Cato) Fanny.

  We found Lucy on her sofa, with her feet towards the green-house; a half-circle of chairs for the audience, with their backs touching the wardrobe — candlestick-footlights, well shaded with square sofa-cushions standing on end.

  Prologue spoken by Harriet; curtain drew back, and Catiline and Aurelia appeared. Fanny had dressed Francis, from Kennet’s Antiquities, out of an old rag-chest, and a more complete little Roman figure I never saw, though made up no mortal can tell how, like one of your own doings, dear aunt, with a crown of ilex leaves. Aurelia was perfectly draped in my French crimson shawl; she looked extremely classical and pretty, and her voice was so sweet, and her looks alternately so indignant to Catiline and so soft when she spoke of the man she loved, that I do not wonder Catiline was so desperately enamoured.

  Pakenham was wonderful: he had received no instructions. They had determined to leave him to himself, and see what would come of it. He had brought down an old wig from the garret, and Catiline and Cato could not settle which it became best or worst; so Catiline wore his ilex crown, and Pakenham a scarlet cap and black velvet cloak, his eyebrows and chin darkened, a most solemn, stern countenance, a roll of white paper in his hand, the figure immovable, as if cut in stone: the soul of Cato seemed to have got into him. I never heard any actor speak better, nor did I ever see a part better sustained; it seemed as if one saw Cato through a diminishing glass. In one scene he interrupts Cicero, who is going off into a fine simile—”Enough: the tale.” He said these three words so well, with such severity of tone, and such a piercing look, that I see and hear him still. His voice was as firm as a man’s, and his self-possession absolute. He had his part so perfectly, that he was as independent of the prompter as of all the rest of the world.

  Moilliet recited and played his part of Caesar wondrous well. You may think how well Pakenham and all of them must have acted, when we could stand the ridicule of Pakenham’s Cato opposite to Moilliet’s Caesar. One of James Moilliet’s eyes would have contained all the eyes of Cato, Catiline, and Cicero. Fanny, as Julia, was beautiful.

  BLACK CASTLE, Dec. 6, 1822.

  How do you all do, my dear friends, after last night’s hurricane? [Footnote: Numbers of the finest trees were blown down. The staircase skylight was blown away, and the lead which surrounded it rolled up as neatly as if just out of the plumber’s: roofs were torn off and cabins blown down.] Have any trees been blown away? Has the spire stood? Is Madgy Woods alive? How many roofs of houses in the town have been blown away, and how many hundred slates and panes of glass must be replaced? The glass dome over the staircase at Ardbraccan has been blown away; two of the saloon windows blown in. The servants in this house sat up all night; I slept soundly. My aunt, roused at an unwonted hour from her bed this morning, stood at the foot of mine while I was yet dreaming;
and she avers that when she told me that eight trees and the great green gates were blown down, that I sat up in my bed, and, opening one eye, answered, “Is it in the newspaper, ma’am?” When I came out to breakfast, the first object I beheld was the uprooted elms lying prostrate opposite the breakfast-room windows; and Mr. Fitzherbert says more than a hundred are blown down in the uplands.

  Now I have done with the hurricane, I must tell you a dream of Bess’s: she thought she went to call upon a lady, and found her reading a pious tract called “The Penitent Poodle!”

  To MRS. O’BEIRNE. BLACK CASTLE, Jan. 15, 1823.

  We are delighted with Peveril, though there is too much of the dwarfs and the elfie. Scott cannot deny himself one of these spirits in some shape or other; I hope that we shall find that this elfin page, who has the power of shrinking or expanding, as it seems, to suit the occasion, is made really necessary to the story. I think the dwarf more allowable and better drawn than the page, true to history, and consistent; but Finella is sometimes handsome enough to make duke and king ready to be in love with her, and sometimes an odious little fury, clenching her hands, and to be lifted up or down stairs out of the hero’s way. The indistinctness about her is not that indistinctness which belongs to the sublime, but that which arises from unsteadiness in the painter’s hand when he sketched the figure. He touched and retouched at different times, without having, as it seems, a determined idea himself of what he would make her; nor had he settled whether she should bring with her “airs from heaven,” or blasts from that place which is never named to ears polite.

  * * * * *

  In May 1823 Miss Edgeworth took her half-sisters Harriet and Sophy to Scotland. It was a very happy time to her, chiefly because there she made an acquaintance with Sir Walter Scott, which soon ripened into an intimate and lasting friendship. He had already admired her stories, which he spoke of as “a sort of essence of common sense.”