by Jane Austen
64. Henry has horses for his carriage as well as his hunters; he is later described as using four horses to travel (see this page), and while those might have been rented, that could be the number he habitually uses. Many who were dedicated to the hunt, and able to afford it, would have several hunters, so that they could hunt even if one horse suffered an injury, or if a horse was too tired from a previous day’s hunt. Moreover, owners would often take more than two or three horses with them on a hunt: the spare ones would be ridden by lightweight servants until the owner’s horse became tired, and he could switch to one of the others and continue to ride fast.
65. home-stall: dwelling with its land and accompanying buildings (such as a stable).
66. Since a man was not allowed to make an open declaration of his affection for a woman, unless he was making an offer of marriage, he would need to speak in this oblique way to signal his intentions. Sir Thomas comprehends immediately that Henry is signaling this interest in Fanny.
67. A woman was not supposed to indicate any strong interest in a man who was courting her.
68. There were two services every Sunday, and each could last awhile; hence three to four hours total.
69. Sir Thomas articulates an ideal of an active and engaged clergyman that was becoming increasingly popular at the time, partly due to the rising evangelical movement. But not all subscribed to this view, and there was an active debate over how much a clergyman needed to be resident in his parish. Edmund himself, in his earlier discussion with Mary (see this page), declared that it was precisely that constant daily interaction with his parishioners, instead of relying simply on Sunday sermons, that allowed a clergyman to exercise a powerful moral influence on them.
70. wait on: visit.
71. sink: eliminate, deduct.
72. Mary earlier exhibited annoyance at her brother’s positive description of the parsonage as Edmund’s future residence, but she reacted with appreciation to Henry’s second proposal, of the parsonage being Henry’s residence, at least part of the year, and subject to his improvements, while Edmund remains at Mansfield. This reaction, even if it is now spoiled by Sir Thomas, shows how much she is still thinking of Edmund as a possible husband, despite her professions of never marrying him if he takes orders.
73. chief: greater part.
74. He means the regular night for holding an assembly, a public gathering usually centering around dancing. Assemblies had become popular during the eighteenth century and could be found occasionally in even the smallest towns. A large town like Portsmouth would have many of them. They were generally open to whoever bought tickets or a subscription.
75. Officers, unlike midshipmen, had commissions.
76. Lieutenant was the lowest commissioned rank, and thus the position that others of William’s age who had been promoted would now have.
77. Life on ship involved exposure to all sorts of harsh weather, not just storms but also extremes of heat or cold, depending on where a ship sailed. The hard conditions included, in addition to many dangers, very crowded living quarters, poor diets due to the frequent absence of fresh food, and long periods of never seeing land.
78. Acquiring a commission was the crucial step in a young officer’s career. It was supposed to involve passing an oral exam about seamanship before a board of three captains once he was nineteen or older, though in many cases people were promoted earlier. But even after passing the exam a candidate needed an appointment to a specific berth, and these were not available for everyone.
79. made: promoted.
80. Promotions came faster than usual during wartime, which is why William has probably seen many fellow midshipmen get them. Jane Austen’s two naval brothers were both promoted to lieutenant when they were eighteen. At the same time, there were even larger numbers of midshipmen awaiting a promotion—almost two thousand in 1813. Receiving one often required the patronage of a more senior officer, or someone with influence in the naval administration, and since William’s father is only an inactive marine, he is poorly positioned for that.
81. As a large town Northampton would hold regular assemblies, but the Bertrams are later described as only occasionally attending them. They may not frequent them because assemblies, being open to those willing to pay, attracted many middle-class as well as genteel people, and the Bertrams may mostly avoid such social mixing. Early in Pride and Prejudice the status-conscious and very wealthy hero speaks with disdain of those attending a public assembly.
82. A hand-organ was a portable barrel organ operated by turning a hand crank. They were played by street musicians, who provided entertainment in larger towns. William and Fanny may have prized hand-organs especially because their parents were not able to afford to buy musical instruments or to attend public concerts.
83. He probably saw Fanny while she was being taught to dance. It was considered an important skill, especially for women, and wealthy families would hire dancing masters to teach their children.
84. Henry’s statement demonstrates both his grasp of Fanny’s shy character and his assiduous attempt to adapt his conduct to it.
85. The one time was in September, approximately three months ago (see chronology). Fanny danced some, though at one point when Tom left the dance she had to sit down (see this page). She was never mentioned then as dancing with Henry, for he was focusing on Maria and Julia and at that time would have neglected Fanny as the lowest-ranking female at the dance.
86. Antigua contained many wealthy planters like Sir Thomas who might hold balls.
87. William could have experienced a variety of types of dancing from his stops in different parts of the world with the navy. Dances on board ship were also a popular way for sailors to pass the time, and being all-male and normally done to the accompaniment of a fiddle rather than an orchestra or piano, as was usual in dances in homes and at assemblies, sailors’ dances would have a distinctive character.
88. The Bertrams’ carriage is a chaise, which seats only three. Hence it is first taking the three women, Lady Bertram, Fanny, and Mrs. Norris (the latter may be staying the night at Mansfield Park, or she may be about to be dropped off at her home), and then returning for the three men.
89. The servant is at the door, ready to hand shawls or coats to guests. Helping a woman with her shawl was a standard male courtesy.
VOLUME II, CHAPTER VIII
1. altogether: on the whole.
2. It is only four miles to Northampton, which would take less than an hour by carriage, but that is still too much for Lady Bertram.
3. eligible: desirable, suitable.
4. afford: provide.
5. It is nearing Christmas now, and the ball will be held on the 22nd (see this page).
6. decision: determination, firmness.
7. do the honours: render the necessary courtesies or civilities (especially of a hostess).
8. A direct trip to Portsmouth requires one full day of travel plus the better part of a second day, so he will need to leave on the 23rd (for the route and times of later journeys between Mansfield and Portsmouth, see this page and this page).
9. This indicates that the messages arrived that day. They could have been sent via servants, traveling on horseback or by carriage. They must have gone primarily to families living in close proximity, for the description of the ball does not suggest an enormous number of people attending.
10. He would have stopped in Sicily while serving in the Mediterranean. Jewelry with sentimental associations, such as a link to a family member, was popular at this time.
11. Jane Austen received a cross, though not an amber one, and a chain from her brother Charles; both, along with a cross given to Jane’s sister, Cassandra, were preserved by family members, and are now on display in the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton. She speaks of them in a letter, while also discussing the sort of financial concerns that prevented William from buying a chain for Fanny: “He [Charles] has received 30£ for his share of the privateer & expects 10£
more—but of what avail is it to take prizes if he lays out the produce in presents to his Sisters. He has been buying Gold chains & Topaze Crosses for us;—he must be well scolded” (May 27, 1801). For prize money in the navy, see this page, note 69.
12. The housekeeper would normally consult with the mistress of the house regarding arrangements for a special event, since they were the two people who, along with in many cases the butler, managed the household and servants. Lady Bertram’s housekeeper probably simply informs her of what she has decided and arranged.
13. Her lady’s maid would not be creating an actual gown or other garment; that would normally be done by a professional mantua-maker (who made gowns) or milliner (who made smaller items). Instead she is combining articles of clothing and adornment to make a new outfit, the meaning of “dress” then.
14. Peterborough is a cathedral town that was then in Northamptonshire; it is now part of Cambridgeshire. A cathedral is the seat of a bishop, who would conduct the examination that allowed a candidate to be ordained as a clergyman. Northampton, the county seat, lacked a cathedral and bishop.
15. Thus he will be away over Christmas. This is not remarkable, for Christmas was a modest holiday then—for more, see this page, note 20.
16. established: fixed, settled. To be ordained the candidate had to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, in which one pledged allegiance to the monarch and acknowledged the supremacy of the Church of England, and subscribe to the Thirty-Nine Articles, which laid down the theological principles of the Anglican Church. These last included some sacred religious duties, and there were other basic duties understood to be part of being a clergyman.
17. propitious: favorably inclined.
18. These would be the various matters related to his ordination, a subject Jane Austen inquired about while writing this novel. In a letter to her sister she mentions the subject and adds, “I am glad to find your enquiries have ended so well” (Jan. 19, 1813). Her sister was then visiting their eldest brother, James, who had long been a clergyman and therefore would be an ideal source for information on the matter. It is not known what specific inquiries Austen had her sister make. She may have wished to know how long the process would take, for the plot requires that Edmund, even after leaving to become ordained, does not soon assume his clerical position at Thornton Lacey.
19. retirement: seclusion.
20. This is due to social norms dictating that a woman, especially a genteel one, travel with a male escort, usually a relative. An escort would help prevent danger as well as any sexual impropriety.
21. appointed: agreed upon, scheduled.
22. Dances were done in pairs; see this page, note 27.
23. wanting: lacking.
24. In other words, after they first agreed to walk to Mansfield Park together, Mary has decided they should instead enter the parsonage, which is right near them.
25. coze: a familiar, friendly talk or chat.
26. Meaning they have settled the larger elements of the outfit, which would be a gown as well as perhaps the shoes, gloves, and headdress. For a picture of female evening or ball dress of the time, see this page and this page.
27. by way of: to serve as a.
28. At that time “trinket” could mean any small article of jewelry or adornment, with no connotation of insignificance or low value.
29. Necklaces, as well as crosses that could be attached to a chain, had become popular in this period because they suited well the prevailing fashion for low necklines.
30. heads: points, topics.
31. That Mary is encouraging the choice of one necklace in particular will be revealed on this page.
32. prettily worked: attractively or skillfully fashioned. “Pretty” at the time could mean generally good or admirable as well as attractive in appearance.
33. make over: transfer.
34. remembrancer: memento.
35. consciousness: sense of guilt, uneasiness.
36. Mary attributes her own more cynical state of mind to Fanny. An additional reason for her suspicion appears later (see this page).
37. In Emma the heroine worries that, by voicing her suspicions of another woman’s possible sexual impropriety, she has “transgressed the duty of woman by woman.” Fanny’s idea is probably that a woman should be especially protective and supportive of another woman when it comes to affairs of the heart.
VOLUME II, CHAPTER IX
1. wonderful: amazing, astonishing.
2. Inkstands were common accessories at the time. They included a tray for pens, an inkwell for dipping the pen into, and a pounce pot or sander, which contained a fine substance like chalk that the writer would shake over fresh ink to make it dry quickly and thereby keep it from smudging.
3. He sent instructions to Tom in a letter to buy the item when in London, which would have far better jewelry shops than Northampton. Tom, in keeping with his general carelessness, probably came to London a few days later than he promised to Edmund.
4. The package was sent to Northampton by Tom. At this time, packages were not conveyed by the postal service: a parcel post service developed only later in the nineteenth century. But public coaches (see this page, note 22) would transport parcels.
5. niceness: neatness, delicacy.
6. neat: elegantly formed, well-proportioned.
7. drawback: diminution, deduction.
8. coincidence: concurrence.
9. The differences in situation he probably has most in mind are Mary’s greater wealth and her being raised in a fashionable London environment instead of at Mansfield. Here and elsewhere, he underrates the more fundamental differences in character between Fanny and Mary, due to his love for Mary and his wish that she possess all the moral virtues he appreciates in Fanny.
10. Disappointment would be a presumption because it would result from affection for Edmund, and she believes she has no right to that affection, because of their different social position, or Edmund’s professed love for another, or both.
11. This ideal of subduing destructive or sinful emotion through reason and moral principle was a fundamental one of the time, and is articulated at various points by Jane Austen. In Sense and Sensibility, where she deals most directly with the issue, the principal heroine exemplifies this ideal over the course of the novel. Fanny is another example of such a heroic heroine, though in her case, perhaps more realistically, the author shows the heroine struggling more, and sometimes failing temporarily, in her efforts to control her feelings.
12. In other words, only if she lacked any special feelings toward Edmund, beyond that of a friend and relation, would she deserve to judge Miss Crawford and offer solicitude to him, for only then could she be sure that her judgment was not biased by jealousy and that her solicitude came purely from a wish for Edmund’s own welfare (rather than a hope of making him like her). Fanny indicates again her exacting moral standards.
13. Meaning the government of herself. To “govern” one’s self or one’s passions was a common concept and expression then.
14. He got this far in his note before being interrupted by Fanny’s entrance.
15. Biography was a popular genre of the time, and it is later described as a particular love of Fanny’s.
16. cut: engraved. The reference is to characters or letters inscribed in stone or other hard material, as on a statue or public plaque.
17. gave: presented, portrayed. In other words, the characters he scribbled exceeded in quality even those engraved in stone.
18. observances: courtesies, attentions.
19. As revealed below, William was already planning to go to Portsmouth via London, and going with Henry would, in addition to providing him with a companion, save the cost of travel on the leg to London.
20. accustomary: usual.
21. Wealthy people, especially in London, tended to keep later hours. They could afford to use more artificial light in order to stay up later at night and to prepare and eat the main meal of the da
y after dark, and it was also much easier to go places in the evening in a city, with its paved and fairly well-lit streets, than in the country.
22. Traveling post is the standard means of long-distance travel in Austen’s novels. It involved using a private carriage, either one’s own or a rented one, and horses that were hired at posting stations, generally local inns, that existed approximately every ten miles along main routes. The horses would proceed at full gallop for this distance and then, upon arrival at the next station, be changed for a set of fresh horses that would gallop quickly for another ten miles. The system was very well developed by this time; inns had ample supplies of horses and were able to change those on incoming carriages very quickly, so travelers could proceed with no need to stop except for food or rest. Public coaches, plying the same routes and changing horses in the same manner, also existed, but their lower status and lesser privacy made genteel people avoid them. William’s financial position, however, has forced him to use the cheaper public coach (which he will still use on the latter stage of this journey), and thus he appreciates the opportunity to go post. He also likes the idea of going with four horses because post travel usually involved only two; public coaches used more because of their larger size. Using four with a barouche, which was smaller than a coach, and with far fewer passengers, would allow the carriage to attain significantly greater speeds.
23. Ships in port could send dispatches to the central naval administration in London. William could have seen others assigned to the task and wished that he could perform it someday, spurred by its importance, the speed of travel involved, and the possibility that, if announcing a victory, he could be rewarded.
24. This means by the mail coach, a service established in 1784 for speedy transport of mail between towns and cities; prior to this people often sent their mail via public coach because it was faster. The coaches in England went between London and major towns, including Northampton, and traveled overnight, allowing the mail collected during the day in one place to arrive at another the following morning for delivery. The coaches could also carry a few paying passengers: the cost was greater than on a public coach, but the journey was faster; for a contemporary picture, giving a sense of the mail coach’s speed, see this page. By going this way on the night after the ball William would be able to sleep late after the ball, which normally went for many hours after midnight, and have the rest of the day at Mansfield, though it would also mean then having to spend the night on the coach. Going via London, instead of directly to Portsmouth, would add a little to the length of the journey, but not much: the latter distance on current roads was 120 miles, while the former was 138 miles.