by Jane Austen
19. Blameless because she had nothing to gain in a material or social sense from the friendship.
20. Mary regularly asks forgiveness for faults and negligence. This indicates a perceptive consciousness of her wrongs, but also an inclination to rely on such appeals in lieu of making a serious effort to ameliorate her behavior.
21. with: about.
22. Being cut off in the flower of one’s youth was a common expression at the time. “The flower of his days” was not nearly so common, but expresses the same idea.
23. The joke is that she might wish to bribe Tom’s physician in order to ensure his death, and thereby make Edmund the heir.
24. Tom is currently poor in his physical state, and Edmund poor financially (by Mary’s standards). Both their conditions will change if Tom dies.
25. “Consequence” is social consequence. She thinks he deserves it for being a better person, and probably believes that she would then have a fully deserving husband, one who had wealth joined to his moral and personal virtues.
26. The “precipitation,” or precipitous action, was his becoming ordained.
27. That is, the stain of becoming a clergyman, an undesirable profession in the eyes of the fashionable world, will remain but be mostly covered up by the splendor of being heir to a wealthy estate and a baronetcy.
28. “Esquire” is a designation added, usually in formal contexts, to the name of a man of genteel status who lacks a title. It derives from “squire,” the medieval term for a man just below a knight in status, and a current term for gentry landowners. Jane Austen affixed the abbreviated “Esq.” to her male relatives’ names in some letters to them, and in one to a nephew who had reached an age to be considered an adult gentleman, she says, “One reason for my writing to you now, is that I may have the pleasure of directing to you Esqre” (Dec. 16, 1816). Edmund is now an esquire, but if he inherits someday instead of Tom he will drop the “Esquire” in favor of the more prestigious “Sir.”
29. return of post: by the next mail. The term originally meant replying by sending back a message with the courier who delivered it, but that practice had gradually faded, leaving the term as a residue.
30. She assumes that Fanny would also be pleased by Edmund’s elevation, due to her close friendship with him. This assumption, along with her open celebration of the possibility of Tom’s death, shows how much she fails to understand Fanny. Her talk of not being ashamed demonstrates that she is aware that many would condemn her statements and attitude, but she still supposes that Fanny’s personal biases would overcome such general moral principles.
31. A “Sir Edmund” would be in a position to exercise greater charity to the local poor, to supervise neighborhood affairs well, to be a responsible and decent landlord, and to assist family members and friends.
32. Twickenham, where Mary earlier said that Admiral Crawford had a summer place, was a town near London where many wealthy people had homes.
33. Bedford Square is in Bloomsbury, a middle-class area of London that was not as fashionable or wealthy as Mayfair or Marylebone. Mary may have deliberately not bothered to learn the name and street of this family from an unwillingness to associate herself with a less desirable neighborhood.
34. cut up: broken off, disrupted.
35. Thorough holidays because she is away from her husband.
36. Mary turns out to be prescient in imagining problems between Mr. Rushworth’s mother and Maria. This is why she gives credit to Maria for promoting Mr. Rushworth’s mission to Bath: Maria would know it is right for his mother to visit them, even though it could create complications for her, since she will now be living with the person who used to run her husband’s household. Maria’s main motive in encouraging him to go may have been to get him out of London for a brief time; she also may hope that with his mother to occupy much of his time once they are in London, he will wish to be less with his wife.
37. Richmond is next to Twickenham, and was also full of homes of the wealthy. Its location allows Henry to see Maria easily while she is in Twickenham, and Mary’s report that he “saw her this morning” suggests he may be seeing her on a regular basis, rather than at special social events. This also means he has still not left London to perform the tasks on his estate he spoke of when he was with Fanny.
38. Mary’s words exhibit a stronger longing to go to Mansfield than she expressed previously. She may wish to see Edmund, now that she thinks he is about to become a far more eligible mate, and she may wish to see Tom to gain a clearer sense of the chances of that. It is also possible that she fears Henry’s time with Maria could prove dangerous to him. Henry himself, if he really was, as she states, even more eager than before about fetching Fanny, may be hoping that such a mission will tear him away from a situation he knows is becoming treacherous. Of course, if that were the case Henry could always leave of his own accord. But he has shown himself capable of knowing what is sensible and right without having the willpower to act on that knowledge if it is painful or inconvenient. His plea to Fanny about needing her help to carry out his improvements on his estate may even have stemmed, at least in part, from awareness of that feature of his character.
39. In other words, Henry may no longer be sending specific messages to Fanny, aside from a general wish of seeing her.
40. It would take one day for Mary and Henry to reach Portsmouth from London, and then two days to travel to Mansfield.
41. Her mortification shows she had begun to take a real interest in Henry’s welfare and his moral improvement, though her reaction to the news also shows that jealousy does not enter at all into her thoughts.
42. This decision will have apparently momentous consequences, though it is not certain if subsequent events would have been different if she had decided to accept Mary’s offer.
VOLUME III, CHAPTER XV
1. The expense of postage meant that people usually did not send short letters, which cost as much as a longer letter filling the page, unless they had urgent business to communicate. Many of Jane Austen’s letters were written over the course of more than one day: if she finished the news for one day, and still had space on the page, she would wait to send it until she could add more news.
2. start: introduce.
3. This would obviate the main barrier to her return, the lack of permission from Sir Thomas.
4. into the country: outside London.
5. etourderie: thoughtless blunder (in French, which is why it is italicized).
6. What Henry has done, who may be with him, and what she means by “Rushworth’s folly” will soon become clear.
7. The repentance she imagines is for losing Henry.
8. Jane Austen, after living the first twenty-five years of her life in the country, spent the next eight in the towns of Bath and Southampton. There are a number of indications in her letters that overall she liked town life less and was relieved when she finally returned to the country, going to the village where she lived during the remainder of her life.
9. Milk was not homogenized, so it would contain floating pieces of cream. It is possible worse substances are also present, as standards of hygiene, including for food and drink, were not high in towns at the time.
10. This vivid depiction of a shabby home has no equivalent elsewhere in Austen’s novels, which mostly refrain from detailed physical description of places and, when they do, concentrate on houses and gardens of the wealthy. The passage reveals that Jane Austen was fully aware of this seamier side of life, so her decision to exclude it elsewhere results from a conscious artistic choice. In this case the description represents a fitting climax of Fanny’s stay at her parents’, intensifying her feeling that she really belongs to Mansfield.
11. fine: fancy, elegant. The term could be used in a pejorative sense.
12. He refers to a common belief in looser sexual morals among the upper classes; see note 19.
13. In the navy beating someone with a rope’s end was a common informal method of
punishment by officers; it coexisted with a variety of other harsh physical punishments, both formal and informal. Beating a daughter severely for sexual misbehavior was a long-standing custom outside the elite classes, though one that was perhaps talked about and threatened more than actually enforced.
14. Flogging was the main official punishment in the navy, one frequently inflicted on ordinary sailors. The cat-of-nine-tails, a short whip with nine separate thin knotted ropes, was most commonly used; a sailor would be bound standing and lashed repeatedly on his bare back with the cat. The entire crew was made to witness it, so a man like Mr. Price serving on a ship would have seen numerous instances of flogging.
15. fracas: uproar, disturbance.
16. This is a fancy way of saying she has not long been married; Hymen is the ancient Greek god of marriage.
17. brilliant: splendid, distinguished.
18. Accounts of elopements, and other misdeeds, among the fashionable elite were popular in newspapers. Use of initials was also standard: this prevented the parties from becoming infamous generally, while still giving enough information, including addresses, to allow those who knew them to guess their identity. In a letter Jane Austen, commenting on a case of adultery among acquaintances, says, “A hint of it, with Initials, was in yesterday’s Courier” (June 22, 1808).
19. The social elite was perceived to be rife with infidelity and other forms of sexual misbehavior. One reason was looser standards among the elite, something the Crawfords are an example of; another was that elite misbehavior was often widely publicized, unlike that of ordinary people, which made it seem more widespread. Both elite mores and public perception of them were influenced by the reigning sovereign of Britain, the Prince Regent, a notorious philanderer who was bitterly estranged from his wife; Jane Austen expresses her distaste for him in a letter. He helped set the tone for fashionable society and his misdeeds were widely covered. In her letters Austen mentions several cases of adultery in prominent aristocratic families that she had some acquaintance with, though she did not necessarily know the guilty parties personally. Her reaction shows a mixture of fascination and disgust that was probably typical of those following these scandals. In one case, that of the daughter of Lady Saye and Sele, Austen writes of spotting her at a ball in Bath: “I am proud to say that I have a very good eye at an Adulteress, for tho’ repeatedly assured that another in the same party was the She, I fixed upon the right one from the first” (May 12, 1801). In another, that of Lady Caroline Paget, whose family was known for previous scandals, she declares, “What can be expected from a Paget, born & brought up in the centre of conjugal Infidelity & Divorces?—I will not be interested about Lady Caroline. I abhor all the race of Pagets” (March 13, 1817).
20. This shocked reaction was typical for the period. In Pride and Prejudice the heroine is prostrate with distress upon learning that her unmarried sister has run away with a man, a misdeed that would not be condemned as severely as adultery by a married person. Jane Austen’s letters exhibit a strong reaction on her part toward such cases, even though they never involved anyone close to herself. At the same time, Fanny’s extreme reaction, described over the next page, goes beyond what even many upright people would feel, and reflects both Fanny’s very strict standards and her emotional sensitivity.
21. Mary is a woman of character because she would not commit such a transgression herself, in Fanny’s estimation. It is notable that Fanny’s shock and horror have not caused her to cease showing some justice to Mary.
22. The notion of civilization as progressively moving further away from conditions of barbarism was widespread in this society, and adherents of this ideal identified progress in morality and standards of behavior as at least as important as more material forms of progress.
23. views: expectations, plans, aspirations.
24. She makes a distinction between Sir Thomas and Edmund. The first, she believes, would be more concerned with outward honor, especially of the family, and with the breach of decorum and social rules. The second would be more concerned with the underlying moral wrongness of adultery. This does not mean that each man would disregard the other’s reasons, only that they are not his first priority.
25. Meaning for the worldly welfare of those connected with Maria it would be best that she die, but from an otherworldly perspective it would be best for her to remain alive so she can repent of her sin and possibly gain eventual divine forgiveness. Maria’s death would probably serve the practical interests of others in her family, due to the dishonor and social taint of being connected with an adulteress; in Pride and Prejudice the heroine worries that her sister’s transgression will mar the marital chances of all the other sisters in the family. Of course, that does not mean that the Bertrams actually desire such an outcome: there is never any indication of that. As for Maria herself, social opinion often held that death was a preferred outcome in cases of adultery, especially for the woman, whose sin was regarded as particularly heinous (for more on this, see this page, note 40). This idea was given famous expression in a poem in Oliver Goldsmith’s popular novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), a poem that Jane Austen humorously alludes to in Emma:
When lovely woman stoops to folly,
And finds too late that men betray,
What charm can soothe her melancholy,
What art can wash her guilt away?
The only art her guilt to cover,
To hide her shame from every eye,
To give repentance to her lover,
And wring his bosom—is to die.
26. posts: mail deliveries.
27. full: fully.
28. Letters had postmarks showing their origin. As explained below, and later, Edmund accompanied Sir Thomas to London to try to salvage the situation.
29. The laws of England forbade a couple from marrying without parental permission if either was under twenty-one. But the laws of Scotland allowed such marriages, and if the marriage occurred there it was recognized in English law. Hence young couples wishing to marry often went to Scotland; the town of Gretna Green, the first Scottish town on the main road from England, had a flourishing business in quick marriages. In this case, Julia is only twenty, and Sir Thomas has shown no inclination to consent to Yates as her husband.
30. Fanny has presumably mentioned Susan in her letters and perhaps even indicated Susan’s interest in Mansfield Park or Fanny’s own hope of remaining with and guiding her sister.
31. He means justice to his intention of helping Susan. Edmund fears that his agitation is making his letter incoherent.
32. He is taking the mail coach from London to Portsmouth (see this page, note 24), because it travels overnight, so he will arrive the next morning and be able to set out immediately to Mansfield. If he traveled by normal means, he would not arrive until the following evening, and thus have to depart a day later.
33. cordial: a substance to revive people or to assist their recovery from illness, or from shock in this case. There were a great variety of cordials, for no regulations existed regarding what could go in them or what claims could be made on their behalf. Many contained alcohol, which was often viewed as medicinal and could make the user feel better regardless of whether it had any other beneficial effect.
34. call herself: enjoin or command herself.
35. fixed: settled, confirmed.
36. business: things to be done, or to be busy about.
37. Susan does not have a trunk, since she has never traveled before. Boxes were sometimes used for travel: in Pride and Prejudice three travelers returning home have boxes and parcels with them.
38. All three are similarly sleepless, for Edmund will probably achieve little sleep in the overnight coach.
39. sink: faint.
40. This is a private chaise, which he probably hired at the inn where the mail coach arrived; he could have left it there awaiting his instructions.
41. The barriers are the fortifications and gate and drawbridge guarding the e
ntrance to the town from the outside.
42. Bonnets had recently become popular for women. Because they fit close to the head, and the brim stuck out in front, the wearer’s face was blocked from view for those looking from the side.
43. This was “received” in the 1814 edition, but changed to “revived” in the 1816 one. The first could have been a printer’s error, or Jane Austen may have decided to change the word. “Received” has Edmund smiling on his own, “revived” has him being influenced by Fanny. Austen may have wished to emphasize Fanny’s role in assisting his recovery from his anguish and despair, a role she will continue to play.
44. He is thinking of his loss of Mary, for he could never marry her now because of the family rift caused by Henry’s behavior.
45. They stayed at the inn at Oxford, where Fanny and Edmund were talking before the fire. Portsmouth to Oxford was seventy-nine miles, which would take a little more than ten hours; that is why they are exhausted when they arrive. From there to Northampton is only forty-one miles, plus four miles to Mansfield.
46. Meaning forms of vulgar and of genteel behavior, the former being what she has experienced at home, and the latter what she will encounter at Mansfield Park and must adapt to.
47. These are all items she would not have used before. Most forks were made of steel; silver forks were used only by the wealthy, who also used separate forks for separate tasks, which means that Susan will have to remember when she should use which one. Napkins of some kind had been in use in earlier times, when people ate partly with their hands. The introduction of the fork into England in the late seventeenth century, which eliminated the need for using hands, led to the disuse of napkins for a while, but during the eighteenth century they were reintroduced in wealthy households. Finger glasses are placed next to each diner’s plate to allow them to wash their fingers; they were used by the wealthy during the dessert course, which often involved sticky items eaten by hand.