I Was Jane Austen's Best Friend Read Online Free PDF

very small fortune — only fifty pounds a year. In any case, I don’t think that I would be very attractive to men. I remember overhearing Augusta telling one of her friends that Edward-John was sending me to boarding school so that I would be educated to become a governess, and when her friend suggested that I might get married Augusta gave one of her horse-like laughs and said — it’s funny how I still remember the words: ‘ My dear! With that low stature and that kitchen maid’s nose! — Who on earth would ever marry her? ’
    And then I think about Captain Williams and how kind he was to his sister …

Saturday, 5 March 1791
    My brother and his wife went back to Bristol this morning. Now that I am well again, they said that they were happy to leave me in the good care of my Aunt Austen. Augusta was especially keen on my staying with the Austens. She feels that the country air of Hampshire will be better for me than the city air of Bristol. When I am quite strong enough Jane and I may perhaps go for a holiday to Bristol. Jane thinks that will be exciting, but I have a guilty feeling that I would prefer to stay at Steventon. I think that I will have much more fun here. This house is full of shouts and noisy laughs. Jane’s brothers and Mr Austen’s pupils seem to spend a lot of their time calling jokes down the stairs or teasing each other.
    ‘We have decided that you won’t go back to that school in Southampton again,’ my sister-in-law said before she left. ‘Mrs Thorpe tells me that there is a very good boarding school at Reading. Her daughter went there. I shall make some more enquiries, but it won’t be worth enrolling you until after Easter.’
    ‘Don’t you think I’m getting a little old for school?’ I tried to make my voice sound grown-up and sensible when I said that. ‘Jane and I found that we learned very little when we were at school. We could study better at home. There were hardly any booksthere, only a few novels from the lending library. Mrs Cawley couldn’t even speak French, and the grammar she gave us to study was too easy. All we did was learn some spellings and do needlework.’ I didn’t tell her that Jane had already suggested to her mother that we both be allowed to join the boys in their lessons with Mr Austen. Mrs Austen was so shocked at that suggestion that she pretended to feel faint. Mrs Austen is a little too tough for fainting, but I think that Augusta, who is very proper, really would faint; the suggestion that we should study by ourselves was a possible one though.

    Edward-John was nodding solemnly, but I could see by Augusta’s face that she wasn’t sure so I said very quickly: ‘And of course you would save thirty-five pounds a year by allowing me to study here with Jane. Mrs Austen thinks it would be a good idea.’ I kept it to myself that it was really Mr Austen who thought it was a good idea and that Mrs Austen had sighed and said, ‘Jenny will never get any work done with Jane distracting her.’ She had added though, ‘Still, it would be lovely to keep you, Jenny dear,’ and I thought that was nice of her.
    Edward-John and Augusta looked at each other. Then she nodded her head and said, ‘What do you think, Mr C.? I am of the opinion that it would be better, in view of Jenny’s health, if she stays here in the country air.’
    ‘Perhaps we might engage a drawing master atsome stage,’ suggested Edward-John. ‘Mama thought Jenny’s drawings very talented.’ He shot a quick look at Augusta’s protruding green eyes and pursed-up mouth and then said hastily, ‘Well, we can think about it when Jenny is quite well again.’
    I would have loved to ask for a singing master. I remembered the drawing room that I had seen on that terrible night in Southampton where the young lady was singing and playing, and the expression on the faces of the men who stood around the piano listening to her. However, I also took a look at Augusta’s face and knew that