Lady Susan by Jane Austen (phonics books .txt) 📖

strong, but no more than was

natural, and I did not wonder at his being much struck by the gentleness

and delicacy of her manners; but when he has mentioned her of late it has

been in terms of more extraordinary praise; and yesterday he actually said

that he could not be surprised at any effect produced on the heart of man

by such loveliness and such abilities; and when I lamented, in reply, the

badness of her disposition, he observed that whatever might have been her

errors they were to be imputed to her neglected education and early

marriage, and that she was altogether a wonderful woman. This tendency to

excuse her conduct or to forget it, in the warmth of admiration, vexes me;

and if I did not know that Reginald is too much at home at Churchhill to

need an invitation for lengthening his visit, I should regret Mr. Vernon’s

giving him any. Lady Susan’s intentions are of course those of absolute

coquetry, or a desire of universal admiration; I cannot for a moment

imagine that she has anything more serious in view; but it mortifies me to

see a young man of Reginald’s sense duped by her at all.

 

I am, &c.,

 

CATHERINE VERNON.

IX

MRS. JOHNSON TO LADY S. VERNON

 

Edward Street.

 

My dearest Friend,—I congratulate you on Mr. De Courcy’s arrival, and I

advise you by all means to marry him; his father’s estate is, we know,

considerable, and I believe certainly entailed. Sir Reginald is very

infirm, and not likely to stand in your way long. I hear the young man well

spoken of; and though no one can really deserve you, my dearest Susan, Mr.

De Courcy may be worth having. Mainwaring will storm of course, but you

easily pacify him; besides, the most scrupulous point of honour could not

require you to wait for HIS emancipation. I have seen Sir James; he came to

town for a few days last week, and called several times in Edward Street. I

talked to him about you and your daughter, and he is so far from having

forgotten you, that I am sure he would marry either of you with pleasure. I

gave him hopes of Frederica’s relenting, and told him a great deal of her

improvements. I scolded him for making love to Maria Mainwaring; he

protested that he had been only in joke, and we both laughed heartily at

her disappointment; and, in short, were very agreeable. He is as silly as

ever.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

ALICIA.

X

LADY SUSAN VERNON TO MRS. JOHNSON

 

Churchhill.

 

I am much obliged to you, my dear Friend, for your advice respecting Mr.

De Courcy, which I know was given with the full conviction of its

expediency, though I am not quite determined on following it. I cannot

easily resolve on anything so serious as marriage; especially as I am not

at present in want of money, and might perhaps, till the old gentleman’s

death, be very little benefited by the match. It is true that I am vain

enough to believe it within my reach. I have made him sensible of my power,

and can now enjoy the pleasure of triumphing over a mind prepared to

dislike me, and prejudiced against all my past actions. His sister, too,

is, I hope, convinced how little the ungenerous representations of anyone

to the disadvantage of another will avail when opposed by the immediate

influence of intellect and manner. I see plainly that she is uneasy at my

progress in the good opinion of her brother, and conclude that nothing will

be wanting on her part to counteract me; but having once made him doubt the

justice of her opinion of me, I think I may defy her. It has been

delightful to me to watch his advances towards intimacy, especially to

observe his altered manner in consequence of my repressing by the cool

dignity of my deportment his insolent approach to direct familiarity. My

conduct has been equally guarded from the first, and I never behaved less

like a coquette in the whole course of my life, though perhaps my desire of

dominion was never more decided. I have subdued him entirely by sentiment

and serious conversation, and made him, I may venture to say, at least

half in love with me, without the semblance of the most commonplace

flirtation. Mrs. Vernon’s consciousness of deserving every sort of revenge

that it can be in my power to inflict for her ill-offices could alone

enable her to perceive that I am actuated by any design in behaviour so

gentle and unpretending. Let her think and act as she chooses, however. I

have never yet found that the advice of a sister could prevent a young

man’s being in love if he chose. We are advancing now to some kind of

confidence, and in short are likely to be engaged in a sort of platonic

friendship. On my side you may be sure of its never being more, for if I

were not attached to another person as much as I can be to anyone, I should

make a point of not bestowing my affection on a man who had dared to think

so meanly of me. Reginald has a good figure and is not unworthy the praise

you have heard given him, but is still greatly inferior to our friend at

Langford. He is less polished, less insinuating than Mainwaring, and is

comparatively deficient in the power of saying those delightful things

which put one in good humour with oneself and all the world. He is quite

agreeable enough, however, to afford me amusement, and to make many of

those hours pass very pleasantly which would otherwise be spent in

endeavouring to overcome my sister-in-law’s reserve, and listening to the

insipid talk of her husband. Your account of Sir James is most

satisfactory, and I mean to give Miss Frederica a hint of my intentions

very soon.

 

Yours, &c.,

 

S. VERNON.

XI

MRS. VERNON TO LADY DE COURCY

 

Churchhill

 

I really grow quite uneasy, my dearest mother, about Reginald, from

witnessing the very rapid increase of Lady Susan’s influence. They are now

on terms of the most particular friendship, frequently engaged in long

conversations together; and she has contrived by the most artful coquetry

to subdue his judgment to her own purposes. It is impossible to see the

intimacy between them so very soon established without some alarm, though I

can hardly suppose that Lady Susan’s plans extend to marriage. I wish you

could get Reginald home again on any plausible pretence; he is not at all

disposed to leave us, and I have given him as many hints of my father’s

precarious state of health as common decency will allow me to do in my own

house. Her power over him must now be boundless, as she has entirely

effaced all his former ill-opinion, and persuaded him not merely to forget

but to justify her conduct. Mr. Smith’s account of her proceedings at

Langford, where he accused her of having made Mr. Mainwaring and a young

man engaged to Miss Mainwaring distractedly in love with her, which

Reginald firmly believed when he came here, is now, he is persuaded, only a

scandalous invention. He has told me so with a warmth of manner which spoke

his regret at having believed the contrary himself. How sincerely do I

grieve that she ever entered this house! I always looked forward to her

coming with uneasiness; but very far was it from originating in anxiety for

Reginald. I expected a most disagreeable companion for myself, but could

not imagine that my brother would be in the smallest danger of being

captivated by a woman with whose principles he was so well acquainted, and

whose character he so heartily despised. If you can get him away it will be

a good thing.

 

Yours, &c.,

 

CATHERINE VERNON.

XII

SIR REGINALD DE COURCY TO HIS SON

 

Parklands.

 

I know that young men in general do not admit of any enquiry even from

their nearest relations into affairs of the heart, but I hope, my dear

Reginald, that you will be superior to such as allow nothing for a father’s

anxiety, and think themselves privileged to refuse him their confidence and

slight his advice. You must be sensible that as an only son, and the

representative of an ancient family, your conduct in life is most

interesting to your connections; and in the very important concern of

marriage especially, there is everything at stake—your own happiness, that

of your parents, and the credit of your name. I do not suppose that you

would deliberately form an absolute engagement of that nature without

acquainting your mother and myself, or at least, without being convinced

that we should approve of your choice; but I cannot help fearing that you

may be drawn in, by the lady who has lately attached you, to a marriage

which the whole of your family, far and near, must highly reprobate. Lady

Susan’s age is itself a material objection, but her want of character is

one so much more serious, that the difference of even twelve years becomes

in comparison of small amount. Were you not blinded by a sort of

fascination, it would be ridiculous in me to repeat the instances of great

misconduct on her side so very generally known.

 

Her neglect of her husband, her encouragement of other men, her

extravagance and dissipation, were so gross and notorious that no one could

be ignorant of them at the time, nor can now have forgotten them. To our

family she has always been represented in softened colours by the

benevolence of Mr. Charles Vernon, and yet, in spite of his generous

endeavours to excuse her, we know that she did, from the most selfish

motives, take all possible pains to prevent his marriage with Catherine.

 

My years and increasing infirmities make me very desirous of seeing you

settled in the world. To the fortune of a wife, the goodness of my own will

make me indifferent, but her family and character must be equally

unexceptionable. When your choice is fixed so that no objection can be

made to it, then I can promise you a ready and cheerful consent; but it is

my duty to oppose a match which deep art only could render possible, and

must in the end make wretched. It is possible her behaviour may arise only

from vanity, or the wish of gaining the admiration of a man whom she must

imagine to be particularly prejudiced against her; but it is more likely

that she should aim at something further. She is poor, and may naturally

seek an alliance which must be advantageous to herself; you know your own

rights, and that it is out of my power to prevent your inheriting the

family estate. My ability of distressing you during my life would be a

species of revenge to which I could hardly stoop under any circumstances.

 

I honestly tell you my sentiments and intentions: I do not wish to work

on your fears, but on your sense and affection. It would destroy every

comfort of my life to know that you were married to Lady Susan Vernon; it

would be the death of that honest pride with which I have hitherto

considered my son; I should blush to see him, to hear of him, to think of

him. I may perhaps do no good but that of relieving my own mind by this

letter, but I felt it my duty to tell you that your partiality for Lady

Susan is no secret to your friends, and to warn you against her. I should

be glad to hear your reasons for disbelieving Mr. Smith’s intelligence; you

had no doubt of its authenticity