by Jane Austen
17. She would have pulled a cord to trigger a bell in the servants’ quarters.
18. footman: low-ranking servant responsible for delivering messages, carrying things, and, in many households, answering the door and waiting on table.
19. The two-penny post conveyed letters within London. The system had started in 1680 and made it possible to send letters anywhere in the city for a penny. In 1801 the government’s need for money to fight the wars with France caused it to increase the rate to two pennies, and a charge of three pennies for letters to and from suburban areas was instituted a few years later. London was the only city in England to have such a system, which was run separately from the rest of the postal service. Marianne’s sending the letter by this means is a sign of her belief or knowledge that Willoughby is in London. A large number of receiving houses existed throughout the city to collect letters for the two-penny post. For a picture of someone posting a letter, see the next page.
20. Tea would be served in the early evening, so her expectation of visitors is not unreasonable.
21. The front doors of houses almost all had large knockers on them to allow people to signal their arrival. Doorbells had not been introduced: a passage in Persuasion, written six years after this novel was finished, contains one of the first known mentions of doorbells.
22. They are not too hasty in their expectation. Letters for the two-penny post were collected frequently, and delivered quickly and at various times during the day, so Marianne’s letter to Willoughby would have reached his address well before this time.
23. London houses tended to be narrow and tall, with many stories and often only two or three rooms on each story. Thus people living in them would need to go up or down stairs frequently.
24. matters: household or financial affairs.
25. Her using Cartwright’s last name rather than his first name indicates he is an upper servant; he is probably not somebody from outside the household, such as a merchant, for then she would say “Mr.” He may be her butler, the highest-ranking male servant and someone who might manage the household. This would naturally make him a person she would need to spend time with after a lengthy absence.
26. conjure out: divine.
27. Mrs. Jennings does not seem to have contacted the Palmers since her arrival, so they presumably knew of her plans from letters.
Posting a letter.
[From Andrew Tuer, Old London Street Cries, p. 57]
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28. Charlotte was earlier described as expecting her baby in February. Since it is now early January she would be well advanced in her pregnancy.
29. Making tea was something the ladies of the house did—the servants simply brought in the hot water and materials. The interval between the arrival of the tea things and the making of tea was caused by the unexpected visit of Colonel Brandon. Marianne now feels obliged to reappear, since tea is a common meal and she, as an inhabitant of the house, should participate.
30. barouche: a popular carriage among the wealthy (see note 18).
A woman writing.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. X (1813), p. 116]
[List of Illustrations]
31. The wealth and variety of stores in London made shopping a prime activity for those visiting the city. In her letters chronicling visits to London Jane Austen often mentions shopping, including the fulfillment of commissions for other people. Elinor may be making some purchases for her mother or Margaret, or for their home in Barton. For a contemporary picture of the Wedgwood shop, one of the leading sellers of ceramics, see below.
32. Bond-street: a prominent street in London containing many shops. Willoughby later identifies it as the location of his lodgings (this page), and Marianne, having written to him, presumably knows this is his address. She could not simply call on him there because that would be improper.
33. She could be looking for a letter from Willoughby or a visiting card (see note 7, and note 17): either would be left on the table by the servants. A visiting card would be left personally, and so could arrive at any time, while the London two-penny post delivered throughout the day.
34. The footman would be fetching the parcels they had purchased from their carriage. Footmen would often accompany their employers on shopping excursions to carry things, but Marianne’s question suggests this man has been at home. One important reason to bring a footman on errands was to impress others—footmen tended to have very gaudy uniforms—and announce one’s status, but Mrs. Jennings is not one to care greatly about that.
35. A porter was in charge of the gate or door to a house. He, or a regular servant, most likely a footman, could be sent to deliver a letter by foot, for the affluent section of London was not extensive.
The Wedgwood shop in London.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. I (1809), p. 102]
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36. Because Mrs. Jennings and the others returned “late in the morning,” it would be natural for them to stay to dine; dinner, occurring around four or five, marked the end of the morning.
37. Marianne’s refusal to learn would be unusual, for whist, which had arisen only in the eighteenth century, had by this time become the most popular card game in England. It is essentially bridge without bidding or a point system: the entire deck is distributed to four players; the last card, going to the dealer, is turned over to determine which suit is trumps; the highest card of each suit, or the highest trump, wins each trick; and victory is determined by how many tricks each pair of partners wins. It requires four people, which is why Elinor has to join Mrs. Jennings and her two friends to make up a table.
A London door of the period.
[From Reveirs-Hopkins, A. E., The Sheraton Period (New York, 1922), Figure 40]
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VOLUME II, CHAPTER V
1. open weather: absence of frost.
2. Early winter—it is now in January—was a prime period for hunting and shooting. But these activities would be curtailed by the onset of frost, something that in southern England might not happen substantially until January.
3. The original schedule was for the Middletons to leave approximately a week after Mrs. Jennings (this page).
4. The conflict between a husband who, dedicated to sport, prefers the country and a wife who wishes to go to London for its entertainments, shopping, and social life is a frequent theme in eighteenth-century literature, one that undoubtedly reflects a common social phenomenon.
5. Unlike the London two-penny post, the national postal service went out only once a day, and that is what Marianne would use to write to Willoughby’s home of Combe Magna, in Somersetshire.
6. in spirits: cheerful, elated.
Grosvenor Square in London, in the heart of the Mayfair district where most of the characters reside.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. X (1813), p. 275]
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7. This was part of the normal etiquette when a family arrived in a place. Soon after arrival the lady of the house would visit all the people they knew and leave a calling card with her name on it. The recipient was expected to reciprocate by leaving her own card or by actually visiting.
8. Though this period saw a gradual increase in the scientific study of weather and climate, there were no regular forecasts appearing in newspapers or elsewhere, so anyone wishing to predict the weather would have to rely on personal observations.
9. Large fur muffs were a popular fashion for women at this time. For a picture, see cover and this page.
10. The need to rely on personal observations to predict weather meant wide knowledge of such clues as clear skies in winter signaling a greater possibility of nighttime frost, even by someone as little concerned with practical matters as Marianne.
11. on the most liberal plan: in the most generous or bountifu
l manner.
12. The city, often capitalized, was the oldest section of London and its commercial center. Successful merchants often lived there to be close to their businesses, but wealthy and fashionable people disdained it, due to the low social status of trade as well as the noise and smells created by its traffic and factories. Mrs. Jennings, whose husband “traded with success in a less elegant part of the town” (this page), would have lived in or near the city while married to him and formed friendships among other merchant families there. Their lower status makes Lady Middleton, married to a country gentleman and highly conscious of elegance and gentility, wish her mother would drop the friendships. In Pride and Prejudice a similar attitude leads to sneers toward the Bennet girls for having an uncle with a business and residence in this part of London.
13. Even Elinor and Marianne have enough consciousness of social rank to be disconcerted by an introduction to those of lower status.
14. particular: regard.
15. compound for: accept (in return).
16. Colonel Brandon’s character of a silent, despondent lover, pining for someone unattainable, makes him a figure often evoked sympathetically in Romantic literature.
17. Mrs. Jennings may have left her card with him without necessarily knowing if he was in London. Willoughby could be responding to her or leaving his card on his own initiative; in either case, as a man living without a woman, he would have to perform the act himself.
18. They would have been driving out in Mrs. Jennings’s carriage. Many people did this daily, even if they did not have any particular business, just for the sake of getting out and enjoying the fresh air.
19. This is extremely inconsiderate of Marianne. The card was left for Mrs. Jennings, yet Marianne has not only taken it away, but done so before its intended recipient even had a chance to see it. Her action also harms the giver of the card, who meant to notify Mrs. Jennings of his arrival and his consideration for her.
20. Berkeley-street: a short street extending west from Portman Square; this is the location of Mrs. Jennings’s residence, which was earlier identified as being near Portman Square. This street was, and is, often called Upper Berkeley Street to distinguish it from a nearby, larger Berkeley Street that extends from Berkeley Square.
21. Marianne is probably thinking of her sister’s silence concerning Edward, as well as her professed lack of interest in him in the conversation with Marianne and her mother regarding the trip to London, a profession that astonished Marianne and that she most likely considered insincere (this page). As for herself, Marianne has certainly failed to divulge the facts of her relationship to Willoughby, whatever they are. But she may believe that their earlier open expressions of affection and her own continued strong attachment to him constitute communication enough. From her perspective the union of hearts is all that really matters; prosaic details regarding actual engagement or marriage plans are a minor matter.
22. reserve: reticence, nondisclosure.
23. Conduit-street: a street south of Hanover Square. All the London homes of the characters, with one notable exception, are in or near the Mayfair section of London. This area, which takes its name from a fair and market held there every May for a number of decades, was mostly developed in the early eighteenth century and quickly became the principal area of residence for the wealthy. Conduit Street, Bond Street, Hanover Square (the Palmers’ residence), Park Street (Mrs. Ferrars’s residence), and Sackville Street (site of a jewelers’ shop where several characters meet) are all part of Mayfair. Mrs. Jennings’s residence on Berkeley Street and John and Fanny Dashwood’s home on Harley Street are in Marylebone, or St. Marylebone, an area to the immediate north of Mayfair that developed heavily in the later eighteenth century, after Mayfair could no longer accommodate all those seeking elegant housing in the most desirable part of London. For all these locations, see maps and this page. For a picture of Grosvenor Square, in the heart of Mayfair, that shows the grandeur of the houses in this part of London, see this page.
24. abroad: away from home.
25. More casual manners prevailed in the country than in London, at least among the wealthy. Moreover, since it was harder in the country to gather people together for a dance, one would tend there to be less strict about numbers and more inclined to take advantage of any opportunity that arose, even if proper invitations had not been sent out beforehand.
26. Not only was there a stronger emphasis on elegance among people in London, but being surrounded by far greater numbers of wealthy and fashionable people, one would suffer by comparison for any defect in that regard. In the country, however, even a family of limited elegance might still outshine all its neighbors.
27. It would be for the gratification of the girls because dance, from everything shown in Jane Austen, seems to appeal particularly to women.
28. Two violins would be smaller than the orchestras at a regular ball.
29. A collation is a light meal, usually of snack-type foods and often gathered with little preparation. A sign of its size would be its being laid out on a sideboard rather than a full table, as would be done for a grander dance—it was normal to offer some refreshment at dances. A sideboard had drawers and cabinets underneath and was not just a side table. It had become a standard article of furniture in the fifty years preceding this novel. For a picture of one from this period, see this page.
30. Colonel Brandon’s account of hearing of their arrival and Mrs. Palmer’s account of her husband’s droll words were both spoken before Elinor (this page and this page), so she is understandably surprised at his apparent ignorance. He may have been too wrapped up in his newspaper, with his wife only imagining his reply, or his general inattention, especially to his wife, may have caused him to forget any conversation he had with her.
31. That she still dances some, despite her lack of interest, suggests the social pressure to dance, which in this case was probably strengthened by Sir John’s insistence on everyone joining in whatever fun was on offer.
32. pretty: nice.
33. The contents of this note are revealed on this page.
A woman with one of the popular large muffs of the time.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. XI (1814), p. 56]
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34. somewhat: something, especially a statement or piece of information.
35. Elinor will prove correct in her perception of his wavering inclination to communicate something when he explains what he was tempted to reveal (see this page).
36. brother: brother-in-law. This is a common usage in Jane Austen. It reflects, at least in part, the general impossibility of divorce in this society, which meant that a relation by marriage was virtually as permanent as one by blood.
37. impertinent: inappropriate, presumptuous.
38. Mr. Palmer is not one of the sources. He is presumably too uninterested to discuss the matter.
39. The servant would have been preparing to mail Marianne’s latest note to Willoughby. Their correspondence would constitute clear proof, according to prevailing standards, of their actual engagement.
A contemporary sideboard.
[From K. Warren Clouston, The Chippendale Period in English Furniture (New York, 1897), p. 200]
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40. He means concealment of his affection for Marianne, the only honorable and sensible course for him if she marries another.
41. event: result, outcome.
42. The censure would arise from Marianne’s correspondence with, and passionate pursuit of, a man to whom she is not engaged or who has ceased to be interested in her. The first would be a clear violation of social rules, and the second would be considered improper in a woman, who was supposed to let a man take the initiative in essential romantic matters.
43. She avoids actually saying Marianne is engaged to Willoughby, while phrasing her words to give a clear impression to that effect. This allows her both to avoid a
lie, since she has come to entertain serious doubts about Marianne’s engagement and the possibility of a marriage, and to preserve her sister from censure, at least for now, and prevent Colonel Brandon from harboring unfounded hopes.
44. emotion: agitation.
45. The reasons for these last ominous words will soon appear.
VOLUME II, CHAPTER VI
1. Mrs. Jennings would be attending Charlotte, who is toward the end of her pregnancy.
2. They have already dined and had tea, which usually came an hour or two after dinner. Fashionable parties, especially in London, often started late and continued well into the night.
3. attitude: position, posture.
4. Lady Middleton has come to fetch them in her carriage; because they are her mother’s guests she would be the natural person to take them when Mrs. Jennings is unavailable.
5. The carriages would line up and the passengers in each would disembark with the aid of servants. This could take some time, for carriages were high off the ground and required some care to descend, especially at night and for ladies in elaborate ball dresses, which frequently had long trains. There would be numerous carriages because even guests who lived close enough to walk would use a carriage; not doing so, especially at a formal party, would be a humiliating mark of low status.
6. Servants standing on the landing-places, i.e., stair landings, would announce the names of the guests as they arrived.
7. Fashionable London parties were noted for often being extremely crowded and hot. The heat was caused not just by the large numbers of people, but also by the numerous candles used to light the rooms. Elaborate parties or balls were the only time when heavy indoor illumination would be used, for it was very expensive.
