by Jane Austen
3. A sign of how much she still identifies with him, despite all she is witnessing.
4. pitiful: petty, small-minded.
5. triumph: exultation.
6. One reason for his negligence may be his lack of strong feelings for either, which makes him not bother choosing and may make him underestimate the seriousness of what is happening. Another reason may be his having spent most of his adult life at sea, removed from women. That would make him inexperienced in the ways of courtship and less likely to perceive the dangers of irregular behavior there. Toward the end of the book he provides further insight into his state of mind at this point (this page).
7. “Large” could refer to thickness but is more likely to refer to length and width. At this time books came in widely varying sizes. The principal ones were folios, in which a standard sheet of paper was folded in two to make the pages, quartos, in which the paper was folded into quarters, octavos, in which the paper was folded into eight pieces, and duodecimos, in which the paper was folded into twelve pieces. Thus the length and width of a duodecimo would be one-sixth those of a folio. The type of book would influence its size. Popular books, especially novels, tended to come in smaller sizes, while serious, scholarly ones were usually larger. Thus the size of Charles Hayter’s books helps spur the Musgroves’ worries about excessive studying. They might be naturally inclined to such worries, not seeming bookish at all themselves.
8. Anne is the only one to perceive what is really happening, even though she knows Charles Hayter far less well than Mr. or Mrs. Musgrove.
9. work: needlework. The usage, found often in Jane Austen, illustrates how basic an activity needlework was for genteel women.
10. The little grounds would be those around the cottage of Charles and Mary. The cottage’s location in the village means its grounds could not be extensive, but having some kind of landscaped grounds was considered essential to a country house, and this cottage was already described in terms of its “prettinesses” and its fashionable features (see note 39). This would naturally call for grounds as picturesque as available space would permit.
11. admired: marveled at.
12. Anne again shows her dutifulness. In this case it will receive a reward of sorts.
13. The various books of the time on hunting and shooting devote considerable attention to the issue of young dogs. They discuss the various risks posed by the dogs’ excitability and lack of experience and propose elaborate training regimens, often lasting more than a year—though the authors warn that mishaps may still occur when the dogs are first used. The most frequently cited problem, and the one that has probably spoiled the gentlemen’s sport here, is the tendency of young dogs to chase game as soon as they find it, rather than stopping and simply indicating its location. The former causes the birds to fly away before the shooters are in a suitable position.
14. The same group of six will undertake an even grander, and more consequential, excursion to Lyme in the next chapter. They are a natural grouping, being the young adults currently part of or connected with the Musgrove family. This grouping means Anne is regularly being placed in company with Captain Wentworth.
15. This discourages conversation during the walk. This has important consequences, for when two of the characters do engage in a long and serious talk, it is after they have stopped, and Anne ends up being in a position to overhear them.
16. Anne’s love of poetry is fully demonstrated here by how readily poetic quotations spring to her mind. It will lead to a significant plot development in the next chapter. The sentence evoking her love itself has a poetic cast, using language, such as “smiles of the year” and “tawny leaves,” that is often found in poetry.
17. peculiar: particular.
18. Anne’s wish to spend autumn in the country was mentioned earlier (this page). The poignant and almost rueful atmosphere often associated with autumn would also suit her state of mind at this point.
19. Carriage accidents were a regular hazard of using them. Jane Austen’s next, unfinished novel, Sanditon, begins with a carriage accident. Toward the end of this chapter it is revealed that they are a particular hazard for the Crofts.
20. lieve: lief, i.e., gladly, willingly.
21. The emphatic enthusiasm of this speech gives an indication of Louisa’s character, while its fervent expression of willingness to undergo an accident will soon prove eerily prescient.
22. What she has heard has darkened her poetic memory, though the scenes around her have not changed. Personal concerns have overridden the influence of the external atmosphere.
23. That this was intended as their destination is probably why nobody answered Anne just now (the wording of that passage suggests that at least some heard her statement about heading toward Winthrop). The description of Henrietta below indicates that she has selected the destination—Louisa will soon afterward confirm that and signal her collaboration in the scheme, which did start, after all, with their meaning to take a long walk by themselves. Henrietta may be a little reluctant to avow her design from fear of arousing Mary’s disapproval, given the latter’s disdain for the Hayters, or from not wishing to look as if she is pursuing Charles Hayter, which would be considered immodest. The last concern is probably why the “environs” of Winthrop are identified as their target, rather than the house itself. Her hope presumably was to meet Charles Hayter while he was walking in the vicinity: then she could claim to have simply happened upon him while visiting the area, and not be accused of improperly going after him. Similar considerations lead a woman in Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Lucas, to leave her house when she sees a man coming that she hopes will propose to her, in order to meet him “accidentally” in the lane outside.
24. Enclosures were fields for farming. During the half century or so preceding the novel, large sections of England had undergone enclosure, in which, frequently with the support of acts of Parliament, substantial tracts of land were consolidated into the hands of a single owner by buying out the long-held rights of various other people. The purpose was to allow these lands to be farmed more efficiently.
25. spoke: testified to, indicated.
26. This brings the story back to a more practical, prosaic reality after the poetic strains of the last few pages. It also suggests a possible end to the gloom currently dominating Anne’s mind. For a contemporary picture of a field being plowed, see next page.
27. Its low position and placement amid other buildings would add to its lack of dignity and beauty, in contemporary eyes. The ideal house at the time stood on top of a hill, where it could be seen to best advantage and would have the finest view of the surrounding landscape. Thus the house’s placement marks the poorer character of the Hayter family, for those with less money often needed to worry more about practical considerations, such as shelter from wind and rain or proximity to barns, when deciding on sites.
28. conscious: guilty, i.e., conscious of doing wrong.
29. Henrietta’s hesitation reveals her indecisive character. That will soon form a critical point of discussion.
30. Hedgerows were a common feature of the English countryside. Jane Austen’s nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh, who in 1870 published the first important biography of Jane Austen, based on family reminiscences, declared that, “the chief beauty of Steventon [the village where Jane Austen grew up] consisted in its hedgerows.”
31. In the above memoir, Jane Austen’s nephew writes that the hedgerows around her childhood home were “an irregular border of copse-wood and timber, often wide enough to contain within it a winding footpath, or a rough lane.” He adds that “two such hedgerows radiated, as it were, from the parsonage garden,” the parsonage being the clerical home in which she and her family lived. This sort of hedgerow provides an ideal setting for this scene in the novel, for its large channel allows Captain Wentworth and Louisa to walk side by side and talk, while its thick, tall woods mean that they cannot see outside it to realize that somebody else is just on the other
side and able to hear them.
32. Anne’s overhearing of Captain Wentworth and Louisa is a significant moment in the novel. It also foreshadows an even more significant scene in which he overhears Anne talking to someone else.
Field being plowed, with a country house (Cusworth) in the background.
[From John Preston Neale, Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen, Vol. V (1822)]
33. There is an irony in Louisa’s moralistic tone, for while she may have been right about Henrietta’s going, and may have been motivated in part by this sense of its being right, the action also served her own interest very well by rejoining her sister to Charles Hayter and thereby leaving Captain Wentworth completely to herself.
34. Thus Louisa announces explicitly her own stance on the issue of persuasion, one that seems to be the exact opposite of the susceptibility that Captain Wentworth perceived in Anne earlier. Louisa, of course, does not know this, but his lengthy speech in reply bears clear marks of his earlier experience with Anne, and the lessons he has drawn from it.
35. mind: character, disposition.
36. Captain Wentworth is perceptive enough to grasp Henrietta’s relationship with Charles Hayter, but he fails to perceive, in his fulsome praise of Louisa, her less than pure reasons for urging her sister so forcefully. He also is failing to perceive, as he admits later (this page), the exact effects his words and behavior are having on Louisa, and on the perceptions of those around them.
37. spirit: ardor, vigor, assertiveness.
38. The exact durability of the impression made by Captain Wentworth on Louisa will later be revealed. It does make a powerful impression now, however, and will soon lead to highly important developments. Since these words are being influenced in turn by his own earlier experience with Anne, and his recoil from what he believed to be her weakness of character, that episode is continuing to play a vital role in the plot.
39. A rare instance of symbolism in Jane Austen, though here it is the character, not the author, who is employing it.
40. Its being November endows the metaphor with extra resonance. His use of two metaphors in a row also provides another link with Anne. They are the sort of metaphors often found in poetry, and Anne’s own taste for poetry, especially that evoking the seasons and natural phenomena like hazelnuts, has just been shown.
41. These words are particularly significant in the context of this society, for unmarried men were never supposed to express such heartfelt praise and affection to an unmarried woman unless they had serious intentions of being more than friends.
42. Holly trees have long been a common feature of English hedgerows.
43. The pause suggests Captain Wentworth has been affected by her words about Anne and Charles. He will later explain that the information had a significant effect on his thinking (this page).
44. might not be: may not have been. She is using “might” as the past tense of “may,” a traditional usage found elsewhere in Jane Austen.
45. Their movement away means that we (and Anne) do not learn Captain Wentworth’s reaction to this last suggestion. The idea that Anne was persuaded by Lady Russell would be one he could easily believe, based on his own experience, and that would confirm his negative verdict on Anne’s character. Anne has good reason to expect him to draw a negative conclusion—though she knows that her refusal of Charles was her decision alone, one that Lady Russell in fact lamented (this page). This would add to Anne’s distress, for whether or not she still harbors any hope of renewed love between herself and Captain Wentworth, her high regard for him makes her still wish for his good opinion.
46. emotions: agitations.
47. Their being on a country walk thus assists Anne by allowing her to remain alone while she recovers. Were she in a more social setting, others might notice her agitation, and this might lead to suspicion of her true feelings, including by Captain Wentworth himself.
48. The wrongness of eavesdropping is a principle developed clearly at various points in Jane Austen. Anne has not been doing that intentionally, for she did not pursue the two she overheard, but she also made no attempt to move away, and it could be argued that the painful impact of what she has heard forms a fitting punishment, in the author’s moral calculus.
49. She has perceived a genuine interest in her on his part, but she has also heard him say things that indicate his continued disapproval of her, and received information from Louisa that might lower his opinion of Anne further.
50. complaisance: civility, agreeableness, willingness to please others.
51. out of temper: angry.
52. It would be normal for a man to take a woman’s arm as they walked together, or two women’s arms in this case, in order to offer support.
53. Charles’s hunting after a weasel would be natural for a sportsman like him. The delays it causes, and his dropping of Anne’s arm, could also add to her weariness, which soon has important consequences.
54. The mention of a footpath is a little curious since the earlier description of the meadow, “where there was ample space for all,” seemed to imply they were simply walking in the meadow itself.
55. The gate was probably to keep livestock inside. Meadowland, which would mean land that was not plowed, was generally used for grazing.
56. The gig has been advancing somewhat parallel to the walkers, which is why they have long heard it. It would not have been going much faster than they. Even the fastest carriages, on the best roads, could reach ten miles per hour at most, and a gig, a carriage with one horse pulling two people, that was traveling over a rough country lane would achieve far less speed.
57. one-horse chaise: a term often applied to gigs, as well as other vehicles at times—“chaise,” which usually meant a small, enclosed vehicle, could be used for light carriages in general. The term “one-horse” has a negative connotation, which would resonate particularly with the status-conscious Mary: later she is said to exult at traveling in a carriage pulled by four horses (this page).
58. stile: barriers that separated fields, and that humans could cross, but that were impassable by animals. Turnstiles were one form. Stiles were a common feature of the English countryside, due to the heavy emphasis on livestock in English agriculture.
59. Captain Wentworth’s clearing the hedge in a moment to help a lady in distress signals a heroic, and highly active, aspect of his character.
60. A gig generally had seats for two, which is why the Crofts must compress themselves. Their eagerness to do so to accommodate Anne contrasts with Mary’s earlier complaints about being crowded on a coach seat with Louisa and Henrietta, even though coach seats were wider and it is probable that the Musgrove girls took up less room than the Crofts. For a contemporary picture of a couple in a gig, see below.
61. The mention of his hands implies he was the one helping her into the carriage. The sum of his action shows him both heroic and gentle, and perhaps with a special sensitivity to Anne, one that made him notice her fatigue sooner than he might have noticed another woman’s.
62. careless: unsolicitous, regardless.
Elderly couple arriving in a gig.
[From William Combe, The Tour of Doctor Syntax in Search of the Picturesque (London, 1817; 1903 reprint), p. 265]
63. amiable: kind, benevolent.
64. The pleasure would be the proof of his good character and concern for her, but that would lead to the pain of an increased awareness of how much she has lost.
65. Country roads of the time, being unpaved, were generally rough lanes.
66. His words show how others are interpreting Wentworth’s actions. Wentworth will later mention this as a general phenomenon, one that surprised him (this page).
67. Yarmouth, on England’s east coast, was a small naval base (see map).
68. character: reputation.
69. Their two descriptions stand in contrast. She had thought of his reputation, which would involve his overall qualities; he thought only of her being pretty. At
the same time, their willingness to marry quickly, despite any risk, unites them and forms a sharp contrast with Anne’s earlier actions.
70. in hand: in expectation or suspense; in process.
71. Spreading canvas, meaning sails, which were made of canvas, is what a ship would do when it needed to increase speed.
72. One editor, R. W. Chapman, thinks this is probably a misprint, and should read “us,” which would seem more logical.
73. Admiral Croft’s words say something of his own lack of perceptiveness, a natural adjunct to his rough and ready ways, and also something of the Miss Musgroves themselves, who do seem almost interchangeable at times.
74. powers: abilities.
75. A statement that indicates how much marriage is regarded as a connection between families, with a preference for prominent families, even by people as little concerned with social distinctions as Mrs. Croft.
76. Her calling him “Admiral,” albeit with “dear,” is a good exhibit of standard formality, even in such an affectionate and down-to-earth couple.
77. The post is next to the road. Main roads would have mileposts, marking distance traversed, but the post here could simply be a marker of property.
78. The dung cart would be for spreading dung on fields as fertilizer. An innovation of the time, which improved the productivity of the land, was collecting dung and distributing it systematically, rather than letting animals drop it wherever they grazed.
79. Admiral Croft’s near mishaps confirm Captain Wentworth’s earlier observation of the frequency with which he and his wife are upset while driving. They also may be one reason why they drive a gig, rather than a curricle like Charles Musgrove. The gig used one horse, the curricle two. This made the latter more expensive, but also more fashionable and more suitable for long distances. The Crofts could afford a curricle, but it is possible Mrs. Croft, with the same judicious care of her husband shown here, decided that the gig was safer. One of its advantages was that, with only one horse, it took up less room and could more easily travel along the narrow roads common in the country without running into objects along the side.
