The Annotated Persuasion

by Jane Austen

  65. stiles: barriers that animals cannot pass at the entrances to fields. That this had become her practice suggests her boldness, if not recklessness, and the acquiescence, if not encouragement, Wentworth gave this behavior.

  66. salts: smelling salts. These, usually consisting of ammonium carbonate, were the normal means used to rouse those who fainted or lost consciousness. Women often carried them, something indicated here by Anne’s having some with her (even though she does not seem one to faint).

  One of the sets of steps from the lower to the upper Cobb. The wall behind the steps is what Captain Wentworth would have staggered against for his support.

  [From Constance Hill, Jane Austen: Her Homes and Her Friends (London, 1904), p. 147]

  67. She calls for a surgeon, rather than an apothecary, and that is what is found. This is in contrast to the apothecary mentioned as coming to examine little Charles’s dislocated collarbone (see note 2). The reason is that in Lyme, with its larger number of patients and medical practitioners, it would be feasible for the latter to specialize in one branch of practice. In the case of the surgeon, this would mean treatment of wounds—internal surgery such as exists today was almost unknown then.

  68. Everyone, most notably Captain Wentworth, is looking toward Anne for leadership. This makes it a critical moment in the novel, during which Anne can display qualities she has never needed to show previously. At the same time, it also represents continuity, for her ability to maintain her composure in a tense and difficult situation results, at least in part, from her frequent, and mostly successful, struggles to steady and control her emotions in other trying circumstances. Her doing so also provides a lesson for Captain Wentworth, if he wishes to draw it. His evaluation of her has been that she possessed the sweetness of manner he considered essential, but lacked the equally necessary strength of mind. Now he is exposed to a display of her strength, and in the sort of emergency that he, as a naval officer, has experienced before.

  His prior experience in the navy has led to questions about the plausibility of his relative paralysis in the face of Louisa’s accident. On a ship in battle he would have seen people wounded and killed in front of him, often in gruesome ways. He also, in order to succeed as he has, would have needed to show great coolness of mind in the face of such deaths and other dangers and fast-moving developments. It is possible that his different reaction here results from his not expecting to meet with such an accident while strolling with a young lady, whereas he expects danger on board ship. That she is a young lady may also exacerbate his distress—he earlier spoke of his hatred of anything that physically inconvenienced women. Added to this would be his consciousness of being partly responsible for a possibly fatal injury to someone who, unlike a sailor, is not expected to risk her life. Whatever the reason, and the plausibility, he will soon return to his usual active and decisive character.

  69. The harbor adjacent to the Cobb continued to be used by many vessels; there was also an active shipbuilding industry nearby. Hence there would be many workers in the area during a normal workday.

  70. A young lady, even a fully conscious one, would be a distinctive sight to ordinary workmen. Their voyeuristic curiosity, and the sardonic description of it, shift the tone of the narrative from intense and emotional to ironic and comic. This shift may be a way of reassuring the reader that, despite the horror of the event and the horror felt by the characters, no great tragedy will result.

  71. best-looking: looking most willing or able to help. The previous sentence stated that some of the onlookers were interested in being useful, and the succeeding description suggests that those they selected carried Henrietta back toward the town, with Anne walking next to them as they did so.

  72. Meaning as they passed other people. The description implies that they continually did this, which would indicate the busyness of the Cobb.

  73. The Harvilles show the same hospitality seen the previous night. It will prove important for what happens later.

  74. Cordials and restoratives could refer to a variety of substances—foods, drinks, or medicines—that were supposed to revive people and restore vigor and strength. Cordials frequently contained alcohol, which was considered to have a variety of medicinal properties.

  75. Just as Anne has just displayed an outward strength and decisiveness she has not exhibited previously, Captain Wentworth, in praying, reveals a gentler and more reflective side than he has shown. Both are establishing greater affinities with the other.

  76. The maids’ room would be where the maids slept. Lower servants, such as maids were likely to be, usually shared rooms; conditions tended to be especially cramped in townhomes like this one.

  77. This suggestion would be inspired by the Harvilles’ naval background, for on ships cots that were suspended from the ceiling were the standard beds for officers. Their crucial advantage was that they could be taken up during the day, thereby freeing up space in the cramped living quarters. For the same reason lower-ranking sailors all slept on easily removable hammocks; for a picture of midshipmen on hammocks, see next page.

  78. Their assumption that those who stayed in Lyme with Louisa would wish to sleep at the Harvilles’ may partly reflect the latter’s lesser affluence. They might find it hard to imagine incurring the expense of an inn for an extended stay.

  79. For nursing as a basic task of women, see note 16.

  80. The nursery maid would help the mistress take care of the children (see note 28). This could involve nursing, especially given the frequency, and dangers, of childhood illnesses at this time; the maid may also have done other nursing. Her long service with the Harvilles, something also true of the Musgroves’ nursery maid (see this page), fulfills the contemporary ideal of the strong and lasting bond between mistress and servant. It was an ideal, however, that was frequently not fulfilled, as numerous servants would leave their places, sometimes after very short stays, for employment elsewhere. Mrs. Harville’s ability to retain her servant, even with her limited means, suggests her good character.

  81. want: lack.

  82. Captain Wentworth is now again making clear decisions, like the captain he is.

  83. Henrietta has earlier been shown as susceptible to persuasion. That quality has helped spare her the fate of her sister, and in this instance it leads her to agree to wise advice.

  84. Meaning he will conduct Henrietta home.

  85. A sign that Captain Wentworth has appreciated Anne’s recent actions, and raised his opinion of her. His use of her first name, something normally used only for relatives or close friends, is further testimony to his changed feelings. Anne’s hearing his words makes them of even greater significance.

  86. coloured: blushed.

  87. This would represent an especially big change for Anne, accustomed as she has always been to comfortable physical accommodations.

  Midshipmen sleeping in hammocks on board a ship.

  [From Alfred Burton, The Adventures of Johnny Newcome in the Navy (London, 1818; 1904 reprint), p. 40]

  88. It is good that the delay in their return from Lyme will already alarm Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove. They will thus be less shocked when they hear the actual news.

  89. At the same time, they do not wish to prolong Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove’s state of alarm and anxiety.

  90. They would hire a chaise and horses, along with a postilion to drive. After approximately ten miles they would change horses, which in this case would be only once. This would allow the horses at each stage to gallop at maximum speed. In contrast, the Musgrove horses would need to conserve their strength for the entire journey, especially since the road from Lyme involves a considerable uphill climb; their speed would be further slowed by having to pull a coach, a heavier vehicle than a chaise (for further explanation, see note 34; for pictures, see this page).

  A system in which inns in towns, and along main roads, had carriages and horses available and could make the change of horses very quickly had become a prominent feature of En
glish life. Thanks to it travel was much faster than in earlier ages, a fact commented upon by many living then. The system also supported an elaborate network of public coaches, though the characters in Jane Austen, like wealthy people in general then, are consistently shown traveling post, which meant hiring private carriages and horses or using their own carriages with hired horses; this was more expensive, and not necessarily faster, than public coaches, but it offered greater privacy and seclusion from social inferiors. Chaises, enclosed but also small and fast, were the standard vehicles for traveling post.

  A chaise of the period. The postilion is sitting on the horse (see above note); those driving post, or hired, horses always sat there, instead of on the carriage. The illustration on the following page shows the same practice.

  [From John Ashton, Social England Under the Regency (London, 1899), p. 350]

  91. chaise and four: chaise with four horses (see note 34). Four horses, instead of two, would ensure a faster journey.

  92. The two principal inns in Lyme were on the main street, which is very steep. But they were near the bottom of the street, where it meets a flatter road. Hence a carriage waiting at the lowest part would be on flatter ground, where it would be easier to ascend the steps into it.

  93. Her inference, as indicated by her reflections in the next paragraph, is that he suspects Anne was the author of the change regarding who will remain in Lyme, due to her unwillingness to stay.

  94. “Henry and Emma” is a poem from 1709 by Matthew Prior. In it Henry, to test Emma’s love for him, tells her that he must flee to remote and wild woods and that she, if she wishes to remain with him, will have to follow and endure terrible hardships. She consistently avers she will endure anything, whereupon he switches to declaring that he is really in love with another woman. She, though shocked, responds that she will follow and attend this other woman as a mere servant because of the love she bears him. This finally convinces him of her love, and he declares that in fact he loves only her and can offer her a happy home. Thus, in attending Louisa, Anne would show a similar, though less extreme, willingness to put aside her own self-interest for the sake of the man she cares for.

  95. office: duty, function.

  96. Meaning the stage of their journey until they have to change horses.

  97. manners: external conduct or demeanor.

  A chaise arriving at a house.

  [From William Combe, The Dance of Life (London, 1817; 1903 reprint), p. 166]

  98. This offers a crucial lesson of the book. Its recommendation of a mean of behavior, in this case between being resolute and being persuadable, is typical of Jane Austen.

  99. Their actual speed is faster because, unlike in their journey to Lyme, they have been able to change horses (see note 90).

  100. Shawls were widely used by women in this period, for the thin and loose fashions, and predominance of lightweight material like muslin, created a need for additional layers for warmth. The most popular were cashmere shawls, which were first imported from India in the late 1700s, a product of British colonization and increased trade with India, but which by this time were also being made in Britain.

  101. She appreciates his appeal to her judgment. The style of his communication—its simple brevity and lack of formality—might also be indications of a friendlier, more relaxed attitude toward her.

  102. They will not see each other again until a number of chapters later.

  103. baited: given food and drink. Normally new horses would be hired, allowing the first set of horses to rest as well as to eat and drink. But here, at a private rural residence rather than an inn, such horses are not readily available, so Captain Wentworth, in a hurry to return, must continue with the same horses.

  This departure ends Volume I. It could be asked why the author broke the book at this point. Anne’s departure for Bath, which will happen shortly, changes the setting of the book more sharply and occurs at a point closer to the exact middle, measured by the number of pages. The most logical reason for the current division is that it marks a critical turning point in the relationship of Captain Wentworth and Anne. The events later in the book will demonstrate the effects of the change seen here.

  VOLUME II, CHAPTER I

  1. Anne’s natural inclination toward usefulness and helping others could be strengthened here by her regret at having been forced to leave Lyme while Mary stayed. She may see assisting the Musgroves as one way to make up for her inability to help with Louisa.

  2. It was decided the previous day (see this page) that the Musgroves’ coach would return early the next morning with the latest news. It does not seem that any of the family come with the coach, so the news was likely conveyed by a letter. The coachman and any family servant who traveled with him could supplement this account.

  The Musgroves’ reliance on personal messengers for news probably results, at least in part, from the limitations of rural mail. While the post office at the time offered good service within and between towns, many rural areas were barely covered, or covered through uncertain or inconsistent methods of delivery.

  3. Charles would be driving his curricle, which he had used to drive himself and Captain Wentworth to Lyme.

  4. Mrs. Harville’s nursing experience was mentioned when the decision was made to leave Louisa in her care; the earnest efforts described here provide more proof of the generosity and hospitality attributed to the Harvilles, and to naval society generally.

  5. chaise: for chaises, and the system of hiring them, see note 34, and note 90).

  6. Crewkherne, a town in southern Somerset, was mentioned earlier as the first important stop on the road north from Lyme (see map). It would not be far from Uppercross and would be a logical place for hiring a chaise.

  7. The nursery maid would help raise the young children of the family.

  8. Master Harry would be what she, as a servant, would call him.

  9. Upper-class boys were usually sent to boarding school at an early age. This passage suggests Harry was sent later than usual, and being petted was probably a reason. Boys’ schools were often brutal environments, in which boys were subject both to frequent beatings by the schoolmasters and to the unrestrained tyranny of older boys. Such an environment was justified as essential for inculcating the toughness and assertiveness that men needed to perform their social roles, and for this reason fathers insisted on sending their sons to school. Mothers often disliked subjecting their sons to such an ordeal, and in this case Mr. Musgrove, perhaps softening as he grew older, may have been persuaded to keep the boy at home longer.

  10. blains: inflammatory swellings or sores on the skin; blisters.

  11. The Musgroves therefore are keeping her with them, even though she now has little employment left. Many employers provided some kind of assistance to old servants, including pensions and legacies in wills. This reflected a strong ethos of upper-class paternalism in this society.

  12. Miss Louisa: the name the maid would use for Louisa. She is “Miss Louisa” rather than “Miss Musgrove” because Henrietta is older (see note 22). Her use of this respectful name, despite being much older, along with her simply being called “Sarah” by the family in the next sentence, indicates how entrenched hierarchical distinctions were in this society, even in an easygoing and unpretentious family like the Musgroves. Her eagerness to be employed, which obviously results from her lack of other occupation, also reflects many servants’ strong, often lifelong identification with their masters.

  13. Charles Hayter would be happy to perform any service that would gratify the Musgroves, for he would be aware that a marriage between him and Henrietta is not regarded by them as a great match, socially or financially.

  14. lodgings: regular rooms or houses for rent, as opposed to rooms at an inn.

  15. dear Louisa: what the Musgroves would call her.

  16. These would be the two boys of Charles and Mary, who would now be left completely in the hands of their nursery maid and other servants (duri
ng the initial visit to Lyme, Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove would have been there to help with them). It is later revealed that Mary and Charles stayed two weeks in Lyme (this page). There are other cases in Jane Austen of children being left with only servants to attend them, though none for so long or with children this young. Thus this does indicate a rather casual attitude on the part of the parents, especially since, as already indicated, they are hardly necessary to help out with Louisa.

  17. Meaning that Louisa would be able to marry Captain Wentworth.

  18. These are clearly Anne’s thoughts, at least in part, and form a melancholy coda to her time spent with the Musgroves. They also show that the greater than usual attention she received at Lyme has not brought about a fundamental change in her situation, or her perception of it.

  19. Late fall and winter days in England can be quite dark, for its very northerly latitudes mean short days and an extremely low and dim sun.

  20. small: composed of minute drops. The term was often used for rain then.

  21. The earlier description of the elder Musgroves’ house (this page) spoke of its old trees, which would presumably be large enough to block views from the windows, especially since a house in a village, even a mansion, would not have ample space around it, causing the trees to be close to the windows.

  22. Anne’s welcoming the carriage, rather than preferring further indulgence in melancholy reflections, signals the difference between her and Captain Benwick, one that informed their discussion at Lyme (see this page).

  23. veranda: see note 39. The veranda’s exposure to the outside and its dark iron material would make it a particularly forlorn object in the rain.

  24. These would be the window glasses of the carriage.

  25. These would be the dwellings of the poorer people who constitute the majority of the village. It is notable that while Anne notices their homes, during her entire time at Uppercross only the inhabitants, guests, and occasionally servants of the two Musgrove houses are ever mentioned. All important social life was conducted exclusively among people of one’s own class; others were dealt with only as practical necessity demanded.