little miss austin

Winter in England is cold, but it's not bad with a fireplace and hot cocoa.

The evening group activities in the Austin family are usually sitting in front of the fireplace, Pastor George reads newspapers or books, Mom knits sweaters, Cathy takes Helena to play, or does embroidery, and Alice will read to them about herself and Jane. novel.

My mother and sister didn't like "England Horror Stories" written by Alice very much. They thought her writing was a bit scary and not suitable for listening to at night, especially in winter.They both like Jane's novels.Jane is serializing "Pride and Prejudice", which has achieved great success. People are fascinated by the love between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. Ladies and ladies discuss the plot every day. Some people think that Darcy is proud of everything else. It's perfect, and some people think that Darcy is too proud to be a husband.

Mom and Cathy had read "First Impressions" a bit before, but it was still in epistolary style at the time. Jane eloped to London after writing half of it, and changed it to the third person when she returned home from London. Knowing the direction of the plot, I look forward to new chapters every day.

Mother thinks that although Darcy is a bit arrogant, it is not surprising that a man with his background would be very arrogant.Elizabeth was almost coaxed by Wickham. When her mother saw that part, she saw at a glance that Wickham was a vain and resentful man who was full of lies.

"Come on! I think it's time for Darcy to please Liz," said the mother.

"But Darcy is a very proud person. He always has that young master's energy and refuses to speak properly."

Alice wondered if she should not tell her mother that Darcy was Jane and Elizabeth was Tom.I just don’t know who the prototype of Collins is. Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet actually have no prototypes around Steventon, so apart from the hero and heroine, it should be Jane combined with some onlookers. features combined.Mrs. Bennet may have a little shadow of Mrs. Austin. In terms of the marriage and love of her daughters, except for Mrs. Bennet's vulgar part, the anxiety that her daughters will not get married is exactly the same.

Cathy rejects Major Bridges' proposal and remains at home as her Miss Austin.Alice fully respects her sister's decision. The family is not short of money now, and she doesn't care if she eats alone.My mother can't do anything about Cathy's stubbornness now, so she has to admit it.

Pastor George’s income plummeted after he retired. He lost his teaching students’ income and most of the diocese’s income. He only lives on savings, and his income is now only enough for food.Because neither Cathy nor Alice was married yet, her mother saved a few hundred pounds. She set aside the future dowry for Alice and gave Cathy's part of the dowry to Cathy.Cathy returned the 300 pounds to her mother for living expenses.

In addition, Cathy gave the family 50 pounds a year for living expenses, Alice gave 50 pounds for living expenses; Henry and Edward gave 80 pounds each, and James also gave 50 pounds, which was enough for the family's expenses.

There are a few more servants in the house. In addition to two housemaids, two footmen, a cook, and a coachman, there is also Merry brought back by Alice. Merry is now roughly equal to the housekeeper; Jacob is also a man. However, his situation is quite special, basically exclusive to Alice; in addition, Jacob brought his eldest sister, Sidney, as Alice's personal maid, and Sidney used to work as a maid at her cousin Anna's house.

There is also one more carriage, all newly bought, a box carriage, and a summer convertible light carriage.

Correspondingly, a few horses were correct.There are also horses for riding and horses for farm work.Some of the Austin family's land was available for cultivation, so it was leased to neighboring farmers, and the farm horses were used to rent to farmers for work.The family also has some vegetable plots, and hired people to grow some vegetables, corn, potatoes and so on.

He raises chickens, ducks, pigeons, quails, cows, and goats. Apart from red meat and aquatic products, he is self-sufficient in many dishes. Alice likes to eat home-grown vegetables.

If you want to eat roast suckling pig, you can buy it from a nearby farm; you can buy fruit from a fruit shop in London, and you can also buy some vegetables that are not grown at home. The ingredients have expanded a lot.

The Austin family didn't have a dance hall in their new home, and they didn't go out to attend neighbors' dances very often.Cathy won't go out to the prom easily in recent years, and her mother thinks that since she doesn't need to find a son-in-law, there is really no need to go to the prom.Pastor George is not in good health this year, and the mother is discussing with the daughters whether to let the father go to Bath to recuperate for another year and a half.

"Does Daddy want to go to Bath?" Alice asked.

Mom hesitated: "Dad is worried about you. He is going to Bath, and I have to go too. Only Cathy will take care of you at home."

"Mother! I'm not a child anymore." Alice protested.

"You're not sixteen yet! Even if Cathy is home, I don't trust you two."

Cathy was about to say, "Don't worry, I'm home," but when she heard what her mother said, she had to shut up.

"There are still servants in the house, and there is Jacob."

"Jacob was a kid too."

It is normal for my mother to worry. The famine caused by the poor harvest of British real estate in the past few years caused people to be hungry everywhere, which triggered countless small and large riots in many places. The mobs in London even attacked George who was going to Parliament. King III.

Alice thought about it, and indeed, safety issues are very important.If in Steventon, there are only more than 200 people in a small village, strangers will be very conspicuous, and everyone will be on guard, but it is hard to say here in the suburbs of London. Their new house is not remote, and the main road is full of traffic. If you go, turn into the fork road and walk for 10 minutes.

No matter how thick the wooden door is, it is just a wooden door, which cannot stand the attention of caring people.

"Then I'll hire a few more servants, or—" She was a little hesitant. William said that the situation here in London is much more complicated than that in the countryside. Hooligans, the police department doesn't even have enough manpower to patrol the urban areas, and the suburbs rely on local sheriffs to maintain local security.

She knew that Edward was the magistrate of the territory of his Goldmusham Manor, and there were some people under his command, who were not considered formal policemen, but probably equivalent to contract workers of the police station in later generations.The remote countryside is quite safe, and there may not be any vicious criminal incidents for decades. The biggest violence may be the domestic violence of low-level men beating their wives and children.

"In short, let's hire a few male servants first, there are indeed not too many male servants at home." Alice made a decision. "Does Dad still live in Maxwell Gardens?"

"Dad wrote to ask about it, but it's a pity that it has already been rented out. Or we can look for a house when we get there, and we can stay in a hotel before we find a house." Living in a hotel is not unaffordable, but it is also very convenient.

"Then let's stay in a hotel first. You don't need to look for a house anymore. Just rent a long-term rental apartment and take a maid with you." Based on the basic principle of "whoever makes the most money has the final say", many things in the Austin family are actually Alice The final say, of course, in the end it is the mother who has the final say.

Pastor George put down the book in his hand, "I'm worried about you, maybe you should go to Bath with us."

Alice frowned, "I don't want to go to Bath! The milk in Bath is too watery and tasteless, and the price is high, not much worse than London. You don't need to buy your own food to cook when you stay in a hotel, you can Going to a restaurant to eat, it would be better if the hotel includes breakfast and normal, it is convenient.”

Cathy couldn't help laughing, "Bass' milk is really weak, I heard it's because of water."

"Baby wants milk," said little Helena.

Alice stood up and hugged Helena, "You should also drink a glass of milk and then go to bed, come on, let's go back to the room. Sidney, go heat the milk."

Life without class sounds a lot more idle, but life is always about continuous learning and continuous improvement. Alice does not need to do housework, and her daily life is playing the piano, reading books, typing, making novel settings in a notebook, and writing letters to Jane , writing to my friends: Lucinda in Buckinghamshire, Oliver at Cambridge, Ivo at Oxford, Byron at Harrow, Mrs Baker, Hayes Tins and Beckford wrote.

Susan Beckford still wrote to her persistently.Susan had turned eighteen, and her letters expanded, often telling her about young men she had met at balls.Susan becomes a master flirt, flirting with pretty young boys at the ball.Beckford remains the wealthiest commoner in Britain, so there has been a constant stream of men wanting to meet his daughter.

Lucinda was 17, and the letters were now increasingly talking about boys, and men.

Girls seem to be of the right age to want to pursue love, regardless of class or family background.They were picky about boys' looks, clothes, manners, and dance moves, and money was not their thing.

Lucinda's literary talent is mediocre, and Susan's literary quality is much higher. The narrative methods of the two are completely different, but they are both full of the cuteness of a girl's heart.

Of course, there is also a bit of irony, if boys or men behave inappropriately, they will be laughed at by them, which is also the unique meanness of beautiful girls.

Jane became a mother, and Tom inherited the inheritance. They bought a larger small building, hired a nanny to look after the children, and raised their living standards to a higher level.Occasionally, I will entertain some of Tom's colleagues at home. Tom has become an MP, and the work of the court will not be done, but the old colleagues of the court will not forget him, and they often come and go.Jane doesn't like to entertain guests at home, and Tom often treats guests in restaurants outside.

The Austin Typewriter Company is the financial backer of Congressman Tom Lefroy. This is no secret in the House of Commons. It’s nothing. Half of the House of Commons is rich in family and half is backed by financial backers. Austin Company is the company of Tom’s wife’s natal family , becoming his financial aid is nothing more than normal.

The Lefroy family in Limerick originally had 12 children. Except for a daughter who died young, Tom's four older sisters were all married; the second son, Anthony, married earlier than his elder brother, at the age of 4 , his wife was born in a small town in Westmoreland County, England, and met Anthony when they were visiting relatives in Ireland with their parents. Anthony and his wife now also live in London; the other three younger brothers Benjamin is 21 years old, Christopher is 3 years old, and Henry is 22 years old. , also in London, Tom got Benjamin a job as a law clerk, Christopher worked as a clerk for the Austin Typewriter Company, and Henry was sent to be educated at the home of the Reverend James in Steventon.

Henry Lefroy was a smart boy who knew that his education was hard-won. He was very sensible and had a strong desire to learn. He was definitely not as good as his elder brother, but he could still be regarded as a very smart boy.

He would come to London to visit his brothers every month, and the Austin family had stayed with him a few times.He was half a year older than Alice, born on May 1789, 5.

The boys in the Lefroy family are all good-looking. The brothers look alike. They have beautiful eyes and a straight nose. Henry is a beautiful boy, and he knows it. Sometimes he can’t help but think he is beautiful. Very attractive to girls.

However, Henry Lefroy's complacency met its opponent this winter.

William Kingsley returned to London with his fiancée and lived in his father's house.Mrs. Temple quickly negotiated with Lord Kingsley the date of the wedding and the venue for the ceremony.Sally Temple lived in England most of the time. Mr. Temple provided her daughter with an annuity of £3000 a year. Lord Kingsley provided her son with a house in London and a country house at £1500 a year. annuity.

All are happy.

Although Mrs. Temple was dissatisfied that William was not the heir to the baron, but thinking about it, old Temple was just a poor country boy when he left Buckinghamshire. Now that the offspring can marry the son of the baron, this is unthinkable in England Dare to think about things, it is better to be a man.Mrs. Temple also understands this truth. After all, the Temple family is not a large manor owner who can spend tens of thousands of pounds in annuity in one go. She has other children, and the large family property must be left to her son.

After the marriage matters were settled, Baron Kingsley held an engagement banquet for his youngest son and his fiancée, followed by a ball, and invited a large group of relatives and friends.

The Austin family was also a guest.

Henry Lefroy happened to be in London that week, so he attended the banquet with his brother and sister-in-law.

William's vision was high, and he was a beautiful young man, so choosing a future wife had to be both money and beauty. Sally Temple was well-bred, a little naive, but not stupid.Grant Temple, with the arrogance of a favored young master of a colonial manor, is a big boy with high spirits.

The food and beverages at the banquet were exquisite, and the guests and hosts had a good time.After eating, the guests went upstairs to change.

Tom and his younger brother changed their clothes, and seized the time to roll a cigarette to satisfy their addiction.

"Be careful! Jane doesn't like you smoking, and when she smells you, she's going to blame you." Henry said.

"Don't be afraid, just spray your clothes with a perfume bottle later." Tom had a proud expression of "it's not a big deal". "Did you bring the mint leaves I asked you to bring?"

"Bring it." Henry Lefroy found a small bag from his changed coat, which contained some dried mint leaves.

"You chew a few pieces too."

Henry opened the bag, took two mint leaves and put them in his mouth, saying vaguely, "I see someone chewing clove powder."

"The Austins love mint leaves." It was Henry Austin who introduced him to dried mint leaves.

"Alice is now gargling with peppermint oil and water."

"Huh? Then I should ask her for some peppermint essential oil."

"I brought a bottle too." Henry took out another flat silver jug.

"Great!" The brothers then rinsed their mouths with peppermint water.

"When does the dance start?" Henry fiddled with the lace on his white shirt.He was not yet sixteen and could not dance, but he had to wear a long coat of velvet, which was always in fashion, differing only in style and colour.

There are many more styles of ladies' dance skirts, such as tulip sleeves, puff sleeves, and small pumpkin sleeves with inner pleats; There were generous necklines; long dresses were ankle-length with shoes exposed, over the instep with only the toe of the shoe exposed, and more fashionable lengths with lace socks exposed.

"Wait another hour."

Henry was surprised: "It will take so long!"

"After all, the ladies don't have to make up, do their hair, and change their clothes in an hour." Tom already has a lot of experience.Jane is relatively simple, but it takes at least an hour to seriously toss.

Alice was not yet 15 years old, so she could only watch and not dance, but a woman never spared no effort to dress herself up.She has thick hair, and usually complains very much, thinking that it is unscientific for blonde hair to have such a density.One of the problems with too much and too thick hair is that it is not easy to comb it into a bun. It is too heavy. I am used to loosening my hair at home, and braiding it when I go out.

Today, Cathy braided her hair twice, leaving two inches at the end unbraided, tied with several thin ribbons of different colors, and put them on her chest; Comb, she is a very delicate and beautiful girl.

The 15-year-old Alice does not look like Susan Beckford, the traditional English girl with a small face, small mouth and small nose. She also inherited Mrs. Austin's high nose bridge, which makes her appearance have a boyish toughness. , but the eyes are very beautiful, the round face when I was a child has lost the baby fat, and it has shown a soft chin, and the mouth is small, which is the inheritance of the Austin family. lips.The masculine high nose bridge does not match the feminine lips. In terms of facial features, only the eyes are perfect, but combined, she is a beautiful girl who can score 100 points out of 80. Coupled with her invincible youth, she is a beautiful girl. Everyone compliments her on her beauty.

Grant Temple could not dance English ballroom dancing, so although he was 17 and allowed to attend ballroom dances, he had to watch from the sidelines.

Teenagers who can't dance and are bored have free time to look at those who don't dance.

A beautiful girl who is dressed differently from others is quite eye-catching in the dance hall.Standing beside her was a very good-looking teenager, the two of them were almost head to head, and their attitude was close.

Alice held a lace fan in her hand, but she didn't open the fan to hide her smile like other young ladies. She had learned how to use a fan, but she often forgot to use it, probably because she was more used to holding a riding whip or a rifle. , I am not familiar with this kind of exquisite female props.

Grant thought for a while, and remembered that it was one of the Miss Austen that William had introduced to him before the banquet.He still remembered that his mother secretly told him later that it was unimaginable in the United States that Miss Austen was still unmarried after the age of 30.Grant really couldn't remember anyone he knew who had a thirty-year-old daughter who had never married, one or two widowed and returned to their mother's family, that's all.

Needless to say, the eldest Miss Austin, who is over 30 years old, seems to him to be half-buried in the soil; the younger Miss Austin is very well-behaved at first glance, a bit boring, but now, it seems that there is something wrong with her. The place is different—Grant looked at her for a long time before realizing that she was not as cautious as those ladies he saw in England. cute.

When he finally got close to her, he became more interested when he heard them discussing hunting in the spring.

"Where are you going hunting?"

Alice was chatting vigorously with Henry Lefroy, when she was startled by a rash voice, she let out a short scream, covered her mouth quickly, and looked around nervously.

Fortunately, the music was loud, so no one noticed her screaming.

"Why do you want to know?" Henry asked warily.

"I want to go too. Alice, take me hunting together."

Henry frowned, "miss Alice." This guy!Sure enough, he was a barbarian from the New World!

"Alice, Alice." Grant ignored him at all.It's not polite to call someone by their given name, but it can quickly give off a "we know each other" feeling, as long as the person doesn't mind.

Alice used a lace fan at this time, opened it, and covered her face, "Mr. Temple, you should call me 'Miss Alice'. You may not feel the need to be polite in the United States, but in England, it is not polite. Guy, will be thrown in the Thames."

Grant raised his eyebrows with a smile, "Will you? Well, Miss Alice, may I have the honor to join your hunt?" He changed his polite attitude.

"No, I don't know you, I don't know if your marksmanship is good or not."

"Well—that's a real question, perhaps, and we should make an appointment. What target do you like to shoot? Fixed targets, or pigeons?"

"rabbit."

"Rabbits are fine too."

"Did you bring your own rifle with you when you came to England?"

"No, but William must have had a nice rifle."

Henry Lefroy suddenly found that he and Alice could hardly speak.

The author has something to say:

*The mob attack on King George III took place in October 1795.The background is two consecutive years of poor property harvests in the UK.

*Anthony Lefroy should have arrived in England around 1798, probably related to Langlois.Anthony married at 21, and one of his sons later married Anna Jemima, daughter of Jane's niece Anna.

*Tom Lefroy's eldest daughter's firstname is also Jane Jane. Later scholars say that this name comes from Jane Austen, and some say that this name comes from Tom's mother-in-law, LadyJanePaul. Jane Lefroy appears at the end of "Becoming Jane".

*Alice's appearance is a nonsense, I don't know what she looks like.Or, like Barbara Stanwyck?Maybe a little too sweet.As for the beauty with a big nose, Vivien Leigh's nose is not small, and it didn't affect her beauty at all.

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*The newly-appeared characters, the characters without remarks are all historical real characters.

Oliver Bundfield: The eldest son of Baron Bundfield. (imaginary)

Julian Bondfield: Oliver's younger brother. (imaginary)

Evan Holmes: Oliver's cousin. (imaginary)

Evo Gordon: Oliver's neighbor. (imaginary)

George Byron: Ivo's cousin.

Henry Lefroy: Tom Lefroy's younger brother.

Grant Temple: William Kingsley's brother-in-law. (imaginary)

Sally Temple: William's fiancée. (imaginary)

Lucinda Gleason: Alice's classmate and best friend. (imaginary)

William Beckford: super rich, author.

Susan Beckford: Beckford's daughter.

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*Alice is 15, Oliver is 20, Julian is 18 to 19, Evan is 18 to 19, Ivo is 18, Byron is 16 to 17, Grant is 17 and Henry is 15½ .

Jacob was 19, Wesley was 29½, and William was 28.

Jane was 29, Cathy was 31 and turning 32, and brother Henry was 33 and a half.