phew of Mrs.
Russell to his notice at Cambridge) towards the
end of which was a sentence to this effect: 'I am
very sorry to hear of Mrs. Austen's illness. It
would give me particular pleasure to have an
opportunity of improving my acquaintance with that
family with a hope of creating to myself a nearer
interest. But at present I cannot indulge any
expectation of it.' This is rational enough; there
is less love and more sense in it than sometimes
appeared before, and I am very well satisfied. It
will all go on exceedingly well, and decline away
in a very reasonable manner. There seems no
likelihood of his coming into Hampshire this
Christmas, and it is therefore most probable that
our indifference will soon be mutual, unless his
regard, which appeared to spring from knowing
nothing of me at first, is best supported by never
seeing me.

Mrs. Lefroy's 'friend,' though Jane was interested to hear of him, had
evidently not touched her heart, and we should know nothing more of him
if it were not for a letter of hers to her brother Frank, written more
than fourteen years afterwards, and published in the _Sailor
Brothers_.[64]

I wonder whether you happened to see Mr.
Blackall's marriage in the papers last January.
We did. He was married at Clifton to a Miss
Lewis, whose father had been late of Antigua. I
should very much like to know what sort of a woman
she is. He was a piece of perfection--noisy
perfection--himself, which I always recollect with
regard. We had noticed a few months before his
succeeding to a College living, the very living
which we recollected his talking of, and wishing
for; an exceeding good one, Great[65] Cadbury in
Somersetshire. I could wish Miss Lewis to be of a
silent turn and rather ignorant, but naturally
intelligent and wishing to learn, fond of cold
veal pies, green tea in the afternoon, and a green
window-blind at night.

North Cadbury is an Emmanuel College living, and Mr. Blackall was a
Fellow of that society, who, after the fashion of the times, had waited
long for his living and his wife. Jane had known him well and liked him
much, though with suffic