improbable event to you. But it
was Elizabeth who danced. We supped there and
walked home at night under the shade of two
umbrellas.

* * * * *

We have just got some venison from Godmersham,
which the two Mr. Harveys are to devour to-morrow,
and on Friday or Saturday the Goodnestone people
are to finish their scraps. Henry went away on
Friday, as he purposed, _without fayl_. You will
hear from him soon, I imagine, as he talked of
writing to Steventon shortly. Mr. Richard Harvey
is going to be married; but as it is a great
secret, and only known to half the neighbourhood,
you must not mention it. The lady's name is
Musgrave.

* * * * *

Pray remember me to everybody who does not enquire
after me; those who do, remember me without
bidding. Give my love to Mary Harrison, and tell
her I wish, whenever she is attached to a young
man, some _respectable_ Dr. Marchmont may keep
them apart for five volumes.

Rowling: Thursday [September 15, 1796].

At Nackington we met Lady Sondes' picture over the
mantelpiece in the dining-room, and the pictures
of her three children in an ante-room, besides Mr.
Scott, Miss Fletcher, Mr. Toke, Mr. J. Toke, and
the Archdeacon Lynch. Miss Fletcher and I were
very thick, but I am the thinnest of the two. She
wore her purple muslin, which is pretty enough,
though it does not become her complexion. There
are two traits in her character which are
pleasing--namely, she admires _Camilla_, and
drinks no cream in her tea. If you should ever see
Lucy, you may tell her that I scolded Miss
Fletcher for her negligence in writing, as she
desired me to do, but without being able to bring
her to any proper sense of shame--that Miss
Fletcher says in her defence, that as everybody
whom Lucy knew when she was in Canterbury has now
left it, she has nothing at all to write to her
about. By _everybody_, I suppose Miss Fletcher
means that a new set of officers have arrived
there. But this is a note of my own.