le to effect all this is surprising, for she had no
separate study to retire to, and most of the work must have been done in
the general sitting-room, subject to all kinds of casual interruptions.
She was careful that her occupation should not be suspected by servants,
or visitors, or any persons beyond her own family party. She wrote upon
small sheets of paper which could easily be put away, or covered with a
piece of blotting paper. There was, between the front door and the
offices, a swing door which creaked when it was opened; but she objected
to having this little inconvenience remedied, because it gave her notice
when anyone was coming. She was not, however, troubled with companions
like her own Mrs. Allen in 'Northanger Abbey,' whose 'vacancy of mind and
incapacity for thinking were such that, as she never talked a great deal,
so she could never be entirely silent; and therefore, while she sat at
work, if she lost her needle, or broke her thread, or saw a speck of dirt
on her gown, she must observe it, whether there were any one at leisure
to answer her or not.' In that well occupied female party there must
have been many precious hours of silence during which the pen was busy at
the little mahogany writing-desk, {102} while Fanny Price, or Emma
Woodhouse, or Anne Elliott was growing into beauty and interest. I have
no doubt that I, and my sisters and cousins, in our visits to Chawton,
frequently disturbed this mystic process, without having any idea of the
mischief that we were doing; certainly we never should have guessed it by
any signs of impatience or irritability in the writer.

As so much had been previously prepared, when once she began to publish,
her works came out in quick succession. 'Sense and Sensibility' was
published in 1811, 'Pride and Prejudice' at the beginning of 1813,
'Mansfield Park' in 1814, 'Emma' early in 1816; 'Northanger Abbey' and
'Persuasion' did not appear till after her death, in 1818. It will be
shown farther on why 'Northanger Abbey,' though amongst the first
written, was one of the last published. Her first three novels were
published by Egerton, her last three by Murray. The profits of the four
which had been printed before her death had not at that time amounted to
seven hundred pounds.

I have no record of the publication of 'Sense and Sensibility,' nor of
the author's feelings at this her first appearance before the public; but
the following extracts from three lette