little miss austin

Austin had a large family and couldn't fit in one carriage, so Cathy and Jane rode in their own carriage with their parents, and Wesley sent Henry and Alice home in the family carriage.

As the host, Wesley watched the carriage they were riding gradually leave at the gate of the manor.

William also looked at the two carriages, and asked with a smile, "Which Miss Austin is writing to you?"

Wesley gave him a blank look, not going to tell him.

"Ha! I see! It must be the youngest one!" William clapped his hands violently.It's easy to see that Wesley likes Jane, but Jane's attitude towards him is average, so she won't write to Wesley, only little Austin can write.

"How long will you stay in Hampshire? Don't you have to go back for Christmas?" Wesley has been regretting since leaving Oxford University, and he couldn't refuse William's request to go home with him.This guy probably thinks life in the country is fresher.

William looked cynical, "I don't want to go back. As long as I'm at home, my noble father is always nagging. I'm not the son who inherited most of his property, so I don't need to be exhausted every day. Become what he wants." The first priority of the youngest son who is not an heir is to eat, drink, play and enjoy while the rich father is alive. After the father is recruited by the Lord, the life of the youngest son will Not so happy anymore.

Wesley glanced at him, turned and went back to the house.

Jane's 21st birthday is a few days away, and a week later, on Christmas Eve, it's Alice's birthday again.

Like last year, Wesley gave them both birthday presents.But this time, Jane was given a book instead of jewelry.What Alice gave was a doll brought back from Japan, which was very delicate.

Turning 7 and feeling...as if it wasn't any different.

There is no custom in the country to celebrate birthdays. The whole family eats together, and Cousin Eliza and Little Hastings come over.

Tom Lefroy is not good to come, and also gave Jane and Alice an early birthday present.To give Jane a good quality dip pen and a good bottle of ink is a very appropriate and not rude gift.Alice was presented with an excellent stack of letter paper, and a box of colored wax, which was also very well presented.

As soon as he arrived in Ash, he visited Austin's house and gathered the information he had obtained so far with Henry and Alice.

Tom wondered why Alice needed to ask so many things.

"Pursue 'maximization of interests'." She used a new term and explained it to them. "Being a publisher directly by yourself can definitely make the most profit."

"I know Jane's novels are pretty good, but people seem to prefer books these days that are exotic, adventurous, or take a little—" Henry didn't have the nerve to go on.

"Good works can stand the test of time," Alice is very confident, "I dare say that Jane will become a great writer in the future, and her books will sell very well!"

Tom laughed. "How do you know?"

"Do a good job of market research." She said a new term, and then explained. "Now the market is, oh, I mean, bookstores are full of adventure novels, and it's really boring, after all, most of them have never been published in a small country like Steventon, and many of them have never been published country--"

"You have never been abroad, how do you know?" Henry asked.

Alice froze for a moment, "I don't know what's going on in the world without leaving my home!" She gave him a look, "Listen to me! When it comes to publishing novels, marketing is also very important. I checked, and most of the bookstores in London have no There is no marketing method, at most it is advertising in The Times, and the effect is really not very good."

"Then do you have any good ideas?"

"There are many ways, but it's too early to say. What I want to say is that Henry should strive to become a publisher within 3 to 5 years. This time is neither too long nor too short. Of course, the sooner the better," she said. Glancing at Tom, "Tom is in charge of our legal affairs, Jane is in charge of writing novels, and Dad is in charge of finding money."

Henry said in surprise: "You even commanded your father!"

"Of course! Dad is going to ask Edward for money, no, it's an investment. If you make money, you will distribute the profits according to the capital contribution. This is the practice of those commercial companies outside. If Cousin Eliza is willing to invest 1000 pounds, of course it is also in accordance with the Proportional distribution of profits."

Henry was moved.Although Eliza has a lot of cash and bought some fields, after all, the annual income is not too much, because there are not many landowners who are willing to sell their ancestral property. For example, if Edward wants to sell the land, he will first ask his relatives who wants to Those who buy fields are basically digested internally, and few of them are sold.Most of her property is jewelry, which is very valuable, but it is difficult to realize it, and she is reluctant.

Henry thought that if he really worked in the publishing industry, he should be able to earn more money than the 300 pounds allowance per year, so that it would not be a problem to support Eliza and the future children. He is a big man, and he can't really count on it. Eliza pays for the support of the family.

Tom considered this matter in his mind, and he thought for a while, "Henry, I think it's okay. Don't say it will help Jane. You certainly can't stay in the militia all the time. If there is no prospect of promotion, you should plan early. I'm sure I'm going to court, and maybe I'll be back in Dublin in a few years. If you'd like to be a publisher, I can go and invest with my uncle, he's got some money in the bank."

This is very thoughtful.Henry didn't have a very urgent desire to get promoted. If he couldn't be promoted to general, he would stay in the militia for a few more years at most.Eliza also mentioned to him about her retirement, saying that she was worried that he would be sent to the French battlefield. She had already lost a husband and couldn't bear to lose another one.

He made up his mind that changing careers would be something that would make all the women in the family happy. Austin's family already had two boys in the army, and it didn't matter if he was missing one.

Alice added: "If this industry is not easy to enter, you can also consider to see if there is any publisher who does not do it, or the business is not doing well, we can buy his house and let the original owner Wouldn't it be better to be a partner?"

"Oh!" sighed Tom. "Henry, your little sister is very wonderful! You know," he turned to Alice, "girls mustn't be so clever that they frighten men."

"Jane is very clever."

Tom was speechless.

Handing over the actual operation to Henry and Tom is another step forward. It is still unknown when the "five-year plan" will be completed, but everything is always difficult at the beginning, and it doesn't matter. .She thought that with the two smart people Henry and Tom, and the connections Tom could find, it shouldn't be difficult, and she could expect a small success in 3 years.

Next, at the New Year's Ball at Gresham Manor and Basingstoke's New Year's Ball, Jane wore the pearl necklace that Alice lent her, which was beautiful.

The Austins all have aristocratic slender necks, have received a good education, and are tall and straight. Henry wearing the red uniform of the militia really kills a large number of girls. If everyone knows that he is engaged, there must be many women. Willing to flirt with him.

Jane was already pretty and light, and with her new dance skirt and pearl necklace, she was one of the few beauties in the ballroom who could make people shine. Therefore, William seized every opportunity to follow her at several balls. she dances.

William didn't have the concept of "this beauty is the girl my classmates have always liked and I can't make a move", and Wesley had no position to stop him. If Jane had the same feelings for him-then they would have been engaged long ago, so there is no need to worry Is William's pursuit okay.

Wesley seldom danced with Jane, but he showed up just in time when no one asked Jane to dance.Alice didn't go to the New Year's Ball in Basingstoke, but heard Cathy's report after she came back. She felt that Wesley might really be too kind.

In January 1797, a week after the New Year, William took Wesley away. It is said that he went to London to meet William's father. The lord wanted to meet his son's new friends and classmates.

Henry also went to London with Tom a few days later.

Cousin Eliza was very relieved to hear that Henry was now considering his career after retirement.Knowing that it was Alice's idea, he praised her fiercely and gave her a beautiful amber hairpin as a reward.

On January 1th, brother James held his wedding in his father's church. On the same day, he took his new wife back to the pastor's house in Dean Parish, and took little Anna, who was less than 17 years old, away.

By the end of February, a letter arrived at Steventon with sad news: Cathy's fiancé, Tom Fall, had died of yellow fever in Santo Domingo.As a chaplain of Lord Craven's army, he went to South America, but he died in a foreign country only 2 months later, and his body was buried at sea instead of being transported back to China.

Lord Craven's emissary brought back the relics of Tom Fall, and a pension of £1000.Lord Craven also wrote Cathy that he would not have taken Fall with him under any circumstances had he known that he was engaged.But this is a bit false. Tom Fall's mother's surname is Craven, so they are cousins ​​who are closely related by blood. They grew up together. It is impossible for Lord Craven not to know that he is engaged.

Cathy cried for half a month after receiving the letter and pension, and even lay in bed all day when she was most sad.

They are childhood sweethearts. When Cathy was 6 years old, she met Tom Foer, a student of Pastor George. Fore was 4 years older than her. After Cathy grew up, the two got along naturally. Agree, propose to Cathy.It's just that Fall didn't have much income, so he went to his cousin, Lord Craven, and Craven promised him that after returning from South America, he would give him a parish in his territory.In this way, he will have enough income to support his wife and future children.

The plan was very good, but unfortunately there were unexpected events.

Alice was still too young, and it was not her turn to comfort the eldest sister. At this time, she could only count on Jane. Jane stayed with Cathy at home, and never left her. When she was in a better mood, she would go out for a walk with her.

The villagers of Steventon knew that Reverend George's eldest daughter had lost her fiancé, and they sympathized with her.

When Edward's brother heard the news, he immediately wrote to Reverend George, asking if he would send Cathy to Kent for a few months, but Cathy didn't want to go to Kent.

Mrs. Gresham, who wanted to hurt Jane for nothing, had a very good impression of Cathy. She thought that Cathy was a traditional gentle woman, and she was very suitable to be a wife. It would be great if Jane could be like Cathy. .Because Alice did not go to Gresham Manor after the New Year, she specially asked a servant to pick up Alice in a carriage, and very magnanimously proposed that if Cathy wanted to relax, she could go to her villa in Andover. stay for a while.

Andover is also in Hampshire, next door to Wiltshire.

In fact, Lady Gresham's house is by the River Tester, and the view is very good.

The three Austin sisters all went to Tester Villa. As soon as they arrived at the villa, Alice heard from the servant that Stonehenge, a famous scenic spot in the next county, is not far away. The family's carriage can take them there on the same day, and asked the guests if they wanted to see it. See ancient mysterious ruins.

The author has something to say:

*Go to school in London in the next chapter.

* After Cathy's fiancé died, she left 1000 pounds to her, and Cathy never sought a chance to get married again.They are childhood sweethearts, and their relationship must be very good.