Love And Freindship And Other Early Works - The Original Classic Edition. Austen Jane

      Contents

       LOVE AND FREINDSHIP

       LETTER the FIRST From ISABEL to LAURA LETTER 2nd LAURA to ISABEL

       LETTER 3rd LAURA to MARIANNE LETTER 4th Laura to MARIANNE LETTER 5th LAURA to MARIANNE LETTER 6th LAURA to MARIANNE LETTER 7th LAURA to MARIANNE

       LETTER 8th LAURA to MARIANNE, in continuation

       LETTER the 9th From the same to the same LETTER 10th LAURA in continuation LETTER 11th LAURA in continuation LETTER the 12th LAURA in continuation LETTER the 13th LAURA in continuation LETTER the 14th LAURA in continuation LETTER the 15th LAURA in continuation.

       AN UNFINISHED NOVEL IN LETTERS LESLEY CASTLE

       LETTER the FIRST is from Miss MARGARET LESLEY to Miss CHARLOTTE LETTER the SECOND From Miss C. LUTTERELL to Miss M. LESLEY in answer. LETTER the THIRD From Miss MARGARET LESLEY to Miss C. LUTTERELL Lesley LETTER the FOURTH From Miss C. LUTTERELL to Miss M. LESLEY Bristol LETTER the FIFTH Miss MARGARET LESLEY to Miss CHARLOTTE LUTTERELL

       LETTER the SIXTH LADY LESLEY to Miss CHARLOTTE LUTTERELL Lesley-Castle

       LETTER the SEVENTH From Miss C. LUTTERELL to Miss M. LESLEY Bristol

       LETTER the EIGHTH Miss LUTTERELL to Mrs MARLOWE Bristol April 4th

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       LETTER the NINTH Mrs MARLOWE to Miss LUTTERELL Grosvenor Street, April

       LETTER the TENTH From Miss MARGARET LESLEY to Miss CHARLOTTE LUTTERELL THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND

       A COLLECTION OF LETTERS To Miss COOPER

       LETTER the FIRST From a MOTHER to her FREIND.

       LETTER the SECOND From a YOUNG LADY crossed in Love to her freind LETTER the THIRD From a YOUNG LADY in distressed Circumstances LETTER the FOURTH From a YOUNG LADY rather impertinent to her freind LETTER the FIFTH From a YOUNG LADY very much in love to her Freind

       THE FEMALE PHILOSOPHER THE FIRST ACT OF A COMEDY

       A LETTER from a YOUNG LADY, whose feelings being too strong

       A TOUR THROUGH WALES--in a LETTER from a YOUNG LADY-- A TALE.

       LOVE AND FREINDSHIP

       TO MADAME LA COMTESSE DE FEUILLIDE THIS NOVEL IS INSCRIBED BY HER

       OBLIGED HUMBLE SERVANT THE AUTHOR.

       "Deceived in Freindship and Betrayed in Love."

       LETTER the FIRST From ISABEL to LAURA

       How often, in answer to my repeated intreaties that you would give my Daughter a regular detail of the Misfortunes and Adventures

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       of your Life, have you said "No, my freind never will I comply with your request till I may be no longer in Danger of again experiencing such dreadful ones."

       Surely that time is now at hand. You are this day 55. If a woman may ever be said to be in safety from the determined Perseverance of disagreeable Lovers and the cruel Persecutions of obstinate Fathers, surely it must be at such a time of Life. Isabel

       LETTER 2nd LAURA to ISABEL

       Altho' I cannot agree with you in supposing that I shall never again be exposed to Misfortunes as unmerited as those I have already experienced, yet to avoid the imputation of Obstinacy or ill-nature, I will gratify the curiosity of your daughter; and may the fortitude with which I have suffered the many afflictions of my past Life, prove to her a useful lesson for the support of those which may befall her in her own. Laura

       LETTER 3rd LAURA to MARIANNE

       As the Daughter of my most intimate freind I think you entitled to that knowledge of my unhappy story, which your Mother has so often solicited me to give you.

       My Father was a native of Ireland and an inhabitant of Wales; my Mother was the natural Daughter of a Scotch Peer by an italian

       Opera-girl--I was born in Spain and received my Education at a Convent in France.

       When I had reached my eighteenth Year I was recalled by my Parents to my paternal roof in Wales. Our mansion was situated in one of the most romantic parts of the Vale of Uske. Tho' my Charms are now considerably softened and somewhat impaired by the Misfortunes I have undergone, I was once beautiful. But lovely as I was the Graces of my Person were the least of my Perfec-

       tions. Of every accomplishment accustomary to my sex, I was Mistress. When in the Convent, my progress had always exceeded my instructions, my Acquirements had been wonderfull for my age, and I had shortly surpassed my Masters.

       In my Mind, every Virtue that could adorn it was centered; it was the Rendez-vous of every good Quality and of every noble sentiment.

       A sensibility too tremblingly alive to every affliction of my Freinds, my Acquaintance and particularly to every affliction of my own, was my only fault, if a fault it could be called. Alas! how altered now! Tho' indeed my own Misfortunes do not make less impression on me than they ever did, yet now I never feel for those of an other. My accomplishments too, begin to fade--I can neither sing so well nor Dance so gracefully as I once did--and I have entirely forgot the MINUET DELA COUR. Adeiu. Laura.

       LETTER 4th Laura to MARIANNE

       Our neighbourhood was small, for it consisted only of your Mother. She may probably have already told you that being left by her Parents in indigent Circumstances she had retired into Wales on eoconomical motives. There it was our freindship first commenced. Isobel was then one and twenty. Tho' pleasing both in her Person and Manners (between ourselves) she never possessed the hundredth part of my Beauty or Accomplishments. Isabel had seen the World. She had passed 2 Years at one of the first Boarding-schools in London; had spent a fortnight in Bath and had supped one night in Southampton.

       "Beware my Laura (she would often say) Beware of the insipid Vanities and idle Dissipations of the Metropolis of England; Beware

       of the unmeaning Luxuries of Bath and of the stinking fish of Southampton."

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       "Alas! (exclaimed I) how am I to avoid those evils I shall never be exposed to? What probability is there of my ever tasting the Dissipations of London, the Luxuries of Bath, or the stinking Fish of Southampton? I who am doomed to waste my Days of Youth and Beauty in an humble Cottage in the Vale of Uske."

       Ah! little did I then think I was ordained so soon to quit that humble Cottage for the Deceitfull Pleasures of the World. Adeiu Laura.

       LETTER 5th LAURA to MARIANNE

       One Evening in December as my Father, my Mother and myself, were arranged in social converse round our Fireside, we were on a sudden greatly astonished, by hearing a violent knocking on the outward door of our rustic Cot.

       My Father started--"What noise is that," (said he.) "It sounds like a loud rapping at the door"--(replied my Mother.) "it does in-deed." (cried I.) "I am of your opinion; (said my Father) it certainly does appear to proceed from some uncommon violence exerted against our unoffending door." "Yes (exclaimed I) I cannot help thinking it must be somebody who knocks for admittance."

       "That is another point (replied he;) We must not pretend to determine on what motive the person may knock--tho' that someone

       DOES rap at the door, I am partly convinced."

       Here, a 2d tremendous rap interrupted my Father in his speech, and somewhat alarmed my Mother and me.

       "Had we better not go and see who it is? (said she) the servants are out." "I think we had." (replied I.) "Certainly, (added my Father)

       by all means." "Shall we go now?" (said my Mother,) "The sooner the better." (answered he.) "Oh! let no time be lost" (cried I.)

       A third more violent Rap than ever again assaulted our ears. "I am certain there is somebody knocking at the Door." (said my Mother.) "I think there must," (replied my Father) "I fancy the servants are returned; (said I) I think I hear Mary going to the Door." "I'm glad of it (cried my Father) for I long to know who it is."

       I was right in my conjecture; for Mary instantly entering the Room, informed us that a young Gentleman and his Servant were at the