r
niece Anna, who had lately been married to Ben Lefroy, and who was
living for the time at Hendon. Early in December, Jane returned home;
and three weeks later she and Cassandra set out for a couple of visits:
one for a week to Mrs. Heathcote and Miss Bigg in Winchester; the other
of longer duration, to their brother at Steventon. Then the curtain is
rung down once more, not to be raised till the end of September 1815.
During this quiet time, _Emma_ was prepared for the press, and it was no
doubt in connexion with its publication that she went to Hans Place on
October 4, 1815, for a visit which proved to be much longer and more
eventful than the last. For some reason that we are unable to explain,
Jane now forsook her former publisher, Mr. Egerton, and put her
interests in the charge of the historic house of Murray. She travelled
up once more in the company of Henry, who had been paying his mother and
sisters a short visit at the cottage. The prolongation of Jane's stay in
London to more than a couple of months was caused by Henry's dangerous
illness. She gives the news in a letter written to Cassandra and dated
Tuesday, October 17:--

. . . What weather we have! What shall we do about
it? The 17th October and summer still! Henry is
not quite well--a bilious attack with fever. He
came back early from Henrietta Street yesterday
and went to bed--the comical consequence of which
was that Mr. Seymour and I dined together
_tete-a-tete_. He is calomeling, and therefore in
a way to be better, and I hope may be well
to-morrow.

* * * * *

_Wednesday._--Henry's illness is much more serious
than I expected. He has been in bed since three
o'clock on Monday. It is a fever--something
bilious but chiefly inflammatory. I am not
alarmed, but I have determined to send this letter
to-day by the post, that you may know how things
are going on. There is no chance of his being able
to leave Town on Saturday. I asked Mr. Haden[298]
that question to-day. Mr. H. is the apothecary
from the corner of Sloane Street, successor to Mr.
Smith, a very young man, said to be clever, and he
is certainly very attentive, and appears hitherto
to have understood the complaint.

* * *