home, leaving Jane and
Cassandra in charge.

It was owing to Jane's untiring exertions at this time that her health
began to suffer. One other consequence too, but of a less tragical kind,
was due to Henry's illness. The physician that attended
him--supplementing, no doubt, Mr. Haden--was one of the Prince Regent's
physicians, and he, either knowing or hearing (for it was now an open
secret) that Jane Austen was the author of _Pride and Prejudice_,
informed her that the Prince greatly admired her novels, 'that he read
them often, and kept a set in every one of his residences; that he
himself had thought it right to inform His Royal Highness that Miss
Austen was staying in London.' The Prince did not so far condescend as
to desire to see Miss Austen in person, but he instructed his
librarian, Mr. Clarke, to wait upon her and show her any civility in his
power. The result was that on November 13 Jane was shown over the
library and other apartments at Carlton House, and in the course of the
visit Mr. Clarke announced that if Miss Austen had any other novel
forthcoming, she was at liberty to dedicate it to the Prince. We cannot
tell what may have been the exact amount of pleasure given to Jane by
this piece of information, as Cassandra was at that time also in Hans
Place, and there is therefore no letter of Jane to her on the subject.
But, at any rate, Jane was loyal enough to wish to do what was right and
proper in the circumstances. Consequently, on November 15, we find her
writing to Mr. Clarke as follows:--

SIR,--I must take the liberty of asking you a
question. Among the many flattering attentions
which I received from you at Carlton House on
Monday last, was the information of my being at
liberty to dedicate any future work to His Royal
Highness, the Prince Regent, without the necessity
of any solicitation on my part. Such, at least, I
believed to be your words; but as I am very
anxious to be quite certain of what was intended,
I entreat you to have the goodness to inform me
how such a permission is to be understood, and
whether it is incumbent on me to show my sense of
the honour by inscribing the work now in the press
to His Royal Highness; I should be equally
concerned to appear either presumptuous or
ungrateful.

To which Mr. Clarke replied:--