am sure Cassy must be
delighted to have you. You will practise your
music of course, and I trust to you for taking
care of my instrument and not letting it be
ill-used in any respect. Do not allow anything to
be put on it but what is very light. I hope you
will try to make out some other tune besides the
Hermit. . . .

I am sorry you got wet in your ride; now that you
are become an Aunt[342] you are a person of some
consequence and must excite great interest
whatever you do. I have always maintained the
importance of Aunts as much as possible, and I am
sure of your doing the same now.

Believe me, my dear Sister-Aunt,
Yours affectionately,
J. AUSTEN.

[January 23, 1817.]

MY DEAR CAROLINE,--I am always very much obliged
to you for writing to me, and have now I believe
two or three notes to thank you for; but whatever
may be their number, I mean to have this letter
accepted as a handsome return for all, for you see
I have taken a complete, whole sheet of paper,
which is to entitle me to consider it as a very
long letter whether I write much or little.

We were quite happy to see Edward, it was an
unexpected pleasure, and he makes himself as
agreeable as ever, sitting in such a quiet
comfortable way making his delightful little
sketches. He is generally thought grown since he
was here last, and rather thinner, but in very
good looks. . . . He read his two chapters to us the
first evening--both good, but especially the last
in our opinion. We think it has more of the spirit
and entertainment of the early part of his
work.[343] . . .

I feel myself getting stronger than I was half a
year ago, and can so perfectly well walk to Alton,
_or_ back again, without the slightest fatigue
that I hope to be able to do both when summer
comes. I spent two or three days with your Uncle
and Aunt[344] lately, and though the children are
sometimes very noisy and not under such order as
th