Free The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James

overly fastidious (which manifested itself in a rare disgust of dirt); and he had no head for finances, giving himself to acts of impulsive, unthinking generosity, which put his own family in difficult straits at times. The Elm Grove living, at three hundred pounds, was not large, but could be improved by the collection of tithes; however, Mr.Stanhope, sensitive to the difficulties of his parishioners, was averse to such collection. Fortunately, his wife brought an inheritance, the interest of which added to his income; this he further embellished by teaching schoolboys he took in as boarders—a practice which profited his daughters, as they, in turn, received the benefits of his tutelage.
    Life went on quite happily in this manner in the Stanhope household for many years. Mr. Stanhope and his wife esteemed a tidy household, and were enthusiasts of music, writing, and literature. He was proud of his ever-increasing collection of books, which filled the shelves of his study. Mrs. Stanhope happily performed all those duties expected of a rector’s wife, raised their girls, and served as house mistress to the succession of boys who lived and schooled with them. Sarah and Rebecca, being very close, chose to share a bedroom, and many a night was spent whispering away to each other in the darkness. The two girls did, however, have very different interests.
    Sarah was an obedient student, but far more interested in drawing, needlework, and gardening; and she had no aptitude for music. Rebecca loved music from an early age. She was accomplished at playing the pianoforte by age eight, and later the harp; and she possessed a fine voice, which her family and their friends loved to hear. She was skilled at drawing, and good with languages; but more than any thing else, Rebecca adored reading. Every lesson entranced her, and made her eager to learn more.
    When Rebecca reached twelve years of age, a small tremor shook the foundations of her carefully ordered life. Mr. and Mrs. Stanhope decided that their daughters required more accomplishments and a more worldly edification than could be taught at home, and sent them off to boarding-school.The experience proved less than satisfactory. The establishment, situated at a remote country house some ten miles distant, was, to Rebecca, nothing more than a place at which young ladies, for an exorbitant price, attained heightened vanity and elegant accomplishments, without any actual learning. She felt she had achieved more in six days via her father’s tutelage than in six whole months at school; and she and Sarah both missed Elm Grove and their parents dreadfully. After a year, the exercise was thankfully ended, and they were brought home.
    At age eighteen, Sarah married one of her father’s former pupils, Mr. Charles Morris, a clergyman who had received an appointment in Buckinghamshire. This loss to Rebecca was very great, for it took away her best friend and confidante; but additional sorrow lay on the horizon. Her mother fell seriously ill. It became Rebecca’s responsibility to nurse her, a task which she took on with devotion, bestowing on Mrs. Stanhope all the tender care which a loving heart can provide. Although the advice of the local surgeon was strictly followed, along with that of two physicians in town, Margaret Stanhope did not rally. When she died, the family grieved long and deeply. Mrs. Stanhope’s place could never be filled; yet somehow they must go on.
    Without his wife to assist him, Mr. Stanhope closed down the school. Without the company of the boys who used to tread up and down the stairs, and enliven their dinner table with boisterous conversation, the rectory was very quiet; but Rebecca and her father became accustomed to it, and grew to prefer it. At age fifteen, Rebecca was mistress of the house, proving herself useful, and assisting her father just as she ought, as she continued her education under his guidance. Over the course of the next six years, a strong