chawton, thursday (february 4).

my dear cassandra,—your letter was truly welcome, and i am much obliged to you for all your praise; it came at a right time, for i had had some fits of disgust. our second evening's reading[183] to miss b. had not pleased me so well, but i believe something must be attributed to my mother's too rapid way of getting on: though she perfectly understands the characters herself, she cannot speak as they ought. upon the whole, however, i am quite vain enough and well satisfied enough. the work is rather too light and bright and sparkling: it wants shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be had; if not, of solemn specious nonsense, about something unconnected with the story,—an essay on writing, a critique on walter scott, or the history of buonaparte, or something that would form a contrast, and bring the reader with increased delight to the playfulness and epigrammatism of the general style.... the greatest blunder in the printing that i have met with is in page 220, v. 3, where two speeches are made into one. there might as well be no suppers at longbourn; but i suppose it was the remains of mrs. bennet's old meryton habits.