Written to the prompt R is for Rest
A Letter From Jane Austen To Her Brother
My dearest Edward,
How timely is your wonderful invitation to come and stay with you a while in Hampshire! I am in sore need of a prolonged rest with little to disturb me, for I am quite beset with all manner of communications which clamour for my attention, hence my tardiness in replying to your invitation, which I pray you forgive.
Indeed, this very morning the postboy brought a fresh batch of enquiries to which I must respond.
The first one was from Mrs Bennet, proprietrix of the bonnet shop. Only yesterday afternoon did I purchase one of Mrs Bennet’s bonnets, and today she wishes to enquire whether I am satisfied with the bonnet, happy with the service she provides, and the likelihood of me recommending her to friends and family.
The second letter came from Mr Suckling, the butcher, who, in return for answering a few simple questions regarding my experience with his establishment, has offered me a penny in the shilling discount the next time I spend more than 5 shillings on Suckling’s sausages.
Similarly, Mr Hemming, the milliner, entreats me to respond to a series of questions related to my recent purchase of lace at his premises, and he wishes to know whether I would approve of him displaying my responses in his shop window for the world to see!
It is becoming a truth universally acknowledged that when one has purchased anything – from a grape to a grand piano – one must then be subjected to a veritable plethora of questions about the transaction. Countless times have I been asked to give my opinion on some purchase or other, and the shopkeepers seem ever more concerned as to whether I am content with the accuracy of the description of the item before it was presented to me, the speed with which the transaction has been conducted and the pleasantness of those members of staff involved. But I confess I was astonished when Mr Fairfax, the ironmonger, asked whether he might make a complete record of our next transaction for the purposes of using it to instruct his apprentice in good business practice.
Even old Dr Musgrove – who attended on Mother during her recent slight cold – sent a boy to the house to query whether his ministrations were satisfactory and was there anything else he could have done to improve his service to us.
And if that were not enough to fill my time, I am constantly summoned to the door to answer a stream of tradesmen seeking work, whether it be cutting down trees, improving the roof or replacing all my doors and windows.
My dear Edward, I am quite, quite overwhelmed with all these demands on my time and therefore I am more than happy to leave them all behind for some rest and rejuvenation of spirit at your wonderful country estate. I leave as soon as possible.
Your loving sister,
Jane
© Carol Carman 2026
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