“She [Anne Lefroy] showed me a letter from her friend [Samuel Blackall] a few weeks ago . . . towards to end of which was a sentence to this effect: ‘I am very sorry to hear of Mrs Austen’s illness. It would give me particular pleasure to have an opportunity of improving my acquaintance with that family-with a hope of creating to myself a nearer interest. But at present I cannot indulge any expectation of it.’
This is rational enough; there is less love and more sense in it than sometimes appeared before, and I am very well satisfied. It will all go on exceedingly well, and decline away in a very reasonable manner. There seems to be no likelihood of his coming into Hampshire this Christmas, and it is therefore most probable that our indifference will soon be mutual, unless his regard, which appeared to spring from knowing nothing of me at first, is best supported by never seeing me.”
letter to Cassandra
November 17, 1798
(Samuel Blackall was a clergyman that Jane’s friend Anne Lefroy wanted to set her up with, but obviously Jane never warmed to the idea.)
The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman (May, 2012)
A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith