“Mary was happy no longer: she quarrelled with her own seat, was sure Louisa had got a much better somewhere, and nothing could prevent her from going to look for a better also. . . . Anne found a nice seat for her, on a dry sunny bank, under the hedgerow, in which she had no doubt of their still being, in some spot or other. Mary sat down for a moment, but it would not do; she was sure Louisa had found a better somewhere else, and she would go on till she overtook her.”
Persuasion, volume 1, chapter 10
I love Mary. Nothing snaps me out of my own pity parties faster than thinking of her, and her “I’m sure Louisa has found a better,” as Sophie Thompson says in her brilliant performance.
I realize now that I am not entirely sure what a hedgerow looks like, but here is a shot of one of the fields around Steventon, where Jane grew up.
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