In November 1800, Jane Austen was a month short of her 25th birthday. The following is a much edited letter, written to her sister Cassandra but I particularly love her description of the ball and more particularly the images that are conjured up by the descriptions of the people who attended. The lovely illustrations are by Philip Gough from Sense and Sensibility. Steventon: Thursday, November 20, 1800. MY DEAR CASSANDRA, Your letter took me quite by surprise this morning; you are very welcome, however, and I am very much obliged to you. I believe I drank too much wine last night at Hurstbourne; I know not how else to account for the shaking of my hand to-day. You will kindly make allowance therefore for any indistinctness of writing, by attributing it to this venial error. Your desiring to hear from me on Sunday will, perhaps, bring you a more particular account of the ball than you may care for, because one is prone to think much more of such things the morning after they happen, t...