72 JANE AUSTEN 



Mr. Collins, Darcy, Wickham in Pride and Preju- 

 dice ; Tilney and Thorpe in Northanger Abbey ; 

 Mr. Elton, F. Churchill and Knightley in Emma ; 

 Wentworth and Mr. Elliot in Persuasion. 



Then of course we should need descriptions to 

 distinguish the species, thus in genus (ii) Darcy 

 would be known by pride, Knightley by calm 

 sense, Tilney by light-hearted cheerfulness, while 

 Wentworth would be easily recognised by his sub- 

 dull character. Naturalists would dispute whether 

 Mr. Elton should be in the same genus as Wickham, 

 or in the quite distinct genus (iv) ; or again, 

 whether F. Churchill should not beplaced with Darcy 

 and Knightley. In the same way Captain Wentworth 

 might perhaps be placed in the dull group with 

 Brandon, Edward Ferrars and Edward Bertram. 



I have not attempted to include in the system 

 all the young men who occur in the novels. I 

 leave the completion to those who can devote a 

 life-time to the subject, and who are possessed of 

 the necessary discrimination and patience to 

 marshall and arrange the whole flora of Miss 

 Austen's world. 



In connexion with this subject I have found it 

 interesting to read for the first time quite recently 

 Miss Austen's unfinished novels. Lady Susan and 

 The Watsons. It is easy to classify some of the 

 characters — thus Mrs. Robert Watson is obviously 

 Mrs. Elton, as, indeed, Mr. Austen Leigh points 

 out in his Memoir. 



In the following scene the character addressed 

 as Jane is Mrs. Robert Watson, who has come to 

 stay at the house of Mr. Watson, her father-in-law. 



