Page:Jane Austen (Sarah Fanny Malden 1889).djvu/18

 Two of Jane's best novels, Mansfield Park and Persuasion, appeared after her death, but even these did not awaken public taste; and for many years longer the circle of her admirers continued a small one. Mr. Austen Leigh tells us from his own recollections, that "Sometimes a friend or neighbour who chanced to know of our connection with the author would condescend to speak with moderate approbation of Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice; but if they had known that we in our secret thoughts classed her with Mme. D'Arblay or Miss Edgeworth, or even with some other novel writers of the day whose names are now scarcely remembered, they would have considered it an amusing instance of family conceit. To the multitude her works appeared tame and commonplace, poor in colouring, and sadly deficient in incident and interest. It is true that we were sometimes cheered by hearing that a different verdict had been pronounced by more competent judges; we were told how some great statesman or distinguished poet held these works in high estimation; we had the satisfaction of believing that they were most admired by the best judges, and comforted ourselves with Horace's satis est equitem mihi plaudere. So much was this the case, that one of the ablest men of my acquaintance said, in that kind of jest which has much earnest in it, that he had established it in his own mind, as a new test of ability, whether people could or could not appreciate Miss Austen's merits."

It is needless to tell the present generation how completely all this is changed, and how many hundreds of readers are well acquainted with Emma and Pride and Prejudice who have never struggled through the many-volumed adventures of Cecilia, or the somewhat