"I have been so much engaged on other things that I have not been able to do any thing to my novel for a long time."

"Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure."

"It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage."

"I have just been informed that I am to be an aunt."

"I give you joy of our new nephew, and hope if he ever comes to be hanged it will not be till we are too old to care about it."