Two mismatched floral porcelain cups sharing a shallow saucer

Original artwork, not a still

Jane Austen

Only one comes back with me tomorrow, probably Miss Eliza, & I rather dread it. We shall not have two Ideas in common. She is young, pretty, chattering, & thinking chiefly (I presume) of Dress, Company, & Admiration.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker expects Miss Eliza to return with them and dreads the prospect of having little in common. They describe her as young, pretty and talkative, then presume her main concerns are clothes, company and admiration. That qualification reveals the forecast as a judgment made in advance.

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