“As they drew near the Cobb, there was such a general wish to walk along it once more, all were so inclined, and Louisa soon grew so determined, that the difference of a quarter of an hour, it was found, would be no difference at all…”
Diana and Peter Birchall on “Granny’s Teeth,” the Cobb, 1990s. No jumping!
They were to depart for Uppercross at one. That was the latest that they dared leave Lyme, for in these short November days the darkness set in so early, that even a seventeen mile drive could not be performed in daylight otherwise. The Harvilles and Captain Benwick joined them for breakfast at the inn, and the whole party sauntered out together.
“My husband, you know, is lame, and I think that walking back to our house will be quite enough for him,” said Mrs. Harville apologetically. “He had better not go farther.”
“No, no, to be sure not,” said Captain Wentworth, “we will walk you back, and have our parting there. Are we not all agreed?”
But the Cobb exerted its charms once more: the bright morning sunshine turning the waves silvery, the cloud shadows skidding high over the beautiful cliffs, and the lure of the stone promontory from which the very best views over the harbour could be obtained.
“Oh! We must walk on the Cobb again,” cried Louisa impetuously.
“What a pity we cannot,” sighed Henrietta.
“Remember, Louisa, it would be too much for Captain Harville,” began her brother.
“Don’t let me spoil your pleasure,” Harville protested, “do, by all means, have another walk on top and don’t think of me. You won’t have such a sight again, for who knows how long.”
“It might be managed – do not you think so, Harville? Benwick? After we walk the Harvilles to their door, another brief look at the Cobb would not take so very much time,” said Captain Wentworth, loath to disappoint Louisa.
“Certainly you can manage that, a young party like you,” said Harville jovially, “it won’t take but another quarter of an hour, at most. By all means, I would wish you to take your pleasure in Lyme till the very last minute.”
So it was determined, and after very warm farewells to Mr. and Mrs. Harville and the little Harvilles, the party walked briskly back to the Cobb, Anne attended by Captain Benwick, Charles and Mary together, and Captain Wentworth with one Musgrove young lady on each arm.
The stairs were steep, and slippery; after Charles had helped Mary up and then down again, she declared herself tired of it, and sought a stone seat out of the high wind.
“Really that wind is too rough. It quite pierces me. It could blow you entirely off those stone stairs. I do really believe it is very dangerous, Charles.”
“Nonsense, nonsense, Mary. As long as one is careful.”
Captain Benwick assisted Anne, directing her where to place her feet so as to miss the slipperiness, and one ascent was enough for her. She sat down by Mary, and they were soon joined by Henrietta after she had her turn.
But one climb was not enough for Louisa. The most eager of the eager, she ran up the steep stairs and when she reached the top she spun around and around with exhilaration.
“I declare! It is so beautiful up here! You all ought to come up again!” she called back to the others, while Captain Wentworth tried to keep her from spinning like a top off the edge.
“Louisa! Come down right now. You will fall and hurt yourself. It is very dangerous. Make her, Charles, make her.”
“You can’t make Louisa do any thing she does not want to do, Mary, you know that,” said Charles. “She cannot be persuaded. She always was headstrong, from a girl.”
“Very obstinate,” said Henrietta, discomfited by seeing Captain Wentworth’s attentions to her sister. “She will always have her way. Though she is my sister, I must say it. She is positively wild sometimes.”
Captain Wentworth started down the stairs, to encourage Louisa to come down too, but she paused three steps up.
“You must jump me, Captain Wentworth,” she said with a beguiling smile. “Just as you do at all the stiles in our walks. Come now, hold out your arms and catch me!”
“It is slippery, I am afraid I might not catch you,” he warned.
“Nonsense! You sailors can do any thing! Are you ready?”
“Very well then.”
Louisa jumped, with Captain Wentworth grasping her about the waist. Even so she landed hard on her feet in their thin silk slippers, and he was concerned.
“Are you all right? Was that not too much of a jar for your feet?”
“No, you jumped me perfectly,” she said gaily, “you do every thing perfectly. Now you will do me once more,” and she ran up the stairs again before he could stop her.
“Louisa, no,” cried out both Mary and Charles. “You will be hurt!”
“It’s most unwise,” argued Captain Wentworth, “I am sure the jar was too much for you before. The rocks are slimy – what if your foot slips? You had better not.”
“I don’t like this,” murmured Captain Benwick to Anne, “she does not realize the danger.”
“She is so very determined,” said Anne, concerned. “Perhaps you ought to go and stand beside him, in case of any slip?”
“No, no, if there is anyone she can be trusted with, it is Frederick. He is so ready and capable, he will not let her hurt herself.”
“You are right,” said Anne, subsiding.
Captain Wentworth made one last attempt to remonstrate with Louisa. “We were lucky before, we might not be a next time,” he told her. “I beg you not to. Just walk down, as the other ladies did. Don’t jump.”
She smiled and shook her head. “I am determined I will,” she said. “Jump me! Jump me, Captain Wentworth! Jump me now!”
He put out his arms to clasp her waist, but she was too forward in launching herself out into the air, or perhaps her foot might slip. Whichever it was, her enthusiastic, foolish flight ended with a loud crack on the cobblestone. It was her head, and she lay insensible.
Want to refresh your memory with Jane’s Austen’s original work? Read Persuasion on Austen variations HERE.
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Thanks for this chapter! I’m torn between sympathy for Louisa – after all, who wants a serious head injury? and exasperation with her, and with Wentworth for indulging her, in behaving so childishly! With all the illustrations you provided, I can’t imagine ever doing anything remotely like jumping down some stairs in the clothes and shoes they were wearing! They were lucky there were not more of them piled on the ground with injured limbs.
Author
Kathy, those are some scary stairs – and when we were there, they WERE slimy and slippery! You had to really stretch to even lift your leg up, I cannot imagine how they did it in that clothing. Thanks for the comment.
Having stood on the top of the Cobb at Granny’s teeth and been helped down I cannot imagine anyone running up the steps and jumping once, let alone twice! A beautifully written chapter-loved the photo of you and Peter.
Author
Thanks, Jane! I know, those stairs are so much worse than you even imagine from reading the description, aren’t they? I really neede Peter to help me down! That picture was long ago and reminds me of such happy times, when we did things like that. I’m glad we did.
You brought out that Louisa’s true character in my mind. She was more headstrong and stubborn than determined. It is unfortunate that Wentworth kept giving in to all her demands before as she will not listen now, to her detriment. I can only imagine how slimy and slippery those steps may have been and having a fear of height, I don’t know that I could climb them if they were dry. And as was stated above, in thin slippers and dresses. Thank you for such an excellent chapter.
Author
You bring up a good point, Deborah, that through this event Wentworth begins to see the difference between true determination, and mere willfulness. He has compared Louisa to a glossy healthy nut – but that nut cracked, it got hit on the noggin! Yes, it all came back to me as I was writing, that amazement I felt when I realized that those stairs were really like giant steps, nobody could just trot up and down them, they were uneven and took some athletic ability to climb – you do need help! Thanks for commenting.
So Wentworth now has the contrast. One who could be persuaded by family demands and one who is so selfish and spoiled that she can never be persuaded to do something she doesn’t want. In Anne’s place Louisa would probably have left with Wentworth 8 years ago and then where would the story be. Louisa instead of putting herself ahead of Henrietta has now shown Anne as the better woman and Wentworth is realizing it.
I really enjoyed the pictures especially of you and your husband. Great chapter.
Foolish, silly headstrong girl! What was she thinking! Obviously, not! Great chapter and wise Anne telling Captain Benwick to assist. Loved all the photos and those steps sure look like a stretch for the legs!
Author
Glad you enjoyed it, Carole. There was no lack of illustrations of Louisa’s mishap to choose from! Having been on those steps all I can say is that it’s a real wonder she wasn’t killed! 🙂
And I am thinking that the human statue has become longer/taller with generations. So how did women in Jane Austen era actually climb those steps and remain anything close to modest? We know that they didn’t get a lot of exercise. Unless they were like Elizabeth Bennet. We did hear of the one walk the ladies took but no one mentioned Louisa walking daily, i.e., Lizzy did. Those steps look positively scary to me! And then you say that they are slimy. I tried walking/springing down some stones near Annapolis MD once and almost slipped into the Chesapeake Bay there. Never again.
And we can see Louisa’s character flaw here. She, unfortunately, pays dearly in trying to impress Capt. Wentworth with her daring.
Author
I have wondered about that too, Sheila. Modesty was such a big thing then, gowns covered all of a woman’s lower body, and you don’t hear (or read) about women in that era doing athletic feats. They were certainly great walkers though, had to be, probably better than us – because they mostly depended on “shank’s mare” to go anywhere. And when walking especially in the country you had to be prepared for ruggedness such as we no longer encounter unless we’re hiking in the Cairngorms or something! Mud, stiles to climb over, bad roads, things like Granny’s Teeth. I guess the girls just got on with it and did these things, modestly keeping their skirts down and not mentioning it in their letters and diaries. Taken for granted. I was also thinking that Regency girls might have been less modest than Victorian ones, but I remember Violet in Charlotte M. Yonge’s “Heartsease” (1854) actually climbed Helvellyn in the Lake District, and she would have worn much more constricting clothing, corsets and hoopskirts! They were a wonder, those ladies.
And there it goes, the pivotal scene in Persuasion. I’m glad you added some additional dialogues to the scene like Anne asking Benwick to assist Wentworth in case the latter failed to catch Louisa.
I wouldn’t dare climb down Granny’s Teeth without help, what more jump down. Sheila mentioned a good point there. Do you think the gap between the stairs got wider and wider as the years go by?
Author
Luthien, my first reaction was to think no, how could the gap change, when it’s all stone, but then I thought, well, maybe they got eroded with age – BUT!!! STOP THE PRESSES!!! I just looked up Granny’s Teeth, and GUESS WHAT!!! They are NOT THE STAIRS LOUISA MUSGROVE JUMPED DOWN! Here is an article in a Dorset magazine that says Jane Austen visited Lyme before those particular stairs were put in. How do you like that! http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2013/03/curiosities-of-lyme-regis/
Most websites say that this IS the spot where Louisa fell, and it certainly is the Cobb – but these particular stairs seem to have been part of the 1820 remodel of the Cobb, after JA’s lifetime. Well, well! I’m glad you asked because it made me look this up!