Dear Henry, Dear Henry

Yes, it is no secret that my favorite Austen hero is Henry Tilney. Who might this Henry be? It is he of the Northanger Abbey fame that I speak of. As only Austen can describe:

He seemed to be about four or five and twenty, was rather tall, had a pleasing countenance, a very intelligent and lively eye, and, if not quite handsome, was very near it. His address was good, and Catherine felt herself in high luck....[S]he found him as agreeable as she had already given him credit for being. He talked with fluency and spirit—and there was an archness and pleasantry in his manner which interested, though it was hardly understood by her.

But one entry would not be sufficient to extol the merits of this fine if fictional young man. So I shall just regale you with his glories one glory at a time. Today's wonder-of-ment is Henry's choice of profession. As a younger son, he needed to pick some way to make a living, for he would not inherit any of the family fortune. Austen usually talks of two professions--military and clergy. I have respect for both, of course. But a man who chooses to serve God and God's people in their spiritual and immediate temporal welfares unknowingly endears himself to me. Yes, indeed, I could just simply say as Austen did of Catherine:

She liked him the better for being a clergyman, "for she must confess herself very partial to the profession"; and something like a sigh escaped her as she said it.

*sigh*