I gulped it down and was back upstairs to dress for the assembly before my mother could notice that I was absent. 
The cabbage, however, would prove to be my downfall.
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But the smell of Mrs. Berry’s bubble and squeak, simmering on the stove for the servants’ dinner, proved too tempting for my nostrils. I helped myself to a bowlful. It was full of cabbage and potatoes and all sorts of delicious things.
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Therefore, I snuck down to the kitchen to see what I might scrounge up. I hoped for some leftover biscuits or scones, perhaps with some preserves to go on top.
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However, my appetite would not rest, my belly growling like a beast within me. Our midday repast felt like it took place a century ago, and I could not fathom waiting until the assembly, knowing there would be naught but canapés and tea.
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Mama always wishes our figures to appear to their best advantage, and tonight, even more so, for we are expected to meet our new neighbor, the eligible, rich, and reportedly handsome Mr. Bingley.
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As a rule, we are not permitted to eat before an assembly, so that we can be laced as snugly as possible into our stays.
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Yet there are times, I confess, when my spirits lead me to think and act in ways completely contrary to how a young lady ought to comport herself, despite my better knowledge. At times, I simply cannot help myself.
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I know that I behave better than my three youngest sisters, whose unchecked free-spiritedness, flirtatiousness, or—in Mary’s case—desire to exhibit herself for want of attention— is frequently a source of shame.
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At twenty years of age, I ought to know how to behave like a lady. Certainly, I am not devoid of all manners, as some are. I have been brought up to know my place, to speak well, and to conduct myself with decorum.
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