There are several things that come to mind, but most of them have been commented on already. I do have one question, though. JA writes: Perhaps you can give me some directions about mourning.

I don't understand what this means. It was my understanding that mourning in JA's era was a pretty rigid affair. I mean that there were rules and one followed them, period; i.e., ladies wore black, it lasted for a certain length of time, depending on your relation to the deceased, etc. What other kind of directions would JA be asking Cassandra for?