] When reading the first chapter, I was struck by the paragraph which details what the old gentleman left for Mr. Dashwood and his family. It seems unfair that he left Norland to John and Harry through the elder Mr. Dashwood, and so little for the girls. Did he know that the girls virtually had nothing, while John and Fanny and Harry had money of their own? Was he more generous with them because they were male, and the Dashwood girl were female. And if he did know that they had virtually nothing, why didn't he leave them more than 1000 each? Was he expecting the elder Mr. Dashwood to outlive him by more than a year?

I dithered about for a minute or so last night in an attempt to form a post on this very subject but decided I was tired and would do it the very first thing this morning and here it is so oblidgingly done by you. :-). I felt as disgusted by the elderly Mr. Dashwood's actions as by John's because he, in fact, initiated this business of giving the John Dashwoods the power of exerting their meaness over the lady Dashwoods. ( A SUTH might not go amiss here.) Okay, so he was elderly but he seems to have been clear thinking until the end. The Dashwoods, "not merely from interest, but from goodness of heart gave him every degree of solid comfort," companionship, attention and affection. John contributed merely the visits of a cute and noisy child. What could the gentleman have been thinking? He had plenty of time (what, ten years?) to observe that John is a cold-hearted selfish young man greatly influenced by an even more cold-hearted and selfish wife. And, oh my goodness, he bypasses ensuring the welfare of his daughter-in-law and nieces who have basically nothing and who all these years been so good, cheerful and affectionate to him. This, to instead, leave pretty much everything to the John Dashwoods who already have so much with more to come. At the very most the gentleman could have contributed more than a thousand pounds a piece. Under the circumstances he should not have left anything to chance.