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offer a good way to get rid of leftovers).
    •  Improve your interiors . It is likely that your house is filled with heavy, gloomy furniture, dark paneling, and other old-fashioned, vulgar stuff inherited from previous generations. Refurnish your rooms with light, elegant furniture and colors. You live in a time of elegant style; take advantage of it!
    •  Look after the family sewing . Your dressmaker and your husband’s tailor will make most of the new clothing for the family, but repairs and some basic sewing are the responsibility of the lady of the house and any daughters old enough to assist. Do not forget the poor; ensure that new babies have clothes and that the poor are decently clad. Gifts of old gowns and new underwear are always appreciated.
    •  Teach your children . If they are too young for a governess, you can teach them their letters and numbers yourself. As your daughters get older, it is your responsibility to oversee their education: hire masters, ensure that they are acquiring the accomplishments that their husbands will expect, and train them to run their own houses. You do not want a bunch of spinsters left on your hands, do you?
THE MASTER’S RESPONSIBILITIES
    If the mistress of a great house is its CEO, then the master is the CFO and physical plant manager. Anestate owner might gain his riches from the sweat of his tenants, but in turn he makes sure they are clothed, fed, and housed. Jane Austen’s heroes take this charge seriously: If the crops fail, everyone suffers.
    •  Oversee agricultural activity . The landowner usually has a bailiff to whom many of the daily tasks are designated, but a wise landowner will keep his hand in, riding out to inspect the crops or herds and conferring with his tenants firsthand.
    •  Improve the estate . This can involve anything from landscaping to constructing greenhouses or even overseeing the design and construction of a whole new house.
    •  Participate in local government . In many cases, the master of an estate is also the local magistrate, responsible for tending to criminal matters and sorting out disagreements among the locals. He might be a churchwarden as well, requiring him to maintain the parish church and ensure that the rector receives the tithes to which he is entitled.
    •  Maintain an open-door policy . The tenants, especially the younger men, often approach the estate owner with questions and problems about their crops, livestock, and love life. Listen to them and give advice and guidance.
    •  Provide social security . Ensure that everyone dependent on your estate has adequate shelter and enough to eat; however, don’t let the lazy bums take advantage of your good nature. Be compassionate, but prod tenants to action when necessary.
    SERVANTS, BY DUTY & RANK
    There were no labor-saving appliances in Jane Austen’s time, but human labor could be purchased cheaply. In
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, even the Bateses, who were grateful for gifts of produce from more well-to-do neighbors, had a maidservant, Patty. Large estates had a bewildering retinue of servants to tend to one’s every need.
    Bailiff: Acted as middle manager between the master and the laborers regarding the estate’s agricultural concerns.
    Steward: Dealt with household administrative issues, hired and fired domestic staff, paid bills, and assisted with the master’s correspondence. Stewards were sometimes also responsible for the bailiff’s duties. In smaller establishments without a steward, the butler performed some of these duties.
    Butler: Answered the door and admitted callers, supervised the footmen, lit and extinguished candles, tended to the fires, oversaw the polishing of the silver service, and cared for the wine cellar.
    Housekeeper: Supervised the maids, oversaw house-cleaning and laundry, and liaised between the mistress and the cook.
    Cook: Supervised the kitchen, including dishwashing and meal preparation.
    Valet: Cared for his master’s clothing and personal needs.