Emma (20 page)

Emma was most agreeably surprised. Mr Elton’s absence just at this time was the very thing to be desired. She admired him for contriving it, though not able to give him much credit for the manner in which it was announced. Resentment could not have been more plainly spoken than in a civility to her father, from which she was so pointedly excluded. She had not even a share in his opening compliments. Her name was not mentioned, and there was so striking a change in all this, and such an ill-judged solemnity of leave-taking in his graceful acknowledgments, as she thought, at first, could not escape her father’s suspicion.

It did, however. Her father was quite taken up with the surprise of so sudden a journey, and his fears that Mr Elton might never get safely to the end of it, and saw nothing extraordinary in his language. It was a very useful note, for it supplied them with fresh matter for thought and conversation during the rest of their lonely evening. Mr Woodhouse talked over his alarms, and Emma was in spirits to persuade them away with all her usual promptitude.

She now resolved to keep Harriet no longer in the dark. She had reason to believe her nearly recovered from her cold, and it was desirable that she should have as much time as possible for getting the better of her other complaint before the gentleman’s return. She went to Mrs Goddard’s accordingly the very next day, to undergo the necessary penance of communication, and a severe one it was. She had to destroy all the hopes which she had been so industriously feeding—to appear in the ungracious character of the one preferred—and acknowledge herself grossly mistaken and misjudging in all her ideas on one subject, all her observations, all her convictions, all her prophecies for the last six weeks.

The confession completely renewed her first shame—and the sight of Harriet’s tears made her think that she should never be in charity with herself again.

Harriet bore the intelligence very well—blaming nobody—and in everything testifying such an ingenuousness of disposition and lowly opinion of herself, as must appear with particular advantage at that moment to her friend.

Emma was in the humour to value simplicity and modesty to the utmost, and all that was amiable, all that ought to be attaching, seemed on Harriet’s side, not her own. Harriet did not consider herself as having anything to complain of. The affection of such a man as Mr Elton would have been too great a distinction. She never could have deserved him—and nobody but so partial and kind a friend as Miss Woodhouse would have thought it possible.

Her tears fell abundantly—but her grief was so truly artless, that no dignity could have made it more respectable in Emma’s eyes—and she listened to her and tried to console her with all her heart and understanding—really for the time convinced that Harriet was the superior creature of the two—and that to resemble her would be more for her own welfare and happiness than all that genius or intelligence could do.

It was rather too late in the day to set about being simple-minded and ignorant, but she left her with every previous resolution confirmed of being humble and discreet, and repressing imagination all the rest of her life. Her second duty now, inferior only to her father’s claims and to her recent presumption upon the unwitting Mr Knightley, was to promote Harriet’s comfort, and endeavour to prove her own affection in some better method than by match-making. She got her to Hartfield, and showed her the most unvarying kindness, striving to occupy and amuse her, and by books and conversation, to drive Mr Elton from her thoughts.

Time, she knew, must be allowed for this being thoroughly done, and she could suppose herself but an indifferent judge of such matters in general, and very inadequate to sympathise in an attachment to Mr Elton in particular. But it seemed to her reasonable that at Harriet’s age, and with the entire extinction of all hope, such a progress might be made towards a state of composure by the time of Mr Elton’s return as to allow them all to meet again in the common routine of acquaintance, without any danger of betraying sentiments or increasing them.

Harriet did think him all perfection, and maintained the non-existence of anybody equal to him in person or goodness—and did in truth prove herself more resolutely in love than Emma had foreseen, but yet it appeared to her so natural, so inevitable to strive against an inclination of that sort
unrequited
, that she could not comprehend its continuing very long in equal force.

If Mr Elton, on his return, made his own indifference as evident and indubitable as she could not doubt he would anxiously do, she could not imagine Harriet’s persisting to place her happiness in the sight or the recollection of him.

Their being fixed, so absolutely fixed, in the same place, was bad for each—for all three. Not one of them had the power of removal, or of effecting any material change of society. They must encounter each other, and make the best of it.

Harriet was farther unfortunate in the tone of her companions at Mrs Goddard’s, Mr Elton being the adoration of all the teachers and great girls in the school, and it must be at Hartfield only that she could have any chance of hearing him spoken of with cooling moderation or repellent truth. Where the wound had been given, there must the cure be found if anywhere, and Emma felt that, till she saw her in the way of cure, there could be no true peace for herself, nor any expectation of pursuing her plans for Mr Knightley until reprieve was given.

Chapter Eighteen

Mr Frank Churchill did not come. When the time proposed drew near, Mrs Weston’s fears were justified in the arrival of a letter of excuse. For the present, he could not be spared, to his very great mortification and regret, but still he looked forward with the hope of coming to Randalls at no distant period.

Mrs Weston was exceedingly disappointed—much more disappointed in fact than her husband, though her dependence on seeing the young man had been so much more sober, but a sanguine temper, though forever expecting more good than occurs, does not always pay for its hopes by any proportionate depression. It soon flies over the present failure, and begins to hope again. For half an hour Mr Weston was surprised and sorry, but then he began to perceive that Frank’s coming two or three months later would be a much better plan—better time of year, better weather, and that he would be able, without any doubt, to stay considerably longer with them than if he had come sooner.

These feelings rapidly restored his comfort, while Mrs Weston, of a more apprehensive disposition, foresaw nothing but a repetition of excuses and delays, and after all her concern for what her husband was to suffer, suffered a great deal more herself.

Emma was not at this time in a state of spirits to care really about Mr Frank Churchill’s not coming, except as a disappointment at Randalls. The acquaintance at present had no charm for her. She wanted rather to be quiet, and out of temptation, but still, as it was desirable that she should appear in general like her usual self, she took care to express as much interest in the circumstance, and enter as warmly into Mr and Mrs Weston’s disappointment, as might naturally belong to their friendship.

She was the first to announce it to Mr Knightley when he came to visit the next afternoon, and exclaimed quite as much as was necessary—or, being acting a part, perhaps rather more—at the conduct of the Churchills, in keeping him away. She then proceeded to say a good deal more than she felt, of the advantage of such an addition to their confined society in Surrey, the pleasure of looking at somebody new, the gala-day to Highbury entire which the sight of him would have made, and ending with reflections on the Churchills again, found herself directly involved in a disagreement with Mr Knightley—and, to her great amusement, perceived that she was taking the other side of the question from her real opinion, and making use of Mrs Weston’s arguments against herself.

“The Churchills are very likely in fault,” said Mr Knightley, coolly, plucking a leaf from a tree in the greenhouse where they strolled, “but I dare say he might come if he would.”

“I do not know why you should say so. He wishes exceedingly to come, but his uncle and aunt will not spare him.”

“I cannot believe that he has not the power of coming, if he made a point of it. It is too unlikely for me to believe it without proof.”

“How odd you are! What has Mr Frank Churchill done, to make you suppose him such an unnatural creature?” Emma stopped to smell a rose, touching her fingers under the hip to lift the blossom to her.

“I am not supposing him at all an unnatural creature, in suspecting that he may have learnt to be above his connections, and to care very little for anything but his own pleasure, from living with those who have always set him the example of it. It is a great deal more natural than one could wish, that a young man, brought up by those who are proud, luxurious and selfish, should be proud, luxurious and selfish too. If Frank Churchill had wanted to see his father, he would have contrived it between September and January. A man at his age—what is he? Three or four-and-twenty—cannot be without the means of doing as much as that. It is impossible.”

“That’s easily said, and easily felt by you, who have always been your own master. You are the worst judge in the world, Mr Knightley, of the difficulties of dependence. You do not know what it is to have tempers to manage.” She released the flower and resumed their slowly measured pace.

“It is not to be conceived that a man of three or four-and-twenty should not have liberty of mind or limb to that amount. He cannot want money—he cannot want leisure. We know, on the contrary, that he has so much of both, that he is glad to get rid of them at the idlest haunts in the kingdom. We hear of him forever at some watering-place or other. A little while ago, he was at Weymouth. This proves that he can leave the Churchills.”

“Yes, sometimes he can.”

“And those times are whenever he thinks it worth his while, whenever there is any temptation of pleasure.”

“It is very unfair to judge of anybody’s conduct, without an intimate knowledge of their situation. Nobody who has not been in the interior of a family can say what the difficulties of any individual of that family may be. We ought to be acquainted with Enscombe, and with Mrs Churchill’s temper, before we pretend to decide upon what her nephew can do. He may, at times, be able to do a great deal more than he can at others.”

“There is one thing, Emma, which a man can always do, if he chooses, and that is his duty—not by manoeuvring and finessing, but by vigour and resolution.”

And here, Emma shivered with other pursuits in which Mr Knightley might be persuaded to use vigour and resolution, when faced with a request yet made of him by Emma herself. She made a point of reading a label upon a large white flower. Emma regained control of her senses. It would not do to give her plans away so soon.

Yet Mr Knightley continued, oblivious to her side-musings on the subject. “It is Frank Churchill’s duty to pay this attention to his father. He knows it to be so, by his promises and messages, but if he wished to do it, it might be done. A man who felt rightly would say at once, simply and resolutely, to Mrs Churchill, ‘Every sacrifice of mere pleasure you will always find me ready to make to your convenience, but I must go and see my father immediately. I know he would be hurt by my failing in such a mark of respect to him on the present occasion. I shall, therefore, set off tomorrow.’ If he would say so to her at once, in the tone of decision becoming a man, there would be no opposition made to his going.”

“No,” said Emma, laughing, “but perhaps there might be some made to his coming back again. Such language for a young man entirely dependent, to use! Nobody but you, Mr Knightley, would imagine it possible. But you have not an idea of what is requisite in situations directly opposite to your own. Mr Frank Churchill to be making such a speech as that to the uncle and aunt, who have brought him up, and are to provide for him! Standing up in the middle of the room, I suppose, and speaking as loud as he could! How can you imagine such conduct practicable?”

“Depend upon it, Emma, a sensible man would find no difficulty in it. He would feel himself in the right, and the declaration—made, of course, as a man of sense would make it, in a proper manner—would do him more good, raise him higher, fix his interest stronger with the people he depended on, than all that a line of shifts and expedients can ever do. Respect would be added to affection. They would feel that they could trust him, that the nephew who had done rightly by his father would do rightly by them—for they know, as well as he does, as well as all the world must know, that he ought to pay this visit to his father, and while meanly exerting their power to delay it, are in their hearts not thinking the better of him for submitting to their whims. Respect for right conduct is felt by everybody. If he would act in this sort of manner, on principle, consistently, regularly, their little minds would bend to his.”

“I rather doubt that. You are very fond of bending little minds, but where little minds belong to rich people in authority, I think they have a knack of swelling out, till they are quite as unmanageable as great ones. I can imagine, that if you, as you are, Mr Knightley, were to be transported and placed all at once in Mr Frank Churchill’s situation, you would be able to say and do just what you have been recommending for him, and it might have a very good effect. The Churchills might not have a word to say in return, but then you would have no habits of early obedience and long observance to break through. To him who has, it might not be so easy to burst forth at once into perfect independence, and set all their claims on his gratitude and regard at nought. He may have as strong a sense of what would be right as you can have, without being so equal, under particular circumstances, to act up to it.”

“As you do, Emma? Your sense of right was so recently called into question when you proposed an affair in place of matrimony. And how goes that endeavour, or do I dare ask?”