Emma, by Jane Austen Chapter VII

 Emma, by Jane Austen

Chapter VII

The very day of Mr. Elton’s going to London produced a clean occasion for Emma’s offerings towards her friend. Harriet had been at Hartfield, as usual, quickly after breakfast; and, after a time, had gone domestic to return again to dinner: she returned, and faster than had been talked of, and with an agitated, hurried look, announcing some thing extraordinary to have took place which she was longing to tell. Half a minute delivered it all out. She had heard, as soon as she received back to Mrs. Goddard’s, that Mr. Martin had been there an hour before, and discovering she was now not at home, nor particularly expected, had left a little parcel for her from one of his sisters, and long gone away; and on opening this parcel, she had actually found, without the two songs which she had lent Elizabeth to copy, a letter to herself; and this letter was from him, from Mr. Martin, and contained a direct thought of marriage. “Who could have notion it? She was so surprized she did now not know what to do. Yes, pretty a proposal of marriage; and a very desirable letter, at least she thought so. And he wrote as if he absolutely loved her very tons — but she did now not know — and so, she used to be come as fast as she may want to to ask Miss Woodhouse what she should do. —” Emma was once half-ashamed of her friend for seeming so thrilled and so doubtful.

“Upon my word,” she cried, “the young man is decided not to lose any component for want of asking. He will join himself well if he can.”

“Will you study the letter?” cried Harriet. “Pray do. I’d rather you would.”

Emma was once not sorry to be pressed. She read, and was once surprized. The style of the letter used to be much above her expectation. There had been not basically no grammatical errors, but as a composition it would now not have disgraced a gentleman; the language, though plain, used to be strong and unaffected, and the sentiments it conveyed very an awful lot to the credit of the writer. It was once short, but expressed desirable sense, warm attachment, liberality, propriety, even delicacy of feeling. She paused over it, whilst Harriet stood anxiously watching for her opinion, with a “Well, well,” and used to be at last compelled to add, “Is it a good letter? or is it too short?”

“Yes, indeed, a very desirable letter,” replied Emma alternatively slowly —”so good a letter, Harriet, that each and every thing considered, I suppose one of his sisters must have helped him. I can rarely imagine the younger man whom I saw speaking with you the other day should express himself so well, if left pretty to his own powers, and but it is not the fashion of a woman; no, certainly, it is too strong and concise; no longer diffuse enough for a woman. No doubt he is a smart man, and I suppose might also have a natural brain for — thinks strongly and clearly — and when he takes a pen in hand, his ideas naturally find applicable words. It is so with some men. Yes, I understand the kind of mind. Vigorous, decided, with sentiments to a certain point, no longer coarse. A better written letter, Harriet (returning it,) than I had expected.”

“Well,” stated the still ready Harriet — ” well — and — and what shall I do?”

“What shall you do! In what respect? Do you suggest with regard to this letter?”

“Yes.”

“But what are you in doubt of? You must reply it of course — and speedily.”

“Yes. But what shall I say? Dear Miss Woodhouse, do endorse me.”

“Oh no, no! the letter had much higher be all your own. You will express your self very properly, I am sure. There is no danger of your no longer being intelligible, which is the first thing. Your meaning need to be unequivocal; no doubts or demurs: and such expressions of gratitude and concern for the ache you are inflicting as propriety requires, will present themselves unbidden to your mind, I am persuaded. You want not be brought about to write with the appearance of sorrow for his disappointment.”

“You assume I ought to refuse him then,” said Harriet, searching down.

“Ought to refuse him! My dear Harriet, what do you mean? Are you in any doubt as to that? I notion — but I beg your pardon, possibly I have been under a mistake. I honestly have been misunderstanding you, if you feel in doubt as to the purport of your answer. I had imagined you had been consulting me only as to the wording of it.”

Harriet used to be silent. With a little reserve of manner, Emma continued:

“You mean to return a beneficial answer, I collect.”

“No, I do not; that is, I do not suggest — What shall I do? What would you advise me to do? Pray, pricey Miss Woodhouse, tell me what I ought to do.”

“I shall no longer give you any advice, Harriet. I will have nothing to do with it. This is a factor which you must settle with your feelings.”

“I had no thought that he liked me so very much,” stated Harriet, contemplating the letter. For a little whilst Emma persevered in her silence; but starting to apprehend the bewitching flattery of that letter might be too powerful, she idea it best to say,

“I lay it down as a popular rule, Harriet, that if a woman doubts as to whether or not she should take delivery of a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. If she can hesitate as to ‘Yes,’ she ought to say ‘No’ directly. It is now not a state to be safely entered into with dubious feelings, with half a heart. I idea it my duty as a friend, and older than yourself, to say consequently much to you. But do now not imagine that I favor to influence you.”

“Oh! no, I am positive you are a great deal too sort to — but if you would simply advise me what I had fine do — No, no, I do not imply that — As you say, one’s mind ought to be pretty made up — One should now not be hesitating — It is a very serious thing. — It will be safer to say ‘No,’ perhaps. — Do you think I had higher say ‘No?’”

“Not for the world,” stated Emma, smiling graciously, “would I advocate you both way. You should be the quality choose of your personal happiness. If you choose Mr. Martin to each different person; if you suppose him the most agreeable man you have ever been in corporation with, why have to you hesitate? You blush, Harriet. — Does any physique else show up to you at this second beneath such a definition? Harriet, Harriet, do now not deceive yourself; do no longer be run away with by using gratitude and compassion. At this second whom are you questioning of?”

The signs and symptoms have been favourable. — Instead of answering, Harriet became away confused, and stood thoughtfully by means of the fire; and although the letter used to be nonetheless in her hand, it was once now robotically twisted about barring regard. Emma waited the end result with impatience, however no longer besides robust hopes. At last, with some hesitation, Harriet said —

“Miss Woodhouse, as you will now not supply me your opinion, I ought to do as properly as I can through myself; and I have now pretty determined, and certainly nearly made up my idea — to refuse Mr. Martin. Do you suppose I am right?”

“Perfectly, flawlessly right, my dearest Harriet; you are doing simply what you ought. While you have been at all in suspense I saved my emotions to myself, however now that you are so absolutely determined I have no hesitation in approving. Dear Harriet, I provide myself pleasure of this. It would have grieved me to lose your acquaintance, which should have been the end result of your marrying Mr. Martin. While you had been in the smallest diploma wavering, I stated nothing about it, due to the fact I would no longer influence; however it would have been the loss of a buddy to me. I ought to no longer have visited Mrs. Robert Martin, of Abbey-Mill Farm. Now I am tightly closed of you for ever.”

Harriet had now not surmised her very own danger, however the thinking of it struck her forcibly.

“You should now not have visited me!” she cried, searching aghast. “No, to be certain you may want to not; however I by no means thinking of that before. That would have been too dreadful! — What an escape! — Dear Miss Woodhouse, I would now not provide up the pleasure and honour of being intimate with you for any element in the world.”

“Indeed, Harriet, it would have been a extreme pang to lose you; however it need to have been. You would have thrown your self out of all precise society. I should have given you up.”

“Dear me! — How have to I ever have borne it! It would have killed me by no means to come to Hartfield any more!”

“Dear affectionate creature! — You banished to Abbey-Mill Farm! — You constrained to the society of the illiterate and vulgar all your life! I surprise how the younger man may want to have the assurance to ask it. He need to have a enormously exact opinion of himself.”

“I do no longer assume he is conceited either, in general,” stated Harriet, her moral sense opposing such censure; “at least, he is very precise natured, and I shall constantly experience plenty obliged to him, and have a top notch regard for — however that is pretty a exclusive issue from — and you know, even though he might also like me, it does no longer comply with that I have to — and simply I should confess that considering the fact that my travelling right here I have viewed humans — and if one comes to evaluate them, character and manners, there is no evaluation at all, one is so very good-looking and agreeable. However, I do certainly assume Mr. Martin a very amiable younger man, and have a high-quality opinion of him; and his being so an awful lot connected to me — and his writing such a letter — however as to leaving you, it is what I would now not do upon any consideration.”

“Thank you, thank you, my personal candy little friend. We will now not be parted. A female is no longer to marry a man only due to the fact she is asked, or due to the fact he is connected to her, and can write a tolerable letter.”

“Oh no — and it is however a quick letter too.”

Emma felt the terrible style of her friend, however let it pass by with a “very true; and it would be a small comfort to her, for the clownish manner which may be offending her each and every hour of the day, to recognize that her husband ought to write a suitable letter.”

“Oh! yes, very. Nobody cares for a letter; the component is, to be usually completely satisfied with fine companions. I am pretty decided to refuse him. But how shall I do? What shall I say?”

Emma certain her there would be no problem in the answer, and recommended its being written directly, which used to be agreed to, in the hope of her assistance; and even though Emma endured to protest in opposition to any help being wanted, it used to be in truth given in the formation of each sentence. The searching over his letter again, in replying to it, had such a softening tendency, that it was once especially critical to brace her up with a few decisive expressions; and she used to be so very a good deal worried at the thinking of making him unhappy, and idea so plenty of what his mom and sisters would assume and say, and used to be so anxious that they have to no longer fancy her ungrateful, that Emma believed if the younger man had come in her way at that moment, he would have been universal after all.

This letter, however, was once written, and sealed, and sent. The commercial enterprise used to be finished, and Harriet safe. She used to be as a substitute low all the evening, however Emma may want to permit for her amiable regrets, and on occasion relieved them by means of speakme of her personal affection, once in a while by using bringing ahead the thought of Mr. Elton.

“I shall in no way be invited to Abbey-Mill again,” used to be stated in as a substitute a sorrowful tone.

“Nor, if you were, may want to I ever endure to phase with you, my Harriet. You are a exceptional deal too critical at Hartfield to be spared to Abbey-Mill.”

“And I am certain I ought to by no means desire to go there; for I am in no way completely happy however at Hartfield.”

Some time afterwards it was, “I assume Mrs. Goddard would be very lots surprized if she knew what had happened. I am positive Miss Nash would — for Miss Nash thinks her personal sister very nicely married, and it is solely a linen-draper.” 

“One need to be sorry to see increased satisfaction or refinement in the trainer of a school, Harriet. I dare say Miss Nash would envy you such an possibility as this of being married. Even this conquest would show up treasured in her eyes. As to any issue most reliable for you, I feel she is pretty in the dark. The attentions of a positive character can hardly ever be amongst the tittle-tattle of Highbury yet. Hitherto I fancy you and I are the solely human beings to whom his appears and manners have defined themselves.”

Harriet blushed and smiled, and stated some thing about thinking that humans need to like her so much. The thinking of Mr. Elton used to be sincerely cheering; however still, after a time, she was once tender-hearted once more in the direction of the rejected Mr. Martin.

“Now he has acquired my letter,” stated she softly. “I surprise what they are all doing — whether or not his sisters recognize — if he is unhappy, they will be sad too. I hope he will no longer thought it so very much.”

“Let us assume of these amongst our absent pals who are extra cheerfully employed,” cried Emma. “At this moment, perhaps, Mr. Elton is shewing your image to his mom and sisters, telling how a good deal greater lovely is the original, and after being requested for it 5 or six times, permitting them to hear your name, your personal expensive name.”

“My picture! — But he has left my photograph in Bond-street.”

“Has he so! — Then I be aware of nothing of Mr. Elton. No, my pricey little modest Harriet, rely upon it the photo will now not be in Bond-street until simply earlier than he mounts his horse to-morrow. It is his associate all this evening, his solace, his delight. It opens his designs to his family, it introduces you among them, it diffuses thru the celebration these pleasantest emotions of our nature, keen curiosity and heat prepossession. How cheerful, how animated, how suspicious, how busy their imaginations all are!”

Harriet smiled again, and her smiles grew stronger.