Emma, by Jane Austen Chapter X

 Emma, by Jane Austen

Chapter X

Though now the center of December, there had yet been no weather to stop the young ladies from tolerably regular exercise; and on the morrow, Emma had a charitable visit to pay to a poor sick family, who lived a touch answer of Highbury.

Their road to the present detached cottage was down Vicarage Lane, a lane leading at right angles from the broad, though irregular, main street of the place; and, as could also be inferred, containing the blessed abode of Mr. Elton. a couple of inferior dwellings were first to be passed, and then, a few quarter of a mile down the lane rose the Vicarage, an old and not excellent house, almost as on the brink of the road because it might be . It had no advantage of situation; but had been considerably smartened up by this proprietor; and, like it had been , there might be no possibility of the 2 friends passing it without a slackened pace and observing eyes. — Emma’s remark was —

“There it's . There go you and your riddle-book one among lately .”— Harriet’s was —

“Oh, what a sweet house! — How very beautiful! — There are the yellow curtains that Miss Nash admires such a lot .”

“I don't often walk this manner now,” said Emma, as they proceeded, “but then there'll be an inducement, and that i shall gradually get intimately familiar with all the hedges, gates, pools and pollards of this a part of Highbury.”

Harriet, she found, had never in her life been within side the Vicarage, and her curiosity to ascertain it had been so extreme, that, considering exteriors and probabilities, Emma could only class it, as a symbol of affection , with Mr. Elton’s seeing ready wit in her.

“I wish we could contrive it,” said she; “but I cannot consider any tolerable pretence for getting into — no servant that i would like to inquire about of his housekeeper — no message from my father.”

She pondered, but could consider nothing. After a mutual silence of some minutes, Harriet thus began again —

“I do so wonder, Miss Woodhouse, that you simply shouldn't be married, or getting to be married! so charming as you are!”—

Emma laughed, and replied,

“My being charming, Harriet, isn't quite enough to induce me to marry; i need to find people charming — one other person a minimum of . and that i am not only, not getting to be married, at the present , but have little or no intention of ever marrying in the least .”

“Ah! — so you say; but I cannot believe it.”

“I must see somebody very superior to anybody I even have seen yet, to be tempted; Mr. Elton, you know, (recollecting herself,) is out of the question: and that i don't wish to ascertain any such person. i might rather not be tempted. I cannot really change for the higher . If I were to marry, i need to expect to repent it.”

“Dear me! — it's so odd to listen to a lady talk so!”—

“I have none of the standard inducements of girls to marry. Were I to fall crazy , indeed, it might be a special thing! but I never are in love; it's not my way, or my nature; and that i don't think I ever shall. And, without love, i'm sure I should be a fool to vary such a situation as mine. Fortune I don't want; employment I don't want; consequence I don't want: i think few married women are half the maximum amount mistress of their husband’s house as i'm of Hartfield; and never, never could I expect to be so truly beloved and important; so always first and always right in any man’s eyes as i'm in my father’s.”

“But then, to be an old maid eventually , like Miss Bates!”

“That is as formidable a picture as you'll present, Harriet; and if i assumed I should ever be like Miss Bates! so silly — so satisfied — so smiling — so prosing — so undistinguishing and unfastidious — then apt to inform every thing relative to each body about me, i might marry to-morrow. But between us, i'm convinced there never are often any likeness, except in being unmarried.”

“But still, you'll be an old maid! and that’s so dreadful!”

“Never mind, Harriet, I shall not be a poor old maid; and it's poverty only which makes celibacy contemptible to a generous public! one woman, with a really narrow income, must be a ridiculous, disagreeable old maid! the right sport of boys and girls, but one woman, of excellent fortune, is usually respectable, and should be as sensible and pleasant as any body else. and therefore the distinction isn't quite such a lot against the candour and customary sense of the planet as appears at first; for a really narrow income features a tendency to contract the mind, and sour the temper. those that can barely live, and who live perforce during a very small, and usually very inferior, society, could be illiberal and cross. This doesn't apply, however, to Miss Bates; she is merely too good natured and too silly to suit me; but, generally , she is extremely much to the taste of each body, though single and though poor. Poverty certainly has not contracted her mind: i actually believe, if she had only a shilling within the world, she would be very likely to offer away sixpence of it; and no-one is scared of her: that's an excellent charm.”

“Dear me! but what shall you do? how shall you use yourself once you grow old?”

“If i do know myself, Harriet, mine is a lively , busy mind, with an excellent many independent resources; and that i don't perceive why I should be more in want of employment at forty or fifty than one-and-twenty. Woman’s usual occupations of hand and mind are going to be as hospitable me then as they're now; or with no important variation. If I draw less, I shall read more; if I hand over music, I shall fancy carpet-work. And as for objects of interest, objects for the affections, which is in fact the good point of inferiority, the want of which is basically the good evil to be avoided in not marrying, I shall be alright off, with all the youngsters of a sister i really like such a lot , to worry about. there'll be enough of them, altogether probability, to provide every kind of sensation that declining life can need. there'll be enough for each hope and each fear; and though my attachment to none can equal that of a parent, it suits my ideas of comfort better than what's warmer and blinder. My nephews and nieces! — I shall often have a niece with me.”

“Do you recognize Miss Bates’s niece? that's , i do know you want to have seen her 100 times — but are you acquainted?”

“Oh! yes; we are always forced to be acquainted whenever she involves Highbury. By the bye, that's almost enough to place one out of conceit with a niece. Heaven forbid! a minimum of , that I should ever bore people half such a lot about all the Knightleys together, as she does about Jane Fairfax. One is disgusted the very name of Jane Fairfax. Every letter from her is read forty times over; her compliments to all or any friends go round and round again; and if she does but send her aunt the pattern of a stomacher, or knit a pair of garters for her grandmother, one hears of nothing else for a month. I wish Jane Fairfax very well; but she tires me to death.”

They were now approaching the cottage, and every one idle topics were superseded. Emma was very compassionate; and therefore the distresses of the poor were as sure of relief from her personal attention and kindness, her counsel and her patience, as from her purse. She understood their ways, could leave their ignorance and their temptations, had no romantic expectations of extraordinary virtue from those for whom education had done so little; entered into their troubles with ready sympathy, and always gave her assistance with the maximum amount intelligence as good-will. within the present instance, it had been sickness and poverty together which she came to visit; and after remaining there as long as she could give comfort or advice, she quitted the cottage with such an impact of the scene as made her tell Harriet, as they walked away,

“These are the sights, Harriet, to try to to one good. How trifling they create every thing else appear! — I feel now as if I could consider nothing but these poor creatures all the remainder of the day; and yet, who can say how soon it's going to all vanish from my mind?”

“Very true,” said Harriet. “Poor creatures! one can consider nothing else.”

“And really, I don't think the impression will soon be over,” said Emma, as she crossed the low hedge, and tottering footstep which ended the narrow, slippery path through the cottage garden, and brought them into the lane again. “I don't think it'll ,” stopping to seem another time in the least the outward wretchedness of the place, and recall the still greater within.

“Oh! dear, no,” said her companion.

They walked on. The lane made a small bend; and when that bend was passed, Mr. Elton was immediately in sight; then near on give Emma time only to mention farther,

“Ah! Harriet, here comes a really sudden trial of our stability in good thoughts. Well, (smiling,) I hope it's going to be allowed that if compassion has produced exertion and relief to the sufferers, it's done all that's truly important. If we pity the wretched, enough to try to to all we will for them, the remainder is empty sympathy, only distressing to ourselves.”

Harriet could just answer, “Oh! dear, yes,” before the gentleman joined them. the requirements and sufferings of the poor family, however, were the primary subject on meeting. He had been getting to turn them. His visit he would now defer; but that they had a really interesting parley about what might be done and will be done. Mr. Elton then turned back to accompany them.

“To fall in with one another on such an errand as this,” thought Emma; “to meet during a charitable scheme; this may bring an excellent increase of affection on all sides . I shouldn't wonder if it were to cause the declaration. It must, if I weren't here. I wish I were anywhere else.”

Anxious to separate herself from them as far as she could, she soon afterwards took possession of a narrow footpath, a touch raised on one side of the lane, leaving them together within the highway . But she had not been there two minutes when she found that Harriet’s habits of dependence and imitation were bringing her up too, and that, in short, they might both be soon after her. this is able to not do; she immediately stopped, under pretence of getting some alteration to form within the lacing of her half-boot, and stooping down in complete occupation of the footpath, begged them to possess the goodness to steer on, and she or he would follow in half a moment . They did as they were desired; and by the time she judged it reasonable to possess through with her boot, she had the comfort of farther delay in her power, being overtaken by a toddler from the cottage, beginning , consistent with orders, together with her pitcher, to fetch broth from Hartfield. to steer by the side of this child, and ask and question her, was the foremost natural thing within the world, or would are the foremost natural, had she been acting just then without design; and by this suggests the others were still ready to keep ahead, with none obligation of expecting her. She gained on them, however, involuntarily: the child’s pace was quick, and theirs rather slow; and she or he was the more concerned at it, from their being evidently during a conversation which interested them. Mr. Elton was speaking with animation, Harriet listening with a really pleased attention; and Emma, having sent the kid on, was starting to think how she might flinch a touch more, once they both looked around, and she or he was obliged to hitch them.

Mr. Elton was still talking, still engaged in some interesting detail; and Emma experienced some disappointment when she found that he was only giving his fair companion an account of the yesterday’s party at his friend Cole’s, which she was are available herself for the Stilton cheese, the north Wiltshire, the butter, the cellery, the beet-root, and every one the dessert.

“This would soon have led to something better, of course,” was her consoling reflection; “any thing interests between those that love; and any thing will function introduction to what's near the guts . If I could but have kept longer away!”

They now walked on together quietly, till within view of the vicarage pales, when a sudden resolution, of a minimum of getting Harriet into the house, made her again find something considerably amiss about her boot, and fall behind to rearrange it another time . She then broke the lace off short, and dexterously throwing it into a ditch, was presently obliged to entreat them to prevent , and acknowledged her inability to place herself to rights so on be ready to walk range in tolerable comfort.

“Part of my lace is gone,” said she, “and I don't skills i'm to contrive. i actually am a most troublesome companion to you both, but I hope i'm rarely so ill-equipped. Mr. Elton, i need to beg leave to prevent at your house, and ask your housekeeper for a touch of ribband or string, or any thing just to stay my boot on.”

Mr. Elton looked all happiness at this proposition; and zip could exceed his alertness and a spotlight in conducting them into his house and endeavouring to form every thing appear to advantage. the space they were taken into was the one he chiefly occupied, and searching forwards; behind it had been another with which it immediately communicated; the door between them was open, and Emma passed into it with the housekeeper to receive her assistance within the most comfortable manner. She was obliged to go away the door ajar as she found it; but she fully intended that Mr. Elton should close it. it had been not closed, however, it still remained ajar; but by engaging the housekeeper in incessant conversation, she hoped to form it practicable for him to chuse his own subject within the hotel room . For ten minutes she could hear nothing but herself. It might be protracted not . She was then obliged to be finished, and make her appearance.

The lovers were standing together at one among the windows. It had a most favourable aspect; and, for half a moment , Emma felt the glory of getting schemed successfully. But it might not do; he had not come to the purpose . He had been most agreeable, most delightful; he had told Harriet that he had seen them pass , and had purposely followed them; other little gallantries and allusions had been dropt, but nothing serious.

“Cautious, very cautious,” thought Emma; “he advances inch by inch, and can hazard nothing till he believes himself secure.”

Still, however, though every thing had not been accomplished by her ingenious device, she couldn't but flatter herself that it had been the occasion of much present enjoyment to both, and must be leading them forward to the good event