to marry, I think. Six years after, if he could meet with a young woman in the same rank as his own, with a little money, it might be very desirable.”
“Six years after! Dear Miss Woodhouse, he would be thirty years old!”
“Well, and that is as early as most men can afford to marry. Mr. Martin, I imagine, is not rich at all.”
“To be sure, he is not. But they live very comfortably.”
“I wish you may not get into a scrape[32], Harriet, whenever he does marry; – I mean, as to being acquainted with his wife. The misfortune of your birth ought to make you particularly careful as to your associates. There can be no doubt of your being a gentleman's daughter, and you must support your claim to that station by everything, or there will be plenty of people who would take pleasure in degrading you.”
“Yes, to be sure, I suppose there are. But while I visit at Hartfield, and you are so kind to me, Miss Woodhouse, I am not afraid of what anybody can do.”
“Dear Harriet, I would have you so firmly established in good society. I want to see you permanently well connected.”
Emma saw no alarming symptoms of love. The young man had been the first admirer and no more, and that there would be no serious difficulty, on Harriet's side, to oppose any friendly arrangement of her own.
They met Mr. Martin the very next day, as they were walking on the Donwell road. He was on foot, and after looking very respectfully at her, looked with most unfeigned satisfaction at her companion. Robert Martin's appearance was very neat, and he looked like a sensible young man, but his person had no other advantage.
They remained but a few minutes together; and Harriet then came running to Emma with a smiling face.
“How very odd! It was quite a chance, he said, that he had not gone round by Randalls. He did not think we ever walked this road. He thought we walked towards Randalls most days. He has not been able to get the Romance of the Forest yet. Well, Miss Woodhouse, what do you think of him?”
“He is very plain, undoubtedly-remarkably plain: – but that is nothing compared with his entire want of gentility[33]. I did not expect much; but I had no idea that he could be so very clownish.”
“To be sure,” said Harriet, “he is not so genteel as real gentlemen.”
“I think, Harriet, at Hartfield, you have seen well educated, well bred[34] men. I should be surprised if, after seeing them, you could be in company with Mr. Martin again without understanding how inferior he is to you. I am sure you must have been struck by his awkward look and abrupt manner.”
“Certainly, he is not like Mr. Knightley. I see the difference plain enough.”
“Mr. Knightley's air is so remarkably good that it is not fair to compare Mr. Martin with him. But he is not the only gentleman you have been lately used to. What about Mr. Weston and Mr. Elton? Compare Mr. Martin with either of them. Compare their manner of carrying themselves; of walking; of speaking; of being silent. You must see the difference.”
“Oh yes! – there is a great difference. But Mr. Weston is almost an old man. Mr. Weston must be between forty and fifty.”
“Which makes his good manners even more valuable. The older a person grows, Harriet, the more important it is that their manners should not be bad. What is passable in youth is detestable in later age. Mr. Martin is now awkward and abrupt; what will he be at Mr. Weston's time of life?”
“There is no saying, indeed,” replied Harriet rather solemnly.
“But there may be pretty good guessing. He will be a completely gross, vulgar farmer, totally inattentive to appearances, and thinking of nothing but profit and loss.”
“Will he, indeed? That will be very bad.”
“Now, let us think of Mr. Elton's manners. I think any young man might be very safely recommended to take Mr. Elton as a model. Mr. Elton is good-humoured, cheerful, obliging, and gentle. It strikes me that his manners are softer than they used to be. If he means anything, it must be to please you. Did not I tell you what he said of you the other day?”
She then repeated some warm personal praise which she had drawn from Mr. Elton; and Harriet blushed and smiled, and said she had always thought Mr. Elton very agreeable.
Emma thought that Mr. Elton was the very person for driving the young farmer out of Harriet's head. She thought it would be an excellent match – desirable, natural, and probable. The longer she considered it, the greater was her sense of its expediency. Mr. Elton's situation was most suitable, quite the gentleman himself, and without low connexions. He had a comfortable home and a very sufficient income; for though the vicarage of Highbury was not large, he was known to have some independent property; and she thought very highly of him as a good-humoured, well-meaning, respectable young man.
Chapter V
“I do not know what your opinion may be, Mrs. Weston,” said Mr. Knightley, “of this great intimacy between Emma and Harriet Smith, but I think it a bad thing.”
“A bad thing! Do you really think it a bad thing? – why so?”
“I think they will neither of them do the other any good.”
“You surprize me! Emma must do Harriet good, Harriet may be said to do Emma good. I have been seeing their intimacy with the greatest pleasure. This will certainly be the beginning of one of our quarrels about Emma, Mr. Knightley.”
“Perhaps you think I have come on purpose to quarrel with you.”
“Mr. Weston would undoubtedly support me, if he were here. We were speaking of it only yesterday, and agreeing how fortunate it was for Emma, that there should be such a girl in Highbury for her to associate with. Mr. Knightley, you are so much used to live alone, that you do not know the value of a companion. I can imagine your objection to Harriet Smith. She is not the superior young woman which Emma's friend ought to be. But on the other hand, Emma will undoubtedly read more. They will read together, I know.”
“Emma has been meaning to read more ever since she was twelve years old. So what? You never could persuade her to read half so much as you wished. You know you could not.”
“I dare say,” replied Mrs. Weston, smiling, “since we have parted, I can never remember Emma's refusing to do anything I wished.”
“Emma is spoiled by being the cleverest of her family. At ten years old, she had the misfortune of being able to answer questions which puzzled her sister at seventeen. She was always quick and assured: Isabella slow and uncertain. And ever since she was twelve, Emma has been mistress of the house. She inherits her mother's talents. As for you, you are very fit for a wife, but not at all for a governess. But you were preparing yourself to be an excellent wife all the time you were at Hartfield. You might not give Emma such a complete education as your powers would seem to promise; but you were receiving a very good education from her; and if Weston had asked me to recommend him a wife, I should certainly have named Miss Taylor. But about Harriet Smith. I think her the very worst sort of companion that Emma could possibly have. She knows nothing herself, and looks upon Emma as knowing everything. She is a flatterer. Her ignorance is flattery. And as for Harriet, I will venture to say that she cannot gain by the acquaintance. She will grow just refined enough to be uncomfortable with those among whom birth and circumstances have placed her home.”
“Mr. Knightley, with all dear Emma's little faults, she is an excellent creature. Where shall we see a better daughter, or a kinder sister, or a truer friend? No, no; she has qualities which may be trusted; she will never lead anyone really wrong.”
“Very well; I will not plague you any more. Emma shall be an angel. I will keep my concerns to myself until the Christmas visit to my brother.”
“I know that you all love her really too well to be unjust or unkind; but excuse me, Mr. Knightley, if I take the liberty of hinting, it's better not