saw Mrs Weston better in my life – never looking so well. Papa is only speaking his own regret.’
‘Very much to the honour of both,’ was the handsome reply.
‘And do you see her, sir, tolerably often?’ asked Isabella in the plaintive tone which just suited her father.
Mr Woodhouse hesitated. – ‘Not near so often, my dear, as I could wish.’
‘Oh! papa, we have missed seeing them but one entire day since they married. Either in the morning or evening of every day, excepting one, have we seen either Mr Weston or Mrs Weston, and generally both, either at Randalls or here – and as you may suppose, Isabella, most frequently here. They are very, very kind in their visits. Mr Weston is really as kind as herself. Papa, if you speak in that melancholy way, you will be giving Isabella a false idea of us all. Every body must be aware that Miss Taylor must be missed, but every body ought also to be assured that Mr and Mrs Weston do really prevent our missing her by any means to the extent we ourselves anticipated – which is the exact truth.’
‘Just as it should be,’ said Mr John Knightley, ‘and just as I hoped it was from your letters. Her wish of shewing you attention could not be doubted, and his being a disengaged and social man makes it all easy. I have been always telling you, my love, that I had no idea of the change being so very material to Hartfield as you apprehended; and now you have Emma’s account, I hope you will be satisfied.’
‘Why, to be sure,’ said Mr Woodhouse – ‘yes, certainly – I cannot deny that Mrs Weston, poor Mrs Weston, does come and see us pretty often – but then – she is always obliged to go away again.’
‘It would be very hard upon Mr Weston if she did not, papa. – You quite forget poor Mr Weston.’
‘I think, indeed,’ said John Knightley pleasantly, ‘that Mr Weston has some little claim. You and I, Emma, will venture to take the part of the poor husband. I, being a husband, and you not being a wife, the claims of the man may very likely strike us with equal force. As for Isabella, she has been married long enough to see the convenience of putting all the Mr Westons aside as much as she can.’
‘Me, my love,’ cried his wife, hearing and understanding only in part. – ‘Are you talking about me? – I am sure nobody ought to be, or can be, a greater advocate for matrimony than I am; and if it had not been for the misery of her leaving Hartfield, I should never have thought of Miss Taylor but as the most fortunate woman in the world; and as to slighting Mr Weston, that excellent Mr Weston, I think there is nothing he does not deserve. I believe he is one of the very best-tempered men that ever existed. Excepting yourself and your brother, I do not know his equal for temper. I shall never forget his flying Henry’s kite for him that very windy day last Easter – and ever since his particular kindness last September twelvemonth in writing that note, at twelve o’clock at night, on purpose to assure me that there was no scarlet fever at Cobham, I have been convinced there could not be a more feeling heart nor a better man in existence. – If any body can deserve him, it must be Miss Taylor.’
‘Where is the young man?’ said John Knightley. ‘Has he been here on this occasion – or has he not?’
‘He has not been here yet,’ replied Emma. ‘There was a strong expectation of his coming soon after the marriage, but it ended in nothing; and I have not heard him mentioned lately.’
‘But you should tell them of the letter, my dear,’ said her father. ‘He wrote a letter to poor Mrs Weston, to congratulate her, and a very proper, handsome letter it was. She shewed it to me. I thought it very well done of him indeed. Whether it was his own idea you know, one cannot tell. He is but young, and his uncle, perhaps –’
‘My dear papa, he is three-and-twenty. You forget how time passes.’
‘Three-and-twenty! – is he indeed? – Well, I could not have thought it – and he was but two years old when he lost his poor mother! Well, time does fly indeed! – and my memory is very bad. However, it was an exceeding good, pretty letter, and gave Mr and Mrs Weston a great deal of pleasure. I remember it was written from Weymouth, and dated Sept. 28th – and began, “My dear Madam,” but I forget how it went on; and it was signed “F. C. Weston Churchill.” – I remember that perfectly.’
‘How very pleasing and proper of him!’ cried the good-hearted Mrs John Knightley. ‘I have no doubt of his being a most amiable young man. But how sad it is that he should not live at home with his father! There is something so shocking in a child’s being taken away from his parents and natural home! I never could comprehend how Mr Weston could part with him. To give up one’s child! I really never could think well of any body who proposed such a thing to any body else.’
‘Nobody ever did think well of the Churchills, I fancy,’ observed Mr John Knightley coolly. ‘But you need not imagine Mr Weston to have felt what you would feel in giving up Henry or John. Mr Weston is rather an easy, cheerful-tempered man, than a man of strong feelings; he takes things as he finds them, and makes enjoyment of them somehow or other, depending, I suspect, much more upon what is called society for his comforts, that is, upon the power of eating and drinking, and playing whist with his neighbours five times a week, than upon family affection, or any thing that home affords.’
Emma could not like what bordered on a reflection on Mr Weston, and had half a mind to take it up; but she struggled, and let it pass. She would keep the peace if possible; and there was something honourable and valuable in the strong domestic habits, the all-sufficiency of home to himself, whence resulted her brother’s disposition to look down on the common rate of social intercourse, and those to whom it was important. – It had a high claim to forbearance.
Mr Knightley was to dine with them – rather against the inclination of Mr Woodhouse, who did not like that any one should share with him in Isabella’s first day. Emma’s sense of right however had decided it; and besides the consideration of what was due to each brother, she had particular pleasure, from the circumstance of the late disagreement between Mr Knightley and herself, in procuring him the proper invitation.
She hoped they might now become friends again. She thought it was time to make up. Making-up indeed would not do. She certainly had not been in the wrong, and he would never own that he had. Concession must be out of the question; but it was time to appear to forget that they had ever quarrelled; and she hoped it might rather assist the restoration of friendship, that when he came into the room she had one of the children with her – the youngest, a nice little girl about eight months old, who was now making her first visit to Hartfield, and very happy to be danced about in her aunt’s arms. It did assist; for though he began with grave looks and short questions, he was soon led on to talk of them all in the usual way, and to take the child out of her arms with all the unceremoniousness of perfect amity. Emma felt they were friends again; and the conviction giving her at first great satisfaction, and then a little sauciness, she could not help saying, as he was admiring the baby,
‘What a comfort it is, that we think alike about our nephews and nieces. As to men and women, our opinions are sometimes very different; but with regard to these children, I observe we never disagree.’
‘If you were as much guided by nature in your estimate of men and women, and as little under the power of fancy and whim in your dealings with them, as you are where these children are concerned, we might always think alike.’
‘To be sure – our discordancies must always arise from my being in the
