Chapter VI

Bates’s, he m ay get there from the Crown in a hop, step, and j um p.”

They were perm itted to go alone; and with a cordial nod from one, and a graceful bow from the other, the two gentlem en took leave. Em m a rem ained very well pleased with this beginning of the acquaintance, and could now engage to think of them all at Randalls any hour of the day, with full confidence in their

com fort.

CHAPTER VI

The next m orning brought Mr. Frank Churchill again. He cam e with Mrs. Weston, to whom and to Highbury he seem ed to take very cordially. He had been sitting with her, it appeared, m ost com panionably at hom e, till her usual hour of exercise; and on being desired to chuse their walk, im m ediately fixed on Highbury. – “He did not doubt there being very pleasant walks in every direction, but if left to him , he should alway s chuse the sam e. Highbury, that airy, cheerful, happy -looking Highbury, would be his constant attraction.” – Highbury, with Mrs.

Weston, stood for Hartfield; and she trusted to its bearing the sam e construction with him . They walked thither directly.

Em m a had hardly expected them : for Mr. Weston, who had called in for half a m inute, in order to hear that his son was very handsom e, knew nothing of their plans; and it was an agreeable surprize to her, therefore, to perceive them walking up to the house together, arm in arm . She was wanting to see him again, and especially to see him in com pany with Mrs. Weston, upon his behaviour to whom her opinion of him was to depend. If he were deficient there, nothing should m ake am ends for it. But on seeing them together, she becam e perfectly satisfied. It was not m erely in fine words or hy perbolical com plim ent that he paid his duty ; nothing could be m ore proper or pleasing than his whole m anner to her – nothing could m ore agreeably denote his wish of considering her as a friend and securing her affection. And there was tim e enough for Em m a to form a reasonable j udgm ent, as their visit included all the rest of the m orning. They were all three walking about together for an hour or two – first round the shrubberies of Hartfield, and afterwards in Highbury. He was delighted with every thing; adm ired Hartfield sufficiently for Mr. Woodhouse’s ear; and when their going farther was resolved on, confessed his wish to be m ade acquainted with the whole village, and found m atter of com m endation and interest m uch oftener than Em m a could have supposed.

Som e of the obj ects of his curiosity spoke very am iable feelings. He begged to be shewn the house which his father had lived in so long, and which had been the hom e of his father’s father; and on recollecting that an old wom an who had nursed him was still living, walked in quest of her cottage from one end of the street to the other; and though in som e points of pursuit or observation there was no positive m erit, they shewed, altogether, a good-will towards Highbury in general, which m ust be very like a m erit to those he was with.

Em m a watched and decided, that with such feelings as were now shewn, it could not be fairly supposed that he had been ever voluntarily absenting him self; that he had not been acting a part, or m aking a parade of insincere

professions; and that Mr. Knightley certainly had not done him j ustice.

Their first pause was at the Crown Inn, an inconsiderable house, though the principal one of the sort, where a couple of pair of post-horses were kept, m ore for the convenience of the neighbourhood than from any run on the road; and his com panions had not expected to be detained by any interest excited there; but in passing it they gave the history of the large room visibly added; it had been built m any y ears ago for a ball-room , and while the neighbourhood had been in a particularly populous, dancing state, had been occasionally used as such; – but such brilliant day s had long passed away, and now the highest purpose for which it was ever wanted was to accom m odate a whist club established am ong the gentlem en and half-gentlem en of the place. He was im m ediately interested. Its character as a ball-room caught him ; and instead of passing on, he stopt for several m inutes at the two superior sashed windows which were open, to look in and contem plate its capabilities, and lam ent that its original purpose should have ceased. He saw no fault in the room , he would acknowledge none which they suggested. No, it was long enough, broad enough, handsom e enough. It would hold the very num ber for com fort. They ought to have balls there at least every fortnight through the winter. Why had not Miss Woodhouse revived the form er good old day s of the room ? – She who could do any thing in Highbury ! The want of proper fam ilies in the place, and the conviction that none bey ond the place and its im m ediate environs could be tem pted to attend, were m entioned; but he was not satisfied. He could not be persuaded that so m any good-looking houses as he saw around him , could not furnish num bers enough for such a m eeting; and even when particulars were given and fam ilies described, he was still unwilling to adm it that the inconvenience of such a m ixture would be any thing, or that there would be the sm allest difficulty in every body ’s returning into their proper place the next m orning. He argued like a y oung m an very m uch bent on dancing; and Em m a was rather surprized to see the constitution of the Weston prevail so decidedly against the habits of the Churchills. He seem ed to have all the life and spirit, cheerful feelings, and social inclinations of his father, and nothing of the pride or reserve of Enscom be. Of pride, indeed, there was, perhaps, scarcely enough; his indifference to a confusion of rank, bordered too m uch on inelegance of m ind. He could be no j udge, however, of the evil he was holding cheap. It was but an effusion of lively spirits.

At last he was persuaded to m ove on from the front of the Crown; and being now alm ost facing the house where the Bateses lodged, Em m a recollected his intended visit the day before, and asked him if he had paid it.

“Yes, oh! y es” – he replied; “I was j ust going to m ention it. A very successful visit: – I saw all the three ladies; and felt very m uch obliged to y ou for y our preparatory hint. If the talking aunt had taken m e quite by surprize, it m ust

have been the death of m e. As it was, I was only betray ed into pay ing a m ost unreasonable visit. Ten m inutes would have been all that was necessary, perhaps all that was proper; and I had told m y father I should certainly be at hom e before him – but there was no getting away, no pause; and, to m y utter astonishm ent, I found, when he (finding m e nowhere else) j oined m e there at last, that I had been actually sitting with them very nearly three-quarters of an hour. The good lady had not given m e the possibility of escape before.”

“And how did y ou think Miss Fairfax looking?”

“Ill, very ill – that is, if a y oung lady can ever be allowed to look ill. But the expression is hardly adm issible, Mrs. Weston, is it? Ladies can never look ill.

And, seriously, Miss Fairfax is naturally so pale, as alm ost alway s to give the appearance of ill health. – A m ost deplorable want of com plexion.”

Em m a would not agree to this, and began a warm defence of Miss Fairfax’s com plexion. “It was certainly never brilliant, but she would not allow it to have a sickly hue in general; and there was a softness and delicacy in her skin which gave peculiar elegance to the character of her face.” He listened with all due deference; acknowledged that he had heard m any people say the sam e – but y et he m ust confess, that to him nothing could m ake am ends for the want of the fine glow of health. Where features were indifferent, a fine com plexion gave beauty to them all; and where they were good, the effect was – fortunately he need not attem pt to describe what the effect was.

“Well,” said Em m a, “there is no disputing about taste. – At least y ou adm ire her except her com plexion.”

He shook his head and laughed. – “I cannot separate Miss Fairfax and her com plexion.”

“Did y ou see her often at Wey m outh? Were y ou often in the sam e society ?”

At this m om ent they were approaching Ford’s, and he hastily exclaim ed, “Ha! this m ust be the very shop that every body attends every day of their lives, as m y father inform s m e. He com es to Highbury him self, he say s, six day s out of the seven, and has alway s business at Ford’s. If it be not inconvenient to y ou, pray let us go in, that I m ay prove m y self to belong to the place, to be a true citizen of Highbury. I m ust buy som ething at Ford’s. It will be taking out m y freedom . – I dare say they sell gloves.”

“Oh! y es, gloves and every thing. I do adm ire y our patriotism . You will be adored in Highbury. You were very popular before y ou cam e, because y ou were Mr. Weston’s son – but lay out half a guinea at Ford’s, and y our popularity

will stand upon y our own virtues.”

They went in; and while the sleek, well-tied parcels of “Men’s Beavers”

and “York Tan” were bringing down and display ing on the counter, he said – “But I beg y our pardon, Miss Woodhouse, y ou were speaking to m e, y ou were say ing som ething at the very m om ent of this burst of m y am or patriae. Do not let m e lose it. I assure y ou the utm ost stretch of public fam e would not m ake m e am ends for the loss of any happiness in private life.”

“I m erely asked, whether y ou had known m uch of Miss Fairfax and her party at Wey m outh.”

“And now that I understand y our question, I m ust pronounce it to be a very unfair one. It is alway s the lady ’s right to decide on the degree of acquaintance. Miss Fairfax m ust already have given her account. – I shall not com m it m y self by claim ing m ore than she m ay chuse to allow.”

“Upon m y word! y ou answer as discreetly as she could do herself. But her account of every thing leaves so m uch to be guessed, she is so very reserved, so very unwilling to give the least inform ation about any body, that I really think y ou m ay say what y ou like of y our acquaintance with her.”

“May I, indeed? – Then I will speak the truth, and nothing suits m e so well. I m et her frequently at Wey m outh. I had known the Cam pbells a little in town; and at Wey m outh we were very m uch in the sam e set. Colonel Cam pbell is a very agreeable m an, and Mrs. Cam pbell a friendly, warm -hearted wom an. I like them all.”

“You know Miss Fairfax’s situation in life, I conclude; what she is destined to be?”

“Yes – (rather hesitatingly ) – I believe I do.”

“You get upon delicate subj ects, Em m a,” said Mrs. Weston sm iling;

“rem em ber that I am here. – Mr. Frank Churchill hardly knows what to say when y ou speak of Miss Fairfax’s situation in life. I will m ove a little farther off.”

“I certainly do forget to think of her,” said Em m a, “as having ever been any thing but m y friend and m y dearest friend.”

He looked as if he fully understood and honoured such a sentim ent.

When the gloves were bought, and they had quitted the shop again, “Did y ou ever hear the y oung lady we were speaking of, play ?” said Frank Churchill.

“Ever hear her!” repeated Em m a. “You forget how m uch she belongs to Highbury. I have heard her every y ear of our lives since we both began. She

play s charm ingly.”

“You think so, do y ou? – I wanted the opinion of som e one who could really j udge. She appeared to m e to play well, that is, with considerable taste, but I know nothing of the m atter m y self. – I am excessively fond of m usic, but without the sm allest skill or right of j udging of any body ’s perform ance. – I have been used to hear her’s adm ired; and I rem em ber one proof of her being thought to play well: – a m an, a very m usical m an, and in love with another wom an –

engaged to her – on the point of m arriage – would y et never ask that other wom an to sit down to the instrum ent, if the lady in question could sit down instead

– never seem ed to like to hear one if he could hear the other. That, I thought, in a m an of known m usical talent, was som e proof.”

“Proof indeed!” said Em m a, highly am used. – “Mr. Dixon is very m usical, is he? We shall know m ore about them all, in half an hour, from y ou, than Miss Fairfax would have vouchsafed in half a y ear.”

“Yes, Mr. Dixon and Miss Cam pbell were the persons; and I thought it a very strong proof.”

“Certainly – very strong it was; to own the truth, a great deal stronger than, if I had been Miss Cam pbell, would have been at all agreeable to m e. I could not excuse a m an’s having m ore m usic than love – m ore ear than ey e – a m ore acute sensibility to fine sounds than to m y feelings. How did Miss Cam pbell appear to like it?”

“It was her very particular friend, y ou know.”

“Poor com fort!” said Em m a, laughing. “One would rather have a stranger preferred than one’s very particular friend – with a stranger it m ight not recur again – but the m isery of having a very particular friend alway s at hand, to do every thing better than one does oneself! – Poor Mrs. Dixon! Well, I am glad she is gone to settle in Ireland.”

“You are right. It was not very flattering to Miss Cam pbell; but she really did not seem to feel it.”

“So m uch the better – or so m uch the worse: – I do not know which. But be it sweetness or be it stupidity in her – quickness of friendship, or dulness of feeling – there was one person, I think, who m ust have felt it: Miss Fairfax herself.

She m ust have felt the im proper and dangerous distinction.”

“As to that – I do not – “

“Oh! do not im agine that I expect an account of Miss Fairfax’s sensations from y ou, or from any body else. They are known to no hum an being,

I guess, but herself. But if she continued to play whenever she was asked by Mr.

Dixon, one m ay guess what one chuses.”

“There appeared such a perfectly good understanding am ong them all

– “ he began rather quickly, but checking him self, added, “however, it is im possible for m e to say on what term s they really were – how it m ight all be behind the scenes. I can only say that there was sm oothness outwardly. But y ou, who have known Miss Fairfax from a child, m ust be a better j udge of her character, and of how she is likely to conduct herself in critical situations, than I can be.”

“I have known her from a child, undoubtedly ; we have been children and wom en together; and it is natural to suppose that we should be intim ate, – that we should have taken to each other whenever she visited her friends. But we never did. I hardly know how it has happened; a little, perhaps, from that wickedness on m y side which was prone to take disgust towards a girl so idolized and so cried up as she alway s was, by her aunt and grandm other, and all their set.

And then, her reserve – I never could attach m y self to any one so com pletely reserved.”

“It is a m ost repulsive quality, indeed,” said he. “Oftentim es very convenient, no doubt, but never pleasing. There is safety in reserve, but no attraction. One cannot love a reserved person.”

“Not till the reserve ceases towards oneself; and then the attraction m ay be the greater. But I m ust be m ore in want of a friend, or an agreeable com panion, than I have y et been, to take the trouble of conquering any body ’s reserve to procure one. Intim acy between Miss Fairfax and m e is quite out of the question. I have no reason to think ill of her – not the least – except that such extrem e and perpetual cautiousness of word and m anner, such a dread of giving a distinct idea about any body, is apt to suggest suspicions of there being som ething to conceal.”

He perfectly agreed with her: and after walking together so long, and thinking so m uch alike, Em m a felt herself so well acquainted with him , that she could hardly believe it to be only their second m eeting. He was not exactly what she had expected; less of the m an of the world in som e of his notions, less of the spoiled child of fortune, therefore better than she had expected. His ideas seem ed m ore m oderate – his feelings warm er. She was particularly struck by his m anner of considering Mr. Elton’s house, which, as well as the church, he would go and look at, and would not j oin them in finding m uch fault with. No, he could not believe it a bad house; not such a house as a m an was to be pitied for having. If it were to be shared with the wom an he loved, he could not think any m an to be

pitied for having that house. There m ust be am ple room in it for every real com fort. The m an m ust be a blockhead who wanted m ore.