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She had no doubt of what Mr. Weston was often thinking about. His quick eye she detected again
and again glancing towards them with a happy expression; and even, when he might have determined not
to look, she was confident that he was often listening.
Her own father's perfect exemption from any thought of the kind, the entire deficiency in him of all
such sort of penetration or suspicion, was a most comfortable circumstance. Happily he was not farther
from approving matrimony than from foreseeing it.-- Though always objecting to every marriage that was
arranged, he never suffered beforehand from the apprehension of any; it seemed as if he could not think
so ill of any two persons' understanding as to suppose they meant to marry till it were proved against
them. She blessed the favouring blindness. He could now, without the drawback of a single unpleasant
surmise, without a glance forward at any possible treachery in his guest, give way to all his natural
kind-hearted civility in solicitous inquiries after Mr. Frank Churchill's accommodation on his journey,
through the sad evils of sleeping two nights on the road, and express very genuine unmixed anxiety to
know that he had certainly escaped catching cold--which, however, he could not allow him to feel quite
assured of himself till after another night.
A reasonable visit paid, Mr. Weston began to move.--"He must be going. He had business at the
Crown about his hay, and a great many errands for Mrs. Weston at Ford's, but he need not hurry any
body else." His son, too well bred to hear the hint, rose immediately also, saying,
"As you are going farther on business, sir, I will take the opportunity of paying a visit, which must be
paid some day or other, and therefore may as well be paid now. I have the honour of being acquainted
with a neighbour of yours, (turning to Emma,) a lady residing in or near Highbury; a family of the name of
Fairfax. I shall have no difficulty, I suppose, in finding the house; though Fairfax, I believe, is not the
proper name--I should rather say Barnes, or Bates. Do you know any family of that name?"
"To be sure we do," cried his father; "Mrs. Bates--we passed her house-- I saw Miss Bates at the
window. True, true, you are acquainted with Miss Fairfax; I remember you knew her at Weymouth, and
a fine girl she is. Call upon her, by all means."
"There is no necessity for my calling this morning," said the young man; "another day would do as
well; but there was that degree of acquaintance at Weymouth which--"
"Oh! go to-day, go to-day. Do not defer it. What is right to be done cannot be done too soon. And,
besides, I must give you a hint, Frank; any want of attention to her here should be carefully avoided. You
saw her with the Campbells, when she was the equal of every body she mixed with, but here she is with a
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poor old grandmother, who has barely enough to live on. If you do not call early it will be a slight."
The son looked convinced.
"I have heard her speak of the acquaintance," said Emma; "she is a very elegant young woman."
He agreed to it, but with so quiet a "Yes," as inclined her almost to doubt his real concurrence; and
yet there must be a very distinct sort of elegance for the fashionable world, if Jane Fairfax could be
thought only ordinarily gifted with it.
"If you were never particularly struck by her manners before," said she, "I think you will to-day. You
will see her to advantage; see her and hear her--no, I am afraid you will not hear her at all, for she has an
aunt who never holds her tongue."
"You are acquainted with Miss Jane Fairfax, sir, are you?" said Mr. Woodhouse, always the last to
make his way in conversation; "then give me leave to assure you that you will find her a very agreeable
young lady. She is staying here on a visit to her grandmama and aunt, very worthy people; I have known
them all my life. They will be extremely glad to see you, I am sure; and one of my servants shall go with
you to shew you the way."
"My dear sir, upon no account in the world; my father can direct me."
"But your father is not going so far; he is only going to the Crown, quite on the other side of the
street, and there are a great many houses; you might be very much at a loss, and it is a very dirty walk, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]