“She is a riddle, quite a riddle!” said she.—“To chuse to remain here month after month,under privations of every sort!And now to chuse the mortification of Mrs.Elton’s notice and the penury of her conversation,rather than return to the superior companions who have always loved her with such real, generous affection.”
Jane had come to Highbury professedly for three months;the Campbells were gone to Ireland for three months;but now the Campbells had promised their daughter to stay at least till Midsummer, and fresh invitations had arrived for her to join them there. According to Miss Bates—it all came from her—Mrs. Dixon had written most pressingly. Would Jane but go, means were to be found, servants sent, friends contrived—no travelling difficulty allowed to exist; but still she had declined it!
“She must have some motive, more powerful than appears,for refusing this invitation,” was Emma’s conclusion.“She must be under some sort of penance,inflicted either by the Campbells or herself.There is great fear, great caution,great resolution somewhere.—She is _not_ to be with the _Dixons_.The decree is issued by somebody.But why must she consent to be with the Eltons?—Here is quite a separate puzzle.”
Upon her speaking her wonder aloud on that part of the subject,before the few who knew her opinion of Mrs. Elton, Mrs.Weston ventured this apology for Jane.
“We cannot suppose that she has any great enjoyment at the Vicarage,my dear Emma—but it is better than being always at home.Her aunt is a good creature, but,as a constant companion, must be very tiresome.We must consider what Miss Fairfax quits,before we condemn her taste for what she goes to.”
“You are right, Mrs. Weston,” said Mr. Knightley warmly,“Miss Fairfax is as capable as any of us of forming a just opinion of Mrs.Elton. Could she have chosen with whom to associate,she would not have chosen her.But (with a reproachful smile at Emma) she receives attentions from Mrs.Elton, which nobody else pays her.”
Emma felt that Mrs. Weston was giving her a momentary glance;and she was herself struck by his warmth.With a faint blush, she presently replied,
“Such attentions as Mrs. Elton’s,I should have imagined,would rather disgust than gratify Miss Fairfax. Mrs.Elton’s invitations I should have imagined any thing but inviting. ”
“I should not wonder,” said Mrs. Weston,“if Miss Fairfax were to have been drawn on beyond her own inclination,by her aunt’s eagerness in accepting Mrs.Elton’s civilities for her.Poor Miss Bates may very likely have committed her niece and hurried her into a greater appearance of intimacy than her own good sense would have dictated, in spite of the very natural wish of a little change.”
Both felt rather anxious to hear him speak again;and after a few minutes silence, he said,
“Another thing must be taken into consideration too—Mrs.Elton does not talk _to_ Miss Fairfax as she speaks _of_ her.We all know the difference between the pronouns he or she and thou,the plainest spoken amongst us;we all feel the influence of a something beyond common civility in our personal intercourse with each other—a something more early implanted. We cannot give any body the disagreeable hints that we may have been very full of the hour before. We feel things differently. And besides the operation of this, as a general principle, you may be sure that Miss Fairfax awes Mrs. Elton by her superiority both of mind and manner; and that, face to face, Mrs. Elton treats her with all the respect which she has a claim to. Such a woman as Jane Fairfax probably never fell in Mrs. Elton’s way before—and no degree of vanity can prevent her acknowledging her own comparative littleness in action, if not in consciousness.”
“I know how highly you think of Jane Fairfax,” said Emma. Little Henry was in her thoughts,and a mixture of alarm and delicacy made her irresolute what else to say.
“Yes,” he replied, “any body may know how highly I think of her. ”
“And yet,” said Emma,beginning hastily and with an arch look,but soon stopping—it was better, however,to know the worst at once—she hurried on—“And yet,perhaps, you may hardly be aware yourself how highly it is.The extent of your admiration may take you by surprize some day or other. ”
Mr. Knightley was hard at work upon the lower buttons of his thick leather gaiters, and either the exertion of getting them together, or some other cause, brought the colour into his face, as he answered,
“Oh!are you there?—But you are miserably behindhand. Mr.Cole gave me a hint of it six weeks ago.”
He stopped.—Emma felt her foot pressed by Mrs. Weston,and did not herself know what to think.In a moment he went on—
“That will never be, however, I can assure you.Miss Fairfax, I dare say,would not have me if I were to ask her—and I am very sure I shall never ask her.”
Emma returned her friend’s pressure with interest;and was pleased enough to exclaim,
“You are not vain, Mr. Knightley.I will say that for you.”
He seemed hardly to hear her;he was thoughtful—and in a manner which shewed him not pleased,soon afterwards said,
“So you have been settling that I should marry Jane Fairfax?”
“No indeed I have not.You have scolded me too much for match-making,for me to presume to take such a liberty with you.What I said just now, meant nothing.One says those sort of things, of course,without any idea of a serious meaning. Oh!no, upon my word I have not the smallest wish for your marrying Jane Fairfax or Jane any body. You would not come in and sit with us in this comfortable way, if you were married.”
Mr. Knightley was thoughtful again.The result of his reverie was, “No, Emma,I do not think the extent of my admiration for her will ever take me by surprize.—I never had a thought of her in that way, I assure you.” And soon afterwards, “Jane Fairfax is a very charming young woman—but not even Jane Fairfax is perfect. She has a fault. She has not the open temper which a man would wish for in a wife.”
Emma could not but rejoice to hear that she had a fault.“Well,” said she, “and you soon silenced Mr. Cole, I suppose?”
“Yes, very soon. He gave me a quiet hint;I told him he was mistaken;he asked my pardon and said no more.Cole does not want to be wiser or wittier than his neighbours. ”
“In that respect how unlike dear Mrs. Elton,who wants to be wiser and wittier than all the world!I wonder how she speaks of the Coles—what she calls them!How can she find any appellation for them,deep enough in familiar vulgarity?She calls you, Knightley—what can she do for Mr. Cole?And so I am not to be surprized that Jane Fairfax accepts her civilities and consents to be with her. Mrs. Weston, your argument weighs most with me. I can much more readily enter into the temptation of getting away from Miss Bates, than I can believe in the triumph of Miss Fairfax’s mind over Mrs. Elton. I have no faith in Mrs. Elton’s acknowledging herself the inferior in thought, word, or deed; or in her being under any restraint beyond her own scanty rule of good-breeding. I cannot imagine that she will not be continually insulting her visitor with praise, encouragement, and offers of service; that she will not be continually detailing her magnificent intentions, from the procuring her a permanent situation to the including her in those delightful exploring parties which are to take place in the barouche-landau.”
“Jane Fairfax has feeling,” said Mr.Knightley—“I do not accuse her of want of feeling.Her sensibilities, I suspect,are strong—and her temper excellent in its power of forbearance,patience, self-control; but it wants openness.She is reserved, more reserved, I think,than she used to be—And I love an open temper.No—till Cole alluded to my supposed attachment,it had never entered my head.I saw Jane Fairfax and conversed with her,with admiration and pleasure always—but with no thought beyond. ”