She was so busy in admiring those soft blue eyes,
in talking and listening, and forming all these schemes
in the in-betweens, that the evening flew away at
a very unusual rate; and the supper-table, which always
closed such parties, and for which she had been used
to sit and watch the due time, was all set out and
ready, and moved forwards to the fire, before she
was aware. With an alacrity beyond the common
impulse of a spirit which yet was never indifferent
to the credit of doing every thing well and attentively,
with the real good-will of a mind delighted with its
own ideas, did she then do all the honours of the
meal, and help and recommend the minced chicken and
scalloped oysters, with an urgency which she knew
would be acceptable to the early hours and civil scruples
of their guests.
Upon such occasions poor Mr. Woodhouses feelings were
in sad warfare. He loved to have the cloth laid,
because it had been the fashion of his youth, but
his conviction of suppers being very unwholesome made
him rather sorry to see any thing put on it; and while
his hospitality would have welcomed his visitors to
every thing, his care for their health made him grieve
that they would eat.
Such another small basin of thin gruel as his own
was all that he could, with thorough self-approbation,
recommend; though he might constrain himself, while
the ladies were comfortably clearing the nicer things,
to say:
“Mrs. Bates, let me propose your venturing on
one of these eggs. An egg boiled very soft is
not unwholesome. Serle understands boiling an
egg better than any body. I would not recommend
an egg boiled by any body else; but you need not be
afraid, they are very small, you see—one
of our small eggs will not hurt you. Miss Bates,
let Emma help you to a little bit of tart—a
very little bit. Ours are all apple-tarts.
You need not be afraid of unwholesome preserves here.
I do not advise the custard. Mrs. Goddard, what
say you to half a glass of wine? A small
half-glass, put into a tumbler of water? I do
not think it could disagree with you.”
Emma allowed her father to talk—but supplied
her visitors in a much more satisfactory style, and
on the present evening had particular pleasure in
sending them away happy. The happiness of Miss
Smith was quite equal to her intentions. Miss
Woodhouse was so great a personage in Highbury, that
the prospect of the introduction had given as much
panic as pleasure; but the humble, grateful little
girl went off with highly gratified feelings, delighted
with the affability with which Miss Woodhouse had treated
her all the evening, and actually shaken hands with
her at last!
