Jane was forced to smile completely, for a moment;
and the smile partly remained as she turned towards
him, and said in a conscious, low, yet steady voice,
“How you can bear such recollections, is astonishing
to me!— They will sometimes obtrude—but
how you can court them!”
He had a great deal to say in return, and very entertainingly;
but Emma’s feelings were chiefly with Jane, in
the argument; and on leaving Randalls, and falling
naturally into a comparison of the two men, she felt,
that pleased as she had been to see Frank Churchill,
and really regarding him as she did with friendship,
she had never been more sensible of Mr. Knightley’s
high superiority of character. The happiness
of this most happy day, received its completion, in
the animated contemplation of his worth which this
comparison produced.
If Emma had still, at intervals, an anxious feeling
for Harriet, a momentary doubt of its being possible
for her to be really cured of her attachment to Mr.
Knightley, and really able to accept another man from
unbiased inclination, it was not long that she had
to suffer from the recurrence of any such uncertainty.
A very few days brought the party from London, and
she had no sooner an opportunity of being one hour
alone with Harriet, than she became perfectly satisfied—unaccountable
as it was!— that Robert Martin had thoroughly
supplanted Mr. Knightley, and was now forming all
her views of happiness.
Harriet was a little distressed—did look
a little foolish at first: but having once owned
that she had been presumptuous and silly, and self-deceived,
before, her pain and confusion seemed to die away
with the words, and leave her without a care for the
past, and with the fullest exultation in the present
and future; for, as to her friend’s approbation,
Emma had instantly removed every fear of that nature,
by meeting her with the most unqualified congratulations.—
Harriet was most happy to give every particular of
the evening at Astley’s, and the dinner the
next day; she could dwell on it all with the utmost
delight. But what did such particulars explain?—
The fact was, as Emma could now acknowledge, that Harriet
had always liked Robert Martin; and that his continuing
to love her had been irresistible.—Beyond
this, it must ever be unintelligible to Emma.
The event, however, was most joyful; and every day
was giving her fresh reason for thinking so.—Harriet’s
parentage became known. She proved to be the
daughter of a tradesman, rich enough to afford her
the comfortable maintenance which had ever been hers,
and decent enough to have always wished for concealment.—Such
was the blood of gentility which Emma had formerly
been so ready to vouch for!— It was likely
to be as untainted, perhaps, as the blood of many
a gentleman: but what a connexion had she been
preparing for Mr. Knightley—or for the
Churchills—or even for Mr. Elton!—
The stain of illegitimacy, unbleached by nobility or
wealth, would have been a stain indeed.
