It was rather too late in the day to set about being
simple-minded and ignorant; but she left her with
every previous resolution confirmed of being humble
and discreet, and repressing imagination all the rest
of her life. Her second duty now, inferior only
to her father’s claims, was to promote Harriet’s
comfort, and endeavour to prove her own affection
in some better method than by match-making. She
got her to Hartfield, and shewed her the most unvarying
kindness, striving to occupy and amuse her, and by
books and conversation, to drive Mr. Elton from her
thoughts.
Time, she knew, must be allowed for this being thoroughly
done; and she could suppose herself but an indifferent
judge of such matters in general, and very inadequate
to sympathise in an attachment to Mr. Elton in particular;
but it seemed to her reasonable that at Harriet’s
age, and with the entire extinction of all hope, such
a progress might be made towards a state of composure
by the time of Mr. Elton’s return, as to allow
them all to meet again in the common routine of acquaintance,
without any danger of betraying sentiments or increasing
them.
Harriet did think him all perfection, and maintained
the non-existence of any body equal to him in person
or goodness—and did, in truth, prove herself
more resolutely in love than Emma had foreseen; but
yet it appeared to her so natural, so inevitable to
strive against an inclination of that sort unrequited,
that she could not comprehend its continuing very
long in equal force.
If Mr. Elton, on his return, made his own indifference
as evident and indubitable as she could not doubt
he would anxiously do, she could not imagine Harriet’s
persisting to place her happiness in the sight or
the recollection of him.
Their being fixed, so absolutely fixed, in the same
place, was bad for each, for all three. Not
one of them had the power of removal, or of effecting
any material change of society. They must encounter
each other, and make the best of it.
Harriet was farther unfortunate in the tone of her
companions at Mrs. Goddard’s; Mr. Elton being
the adoration of all the teachers and great girls
in the school; and it must be at Hartfield only that
she could have any chance of hearing him spoken of
with cooling moderation or repellent truth.
Where the wound had been given, there must the cure
be found if anywhere; and Emma felt that, till she
saw her in the way of cure, there could be no true
peace for herself.
CHAPTER XVIII
Mr. Frank Churchill did not come. When the time
proposed drew near, Mrs. Weston’s fears were
justified in the arrival of a letter of excuse.
For the present, he could not be spared, to his “very
great mortification and regret; but still he looked
forward with the hope of coming to Randalls at no distant
period.”
