登陆注册
4443900000067

第67章

Small heart had Harriet for visiting. Only half an hour before her friend called for her at Mrs. Goddard's, her evil stars had led her to the very spot where, at that moment, a trunk, directed to The Rev. Philip Elton, White-Hart, Bath, was to be seen under the operation of being lifted into the butcher's cart, which was to convey it to where the coaches past; and every thing in this world, excepting that trunk and the direction, was consequently a blank.

She went, however; and when they reached the farm, and she was to be put down, at the end of the broad, neat gravel walk, which led between espalier apple-trees to the front door, the sight of every thing which had given her so much pleasure the autumn before, was beginning to revive a little local agitation; and when they parted, Emma observed her to be looking around with a sort of fearful curiosity, which determined her not to allow the visit to exceed the proposed quarter of an hour. She went on herself, to give that portion of time to an old servant who was married, and settled in Donwell.

The quarter of an hour brought her punctually to the white gate again; and Miss Smith receiving her summons, was with her without delay, and unattended by any alarming young man. She came solitarily down the gravel walk--a Miss Martin just appearing at the door, and parting with her seemingly with ceremonious civility.

Harriet could not very soon give an intelligible account.

She was feeling too much; but at last Emma collected from her enough to understand the sort of meeting, and the sort of pain it was creating. She had seen only Mrs. Martin and the two girls.

They had received her doubtingly, if not coolly; and nothing beyond the merest commonplace had been talked almost all the time--till just at last, when Mrs. Martin's saying, all of a sudden, that she thought Miss Smith was grown, had brought on a more interesting subject, and a warmer manner. In that very room she had been measured last September, with her two friends.

There were the pencilled marks and memorandums on the wainscot by the window. He had done it. They all seemed to remember the day, the hour, the party, the occasion--to feel the same consciousness, the same regrets--to be ready to return to the same good understanding; and they were just growing again like themselves, (Harriet, as Emma must suspect, as ready as the best of them to be cordial and happy,) when the carriage reappeared, and all was over. The style of the visit, and the shortness of it, were then felt to be decisive.

Fourteen minutes to be given to those with whom she had thankfully passed six weeks not six months ago!--Emma could not but picture it all, and feel how justly they might resent, how naturally Harriet must suffer. It was a bad business. She would have given a great deal, or endured a great deal, to have had the Martins in a higher rank of life. They were so deserving, that a little higher should have been enough: but as it was, how could she have done otherwise?--Impossible!--She could not repent. They must be separated; but there was a great deal of pain in the process--so much to herself at this time, that she soon felt the necessity of a little consolation, and resolved on going home by way of Randalls to procure it. Her mind was quite sick of Mr. Elton and the Martins.

The refreshment of Randalls was absolutely necessary.

It was a good scheme; but on driving to the door they heard that neither "master nor mistress was at home;" they had both been out some time; the man believed they were gone to Hartfield.

"This is too bad," cried Emma, as they turned away. "And now we shall just miss them; too provoking!--I do not know when I have been so disappointed." And she leaned back in the corner, to indulge her murmurs, or to reason them away; probably a little of both--such being the commonest process of a not ill-disposed mind.

Presently the carriage stopt; she looked up; it was stopt by Mr. and Mrs. Weston, who were standing to speak to her.

There was instant pleasure in the sight of them, and still greater pleasure was conveyed in sound--for Mr. Weston immediately accosted her with, "How d'ye do?--how d'ye do?--We have been sitting with your father--glad to see him so well. Frank comes to-morrow--I had a letter this morning--we see him to-morrow by dinner-time to a certainty--he is at Oxford to-day, and he comes for a whole fortnight; I knew it would be so. If he had come at Christmas he could not have staid three days; I was always glad he did not come at Christmas; now we are going to have just the right weather for him, fine, dry, settled weather.

We shall enjoy him completely; every thing has turned out exactly as we could wish."

There was no resisting such news, no possibility of avoiding the influence of such a happy face as Mr. Weston's, confirmed as it all was by the words and the countenance of his wife, fewer and quieter, but not less to the purpose. To know that she thought his coming certain was enough to make Emma consider it so, and sincerely did she rejoice in their joy. It was a most delightful reanimation of exhausted spirits. The worn-out past was sunk in the freshness of what was coming; and in the rapidity of half a moment's thought, she hoped Mr. Elton would now be talked of no more.

Mr. Weston gave her the history of the engagements at Enscombe, which allowed his son to answer for having an entire fortnight at his command, as well as the route and the method of his journey; and she listened, and smiled, and congratulated.

"I shall soon bring him over to Hartfield," said he, at the conclusion.

Emma could imagine she saw a touch of the arm at this speech, from his wife.

"We had better move on, Mr. Weston," said she, "we are detaining the girls."

"Well, well, I am ready;"--and turning again to Emma, "but you must not be expecting such a very fine young man; you have only had my account you know; I dare say he is really nothing extraordinary:"--though his own sparkling eyes at the moment were speaking a very different conviction.

同类推荐
  • 无垢优婆夷问经

    无垢优婆夷问经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 渤海考

    渤海考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 诗谱

    诗谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 战略

    战略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 毛对山医话

    毛对山医话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 名门嫡女是医妃

    名门嫡女是医妃

    一觉睡醒已穿越,出自现代医学世家的女孩,一夜之间变成古代侯门嫡女。父亲年少荒唐,庶长子庶长女贵妾良妾皆有,另还有满室的婢妾赠妾,一心增产报国,生下孩子无数。母亲专心理家贤良淑德,从不搞打胎杀妾的争宠勾当。等到一朝亲娘身怀六甲难产而死命归黄泉,自诩风流的亲爹总算是幡然悔悟,奈何继母恶毒,姐妹争夺。幸得祖母庇护,却遭大叔惦记,萝莉日子不好过啊!
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 神秘岛新科幻系列·病毒入侵

    神秘岛新科幻系列·病毒入侵

    天河小学五(5)班的张文昊有一天在网络上发现了一款虚拟游戏,当他将游戏下载到电脑上后,他突然发现这个似乎远远超过了当前的科技水平。短短几个月后,这款游戏风靡全球。可是,张文昊发现自己的意识出现了奇怪的变化,他开始出现幻觉,甚至分辨不清现实世界和游戏世界。为了弄清真相,张文昊与同班女生叶婷丽及他的表弟杨念一起展开调查,真相慢慢浮现出来……
  • 逃跑的木偶

    逃跑的木偶

    年轻的高层主管驾驶滑翔机遇到偷猎团伙,是明哲保身,还是选择为迷途的鹤群领航?一群蒙受龙卷风阴影多年,创伤未愈的人们再次遭遇飓风,他们该如何面对重演的噩梦?二十年过去,容颜不改,生命永远停留在十八岁的小学老师,又藏有什么不为人知的秘密?平静的湖面波光潋滟,而一群为夺宝而来的人却在湖底掀起了一股暗涌,他们会揭开哪些尘封的往事,又会得到怎样珍贵的宝藏?一具普通的木偶,忽然从舞台上挣脱,是谁赋予了它生命?又是谁最终将其俘获?一个个精彩离奇的故事,就在本书中一一为您呈现。
  • 光明在我们的前面:胡也频作品精选

    光明在我们的前面:胡也频作品精选

    1925年5月,一天午后三点钟左右,在北京的马神庙街上,有一个二十六岁光景的男子,在那里走着带点心急的神气,走进北京大学夹道去。他穿着一套不时宜的藏青色西装,而且很旧,旧得好象是从天桥烂货摊上买来的货色,穿在身上不大相称,把裤筒高高地吊在小腿肚上……
  • 仙道霸途

    仙道霸途

    凡人修仙问道以求长生不死!山村少年叶云帆一心只为求仙问道走出大山,在这个瑰丽绚烂的修真世界中,开启了一段逆天强者之路。
  • 把梳子卖给和尚的几种理由

    把梳子卖给和尚的几种理由

    姬荣,女,陈州城北关人。幼年时聪慧,品学兼优。民国二十七年在开封女高读书时接受马列主义教育,加入中国共产党。时值陈州沦陷,她胸怀报国壮志,参加了中共淮太西抗日游击队。在抗日和解放战争中,历任中共陈县县大队副政委、陈县组织部副部长等职。1948年1月,她被派任颍河区土改工作队队长。她工作积极,善于发动群众,敢于与敌人做斗争。不幸于同年3月4日失踪,后经多方寻找,下落不明,成为一大悬案。1955年,经陈县县政府研究决定,追任姬荣同志为革命烈士。
  • 斗破之火影乱入

    斗破之火影乱入

    来自21世纪的沙雕宿主,遇上系统会擦出啥子火花。【本书不圣母,请谨慎观看】
  • 才不要和大魔王谈恋爱

    才不要和大魔王谈恋爱

    公然拒婚被贬回下界,回就回吧,为什么我会变成一棵草?草就草吧,我努力修炼还不行吗?可是为什么一直单身的我,回到这个熟悉的大陆会桃花朵朵开?一朵两朵,掐都掐不完。此时,身后的大魔王说:“不怕,我帮你掐。”“谢谢,麻烦你先掐死自己!”