4 Emma - Guided Literature By Jane Austen

Emma by Jane Austen follows a clever, wealthy, and spoiled young woman in 19th-century England who amuses herself by playing matchmaker. Her misguided meddling creates comedic romantic chaos, ultimately leading her to recognize her own flaws and fall in love with her longtime friend, Mr. Knightley.

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By Jane Austen This story set in the village of Highbury. Follows Emma Woodhouse, A privileged young woman. Who fancies herself a matchmaker. Meddling in the romantic lives of those around her. Particularly her new friend Harriet Smith. Emma finds her misguided interventions. Lead to hurt feelings. And unexpected revelations. Happy listening! Chapter 4 Harriet Smith's intimacy at Hartfield was soon the second thing. Quicken decided in her ways, Emma lost no time in inviting, Encouraging and telling her to come very often. And as their acquaintance increased, So did their satisfaction in each other. As a walking companion, Emma had early foreseen how useful she might find her. In that respect, Mrs Weston's loss had been important. Her father never went beyond the shrubbery where two divisions of the ground sufficed him for his long walk, Or his short as the year varies. And since Mrs. Weston's marriage, Her exercise had been too much confined. She had ventured once alone to Randalls, But it was not pleasant. And a Harriet Smith therefore, One whom she could summon at any time to walk, Would be a valuable addition to her privileges. But in every aspect, As she saw more of her, She approved her and was confirmed in all her kind designs. Harriet certainly was not clever, But she had a sweet, Docile, Grateful disposition, Was totally free from conceit, And only desiring to be guided by anyone she looked up to. Her early attachment to herself and her inclination for good company and power for appreciating what was elegant and clever showed there was no want of taste, Though strength of understanding must not be expected. Altogether she was quite convinced of Harriet Smith's being exactly the young friend she wanted, Exactly the something which her home required. Such a friend as Mrs Weston was out of the question. Two such could never be granted. Two such he did not want. It was quite a different sort of thing. A sentiment distinct and independent. Mrs Weston was the object of a regard which had in its basis been gratitude and esteem. Harriet would be loved as one to whom she could be useful. For Mrs Weston there was nothing to be done. For Harriet. Everything. Emma's first attempts at usefulness were an endeavour to find out who were the parents, But Harriet could not tell. She was ready to tell everything in her power, But on this subject questions were vain. Emma was obliged to fancy what she liked, But she could never believe that in the same situation, She should not have discovered the truth. Harriet had no penetration. She had been satisfied to hear and believe just what Mrs Goddard chose to tell her, And looked no further. Mrs. Goddard, And the teachers, And the girls, And the affairs of the school in general, Formed naturally a great part of the conversation. And but for her acquaintance with the Martins of Abbey Hill Farm, It must have been the whole. But the Martins occupied her thoughts a good deal. She had spent two very happy months with them and now loved to talk of the pleasures of their visit and describe the many comforts and wonders of the place. Emma encouraged her talkativeness, Amused by such a picture of another set of beings, And enjoying the youthful simplicity which could speak with so much exultation of Mrs. Martin's having two parlours, Two very good parlours indeed, One of them quite as large as Mrs. Goddard's drawing room, And of her having an upper maid who'd lived twenty-five years with her. And of their having eight cows, Two of them Alderneys and one a little Welsh cow. A very pretty little Welsh cow indeed! And of Mrs Martin saying as she was so fond of it, It should be called her cow. And of their having a very handsome summer house in their garden where someday next year they were all to drink tea. A very handsome summer house, Large enough to hold a dozen people. For some time, Emma was amused without thinking beyond the immediate cause. But as she came to understand the family better. . . Other feelings arose. She had taken up a wrong idea, Fancying it was a mother and daughter, A son and son's wife, Who all lived together. But when it appeared the Mr Martin, Who bore a part in the narrative and was always mentioned with approbation for his good nature in doing something or another, Was a single man. There was no young Mrs Martin, No wife in the case. She suspected danger to her poor little friend from all this hospitality and kindness. And that if Harriet were not taken care of she might be required to sink herself forever. With this inspiriting notion, Emma's questions increased in number and meaning, And she particularly led Harriet to talk more of Mr. Martin, And there was evidently no dislike to it. Harriet was very pleased to speak of the share he had in their moonlit walks and merry evening games. And dwelt a good deal upon his being so very good-humoured and obliging. He'd gone three miles round one day in order to bring her some walnuts because she'd said how fond she was of them. And in everything else he was so very obliging. He had his shepherd's son into the parlour one night on purpose to sing to her. Harriet was very fond of singing. Could sing a little himself she said and she believed he was very clever and understood everything His mother and sisters were very fond of him. Mrs Martin had told her one day it was impossible for anybody to be a better son. And therefore she was sure whenever he married he would make a good husband. Not that she wanted him to marry. She was in no hurry at all. Well done, Mrs Martin, Thought Emma. You know what you're about. And when she had come away, Mrs. Martin was so very kind, Harriet said, As to send Mrs. Goddard a beautiful goose, The finest goose Mrs. Goddard had ever seen. Mrs Goddard dressed it on a Sunday and asked all the three teachers, Miss Nash, Miss Prince and Miss Richardson, To sing with her. Mr. Martin, I suppose, Is not a man of information beyond the line of his own business. He does not leave. Serema! Oh yes, That is. . . No, I do not know, But I believe he's read a good deal. But not what you would think anything of. He reads the agricultural reports and some other books that lay in front of one of the window seats, But he reads them all to himself. Sometimes of an evening before we went to cards he would read something aloud out of the elegant extracts. Very entertaining. And I know he's read the Vicar of Wakefield. He never reads The Romance of the Forest or The Children of the Abbey. He's never heard of such books before I mention them. But he's determined to get them now as soon as ever he can. What sort of looking man is Mr Martin? Oh, Not handsome, Not at all handsome. I thought him very plain first, Said Harriet, But I do not think him so plain now. One does not, You know, After a time. But did you ever see him? He's in Highbury every now and then. He's sure to ride through every week on his way to Kingston. He's pastured very often. That may be, And I may have seen him fifty times, " said Emma. But without having any idea of his name. A young farmer, Whether on horseback or on foot, Is the very last sort of person to raise my curiosity. The omenary are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do. A degree or two lower and a creditable appearance might interest me. I might hope to be useful to their families in some way or another. But a farmer can need none of my help, And is therefore in one sense as much above my notice as in every other he is below it. To be sure, Oh yes, " said Harriet. It's not likely you should have ever observed him, But he knows you very well indeed. I mean, By sight. I have no doubt of his being a very respectable young man, " said Emma. I know indeed he's so, And as such will wish him well. What do you imagine his age to be? He was four and twenty the 8th of last June, And my birthday is the 23rd. Just a fortnight and a day's difference. Which is very odd. Only four and twenty? That's too young to settle. His mother is perfectly right not to be in a hurry. They seem very comfortable as they are. If she were to take any pains to marry him, She would probably repent it. Six years hence if he could meet with a good sort of woman in the same rank as his own with a little money. It might be very desirable. Six sheets hence. Dear Miss Woodhouse, He'd be thirty years old! Well, And that is as early as most men can afford to marry who are not born to be an independent. Mr Martin has, I imagine, His fortune entirely to make. Whatever money he might come into when his father died, Whatever his share of the family property. . . I say, All afloat, All employed in his staff. And so forth. And though with diligence and good luck he may be rich in time. . . It's next to impossible you should have realised anything yet. To be sure MSO it is. But they live very comfortably. They have no indoors man, Else they do not want for anything. And Mrs Martin talks of taking a boy another year. I wish you may not get into a scrape, Harriet, Whenever he does marry. I mean as to be acquainted with his wife. For though his sisters from a superior education are not to be altogether objected to. Does not follow he might marry anybody at all fit for you to notice. The misfortune of your birth ought to make you particularly careful as to your associates. There can be no doubt of your being a gentleman's daughter and you must support your claim to that station by everything within your own power or there'll be plenty of people who would take pleasure in degrading you. Yes, To be sure, I suppose there are. But while I visit at Hartfield, And you're so kind to me, Miss Woodhouse, I'm not afraid of what anybody could do. You understand the force of influence pretty well, Harriet. But I would have you so firmly established in good society as to be independent even of Hartfield and Miss Woodhouse. I want to see you permanently well connected, And to that end it will be advisable to have as few odd acquaintances as may be. Therefore I say. . . If you should still be in this country when Mr. Martin marries I wish you may not be drawn by your intimacy with the sisters to be acquainted with the wife. It will probably be some mere farmer's daughter without education. To be sure, Yes. Not that I think Mr Martin would ever marry anybody but what had some education and been very well brought up. However, I do not mean to set my opinion against yours, Emma. I'm sure I shall not wish for the acquaintance of his wife. I shall always have a great regard for the Miss Martins, Especially Elizabeth, And I shall be very sorry to give them up. For they're quite as well educated as me. But if Mr Martin marries a very ignorant vulgar woman, Certainly I'd better not visit her if I can help it. Emma watched Harriet through the fluctuations of this speech and saw no alarming symptoms of love. The young man had been the first admirer, But she trusted there was no other hold. And that there would be no serious difficulty on Harriet's side to oppose any friendly arrangement of her own. They met Mr Martin the very next day as they were walking on the Donwell Road. He was on foot and after looking very respectably at her looked with most unfeigned satisfaction at her companion. Emma was not sorry to have such an opportunity of survey and walking a few yards forward while they talked together. Soon made her quick eye sufficiently equated with Mr Robert Martin. His appearance was very neat. He looked like a sensible young man. But this person had no other advantage. And when he came to be contrasted with gentlemen, She thought he must lose all the ground he'd gained in Harriet's inclination. Harriet was not insensible of manner. She had voluntarily noticed her father's gentleness with admiration, As well as with wonder. Mr. Martin looked as if he did not know what manner was. They remained but a few minutes together as Miss Woodhouse must not be kept waiting. And Harriet then came running to her with a smiling face and a flutter of spirit. Which Miss Woodhouse hoped very soon to compose. Oh, Think of us having to meet him! How very odd! It was quite a chance, He said. He'd not gone by randles. He did not think we ever walked this road. He thought we walked towards Raffles most days. He's not been able to get the Romance of the Forest yet. He was so busy the last time he was at Kingston he quite forget it. But he goes again tomorrow. How very odd we should happen to meet. Well, Miss Woodhouse, Is he what you expected? What do you think of him? Do you think of him so very plain? He is very plain undoubtedly. Remarkably plain, Said Emma. But that is nothing compared with his entire want of gentility. I had no right to expect much, And I did not expect much. But I had no idea he could be so very clownish, So totally without air. I imagined him, I confess, To a degree or two nearer gentility. To be sure, Said Harriet in a mortified voice. He's not so gentile as a real gentleman. I think, Harriet, Since your acquaintance with us, You've been repeatedly in the company of some very real gentleman that you yourself must be struck with the difference in Mr. Martin. At Hartfield, You've had very good specimens of well-educated, Well-bred men. I should be surprised if after seeing them you could be in company with Mr Martin again without perceiving him to be a very inferior creature and rather wondering at yourself for having ever thought him at all agreeable before. Certainly he's not like Mr Knightley, " said Harriet. He has not such a fine air and way of talking and walking as Mr Knightley. I do see the difference plain enough. But Mr Knightley is so very fine a man. Mr Knightly's air is so remarkably good it's not fair to compare him with Mr Martin. You might not see one in a hundred with gentlemen so plainly written as in Mr Knightley. But he's not the only gentleman you've been lately used to. What say you to Mr. Weston and Mr. Elton? Compare Mr. Martin with either of them. Compare their manner of carrying themselves, Of walking and speaking. Of being silent. You must see the difference! Yes, There is a great difference. But Mr Weston's almost an old man. He must be between 40 and 50. Which makes his good manners all the more valuable, " pressed Emma. The older a person is, The more important it is their manners should not be bad. In one respect perhaps, Mr Elton's manners are superior to Mr Knightley's or Mr Weston's. They have more gentleness. They might be more safely held up as a pattern. But Mr. Elton's situation is most suitable. He's quite the gentleman himself, And without low connections. He has a comfortable home. And I imagine a very sufficient income, For though the vicarage of Highbury is not large, He's known to have some independent property. Emma had already satisfied herself. He thought Harriet, A beautiful girl, Which she trusted with such frequent meetings at Hartfield, Was foundation enough on Mr Elton's side. On Harriet's, There could be little doubt that the idea of being preferred by him would have all the usual weight and efficacy. And he was really a pleasing young man. A young man whom any woman not fastidious might like. He was reckoned very handsome, His person admired in general, Though not by her. There being a want of elegance, A feature which he could not dispense with. But the girl who could be gratified by Robert Martin's riding about the country to get walnuts, For her might very well be conquered by Mr Elton's admiration.