August 9, 2025 • 10 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Volume one, chapter sixteen. The hair was curled and the
maid sent away, and Emma sat down to think and
be miserable. It was a wretched business, indeed, such an
overthrow of everything she had been wishing for, such a
development of everything most unwelcome, Such a blow for Harriet
(00:21):
that was the worst of all. Every part of it
brought pain and humiliation of some sort or other. But
compared with the evil, to Harriet, all was light, and
she would gladly have submitted to feel yet more mistaken,
more in error, more disgraced by misjudgment than she actually was.
Could the effects of her blunders have been confined to herself?
(00:43):
If I had not persuaded Harriet into liking the man,
I could have borne anything. He might have doubled his
presumption to me. But poor Harriet, how she could have
been so deceived? He protested that he had never thought
seriously of Harriet, never looked back as well as she could,
But it was all confusion. She had taken up the
(01:04):
idea she supposed and made everything bend to it. His manners, however,
must have been unmarked, wavering, dubious, or she could not
have been so misled. The picture, how eager he had
been about the picture, and the charade, and an hundred
other circumstances. How clearly they had seemed to point at Harriet,
to be sure, the charade, with its ready wit, but
(01:28):
then the soft eyes. In fact, it suited neither. It
was a jumble without taste or truth. Who could have
seen through such thick headed nonsense. Certainly she had, often,
especially of late, thought his manners to herself unnecessarily gallant.
But it had passed as his way, as a mere
error of judgment, of knowledge of taste, as one proof
(01:51):
among others, that he had not always lived in the
best society, that, with all the gentleness of his address,
true elegance was sometimes wanting. But till this very day
she had never for an instant suspected it to mean
anything but grateful respect to her as Harriet's friend. To
mister John Knightley, she was indebted for her first idea
on the subject, for the first start of its possibility.
(02:14):
There was no denying that those brothers had penetration. She
remembered what mister Knightley had once said to her about
mister Elton, the caution he had given, the conviction he
had professed that mister Elton would never marry and discreetly
and blush to think how much truer a knowledge of
his character had been there shown than any she had
reached herself. It was dreadfully mortifying, but mister Elton was
(02:37):
proving himself in many respects the very reverse of what
she had meant, and believed him proud, assuming, conceited, very
full of his own claims, and little concerned about the
feelings of others. Contrary to the usual course of things,
mister Elton's wanting to pay his addresses to her had
sunk him. In her opinion, his professions and his proposals
(02:58):
did him no service. She thought not of his attachment
and was insulted by his hopes. He wanted to marry well,
and having the arrogance to raise his eyes to her,
pretended to be in love. But she was perfectly easy
as to his, not suffering any disappointment that need be
cared for. There had been no real affection, either in
his language or manners. Size and fine words had been
(03:20):
given in abundance, but she could hardly devise any set
of expressions or fancy any tone of voice. Less allied
with real love. She need not trouble herself to pity him.
He only wanted to aggrandize and enrich himself. And of
Miss Woodhouse of Hartfield, the heiress of thirty thousand pounds,
were not quite so easily obtained as he had fancied.
(03:41):
He would soon try for miss somebody else with twenty
or with ten. But that he should talk of encouragement,
and should consider her as aware of his views, accepting
his attentions, meaning in short, to marry him. Should suppose
himself her equal in connection or mind. Look her friend
so well, understanding the gradations of rank below him, and
(04:04):
be so blind to what rose above, as to fancy
himself showing no presumption in addressing her, it was most provoking.
Perhaps it was not fair to expect him to feel
how very much he was her inferior in talent and
all the elegancies of mind. The very want of such
equality might prevent his perception of it. But he must
(04:24):
know that in fortune and consequence she was greatly his superior.
He must know that the wood Houses had been settled
for several generations at Hartfield, the younger branch of a
very ancient family, and that the Eltons were nobody. The
landed property of Hartfield certainly was inconsiderable, being but a
sort of notch in the Donwell Abbey estate to which
(04:45):
all the rest of Highbury belonged. But their fortune from
other sources was such as to make them scarcely secondary
to Donwell Abbey itself in every other kind of consequence.
And the wood houses had long held a high place
in the consideration of the neighborhood which mister Elton had
first entered not two years ago, to make his way
as he could, without any alliances but in trade or
(05:07):
anything to recommend him to notice but his situation and
his civility. But he had fancied her in love with him,
that evidently must have been his dependants. And after raving
a little about the seeming incongruity of gentle manners and
a conceited head, Emma was obliged in common honesty to
stop and admit that her own behavior to him had
been so complaisant and obliging, so full of courtesy and attention,
(05:31):
as supposing her real motive, unperceived, might warrant a man
of ordinary observation and delicacy like mister Elton, in fancying
himself a very decided favorite. If she had so misinterpreted
his feelings, she had little right to wonder that he,
with self interest to blind him, should have mistaken hers.
The first error, and the worst lay at her door.
(05:54):
It was foolish. It was wrong to take so active
a part in bringing any two people together. It was
a venturing too far, assuming too much, making light of
what ought to be serious, a trick of what ought
to be simple. She was quite concerned and ashamed, and
resolved to do such things. No more here have I said.
(06:14):
She actually talked poor Harriet into being very much attached
to this man. She might never have thought of him
but for me, and certainly never would have thought of
him with hope if I had not assured her of
his attachment, For she is as modest and humble as
I used to think him. Oh that I might have
been satisfied with persuading her not to accept young Martin.
(06:36):
There I was quite right. That was well done of me.
But there I should have stopped and left the rest
to time and chance. I was introducing her into good company,
and giving her the opportunity of pleasing some one worth having.
I ought not to have attempted more. But now, poor girl,
her piece is cut up. For some time I have
been but half a friend to her, And if she
(06:58):
were not to feel this disapoin ointment so very much,
I am sure I have not an idea of anybody
else would be at all desirable for her. William Coxe, Oh, no,
I could not endure William Coxe, a pert young lawyer.
She stopped to blush and laugh at her own relapse,
and then resumed a more serious, more dispiriting cogitation upon
(07:20):
what had been, and might be and must be. The
distressing explanation she had to make to Harriet, and all
that poor Harriet would be suffering with the awkwardness of
future meetings. The difficulties of continuing or discontinuing the acquaintance
of subduing feelings, concealing resentment, and avoiding a claw were
enough to occupy her in most unmirthful recollections. Sometime longer,
(07:43):
and she went to bed at last with nothing settled
but the conviction of her having blundered most dreadfully to
youth and natural cheerfulness like Emma's. Though under temporary gloom
at night, the return of day will hardly fail to
bring return of spirits. The youth and cheerfulness of mourning
are in happy analogy and of powerful operation. And if
(08:03):
the distress be not poignant enough to keep the eyes unclosed,
they will be sure to open to sensations of soft
and pained and brighter hope. Emma got up on the
morrow more disposed for comfort than she had gone to bed,
more ready to see alleviations of the evil before her,
and to depend on getting tolerably out of it. It
was a great consolation that mister Elton should not really
(08:23):
be in love with her, or so particularly amiable as
to make it shocking to disappoint him. That Harriet's nature
should not be of that superior sort in which the
feelings are most acute and retentive, and that there could
be no necessity for anybody's knowing what had passed except
the three principles, and especially for her father's being given
a moment's uneasiness about it. These were very cheering thoughts,
(08:44):
and the sight of a great deal of snow on
the ground did her further service, for anything was welcome
that might justify their all three being quite asunder. At present,
the weather was most favorable for her, though Christmas Day
she could not go to church. Mister Woodhouse would have
been miserable had his daughter attempted it, and she was
therefore safe from either exciting or receiving unpleasant and most
(09:06):
unsuitable ideas. The ground covered with snow, and the atmosphere
in that unsettled state between frost and thaw, which is,
of all others the most unfriendly for exercise. Every morning
beginning in rain or snow, and every evening setting into freeze,
she was for many days a most honorable prisoner. No
intercourse with Harriet possible, but by note, no church for
(09:27):
her on Sunday any more than on Christmas Day, and
no need to find excuses for mister Elton's absenting himself.
It was weather which might fairly confine everybody at home,
And though she hoped and believed him to be really
taking comfort in some society or other, it was very
pleasant to have her father so well satisfied, with his
being all alone in his own house, too wise to
(09:47):
stir out, and to hear him say to mister Knightley,
whom no weather could keep entirely from them, Ah, mister Knightley,
why do you not stay at home, like poor mister
Elton these days have conf flinement would have been, but
for her private perplexities, remarkably comfortable. As such, seclusion exactly
suited her brother, whose feelings must always be of great
(10:09):
importance to his companions. And he had, besides, so thoroughly
cleared off his ill humor at Randall's that his amiableness
never failed him during the rest of his stay at Hartfield.
He was always agreeable and obliging, and speaking pleasantly of everybody.
But with all the hopes of cheerfulness and all the
present comfort of delay, there was still such an evil
(10:29):
hanging over her in the hour of explanation with Harriet,
has made it impossible for Emma to be ever perfectly
at ease. End of Chapter sixteen.
Volume one, chapter sixteen. The hair was curled and the
maid sent away, and Emma sat down to think and
be miserable. It was a wretched business, indeed, such an
overthrow of everything she had been wishing for, such a
development of everything most unwelcome, Such a blow for Harriet
(00:21):
that was the worst of all. Every part of it
brought pain and humiliation of some sort or other. But
compared with the evil, to Harriet, all was light, and
she would gladly have submitted to feel yet more mistaken,
more in error, more disgraced by misjudgment than she actually was.
Could the effects of her blunders have been confined to herself?
(00:43):
If I had not persuaded Harriet into liking the man,
I could have borne anything. He might have doubled his
presumption to me. But poor Harriet, how she could have
been so deceived? He protested that he had never thought
seriously of Harriet, never looked back as well as she could,
But it was all confusion. She had taken up the
(01:04):
idea she supposed and made everything bend to it. His manners, however,
must have been unmarked, wavering, dubious, or she could not
have been so misled. The picture, how eager he had
been about the picture, and the charade, and an hundred
other circumstances. How clearly they had seemed to point at Harriet,
to be sure, the charade, with its ready wit, but
(01:28):
then the soft eyes. In fact, it suited neither. It
was a jumble without taste or truth. Who could have
seen through such thick headed nonsense. Certainly she had, often,
especially of late, thought his manners to herself unnecessarily gallant.
But it had passed as his way, as a mere
error of judgment, of knowledge of taste, as one proof
(01:51):
among others, that he had not always lived in the
best society, that, with all the gentleness of his address,
true elegance was sometimes wanting. But till this very day
she had never for an instant suspected it to mean
anything but grateful respect to her as Harriet's friend. To
mister John Knightley, she was indebted for her first idea
on the subject, for the first start of its possibility.
(02:14):
There was no denying that those brothers had penetration. She
remembered what mister Knightley had once said to her about
mister Elton, the caution he had given, the conviction he
had professed that mister Elton would never marry and discreetly
and blush to think how much truer a knowledge of
his character had been there shown than any she had
reached herself. It was dreadfully mortifying, but mister Elton was
(02:37):
proving himself in many respects the very reverse of what
she had meant, and believed him proud, assuming, conceited, very
full of his own claims, and little concerned about the
feelings of others. Contrary to the usual course of things,
mister Elton's wanting to pay his addresses to her had
sunk him. In her opinion, his professions and his proposals
(02:58):
did him no service. She thought not of his attachment
and was insulted by his hopes. He wanted to marry well,
and having the arrogance to raise his eyes to her,
pretended to be in love. But she was perfectly easy
as to his, not suffering any disappointment that need be
cared for. There had been no real affection, either in
his language or manners. Size and fine words had been
(03:20):
given in abundance, but she could hardly devise any set
of expressions or fancy any tone of voice. Less allied
with real love. She need not trouble herself to pity him.
He only wanted to aggrandize and enrich himself. And of
Miss Woodhouse of Hartfield, the heiress of thirty thousand pounds,
were not quite so easily obtained as he had fancied.
(03:41):
He would soon try for miss somebody else with twenty
or with ten. But that he should talk of encouragement,
and should consider her as aware of his views, accepting
his attentions, meaning in short, to marry him. Should suppose
himself her equal in connection or mind. Look her friend
so well, understanding the gradations of rank below him, and
(04:04):
be so blind to what rose above, as to fancy
himself showing no presumption in addressing her, it was most provoking.
Perhaps it was not fair to expect him to feel
how very much he was her inferior in talent and
all the elegancies of mind. The very want of such
equality might prevent his perception of it. But he must
(04:24):
know that in fortune and consequence she was greatly his superior.
He must know that the wood Houses had been settled
for several generations at Hartfield, the younger branch of a
very ancient family, and that the Eltons were nobody. The
landed property of Hartfield certainly was inconsiderable, being but a
sort of notch in the Donwell Abbey estate to which
(04:45):
all the rest of Highbury belonged. But their fortune from
other sources was such as to make them scarcely secondary
to Donwell Abbey itself in every other kind of consequence.
And the wood houses had long held a high place
in the consideration of the neighborhood which mister Elton had
first entered not two years ago, to make his way
as he could, without any alliances but in trade or
(05:07):
anything to recommend him to notice but his situation and
his civility. But he had fancied her in love with him,
that evidently must have been his dependants. And after raving
a little about the seeming incongruity of gentle manners and
a conceited head, Emma was obliged in common honesty to
stop and admit that her own behavior to him had
been so complaisant and obliging, so full of courtesy and attention,
(05:31):
as supposing her real motive, unperceived, might warrant a man
of ordinary observation and delicacy like mister Elton, in fancying
himself a very decided favorite. If she had so misinterpreted
his feelings, she had little right to wonder that he,
with self interest to blind him, should have mistaken hers.
The first error, and the worst lay at her door.
(05:54):
It was foolish. It was wrong to take so active
a part in bringing any two people together. It was
a venturing too far, assuming too much, making light of
what ought to be serious, a trick of what ought
to be simple. She was quite concerned and ashamed, and
resolved to do such things. No more here have I said.
(06:14):
She actually talked poor Harriet into being very much attached
to this man. She might never have thought of him
but for me, and certainly never would have thought of
him with hope if I had not assured her of
his attachment, For she is as modest and humble as
I used to think him. Oh that I might have
been satisfied with persuading her not to accept young Martin.
(06:36):
There I was quite right. That was well done of me.
But there I should have stopped and left the rest
to time and chance. I was introducing her into good company,
and giving her the opportunity of pleasing some one worth having.
I ought not to have attempted more. But now, poor girl,
her piece is cut up. For some time I have
been but half a friend to her, And if she
(06:58):
were not to feel this disapoin ointment so very much,
I am sure I have not an idea of anybody
else would be at all desirable for her. William Coxe, Oh, no,
I could not endure William Coxe, a pert young lawyer.
She stopped to blush and laugh at her own relapse,
and then resumed a more serious, more dispiriting cogitation upon
(07:20):
what had been, and might be and must be. The
distressing explanation she had to make to Harriet, and all
that poor Harriet would be suffering with the awkwardness of
future meetings. The difficulties of continuing or discontinuing the acquaintance
of subduing feelings, concealing resentment, and avoiding a claw were
enough to occupy her in most unmirthful recollections. Sometime longer,
(07:43):
and she went to bed at last with nothing settled
but the conviction of her having blundered most dreadfully to
youth and natural cheerfulness like Emma's. Though under temporary gloom
at night, the return of day will hardly fail to
bring return of spirits. The youth and cheerfulness of mourning
are in happy analogy and of powerful operation. And if
(08:03):
the distress be not poignant enough to keep the eyes unclosed,
they will be sure to open to sensations of soft
and pained and brighter hope. Emma got up on the
morrow more disposed for comfort than she had gone to bed,
more ready to see alleviations of the evil before her,
and to depend on getting tolerably out of it. It
was a great consolation that mister Elton should not really
(08:23):
be in love with her, or so particularly amiable as
to make it shocking to disappoint him. That Harriet's nature
should not be of that superior sort in which the
feelings are most acute and retentive, and that there could
be no necessity for anybody's knowing what had passed except
the three principles, and especially for her father's being given
a moment's uneasiness about it. These were very cheering thoughts,
(08:44):
and the sight of a great deal of snow on
the ground did her further service, for anything was welcome
that might justify their all three being quite asunder. At present,
the weather was most favorable for her, though Christmas Day
she could not go to church. Mister Woodhouse would have
been miserable had his daughter attempted it, and she was
therefore safe from either exciting or receiving unpleasant and most
(09:06):
unsuitable ideas. The ground covered with snow, and the atmosphere
in that unsettled state between frost and thaw, which is,
of all others the most unfriendly for exercise. Every morning
beginning in rain or snow, and every evening setting into freeze,
she was for many days a most honorable prisoner. No
intercourse with Harriet possible, but by note, no church for
(09:27):
her on Sunday any more than on Christmas Day, and
no need to find excuses for mister Elton's absenting himself.
It was weather which might fairly confine everybody at home,
And though she hoped and believed him to be really
taking comfort in some society or other, it was very
pleasant to have her father so well satisfied, with his
being all alone in his own house, too wise to
(09:47):
stir out, and to hear him say to mister Knightley,
whom no weather could keep entirely from them, Ah, mister Knightley,
why do you not stay at home, like poor mister
Elton these days have conf flinement would have been, but
for her private perplexities, remarkably comfortable. As such, seclusion exactly
suited her brother, whose feelings must always be of great
(10:09):
importance to his companions. And he had, besides, so thoroughly
cleared off his ill humor at Randall's that his amiableness
never failed him during the rest of his stay at Hartfield.
He was always agreeable and obliging, and speaking pleasantly of everybody.
But with all the hopes of cheerfulness and all the
present comfort of delay, there was still such an evil
(10:29):
hanging over her in the hour of explanation with Harriet,
has made it impossible for Emma to be ever perfectly
at ease. End of Chapter sixteen.
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