August 20, 2025 • 16 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Volume two, Chapter nine. Emma did not repent her condescension
in going to the coals. The visit afforded her many
pleasant recollections the next day, and all that she might
be supposed to have lost on the side of dignified
seclusion must be amply repaid in the splendor of popularity.
She must have delighted the coals worthy people who deserved
(00:22):
to be made happy, and left a name behind her
that would not soon die away. Perfect happiness, even in memory,
is not common, and there were two points on which
she was not quite easy. She doubted whether she had
not transgressed the duty of woman by woman in betraying
her suspicions of Jane Fairfax's feelings. To Frank Churchill, it
(00:42):
was hardly right, but it had been so strong an
idea that it would escape her, and his submission to
all that she told was a compliment to her penetration,
which made it difficult for her to be quite certain
that she ought to have held her tongue. The other
circumstance of regret related also to Jane Fairfax, and there
she had no doubt. She did unfeignedly and unequivocally regret
(01:04):
the inferiority of her own playing and singing. She did
most heartily grieve over the idleness of her childhood, and
sat down and practiced vigorously an hour and a half.
She was then interrupted by Harriet's coming in, And if
Harriet's praise could have satisfied her, she might soon have
been comforted. Oh if I could but play as well
(01:25):
as you and miss Fairfax. Don't class us together, Harriet.
My playing is no more like hers than a lamp
is like sunshine. Oh dear, I think you play the
best of the two. I think you play quite as
well as she does. I am sure I'd much rather
hear you. Everybody last night said how well you played.
(01:45):
Those who knew anything about it must have felt the difference.
The truth is, Harriet, that my playing is just good
enough to be praised, but Jane Fairfax is as much
beyond it. Well, I shall always think that you play
quite as well as she does, or that if there
is any difference, nobody would ever find it out. Mister
Cole said how much taste you had, And mister Frank
(02:06):
Churchill talked a great deal about your taste, and that
he valued taste much more than execution. Ah, but Jane
Fairfax has them both, Harriet, are you sure? I saw
she had execution? But I did not know she had
any taste. Nobody talked about it, and I hate Italian singing.
There is no understanding a word of it. Besides, if
(02:27):
she does play so very well, you know it is
no more than she is obliged to do, because she
will have to teach. The Coxes were wondering last night
whether she would get into any great family. How did
you think the Coxe has looked, just as they always do,
very vulgar. They told me something, said Harriet, rather hesitatingly.
(02:47):
But it is nothing of any consequence. Emma was obliged
to ask what they had told her, though fearful of
its producing mister Elton. They told me that mister Martin
dined with them last Saturday. Oh, he came to their
father upon some business, and he asked him to stay
to dinner. Oh. They talked a great deal about him,
(03:11):
especially Anne Cox. I do not know what she meant,
but she asked me if I thought I should go
and stay there again next summer. She meant to be
impertinently curious, just as such an Anne Cox should be,
she said, he was very agreeable. The day he dined there,
he sat by her at dinner. Miss Nash thinks either
of the Coxes would be very glad to marry him.
(03:34):
Very likely. I think they are, without exception, the most
vulgar girls in Highbury. Harriet had business at Ford's, Emma
thought it most prudent to go with her. Another accidental
meeting with the Martins was possible, and in her present state,
would be dangerous. Harriet, tempted by everything and swayed by
half a word, was always very long at a purchase.
(03:57):
And while she was still hanging over Muslins and changing
her mind, Emma went to the door for amusement. Much
could not be hoped from the traffic of even the
busiest part of Highbury. Mister Perry walking hastily by mister
William Cox letting himself in at the office door, mister
Cole's carriage, horses returning from exercise, or a stray letter
boy on an obstinate mule were the liveliest objects she
(04:19):
could presume to expect, And when her eyes fell only
on the butcher with his tray, a tidy old woman
traveling homewards from shop with her full basket two curs
quarreling over a dirty bone, and a string of dawdling
children round the baker's little bow window. Eyeing the gingerbread,
she knew she had no reason to complain, and was
amused enough, quite enough still to stand at the door.
(04:42):
A mind lively and at ease, can do with seeing nothing,
and can see nothing that does not answer. She looked
down the Randalls road, the scene enlarged. Two persons appeared,
Missus Weston and her son in law. They were walking
into Highbury to Hartfield. Of course, they were stopping, however,
in the first place, at Missus Bates's, whose house was
(05:02):
a little nearer Randalls than Ford's, and had all but
knocked when Emma caught their eye. Immediately they crossed the
road and came forward to her, and the agreeableness of
yesterday's engagement seemed to give fresh pleasure to the present meeting.
Missus Weston informed her that she was going to call
on the Bateses in order to hear the new instrument
for my companion tells me, said she that I absolutely
(05:25):
promised miss Bates last night that I would come this morning.
I was not aware of it myself. I did not
know that I had fixed a day, But as he
says I did, I am going now, and while Missus
Weston pays her visit, I may be allowed, I hope,
said Frank Churchill, to join your party and wait for
her at Hartfield. If you are going home. Missus Weston
(05:46):
was disappointed. I thought you meant to go with me.
They would be very much pleased me. I should be
quite in the way, but perhaps I may be equally
in the way here. Miss Woodhouse looks as if she
did not want me. My aunt always sends me off
when she is shopping. She says, I fidget her to death,
and Miss Woodhouse looks as if she could almost say
(06:07):
the same. What am I to do? I am here?
Are no business of my own, said Emma. I am
only waiting for my friend. She will probably have soon done,
and then we shall go home. But you had better
go with Missus Weston and hear the instrument well if
you advise it, but with a smile. If Colonel Campbell
(06:28):
should have employed a careless friend, and if it should
prove to have an indifferent tone, what shall I say?
I shall be no support to Missus Western. She might
do very well by herself, a disagreeable truth would be
palatable through her lips. But I am the wretchedest being
in the world at a civil falsehood. I do not
believe any such thing, replied Emma. I am persuaded that
(06:50):
you can be as insincere as your neighbors when it
is necessary. But there is no reason to suppose the
instrument is indifferent. Quite otherwise. Indeed, if I understood Miss
Fansfax's opinion last night, do come with me, said Missus Weston.
If it be not very disagreeable to you, it need
not detain us long. We will go to Hartfield. Afterwards.
(07:11):
We will follow them to Hartfield. I really wish you
to call with me. It will be felt so great
an attention, and I always thought you meant it. He
could say no more, and, with the hope of Hartfield
to reward him, returned with Missus Weston to Missus Bates's door.
Emma watched them in and then joined Harriet at the
interesting counter, trying with all the force of her own
(07:32):
mind to convince her that if she wanted plain Muslin,
it was of no use to look at figured, and
that a blue ribbon, be it ever so beautiful, would
still never match her yellow pattern. At last it was
all settled even to the destination of the parcel. Should
I send it to missus Goddards, ma'am asked missus Ford. Yes, no,
(07:53):
yes to missus Goddard's. Only my pattent gown is at Hartfield. No,
you shall send it to Hartfield if you please. But
then Missus Goddard will want to see it. And I
could take the pattern gown home any day, but I
shall want the ribbon directly, so it had better go
to Hartfield. At least the ribbon. You could make it
into two parcels, Missus Ford could not you. It is
(08:14):
not worth while, Harriet, to give missus Ford the trouble
of two parcels. No more, it is no trouble in
the world, ma'am, said the obliging missus Ford. Oh, but indeed,
I would much rather have it only in one. Then,
if you please, you shall send it all to missus Goddard's.
I do not know, No, I think miss Woodhouse, I
(08:35):
may just as well have it sent to Hartfield and
take it home with me at night. What do you
advise that you do not give another half second to
the subject to Hartfield? If you please, Missus Ford, Ay,
that will be much the best, said Harriet, quite satisfied.
I should not at all like it. Have it sent
to missus Goddard's voyces approached the shop, or rather one voice,
(08:58):
and two ladies, Missus Western and Miss Bates, met them
at the door. My dear Miss Woodhouse, said the latter.
I am just run across to entreat the favor of
you to come and sit down with us a little
while and give us your opinion of our new instrument.
You and Miss Smith, how do you do? Miss Smith?
Very well? I thank you, and I beg Missus Weston
to come with me that I might be sure of succeeding.
(09:21):
I hope Missus Bates and Miss Fairfax are very well.
I am much obliged to you. My mother is delightfully well,
and Jane caught no cold last night. How is mister Woodhouse.
I am so glad to hear such a good account.
Missus Weston told me you were here. Oh, then I said,
I must run across. I am sure Miss Woodhouse will
allow me just to run across an entreat her to
(09:41):
come in. My mother will be so very happy to
see her. And now we are such a nice party.
She cannot refuse. I pray do, said mister Frank Churchill.
Miss Woodhouse's opinion of the instrument will be worth having,
But said I, I shall be more sure of succeeding
if one of you will go with me. Oh, said he,
Wait half a minute till I have finished my job.
For would you believe it, Miss Woodhouse, There he is
(10:03):
in the most obliging manner in the world, fastening the
rivet of my mother's spectacles. The rivet came out, you know,
this morning, so very obliging, for my mother had no
use of her spectacles, could not put them on, and
by the bye everybody ought to have two pair of spectacles.
They should. Indeed, Jane said, so, I meant to take
them over to John Saunders. The first thing I did something,
(10:23):
or rather hindered me all the morning, first one thing,
then another. There is no saying what you know. At
one time Patty came to say she thought the kitchen
chimney wanted sweeping. Oh, said I, Patty, do not come
with your bad news to me. Here is the rivet
of your mistress's spectacles out. Then the big dapples came home.
Missus Wallace sent them by her boy. They are extremely
civil and obliging to us, the Wallaces always. I have
(10:45):
heard some people say that missus Wallace can be uncivil
and give a very rude answer. But we have never
known anything but the greatest attention from them, and it
cannot be for the value of our custom. Now, for
what is our consumption of bread? You know only three
of us besides dear Jane at present, and she really
eats nothing. Make such a shocking breakfast. You would be
quite frightened if you saw it. I dare not let
(11:05):
my mother know how little she eats, So I say
one thing, and then I say another, and it passes off.
But about the middle of the day she gets hungry,
and there is nothing she likes so well as these
baked apples, And they are extremely wholesome. For I took
the opportunity the other day of asking mister Perry. I
happened to meet him in the street, not that I
had any doubt before. I have so often heard mister
Woodhouse recommend baked apple. I believe it is the only
(11:27):
way that mister Woodhouse thinks the fruit thoroughly wholesome. We
have apple dumplings, however, very often. Patty makes an excellent
apple dumpling. Well, Missus Weston, you have prevailed, I hope,
and these ladies will oblige us. Emma would be very
happy to wait on missus Bates, et cetera. And they
did at last move out of the sharp with no
farther delay from Miss Bates than how do you do,
(11:48):
missus Ford? I beg your pardon. I did not see
you before. I hear you have a charming collection of
new ribbons from town. Jane came back delighted yesterday. Thank you.
The gloves do very well, only a little too large
about the wrist, but Jane is taking them in. What
was I talking of? Said she, beginning again. When they
were all on the street, Emma wondered on what of
(12:08):
all the medley she would fix? I declare I cannot
recollect what I was talking of. Oh, my mother's spectacles,
so very obliging in mister Frank Churchill, oh said he,
I do think I can fasten the ribbt. I like
a job of this kind excessively, which you know showed
him be so very Indeed, I must say that as
much as I had heard of him before, and much
(12:29):
as I had expected. He very far exceeds anything I do.
Congratulate you, Missus Weston, most warmly. He seems everything the
fondest parent could, oh said he, I can fasten the ribbt.
I'd like a job of that sort excessively. I never
shall forget his manner. And when I brought out the
baked apples from the closet and hoped our friends would
be very so much obliging as to take some, oh,
(12:50):
said he directly. There is nothing in the way of
fruit half so good. And these are the finest looking
home baked apples I ever saw in my life that
you know was so oh very and I am sure
by his manner it was no compliment. Indeed, they are
very delightful apples, and Missus Wallace does them full justice.
Only we do not have them begged more than twice,
and mister Woodhouse made us promise to have them done
(13:12):
three times. But Miss Woodhouse will be so good as
not to mention it. The apples themselves are the very
finest sought for baking, beyond a doubt, all from Donwell
some mister Knightley's most liberal supply. He sends us a
sack every year, and certainly there never was such a
keeping apple anywhere as one of his trees. I believe
there is two of them. My mother says the orchard
was always famous in her younger days. But I was
(13:33):
really quite shocked the other day, For mister Knightley called
one morning and Jane was eating these apples, and we
talked about them, and said how much she enjoyed them.
And he asked whether we were not got to the
end of our stock. I am sure you must be,
said he, and I will send you another supply, for
I have a great many more than I can ever use.
William Larkins, let me keep a larger quantity than usual
this year. I will send you some more before they
(13:54):
get good for nothing, so I begged he would not,
for really, as to ours being gone, I could not
absolutely say that we had a great many left. It
was but half a dozen, indeed, but they should be
all kept for Jane. And I could not at all
bear that he should be sending us more so liberal
as he has been already. And Jane said the same.
And when he was gone, she almost quarreled with me. No,
I should not say quarreled, for we never had a
(14:15):
quarrel in our lives. But she was quite distressed that
I had owned the apples were so nearly gone. She
wished I had made him believe we had a great
many left, Oh, said I, my dear. I did say
as much as I could. However, the very same evening
William Larkins came over with a large basket of apples,
the same sort of apples, a bushel at least, And
I was very much obliged and went down and spoke
to William Larkins and said everything, as you may suppose,
(14:38):
William Larkins is such an old acquaintance. I am always
glad to see him. But however, I found afterwards from
Patty that William said it was all the apples of
that sort his master had. He had brought them all,
and now his master had not one left to bake
or boil. William did not seem to mind it himself.
He was so pleased to think his master had sold
so many for William. We now thinks more of it
(15:00):
master's profit than anything. But missus Hodges, he said, was
quite displeased at their being all sent away. She could
not bear that her master should not be able to
have another apple tart this spring He told Patty this,
but bid her not mind it, and be sure not
to say anything to us about it. Missus Hodges would
be cross sometimes and as long as so many many
sacks were sold, it did not signify who wait the remainder.
(15:21):
And so Patty told me, and I was excessively shocked. Indeed,
I would not have mister Knightley know anything about it,
for the world. He would be so very I wanted
to keep it from Jane's knowledge, but unluckily I had
mentioned it before I was aware. Miss Bates had just done.
As Patty opened the door and her visitors walked upstairs
without having any regular narration to attend to, pursued only
(15:42):
by the sounds of her desultory good will. Pray take care,
missus Weston. There is a step at the turning. Pray
take care, miss Woodhouse. Ours is rather a dark staircase,
rather darker and narrower than one could wish, Miss Smith.
Pray take care, Miss Woodhouse. I am quite concerned. I
am sure you hit your foot, Miss Smith. The step
at the turning end of chapter nine
Volume two, Chapter nine. Emma did not repent her condescension
in going to the coals. The visit afforded her many
pleasant recollections the next day, and all that she might
be supposed to have lost on the side of dignified
seclusion must be amply repaid in the splendor of popularity.
She must have delighted the coals worthy people who deserved
(00:22):
to be made happy, and left a name behind her
that would not soon die away. Perfect happiness, even in memory,
is not common, and there were two points on which
she was not quite easy. She doubted whether she had
not transgressed the duty of woman by woman in betraying
her suspicions of Jane Fairfax's feelings. To Frank Churchill, it
(00:42):
was hardly right, but it had been so strong an
idea that it would escape her, and his submission to
all that she told was a compliment to her penetration,
which made it difficult for her to be quite certain
that she ought to have held her tongue. The other
circumstance of regret related also to Jane Fairfax, and there
she had no doubt. She did unfeignedly and unequivocally regret
(01:04):
the inferiority of her own playing and singing. She did
most heartily grieve over the idleness of her childhood, and
sat down and practiced vigorously an hour and a half.
She was then interrupted by Harriet's coming in, And if
Harriet's praise could have satisfied her, she might soon have
been comforted. Oh if I could but play as well
(01:25):
as you and miss Fairfax. Don't class us together, Harriet.
My playing is no more like hers than a lamp
is like sunshine. Oh dear, I think you play the
best of the two. I think you play quite as
well as she does. I am sure I'd much rather
hear you. Everybody last night said how well you played.
(01:45):
Those who knew anything about it must have felt the difference.
The truth is, Harriet, that my playing is just good
enough to be praised, but Jane Fairfax is as much
beyond it. Well, I shall always think that you play
quite as well as she does, or that if there
is any difference, nobody would ever find it out. Mister
Cole said how much taste you had, And mister Frank
(02:06):
Churchill talked a great deal about your taste, and that
he valued taste much more than execution. Ah, but Jane
Fairfax has them both, Harriet, are you sure? I saw
she had execution? But I did not know she had
any taste. Nobody talked about it, and I hate Italian singing.
There is no understanding a word of it. Besides, if
(02:27):
she does play so very well, you know it is
no more than she is obliged to do, because she
will have to teach. The Coxes were wondering last night
whether she would get into any great family. How did
you think the Coxe has looked, just as they always do,
very vulgar. They told me something, said Harriet, rather hesitatingly.
(02:47):
But it is nothing of any consequence. Emma was obliged
to ask what they had told her, though fearful of
its producing mister Elton. They told me that mister Martin
dined with them last Saturday. Oh, he came to their
father upon some business, and he asked him to stay
to dinner. Oh. They talked a great deal about him,
(03:11):
especially Anne Cox. I do not know what she meant,
but she asked me if I thought I should go
and stay there again next summer. She meant to be
impertinently curious, just as such an Anne Cox should be,
she said, he was very agreeable. The day he dined there,
he sat by her at dinner. Miss Nash thinks either
of the Coxes would be very glad to marry him.
(03:34):
Very likely. I think they are, without exception, the most
vulgar girls in Highbury. Harriet had business at Ford's, Emma
thought it most prudent to go with her. Another accidental
meeting with the Martins was possible, and in her present state,
would be dangerous. Harriet, tempted by everything and swayed by
half a word, was always very long at a purchase.
(03:57):
And while she was still hanging over Muslins and changing
her mind, Emma went to the door for amusement. Much
could not be hoped from the traffic of even the
busiest part of Highbury. Mister Perry walking hastily by mister
William Cox letting himself in at the office door, mister
Cole's carriage, horses returning from exercise, or a stray letter
boy on an obstinate mule were the liveliest objects she
(04:19):
could presume to expect, And when her eyes fell only
on the butcher with his tray, a tidy old woman
traveling homewards from shop with her full basket two curs
quarreling over a dirty bone, and a string of dawdling
children round the baker's little bow window. Eyeing the gingerbread,
she knew she had no reason to complain, and was
amused enough, quite enough still to stand at the door.
(04:42):
A mind lively and at ease, can do with seeing nothing,
and can see nothing that does not answer. She looked
down the Randalls road, the scene enlarged. Two persons appeared,
Missus Weston and her son in law. They were walking
into Highbury to Hartfield. Of course, they were stopping, however,
in the first place, at Missus Bates's, whose house was
(05:02):
a little nearer Randalls than Ford's, and had all but
knocked when Emma caught their eye. Immediately they crossed the
road and came forward to her, and the agreeableness of
yesterday's engagement seemed to give fresh pleasure to the present meeting.
Missus Weston informed her that she was going to call
on the Bateses in order to hear the new instrument
for my companion tells me, said she that I absolutely
(05:25):
promised miss Bates last night that I would come this morning.
I was not aware of it myself. I did not
know that I had fixed a day, But as he
says I did, I am going now, and while Missus
Weston pays her visit, I may be allowed, I hope,
said Frank Churchill, to join your party and wait for
her at Hartfield. If you are going home. Missus Weston
(05:46):
was disappointed. I thought you meant to go with me.
They would be very much pleased me. I should be
quite in the way, but perhaps I may be equally
in the way here. Miss Woodhouse looks as if she
did not want me. My aunt always sends me off
when she is shopping. She says, I fidget her to death,
and Miss Woodhouse looks as if she could almost say
(06:07):
the same. What am I to do? I am here?
Are no business of my own, said Emma. I am
only waiting for my friend. She will probably have soon done,
and then we shall go home. But you had better
go with Missus Weston and hear the instrument well if
you advise it, but with a smile. If Colonel Campbell
(06:28):
should have employed a careless friend, and if it should
prove to have an indifferent tone, what shall I say?
I shall be no support to Missus Western. She might
do very well by herself, a disagreeable truth would be
palatable through her lips. But I am the wretchedest being
in the world at a civil falsehood. I do not
believe any such thing, replied Emma. I am persuaded that
(06:50):
you can be as insincere as your neighbors when it
is necessary. But there is no reason to suppose the
instrument is indifferent. Quite otherwise. Indeed, if I understood Miss
Fansfax's opinion last night, do come with me, said Missus Weston.
If it be not very disagreeable to you, it need
not detain us long. We will go to Hartfield. Afterwards.
(07:11):
We will follow them to Hartfield. I really wish you
to call with me. It will be felt so great
an attention, and I always thought you meant it. He
could say no more, and, with the hope of Hartfield
to reward him, returned with Missus Weston to Missus Bates's door.
Emma watched them in and then joined Harriet at the
interesting counter, trying with all the force of her own
(07:32):
mind to convince her that if she wanted plain Muslin,
it was of no use to look at figured, and
that a blue ribbon, be it ever so beautiful, would
still never match her yellow pattern. At last it was
all settled even to the destination of the parcel. Should
I send it to missus Goddards, ma'am asked missus Ford. Yes, no,
(07:53):
yes to missus Goddard's. Only my pattent gown is at Hartfield. No,
you shall send it to Hartfield if you please. But
then Missus Goddard will want to see it. And I
could take the pattern gown home any day, but I
shall want the ribbon directly, so it had better go
to Hartfield. At least the ribbon. You could make it
into two parcels, Missus Ford could not you. It is
(08:14):
not worth while, Harriet, to give missus Ford the trouble
of two parcels. No more, it is no trouble in
the world, ma'am, said the obliging missus Ford. Oh, but indeed,
I would much rather have it only in one. Then,
if you please, you shall send it all to missus Goddard's.
I do not know, No, I think miss Woodhouse, I
(08:35):
may just as well have it sent to Hartfield and
take it home with me at night. What do you
advise that you do not give another half second to
the subject to Hartfield? If you please, Missus Ford, Ay,
that will be much the best, said Harriet, quite satisfied.
I should not at all like it. Have it sent
to missus Goddard's voyces approached the shop, or rather one voice,
(08:58):
and two ladies, Missus Western and Miss Bates, met them
at the door. My dear Miss Woodhouse, said the latter.
I am just run across to entreat the favor of
you to come and sit down with us a little
while and give us your opinion of our new instrument.
You and Miss Smith, how do you do? Miss Smith?
Very well? I thank you, and I beg Missus Weston
to come with me that I might be sure of succeeding.
(09:21):
I hope Missus Bates and Miss Fairfax are very well.
I am much obliged to you. My mother is delightfully well,
and Jane caught no cold last night. How is mister Woodhouse.
I am so glad to hear such a good account.
Missus Weston told me you were here. Oh, then I said,
I must run across. I am sure Miss Woodhouse will
allow me just to run across an entreat her to
(09:41):
come in. My mother will be so very happy to
see her. And now we are such a nice party.
She cannot refuse. I pray do, said mister Frank Churchill.
Miss Woodhouse's opinion of the instrument will be worth having,
But said I, I shall be more sure of succeeding
if one of you will go with me. Oh, said he,
Wait half a minute till I have finished my job.
For would you believe it, Miss Woodhouse, There he is
(10:03):
in the most obliging manner in the world, fastening the
rivet of my mother's spectacles. The rivet came out, you know,
this morning, so very obliging, for my mother had no
use of her spectacles, could not put them on, and
by the bye everybody ought to have two pair of spectacles.
They should. Indeed, Jane said, so, I meant to take
them over to John Saunders. The first thing I did something,
(10:23):
or rather hindered me all the morning, first one thing,
then another. There is no saying what you know. At
one time Patty came to say she thought the kitchen
chimney wanted sweeping. Oh, said I, Patty, do not come
with your bad news to me. Here is the rivet
of your mistress's spectacles out. Then the big dapples came home.
Missus Wallace sent them by her boy. They are extremely
civil and obliging to us, the Wallaces always. I have
(10:45):
heard some people say that missus Wallace can be uncivil
and give a very rude answer. But we have never
known anything but the greatest attention from them, and it
cannot be for the value of our custom. Now, for
what is our consumption of bread? You know only three
of us besides dear Jane at present, and she really
eats nothing. Make such a shocking breakfast. You would be
quite frightened if you saw it. I dare not let
(11:05):
my mother know how little she eats, So I say
one thing, and then I say another, and it passes off.
But about the middle of the day she gets hungry,
and there is nothing she likes so well as these
baked apples, And they are extremely wholesome. For I took
the opportunity the other day of asking mister Perry. I
happened to meet him in the street, not that I
had any doubt before. I have so often heard mister
Woodhouse recommend baked apple. I believe it is the only
(11:27):
way that mister Woodhouse thinks the fruit thoroughly wholesome. We
have apple dumplings, however, very often. Patty makes an excellent
apple dumpling. Well, Missus Weston, you have prevailed, I hope,
and these ladies will oblige us. Emma would be very
happy to wait on missus Bates, et cetera. And they
did at last move out of the sharp with no
farther delay from Miss Bates than how do you do,
(11:48):
missus Ford? I beg your pardon. I did not see
you before. I hear you have a charming collection of
new ribbons from town. Jane came back delighted yesterday. Thank you.
The gloves do very well, only a little too large
about the wrist, but Jane is taking them in. What
was I talking of? Said she, beginning again. When they
were all on the street, Emma wondered on what of
(12:08):
all the medley she would fix? I declare I cannot
recollect what I was talking of. Oh, my mother's spectacles,
so very obliging in mister Frank Churchill, oh said he,
I do think I can fasten the ribbt. I like
a job of this kind excessively, which you know showed
him be so very Indeed, I must say that as
much as I had heard of him before, and much
(12:29):
as I had expected. He very far exceeds anything I do.
Congratulate you, Missus Weston, most warmly. He seems everything the
fondest parent could, oh said he, I can fasten the ribbt.
I'd like a job of that sort excessively. I never
shall forget his manner. And when I brought out the
baked apples from the closet and hoped our friends would
be very so much obliging as to take some, oh,
(12:50):
said he directly. There is nothing in the way of
fruit half so good. And these are the finest looking
home baked apples I ever saw in my life that
you know was so oh very and I am sure
by his manner it was no compliment. Indeed, they are
very delightful apples, and Missus Wallace does them full justice.
Only we do not have them begged more than twice,
and mister Woodhouse made us promise to have them done
(13:12):
three times. But Miss Woodhouse will be so good as
not to mention it. The apples themselves are the very
finest sought for baking, beyond a doubt, all from Donwell
some mister Knightley's most liberal supply. He sends us a
sack every year, and certainly there never was such a
keeping apple anywhere as one of his trees. I believe
there is two of them. My mother says the orchard
was always famous in her younger days. But I was
(13:33):
really quite shocked the other day, For mister Knightley called
one morning and Jane was eating these apples, and we
talked about them, and said how much she enjoyed them.
And he asked whether we were not got to the
end of our stock. I am sure you must be,
said he, and I will send you another supply, for
I have a great many more than I can ever use.
William Larkins, let me keep a larger quantity than usual
this year. I will send you some more before they
(13:54):
get good for nothing, so I begged he would not,
for really, as to ours being gone, I could not
absolutely say that we had a great many left. It
was but half a dozen, indeed, but they should be
all kept for Jane. And I could not at all
bear that he should be sending us more so liberal
as he has been already. And Jane said the same.
And when he was gone, she almost quarreled with me. No,
I should not say quarreled, for we never had a
(14:15):
quarrel in our lives. But she was quite distressed that
I had owned the apples were so nearly gone. She
wished I had made him believe we had a great
many left, Oh, said I, my dear. I did say
as much as I could. However, the very same evening
William Larkins came over with a large basket of apples,
the same sort of apples, a bushel at least, And
I was very much obliged and went down and spoke
to William Larkins and said everything, as you may suppose,
(14:38):
William Larkins is such an old acquaintance. I am always
glad to see him. But however, I found afterwards from
Patty that William said it was all the apples of
that sort his master had. He had brought them all,
and now his master had not one left to bake
or boil. William did not seem to mind it himself.
He was so pleased to think his master had sold
so many for William. We now thinks more of it
(15:00):
master's profit than anything. But missus Hodges, he said, was
quite displeased at their being all sent away. She could
not bear that her master should not be able to
have another apple tart this spring He told Patty this,
but bid her not mind it, and be sure not
to say anything to us about it. Missus Hodges would
be cross sometimes and as long as so many many
sacks were sold, it did not signify who wait the remainder.
(15:21):
And so Patty told me, and I was excessively shocked. Indeed,
I would not have mister Knightley know anything about it,
for the world. He would be so very I wanted
to keep it from Jane's knowledge, but unluckily I had
mentioned it before I was aware. Miss Bates had just done.
As Patty opened the door and her visitors walked upstairs
without having any regular narration to attend to, pursued only
(15:42):
by the sounds of her desultory good will. Pray take care,
missus Weston. There is a step at the turning. Pray
take care, miss Woodhouse. Ours is rather a dark staircase,
rather darker and narrower than one could wish, Miss Smith.
Pray take care, Miss Woodhouse. I am quite concerned. I
am sure you hit your foot, Miss Smith. The step
at the turning end of chapter nine
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