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1"Harriet, poor Harriet!"--Those were the words; in them lay the tormenting ideas which Emma could not get rid of, and
2which constituted the real misery of the business to her. Frank Churchill had behaved very ill by herself--very ill in
3many ways,--but it was not so much his behaviour as her own, which made her so angry with him. It was the scrape which
4he had drawn her into on Harriet's account, that gave the deepest hue to his offence.--Poor Harriet! to be a second time
5the dupe of her misconceptions and flattery. Mr. Knightley had spoken prophetically, when he once said, "Emma, you have
6been no friend to Harriet Smith."--She was afraid she had done her nothing but disservice.--It was true that she had not
7to charge herself, in this instance as in the former, with being the sole and original author of the mischief; with
8having suggested such feelings as might otherwise never have entered Harriet's imagination; for Harriet had acknowledged
9her admiration and preference of Frank Churchill before she had ever given her a hint on the subject; but she felt
10completely guilty of having encouraged what she might have repressed. She might have prevented the indulgence and
11increase of such sentiments. Her influence would have been enough. And now she was very conscious that she ought to have
12prevented them.--She felt that she had been risking her friend's happiness on most insufficient grounds. Common sense
13would have directed her to tell Harriet, that she must not allow herself to think of him, and that there were five
14hundred chances to one against his ever caring for her.--"But, with common sense," she added, "I am afraid I have had
15little to do." She was extremely angry with herself. If she could not have been angry with Frank Churchill too, it would
16have been dreadful.--As for Jane Fairfax, she might at least relieve her feelings from any present solicitude on her
17account. Harriet would be anxiety enough; she need no longer be unhappy about Jane, whose troubles and whose ill-health
18having, of course, the same origin, must be equally under cure.--Her days of insignificance and evil were over.--She
19would soon be well, and happy, and prosperous.--Emma could now imagine why her own attentions had been slighted. This
20discovery laid many smaller matters open. No doubt it had been from jealousy.--In Jane's eyes she had been a rival; and
21well might any thing she could offer of assistance or regard be repulsed. An airing in the Hartfield carriage would have
22been the rack, and arrowroot from the Hartfield storeroom must have been poison. She understood it all; and as far as
23her mind could disengage itself from the injustice and selfishness of angry feelings, she acknowledged that Jane Fairfax
24would have neither elevation nor happiness beyond her desert. But poor Harriet was such an engrossing charge! There was
25little sympathy to be spared for any body else. Emma was sadly fearful that this second disappointment would be more
26severe than the first. Considering the very superior claims of the object, it ought; and judging by its apparently
27stronger effect on Harriet's mind, producing reserve and self-command, it would.--She must communicate the painful
28truth, however, and as soon as possible. An injunction of secresy had been among Mr. Weston's parting words. "For the
29present, the whole affair was to be completely a secret. Mr. Churchill had made a point of it, as a token of respect to
30the wife he had so very recently lost; and every body admitted it to be no more than due decorum."--Emma had promised;
31but still Harriet must be excepted. It was her superior duty. In spite of her vexation, she could not help feeling it
32almost ridiculous, that she should have the very same distressing and delicate office to perform by Harriet, which Mrs.
33Weston had just gone through by herself. The intelligence, which had been so anxiously announced to her, she was now to
34be anxiously announcing to another. Her heart beat quick on hearing Harriet's footstep and voice; so, she supposed, had
35poor Mrs. Weston felt when she was approaching Randalls. Could the event of the disclosure bear an equal
36resemblance!--But of that, unfortunately, there could be no chance. "Well, Miss Woodhouse!" cried Harriet, coming
37eagerly into the room--"is not this the oddest news that ever was?" "What news do you mean?" replied Emma, unable to
38guess, by look or voice, whether Harriet could indeed have received any hint. "About Jane Fairfax. Did you ever hear any
39thing so strange? Oh!--you need not be afraid of owning it to me, for Mr. Weston has told me himself. I met him just
40now. He told me it was to be a great secret; and, therefore, I should not think of mentioning it to any body but you,
41but he said you knew it." "What did Mr. Weston tell you?"--said Emma, still perplexed. "Oh! he told me all about it;
42that Jane Fairfax and Mr. Frank Churchill are to be married, and that they have been privately engaged to one another
43this long while. How very odd!" It was, indeed, so odd; Harriet's behaviour was so extremely odd, that Emma did not know
44how to understand it. Her character appeared absolutely changed. She seemed to propose shewing no agitation, or
45disappointment, or peculiar concern in the discovery. Emma looked at her, quite unable to speak. "Had you any idea,"
46cried Harriet, "of his being in love with her?--You, perhaps, might.--You (blushing as she spoke) who can see into every
47body's heart; but nobody else--" "Upon my word," said Emma, "I begin to doubt my having any such talent. Can you
48seriously ask me, Harriet, whether I imagined him attached to another woman at the very time that I was--tacitly, if not
49openly--encouraging you to give way to your own feelings?--I never had the slightest suspicion, till within the last
50hour, of Mr. Frank Churchill's having the least regard for Jane Fairfax. You may be very sure that if I had, I should
51have cautioned you accordingly." "Me!" cried Harriet, colouring, and astonished. "Why should you caution me?--You do not
52think I care about Mr. Frank Churchill." "I am delighted to hear you speak so stoutly on the subject," replied Emma,
53smiling; "but you do not mean to deny that there was a time--and not very distant either--when you gave me reason to
54understand that you did care about him?" "Him!--never, never. Dear Miss Woodhouse, how could you so mistake me?" turning
55away distressed. "Harriet!" cried Emma, after a moment's pause--"What do you mean?--Good Heaven! what do you
56mean?--Mistake you!--Am I to suppose then?--" She could not speak another word.--Her voice was lost; and she sat down,
57waiting in great terror till Harriet should answer. Harriet, who was standing at some distance, and with face turned
58from her, did not immediately say any thing; and when she did speak, it was in a voice nearly as agitated as Emma's. "I
59should not have thought it possible," she began, "that you could have misunderstood me! I know we agreed never to name
60him--but considering how infinitely superior he is to every body else, I should not have thought it possible that I
61could be supposed to mean any other person. Mr. Frank Churchill, indeed! I do not know who would ever look at him in the
62company of the other. I hope I have a better taste than to think of Mr. Frank Churchill, who is like nobody by his side.
63And that you should have been so mistaken, is amazing!--I am sure, but for believing that you entirely approved and
64meant to encourage me in my attachment, I should have considered it at first too great a presumption almost, to dare to
65think of him. At first, if you had not told me that more wonderful things had happened; that there had been matches of
66greater disparity (those were your very words);--I should not have dared to give way to--I should not have thought it
67possible--But if you, who had been always acquainted with him--" "Harriet!" cried Emma, collecting herself
68resolutely--"Let us understand each other now, without the possibility of farther mistake. Are you speaking of--Mr.
69Knightley?" "To be sure I am. I never could have an idea of any body else--and so I thought you knew. When we talked
70about him, it was as clear as possible." "Not quite," returned Emma, with forced calmness, "for all that you then said,
71appeared to me to relate to a different person. I could almost assert that you had named Mr. Frank Churchill. I am sure
72the service Mr. Frank Churchill had rendered you, in protecting you from the gipsies, was spoken of." "Oh! Miss
73Woodhouse, how you do forget!"
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