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1Every body in and about Highbury who had ever visited Mr. Elton, was disposed to pay him attention on his marriage.
2Dinner-parties and evening-parties were made for him and his lady; and invitations flowed in so fast that she had soon
3the pleasure of apprehending they were never to have a disengaged day. "I see how it is," said she. "I see what a life I
4am to lead among you. Upon my word we shall be absolutely dissipated. We really seem quite the fashion. If this is
5living in the country, it is nothing very formidable. From Monday next to Saturday, I assure you we have not a
6disengaged day!--A woman with fewer resources than I have, need not have been at a loss." No invitation came amiss to
7her. Her Bath habits made evening-parties perfectly natural to her, and Maple Grove had given her a taste for dinners.
8She was a little shocked at the want of two drawing rooms, at the poor attempt at rout-cakes, and there being no ice in
9the Highbury card-parties. Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Perry, Mrs. Goddard and others, were a good deal behind-hand in knowledge of
10the world, but she would soon shew them how every thing ought to be arranged. In the course of the spring she must
11return their civilities by one very superior party--in which her card-tables should be set out with their separate
12candles and unbroken packs in the true style--and more waiters engaged for the evening than their own establishment
13could furnish, to carry round the refreshments at exactly the proper hour, and in the proper order. Emma, in the
14meanwhile, could not be satisfied without a dinner at Hartfield for the Eltons. They must not do less than others, or
15she should be exposed to odious suspicions, and imagined capable of pitiful resentment. A dinner there must be. After
16Emma had talked about it for ten minutes, Mr. Woodhouse felt no unwillingness, and only made the usual stipulation of
17not sitting at the bottom of the table himself, with the usual regular difficulty of deciding who should do it for him.
18The persons to be invited, required little thought. Besides the Eltons, it must be the Westons and Mr. Knightley; so far
19it was all of course--and it was hardly less inevitable that poor little Harriet must be asked to make the eighth:--but
20this invitation was not given with equal satisfaction, and on many accounts Emma was particularly pleased by Harriet's
21begging to be allowed to decline it. "She would rather not be in his company more than she could help. She was not yet
22quite able to see him and his charming happy wife together, without feeling uncomfortable. If Miss Woodhouse would not
23be displeased, she would rather stay at home." It was precisely what Emma would have wished, had she deemed it possible
24enough for wishing. She was delighted with the fortitude of her little friend--for fortitude she knew it was in her to
25give up being in company and stay at home; and she could now invite the very person whom she really wanted to make the
26eighth, Jane Fairfax.-- Since her last conversation with Mrs. Weston and Mr. Knightley, she was more conscience-stricken
27about Jane Fairfax than she had often been.--Mr. Knightley's words dwelt with her. He had said that Jane Fairfax
28received attentions from Mrs. Elton which nobody else paid her. "This is very true," said she, "at least as far as
29relates to me, which was all that was meant--and it is very shameful.--Of the same age--and always knowing her--I ought
30to have been more her friend.--She will never like me now. I have neglected her too long. But I will shew her greater
31attention than I have done." Every invitation was successful. They were all disengaged and all happy.--The preparatory
32interest of this dinner, however, was not yet over. A circumstance rather unlucky occurred. The two eldest little
33Knightleys were engaged to pay their grandpapa and aunt a visit of some weeks in the spring, and their papa now proposed
34bringing them, and staying one whole day at Hartfield--which one day would be the very day of this party.--His
35professional engagements did not allow of his being put off, but both father and daughter were disturbed by its
36happening so. Mr. Woodhouse considered eight persons at dinner together as the utmost that his nerves could bear--and
37here would be a ninth--and Emma apprehended that it would be a ninth very much out of humour at not being able to come
38even to Hartfield for forty-eight hours without falling in with a dinner-party. She comforted her father better than she
39could comfort herself, by representing that though he certainly would make them nine, yet he always said so little, that
40the increase of noise would be very immaterial. She thought it in reality a sad exchange for herself, to have him with
41his grave looks and reluctant conversation opposed to her instead of his brother. The event was more favourable to Mr.
42Woodhouse than to Emma. John Knightley came; but Mr. Weston was unexpectedly summoned to town and must be absent on the
43very day. He might be able to join them in the evening, but certainly not to dinner. Mr. Woodhouse was quite at ease;
44and the seeing him so, with the arrival of the little boys and the philosophic composure of her brother on hearing his
45fate, removed the chief of even Emma's vexation. The day came, the party were punctually assembled, and Mr. John
46Knightley seemed early to devote himself to the business of being agreeable. Instead of drawing his brother off to a
47window while they waited for dinner, he was talking to Miss Fairfax. Mrs. Elton, as elegant as lace and pearls could
48make her, he looked at in silence--wanting only to observe enough for Isabella's information--but Miss Fairfax was an
49old acquaintance and a quiet girl, and he could talk to her. He had met her before breakfast as he was returning from a
50walk with his little boys, when it had been just beginning to rain. It was natural to have some civil hopes on the
51subject, and he said, "I hope you did not venture far, Miss Fairfax, this morning, or I am sure you must have been
52wet.--We scarcely got home in time. I hope you turned directly." "I went only to the post-office," said she, "and
53reached home before the rain was much. It is my daily errand. I always fetch the letters when I am here. It saves
54trouble, and is a something to get me out. A walk before breakfast does me good." "Not a walk in the rain, I should
55imagine." "No, but it did not absolutely rain when I set out." Mr. John Knightley smiled, and replied, "That is to say,
56you chose to have your walk, for you were not six yards from your own door when I had the pleasure of meeting you; and
57Henry and John had seen more drops than they could count long before. The post-office has a great charm at one period of
58our lives. When you have lived to my age, you will begin to think letters are never worth going through the rain for."
59There was a little blush, and then this answer, "I must not hope to be ever situated as you are, in the midst of every
60dearest connexion, and therefore I cannot expect that simply growing older should make me indifferent about letters."
61"Indifferent! Oh! no--I never conceived you could become indifferent. Letters are no matter of indifference; they are
62generally a very positive curse." "You are speaking of letters of business; mine are letters of friendship." "I have
63often thought them the worst of the two," replied he coolly. "Business, you know, may bring money, but friendship hardly
64ever does." "Ah! you are not serious now. I know Mr. John Knightley too well--I am very sure he understands the value of
65friendship as well as any body. I can easily believe that letters are very little to you, much less than to me, but it
66is not your being ten years older than myself which makes the difference, it is not age, but situation. You have every
67body dearest to you always at hand, I, probably, never shall again; and therefore till I have outlived all my
68affections, a post-office, I think, must always have power to draw me out, in worse weather than to-day."
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