📝 您未登录，登录后完成练习可保存成绩、查看最佳记录。
总字符
0
正确字符
0
错误字符
0
错误率
0.00%
耗时(秒)
0
速度 WPM
0
0 / 68
1Till now that she was threatened with its loss, Emma had never known how much of her happiness depended on being first
2with Mr. Knightley, first in interest and affection.--Satisfied that it was so, and feeling it her due, she had enjoyed
3it without reflection; and only in the dread of being supplanted, found how inexpressibly important it had been.--Long,
4very long, she felt she had been first; for, having no female connexions of his own, there had been only Isabella whose
5claims could be compared with hers, and she had always known exactly how far he loved and esteemed Isabella. She had
6herself been first with him for many years past. She had not deserved it; she had often been negligent or perverse,
7slighting his advice, or even wilfully opposing him, insensible of half his merits, and quarrelling with him because he
8would not acknowledge her false and insolent estimate of her own--but still, from family attachment and habit, and
9thorough excellence of mind, he had loved her, and watched over her from a girl, with an endeavour to improve her, and
10an anxiety for her doing right, which no other creature had at all shared. In spite of all her faults, she knew she was
11dear to him; might she not say, very dear?--When the suggestions of hope, however, which must follow here, presented
12themselves, she could not presume to indulge them. Harriet Smith might think herself not unworthy of being peculiarly,
13exclusively, passionately loved by Mr. Knightley. She could not. She could not flatter herself with any idea of
14blindness in his attachment to her. She had received a very recent proof of its impartiality.--How shocked had he been
15by her behaviour to Miss Bates! How directly, how strongly had he expressed himself to her on the subject!--Not too
16strongly for the offence--but far, far too strongly to issue from any feeling softer than upright justice and
17clear-sighted goodwill.--She had no hope, nothing to deserve the name of hope, that he could have that sort of affection
18for herself which was now in question; but there was a hope (at times a slight one, at times much stronger,) that
19Harriet might have deceived herself, and be overrating his regard for her.--Wish it she must, for his sake--be the
20consequence nothing to herself, but his remaining single all his life. Could she be secure of that, indeed, of his never
21marrying at all, she believed she should be perfectly satisfied.--Let him but continue the same Mr. Knightley to her and
22her father, the same Mr. Knightley to all the world; let Donwell and Hartfield lose none of their precious intercourse
23of friendship and confidence, and her peace would be fully secured.--Marriage, in fact, would not do for her. It would
24be incompatible with what she owed to her father, and with what she felt for him. Nothing should separate her from her
25father. She would not marry, even if she were asked by Mr. Knightley. It must be her ardent wish that Harriet might be
26disappointed; and she hoped, that when able to see them together again, she might at least be able to ascertain what the
27chances for it were.--She should see them henceforward with the closest observance; and wretchedly as she had hitherto
28misunderstood even those she was watching, she did not know how to admit that she could be blinded here.--He was
29expected back every day. The power of observation would be soon given--frightfully soon it appeared when her thoughts
30were in one course. In the meanwhile, she resolved against seeing Harriet.--It would do neither of them good, it would
31do the subject no good, to be talking of it farther.--She was resolved not to be convinced, as long as she could doubt,
32and yet had no authority for opposing Harriet's confidence. To talk would be only to irritate.--She wrote to her,
33therefore, kindly, but decisively, to beg that she would not, at present, come to Hartfield; acknowledging it to be her
34conviction, that all farther confidential discussion of one topic had better be avoided; and hoping, that if a few days
35were allowed to pass before they met again, except in the company of others--she objected only to a tête-à-tête--they
36might be able to act as if they had forgotten the conversation of yesterday.--Harriet submitted, and approved, and was
37grateful. This point was just arranged, when a visitor arrived to tear Emma's thoughts a little from the one subject
38which had engrossed them, sleeping or waking, the last twenty-four hours--Mrs. Weston, who had been calling on her
39daughter-in-law elect, and took Hartfield in her way home, almost as much in duty to Emma as in pleasure to herself, to
40relate all the particulars of so interesting an interview. Mr. Weston had accompanied her to Mrs. Bates's, and gone
41through his share of this essential attention most handsomely; but she having then induced Miss Fairfax to join her in
42an airing, was now returned with much more to say, and much more to say with satisfaction, than a quarter of an hour
43spent in Mrs. Bates's parlour, with all the encumbrance of awkward feelings, could have afforded. A little curiosity
44Emma had; and she made the most of it while her friend related. Mrs. Weston had set off to pay the visit in a good deal
45of agitation herself; and in the first place had wished not to go at all at present, to be allowed merely to write to
46Miss Fairfax instead, and to defer this ceremonious call till a little time had passed, and Mr. Churchill could be
47reconciled to the engagement's becoming known; as, considering every thing, she thought such a visit could not be paid
48without leading to reports:--but Mr. Weston had thought differently; he was extremely anxious to shew his approbation to
49Miss Fairfax and her family, and did not conceive that any suspicion could be excited by it; or if it were, that it
50would be of any consequence; for "such things," he observed, "always got about." Emma smiled, and felt that Mr. Weston
51had very good reason for saying so. They had gone, in short--and very great had been the evident distress and confusion
52of the lady. She had hardly been able to speak a word, and every look and action had shewn how deeply she was suffering
53from consciousness. The quiet, heart-felt satisfaction of the old lady, and the rapturous delight of her daughter--who
54proved even too joyous to talk as usual, had been a gratifying, yet almost an affecting, scene. They were both so truly
55respectable in their happiness, so disinterested in every sensation; thought so much of Jane; so much of every body, and
56so little of themselves, that every kindly feeling was at work for them. Miss Fairfax's recent illness had offered a
57fair plea for Mrs. Weston to invite her to an airing; she had drawn back and declined at first, but, on being pressed
58had yielded; and, in the course of their drive, Mrs. Weston had, by gentle encouragement, overcome so much of her
59embarrassment, as to bring her to converse on the important subject. Apologies for her seemingly ungracious silence in
60their first reception, and the warmest expressions of the gratitude she was always feeling towards herself and Mr.
61Weston, must necessarily open the cause; but when these effusions were put by, they had talked a good deal of the
62present and of the future state of the engagement. Mrs. Weston was convinced that such conversation must be the greatest
63relief to her companion, pent up within her own mind as every thing had so long been, and was very much pleased with all
64that she had said on the subject. "On the misery of what she had suffered, during the concealment of so many months,"
65continued Mrs. Weston, "she was energetic. This was one of her expressions. 'I will not say, that since I entered into
66the engagement I have not had some happy moments; but I can say, that I have never known the blessing of one tranquil
67hour:'--and the quivering lip, Emma, which uttered it, was an attestation that I felt at my heart." "Poor girl!" said
68Emma. "She thinks herself wrong, then, for having consented to a private engagement?"
🎉 全部完成！共 68 行