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href="#n_16" type="note">[16], of a great Yorkshire[17] family, and Miss Churchill fell in love with him, nobody was surprised, except her brother and his wife, who had never seen him, and who were full of pride and importance.

      Miss Churchill, however, being of age, was not to be dissuaded from the marriage, and it took place, to the infinite mortification of Mr. and Mrs. Churchill, who threw her off with due decorum. It was an unsuitable connection, and did not produce much happiness. Mrs. Weston did not stop loving her husband, but she wanted at once to be the wife of Captain Weston, and Miss Churchill.

      When Captain Weston's wife died, after a three years' marriage, he was rather a poorer man than at first, and with a child to maintain. From the expense of the child, however, he was soon relieved. Mr. and Mrs. Churchill, having no children of their own, offered to take little Frank[18] in soon after his mother's death.

      Mr. Weston engaged in trade. He had a small house in Highbury, where he spent most of his days off; and so the next eighteen or twenty years of his life passed cheerfully away. He had, by that time, bought a little estate adjoining Highbury, enough to marry a woman as Miss Taylor, and to live happily.

      As to Frank, he took name of Churchill. It was most unlikely, therefore, that he should ever want his father's assistance. Mr. Weston saw his son every year in London, and was proud of him. Mr. Frank Churchill was one of the boasts[19] of Highbury. His coming to visit his father had been often talked of but never achieved. Now, upon his father's marriage, it was very generally proposed, that the visit should take place.

      Chapter III

      Mr. Woodhouse was fond of society in his own way. He liked to command the visits of his own little circle, in a great measure, as he liked. He had not much intercourse with any families beyond that circle. The Westons and Mr. Knightley were the closest family friends; after these came Mrs. and Miss Bates[20], and Mrs. Goddard[21]. Mrs. Bates, the widow of a former vicar of Highbury, was a very old lady, she lived with her single daughter in a very small way[22]. Her daughter was neither young, handsome, clever, nor married. And yet she was a happy woman. She loved everybody, was interested in everybody's happiness. The simplicity and cheerfulness of her nature, her contented and grateful spirit, were a recommendation to everybody.

      These were the ladies whom Emma found herself very frequently able to collect; but it was no remedy for the absence of Mrs. Weston. As she sat one morning, a note was brought from Mrs. Goddard, requesting, in most respectful terms, to be allowed to bring Miss Smith with her; a most welcome request: for Miss Smith was a girl of seventeen, whom Emma knew very well by sight[23].

      Harriet Smith[24] was the natural daughter[25] of somebody. Somebody had placed her, several years back, at Mrs. Goddard's school. This was all that was generally known of her history. She had no visible friends, and was now just returned from a long visit in the country to some young ladies who had been at school there with her.

      She was a very pretty girl, and Emma admired her beauty. She was short, plump, and fair, with a fine bloom, blue eyes, light hair, regular features, and a look of great sweetness, and Emma was much pleased with her manners. And the acquaintance she had already formed were unworthy of her. The friends from whom she had just parted, though very good sort of people, must be doing her harm. They were a family of the name of Martin, whom Emma well knew by character[26], as renting a large farm of Mr. Knightley, and residing in the parish of Donwell[27]-very creditably, she believed-she knew Mr. Knightley thought highly of them-but they must be coarse and unpolished, and very unfit to be the intimates of a girl who wanted only a little more knowledge and elegance to be quite perfect. Yes, she would improve her; she would detach her from her bad acquaintance, and introduce her into good society; she would form her opinions and her manners. It would be an interesting, and certainly a very kind undertaking.

      Chapter IV

      Quick and decided in her ways, Emma lost no time in inviting, encouraging, and telling Harriet Smith to come very often; and as their acquaintance increased, so did their satisfaction in each other. As a walking companion, Emma had very early foreseen how useful she might find her. Her father never went beyond the shrubbery; and Harriet Smith, therefore, could be a valuable friend for Emma.

      Harriet certainly was not clever, but she had a sweet, docile, grateful disposition, was totally free from conceit, and only desiring to be guided. Emma was quite convinced of Harriet Smith's being exactly the young friend she wanted-exactly the something which her home required. Such a friend as Mrs. Weston was out of the question. It was quite a different sort of thing. Harriet would be loved as one to whom she could be useful. For Mrs. Weston there was nothing to be done; for Harriet everything.

      The Martins occupied Harriet's thoughts a good deal; she had spent two very happy months with them, and now loved to talk of the pleasures of her visit, and describe the many comforts and wonders of the place. Emma encouraged her talkativeness; but when it appeared that the Mr. Martin was a single man; that there was no young Mrs. Martin, no wife in the case; she did suspect danger to her poor little friend from all this hospitality and kindness.

      Emma urged Harriet to talk more of Mr. Martin, and Harriet was very ready to speak of the share he had had in their moonlight walks and merry evening games; and mentioned his being so very good-humoured and nice. He had gone three miles round one day in order to bring her some walnuts, because she had said how fond she was of them, and in everything else he was so very nice. He had his shepherd's son into the parlour one night on purpose to sing to her. She was very fond of singing. He could sing a little himself. She believed he was very clever, and understood everything. She believed everybody spoke well of him. His mother and sisters were very fond of him.

      “And when she had come away, Mrs. Martin was so very kind as to send Mrs. Goddard a beautiful goose-the finest goose Mrs. Goddard had ever seen. Mrs. Goddard had cooked it on a Sunday, and asked all the three teachers, Miss Nash, and Miss Prince, and Miss Richardson, to dine with her.”

      “Mr. Martin, I suppose, is not a man of information beyond the line of his own business? He does not read?” asked Emma.

      “Oh yes! – that is, no-I do not know-but I believe he has read a good deal. He reads the Agricultural Reports[28], and some other books that lay in one of the window seats. But sometimes, before we went to cards, he would read something aloud out of the Elegant Extracts[29], very entertaining. And I know he has read the Vicar of Wakefield[30]. He never read the Romance of the Forest[31], nor The Children of the Abbey. He had never heard of such books before I mentioned them.”

      The next question was-

      “What sort of looking man is Mr. Martin?”

      “Oh! not handsome-not at all handsome. But did you never see him? He comes to Highbury often. He has passed you very often.”

      “That may be, and I may have seen him fifty times, but without having any idea of his name. A young farmer, whether on horseback or on foot, is the last person to raise my curiosity. The farmers are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do. I have no doubt that he is a very respectable young man. I know, indeed, that he is so, and, as such, wish him well. What do you imagine his age to be?”

      “He was four-and-twenty the 8th of last June, and my birthday is the 23rd

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