CHAPTER V

“Idonotknowwhatyouropinionmaybe,Mrs.Weston,”saidMr.Knightley,“ofthisgreatintimacybetweenEmmaandHarrietSmith,butIthinkitabadthing.” “Abadthing!Doyoureallythinkitabadthing?—whyso?” “Ithinktheywillneitherofthemdotheotheranygood.” “Yousurprizeme!EmmamustdoHarrietgood:andbysupplyingherwithanewobjectofinterest,HarrietmaybesaidtodoEmmagood.Ihavebeenseeingtheirintimacywiththegreatestpleasure.Howverydifferentlywefeel!—Notthinktheywilldoeachotheranygood!ThiswillcertainlybethebeginningofoneofourquarrelsaboutEmma,Mr.Knightley.” “PerhapsyouthinkIamcomeonpurposetoquarrelwithyou,knowingWestontobeout,andthatyoumuststillfightyourownbattle.” “Mr.Westonwouldundoubtedlysupportme,ifhewerehere,forhethinksexactlyasIdoonthesubject.Wewerespeakingofitonlyyesterday,andagreeinghowfortunateitwasforEmma,thatthereshouldbesuchagirlinHighburyforhertoassociatewith.Mr.Knightley,Ishallnotallowyoutobeafairjudgeinthiscase.Youaresomuchusedtolivealone,thatyoudonotknowthevalueofacompanionand,perhapsnomancanbeagoodjudgeofthecomfortawomanfeelsinthesocietyofoneofherownsex,afterbeingusedtoitallherlife.IcanimagineyourobjectiontoHarrietSmith.SheisnotthesuperioryoungwomanwhichEmma’sfriendoughttobe.Butontheotherhand,asEmmawantstoseeherbetterinformed,itwillbeaninducementtohertoreadmoreherself.Theywillreadtogether.Shemeansit,Iknow.” “Emmahasbeenmeaningtoreadmoreeversinceshewastwelveyearsold.Ihaveseenagreatmanylistsofherdrawing-upatvarioustimesofbooksthatshemeanttoreadregularlythrough—andverygoodliststheywere—verywellchosen,andveryneatlyarranged—sometimesalphabetically,andsometimesbysomeotherrule.Thelistshedrewupwhenonlyfourteen—Irememberthinkingitdidherjudgmentsomuchcredit,thatIpreserveditsometimeandIdaresayshemayhavemadeoutaverygoodlistnow.ButIhavedonewithexpectingan