The next morning brought a great many visitors. It was the way of the
place always to call on Mrs. Edwards the morning after a ball, and this
neighbourly inclination was increased in the present instance by a
general spirit of curiosity on Emma's account, as everybody wanted to
look again at the girl who had been admired the night before by Lord
Osborne. Many were the eyes, and various the degrees of approbation,
with which she was examined. Some saw no fault, and some no beauty.
With some, her brown skin was the annihilation of every grace, and
others could never be persuaded that she was half so handsome as
Elizabeth Watson had been ten years ago. The morning passed quickly
away in discussing the merits of the ball with all this succession of
company, and Emma was at once astonished by finding it two o'clock,
and considering that she had heard nothing of her father's chair.
After this discovery she had walked twice to the window to examine the
street, and was on the point of asking leave to ring the bell and make
enquiries, when the light sound of a carriage driving up to the door
set her heart at ease. She stepped again to the window, but instead
of the convenient though very un-smart family equipage, perceived a
neat curricle. Mr. Musgrave was shortly afterwards announced, and
Mrs. Edwards put on her very stiffest look at the sound. Not at all
dismayed, however, by her chilling air, he paid his compliments to each
of the ladies with no unbecoming ease, and continuing to address Emma,
presented her a note, which "he had the honour of bringing from her
sister, but to which, he must observe, a verbal postscript from himself
would be requisite."
The note, which Emma was beginning to read rather before Mrs. Edwards
had entreated her to use no ceremony, contained a few lines from
Elizabeth importing that their father, in consequence of being
unusually well, had taken the sudden resolution of attending the
visitation that day; and that as his road lay quite wide from D----,
it was impossible for her to come home till the following morning;
unless the Edwards would send her, which was hardly to be expected, or
she could meet with any chance conveyance, or did not mind walking so
far. She had scarcely run her eye through the whole, before she found
herself obliged to listen to Tom Musgrave's further account.
"I received that note from the fair hands of Miss Watson only ten
minutes ago," said he; "I met her in the village of Stanton, whither my
good stars prompted me to run my horses' heads. She was at that moment
in quest of a person to employ on the errand, and I was fortunate
enough to convince her that she could not find a more willing or speedy
messenger than myself. Remember, I say nothing of my disinterestedness.
My reward is to be the indulgence of conveying you to Stanton in my
curricle. Though they are not written down, I bring your sister's
orders for the same."
Emma felt distressed; she did not like the proposal--she did not wish
to be on terms of intimacy with the proposer: and yet, fearful of
encroaching on the Edwards, as well as wishing to go home herself, she
was at a loss how entirely to decline what he offered. Mrs. Edwards
continued silent, either not understanding the case, or waiting to see
how the young lady's inclination lay. Emma thanked him, but professed
herself very unwilling to give him so much trouble. The trouble was of
course, honour, pleasure, delight--what had he or his horses to do?
Still she hesitated--she believed she must beg leave to decline his
assistance; she was rather afraid of the sort of carriage. The distance
was not beyond a walk. Mrs. Edwards was silent no longer. She enquired
into the particulars, and then said, "We shall be extremely happy, Miss
Emma, if you can give us the pleasure of your company till to-morrow;
but if you cannot conveniently do so, our carriage is quite at your
service, and Mary will be pleased with the opportunity of seeing your
sister."
This was precisely what Emma longed for, and she accepted the offer
most thankfully; acknowledging that as Elizabeth was entirely alone, it
was her wish to return home to dinner. The plan was warmly opposed by
their visitor.
"I cannot suffer it, indeed. I must not be deprived of the happiness
of escorting you. I assure you there is not a possibility of fear with
my horses. You might guide them yourself. Your sisters all know how
quiet they are; they have none of them the smallest scruple intrusting
themselves with me, even on a racecourse. Believe me," added he,
lowering his voice, "_you_ are quite safe--the danger is only _mine_."
Emma was not more disposed to oblige him for all this.
"And as for Mrs. Edwards' carriage being used the day after the ball,
it is a thing out of all rule, I assure you--never heard of before. The
old coachman will look as black as his horses--won't he, Miss Edwards?"
No notice was taken. The ladies were silently firm, and the gentleman
found himself obliged to submit.
"What a famous ball we had last night," he cried, after a short pause.
"How long did you keep it up after the Osbornes and I went away?"
"We had two dances more."
"It is making it too much of a fatigue, I think, to stay so late. I
suppose your set was not a very full one?"
"Yes, quite as full as ever, except the Osbornes. There seemed no
vacancy anywhere; and everybody danced with uncommon spirit to the very
last."
Emma said this, though against her conscience.
"Indeed! Perhaps I might have looked in upon you again, if I had been
aware of as much; for I am rather fond of dancing than not. Miss
Osborne is a charming girl, is not she?"
"I do not think her handsome," replied Emma, to whom all this was
chiefly addressed.
"Perhaps she is not critically handsome, but her manners are
delightful. And Fanny Carr is a most interesting little creature. You
can imagine nothing more naïve or _piquante_; and what do you think of
Lord Osborne, Miss Watson?"
"He would be handsome even though he were _not_ a lord, and perhaps
better himself pleased in a right place."
"Upon my word, you are severe upon my friend! I assure you Lord Osborne
is a very good fellow."
"I do not dispute his virtues, but I do not like his careless air."
"If it were not a breach of confidence," replied Tom, with an important
look, "perhaps I might be able to win a more favourable opinion of poor
Osborne."
Emma gave him no encouragement, and he was obliged to keep his friend's
secret. He was also obliged to put an end to his visit, for Mrs.
Edwards having ordered her carriage, there was no time to be lost on
Emma's side in preparing for it. Miss Edwards accompanied her home; but
as it was dinner hour at Stanton, stayed with them only a few minutes.
"Now, my dear Emma," said Miss Watson, as soon as they were alone, "you
must talk to me all the rest of the day without stopping, or I shall
not be satisfied; but, first of all, Nanny shall bring in the dinner.
Poor thing! You will not dine as you did yesterday, for we have nothing
but some fried beef. How nice Mary Edwards looks in her new pelisse!
And now tell me how you like them all, and what I am to say to Sam. I
have begun my letter; Jack Stokes is to call for it to-morrow, for his
uncle is going within a mile of Guildford next day."
Nanny brought in the dinner.
"We will wait upon ourselves," continued Elizabeth, "and then we shall
lose no time. And so you would not come home with Tom Musgrave?"
"No, you had said so much against him that I could not wish either for
the obligation or the intimacy which the use of his carriage must have
created. I should not even have liked the appearance of it."
"You did very right, though I wonder at your forbearance, and I do not
think I could have done it myself. He seemed so eager to fetch you that
I could not say no, though it rather went against me to be throwing you
together, so well as I knew his tricks; but I did long to see you, and
it was a clever way of getting you home. Besides, it won't do to be too
nice. Nobody could have thought of the Edwards letting you have their
coach, after the horses being out so late. But what am I to say to Sam?"
"If you are guided by me you will not encourage him to think of
Miss Edwards. The father is decidedly against him, the mother shows
him no favour, and I doubt his having any interest with Mary. She
danced twice with Captain Hunter, and I think shows him in general
as much encouragement as is consistent with her disposition and the
circumstances she is placed in. She once mentioned Sam, and certainly
with a little confusion; but that was perhaps merely owing to the
consciousness of his liking her, which may very probably have come to
her knowledge.
"Oh! dear, yes. She has heard enough of _that_ from us all! Poor Sam!
he is out of luck as well as other people. For the life of me, Emma, I
cannot help feeling for those that are crossed in love. Well, now begin
and give me an account of everything as it happened."
Emma obeyed her, and Elizabeth listened with very little interruption
till she heard of Mr. Howard as a partner.
"Dance with Mr. Howard. Good heavens! You don't say so! Why, he is
quite one of the great and grand ones. Did you not find him very high?"
"His manners are of a kind to give me much more ease and confidence
than Tom Musgrave's."
"Well, go on. I should have been frightened out of my wits to have had
anything to do with the Osbornes' set."
Emma concluded her narration.
"And so you really did not dance with Tom Musgrave at all, but you
must have liked him--you must have been struck with him altogether?"
"I do _not_ like him, Elizabeth. I allow his person and air to be
good; and that his manners to a certain point--his address rather--is
pleasing. But I see nothing else to admire in him. On the contrary, he
seems very vain, very conceited, absurdly anxious for distinction, and
absolutely contemptible in some of the measures he takes for being so.
There is a ridiculousness about him that entertains me; but his company
gives me no other agreeable emotion."
"My dearest Emma! You are like nobody else in the world. It is well
Margaret is not by. You do not offend _me_, though I hardly know how to
believe you; but Margaret would never forgive such words."
"I wish Margaret could have heard him profess his ignorance of her
being out of the country; he declared it seemed only two days since he
had seen her."
"Aye, that is just like him; and yet this is the man she _will_ fancy
so desperately in love with her. He is no favourite of mine, as you
well know, Emma; but you must think him agreeable. Can you lay your
hand on your heart and say you do not?"
"Indeed I can, both hands; and spread them to their widest extent."
"I should like to know the man you _do_ think agreeable."
"His name is Howard."
"Howard! Dear me, I cannot think of him but as playing cards with Lady
Osborne, and looking proud. I must own, however, that it is a relief
to me to find you can speak as you do of Tom Musgrave. My heart did
misgive me that you would like him too well. You talked so stoutly
beforehand, that I was sadly afraid your brag would be punished.
I only hope it will last, and that he will not come on to pay you
much attention. It is a hard thing for a woman to stand against the
flattering ways of a man when he is bent upon pleasing her."
As their quietly sociable little meal concluded, Miss Watson could not
help observing how comfortably it had passed.
"It is so delightful to me," said she, "to have things going on in
peace and good-humour. Nobody can tell how much I hate quarrelling.
Now, though we have had nothing but fried beef, how good it has all
seemed. I wish everybody were as easily satisfied as you; but poor
Margaret is very snappish, and Penelope owns she would rather have
quarrelling going on than nothing at all."
Mr. Watson returned in the evening not the worse for the exertion of
the day and, consequently, pleased with what he had done, and glad to
talk of it over his own fireside. Emma had not foreseen any interest
to herself in the occurrences of a visitation; but when she heard Mr.
Howard spoken of as the preacher, and as having given them an excellent
sermon, she could not help listening with a quicker ear.
"I do not know when I have heard a discourse more to my mind,"
continued Mr. Watson, "or one better delivered. He reads extremely
well, with great propriety, and in a very impressive manner; and at
the same time without any theatrical grimace or violence. I own I do
not like much action in the pulpit; I do not like the studied air and
artificial inflexions of voice which your very popular and most admired
preachers generally have. A simple delivery is much better calculated
to inspire devotion, and shows a much better taste. Mr. Howard read
like a scholar and a gentleman."
"And what had you for dinner, sir?" said his eldest daughter.
He related the dishes, and told what he had ate himself.
"Upon the whole," he added, "I have had a very comfortable day. My old
friends were quite surprised to see me amongst them, and I must say
that everybody paid me great attention, and seemed to feel for me as an
invalid. They would make me sit near the fire; and as the partridges
were pretty high, Dr. Richards would have them sent away to the other
end of the table, 'that they might not offend Mr. Watson,' which I
thought very kind of him. But what pleased me as much as anything was
Mr. Howard's attention. There is a pretty steep flight of steps up to
the room we dine in, which do not agree with my gouty foot, and Mr.
Howard walked by me from the bottom to the top, and would make me take
his arm. It struck me as very becoming in so young a man, but I am sure
I had no claim to expect it, for I never saw him before in my life. By
the by, he enquired after one of my daughters, but I do not know which.
I suppose you know among yourselves."