[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
wavering, dubious, or she could not have been so misled.
The picture!--How eager he had been about the picture!-- and the charade!--and an hundred other
circumstances;-- how clearly they had seemed to point at Harriet. To be sure, the charade, with its
"ready wit"--but then the "soft eyes"-- in fact it suited neither; it was a jumble without taste or truth. Who
could have seen through such thick-headed nonsense?
Certainly she had often, especially of late, thought his manners to herself unnecessarily gallant; but it
had passed as his way, as a mere error of judgment, of knowledge, of taste, as one proof among others
that he had not always lived in the best society, that with all the gentleness of his address, true elegance
was sometimes wanting; but, till this very day, she had never, for an instant, suspected it to mean any
thing but grateful respect to her as Harriet's friend.
To Mr. John Knightley was she indebted for her first idea on the subject, for the first start of its
possibility. There was no denying that those brothers had penetration. She remembered what Mr.
Knightley had once said to her about Mr. Elton, the caution he had given, the conviction he had
professed that Mr. Elton would never marry indiscreetly; and blushed to think how much truer a
knowledge of his character had been there shewn than any she had reached herself. It was dreadfully
mortifying; but Mr. Elton was proving himself, in many respects, the very reverse of what she had meant
and believed him; proud, assuming, conceited; very full of his own claims, and little concerned about the
feelings of others.
Contrary to the usual course of things, Mr. Elton's wanting to pay his addresses to her had sunk him
in her opinion. His professions and his proposals did him no service. She thought nothing of his
attachment, and was insulted by his hopes. He wanted to marry well, and having the arrogance to raise
his eyes to her, pretended to be in love; but she was perfectly easy as to his not suffering any
disappointment that need be cared for. There had been no real affection either in his language or
manners. Sighs and fine words had been given in abundance; but she could hardly devise any set of
expressions, or fancy any tone of voice, less allied with real love. She need not trouble herself to pity him.
He only wanted to aggrandise and enrich himself; and if Miss Woodhouse of Hartfield, the heiress of
thirty thousand pounds, were not quite so easily obtained as he had fancied, he would soon try for Miss
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Somebody else with twenty, or with ten.
But--that he should talk of encouragement, should consider her as aware of his views, accepting his
attentions, meaning (in short), to marry him!--should suppose himself her equal in connexion or
mind!--look down upon her friend, so well understanding the gradations of rank below him, and be so
blind to what rose above, as to fancy himself shewing no presumption in addressing her!-- It was most
provoking.
Perhaps it was not fair to expect him to feel how very much he was her inferior in talent, and all the
elegancies of mind. The very want of such equality might prevent his perception of it; but he must know
that in fortune and consequence she was greatly his superior. He must know that the Woodhouses had
been settled for several generations at Hartfield, the younger branch of a very ancient family--and that the
Eltons were nobody. The landed property of Hartfield certainly was inconsiderable, being but a sort of
notch in the Donwell Abbey estate, to which all the rest of Highbury belonged; but their fortune, from
other sources, was such as to make them scarcely secondary to Donwell Abbey itself, in every other
kind of consequence; and the Woodhouses had long held a high place in the consideration of the
neighbourhood which Mr. Elton had first entered not two years ago, to make his way as he could,
without any alliances but in trade, or any thing to recommend him to notice but his situation and his
civility.-- But he had fancied her in love with him; that evidently must have been his dependence; and after
raving a little about the seeming incongruity of gentle manners and a conceited head, Emma was obliged [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
wavering, dubious, or she could not have been so misled.
The picture!--How eager he had been about the picture!-- and the charade!--and an hundred other
circumstances;-- how clearly they had seemed to point at Harriet. To be sure, the charade, with its
"ready wit"--but then the "soft eyes"-- in fact it suited neither; it was a jumble without taste or truth. Who
could have seen through such thick-headed nonsense?
Certainly she had often, especially of late, thought his manners to herself unnecessarily gallant; but it
had passed as his way, as a mere error of judgment, of knowledge, of taste, as one proof among others
that he had not always lived in the best society, that with all the gentleness of his address, true elegance
was sometimes wanting; but, till this very day, she had never, for an instant, suspected it to mean any
thing but grateful respect to her as Harriet's friend.
To Mr. John Knightley was she indebted for her first idea on the subject, for the first start of its
possibility. There was no denying that those brothers had penetration. She remembered what Mr.
Knightley had once said to her about Mr. Elton, the caution he had given, the conviction he had
professed that Mr. Elton would never marry indiscreetly; and blushed to think how much truer a
knowledge of his character had been there shewn than any she had reached herself. It was dreadfully
mortifying; but Mr. Elton was proving himself, in many respects, the very reverse of what she had meant
and believed him; proud, assuming, conceited; very full of his own claims, and little concerned about the
feelings of others.
Contrary to the usual course of things, Mr. Elton's wanting to pay his addresses to her had sunk him
in her opinion. His professions and his proposals did him no service. She thought nothing of his
attachment, and was insulted by his hopes. He wanted to marry well, and having the arrogance to raise
his eyes to her, pretended to be in love; but she was perfectly easy as to his not suffering any
disappointment that need be cared for. There had been no real affection either in his language or
manners. Sighs and fine words had been given in abundance; but she could hardly devise any set of
expressions, or fancy any tone of voice, less allied with real love. She need not trouble herself to pity him.
He only wanted to aggrandise and enrich himself; and if Miss Woodhouse of Hartfield, the heiress of
thirty thousand pounds, were not quite so easily obtained as he had fancied, he would soon try for Miss
Page 35
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Somebody else with twenty, or with ten.
But--that he should talk of encouragement, should consider her as aware of his views, accepting his
attentions, meaning (in short), to marry him!--should suppose himself her equal in connexion or
mind!--look down upon her friend, so well understanding the gradations of rank below him, and be so
blind to what rose above, as to fancy himself shewing no presumption in addressing her!-- It was most
provoking.
Perhaps it was not fair to expect him to feel how very much he was her inferior in talent, and all the
elegancies of mind. The very want of such equality might prevent his perception of it; but he must know
that in fortune and consequence she was greatly his superior. He must know that the Woodhouses had
been settled for several generations at Hartfield, the younger branch of a very ancient family--and that the
Eltons were nobody. The landed property of Hartfield certainly was inconsiderable, being but a sort of
notch in the Donwell Abbey estate, to which all the rest of Highbury belonged; but their fortune, from
other sources, was such as to make them scarcely secondary to Donwell Abbey itself, in every other
kind of consequence; and the Woodhouses had long held a high place in the consideration of the
neighbourhood which Mr. Elton had first entered not two years ago, to make his way as he could,
without any alliances but in trade, or any thing to recommend him to notice but his situation and his
civility.-- But he had fancied her in love with him; that evidently must have been his dependence; and after
raving a little about the seeming incongruity of gentle manners and a conceited head, Emma was obliged [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]