第9章

'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—tho'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 herManners are delightful.And Fanny Carr is a most interesting little creature.You can imagine nothing more naive or piquante; and What do you thing of Lord Osborne Miss Watson?''That he would be handsome, even tho'he were not a Lord—and perhaps—better bred; More desirous of pleasing, and shewing 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.Edwardes 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, staid with them only a few minutes,—'Now my dear Emma, said Miss W., 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 Guilford the 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 ofhis Carriage must have created.I should not even have liked the appearance of it.'You did very right; tho'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, tho'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 Edwardes'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 shews him no favour, and I doubt his having any interest with Mary.She danced twice with Captain Hunter, and I think shews 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 oweing 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 cross'd 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.H.as a partner.—'Dance with Mr.H.—Good Heavens! You don't say so! Why—he is quite one of the great and Grand ones;—Did not you 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 withthe Osborne's set.'—Emma concluded her narration.—'And so, you really did not dance with Tom M.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 becoming so.—There is a ridiculousness about him that entertains me—but his company gives me no other agreable Emotion.''My dearest Emma!—You are like nobody else in the World.—It is well Margaret is not by.—You do not offend me, tho'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 agreable.Can you lay your hand on your heart, and say you do not?'—'Indeed I can, Both Hands; and spread to their widest extent.'—'I should like to know the Man you do think agreable.''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 standagainst 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 goodhumour.Nobody can tell how much I hate quarrelling.Now, tho'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 had 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.