Austen Said:

"Me!—not at all,"

"I do not want to think ill of him. I should be as ready to acknowledge his merits as any other man; but I hear of none, except what are merely personal; that he is well-grown and good-looking, with smooth, plausible manners."

"You will excuse my being so much over-powered. If I find him conversable, I shall be glad of his acquaintance; but if he is only a chattering coxcomb, he will not occupy much of my time or thoughts."

"And mine,"

"is, that if he turn out any thing like it, he will be the most insufferable fellow breathing! What! at three-and-twenty to be the king of his company—the great man —the practised politician, who is to read every body's character, and make every body's talents conduce to the display of his own superiority; to be dispensing his flatteries around, that he may make all appear like fools compared with himself! My dear Emma, your own good sense could not endure such a puppy when it came to the point."

"Prejudiced! I am not prejudiced."

"He is a person I never think of from one month's end to another,"

it was because she saw in her the really accomplished young woman, which she wanted to be thought herself;

"A very pleasant evening,"

"particularly pleasant. You and Miss Fairfax gave us some very good music. I do not know a more luxurious state, sir, than sitting at one's ease to be entertained a whole evening by two such young women; sometimes with music and sometimes with conversation. I am sure Miss Fairfax must have found the evening pleasant, Emma. You left nothing undone. I was glad you made her play so much, for having no instrument at her grandmother's, it must have been a real indulgence."

"No, my dear,"

"that I am sure you are not. There is nobody half so attentive and civil as you are. If any thing, you are too attentive. The muffin last night —if it had been handed round once, I think it would have been enough."

"No,"

"you are not often deficient; not often deficient either in manner or comprehension. I think you understand me, therefore."

"I always told you she was —a little; but you will soon overcome all that part of her reserve which ought to be overcome, all that has its foundation in diffidence. What arises from discretion must be honoured."

"My dear Emma,"

"you are not going to tell me, I hope, that you had not a pleasant evening."

"I am disappointed,"

"I hope every body had a pleasant evening,"

"I had. Once, I felt the fire rather too much; but then I moved back my chair a little, a very little, and it did not disturb me. Miss Bates was very chatty and good-humoured, as she always is, though she speaks rather too quick. However, she is very agreeable, and Mrs. Bates too, in a different way. I like old friends; and Miss Jane Fairfax is a very pretty sort of young lady, a very pretty and a very well-behaved young lady indeed. She must have found the evening agreeable, Mr. Knightley, because she had Emma."

"True, sir; and Emma, because she had Miss Fairfax."

"It is a great pity that their circumstances should be so confined! a great pity indeed! and I have often wished —but it is so little one can venture to do —small, trifling presents, of any thing uncommon —Now we have killed a porker, and Emma thinks of sending them a loin or a leg; it is very small and delicate— Hartfield pork is not like any other pork—but still it is pork—and, my dear Emma, unless one could be sure of their making it into steaks, nicely fried, as ours are fried, without the smallest grease, and not roast it, for no stomach can bear roast pork— I think we had better send the leg— do not you think so, my dear?"

"That's right, my dear, very right. I had not thought of it before, but that is the best way. They must not over-salt the leg; and then, if it is not over-salted, and if it is very thoroughly boiled, just as Serle boils ours, and eaten very moderately of, with a boiled turnip, and a little carrot or parsnip, I do not consider it unwholesome."

"Emma,"

"I have a piece of news for you. You like news—and I heard an article in my way hither that I think will interest you."

"No, not at Randalls; I have not been near Randalls,"

"There is my news:—I thought it would interest you,"

"I was with Mr. Cole on business an hour and a half ago. He had just read Elton's letter as I was shewn in, and handed it to me directly."

"We consider our Hartfield pork,"

"indeed it certainly is, so very superior to all other pork, that Emma and I cannot have a greater pleasure than —"

"It was short —merely to announce —but cheerful, exulting, of course."—

"He had been so fortunate as to—

I forget the precise words —one has no business to remember them. The information was, as you state, that he was going to be married to a Miss Hawkins. By his style, I should imagine it just settled."

"He is very young to settle,"

"He had better not be in a hurry. He seemed to me very well off as he was. We were always glad to see him at Hartfield."

young people would be in such a hurry to marry —and to marry strangers too —

if I was going to Hartfield, he thought I had much better go round by Mr. Cole's stables, for I should find the near way quite floated by this rain.

"master nor mistress was at home;"

they had both been out some time;

they were gone to Hartfield.

"How d'ye do?—how d'ye do?—We have been sitting with your father— glad to see him so well. Frank comes to-morrow— I had a letter this morning —we see him to-morrow by dinner-time to a certainty— he is at Oxford to-day, and he comes for a whole fortnight; I knew it would be so. If he had come at Christmas he could not have staid three days; I was always glad he did not come at Christmas; now we are going to have just the right weather for him, fine, dry, settled weather. We shall enjoy him completely; every thing has turned out exactly as we could wish."

"I shall soon bring him over to Hartfield,"

"Well, well, I am ready;"—

"but you must not be expecting such a very fine young man; you have only had my account you know; I dare say he is really nothing extraordinary:"—

"Four o'clock!—depend upon it he will be here by three,"

"I told you yesterday,"

"I told you all that he would be here before the time named. I remembered what I used to do myself. One cannot creep upon a journey; one cannot help getting on faster than one has planned; and the pleasure of coming in upon one's friends before the look-out begins, is worth a great deal more than any little exertion it needs."

"It is a great pleasure where one can indulge in it,"

"though there are not many houses that I should presume on so far; but in coming home I felt I might do any thing."

He was very much pleased with Randalls,