Kitabı oku: «Эмма / Emma», sayfa 2
“It is very kind of you, Mr. Knightley, to come out at this late hourto call upon us14. I am afraid you must have had a terrible walk.”
“Not at all, sir. It is a beautiful moonlight night.”
“But you must have found it very damp and dirty.”
“Dirty, sir! Look at my shoes. Not a speck on them.”
“Well! that is quite surprising, for it rained dreadfully here… Ah! poor Miss Taylor!”
“Poor Mr. and Miss Woodhouse, if you please; but I cannot possibly say ‘poor Miss Taylor.’ I have a great regard for you and Emma; but when it comes to the question of dependence or independence!”
“I believe it is very true, my dear, indeed,” said Mr. Woodhouse, with a sigh. “I am afraid I am sometimes very fanciful and troublesome.”
“My dearest papa! What a horrible idea! Oh no! Mr. Knightley loves to find fault with me, you know – in a joke – it is all a joke. We always say what we like to one another.”
Mr. Knightley, in fact, was one of the few people who could see faults in Emma Woodhouse, and the only one who ever told her of them: and this was not particularly agreeable to Emma herself.
“Emma knows I never flatter her,” said Mr. Knightley, “but Miss Taylor has been used to have two persons to please; she will now have but one.”
“Mr. Knightley,” said Emma’s father. “Emma is really very sorry to lose poor Miss Taylor, and I am sure she will miss her more and more.”
Emma turned away her head, divided between tears and smiles.
“It is impossible that Emma should not miss such a companion,” said Mr. Knightley. “But she knows how much the marriage is to Miss Taylor’s advantage; Miss Taylor is settled in a home of her own, and is secure of a comfortable provision. Every friend of Miss Taylor must be glad to have her so happily married.”
“And you have forgotten one thing,” said Emma, “and a very considerable one – thatI made the match myself15. I made the match, you know, four years ago; when so many people said Mr. Weston would never marry again.”
Mr. Knightley shook his head at her. Her father fondly replied, “Ah! my dear, I wish you would not make matches and foretell things, for whatever you say always comes to pass. Pray do not make any more matches.”
“I promise you to make none for myself, papa; but I must, indeed, for other people. It is the greatest amusement in the world! And after such success, you know! – Everybody said that Mr. Weston would never marry again. Oh dear, no! Mr. Weston, who had been a widower so long, and who seemed so perfectly comfortable without a wife, so constantly occupied either in his business in town or among his friends here! Oh no! All manner of nonsense was talked on the subject, but I believed none of it. I planned the match, and when such success has blessed me, dear papa, you cannot think that I shall leave off match-making.”
“I do not understand what you mean by ‘success,’” said Mr. Knightley. “Success supposes endeavour. Why do you talk of success? Where is your merit? What are you proud of? You made a lucky guess; and that is all that can be said.”
“And have you never known the pleasure and triumph of a lucky guess? – I pity you. If I had not promoted Mr. Weston’s visits here, and given many little encouragements, and smoothed many little matters,it might not have come to anything after all16.”
“Emma, my dear,” said Mr. Woodhouse, “pray do not make any more matches; they are silly things, and break up one’s family circle grievously.”
“Only one more, papa; only for Mr.Elton17. Poor Mr. Elton! You like Mr. Elton, papa, – I must look about for a wife for him. There is nobody in Highbury who deserves him. I think very well of Mr. Elton, and this is the only way I have of doing him a service.”
“Mr. Elton is a very pretty young man, to be sure, and a very good young man, and I have a great regard for him. But if you want to show him any attention, my dear, ask him to come and dine with us some day. That will be a much better thing.”
