Courtesy and Contempt

Chapter 4

Chapter 4Emma Lodge, handsome, smart and rich, with a comfortable home and a happy vibe, seemed to combine some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived in the world for almost twenty-one years, with very little to torment or annoy them.

She was the youngest of the two daughters of a loving, forgiving father; and had been the mistress of his house at a very early age as a result of her sister's marriage. Her mother had died too long ago for her to have more than a vague memory of her caresses; and her place had been taken as governess by an excellent woman who had barely complied with a loving mother.

For sixteen years, Miss Taylor had been in Mr. Lodge's family, less as a governess than as a friend, the two daughters, but especially Emma, ?? very much loved. Between them, it was more the intimacy of sisters. Even before Miss Taylor had stopped holding the nominal office of governess, the gentleness of her temperament had hardly allowed her to impose any restraint; and the shadow of authority was long gone, they lived together as a friend and friend who was very attached to each other, and Emma did exactly what she liked; Highly appreciative of Miss Taylor's judgment, but mainly guided by her own.

The real evils of Emma's situation were actually the ability to have quite too much of her own will, and a tendency to think a little too well of herself; these were the disadvantages that threatened to affect their many pleasures. But the danger was immediately so unnoticed that it was by no means considered a misfortune for her.

Grief came – a gentle sorrow – but not at all in the form of an unpleasant consciousness. – Miss Taylor married. It was Miss Taylor's loss that first brought grief. It was on this beloved friend's wedding day that Emma sat for the first time in sad thoughts of some kind of survival. The wedding was over, the bride and groom were gone, her father and she had to dine together, with no prospect of a third to celebrate a long evening. Her father went to sleep after dinner as usual, and all she had to do was sit down and think about what she had lost.

The event promised all luck for her friend. Mr. Winstone was a man of impeccable character, easy fortune, reasonable age and pleasant manners; and it was a certain satisfaction to consider the self-denying, generous friendship with which she had always desired and promoted the match; but it was the work of a black morning for her. The lack of Miss Taylor would be felt every day at any hour. She remembered her former kindness – the kindness, the affection of sixteen years – how she had taught her and how she had played with her since the age of five – how she had used all her powers to keep her healthy and amused – and how she had cared for her through the various illnesses of childhood. Great gratitude was due here; but the i*********e of the last seven years, the equality and complete impartiality that soon followed Bella's marriage, that they were left to each other, was an even better, more tender memory. She had been a friend and companion that few possessed: intelligent, well-informed, useful, meek, familiar with all the ways of the family, interested in all her concerns, and especially interested in herself, in every pleasure, in every one of her plans – one with whom she could speak every thought as soon as it appeared, and who had such affection for her, that she never had anything to complain about.

How should she endure the change? - It was true that her friend was only half a mile away from them; but Emma was aware that the difference between a Mrs. Winstone, who was only half a mile away from them, and a Miss Taylor in the house must be great; and with all her natural and domestic benefits, she was now in great danger of suffering from mental loneliness. She loved her father very much, but he was not a companion to her. He could not meet her in conversation, rationally or playfully.

The evil of the actual age difference (and Mr. Lodge had not married early) was exacerbated by his constitution and habits; for since he had been a valet all his life, without mental or physical activity, he was in a way a much older man than in years; and although he was loved everywhere for his kind heart and gracious temperament, his talents could never have recommended him.

Her sister, although relatively little away by marriage, settled in London, only sixteen miles away, was much out of her daily reach; and many long October and November evenings had to be fought through in Hartfield before Christmas brought the next visit of Bella and her husband and young children to fill the house and give her pleasant company again.

Highbury, the large and populous village that almost resembled a town to which Hartfield really belonged despite its separate lawn, bushes and name, offered it no equals. The lodges were the first in a row to be there. Everyone looked up to them. She had many acquaintances in the village, because her father was generally polite, but none of them who could be accepted even for half a day instead of Miss Taylor. It was a melancholic change; and Emma couldn't help but sigh about it and wish for impossible things until her father woke up and made it necessary to be cheerful. His spirits needed support. He was a nervous man, slightly depressed; loved every body to which he was accustomed and hated to part with it; Hatred of any kind of change. Marriage as the origin of change has always been unpleasant; and he was by no means reconciled with the marriage of his own daughter, nor could he ever speak of her, but with pity, although it had been completely a game of affection when he now had to separate from Miss Taylor as well; and because of his gentle selfishness and the fact that he could never assume that other people could feel differently than himself, he was very inclined to believe that Miss Taylor had done as much sadness to herself as she did to them and would have been much happier if she had spent the rest of her life in Hartfield. Emma smiled and chatted as happily as she could to keep him from such thoughts; but when the tea came, it was impossible for him not to say exactly what he had said at dinner: when he now had to part with Miss Taylor as well; and because of his gentle selfishness and the fact that he could never assume that other people could feel differently than himself, he was very inclined to believe that Miss Taylor had done as much sadness to herself as she did to them and would have been much happier if she had spent the rest of her life in Hartfield. Emma smiled and chatted as happily as she could to keep him from such thoughts; but when the tea came, it was impossible for him not to say exactly what he had said at dinner: when he now had to part with Miss Taylor as well; and because of his gentle selfishness and the fact that he could never assume that other people could feel differently than himself, he was very inclined to believe that Miss Taylor had done as much sadness to herself as she did to them and would have been much happier if she had spent the rest of her life in Hartfield. Emma smiled and chatted as happily as she could to keep him from such thoughts; but when the tea came, it was impossible for him not to say exactly what he had said at dinner: and would have been much happier if she had spent the rest of her life in Hartfield. Emma smiled and chatted as happily as she could to keep him from such thoughts; but when the tea came, it was impossible for him not to say exactly what he had said at dinner: and would have been much happier if she had spent the rest of her life in Hartfield. Emma smiled and chatted as happily as she could to keep him from such thoughts; but when the tea came, it was impossible for him not to say exactly what he had said at dinner:

"Poor Miss Taylor! – I wish she was here again. What a shame Winstone-san ever thought of her!"

"I can't agree with you, Dad; You know, I can't. Mr. Winstone is such a good-humoured, pleasant, excellent man that he deserves a good wife; – and you wouldn't have let Miss Taylor live with us forever and endured all my strange whims if she had one of her own house?"

"A house of its own! – But where is the advantage of having your own house? That's three times as big. – And you never have weird juices, my dear."

"How many times will we visit them, and they come to see us! – We will always meet! We must begin; we have to leave very soon and pay a wedding visit."

"My dear, how am I supposed to get this far? Randalls is so far away. I couldn't go half as far."

"No, Dad, no one thought about your walk. We have to go in the carriage to be safe."

"The car! But James won't like to put the horses out for so long – and where should the poor horses be while we pay our visit?"

"They are to be taken to Mr. Winstone's stable, Dad. You know that we have already settled all this. We discussed everything with Winstone-san last night. And as for James, you can be sure that he will always be happy to go to Randalls because his daughter is a maid there. I just doubt if he will ever take us anywhere else. That was your work, Dad. You brought Hannah to this good place. No one thought of Hannah until you mentioned her – James is so attached to you!"

"I'm very glad I thought of her. It was a great luck, because I would not have made poor James believe that he had been diminished because of anything; and I am sure that she will make a very good servant: she is a polite, pretty girl; I have a great opinion of her. When I see her, she always makes a kink and asks me in a very pretty way how I'm doing; and if you had her here to sew, I observe that she always turns the door lock around the right way and never slams shut. I am sure she will be an excellent servant; and it will be a great comfort to poor Miss Taylor to have around her someone she is used to seeing. Whenever James goes to his daughter, you know she will hear from us. He will be able to tell her how we are all doing."

Emma spared no effort to maintain this happier flow of thoughts, hoping to bring her father through the evening bearably with the help of backgammon and to be invaded by no regret other than her own. The backgammon table was set up; but a visitor came in right after and made it superfluous.

Mr. Hill, a reasonable man in his seven or thirty-eight, was not only a very old and intimate friend of the family, but as the older brother of Bella's husband, he was also particularly attached to her. He lived about a mile from Highbury, was a frequent visitor and always welcome and at this time more welcome than usual as he came directly from their shared connections in London. He had returned for a late dinner after a few days of absence and now went to Hartfield to say that everything was fine in Brunswick Square. It was a fortunate circumstance and revived Mr. Lodge for some time. Mr. Hill had a cheerful manner that was always good for him; and his many inquiries about "poor Bella" and her children were answered most satisfactorily. When this was over, Mr. Lodge gratefully remarked, "It is very nice of you, Mr. Hill, to come out at this late hour to visit us. I'm afraid you must have had a shocking walk."

"Not at all, sir. It's a beautiful lunar night; and so mild that I must withdraw from your great fire."

"But you must have found it very damp and dirty. I wish you couldn't catch a cold."

"Dirty, Lord! Look at my shoes. Not a stain on them."

"Fountain! this is quite surprising, because we had a lot of rain here. It rained terribly heavily for half an hour while we were at breakfast. I wanted them to postpone the wedding."

"By the way – I didn't wish you any joy. Since I am quite well aware of what kind of joy you both must feel, I am not in a hurry with my congratulations; but I hope it all turned out reasonably well. How did you all behave? Who cried the most?"

"Ah! poor Miss Taylor! It's a sad thing."

"Poor Mr. and Miss Lodge, please; but I can't possibly say "poor Miss Taylor". I appreciate you and Emma very much; but when it comes to the question of dependence or independence! - In any case, it must be better to have only one than two."

"Especially when one of the two is such an imaginative, annoying creature!" emma said playfully. "That's what you have in mind, I know – and what you would certainly say if my father wasn't there."

"I think it's really very true, my dear," Mr. Lodge said with a sigh. "I'm afraid I'm sometimes very imaginative and annoying."

"My dearest dad! You don't think I could mean you, or assume that Mr. Hill means you. What a terrible idea! Oh no! I meant only me. Mr. Hill loves to criticize me, you know – jokingly – it's all a joke. We always tell ourselves what we like."

In fact, Mr. Hill was one of the few people who could see flaws in Emma Lodge, and the only one who ever told her about it: and although this wasn't particularly pleasant for Emma herself, she knew that it would be so much less to her father that she wouldn't really let him suspect such a circumstance, because it is not considered perfect by everyone.

"Emma knows I never flatter her," Mr. Hill said, "but I didn't want to think about any body. Miss Taylor was used to pleasing two people; she will now have only one. Chances are she has to be a winner."

"Well," emma said, ?? ready to let it pass – "you want to hear about the wedding; and I'm happy to tell you that, because we all behaved nicely. Every body was punctual, every body in its best appearance: no tear and hardly a long face to see. Oh no; We all felt like we would only be half a mile apart and were sure we would meet every day."

"Dear Emma endures everything so well," said her father. "But, Mr. Hill, she's really sorry to lose poor Miss Taylor, and I'm sure she'll miss her more than she thinks."

Emma turned her head away, divided between tears and smiles. "It's impossible that Emma doesn't miss such a companion," Mr. Hill said. "We wouldn't like them as much as we do, sir, if we could accept it; but she knows how much marriage is to Miss Taylor's advantage; she knows how much it must be acceptable in Miss Taylor's years of life to be housed in her own house and how important comfortable care is to her, and therefore cannot afford to feel as much pain as pleasure. Every friend of Miss Taylor must be happy to have married her so happily."

"And you forgot a joy for me," Emma said, "?" and a very considerable one – that I made the match myself. I did the match, you know, four years ago; and that it takes place and will be right when so many people said Mr. Winstone would never marry again may comfort me for everything."

Mr. Hill shook his head. Her father lovingly replied, "Ah! My dear, I wish you wouldn't make matches and predict things, because whatever you say always comes true. Please don't make any more matches."

"I promise you not to do anything for myself, Dad; but I really have to for other people. It is the greatest pleasure in the world! And after such a success, you know! Everyone said that Mr. Winstone would never marry again. Oh dear, no! Mr. Winstone, who had been a widower for so long and felt so comfortable without a wife, so constantly busy with his business in the city or with his friends here, always acceptable wherever he went, always cheerful – Mr. Winstone did not need to spend a single evening of the year alone if he did not like it. Oh no! Mr. Winstone would certainly never marry again. Some people even spoke of a promise to his wife on her deathbed, and others of the son and uncle not letting him. All sorts of solemn nonsense was talked about, but I didn't believe any of it.

"Since the day about four years ago, when Miss Taylor and I met him on Broadway Lane, when, because it started to drizzle, he rushed away with so much bravery and lent us two umbrellas from Farmer Mitchell, I've decided on the subject. I scheduled the game from that hour on; and if in this case such a success has blessed me, dear Dad, you can not believe that I will give up getting married.

"I don't understand what you mean by 'success,'" Mr. Hill said. "Success requires effort. Your time has been used correctly and carefully if you have made an effort over the past four years to bring about this marriage. A worthy occupation for the spirit of a young lady! But if, as I rather imagine, you're going to do the match, as you call it, just mean your planning, that on a idle day you're saying to yourself, 'I think it would be a very good thing for Miss Taylor if Mr. Winstone were to marry her, and say it to yourself every now and then afterwards, why do you speak of success? Where is your merit? What are you proud of? They advised well; and that's all that can be said."

"And have you never known the pleasure and triumph of a stroke of luck? – I pity you. – I thought you were smarter – because, rely on it, a stroke of luck is never just happiness. There is always a certain talent in it. And as for my poor word "success" with which you argue, I don't know if I'm completely without any claim to it. You have drawn two pretty pictures; but I think there could be a third – something between doing nothing and the all-rounder. If I hadn't encouraged Mr. Winstone's visits here, given many small encouragements, and smoothed out many small matters, perhaps nothing would have happened after all. I think you need to know Hartfield enough to understand that."

"A sincere, open-hearted man like Winstone and a rational, unartificial woman like Miss Taylor can confidently go about their own business. You are more likely to have harmed yourself by interfering than to benefit them."

"Emma never thinks about herself when she can do good to others," Mr. Lodge replied, understanding only partially. "But, my dear, please don't make any more matches; these are foolish things and painfully destroy the family circle."

"Only one more thing, Dad; only for Mr Alton. Poor Mr Alton! You like Alton-san, dad, I have to look for a woman for him. There is no one in Highbury who deserves it – ?? and he's been here for a whole year and has furnished his house so comfortably that it would be a shame to leave him alone for even longer – and I thought when he shook hands day he looked so much like he would like to have an equally friendly office done for himself! I think very much of Mr. Alton, and that's the only way I can do him a service."

"Sir. Alton is a very pretty young man, certainly, and a very good young man, and I appreciate him very much. But if you want to pay attention to him, my dear, ask him to come to us one day and dine with us. That will be a much better thing. I dare say that Mr. Hill will be kind enough to meet him."

"Very gladly, sir, anytime," Mr. Hill said with a laugh, "and I completely agree with you that it will be a much better thing. Invite him to dinner, Emma, ?? and help him make the most of fish and chicken, but leave it to him to choose his own wife. Rely on it, a man of six or twenty-seven years can take care of himself."