XL + 

A very few days had passed after this adventure, when Harriet came one morning to Emma with a small parcel in her hand, and after sitting down and hesitating, thus began: + 

вАЬMiss WoodhouseвБ†вАФif you are at leisureвБ†вАФI have something that I should like to tell youвБ†вАФa sort of confession to makeвБ†вАФand then, you know, it will be over.вАЭ + 

Emma was a good deal surprised; but begged her to speak. There was a seriousness in HarrietвАЩs manner which prepared her, quite as much as her words, for something more than ordinary. + 

вАЬIt is my duty, and I am sure it is my wish,вАЭ she continued, вАЬto have no reserves with you on this subject. As I am happily quite an altered creature in one respect, it is very fit that you should have the satisfaction of knowing it. I do not want to say more than is necessaryвБ†вАФI am too much ashamed of having given way as I have done, and I dare say you understand me.вАЭ + 

вАЬYes,вАЭ said Emma, вАЬI hope I do.вАЭ + 

вАЬHow I could so long a time be fancying myself!вБ†вАКвБ†вА¶вАЭ cried Harriet, warmly. вАЬIt seems like madness! I can see nothing at all extraordinary in him now.вБ†вАФI do not care whether I meet him or notвБ†вАФexcept that of the two I had rather not see himвБ†вАФand indeed I would go any distance round to avoid himвБ†вАФbut I do not envy his wife in the least; I neither admire her nor envy her, as I have done: she is very charming, I dare say, and all that, but I think her very ill-tempered and disagreeableвБ†вАФI shall never forget her look the other night!вБ†вАФHowever, I assure you, Miss Woodhouse, I wish her no evil.вБ†вАФNo, let them be ever so happy together, it will not give me another momentвАЩs pang: and to convince you that I have been speaking truth, I am now going to destroyвБ†вАФwhat I ought to have destroyed long agoвБ†вАФwhat I ought never to have keptвБ†вАФI know that very well (blushing as she spoke).вБ†вАФHowever, now I will destroy it allвБ†вАФand it is my particular wish to do it in your presence, that you may see how rational I am grown. Cannot you guess what this parcel holds?вАЭ said she, with a conscious look. + 

вАЬNot the least in the world.вБ†вАФDid he ever give you anything?вАЭ + 

вАЬNoвБ†вАФI cannot call them gifts; but they are things that I have valued very much.вАЭ + 

She held the parcel towards her, and Emma read the words Most precious treasures on the top. Her curiosity was greatly excited. Harriet unfolded the parcel, and she looked on with impatience. Within abundance of silver paper was a pretty little Tunbridge-ware box, which Harriet opened: it was well lined with the softest cotton; but, excepting the cotton, Emma saw only a small piece of court-plaster. + 

вАЬNow,вАЭ said Harriet, вАЬyou must recollect.вАЭ + 

вАЬNo, indeed I do not.вАЭ + 

вАЬDear me! I should not have thought it possible you could forget what passed in this very room about court-plaster, one of the very last times we ever met in it!вБ†вАФIt was but a very few days before I had my sore throatвБ†вАФjust before Mr.¬†and Mrs.¬†John Knightley cameвБ†вАФI think the very evening.вБ†вАФDo not you remember his cutting his finger with your new penknife, and your recommending court-plaster?вБ†вАФBut, as you had none about you, and knew I had, you desired me to supply him; and so I took mine out and cut him a piece; but it was a great deal too large, and he cut it smaller, and kept playing some time with what was left, before he gave it back to me. And so then, in my nonsense, I could not help making a treasure of itвБ†вАФso I put it by never to be used, and looked at it now and then as a great treat.вАЭ + 

вАЬMy dearest Harriet!вАЭ cried Emma, putting her hand before her face, and jumping up, вАЬyou make me more ashamed of myself than I can bear. Remember it? Aye, I remember it all now; all, except your saving this relicвБ†вАФI knew nothing of that till this momentвБ†вАФbut the cutting the finger, and my recommending court-plaster, and saying I had none about me!вБ†вАФOh! my sins, my sins!вБ†вАФAnd I had plenty all the while in my pocket!вБ†вАФOne of my senseless tricks!вБ†вАФI deserve to be under a continual blush all the rest of my life.вБ†вАФWellвБ†вАФ(sitting down again)вБ†вАФgo onвБ†вАФwhat else?вАЭ + 

вАЬAnd had you really some at hand yourself? I am sure I never suspected it, you did it so naturally.вАЭ + 

вАЬAnd so you actually put this piece of court-plaster by for his sake!вАЭ said Emma, recovering from her state of shame and feeling divided between wonder and amusement. And secretly she added to herself, вАЬLord bless me! when should I ever have thought of putting by in cotton a piece of court-plaster that Frank Churchill had been pulling about! I never was equal to this.вАЭ + 

вАЬHere,вАЭ resumed Harriet, turning to her box again, вАЬhere is something still more valuable, I mean that has been more valuable, because this is what did really once belong to him, which the court-plaster never did.вАЭ + 

Emma was quite eager to see this superior treasure. It was the end of an old pencilвБ†вАФthe part without any lead. + 

вАЬThis was really his,вАЭ said Harriet.вБ†вАФвАЬDo not you remember one morning?вБ†вАФno, I dare say you do not. But one morningвБ†вАФI forget exactly the dayвБ†вАФbut perhaps it was the Tuesday or Wednesday before that evening, he wanted to make a memorandum in his pocketbook; it was about spruce-beer. Mr.¬†Knightley had been telling him something about brewing spruce-beer, and he wanted to put it down; but when he took out his pencil, there was so little lead that he soon cut it all away, and it would not do, so you lent him another, and this was left upon the table as good for nothing. But I kept my eye on it; and, as soon as I dared, caught it up, and never parted with it again from that moment.вАЭ + 

вАЬI do remember it,вАЭ cried Emma; вАЬI perfectly remember it.вБ†вАФTalking about spruce-beer.вБ†вАФOh! yesвБ†вАФMr.¬†Knightley and I both saying we liked it, and Mr.¬†EltonвАЩs seeming resolved to learn to like it too. I perfectly remember it.вБ†вАФStop; Mr.¬†Knightley was standing just here, was not he? I have an idea he was standing just here.вАЭ + 

вАЬAh! I do not know. I cannot recollect.вБ†вАФIt is very odd, but I cannot recollect.вБ†вАФMr.¬†Elton was sitting here, I remember, much about where I am now.вАЭвБ†вАФ + 

вАЬWell, go on.вАЭ + 

вАЬOh! thatвАЩs all. I have nothing more to show you, or to sayвБ†вАФexcept that I am now going to throw them both behind the fire, and I wish you to see me do it.вАЭ + 

вАЬMy poor dear Harriet! and have you actually found happiness in treasuring up these things?вАЭ + 

вАЬYes, simpleton as I was!вБ†вАФbut I am quite ashamed of it now, and wish I could forget as easily as I can burn them. It was very wrong of me, you know, to keep any remembrances, after he was married. I knew it wasвБ†вАФbut had not resolution enough to part with them.вАЭ + 

вАЬBut, Harriet, is it necessary to burn the court-plaster?вБ†вАФI have not a word to say for the bit of old pencil, but the court-plaster might be useful.вАЭ + 

вАЬI shall be happier to burn it,вАЭ replied Harriet. вАЬIt has a disagreeable look to me. I must get rid of everything.вБ†вАФThere it goes, and there is an end, thank Heaven! of Mr.¬†Elton.вАЭ + 

вАЬAnd when,вАЭ thought Emma, вАЬwill there be a beginning of Mr.¬†Churchill?вАЭ + 

She had soon afterwards reason to believe that the beginning was already made, and could not but hope that the gipsy, though she had told no fortune, might be proved to have made HarrietвАЩs.вБ†вАФAbout a fortnight after the alarm, they came to a sufficient explanation, and quite undesignedly. Emma was not thinking of it at the moment, which made the information she received more valuable. She merely said, in the course of some trivial chat, вАЬWell, Harriet, whenever you marry I would advise you to do so-and-soвАЭвБ†вАФand thought no more of it, till after a minuteвАЩs silence she heard Harriet say in a very serious tone, вАЬI shall never marry.вАЭ + 

Emma then looked up, and immediately saw how it was; and after a momentвАЩs debate, as to whether it should pass unnoticed or not, replied, + 

вАЬNever marry!вБ†вАФThis is a new resolution.вАЭ + 

вАЬIt is one that I shall never change, however.вАЭ + 

After another short hesitation, вАЬI hope it does not proceed fromвБ†вАФI hope it is not in compliment to Mr.¬†Elton?вАЭ + 

вАЬMr.¬†Elton indeed!вАЭ cried Harriet indignantly.вБ†вАФвАЬOh! noвАЭвБ†вАФand Emma could just catch the words, вАЬso superior to Mr.¬†Elton!вАЭ + 

She then took a longer time for consideration. Should she proceed no farther?вБ†вАФshould she let it pass, and seem to suspect nothing?вБ†вАФPerhaps Harriet might think her cold or angry if she did; or perhaps if she were totally silent, it might only drive Harriet into asking her to hear too much; and against anything like such an unreserve as had been, such an open and frequent discussion of hopes and chances, she was perfectly resolved.вБ†вАФShe believed it would be wiser for her to say and know at once, all that she meant to say and know. Plain dealing was always best. She had previously determined how far she would proceed, on any application of the sort; and it would be safer for both, to have the judicious law of her own brain laid down with speed.вБ†вАФShe was decided, and thus spokeвБ†вАФ + 

вАЬHarriet, I will not affect to be in doubt of your meaning. Your resolution, or rather your expectation of never marrying, results from an idea that the person whom you might prefer, would be too greatly your superior in situation to think of you. Is not it so?вАЭ + 

вАЬOh! Miss Woodhouse, believe me I have not the presumption to supposeвБ†вАФIndeed I am not so mad.вБ†вАФBut it is a pleasure to me to admire him at a distanceвБ†вАФand to think of his infinite superiority to all the rest of the world, with the gratitude, wonder, and veneration, which are so proper, in me especially.вАЭ + 

вАЬI am not at all surprised at you, Harriet. The service he rendered you was enough to warm your heart.вАЭ + 

вАЬService! oh! it was such an inexpressible obligation!вБ†вАФThe very recollection of it, and all that I felt at the timeвБ†вАФwhen I saw him comingвБ†вАФhis noble lookвБ†вАФand my wretchedness before. Such a change! In one moment such a change! From perfect misery to perfect happiness!вАЭ + 

вАЬIt is very natural. It is natural, and it is honourable.вБ†вАФYes, honourable, I think, to choose so well and so gratefully.вБ†вАФBut that it will be a fortunate preference is more than I can promise. I do not advise you to give way to it, Harriet. I do not by any means engage for its being returned. Consider what you are about. Perhaps it will be wisest in you to check your feelings while you can: at any rate do not let them carry you far, unless you are persuaded of his liking you. Be observant of him. Let his behaviour be the guide of your sensations. I give you this caution now, because I shall never speak to you again on the subject. I am determined against all interference. Henceforward I know nothing of the matter. Let no name ever pass our lips. We were very wrong before; we will be cautious now.вБ†вАФHe is your superior, no doubt, and there do seem objections and obstacles of a very serious nature; but yet, Harriet, more wonderful things have taken place, there have been matches of greater disparity. But take care of yourself. I would not have you too sanguine; though, however it may end, be assured your raising your thoughts to him, is a mark of good taste which I shall always know how to value.вАЭ + 

Harriet kissed her hand in silent and submissive gratitude. Emma was very decided in thinking such an attachment no bad thing for her friend. Its tendency would be to raise and refine her mindвБ†вАФand it must be saving her from the danger of degradation. + 