And she talked in this way so long and successfully that, when forced to give her attention again to her father and sister, she had nothing worse to hear than Isabella’s kind inquiry after Jane Fairfax; and Jane Fairfax, though no great favorite with her in general, she was at that moment very happy to assist in praising.

“That sweet, amiable Jane Fairfax!” said Mrs. John Knightley.  “It is so long since I have seen her, except now and then for a moment accidentally in town.  What happiness it must be to her good old grandmother and excellent aunt when she comes to visit them!  I always regret excessively, on dear Emma’s account, that she cannot be more at Highbury; but now their daughter is married I suppose Colonel and Mrs. Campbell will not be able to part with her at all.  She would be such a delightful companion for Emma.”

Mr. Woodhouse agreed to it all, but added:—­

“Our little friend Harriet Smith, however, is just such another pretty kind of young person.  You will like Harriet.  Emma could not have a better companion than Harriet.”

“I am most happy to hear it; but only Jane Fairfax one knows to be so very accomplished and superior, and exactly Emma’s age.”

This topic was discussed very happily, and others succeeded of similar moment, and passed away with similar harmony; but the evening did not close without a little return of agitation.  The gruel came and supplied a great deal to be said—­much praise and many comments—­undoubting decision of its wholesomeness for every constitution, and pretty severe philippies upon the many houses where it was never met with tolerably; but unfortunately, among the failures which the daughter had to instance, the most recent and therefore most prominent was in her own cook at South End, a young woman hired for the time, who never had been able to understand what she meant by a basin of nice smooth gruel, thin, but not too thin.  Often as she had wished for and ordered it, she had never been able to get anything tolerable.  Here was a dangerous opening.

“Ah,” said Mr. Woodhouse, shaking his head, and fixing his eyes on her with tender concern.  The ejaculation in Emma’s ear expressed, “Ah, there is no end of the sad consequences of your going to South End.  It does not bear talking of.”  And for a little while she hoped he would not talk of it, and that a silent rumination might suffice to restore him to the relish of his own smooth gruel.  After an interval of some minutes, however, he began with—­

“I shall always be very sorry that you went to the sea this autumn, instead of coming here.”

“But why should you be sorry, sir?  I assure you it did the children a great deal of good.”

“And moreover, if you must go to the sea, it had better not have been to South End.  South End is an unhealthy place.  Perry was surprised to hear you had fixed upon South End.”

“I know there is such an idea with many people, but indeed it is quite a mistake, sir.  We all had our health perfectly well there, never found the least inconvenience from the mud, and Mr. Wingfield says it is entirely a mistake to suppose the place unhealthy; and I am sure he may be depended on, for he thoroughly understands the nature of the air, and his own brother and family have been there repeatedly.”