“I have escaped; and that I should escape, may be a matter of grateful wonder to you and myself.  But this does not acquit him, Mrs. Weston; and I must say, that I think him greatly to blame.  What right had he to come among us with affection and faith engaged, and with manners so very disengaged?  What right had he to endeavour to please, as he certainly did—­to distinguish any one young woman with persevering attention, as he certainly did—­while he really belonged to another?—­How could he tell what mischief he might be doing?—­ How could he tell that he might not be making me in love with him?—­ very wrong, very wrong indeed.”

“From something that he said, my dear Emma, I rather imagine—­”

“And how could she bear such behaviour!  Composure with a witness! to look on, while repeated attentions were offering to another woman, before her face, and not resent it.—­That is a degree of placidity, which I can neither comprehend nor respect.”

“There were misunderstandings between them, Emma; he said so expressly.  He had not time to enter into much explanation.  He was here only a quarter of an hour, and in a state of agitation which did not allow the full use even of the time he could stay—­ but that there had been misunderstandings he decidedly said.  The present crisis, indeed, seemed to be brought on by them; and those misunderstandings might very possibly arise from the impropriety of his conduct.”

“Impropriety!  Oh!  Mrs. Weston—­it is too calm a censure.  Much, much beyond impropriety!—­It has sunk him, I cannot say how it has sunk him in my opinion.  So unlike what a man should be!—­ None of that upright integrity, that strict adherence to truth and principle, that disdain of trick and littleness, which a man should display in every transaction of his life.”

“Nay, dear Emma, now I must take his part; for though he has been wrong in this instance, I have known him long enough to answer for his having many, very many, good qualities; and—­”

“Good God!” cried Emma, not attending to her.—­“Mrs. Smallridge, too!  Jane actually on the point of going as governess!  What could he mean by such horrible indelicacy?  To suffer her to engage herself—­ to suffer her even to think of such a measure!”

“He knew nothing about it, Emma.  On this article I can fully acquit him.  It was a private resolution of hers, not communicated to him—­or at least not communicated in a way to carry conviction.—­ Till yesterday, I know he said he was in the dark as to her plans.  They burst on him, I do not know how, but by some letter or message—­ and it was the discovery of what she was doing, of this very project of hers, which determined him to come forward at once, own it all to his uncle, throw himself on his kindness, and, in short, put an end to the miserable state of concealment that had been carrying on so long.”

Emma began to listen better.