“No, I have not; I know nothing; pray tell me.”

“You are prepared for the worst, I see—­and very bad it is.  Harriet Smith marries Robert Martin.”

Emma gave a start, which did not seem like being prepared—­ and her eyes, in eager gaze, said, “No, this is impossible!” but her lips were closed.

“It is so, indeed,” continued Mr. Knightley; “I have it from Robert Martin himself.  He left me not half an hour ago.”

She was still looking at him with the most speaking amazement.

“You like it, my Emma, as little as I feared.—­I wish our opinions were the same.  But in time they will.  Time, you may be sure, will make one or the other of us think differently; and, in the meanwhile, we need not talk much on the subject.”

“You mistake me, you quite mistake me,” she replied, exerting herself.  “It is not that such a circumstance would now make me unhappy, but I cannot believe it.  It seems an impossibility!—­You cannot mean to say, that Harriet Smith has accepted Robert Martin.  You cannot mean that he has even proposed to her again—­yet.  You only mean, that he intends it.”

“I mean that he has done it,” answered Mr. Knightley, with smiling but determined decision, “and been accepted.”

“Good God!” she cried.—­“Well!”—­Then having recourse to her workbasket, in excuse for leaning down her face, and concealing all the exquisite feelings of delight and entertainment which she knew she must be expressing, she added, “Well, now tell me every thing; make this intelligible to me.  How, where, when?—­Let me know it all.  I never was more surprized—­but it does not make me unhappy, I assure you.—­How—­how has it been possible?”

“It is a very simple story.  He went to town on business three days ago, and I got him to take charge of some papers which I was wanting to send to John.—­He delivered these papers to John, at his chambers, and was asked by him to join their party the same evening to Astley’s.  They were going to take the two eldest boys to Astley’s.  The party was to be our brother and sister, Henry, John—­and Miss Smith.  My friend Robert could not resist.  They called for him in their way; were all extremely amused; and my brother asked him to dine with them the next day—­which he did—­and in the course of that visit (as I understand) he found an opportunity of speaking to Harriet; and certainly did not speak in vain.—­She made him, by her acceptance, as happy even as he is deserving.  He came down by yesterday’s coach, and was with me this morning immediately after breakfast, to report his proceedings, first on my affairs, and then on his own.  This is all that I can relate of the how, where, and when.  Your friend Harriet will make a much longer history when you see her.—­ She will give you all the minute particulars, which only woman’s language can make interesting.—­In our communications we deal only in the great.—­However, I must say, that Robert Martin’s heart seemed for him, and to me, very overflowing; and that he did mention, without its being much to the purpose, that on quitting their box at Astley’s, my brother took charge of Mrs. John Knightley and little John, and he followed with Miss Smith and Henry; and that at one time they were in such a crowd, as to make Miss Smith rather uneasy.”