“Yes—­it seems to depend upon nothing but the ill-humour of Mrs. Churchill, which I imagine to be the most certain thing in the world.”

“My Emma!” replied Mrs. Weston, smiling, “what is the certainty of caprice?” Then turning to Isabella, who had not been attending before—­“You must know, my dear Mrs. Knightley, that we are by no means so sure of seeing Mr. Frank Churchill, in my opinion, as his father thinks.  It depends entirely upon his aunt’s spirits and pleasure; in short, upon her temper.  To you—­to my two daughters—­I may venture on the truth.  Mrs. Churchill rules at Enscombe, and is a very odd-tempered woman; and his coming now, depends upon her being willing to spare him.”

“Oh, Mrs. Churchill; every body knows Mrs. Churchill,” replied Isabella:  “and I am sure I never think of that poor young man without the greatest compassion.  To be constantly living with an ill-tempered person, must be dreadful.  It is what we happily have never known any thing of; but it must be a life of misery.  What a blessing, that she never had any children!  Poor little creatures, how unhappy she would have made them!”

Emma wished she had been alone with Mrs. Weston.  She should then have heard more:  Mrs. Weston would speak to her, with a degree of unreserve which she would not hazard with Isabella; and, she really believed, would scarcely try to conceal any thing relative to the Churchills from her, excepting those views on the young man, of which her own imagination had already given her such instinctive knowledge.  But at present there was nothing more to be said.  Mr. Woodhouse very soon followed them into the drawing-room.  To be sitting long after dinner, was a confinement that he could not endure.  Neither wine nor conversation was any thing to him; and gladly did he move to those with whom he was always comfortable.

While he talked to Isabella, however, Emma found an opportunity of saying,

“And so you do not consider this visit from your son as by any means certain.  I am sorry for it.  The introduction must be unpleasant, whenever it takes place; and the sooner it could be over, the better.”

“Yes; and every delay makes one more apprehensive of other delays.  Even if this family, the Braithwaites, are put off, I am still afraid that some excuse may be found for disappointing us.  I cannot bear to imagine any reluctance on his side; but I am sure there is a great wish on the Churchills’ to keep him to themselves.  There is jealousy.  They are jealous even of his regard for his father.  In short, I can feel no dependence on his coming, and I wish Mr. Weston were less sanguine.”

“He ought to come,” said Emma.  “If he could stay only a couple of days, he ought to come; and one can hardly conceive a young man’s not having it in his power to do as much as that.  A young woman, if she fall into bad hands, may be teazed, and kept at a distance from those she wants to be with; but one cannot comprehend a young man’s being under such restraint, as not to be able to spend a week with his father, if he likes it.”