“One ought to be at Enscombe, and know the ways of the family, before one decides upon what he can do,” replied Mrs. Weston.  “One ought to use the same caution, perhaps, in judging of the conduct of any one individual of any one family; but Enscombe, I believe, certainly must not be judged by general rules:  she is so very unreasonable; and every thing gives way to her.”

“But she is so fond of the nephew:  he is so very great a favourite.  Now, according to my idea of Mrs. Churchill, it would be most natural, that while she makes no sacrifice for the comfort of the husband, to whom she owes every thing, while she exercises incessant caprice towards him, she should frequently be governed by the nephew, to whom she owes nothing at all.”

“My dearest Emma, do not pretend, with your sweet temper, to understand a bad one, or to lay down rules for it:  you must let it go its own way.  I have no doubt of his having, at times, considerable influence; but it may be perfectly impossible for him to know beforehand when it will be.”

Emma listened, and then coolly said, “I shall not be satisfied, unless he comes.”

“He may have a great deal of influence on some points,” continued Mrs. Weston, “and on others, very little:  and among those, on which she is beyond his reach, it is but too likely, may be this very circumstance of his coming away from them to visit us.”

CHAPTER XV

Mr. Woodhouse was soon ready for his tea; and when he had drank his tea he was quite ready to go home; and it was as much as his three companions could do, to entertain away his notice of the lateness of the hour, before the other gentlemen appeared.  Mr. Weston was chatty and convivial, and no friend to early separations of any sort; but at last the drawing-room party did receive an augmentation.  Mr. Elton, in very good spirits, was one of the first to walk in.  Mrs. Weston and Emma were sitting together on a sofa.  He joined them immediately, and, with scarcely an invitation, seated himself between them.

Emma, in good spirits too, from the amusement afforded her mind by the expectation of Mr. Frank Churchill, was willing to forget his late improprieties, and be as well satisfied with him as before, and on his making Harriet his very first subject, was ready to listen with most friendly smiles.

He professed himself extremely anxious about her fair friend—­ her fair, lovely, amiable friend.  “Did she know?—­had she heard any thing about her, since their being at Randalls?—­ he felt much anxiety—­he must confess that the nature of her complaint alarmed him considerably.”  And in this style he talked on for some time very properly, not much attending to any answer, but altogether sufficiently awake to the terror of a bad sore throat; and Emma was quite in charity with him.