“Thank you.  You are so kind!” replied the happily deceived aunt, while eagerly hunting for the letter.—­“Oh! here it is.  I was sure it could not be far off; but I had put my huswife upon it, you see, without being aware, and so it was quite hid, but I had it in my hand so very lately that I was almost sure it must be on the table.  I was reading it to Mrs. Cole, and since she went away, I was reading it again to my mother, for it is such a pleasure to her—­ a letter from Jane—­that she can never hear it often enough; so I knew it could not be far off, and here it is, only just under my huswife—­and since you are so kind as to wish to hear what she says;—­but, first of all, I really must, in justice to Jane, apologise for her writing so short a letter—­only two pages you see—­ hardly two—­and in general she fills the whole paper and crosses half.  My mother often wonders that I can make it out so well.  She often says, when the letter is first opened, `Well, Hetty, now I think you will be put to it to make out all that checker-work’—­ don’t you, ma’am?—­And then I tell her, I am sure she would contrive to make it out herself, if she had nobody to do it for her—­ every word of it—­I am sure she would pore over it till she had made out every word.  And, indeed, though my mother’s eyes are not so good as they were, she can see amazingly well still, thank God! with the help of spectacles.  It is such a blessing!  My mother’s are really very good indeed.  Jane often says, when she is here, `I am sure, grandmama, you must have had very strong eyes to see as you do—­and so much fine work as you have done too!—­I only wish my eyes may last me as well.’”

All this spoken extremely fast obliged Miss Bates to stop for breath; and Emma said something very civil about the excellence of Miss Fairfax’s handwriting.

“You are extremely kind,” replied Miss Bates, highly gratified; “you who are such a judge, and write so beautifully yourself.  I am sure there is nobody’s praise that could give us so much pleasure as Miss Woodhouse’s.  My mother does not hear; she is a little deaf you know.  Ma’am,” addressing her, “do you hear what Miss Woodhouse is so obliging to say about Jane’s handwriting?”

And Emma had the advantage of hearing her own silly compliment repeated twice over before the good old lady could comprehend it.  She was pondering, in the meanwhile, upon the possibility, without seeming very rude, of making her escape from Jane Fairfax’s letter, and had almost resolved on hurrying away directly under some slight excuse, when Miss Bates turned to her again and seized her attention.

“My mother’s deafness is very trifling you see—­just nothing at all.  By only raising my voice, and saying any thing two or three times over, she is sure to hear; but then she is used to my voice.  But it is very remarkable that she should always hear Jane better than she does me.  Jane speaks so distinct!  However, she will not find her grandmama at all deafer than she was two years ago; which is saying a great deal at my mother’s time of life—­and it really is full two years, you know, since she was here.  We never were so long without seeing her before, and as I was telling Mrs. Cole, we shall hardly know how to make enough of her now.”