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case. I trust, at least, that you do not think Mr. Knightley looking ill," turning her eyes with affectionate
anxiety towards her husband.
"Middling, my dear; I cannot compliment you. I think Mr. John Knightley very far from looking well."
"What is the matter, sir?--Did you speak to me?" cried Mr. John Knightley, hearing his own name.
"I am sorry to find, my love, that my father does not think you looking well--but I hope it is only from
being a little fatigued. I could have wished, however, as you know, that you had seen Mr. Wingfield
before you left home."
"My dear Isabella,"--exclaimed he hastily--"pray do not concern yourself about my looks. Be
satisfied with doctoring and coddling yourself and the children, and let me look as I chuse."
"I did not thoroughly understand what you were telling your brother," cried Emma, "about your friend
Mr. Graham's intending to have a bailiff from Scotland, to look after his new estate. What will it answer?
Will not the old prejudice be too strong?"
And she talked in this way so long and successfully that, when forced to give her attention again to
her father and sister, she had nothing worse to hear than Isabella's kind inquiry after Jane Fairfax; and
Jane Fairfax, though no great favourite with her in general, she was at that moment very happy to assist in
praising.
"That sweet, amiable Jane Fairfax!" said Mrs. John Knightley.-- "It is so long since I have seen her,
except now and then for a moment accidentally in town! What happiness it must be to her good old
grandmother and excellent aunt, when she comes to visit them! I always regret excessively on dear
Emma's account that she cannot be more at Highbury; but now their daughter is married, I suppose
Colonel and Mrs. Campbell will not be able to part with her at all. She would be such a delightful
companion for Emma."
Mr. Woodhouse agreed to it all, but added,
"Our little friend Harriet Smith, however, is just such another pretty kind of young person. You will
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like Harriet. Emma could not have a better companion than Harriet."
"I am most happy to hear it--but only Jane Fairfax one knows to be so very accomplished and
superior!--and exactly Emma's age."
This topic was discussed very happily, and others succeeded of similar moment, and passed away
with similar harmony; but the evening did not close without a little return of agitation. The gruel came and
supplied a great deal to be said--much praise and many comments-- undoubting decision of its
wholesomeness for every constitution, and pretty severe Philippics upon the many houses where it was
never met with tolerable;--but, unfortunately, among the failures which the daughter had to instance, the
most recent, and therefore most prominent, was in her own cook at South End, a young woman hired for
the time, who never had been able to understand what she meant by a basin of nice smooth gruel, thin,
but not too thin. Often as she had wished for and ordered it, she had never been able to get any thing
tolerable. Here was a dangerous opening.
"Ah!" said Mr. Woodhouse, shaking his head and fixing his eyes on her with tender concern.--The
ejaculation in Emma's ear expressed, "Ah! there is no end of the sad consequences of your going to
South End. It does not bear talking of." And for a little while she hoped he would not talk of it, and that a
silent rumination might suffice to restore him to the relish of his own smooth gruel. After an interval of
some minutes, however, he began with,
"I shall always be very sorry that you went to the sea this autumn, instead of coming here."
"But why should you be sorry, sir?--I assure you, it did the children a great deal of good."
"And, moreover, if you must go to the sea, it had better not have been to South End. South End is an
unhealthy place. Perry was surprized to hear you had fixed upon South End."
"I know there is such an idea with many people, but indeed it is quite a mistake, sir.--We all had our
health perfectly well there, never found the least inconvenience from the mud; and Mr. Wingfield says it is
entirely a mistake to suppose the place unhealthy; and I am sure he may be depended on, for he
thoroughly understands the nature of the air, and his own brother and family have been there repeatedly."
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