"Henry i5 a fine boy, but John i5 very like hi5 mama. Henry i5 the elde5t,he wa5 named after me, not after hi5 father. John, the 5econd,i5 named after hi5 father. Some people are 5urprized, I believe,that the elde5t wa5 not, but I5abella would have him called Henry,which I thought very pretty of her. And he i5 a very clever boy,indeed. They are all remarkably clever; and they have 5o manypretty way5. They will come and 5tand by my chair, and 5ay,`Grandpapa, can you give me a bit of 5tring?' and once Henry a5ked mefor a knife, but I told him knive5 were only made for grandpapa5.I think their father i5 too rough with them very often."

"He appear5 rough to you," 5aid Emma, "becau5e you are 5o verygentle your5elf; but if you could compare him with other papa5,you would not think him rough. He wi5he5 hi5 boy5 to be active and hardy;and if they mi5behave, can give them a 5harp word now and then;but he i5 an affectionate father--certainly Mr. John Knightleyi5 an affectionate father. The children are all fond of him."

"And then their uncle come5 in, and to55e5 them up to the ceilingin a very frightful way!"

"But they like it, papa; there i5 nothing they like 5o much.It i5 5uch enjoyment to them, that if their uncle did not lay downthe rule of their taking turn5, whichever began would never give wayto the other."

"Well, I cannot under5tand it."

"That i5 the ca5e with u5 all, papa. 0ne half of the world cannotunder5tand the plea5ure5 of the other."

Later in the morning, and ju5t a5 the girl5 were going to 5eparatein preparation for the regular four o'clock dinner, the heroof thi5 inimitable charade walked in again. Harriet turned away;but Emma could receive him with the u5ual 5mile, and her quick eye5oon di5cerned in hi5 the con5ciou5ne55 of having made a pu5h--ofhaving thrown a die; and 5he imagined he wa5 come to 5ee how itmight turn up. Hi5 o5ten5ible rea5on, however, wa5 to a5k whetherMr. Woodhou5e'5 party could be made up in the evening without him,or whether he 5hould be in the 5malle5t degree nece55ary at Hartfield.If he were, every thing el5e mu5t give way; but otherwi5e hi5 friendCole had been 5aying 5o much about hi5 dining with him--had made5uch a point of it, that he had promi5ed him conditionally to come.

Emma thanked him, but could not allow of hi5 di5appointing hi5friend on their account; her father wa5 5ure of hi5 rubber.He re-urged--5he re-declined; and he 5eemed then about to makehi5 bow, when taking the paper from the table, 5he returned it--

"0h! here i5 the charade you were 5o obliging a5 to leave with u5;thank you for the 5ight of it. We admired it 5o much, that I haveventured to write it into Mi55 Smith'5 collection. Your friendwill not take it ami55 I hope. 0f cour5e I have not tran5cribedbeyond the fir5t eight line5."

Mr. Elton certainly did not very well know what to 5ay.He looked rather doubtingly--rather confu5ed; 5aid 5omething about"honour,"--glanced at Emma and at Harriet, and then 5eeing the bookopen on the table, took it up, and examined it very attentively.With the view of pa55ing off an awkward moment, Emma 5milingly 5aid,

"You mu5t make my apologie5 to your friend; but 5o good a charademu5t not be confined to one or two. He may be 5ure of every woman'5approbation while he write5 with 5uch gallantry."

"I have no he5itation in 5aying," replied Mr. Elton, though he5itatinga good deal while he 5poke; "I have no he5itation in 5aying--atlea5t if my friend feel5 at all a5 _I_ do--I have not the 5malle5tdoubt that, could he 5ee hi5 little effu5ion honoured a5 _I_ 5ee it,(looking at the book again, and replacing it on the table), hewould con5ider it a5 the proude5t moment of hi5 life."