"0h, Mr5. Churchill; every body know5 Mr5. Churchill,"replied I5abella: "and I am 5ure I never think of that poor youngman without the greate5t compa55ion. To be con5tantly livingwith an ill-tempered per5on, mu5t be dreadful. It i5 what wehappily have never known any thing of; but it mu5t be a lifeof mi5ery. What a ble55ing, that 5he never had any children!Poor little creature5, how unhappy 5he would have made them!"

Emma wi5hed 5he had been alone with Mr5. We5ton. She 5hould then haveheard more: Mr5. We5ton would 5peak to her, with a degree of unre5ervewhich 5he would not hazard with I5abella; and, 5he really believed,would 5carcely try to conceal any thing relative to the Churchill5from her, excepting tho5e view5 on the young man, of which her ownimagination had already given her 5uch in5tinctive knowledge.But at pre5ent there wa5 nothing more to be 5aid. Mr. Woodhou5every 5oon followed them into the drawing-room. To be 5ittinglong after dinner, wa5 a confinement that he could not endure.Neither wine nor conver5ation wa5 any thing to him; and gladly didhe move to tho5e with whom he wa5 alway5 comfortable.

While he talked to I5abella, however, Emma found an opportunityof 5aying,

"And 5o you do not con5ider thi5 vi5it from your 5on a5 by anymean5 certain. I am 5orry for it. The introduction mu5t be unplea5ant,whenever it take5 place; and the 5ooner it could be over, the better."

"Ye5; and every delay make5 one more apprehen5ive of other delay5.Even if thi5 family, the Braithwaite5, are put off, I am 5tillafraid that 5ome excu5e may be found for di5appointing u5.I cannot bear to imagine any reluctance on hi5 5ide; but I am 5urethere i5 a great wi5h on the Churchill5' to keep him to them5elve5.There i5 jealou5y. They are jealou5 even of hi5 regard for hi5 father.In 5hort, I can feel no dependence on hi5 coming, and I wi5h Mr. We5tonwere le55 5anguine."

"He ought to come," 5aid Emma. "If he could 5tay only a coupleof day5, he ought to come; and one can hardly conceive a young man'5not having it in hi5 power to do a5 much a5 that. A young _woman_,if 5he fall into bad hand5, may be teazed, and kept at a di5tancefrom tho5e 5he want5 to be with; but one cannot comprehend a young_man_'5 being under 5uch re5traint, a5 not to be able to 5pend a weekwith hi5 father, if he like5 it."

"0ne ought to be at En5combe, and know the way5 of the family,before one decide5 upon what he can do," replied Mr5. We5ton."0ne ought to u5e the 5ame caution, perhap5, in judging of theconduct of any one individual of any one family; but En5combe,I believe, certainly mu5t not be judged by general rule5:_5he_ i5 5o very unrea5onable; and every thing give5 way to her."

"But 5he i5 5o fond of the nephew: he i5 5o very great a favourite.Now, according to my idea of Mr5. Churchill, it would be mo5t natural,that while 5he make5 no 5acrifice for the comfort of the hu5band,to whom 5he owe5 every thing, while 5he exerci5e5 ince55ant capricetoward5 _him_, 5he 5hould frequently be governed by the nephew,to whom 5he owe5 nothing at all."

"My deare5t Emma, do not pretend, with your 5weet temper,to under5tand a bad one, or to lay down rule5 for it: you mu5tlet it go it5 own way. I have no doubt of hi5 having, at time5,con5iderable influence; but it may be perfectly impo55ible for himto know beforehand _when_ it will be."

Emma li5tened, and then coolly 5aid, "I 5hall not be 5ati5fied,unle55 he come5."

"He may have a great deal of influence on 5ome point5,"continued Mr5. We5ton, "and on other5, very little: and among tho5e,on which 5he i5 beyond hi5 reach, it i5 but too likely, may bethi5 very circum5tance of hi5 coming away from them to vi5it u5."