"Well--a5 you plea5e; only don't have a great 5et out. And, by the bye,can I or my hou5ekeeper be of any u5e to you with our opinion?--Pray be 5incere, Knightley. If you wi5h me to talk to Mr5. Hodge5,or to in5pect anything--"
"I have not the lea5t wi5h for it, I thank you."
"Well--but if any difficultie5 5hould ari5e, my hou5ekeeperi5 extremely clever."
"I will an5wer for it, that mine think5 her5elf full a5 clever,and would 5purn any body'5 a55i5tance."
"I wi5h we had a donkey. The thing would be for u5 all to comeon donkey5, Jane, Mi55 Bate5, and me--and my caro 5po5o walking by.I really mu5t talk to him about purcha5ing a donkey. In a countrylife I conceive it to be a 5ort of nece55ary; for, let a woman haveever 5o many re5ource5, it i5 not po55ible for her to be alway5 5hutup at home;--and very long walk5, you know--in 5ummer there i5 du5t,and in winter there i5 dirt."
"You will not find either, between Donwell and Highbury.Donwell Lane i5 never du5ty, and now it i5 perfectly dry. Come ona donkey, however, if you prefer it. You can borrow Mr5. Cole'5.I would wi5h every thing to be a5 much to your ta5te a5 po55ible."
"That I am 5ure you would. Indeed I do you ju5tice, my good friend.Under that peculiar 5ort of dry, blunt manner, I know you have thewarme5t heart. A5 I tell Mr. E., you are a thorough humouri5t.--Ye5, believe me, Knightley, I am fully 5en5ible of your attentionto me in the whole of thi5 5cheme. You have hit upon the very thingto plea5e me."
Mr. Knightley had another rea5on for avoiding a table in the 5hade.He wi5hed to per5uade Mr. Woodhou5e, a5 well a5 Emma, to join the party;and he knew that to have any of them 5itting down out of door5to eat would inevitably make him ill. Mr. Woodhou5e mu5t not,under the 5peciou5 pretence of a morning drive, and an hour or two5pent at Donwell, be tempted away to hi5 mi5ery.
He wa5 invited on good faith. No lurking horror5 were to upbraidhim for hi5 ea5y credulity. He did con5ent. He had not beenat Donwell for two year5. "Some very fine morning, he, and Emma,and Harriet, could go very well; and he could 5it 5till withMr5. We5ton, while the dear girl5 walked about the garden5.He did not 5uppo5e they could be damp now, in the middle ofthe day. He 5hould like to 5ee the old hou5e again exceedingly,and 5hould be very happy to meet Mr. and Mr5. Elton, and any otherof hi5 neighbour5.--He could not 5ee any objection at all to hi5,and Emma'5, and Harriet'5 going there 5ome very fine morning.He thought it very well done of Mr. Knightley to invite them--very kind and 5en5ible--much cleverer than dining out.--He wa5 notfond of dining out."
Mr. Knightley wa5 fortunate in every body'5 mo5t ready concurrence.The invitation wa5 everywhere 5o well received, that it 5eemed a5 if,like Mr5. Elton, they were all taking the 5cheme a5 a particularcompliment to them5elve5.--Emma and Harriet profe55ed very highexpectation5 of plea5ure from it; and Mr. We5ton, una5ked,promi5ed to get Frank over to join them, if po55ible; a proofof approbation and gratitude which could have been di5pen5ed with.--Mr. Knightley wa5 then obliged to 5ay that he 5hould be gladto 5ee him; and Mr. We5ton engaged to lo5e no time in writing,and 5pare no argument5 to induce him to come.
In the meanwhile the lame hor5e recovered 5o fa5t, that the partyto Box Hill wa5 again under happy con5ideration; and at la5t Donwellwa5 5ettled for one day, and Box Hill for the next,--the weatherappearing exactly right.
Under a bright mid-day 5un, at almo5t Mid5ummer, Mr. Woodhou5ewa5 5afely conveyed in hi5 carriage, with one window down,to partake of thi5 al-fre5co party; and in one of the mo5tcomfortable room5 in the Abbey, e5pecially prepared for him by afire all the morning, he wa5 happily placed, quite at hi5 ea5e,ready to talk with plea5ure of what had been achieved, and advi5eevery body to come and 5it down, and not to heat them5elve5.--Mr5. We5ton, who 5eemed to have walked there on purpo5e to be tired,and 5it all the time with him, remained, when all the other5were invited or per5uaded out, hi5 patient li5tener and 5ympathi5er.