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change of condition must be impossible for her. She could never quit him." Part only of this answer,
however, was admitted. The impossibility of her quitting her father, Mr. Knightley felt as strongly as
herself; but the inadmissibility of any other change, he could not agree to. He had been thinking it over
most deeply, most intently; he had at first hoped to induce Mr. Woodhouse to remove with her to
Donwell; he had wanted to believe it feasible, but his knowledge of Mr. Woodhouse would not suffer
him to deceive himself long; and now he confessed his persuasion, that such a transplantation would be a
risk of her father's comfort, perhaps even of his life, which must not be hazarded. Mr. Woodhouse taken
from Hartfield!--No, he felt that it ought not to be attempted. But the plan which had arisen on the
sacrifice of this, he trusted his dearest Emma would not find in any respect objectionable; it was, that he
should be received at Hartfield; that so long as her father's happiness in other words his life--required
Hartfield to continue her home, it should be his likewise.
Of their all removing to Donwell, Emma had already had her own passing thoughts. Like him, she had
tried the scheme and rejected it; but such an alternative as this had not occurred to her. She was sensible
of all the affection it evinced. She felt that, in quitting Donwell, he must be sacrificing a great deal of
independence of hours and habits; that in living constantly with her father, and in no house of his own,
there would be much, very much, to be borne with. She promised to think of it, and advised him to think
of it more; but he was fully convinced, that no reflection could alter his wishes or his opinion on the
subject. He had given it, he could assure her, very long and calm consideration; he had been walking
away from William Larkins the whole morning, to have his thoughts to himself.
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"Ah! there is one difficulty unprovided for," cried Emma. "I am sure William Larkins will not like it.
You must get his consent before you ask mine."
She promised, however, to think of it; and pretty nearly promised, moreover, to think of it, with the
intention of finding it a very good scheme.
It is remarkable, that Emma, in the many, very many, points of view in which she was now beginning
to consider Donwell Abbey, was never struck with any sense of injury to her nephew Henry, whose
rights as heir-expectant had formerly been so tenaciously regarded. Think she must of the possible
difference to the poor little boy; and yet she only gave herself a saucy conscious smile about it, and found
amusement in detecting the real cause of that violent dislike of Mr. Knightley's marrying Jane Fairfax, or
any body else, which at the time she had wholly imputed to the amiable solicitude of the sister and the
aunt.
This proposal of his, this plan of marrying and continuing at Hartfield-- the more she contemplated it,
the more pleasing it became. His evils seemed to lessen, her own advantages to increase, their mutual
good to outweigh every drawback. Such a companion for herself in the periods of anxiety and
cheerlessness before her!-- Such a partner in all those duties and cares to which time must be giving
increase of melancholy!
She would have been too happy but for poor Harriet; but every blessing of her own seemed to
involve and advance the sufferings of her friend, who must now be even excluded from Hartfield. The
delightful family party which Emma was securing for herself, poor Harriet must, in mere charitable
caution, be kept at a distance from. She would be a loser in every way. Emma could not deplore her
future absence as any deduction from her own enjoyment. In such a party, Harriet would be rather a
dead weight than otherwise; but for the poor girl herself, it seemed a peculiarly cruel necessity that was to
be placing her in such a state of unmerited punishment.
In time, of course, Mr. Knightley would be forgotten, that is, supplanted; but this could not be
expected to happen very early. Mr. Knightley himself would be doing nothing to assist the cure;-- not like
Mr. Elton. Mr. Knightley, always so kind, so feeling, so truly considerate for every body, would never
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