Emma 爱玛 - Chapter 9

Mr. Knightley might quarrel with her, but Emma could not quarrel with herself. He was so much displeased ¹, that it was longer than usual before he came to Hartfield again; and when they did meet, his grave looks shewed that she was not forgiven. She was sorry, but could not repent ². On the contrary, her plans and proceedings ³ were more and more justified ⁴ and endeared to her by the general appearances of the next few days.,The Picture, elegantly framed, came safely to hand soon after Mr. Elton's return, and being hung over the mantelpiece of the common sitting-room ⁵, he got up to look at it, and sighed out his half sentences of admiration ⁶ just as he ought; and as for Harriet's feelings, they were visibly forming themselves into as strong and steady an attachment ⁷ as her youth and sort of mind admitted. Emma was soon perfectly ⁸ satisfied of Mr. Martin's being no otherwise remembered, than as he furnished a contrast with Mr. Elton, of the utmost advantage to the latter.,Her views of improving her little friend's mind, by a great deal of useful reading and conversation, had never yet led to more than a few first chapters, and the intention of going on to-morrow. It was much easier to chat than to study; much pleasanter to let her imagination range and work at Harriet's fortune, than to be labouring to enlarge her comprehension or exercise it on sober facts; and the only literary pursuit which engaged Harriet at present, the only mental provision she was making for the evening of life, was the collecting and transcribing ⁹ all the riddles ¹¹ of every sort that she could meet with, into a thin quarto of hot-pressed paper, made up by her friend, and ornamented ¹² with ciphers ¹³ and trophies ¹⁴., ,In this age of literature, such collections on a very grand scale are not uncommon ¹⁵. Miss Nash, head-teacher at Mrs. Goddard's, had written out at least three hundred; and Harriet, who had taken the first hint of it from her, hoped, with Miss Woodhouse's help, to get a great many more. Emma assisted with her invention, memory and taste; and as Harriet wrote a very pretty hand, it was likely to be an arrangement of the first order, in form as well as quantity., , ,His good friend Perry, too, whom he had spoken to on the subject, did not at present recollect any thing of the riddle ¹⁰ kind; but he had desired Perry to be upon the watch, and as he went about so much, something, he thought, might come from that quarter., ,It was by no means his daughter's wish that the intellects of Highbury in general should be put under requisition. Mr. Elton was the only one whose assistance she asked. He was invited to contribute any really good enigmas ¹⁸, charades ²⁰, or conundrums ²¹ that he might recollect; and she had the pleasure of seeing him most intently at work with his recollections; and at the same time, as she could perceive, most earnestly careful that nothing ungallant, nothing that did not breathe a compliment to the sex should pass his lips. They owed to him their two or three politest puzzles; and the joy and exultation ²³ with which at last he recalled, and rather sentimentally ²⁴ recited, that well-known charade ¹⁹,, ,He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴
。,He has nothing to repent of.他没有什么要懊悔的。