Emma 爱玛 - Chapter 16

The hair was curled, and the maid sent away, and Emma sat down to think and be miserable ¹.--It was a wretched business indeed!--Such an overthrow ² of every thing she had been wishing for!--Such a development of every thing most unwelcome!--Such a blow for Harriet!--that was the worst of all. Every part of it brought pain and humiliation ³, of some sort or other; but, compared with the evil to Harriet, all was light; and she would gladly have submitted to feel yet more mistaken-- more in error--more disgraced by mis- judgment ⁴, than she actually was, could the effects of her blunders have been confined to herself.,"If I had not persuaded Harriet into liking ⁵ the man, I could have borne any thing. He might have doubled his presumption ⁶ to me-- but poor Harriet!",How she could have been so deceived!--He protested that he had never thought seriously of Harriet--never! She looked back as well as she could; but it was all confusion. She had taken up the idea, she supposed, and made every thing bend to it. His manners, however, must have been unmarked, wavering, dubious ⁷, or she could not have been so misled., ,The picture!--How eager he had been about the picture!-- and the charade ⁸!--and an hundred other circumstances;-- how clearly they had seemed to point at Harriet. To be sure, the charade, with its "ready wit"--but then the "soft eyes"-- in fact it suited neither; it was a jumble ⁹ without taste or truth. Who could have seen through such thick-headed nonsense?, , ,To Mr. John Knightley was she indebted for her first idea on the subject, for the first start of its possibility. There was no denying that those brothers had penetration ¹³. She remembered what Mr. Knightley had once said to her about Mr. Elton, the caution he had given, the conviction he had professed ¹⁴ that Mr. Elton would never marry indiscreetly; and blushed to think how much truer a knowledge of his character had been there shewn than any she had reached herself. It was dreadfully mortifying ¹⁵; but Mr. Elton was proving himself, in many respects, the very reverse of what she had meant and believed him; proud, assuming, conceited ¹⁶; very full of his own claims, and little concerned about the feelings of others., ,Contrary to the usual course of things, Mr. Elton's wanting to pay his addresses to her had sunk him in her opinion. His professions and his proposals did him no service. She thought nothing of his attachment ¹⁷, and was insulted by his hopes. He wanted to marry well, and having the arrogance ¹⁸ to raise his eyes to her, pretended to be in love; but she was perfectly ¹⁹ easy as to his not suffering any disappointment that need be cared for. There had been no real affection either in his language or manners. Sighs and fine words had been given in abundance; but she could hardly devise any set of expressions, or fancy any tone of voice,, ,Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。,After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中 。