Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the eighteenth chapter of Emma by Jane Austen

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Welcome to Bite at a Time Books, where we read you your favorite classics one Bite at a Time.

My name is Brie Carlyle and I love to read and wanted to share my passion with listeners like you.

All of the links for our show are in the Show notes.

Today we will be continuing Emma by Jane Austin chapter 18 Mr.

Frank Churchill did not come when the time proposed drew near.

Mrs.

Weston's fears were justified in the arrival of a letter of excuse for the present.

He could not be spared to his very great mortification and regret, but still he looked forward with the hope of coming to Randall's at no distant period.

Mrs.

Weston was exceedingly disappointed, much more disappointed, in fact, than her husband, though her dependence on seeing the young man had been so much more sober.

But a sanguine temper, though forever expecting more good than occurs, does not always pay for its hopes by any proportionate depression.

It soon flies over the present failure and begins to hope again.

For half an hour Mr.

Weston was surprised and sorry, but then he began to perceive that Frank's coming two or three months later would be a much better plan, better time of year, better weather, and that he would be able, without any doubt, to stay considerably longer with them than if he had come sooner.

These feelings rapidly restored his comfort, while Mrs.

Weston of a more apprehensive disposition, foresaw nothing but a repetition of excuses and delays, and after all her concern for what her husband was to suffer, suffered a great deal more herself.

Emma was not at this time in a state of spirits to care really about Mr.

Frank Churchill's not coming except as a disappointment at Randall's.

The acquaintance at present had no charm for her.

She wanted rather to be quiet and out of temptation, but still, as it was desirable that she should appear in general like her usual self, she took care to express as much interest in the circumstance, and end her as warmly into Mr.

And Mrs.

Weston's disappointment as might naturally belong to their friendship.

She was the first to announce it to Mr.

Knightley, and exclaimed quite as much as was necessary, or being acting apart, perhaps rather more at the conduct of the Churchills in keeping him away.

She then proceeded to say a good deal more than she felt of the advantage of such an addition to their confined society in Surrey.

The pleasure of looking at somebody new the gala day to Highbury Estate, where the sight of him would have made, and ending with reflections on the Churchills, again found herself directly involved in a disagreement with Mr.

Knightley, and her great amusement perceived that she was taking the other side of the question from her real opinion, and making use of Mrs.

Weston's arguments against herself.

The Churchills are very likely at fault, said Mr.

Knightley coolly, but I dare say he might come if he would.

I do not know why you should say so.

He wishes exceedingly to come, but his uncle and aunt will not spare him.

I cannot believe that he is not the power of coming.

If he made a point of it.

It is too unlikely for me to believe it without proof.

How odd you are.

What is Mr.

Frank Churchill done to make you suppose him such an unnatural creature?

I am not supposing him at all an unnatural creature in suspecting that he may have learned to be above his connections and to care very little for anything but his own pleasure from living with those who have always set him the example of it.

It is a great deal more natural than one could wish that a young man brought up by those who are proud, luxurious and selfish should be proud, luxurious and selfish, too.

If Frank Churchill had wanted to see his father, he would have contrived it between September and January.

A man at his age, what is he?

Three or four and 20 cannot be without the means of doing as much as that.

It is impossible.

That's easily said and easily felt by you who have always been your own master.

You are the worst judge in the world, Mr.

Knightley, of the difficulties of dependence.

You do not know what it is to have tempers to manage.

It is not to be conceived that a man of three or four and 20 should not have Liberty of mind or limb to that amount.

He cannot want money.

He cannot want leisure.

We know, on the contrary, that he has so much of both that he is glad to get rid of them at the idlest haunts in the Kingdom.

We hear of him forever at some watering place or other.

A little while ago he was at Waymouth.

This proves that he can leave the Churchills.

Yes, sometimes he can.

And those times are whenever he thinks it's worth his while, whenever there is any temptation of pleasure.

It is very unfair to judge of anybody's conduct without an intimate knowledge of their situation.

Nobody who has not been in the interior of a family can say what the difficulties of any individual of that family may be.

We ought to be acquainted with enscombe and with Mrs.

Churchill's temper before we pretend to decide upon what her nephew can do.

He may at times be able to do a great more than he can at others.

There is one thing, Emma, which a man can always do if he chooses, and that is his duty, not by maneuvering and finessing, but by vigor and resolution.

It is Frank Churchill's duty to pay this attention to his father.

He knows it to be so, his promises and messages.

But if he wished to do it, it might be done.

A man who felt rightly would say at once simply and resolutely to Mrs.

Churchill every sacrifice of mere pleasure.

You will always find me ready to make your convenience.

But I must go and see my father immediately.

I know he would be hurt by my failing in such a Mark of respect to him on the present occasion.

I shall therefore set off tomorrow if he would say so to her at once in the tone of decision becoming a man, there would be no opposition made to his going.

No, said Emma, laughing.

But perhaps there might be some made to his coming back again.

Such language for a young man entirely dependent to use.

Nobody but you, Mr.

Knightley, would imagine it possible.

But you have not an idea of what is requisite in situations directly opposite to your own, Mr.

Churchill, to be making such a speech as that to the uncle and aunt who have brought him up and are to provide for him.

Standing up in the middle of the room, I suppose, and speaking as loud as he could.

How can you imagine such conduct?

Practicable depend upon it, Emma.

A sensible man would find no difficulty in it.

He would feel himself in the right.

And the declaration made, of course, as a man of sense, would make it in a proper manner, would do him more good, raise him higher, fix his interest stronger with the people he depended on.

Then all that a line of shifts and expedience can ever do.

Respect would be added to affection.

They would feel that they could trust him, that the nephew who had done rightly by his father would do rightly by them.

For they know as well as he does as well as all the world must know that he ought to pay this visit to his father.

And while meanly exerting their power to delay it, are in their hearts not thinking the better of him for submitting to their whims.

Respect for right conduct is felt by everybody.

If he would act in this sort of manner on principle, consistently, regularly, their little minds would bend to his.

I rather doubt it.

You are very fond of bending little minds.

But where little minds belong to rich people in authority, I think they have a knack of swelling out till they are quite as unmanageable as great ones.

I can imagine that if you as you are, Mr.

Knightley, were to be transported and placed all at once in Mr.

Frank Churchill situation, you would be able to say and do just what you have been recommending for him, and it might have a very good effect.

The Churchills might not have a word to say in return, but then you would have no habits of early obedience and lock observance to breakthrough to him who has.

It might not be so easy to burst forth at once into perfect independence and set all their claims on his gratitude and regard.

It not he may have as strong a sense of what would be right as you can have without being so equal under particular circumstances to act up to it, then it would not be so strong a sense.

If it failed to produce equal exertion, it could not be an equal conviction.

All the difference of situation and habit.

I wish you would try to understand what an amiable young man may be likely to feel indirectly opposing those whom, as a child and boy he has been looked up to all his life.

Our amiable young man is a very weak young man.

Could this be the first occasion of his carrying through a resolution to do right against the will of others?

It ought to have been a habit with him by this time of following his duty instead of consulting expediency.

I can allow for the fears of the child, but not of the man as he became rational.

He ought to have roused himself and shaken off all that was unworthy in their authority.

He ought to have opposed the first attempt on their side to make him slight his father.

Had he begun as he ought, there would have been no difficulty now.

We shall never agree about him, cried Emma.

But that is nothing extraordinary.

I have not the least idea of his being a weak young man.

I feel sure that he is not.

Mr.

Weston would not be blind to folly, though in his own son.

But he is very likely to have a more yielding, complying, mild disposition than would suit your notions of man's perfection.

I dare say he has.

And though it may cut him off from some advantages, it will secure him many others.

Yes, all the advantages of sitting still when he ought to move, and of leading a life of mere idle pleasure, and fancying himself extremely expert in finding excuses for it.

He can sit down and write a fine, flourishing letter full of professions and falsehoods, and persuade himself that he has hit upon the very best method in the world of preserving peace at home and preventing his father's having any right to complain.

His letters disgust me.

Your feelings are singular.

They seem to satisfy everybody else, I suspect they do not satisfy Mrs.

Weston.

They hardly can satisfy a woman of her good sense and quick feelings standing in a mother's place, but without a mother's affection to blind her.

It is on her account that attention to Randalls is doubly due, and she must doubly feel the omission.

Had she been a person of consequence herself, he would have come, I dare say, and it would not have signified whether he did or no.

Can you think your friend behind hand in these sorts of considerations?

Do you suppose she does not often say all this to herself?

No, Emma.

Your amiable young man can be amiable only in French, not in English.

He may be very amiable, have very good manners, and be very agreeable, but he can have no English delicacy towards the feelings of other people nothing really amiable about him.

You seem determined to think ill of him.

Me?

Not at all, replied Mr.

Knightley, rather displeased.

I do not want to think ill of him.

I should be as ready to acknowledge his merits as any other man.

But I hear of none except what are merely personal, that he is well grown and goodlooking, with smooth, plausible manners.

Well, if he has nothing else to recommend him, he will be a treasure at Highbury.

We do not often look upon fine young men wellbred and agreeable.

We must not be nice and ask for all the virtues into the bargain.

Can you not imagine, Mr.

Knightley, what a sensation his coming will produce?

There will be but one subject throughout the parishes of done well in Highbury, but one interest, one object of curiosity.

It will be all Mr.

Frank Churchill.

We shall think and speak of nobody else.

You will excuse my being so much overpowered.

If I find him conversible, I shall be glad of his acquaintance.

But if he is only a chattering coxcomb, he will not occupy much of my time or thoughts.

The idea of him is that he can adapt his conversation to the taste of everybody, and has the power as well as the wish of being universally agreeable to you.

He will talk of farming to me, of drawing or music, and so on to everybody, having that general information on all subjects which will enable him to follow the lead or take the lead, just as propriety may require, and to speak extremely well on each.

That is my idea of him and mine, said Mr.

Knightley warmly, is that if he turn out anything like it, he will be the most insufferable fellow breathing what, at three and 20 to be the King of his company, the great man, the practiced politician who is to read everyone's character and make everybody's talents conduced to the display of his own superiority, to be dispensing his flatteries around that he may make all appear like fools compared with himself.

My dear Emma, your own good sense could not endure such a puppy when it came to the point.

I will say no more about him, cried Emma.

You turn everything to evil.

We are both prejudiced you against.

I for him, and we have no chance of agreeing till he is really here prejudiced.

I am not prejudiced, but I am very much, and without being at all ashamed of it, my love for Mr.

And Mrs.

Weston gives me a decided prejudice in his favor.

He is a person I never think of from one month's end to another, said Mr.

Knightley, with a degree of vexation, which made Emma immediately talk of something else, though she could not comprehend why he should be angry.

To take a dislike to a young man only because he appeared to be of a different disposition from himself was unworthy.

The real liberality of mind which she was always used to acknowledge in him for with all the high opinion of himself which she had often laid to his charge, she had never before for a moment supposed it could make him unjust to the merit of another.

Thank you for joining Bite At A Time Books today while we read a bite of one of your favorite classics, all of the links for our show are in the Show notes.

We are part of the Bite At A Time Books Productions Network.

If you ever wondered what inspired your favorite classic novelist to write their stories, what was happening in their lives or the world at the time, check out Byte At A Time Books Behind the Story wherever you listen to podcasts again.