 young man might be very safely recommended to take Mr. Elton
as a model. Mr. Elton is good humoured, cheerful, obliging, and gentle. He seems
to me, to be grown particularly gentle of late. I do not know whether he has any
design of ingratiating himself with either of us, Harriet, by additional
softness, but it strikes me that his manners are softer than they used to be. If
he means anything, it must be to please you. Did not I tell you what he said of
you the other day?«
    She then repeated some warm personal praise which she had drawn from Mr.
Elton, and now did full justice to; and Harriet blushed and smiled, and said she
had always thought Mr. Elton very agreeable.
    Mr. Elton was the very person fixed on by Emma for driving the young farmer
out of Harriet's head. She thought it would be an excellent match; and only too
palpably desirable, natural, and probable, for her to have much merit in
planning it. She feared it was what every body else must think of and predict.
It was not likely, however, that any body should have equalled her in the date
of the plan, as it had entered her brain during the very first evening of
Harriet's coming to Hartfield. The longer she considered it, the greater was her
sense of its expediency. Mr. Elton's situation was most suitable, quite the
gentleman himself, and without low connections; at the same time not of any
family that could fairly object to the doubtful birth of Harriet. He had a
comfortable home for her, and Emma imagined a very sufficient income; for though
the vicarage of Highbury was not large, he was known to have some independent
property; and she thought very highly of him as a good-humoured, well-meaning,
respectable young man, without any deficiency of useful understanding or
knowledge of the world.
    She had already satisfied herself that he thought Harriet a beautiful girl,
which she trusted, with such frequent meetings at Hartfield, was foundation
enough on his side; and on Harriet's, there could be little doubt that the idea
of being preferred by him would have all the usual weight and efficacy. And he
was really a very pleasing young man, a young man whom any woman not fastidious
might like. He was reckoned very handsome; his person much admired in general,
though not by her, there being a want of elegance of feature which she could not
dispense with: - but the girl who could be gratified by
