 say she acquiesced in the truth of our hero's faults, but it should be upon this condition, that if he had weakness, it was the weakness of an angel.
Sir Sidney begged she would retain her good opinion of Mr. Hazard: it was perfectly consistent with her romantic notions: but desired she would not so far make a ← novel → of the business, as to let her friendship interfere with her duty.

'Sir,' said Emma, 'if to have your interest tenderly at heart be to neglect my duty, no duty was ever so neglected.'

'Come, come,' said Gloss, 'you need not vaunt your fidelity, Mrs. Emma, till it is disputed:—we see what you are.'

'It is easily seen,' answered Emma, very mildly, 'what I am, and it will one day sir be seen what you are, and—Mr. Gloss—WHO you are.'


Sir Sidney would certainly have rebuked Emma very sharply for this strange freedom, but that he saw, at the instant it was uttered, the strongest marks of confusion in the countenance of Gloss.—These, to be sure, he endeavoured to pass off, by hinting that the liberty Mrs. Emma had taken was very extraordinary: but this he did so slightly—fearing probably a few more of those choke pears—that the baronet was assured so significant an expression would not have been levelled by Emma, or received by him in the manner it had, were there not something of an extraordinary nature couched under it. He thought however the wisest way at present would be to break up the conversation. He therefore told Emma he was assured she had the best intentions, and begged Mr. Gloss would forgive her, if any thing she had said in her haste offended him.
Gloss took him at his word with great eagerness, totally unlike himself, and this augmented Sir Sidney's suspicions.


Now it happened that had Emma found it convenient she could have consuted the whole of this calumny, and in a way greatly to our hero's honour; but this would have brought up matters which, in spight of all her diligence, were not yet ripe enough for investigation. The fact is that she had made herself not a little uneasy at this very circumstance before, which she had first learnt through some invidious intimations from Gloss, and had very carefully watched the matter, till at length her fears were at an end upon our hero's leaving Miss Newton, owing, she had no doubt, to the more agreeable commerce in which she had now
