-Gunnett. Accepting
the war declared against her a second time, she performed the common mental
trick in adversity of setting her personally known innocence to lessen her
generally unknown error: but anticipating that this might become known, and the
other not; and feeling that the motives of the acknowledged error had served to
guard her from being the culprit of the charge she writhed under, she rushed out
of a meditation compounded of mind and nerves, with derision of the world's
notion of innocence and estimate of error. It was a mood lasting through her
stay in London, and longer, to the discomfort of one among her friends; and it
was worthy of The Anti-climax Expedition, as she called it.
    For the rest, her demeanour to the old monster world exacting the servility
of her, in repayment for its tolerating countenance, was faultless. Emma beheld
the introduction to Mrs. Warwick of his bride, by Mr. Percy Dacier. She had
watched their approach up the Ball-room, thinking, how differently would
Redworth and Tony have looked. Differently, had it been Tony and Dacier: but
Emma could not persuade herself of a possible harmony between them, save at the
cost of Tony's expiation of the sin of the greater heart in a performance
equivalent to Suttee. Perfectly an English gentleman of the higher order, he
seemed the effigy of a tombstone one, fixed upright, and civilly proud of his
effigy bride. So far, Emma considered them fitted. She perceived his quick eye
on her corner of the room; necessarily, for a man of his breeding, without a
change of expression. An emblem pertaining to her creed was on the heroine's
neck; also dependant at her waist. She was white from head to foot; a symbol of
purity. Her frail smile appeared deeply studied in purity. Judging from her look
and her reputation, Emma divined that the man was justly mated with a devious
filmy sentimentalist, likely to »fiddle harmonics on the sensual strings« for
him at a mad rate in the years to come. Such fiddling is indeed the peculiar
diversion of the opulent of a fatly prosperous people; who take it, one may
concede to them, for an inspired elimination of the higher notes of life: the
very highest. That saying of Tony's ripened with full significance to Emma now.
Not sensualism, but sham spiritualism, was the meaning; and however fine the
notes, they come skilfully evoked of the under-brute in us. Reasoning it so, she
thought it a saying for the penetration of the most polished