Эмма / Emma

He was very much disposed to think Miss Taylor had done as sad a thing for herself as for them, and would have been a great deal happier if she had spent all the rest of her life at Hartfield. Emma smiled and chatted as cheerfully as she could, to keep him from such thoughts; but when tea came, it was impossible for him not to say exactly as he had said at dinner,

“Poor Miss Taylor! – I wish she were here again. What a pity it is that Mr. Weston married her!”

“I cannot agree with you, papa; you know I cannot.

Mr. Weston is such a good-humoured, pleasant, excellent man, that he thoroughly deserves a good wife; – and you would not have had Miss Taylor live with us for ever, when she might have a house of her own?”

“A house of her own! – But where is the advantage of a house of her own? Our house is three times as large.”

“We shall be going to see them often, and they will be coming to see us! – We shall be always meeting! We must begin; we must go and pay wedding visit very soon.

”

“My dear, how am I to get so far? Randalls[11 - Randalls – Рэндалс] is such a distance. I could not walk half so far.”

“No, papa, nobody thought of your walking. We must go in the carriage, to be sure.”

Emma hoped, by the help of backgammon[12 - Backgammon – триктрак (игра)], to get her father tolerably through the evening. The backgammon-table was placed; but a visitor immediately afterwards walked in and made it unnecessary.

Mr. Knightley[13 - Knightley – Найтли], a sensible man about seven or eight-and-thirty, was not only a very old and intimate friend of the family, but particularly connected with it, as the elder brother of Isabella’s husband.

He lived about a mile from Highbury, was a frequent visitor, and always welcome, and at this time more welcome than usual, as coming directly from their relatives in London. He had returned to a late dinner, after some days’ absence, and now walked up to Hartfield to say that all were well there. It animated Mr. Woodhouse for some time. Mr. Knightley had a cheerful manner, which always did him good; and his many inquiries after “poor Isabella” and her children were answered most satisfactorily. When this was over, Mr. Woodhouse gratefully observed,

“It is very kind of you, Mr. Knightley, to come out at this late hour to call upon us[14 - to call upon us – навестить нас]. I am afraid you must have had a terrible walk.