by Jane Austen
29. An acrostic is a poem in which the first letters of each line form a word together.
30. disposition: inner character or tendencies.
31. {CAUTION: PLOT SPOILER} Frank Churchill’s pointed comment about ruing an unfortunate attachment all one’s life, made after declaring that one can attain no real knowledge of someone’s character from a brief acquaintance in a public place (such as Weymouth, where he and Jane Fairfax met), has finally provoked her to speak to him and to suggest the possibility of his breaking off the engagement if he wishes. Her reference to weak, irresolute characters is probably her censure of him for allowing one quarrel to spark such a dramatic change in his attitude and his behavior toward her.
32. Since hazel eyes were one of only two features that he mentioned, and the other, liveliness, does not especially apply to Harriet, especially in the subdued state she always displays in larger companies, he is not describing Harriet at all. Emma, however, was earlier described by Mrs. Weston as having “the true hazle eye” (see here); moreover, she is usually lively, and has been especially so just now.
33. {CAUTION: PLOT SPOILER} Jane is eager to leave rather than see more of Frank’s flirtation with Emma. Her departure rouses his spirits to an even higher pitch.
34. Miss Bates, after Emma’s cruel remark to her, is also ready to leave—though her affability and humility have kept her from expressing that wish until now.
35. An Irish car was a carriage, inexpensive and mostly used in the country. It carried a number of people and the passengers faced one another.
36. The carriages presumably did not wait on the hill, which would provide neither a steady place to rest nor food for the horses, but were instructed to return at a specific time.
37. He senses that he may not long have this privilege, since if she marries Frank Churchill he could certainly no longer talk to her as he has done previously.
38. candour: fairness; tendency to judge others favorably.
39. In that case liberties of manner, such as the mocking and insolent way that Emma spoke, would be permissible, since the object of mockery could defend herself more freely; more serious liberties still would not be acceptable.
40. One reason she might sink more, in an economic sense, is that much of the money that now supports them could come from her mother and will expire with the latter’s death. Another is that as she ages, fewer of those who knew her when she was a vicar’s daughter and of a higher social position, and therefore consider her worthy of special consideration, will still be alive.
41. That Miss Bates is not simply poor, but has fallen from a former height, and from a height that made her a member of Mr. Knightley’s and Emma’s own class, makes her seem especially deserving of compassion. Jane Austen’s letters mention a similar case in Chawton, the village where she lived while writing this and other novels. Chawton’s local society was similar to Highbury’s, consisting at its top level of nearby landowners, clergy, and retired military officers, along with the wives and relatives of such figures. Within this group existed a Miss Benn, the unmarried and impoverished sister of a vicar, and someone whom others in the village tried to assist as best they could. In a letter Jane Austen comments, after Miss Benn has been forced to leave her home, “Poor Creature!—You may imagine how full of cares she must be, & how anxious all Chawton will feel to get her decently settled somewhere” (Feb. 16, 1813).
42. When she was the local vicar’s daughter, and Emma only a child, Miss Bates would have been in a superior position.
43. Emma’s social position could influence others, though he is probably mostly thinking of Frank Churchill and Harriet.
44. This is Emma’s most extreme reaction of contrition. One reason is that now Mr. Knightley has delivered the reproach, instead of just her own conscience, and she accepts the full validity of it, in contrast to other cases, where she has found grounds to disagree with his criticism. This contrition will also have a deeper and more lasting effect than previous ones.
45. She quickly segues from regret at her misdeed to anguish, expressed with at least as great a vehemence, over her alienation from him.
46. in spirits: cheerful, happy.
47. fagged: worn out.
VOLUME III, CHAPTER VIII
1. to it: in comparison to it. The phrase suggests that Emma would normally find a whole evening of backgammon less than satisfying.
2. fact: deed.
3. “Penitence,” like “contrition” above, has a religious connotation, which suggests the importance of Emma’s current ordeal. Jane Austen always avoided overt proselytizing, but certain basic religious principles, including the need to appreciate and struggle against one’s inner faults, underlie the moral vision that is central to her novels. She herself composed a few prayers, and in one she states, “Teach us to understand the sinfulness of our own hearts, and bring to our own knowledge every fault of temper and every evil habit in which we have indulged to the discomfort of our fellow-creatures, and the danger of our own souls.”
4. This means they will receive her. Having one’s servant say one was not at home was a standard euphemism for indicating one did not wish to see those who called.
A game table; the part extending toward the back is a backgammon board.
[From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. V (1811), p. 359]
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5. Jane is obviously escaping from Emma’s presence, an aversion she will continue to display during upcoming days.
6. Clearly she is not delighted at all about securing her situation, or position as a governess.
7. Miss Bates thus reveals how much Jane is refusing Emma in particular. One could question whether even someone as foolish as Miss Bates would divulge such a clear and insulting rejection on Jane’s part to the person being rejected; it is, however, necessary to inform the reader of the full situation.
8. collected: gathered.
9. family: household.
10. That Miss Bates had no inkling beforehand suggests it was a sudden change.
11. It is actually Mrs. Smallridge’s; Miss Bates, relating the names of various people she does not know, has gotten them confused.
A woman with children.
[From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. IV (1810), p. 178]
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12. Miss Bates indicates her lack of enjoyment, and she would have particular reason for this, but she still concludes by declaring it to be a pleasant party.
13. establishment: organized arrangement. This could include the physical facilities, such as the wax candles in the schoolroom already referred to by Mrs. Elton, or the staff, for nursery maids would often be present to supervise or help with younger children.
14. liberal: bountiful and generous, or refined; either meaning is possible, and both may be intended.
15. Here, as when she first described the position above, Miss Bates is almost repeating verbatim Mrs. Elton’s words.
16. The salaries of governesses were notoriously low.
The inside of a stable.
[From Sir Walter Gilbey and E. D. Cuming, George Morland: His Life and Works (London, 1907), p. 216]
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17. Normally one had tea an hour or two after dinner, and then turned to playing cards.
18. He would have assisted Miss Bates’s father in his work as vicar.
19. poorly: unwell.
20. This probably means he has rheumatoid arthritis. “Rheumatism” and “rheumatic” were used to refer to a variety of joint ailments, including all forms of arthritis. Gout, a common ailment then, was usually linked to rheumatism because it also afflicted the joints, though how closely the two should be classified together was a source of ongoing debate among medical writers. “Rheumatic gout” was often used for certain severe types of rheumatism whose symptoms correspond to those currently identified with rheumatoid arthritis, although
the term, like many medical terms of the time, was used in varying ways by different writers, with no uniform agreement on its precise meaning (the clear distinction between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis was not firmly established until the late nineteenth century).
21. One of the main responsibilities of the parish government was to provide relief for the poor. The relief would be given particularly to those who were old or sick; because the old man’s son is doing well (see the next sentence), he would need to explain why he needs assistance to support his father. The clergy were usually heavily involved in parish government, and this man’s having been clerk to the previous vicar could make Mr. Elton seem the logical person to ask for assistance.
22. An ostler attends to horses at an inn, where large numbers of them are often kept. Miss Bates’s description suggests wider responsibilities for this man, perhaps a general supervision of all the work at the inn, underneath the innkeeper’s supervision. Since the Crown keeps only two post horses (see here), the stables alone would not provide a lot of work and responsibility.
23. John ostler: John the ostler—to distinguish him from his father, sons often having the same first name. Her usage gives a sense of the origins of English names. Traditionally ordinary people were called only by their first names; when necessary to distinguish people sharing a common first name, a principal way was to add that person’s trade to the first name (e.g., “John Smith” or “John Taylor”), and this would eventually become an official last name.
24. Inns would typically keep chaises, the main traveling vehicle, for hire; for a picture of a chaise, see this page. Someone who was ostler there would be the most likely person to send the chaise and thus know about it.
25. The person who delivered the chaise to Randalls could have talked to the servants there, and then reported the conversation to the ostler.
26. The boy would be a post boy. Carriages going post, meaning with hired horses over a distance, would be driven not by a coachman sitting on the carriage but by someone sitting directly on one of the horses (for a picture, see this page). Boys were often employed to do this because they were cheap and would be less of a weight on the horse.
27. {CAUTION: PLOT SPOILER} This account makes it clear that it was just after the ostler revealed this whole story, while at the Eltons to ask about his father, that Jane spoke to Mrs. Elton about accepting the governess position. Until that point, as angry as she undoubtedly was about his behavior on Box Hill, and the previous day’s quarrel, she was not prepared to break with him; she was probably hoping they would be able to speak to each other and reconcile. It was hearing of Frank’s immediate departure, even though Mr. Churchill’s message indicated that he could have remained in Highbury until the next day, during which time he might have spoken to Jane or at least gotten a message to her, that finally decided her.
28. {CAUTION: PLOT SPOILER} By “you” she presumably means the pianoforte itself. The likely explanation for this dramatic apostrophizing, done by someone who does not seem fanciful at all in general, is that she is in effect addressing the absent Frank, the man she has just broken with and may never see again in person, and bidding him adieu by speaking to the item he gave to her. In the next sentence she turns to her aunt and refers to the piano in normal terms. The strong feelings that could produce this uncharacteristic behavior were indicated by the tears “in her eyes perpetually” as she wrote to Colonel Campbell and Mrs. Dixon.
29. Thus even this visit, in which the situation of other people is the complete focus, eventually reminds Emma of her earlier wrong actions.
VOLUME III, CHAPTER IX
1. He means that everyone conventionally “sends their love,” but most people do not bother to pass the message along. He wishes to know if she has any message truly worth conveying.
2. {CAUTION: PLOT SPOILER} The reason for his sudden departure, as explained later, is his unwillingness, in the wake of the Box Hill picnic, to continue watching what seems to be an ever-deepening romance between Emma and Frank Churchill. His uncharacteristic uncertainty in replying to Emma results from his inability to explain these reasons to her.
3. Since Mr. Woodhouse already told this to Mr. Knightley, the latter’s strong reaction comes from seeing the embarrassed emotions she displays, which suggest a consciousness of her earlier guilt.
4. This is only the second mention of physical contact between them; the first was when they shook hands in an attempt to reconcile after their quarrel over Harriet Smith and Robert Martin (see here). Such contact between unmarried members of the opposite sex was rare, and strictly regulated. The family connection of Emma and Mr. Knightley makes this more permissible, but it still is a significant gesture on his part.
5. Going on horseback would be bad from Mr. Woodhouse’s perspective because there would be increased risk of accident.
Fleet Street in London, in the heart of the area where a barrister such as John Knightley would work.
[From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. VII (1812), p. 99]
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6. first object: primary goal or objective.
7. express: express messenger specially hired to send a message, or the message itself.
8. seizure: stroke.
9. The reference is to a famous poem in Oliver Goldsmith’s novel The Vicar of Wakefield (already mentioned in relation to Harriet Smith and Robert Martin). The poem, occasioned by the apparent sexual ruin of the daughter of the main character, is:
When lovely woman stoops to folly
And finds too late that men betray
What charm can soothe her melancholy,
What art can wash her guilt away?
The only art her guilt to cover,
To hide her shame from every eye,
To give repentance to her lover,
To wring his bosom—is to die.
10. This quotation summarizes the reaction of the community upon the event.
11. A precise and comprehensive etiquette surrounded mourning. Those related to the deceased were expected to adopt mourning dress, with the type and extent being determined by the closeness of their relationship to the deceased. It could range from a full costume in black, including all accessories, to only certain articles of clothing. Mourning clothes could be expensive and elaborate, and fashion magazines included choice examples—for two, see the pictures on this page and this page.
12. Broad hems (sometimes called deep hems) were found on certain articles of mourning dress.
13. Funerals among the wealthy were usually elaborate affairs, sometimes very elaborate. A funeral train was a standard feature, with the coffin placed in a fancy horse-drawn carriage, often joined by other carriages. In this case it is not clear how it is being arranged, for the coffin needs to travel almost two hundred miles, far too great a distance for a procession. Moreover, Mr. Churchill is evidently not going with the funeral. He most likely already had a service and ceremony for his wife in Richmond, and is now sending the body to Yorkshire (for more on its ultimate destination, see note 18). Later indications suggest that Mr. Churchill remained in Windsor (see next note), so he would not have gone to a funeral ceremony in Yorkshire.
14. Windsor is a town west of London; it is farther from Surrey than Richmond, so Frank will be farther removed (see maps, here and here). Windsor was mostly known as the site of Windsor Castle, a prime royal residence, and the home of Eton, one of the leading English boarding schools. In a letter Jane Austen identifies the neighborhood of Windsor as a wealthy one (Dec. 19, 1798), and this would make it an appropriate place for Mr. Churchill to go. For a picture, see the following page.
15. Meaning, now that she has accepted a position as a governess, any hopes or expectations of something better than that unhappy fate are ending.
16. Miss Bates presumably told the servant from Hartfield, who brought the note to relay this message back to Miss Woodhouse. An oral message would be considered an inadequate
and therefore impolite reply to a written one unless there was a strong excuse of poor health.
A funeral.
[From William Combe, The Second Tour of Doctor Syntax (London, 1820; 1903 reprint), p. 23]
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17. “Nervous fever,” like “nervous disorder” (just below), was a common diagnosis, due to the frequent explanation of human physiology in terms of nerves. It was often connected to emotional distress, such as Jane is evidently suffering from.
18. deranged: thrown into disorder.
19. The pulmonary complaint would be the great fear of the family, because Jane’s mother died of tuberculosis, a leading killer of the time.
20. feeling: tender, affectionate.
21. inequality: insufficiency.
22. A servant would have knocked on the Bateses’ door and told their servant of the arrival of Miss Woodhouse while she waited in the carriage, so Miss Bates goes out to the carriage to greet her.
Windsor.
[From The Repository of Arts, Literature, Fashions, Manufactures, &c, Vol. IX (1813), p. 28]
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23. One of Jane Austen’s household tasks in the home she inhabited during the last part of her life was to supervise the family stores.
24. Arrowroot is a starchy plant from the West Indies. It was normally boiled in water and combined with sugar, wine or brandy, and nutmeg. The resulting food was considered nourishing for invalids, which is why Emma sends it to Jane Fairfax, and easy to digest, which is why Mr. Woodhouse’s cook keeps it. In a letter Jane Austen confesses that she misspelled it, in the manuscript of Emma she sent to the printer, as “arra-root,” and expresses gratitude for the printer’s correction. The plant was a recent import into England, and she may have been only vaguely familiar with it.