Emma

ln a time when one's town was one's world...

and the actions at a dance excited greater interest...

than the movement of armies,

there lived a young woman who knew how this world should be run.

The most beautiful thing in the world is a match well made...

and a happy marriage to you both.

Thank you, Emma. Your painting grows more accomplished every day.

You are very kind, but it would be all the better...

if I practiced my drawing more as you urged me.

It's very beautiful.

I should never take side against you, Miss Woodhouse,

but your friend is right.

It is indeed a job well done.

A job well done, Mr. Elton, was yours in performing the ceremony.

Must the church be so drafty, Mr. Elton ?

It is very difficult to surrender the soul...

when one is worried about one's throat.

Perhaps some tea and cake would revive you, Mr. Woodhouse ?

Miss Taylor, surely you're not serving cake at your wedding ?

Far too rich. You put us all at peril. And I am not alone in feeling so.

Where is Mr. Perry, the apothecary ? He will support me.

He is over there, Mr. Woodhouse, having some cake.

What ?

I have to take Father home. But dear Miss Taylor--

Oh, no !

You are "Dear Miss Taylor" no more ! You are dear Mrs. Weston now.

And how happy this must make you.

Such happiness this brings to all of us.

My dear Emma !

Poor Miss Taylor. She was so happy here.

Why should she give up being your governess only to be married ?

I am grown now.

She cannot put up with my ill humors forever.

- She must wish for children of her own. - You have no ill humors.

Your own mother, God rest her,

could be no more real than Miss Taylor.

Can she truly wish to give life to a mewling infant...

who will import disease each time it enters the house ?

No ! I said poor Miss Taylor and poor, indeed, she is.

As an old friend of the family I had to ask as soon as I got back:

Who cried the most at the wedding ?

And how is my sister ? ls your brother giving her the respect...

we Woodhouse ladies deserve ?

Poor lsabella. She was the first to leave me.

No doubt, that is where Miss Taylor got the notion to go.

Don't be too hard on Miss Taylor.

It must be easier for her to have only one to please than two.

Especially when one of us is such a troublesome creature.

- Yes, I am... most troublesome. -

Dear Papa, I could never mean you.

Mr. Knightley loves to find fault with me, that's all.

It's his idea of a joke.

I'm practically a brother to you, Emma.

Is it not a brother's job to find fault with his sister ?

But where is the fault with you ?

Emma bears it well. But she is most sorry to lose Miss Taylor.

We would not like Emma so well as we do if she did not miss her friend.

Thank you.

I shall miss her so.

I do not know what I shall do without her.

- She's not far. - Almost half a mile !

Her obligations are there now.

She cannot sit and talk with me in the old way,

or walk with me, or urge me to better myself.

That should not matter as you always did just as you pleased.

Yes. But I shall miss her urging me.

She was as selfless a friend as I have ever had.

I hope to say someday I have done half as much for someone...

as Mrs. Weston did for me.

You must be happy that she settled so well.

lndeed !

One matter of joy in this is that I made the match myself.

People said Mr. Weston would never marry again.

- And what a triumph. - Triumph ?

- You made a lucky guess. - Have you never known the triumph of a lucky guess ?

Had I not promoted Mr. Weston's visits...

and given encouragement where encouragement was needed,

we might not have had a wedding today.

Then please, my dear, encourage no one else.

Marriage is so disrupting to one's social circle.

Only one more, Papa.

When Mr. Elton joined their hands today,

he looked very much as if he would like the same kind office performed for him.

Invite him for dinner. That is kindness enough.

Mr. Elton is a man of 26. He knows how to take care of himself.

One does not like to generalize about so many people all at once, Mr. Knightley,

but you may be sure that men know nothing about their hearts...

whether they be six and twenty or six and eighty.

Excepting you, of course, Father.

No.

Mr. Elton will be the next person to benefit from my help.

Poor Miss Taylor, indeed !

It is Mr. Elton who deserves our pity.

Mr. Elton !

Welcome to our party.

Miss Woodhouse, thank you indeed for including me.

A party is a party. But a party on a summer's eve, mmm !

It relieves my mind very much that you are here.

For there is someone new in our group. Her name is Harriet Smith.

And she is a former pupil of Mrs. Goddard's.

I had never met Miss Smith before this evening...

and I'm already struck by her charm.

I wondered if I might ask you...

to make certain she is at ease throughout the evening.

If helping Miss Smith would help Miss Woodhouse,

then I'm happy to be of service.

Come. I shall make the introduction.

Miss Woodhouse, we come quite overpowered.

Oh, Mrs. Bates, Miss Bates. So happy you could come.

No ! We are the happy ones.

W-Well, how do you do, Mr. Elton ?

We are the happy ones, not only to be here tonight,

but for the beautiful hindquarter of pork you sent us.

It has been heaven itself. What a happy porker it must have come from !

We're so obliged for your sending it to us.

Pork ! And we're so obliged for your having us tonight.

Very much indeed. I was just saying to Mother, we should be obliged and indeed we are.

Oh, doesn't your hair look pretty ? Just like an angel.

Angel, Mother !

Oh, speaking of angels, Mr. Elton,

your sermon on Daniel in the lion's den was so inspiring.

So powerful in all its particulars. It left us speechless.

Quite speechless, I tell you. We have not stopped talking of it since.

Isn't this a lovely party ?

Lovely ! Lovely ! Lovely !

Where will you live now that you've completed your education ?

Mrs. Goddard has been kind enough to let me stay on with her.

- She's a great help to me. If you'll excuse me. - Mrs. Goddard.

- Mr. Knightley. - Ah, Emma. I wondered where you were.

But now I see you've been hard at work making Mr. Elton comfortable.

Yes, but I've been remiss in doing the one thing...

that shall bring him the greatest enjoyment.

Mr. Elton.

May I present Miss Smith ?

Any friend of Miss Woodhouse is--

Mr. Weston, have you had any news of your son ?

Oh, indeed.

Miss Smith, I was married many years ago...

to a woman whose life was lost to illness...

just three years after the birth of our son, Frank.

As I could not see to my business and care for the infant,

I allowed him to be brought up by my wife's brother...

and his wife, the Churchills.

He lives in London now, a young man,

and has never been here.

His aunt is not well and she does not care to be without him.

His coming would be the final blessing for our marriage.

How lucky to have been twice blessed in marriage.

It has been my belief that one loves only once.

I'm happy to be wrong.

Not so happy as l, Miss Smith.

I had the most pleasing letter from him on the occasion of our marriage.

I have it here if anyone would care to see it.

A most charming and kindly letter. Don't you think so, Mother ?

Have, have you ever read such a letter, Mr. Knightley ?

Do you know, this... this reminds me of Jane's style somewhat.

It's a very delicate style which is more usual in a woman,

but a good sign in a man, I think.

Nicely expressed.

But it sounds as though he eats a worrisome amount of custard.

It's not merely the feeling in it.

The penmanship is so confident.

-Isn't Miss Smith delightful ? -I watched her with continuous pleasure.

She is uncertain in these surroundings, yet I thought perhaps...

I could be of service to her, undertake her introduction into Highbury society.

I could never presume to guide her as you did me.

Oh !

But I might be able to share a little of what I know.

She could ask for nothing better.

Come, Mr. Weston, I must write to your son.

Good night, Mr. Woodhouse.

Good night, Mr. Woodhouse.

Good night, Emma. Thank you for a wonderful dinner.

- Good night, Miss Taylor. - Good night, Mrs. Weston, Mr. Weston.

Good night.

Poor Miss Taylor. She so obviously wanted to stay.

How interesting, Miss Smith. And what kind of people are your parents ?

I do not know.

Mrs. Goddard has said that I cannot know them and so I have left it at that.

Because of her attentions over the years, Mrs. Goddard has been my true guardian.

Hurry along, dear. It's Miss Bates coming.

As it is Tuesday...

she will have a letter from her niece Jane Fairfax,

and she will want to read us every word.

- Oh, I do not know Miss Fairfax. - There's not much to be said for her.

When pressed, I say she is elegant.

Besides you and Mrs. Goddard,

the only other people I know here are the Martins of Abbey Mill Farm.

Mrs. Martin had two parlors and an upper maid and eight cows !

Mr. Martin used to cut fresh flowers every day.

How lucky for Mrs. Martin to have such an agreeable husband !

Oh, Miss Woodhouse, Mr. Martin is not her husband. He is her son.

Ahh ! I see.

And he is...

unmarried.

Mmm. Though I cannot understand why.

He seems perfect in every particular.

He brought me walnuts once, and went three miles to get them...

just because he heard me say I liked them.

Wasn't that kind ?