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“ I have no plans of any kind , ” said Emma , laughing . “ I only want Harriet to be happy . ” “ Good morning to you , ” said Mr Knightley , and he walked out of the room . Emma was not as calm as she wished to appear . She had great respect for Mr Knightley’s judgement , and she did not like to see him so angry with her . But she told herself firmly that he did not know Harriet as she did , and that he could not understand a young woman’s feelings . She was sure , quite sure , that she was right . IV . The Riddle Harriet’s only serious study at this time was the collecting of riddles . She copied the best of them into a pretty little book of thick paper , and Emma helped her to choose them and decorate the pages . Mr Woodhouse was almost as interested as they were , and he tried hard to remember a riddle he had known in his youth . It began with the words “ Kitty , a fair but frozen maid ” , but in spite of all his efforts he could never remember any more of it . They asked all their friends to help , and of course Mr Elton was asked too . One morning he came to Hartfield and left a folded sheet of paper on the table . “ It is not my own , ” he said with a strange , nervous look . “ A friend of mine wrote it to a young lady whom he admires , and I do not think that you will want it for your book . ” Then he hurried away before they could say a word . Emma opened the paper , and the two friends bent over it together . The lines began like this : My first displays the wealth and pomp of kings , Lords of the earth ! their luxury and ease . Another view of man , my second brings , Behold him there , the monarch of the seas ! There were more lines , about man losing all his power and bending like a slave while woman reigned alone , and at the very end there was a final pair of lines : Thy ready wit the word will soon supply , May its approval beam in that soft eye ! Emma smiled to herself , because she understood it at once . The first part was “ court ” , the second was “ ship ” , and together they made “ courtship ” . “ His friend , indeed ! ” she thought . “ It is his own , of course , and ‘ that soft eye ’ is Harriet’s . Nothing could be more plain . ” Harriet stared at the paper in confusion . “ What can it be ? Kings and seas ? Is it a kingdom ? Is it a mermaid , or a shark ? Oh , Miss Woodhouse , do help me ! ” “ Courtship , Harriet , it is courtship , and it is meant for you . ” Harriet turned pink with joy and read the lines again and again , while Emma explained each one and every word seemed to prove her point . The phrase “ ready wit ” , it is true , did not quite fit Harriet , but Emma passed over it quickly . A man in love , she told herself , would naturally see wit in the girl he loved .
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