Posted on Thursday, 14 February 2008
A package arrived just at midmorning, a package that turned out to have a number of beautiful quail's eggs, just perfect for a lovely dinner. The elder of the two women smiled and said nothing. The younger was not so inclined.
"Oh dearest mother, look at these lovely eggs. Who must have sent them? Perhaps Jane. Oh, yes, Mrs. Churchill is the sweetest of women, don't you think? To have sent such a present. So lovely. Do you think she will visit soon? I am so very lost without her, yes indeed. We get so little company."
The elder woman smiled and nodded.
"These eggs will go so well with that young piece of meat that Mr. Knightley sent over just yesterday. Such a lovely piece of pork it was and there is still some left. Did you hear me mother? PORK!"
The elder woman smiled and nodded.
"Oh, indeed, I do not think it was Knightley. Knightley does not send packages wrapped as such, with this fine red ribbon. Oh, mother, how lovely!"
The elder woman smiled and nodded.
"But the servant was from Hartfield. So Mr. Knightley must have sent it. Assuming that Mrs. Knightley did not. Oh, Mrs. Knightley could not have, though. So close to confinement she is. Oh I hope she is well. I know how worried Mr. Woodhouse is for her. And he should be too. Such a terrible thing. Confinement."
The elder woman smiled and nodded.
"Perhaps, it was Mr. Woodhouse. He does like a very small egg. And he does think to such details, like ribbons and such. Such a lovely man, Mr. Woodhouse."
The elder woman smiled and nodded.
And so Miss Bates called at Hartfield and thanked Mr. Woodhouse for the kind gift he had sent to her mother.
Mr. Woodhouse smiled sweetly and leaned forward in his chair.
"No, my dear, those eggs were for you. I heard you complain of an indisposition when you were last at home. My dearest Emma and Mr. Knightley told me it was nothing, that you were merely talking. But I knew better. 'No, Emma,' I said. 'Miss Bates must be eating badly, very badly indeed. It is not like her to be in an indisposition.' So I sent you the eggs, I did. Such small eggs would not hurt someone so small as yourself, so small and so sweet, now would they?"
"Oh no, sir. How wonderful of you, sir. Why mother and i were overcome. Such a nice little packet of eggs they were. We enjoyed them so. Especially since our hens were stolen last month."
"Stolen!" Mr. Woodhouse furrowed his brow. "Why that is no good at all. You and your mother are not safe. You must come and stay with us here at Hartfield."
"Oh, mother, do you hear that? Mr. Woodhouse has invited us us all to live at Hartfield. Would that not be lovely?"
The elder woman smiled and nodded.
Mr. Woodhouse still looked troubled. "But that would not be proper at all. Emma would not allow it. I'm afraid, Miss Bates, that if you are to live here, we must be married."
"Married!" Miss Bates looked over to her mother. For once in her life, she was indeed speechless.
The elder woman smiled and nodded.