Emma Page #4

EMMA:

Ship, dear, the thing that brings...Ship.

HARRIET:

Ship...!

EMMA:

Now for the cream. "But are united." The two terms should be united!

HARRIET:

Yes...It's ship and court, court and-...Courtship! He writes to me about

courtship! Oh!

EMMA:

Harriet! There can be no doubt of Mr Elton's intentions! You are his

desire! The only thing remaining is for him to find the perfect opportunity

to offer proof! We must find a way for the two of you to be alone!

HARRIET:

Oh, let's read it again and again!

EMMA:

I only wish Mr Knightley would walk by so that he could read it.

SCENE 13-CLARK'S

EMMA:

Good afternoon!

MRS CLARK:

Good day, Miss Woodhouse

EMMA:

Mrs Clark, how are you?

MRS CLARK:

Mustn't grumble.

SCENE 14-ROAD TO HIGHBURY

HARRIET:

I'm sorry I was not more help. I'm always afraid I will somehow make a sick

person worse.

EMMA:

Not at all! Look, Harriet! Mr Elton's house. Pity I cannot contrive a

reason for us to go in.

HARRIET:

I do so wonder, Miss Woodhouse, that you are not married.

EMMA:

I have no inducements to marry. I lack neither fortune, nor position, and

never could I be so important in a man's eyes as I am in my father's.

HARRIET:

But to be an old maid, like Miss Bates...

EMMA:

She is a poor old maid, and it is only poverty which makes celibacy

contemptible. A single woman of good fortune is always respectable. Mr

Elton!

MR ELTON:

Miss Woodhouse! Miss Smith! How fortunate! I was just on my way to visit

the Clarks'.

EMMA:

Ah! We were just there. Harriet was kind enough to let me join her.

HARRIET:

Miss Woodhouse-

MR ELTON:

Um, may I escort you home?

EMMA:

Indeed! Harriet, tell Mr Elton what we did at the Clarks'.

HARRIET:

Oh, um...She seemed to have the chills, so Miss Woodhouse-

EMMA:

-watched. As Harriet tucked that poor lady in, warmed her with a blanket in

her kind nature. Tell her about the soup, dear.

HARRIET:

The soup? I couldn't really say...

MR ELTON:

Don't be so modest.

HARRIET:

Well, I heated some, uh...

MR ELTON:

Soup?

HARRIET:

Yes, soup...-

EMMA:

Oh, dear! Oh! My lace. Please have the goodness to go on, and I will rejoin

you as soon as I can.

HARRIET:

After heating the soup, I put her by the...um...

MR ELTON:

Chair?

HARRIET:

The fire.

MR ELTON:

The fire.

EMMA:

Hello! Where are you off to?

BOY:

To get my mom some broth.

EMMA:

Would you let me walk with you? Dear, must we walk so quickly?

BOY:

Mom said I should hurry.

EMMA:

Would you like to play a game?

HARRIET:

Do you mean it?

MR ELTON:

I do. I swear I do.

HARRIET:

Oh, that's too wonderful!

MR ELTON:

I love-

EMMA (thinking)

Could this be? The declaration?

MR ELTON:

I simply love celery root. And what should they be serving but-

MR ELTON AND HARRIET

Celery root!

SCENE 15-HARTFIELD

MR WOODHOUSE:

Emma! Be careful! The baby-it might have an infection...

MR KNIGHTLEY:

John, this may be the finest Knightley yet. You and Isabella should have

brought her sooner. She looks so fetching in the arms of her aunt!

MR JOHN KNIGHTLEY

Yes, don't they make a splendid pair?

MR KNIGHTLEY:

If you accepted adults with as little whim as you do these children, we

might always agree!

EMMA:

How fascinating that any discordancy between us must always arise from my

being wrong.

MR KNIGHTLEY:

Not fascinating, but true. Perhaps it has something to do with the gap in

our ages. I was sixteen years old when you were born.

EMMA:

Undoubtedly you were my superior then, but hasn't the lapse of 21 years

closed the gap?

MR KNIGHTLEY:

Narrowed it. Come, dear, let us be friends and quarrel no more.

EMMA:

Very well. And might I say that we were both right as far as good

intentions went. I only hope Mr Martin was not too disappointed.

MR KNIGHTLEY:

No man could be more so.

EMMA:

I am very sorry. Come, shake hands with me.

BUTLER:

Dinner is served.

MR WOODHOUSE:

Good. John?

ISABELLA:

Sister, dear? When shall we meet your new friend?

EMMA:

She will be with us on Friday at the Weston's Christmas Eve Party. It looks

as though to be a very rewarding holiday for her.

SCENE 16-CARRIAGE RIDE TOWARDS RANDALL

MR ELTON:

I am so looking forward to this evening. A party is a party, but a

Christmas Party! Where is Miss Smith?

EMMA:

I have some sad news. Miss Smith is ill and cannot be with us this evening.

MR ELTON:

A sad loss to our party. She will be missed at every moment. However, I

feel, and I hope you will concur, that small parties are the best. I would

rather fall short by two than exceed by two. And how fortunate that the

snow comes now instead of yesterday, when it would have made our party

impossible! Now, THAT would have been a real cause for sadness, would it

not?

SCENE 17-CHRISTMAS PARTY AT RANDALL

MRS WESTON:

Would you like some punch?

MR ELTON:

No, no, not right now.

MR WOODHOUSE:

Oh, thank you, thank you, yes. Weather of this severity is no friend of

mine.

MRS WESTON:

I know that too well, Mr Woodhouse.

MR WESTON:

My son Frank has written and told us something most exciting.

MR ELTON:

Miss Woodhouse, are you warm enough?

EMMA:

Yes, thank you.

MR WESTON:

The letter arrived today, and on the opening, we had the most wonderful

surprise. Frank said-

MR ELTON:

Some of the other ladies were saying they were not warm enough.

EMMA:

I am quite comfortable, yes.

MR ELTON:

Then I saw how close you were to the fire, and thought you might be too

warm, and-

EMMA:

Mr Elton! I am in the perfect state of warmness.

MR WESTON:

At first I did not believe it, so I asked Mrs Weston to read the letter

herself, to make sure I was not dreaming. But indeed Frank said-

MR ELTON:

Miss Woodhouse, is there any effort I might make on behalf of your father's

comfort?

EMMA:

You are very kind, but I can only imagine that he's quite comfortable.

Thank you for being so thoughtful.

MR ELTON:

No, thank you for thinking I am thoughtful.

EMMA:

I wondered if perhaps you might be so kind as to bring me some punch.

MR ELTON:

I only hope I can complete the task quickly enough-

EMMA:

Please! I could not enjoy it if I knew that you hurried!

ISABELLA:

Thrilling! Simply thrilling news!

MR WESTON:

And that was the end of the letter.

(later, at dinner)

MR WESTON:

Emma! I wasn't sure I had your attention earlier, but I wanted to tell you

that Frank is coming at last!

EMMA:

I so look forward to meeting him! That is if you can bear to share him.

MRS WESTON:

That is if his aunt will share him with us. That's what this depends on.

She has said yes, but has not given a date.

MR WOODHOUSE:

Very good. This weather is by no means pleasant for the traveler abroad.

(later, around the fire)

MR ELTON:

I hope I'm not intruding.

MR KNIGHTLEY:

No, no.

MR ELTON:

But I cannot stop thinking of Miss Smith's condition.

EMMA:

She will be happy to know of your concern.

MR ELTON:

How could I not be concerned? The whole situation is most alarming! There

is nothing worse than a sore throat. Its effects are exceedingly bleak. And

that is why I must, in the presence of your friend, ask you to stop

visiting her!

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