Host (Jane Austen Bedtime Stories)

He professed himself extremely anxious about her fair friend, her fair, lovely, amiable friend.

Did she know?

Had she heard anything about her since their being at Randalls?

He felt much anxiety.

He must confess that the nature of her complaint alarmed him considerably.

And in this style he talked on for some time very properly, not much attending to any answer, but altogether sufficiently awake to the terror of a bad sore throat.

And Emma was quite in charity with him.

But at last there seemed a perverse turn.

It seemed all at once as if he were more afraid of its being a bad sore throat on her account than on Harriet's.

More anxious that she should escape the infection than that there should be no infection in the complaint.

He began with great earnestness to entreat her to refrain from visiting the sick chamber again for the present, to entreat her to promise him not to venture into such hazard till he had seen Mr. Perry and learnt his opinion, and though she tried to laugh it off and bring the subject back into its proper course, there was no putting an end to his extreme solicitude about her.

she was vexed.

It did appear, there was no concealing it, exactly like the pretense of being in love with her, instead of Harriet, an inconstancy if real, the most contemptible and abominable, and she had difficulty in behaving with temper.

he turned to Mrs. Weston to implore her assistance.

Would not she give him her support?

Would not she add her persuasions to his, to induce Miss Woodhouse not to go to Mrs. Goddard's till it were certain that Miss Smith's disorder had no infection?

He could not be satisfied without a promise.

Would not she give him her influence in procuring it?

So scrupulous for others, he continued, and yet so careless for herself.

She wanted me to nurse my cold by staying at home today, and yet will not promise to avoid the danger of catching an ulcerated sore throat herself.