That night it was difficult for Emma to sleep. For herself, she did not worry
about what had happened in the carriage with Mr Elton, but she felt very sad
for Harriet.
'Harriet has grown to like this man and then to love him,' she thought,' and it
was because of me.'
She remembered what Mr Knightley had said to her about him, that day in the garden. 'Mr Elton will choose sensibly,' he had said and now it seemed he
was right. He had not wanted Harriet, had never thought about her as a wife
All the time it had been Emma he wanted. But she knew the first and worst
mistake had been hers. It was wrong and foolish to try to bring two people together and she was ashamed of herself.
'It was enough that I talked her out of love with Mr Martin. There, at least, I was right,' she thought.
The next day, Emma was pleased to see a lot of snow outside. This was a good thing because it meant she could not go to church and see Mr Elton, or go to visit Harriet, and none of them could meet. The snow stayed for several days after Christmas and the only visitor to Hartfield was Mr Knightley.