"Mr. Musgrove—yes, so he was, but I had indeed forgotten it; my thoughts were many miles off—they had gone back many months."
"Your opinion of him does not seem very high," observed he, much relieved at the termination of her sentence.
"My opinion of him is of too little consequence to be worth discussing," replied Emma: "I have not seen a great deal of him, but I fancy my father does not estimate him very highly."
"But you cannot deny him the advantage of having plenty to say for himself."
"Plenty indeed—sufficient to make any discussion amongst others on that subject unnecessary."
"He is handsome too, in the opinion of most women."
"I do not deny it."
"And you know he has a very comfortable independence."
"On that point, Mr. Howard, I feel incredulous: independence is the very thing he wants. His principal object seems to be to follow another."
"I see you are hardened against him."