A mind like her’s, once opening to suspicion, made rapid progress. She touched – she admitted – she acknowledged the whole truth
. Why was it so much worse that Harriet should be in love with Mr. Knightley than Frank Churchill? Why was the evil so dreadfully increased by Harriet’s having some hope of a return?
Answer: This is a passage from <em>"Emma"</em>, a novel written by Jane Austen.
Explanation:
<em>"Emma" </em>is Jane Austen's 1815 novel. It is a story about the relationships between different people and families in the fictional village of Highbury. The protagonist of the story is Emma Woodhouse, a twenty-year-old.
The passage given above is an excerpt from <em>Chapter 47</em>. Emma is having a conversation with her friend, Harriet Smith. Harriet reveals to Emma that she has certain feelings for Mr. Knightley, a landowner who is almost twenty years older than her. Throughout the novel, Emma never truly thinks about her own feelings - she is too busy finding a perfect match for Harriet. It is only when Harriet confesses that she is in love with Knightley that Emma becomes jealous and realizes that she might love him, too.
