The next morning brought a great many visitors. It was the way of the place always to call on Mrs Edwards on the morning after a ball, and this neighbourly inclination was increased in the present instance by a general spirit of curiosity on Emma’s account, as everybody wanted to look again at the girl who had been admired the night before by Lord Osborne.Many were the eyes, and various the degrees of approbation with which she was examined. Some saw no fault, and some no beauty –. With some her brown skin was the annihilation of every grace, and others could never be persuaded that she were half so handsome as Elizabeth Watson had been ten years ago. – The morning passed quietly away in discussing the merits of the ball with all this succession of company – and Emma was at once astonished by finding it two o’clock, and considering that she had heard nothing of her father’s chair. After this discovery she had walked twice to the window to examine the street, and was on the point of asking leave to ring the bell and make enquiries, when the light sound of a carriage driving up to the door set her heart at ease. She stepped again to the window – but instead of the convenient but very unsmart family equipage perceived a neat curricle. – Mr Musgrave was shortly afterwards announced; – and Mrs Edwards put on her very stiffest look at the sound. – Not at all dismayed however by her chilling air, he paid his compliments to each of the ladies with no unbecoming ease, and continuing to address Emma, presented her a note, which he had the honour of bringing her from her sister; but to which he must observe that a verbal postscript from himself would be requisite.The note, which Emma was beginning to read rather before Mrs Edwards had entreated her to use no ceremony, contained a few lines from Elizabeth importing that their father in consequence of being unusually well had taken the sudden resolution of attending the visitation that day, and that as his road lay quite wide from R., it was impossible for her to come home till the following morning, unless the Edwardses would send her which was hardly to be expected, or she could meet with any chance conveyance, or did not mind walking so far.She had scarcely run her eye through the whole, before she found herself obliged to listen to Tom Musgrave’s farther account ‘I received that note from the fair hands of Miss Watson only ten minutes ago,’ said he ‘– I met her in the village of Stanton, whither my good stars prompted me to turn my horses’ heads – she was at that moment in quest of a person to employ on the errand, and I was fortunate enough to convince her that she could not find a more willing or speedy messenger than myself –. Remember, I say nothing of my disinterestedness. – My reward is to be the indulgence of conveying you to Stanton in my curricle. – Though they are not written down, I bring your sister’s orders for the same. –’