this read, but I find my attention drawn to the Martins - is Emma right to look down her nose at them? "

not perhaps to look down her nose, or to denigrate them, but she's certainly, by the standards of her time, not being really all that unusual in bieng condescending. They are far lower than her in the social scheme of things. Martin isn't treated as an equal by Mr K, thoguh he is regarded as a man who will do well and problaby will rise in the social scale as time goes on, due to his hard work and intelligence. He may get the odd invitation to dinner but he's nto a "regular" social visitor to Donwell.. But Mr K is objecting, not so much to Emma's feelign that as a mere farmer Robert M is not her social equal, but to her beleif that a mere farmer is not HARRIET's equal. He belives that for Harriet a respectable intelligent gentleman farmer is a step up adn better than she could hope for... EMMA thinks that Harriet shold be abel to look higher.