that there would be a 'general cry-out upon her extreme good luck', I think. Although Mr Knightley is making a point to Emma about Robert Martin being Harriet's superior, the Martins' situation is financially prosperous and stable and her dubious parentage does not concern him. Harriet would be making the best possible match, and only Emma's firm belief that her 'little friend' actually belongs to a 'line of society above' the Martins has biased Emma against them and made Robert Martin unsure of proposing to Harriet.