I did not say Emma should not try to make conservation with a reserved Jane but that Emma should be more mature and gracious in accepting Jane’s boundaries even if they hamper her curiosity. I think that is a reasonable expectation. Just because Emma likes news and gossip does not mean Jane has to equal her in enthusiasm or satisfy her curiosity—really I don’t see what is so unforgivable to Emma.

You only answered half of this question:

] Since you say Jane can have no reason of merit for her reserve towards Emma after a two year absence do you also fault Emma for disliking Jane after a two year absence?

You did not answer whether you fault Emma for disliking Jane after a two-year absence as you do Jane for her reserve; instead you said it was natural for Emma to return to her dislike after Jane’s visit to Hartfield. To be clear, I meant Emma’s dislike before Jane returned to Highbury. The narrator says:

“Emma was sorry to have to pay civilities to a person she did not like through three long months!” (Chapter 20)

Do you hold Emma to the same standard you hold Jane for surely if nothing Emma did in the past merits Jane present reserve after two years then surely nothing Jane did in the past merits Emma’s dislike after two years—yet before Jane steps foot in Highbury Emma does dislike her. Do you find Emma to be ungenerous for disliking Jane although she has not seen her for two years?

You said: “And we don't know if Emma's suspicions are baseless.” Can you point out the facts in the text that Emma bases any of her speculations about Jane and Mr. Dixon? Not other speculations, but facts that actually point to the correctness of Emma’s specific suspicions:

- [Jane] of having seduced Mr. Dixon's affections from his wife...

- If it were love, it might be simple, single, successless love on her side alone.

- She [Jane] might have been unconsciously sucking in the sad poison, while a sharer of his conversation with her friend; and from the best, the purest of motives, might now be denying herself this visit to Ireland, and resolving to divide herself effectually from him and his connections by soon beginning her career of laborious duty.

- There probably was something more to conceal than her own preference;

- Mr. Dixon, perhaps, had been very near changing one friend for the other,

- or been fixed only to Miss Campbell, for the sake of the future twelve thousand pounds.