In Jane Austen's "Emma", when Harriet Smith tells Emma Woodhouse of her affection for Mr. Knightley, Emma's response is quick: "A mind like hers [...] made rapid progress. [...] It darted through her, with the speed of an arrow, that Mr. Knightley must marry no one but herself!" Emma's quick thinking reappears when Mr. Knightley proposes to her: "While he spoke, Emma's mind was most busy, and, with all the wonderful velocity of thought, had been able [...] to catch and comprehend the exact truth of the whole [...]." While she often jumps to erroneous conclusions, in these scenes she is right, first about her own emotions, then about Mr. Knightley's. (Andrew Shields, #111words, 19 May 2021)
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