Emma meets Harriet Smith

Emma receives a note from Mrs. Goddard, who runs a local boarding school, requesting to bring Miss Harriet Smith to an evening party at Hartfield. Emma, who has long admired Harriet's beauty from a distance, eagerly accepts. Harriet is a pretty, sweet-natured, and unassuming girl of seventeen, the natural daughter of someone unknown. Emma is immediately charmed and decides to take Harriet under her wing, intending to improve her manners and introduce her to good society. This marks the beginning of a close but ultimately misguided friendship.