Abbey Mill Farm
Abbey Mill Farm is the residence of the Martin family, tenants of Mr. Knightley, situated in the parish of Donwell. It is a working farm, and its inhabitants—Mrs. Martin, her daughters Elizabeth and the younger Miss Martin, and her son Robert Martin—are described as respectable, industrious, and well-meaning people, though Emma Woodhouse considers them coarse and unpolished. The farm itself is presented as a place of comfort and modest prosperity: Harriet Smith, after spending two very happy months there, speaks with exultation of Mrs. Martin's having "two parlours, two very good parlours, indeed; one of them quite as large as Mrs. Goddard's drawing-room," of their having eight cows, two of them Alderneys and one a little Welch cow, and of a very handsome summer-house in their garden large enough to hold a dozen people. Emma, listening to these details, is initially amused, but when she learns that Robert Martin is a single man, she immediately suspects danger to her "poor little friend" and resolves to detach Harriet from such an inferior connection.
Harriet's Visit and the Proposal
Harriet's visit to Abbey Mill Farm the previous summer had been the occasion of Robert Martin's growing attachment to her. He had gone three miles round one day to bring her walnuts because she had said how fond she was of them, and had brought his shepherd's son into the parlour one night on purpose to sing to her. It was during this visit that Mrs. Martin, with a blush, told Harriet that it was impossible for anybody to be a better son, and therefore she was sure, whenever he married, he would make a good husband. The proposal itself, delivered by letter after Harriet had returned to Mrs. Goddard's, is a direct offer of marriage, and Emma, reading it, is surprised by its quality: the style is much above her expectation, with no grammatical errors, strong and unaffected language, and sentiments that convey good sense, warm attachment, liberality, propriety, and even delicacy of feeling. Despite this, Emma persuades Harriet to refuse him, arguing that a farmer is beneath her and that she would be throwing herself out of all good society.
The Return Visit and Its Aftermath
After Mr. Elton's engagement to Miss Hawkins is announced, Harriet encounters Elizabeth Martin and Robert Martin at Ford's shop, a meeting that leaves her deeply agitated. Emma, to manage the situation, arranges for Harriet to pay a formal return visit to Abbey Mill Farm, but under strict conditions: she is to be left there for only a quarter of an hour while Emma drives a little farther, and then called for again, allowing no time for insidious applications or dangerous recurrences to the past. The visit is strained; the Martins receive Harriet doubtingly, if not coolly, and only at the very end, when Mrs. Martin remarks that she thinks Miss Smith is grown, does a warmer manner emerge. They all seem to remember the day, the hour, the party, the occasion—to feel the same consciousness, the same regrets—but the carriage reappears, and all is over. Emma reflects that it is a bad business, but she cannot repent; they must be separated.
The Final Reconciliation
In the end, Robert Martin's perseverance triumphs. He goes to London on business, is invited by John Knightley to join a party at Astley's, and there finds an opportunity to speak to Harriet again. She accepts him, and he immediately returns to Highbury to report his success to Mr. Knightley. Emma, now enlightened by her own love for Mr. Knightley, is delighted by the news. She acknowledges that Harriet has always liked Robert Martin, and that his continuing to love her has been irresistible. When she becomes acquainted with him, she fully acknowledges in him all the appearance of sense and worth. Harriet is married to Robert Martin at the end of September, the first of the three engaged couples to be wed, and Emma reflects that she will be placed in the midst of those who love her, retired enough for safety and occupied enough for cheerfulness.
Narrative Significance
Abbey Mill Farm functions as a geographical and social counterpoint to Hartfield. It represents the stable, domestic, and unpretentious life that Emma initially scorns for Harriet but which ultimately proves to be the girl's true happiness. The farm is also a site of moral contrast: Robert Martin's honest, straightforward proposal and his family's genuine warmth are set against the artifice and social climbing of Mr. Elton and Mrs. Elton. Emma's journey from dismissing the farm as beneath Harriet's notice to celebrating Harriet's marriage to its owner marks a key stage in her own moral education, as she learns to value genuine worth over superficial gentility.
