Mr. Elton is portrayed as determined to be almost simperingly pleasing—a character ripe for satire. But the emphasis in this section is on Emma's self-deception. More than ever convinced that she is rightly succeeding with Harriet, she is too intent to see that all of Mr. Elton's compliments could have been aimed at her and that, for a rector or just an honest man, he comes very close to being sycophantic. Her intensity is further demonstrated in that for the first time in her life she is able to complete a portrait. In a moment of willfulness she finds the steadiness which she has formerly lacked, but this steadiness is founded upon a misdirected imagination.
