Persuasion [with Biographical Introduction]

by Jane Austen

She endeavoured to be composed, and to be just. Without emulating the feelings of an Emma towards her Henry,

An allusion to Matthew Prior’s poem “Henry and Emma,” based on the traditional ballad “The Nut-Brown Maid,” which tells the story of a girl who proves her selfless love by extending her devotion to the woman she considers to be her rival. https://allpoetry.com/poem/8477825-Henry-And-Emma.--A-Poem.-by-Matthew-Prior