Mrs. Elton was expected to visit the poor frequently and to make jellies, pies, and cloth goods that might ease their burdens. This she did, but with little Christian feeling. Mrs. Elton preferred to express her piety through disapproval rather than charity. She was never more pleased than when finding a new thing to condemn, particularly when that thing could in some way be connected to Emma Knightley. The news of the murder at Donwell Abbey had made Mrs. Elton happier than she had been in many years.
