… of predatory incomers; the superficial charms of a Willoughby, Wickham or the Crawfords, who excel in the rhetoric and performance of polite sociability, deceive not only their potential lovers but the whole neighbourhood. 10 6 . Emma, ed. … ball represented the culmination of dancing lessons and long rehearsed social skills combining self-presentation with performance. A young lady’s first ball signalled her eligibility for marriage: that she was ‘out’. Even Fanny Price, the …