Northanger Abbey 3 страница

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" I know you very well; you have so much animation,

which is exactly what Miss Andrews wants, for I must

confess there is something amazingly insipid about her.

Oh! I must tell you, that just after we parted yesterday,

I saw a young man looking at you so earnestly--I am

sure he is in love with you. " Catherine coloured,

and disclaimed again. Isabella laughed. " It is very true,

upon my honour, but I see how it is; you are indifferent

to everybody`s admiration, except that of one gentleman,

who shall be nameless. Nay, I cannot blame you" --speaking

more seriously--" your feelings are easily understood.

Where the heart is really attached, I know very well how little

one can be pleased with the attention of anybody else.

Everything is so insipid, so uninteresting, that does not

relate to the beloved object! I can perfectly comprehend

your feelings. "

" But you should not persuade me that I think so very

much about Mr. Tilney, for perhaps I may never see him again. "

" Not see him again! My dearest creature, do not talk

of it. I am sure you would be miserable if you thought so! "

" No, indeed, I should not. I do not pretend to say

that I was not very much pleased with him; but while I

have Udolpho to read, I feel as if nobody could make

me miserable. Oh! The dreadful black veil! My dear Isabella,

I am sure there must be Laurentina`s skeleton behind it. "

" It is so odd to me, that you should never have

read Udolpho before; but I suppose Mrs. Morland objects

to novels. "

" No, she does not. She very often reads Sir Charles

Grandison herself; but new books do not fall in our way. "

" Sir Charles Grandison! That is an amazing horrid book,

is it not? I remember Miss Andrews could not get through

the first volume. "

" It is not like Udolpho at all; but yet I think it

is very entertaining. "

" Do you indeed! You surprise me; I thought it

had not been readable. But, my dearest Catherine,

have you settled what to wear on your head tonight? I am

determined at all events to be dressed exactly like you.

The men take notice of that sometimes, you know. "

" But it does not signify if they do, " said Catherine,

very innocently.

" Signify! Oh, heavens! I make it a rule never to mind

what they say. They are very often amazingly impertinent

if you do not treat them with spirit, and make them keep

their distance. "

" Are they? Well, I never observed that. They always

behave very well to me. "

" Oh! They give themselves such airs. They are

the most conceited creatures in the world, and think

themselves of so much importance! By the by, though I

have thought of it a hundred times, I have always forgot

to ask you what is your favourite complexion in a man.

Do you like them best dark or fair? "

" I hardly know. I never much thought about it.

Something between both, I think. Brown--not fair,

and--and not very dark. "

" Very well, Catherine. That is exactly he. I have

not forgot your description of Mr. Tilney--`a brown skin,

with dark eyes, and rather dark hair. ` Well, my taste

is different. I prefer light eyes, and as to complexion--do

you know--I like a sallow better than any other.

You must not betray me, if you should ever meet with one

of your acquaintance answering that description. "

" Betray you! What do you mean? "

" Nay, do not distress me. I believe I have said

too much. Let us drop the subject. "

Catherine, in some amazement, complied, and after

remaining a few moments silent, was on the point of

reverting to what interested her at that time rather more

than anything else in the world, Laurentina`s skeleton,

when her friend prevented her, by saying, " For heaven`s

sake! Let us move away from this end of the room.

Do you know, there are two odious young men who have been

staring at me this half hour. They really put me quite

out of countenance. Let us go and look at the arrivals.

They will hardly follow us there. "

Away they walked to the book; and while Isabella

examined the names, it was Catherine`s employment to watch

the proceedings of these alarming young men.

" They are not coming this way, are they? I hope they

are not so impertinent as to follow us. Pray let me know

if they are coming. I am determined I will not look up. "

In a few moments Catherine, with unaffected pleasure,

assured her that she need not be longer uneasy, as the

gentlemen had just left the pump-room.

" And which way are they gone? " said Isabella,

turning hastily round. " One was a very good-looking

young man. "

" They went towards the church-yard. "

" Well, I am amazingly glad I have got rid of them!

And now, what say you to going to Edgar`s Buildings

with me, and looking at my new hat? You said you should

like to see it. "

Catherine readily agreed. " Only, " she added,

" perhaps we may overtake the two young men. "

" Oh! Never mind that. If we make haste, we shall

pass by them presently, and I am dying to show you my hat. "

" But if we only wait a few minutes, there will be

no danger of our seeing them at all. "

" I shall not pay them any such compliment, I assure you.

I have no notion of treating men with such respect.

That is the way to spoil them. "

Catherine had nothing to oppose against such reasoning;

and therefore, to show the independence of Miss Thorpe,

and her resolution of humbling the sex, they set off

immediately as fast as they could walk, in pursuit of the

two young men.

CHAPTER 7

Half a minute conducted them through the pump-yard

to the archway, opposite Union Passage; but here they

were stopped. Everybody acquainted with Bath may remember

the difficulties of crossing Cheap Street at this point;

it is indeed a street of so impertinent a nature,

so unfortunately connected with the great London

and Oxford roads, and the principal inn of the city,

that a day never passes in which parties of ladies,

however important their business, whether in quest

of pastry, millinery, or even (as in the present case)

of young men, are not detained on one side or other

by carriages, horsemen, or carts. This evil had been felt

and lamented, at least three times a day, by Isabella

since her residence in Bath; and she was now fated

to feel and lament it once more, for at the very moment

of coming opposite to Union Passage, and within view of

the two gentlemen who were proceeding through the crowds,

and threading the gutters of that interesting alley,

they were prevented crossing by the approach of a gig,

driven along on bad pavement by a most knowing-looking

coachman with all the vehemence that could most fitly

endanger the lives of himself, his companion, and his horse.

" Oh, these odious gigs! " said Isabella, looking up.

" How I detest them. " But this detestation, though so just,

was of short duration, for she looked again and exclaimed,

" Delightful! Mr. Morland and my brother! "

" Good heaven! `Tis James! " was uttered at the same

moment by Catherine; and, on catching the young men`s eyes,

the horse was immediately checked with a violence

which almost threw him on his haunches, and the servant

having now scampered up, the gentlemen jumped out,

and the equipage was delivered to his care.

Catherine, by whom this meeting was wholly unexpected,

received her brother with the liveliest pleasure; and he,

being of a very amiable disposition, and sincerely attached

to her, gave every proof on his side of equal satisfaction,

which he could have leisure to do, while the bright eyes

of Miss Thorpe were incessantly challenging his notice;

and to her his devoirs were speedily paid, with a mixture

of joy and embarrassment which might have informed Catherine,

had she been more expert in the development of other

people`s feelings, and less simply engrossed by her own,

that her brother thought her friend quite as pretty as she

could do herself.

John Thorpe, who in the meantime had been giving

orders about the horses, soon joined them, and from him she

directly received the amends which were her due; for while

he slightly and carelessly touched the hand of Isabella,

on her he bestowed a whole scrape and half a short bow.

He was a stout young man of middling height, who, with a

plain face and ungraceful form, seemed fearful of being

too handsome unless he wore the dress of a groom,

and too much like a gentleman unless he were easy where he

ought to be civil, and impudent where he might be allowed

to be easy. He took out his watch: " How long do you

think we have been running it from Tetbury, Miss Morland? "

" I do not know the distance. " Her brother told

her that it was twenty-three miles.

" Three and twenty! " cried Thorpe. " Five and twenty if it

is an inch. " Morland remonstrated, pleaded the authority

of road-books, innkeepers, and milestones; but his friend

disregarded them all; he had a surer test of distance.

" I know it must be five and twenty, " said he, " by the

time we have been doing it. It is now half after one;

we drove out of the inn-yard at Tetbury as the town clock

struck eleven; and I defy any man in England to make

my horse go less than ten miles an hour in harness;

that makes it exactly twenty-five. "

" You have lost an hour, " said Morland; " it was only

ten o`clock when we came from Tetbury. "

" Ten o`clock! It was eleven, upon my soul! I counted

every stroke. This brother of yours would persuade me

out of my senses, Miss Morland; do but look at my horse;

did you ever see an animal so made for speed in your life? "

(The servant had just mounted the carriage and was driving off. )

" Such true blood! Three hours and and a half indeed coming

only three and twenty miles! Look at that creature,

and suppose it possible if you can. "

" He does look very hot, to be sure. "

" Hot! He had not turned a hair till we came to

Walcot Church; but look at his forehand; look at his loins;

only see how he moves; that horse cannot go less than

ten miles an hour: tie his legs and he will get on.

What do you think of my gig, Miss Morland? A neat one,

is not it? Well hung; town-built; I have not had it a month.

It was built for a Christchurch man, a friend of mine,

a very good sort of fellow; he ran it a few weeks, till,

I believe, it was convenient to have done with it.

I happened just then to be looking out for some light

thing of the kind, though I had pretty well determined on

a curricle too; but I chanced to meet him on Magdalen Bridge,

as he was driving into Oxford, last term: `Ah! Thorpe, `

said he, `do you happen to want such a little thing

as this? It is a capital one of the kind, but I am

cursed tired of it. ` `Oh! D--, ` said I; `I am your man;

what do you ask? ` And how much do you think he did,

Miss Morland? "

" I am sure I cannot guess at all. "

" Curricle-hung, you see; seat, trunk, sword-case,

splashing-board, lamps, silver moulding, all you

see complete; the iron-work as good as new, or better.

He asked fifty guineas; I closed with him directly,

threw down the money, and the carriage was mine. "

" And I am sure, " said Catherine, " I know so little

of such things that I cannot judge whether it was cheap

or dear. "

" Neither one nor t`other; I might have got it for less,

I dare say; but I hate haggling, and poor Freeman wanted cash. "

" That was very good-natured of you, " said Catherine,

quite pleased.

" Oh! D-- it, when one has the means of doing a kind

thing by a friend, I hate to be pitiful. "

An inquiry now took place into the intended movements

of the young ladies; and, on finding whither they were going,

it was decided that the gentlemen should accompany them

to Edgar`s Buildings, and pay their respects to Mrs. Thorpe.

James and Isabella led the way; and so well satisfied

was the latter with her lot, so contentedly was she

endeavouring to ensure a pleasant walk to him who brought

the double recommendation of being her brother`s friend,

and her friend`s brother, so pure and uncoquettish

were her feelings, that, though they overtook and

passed the two offending young men in Milsom Street,

she was so far from seeking to attract their notice,

that she looked back at them only three times.

John Thorpe kept of course with Catherine, and, after a

few minutes` silence, renewed the conversation about his gig.

" You will find, however, Miss Morland, it would be reckoned

a cheap thing by some people, for I might have sold it

for ten guineas more the next day; Jackson, of Oriel,

bid me sixty at once; Morland was with me at the time. "

" Yes, " said Morland, who overheard this; " but you

forget that your horse was included. "

" My horse! Oh, d-- it! I would not sell my horse

for a hundred. Are you fond of an open carriage,

Miss Morland? "

" Yes, very; I have hardly ever an opportunity

of being in one; but I am particularly fond of it. "

" I am glad of it; I will drive you out in mine

every day. "

" Thank you, " said Catherine, in some distress,

from a doubt of the propriety of accepting such an offer.

" I will drive you up Lansdown Hill tomorrow. "

" Thank you; but will not your horse want rest? "

" Rest! He has only come three and twenty miles today;

all nonsense; nothing ruins horses so much as rest;

nothing knocks them up so soon. No, no; I shall exercise

mine at the average of four hours every day while I

am here. "

" Shall you indeed! " said Catherine very seriously.

" That will be forty miles a day. "

" Forty! Aye, fifty, for what I care. Well, I will

drive you up Lansdown tomorrow; mind, I am engaged. "

" How delightful that will be! " cried Isabella,

turning round. " My dearest Catherine, I quite envy you;

but I am afraid, brother, you will not have room for

a third. "

" A third indeed! No, no; I did not come to Bath

to drive my sisters about; that would be a good joke,

faith! Morland must take care of you. "

This brought on a dialogue of civilities between

the other two; but Catherine heard neither the particulars

nor the result. Her companion`s discourse now sunk from

its hitherto animated pitch to nothing more than a short

decisive sentence of praise or condemnation on the face

of every woman they met; and Catherine, after listening

and agreeing as long as she could, with all the civility

and deference of the youthful female mind, fearful of

hazarding an opinion of its own in opposition to that of a

self-assured man, especially where the beauty of her own

sex is concerned, ventured at length to vary the subject

by a question which had been long uppermost in her thoughts;

it was, " Have you ever read Udolpho, Mr. Thorpe? "

" Udolpho! Oh, Lord! Not I; I never read novels;

I have something else to do. "

Catherine, humbled and ashamed, was going to apologize

for her question, but he prevented her by saying,

" Novels are all so full of nonsense and stuff; there has

not been a tolerably decent one come out since Tom Jones,

except The Monk; I read that t`other day; but as for all

the others, they are the stupidest things in creation. "

" I think you must like Udolpho, if you were to read it;

it is so very interesting. "

" Not I, faith! No, if I read any, it shall

be Mrs. Radcliffe`s; her novels are amusing enough;

they are worth reading; some fun and nature in them. "

" Udolpho was written by Mrs. Radcliffe, " said Catherine,

with some hesitation, from the fear of mortifying him.

" No sure; was it? Aye, I remember, so it was;

I was thinking of that other stupid book, written by

that woman they make such a fuss about, she who married

the French emigrant. "

" I suppose you mean Camilla? "

" Yes, that`s the book; such unnatural stuff! An old

man playing at see-saw, I took up the first volume once

and looked it over, but I soon found it would not do;

indeed I guessed what sort of stuff it must be before I

saw it: as soon as I heard she had married an emigrant,

I was sure I should never be able to get through it. "

" I have never read it. "

" You had no loss, I assure you; it is the horridest

nonsense you can imagine; there is nothing in the world in it

but an old man`s playing at see-saw and learning Latin;

upon my soul there is not. "

This critique, the justness of which was unfortunately

lost on poor Catherine, brought them to the door

of Mrs. Thorpe`s lodgings, and the feelings of the

discerning and unprejudiced reader of Camilla gave way

to the feelings of the dutiful and affectionate son,

as they met Mrs. Thorpe, who had descried them from above,

in the passage. " Ah, Mother! How do you do? " said he,

giving her a hearty shake of the hand. " Where did you get

that quiz of a hat? It makes you look like an old witch.

Here is Morland and I come to stay a few days with you,

so you must look out for a couple of good beds

somewhere near. " And this address seemed to satisfy all

the fondest wishes of the mother`s heart, for she received

him with the most delighted and exulting affection.

On his two younger sisters he then bestowed an equal portion

of his fraternal tenderness, for he asked each of them

how they did, and observed that they both looked very ugly.

These manners did not please Catherine;

but he was James`s friend and Isabella`s brother;

and her judgment was further bought off by Isabella`s

assuring her, when they withdrew to see the new hat,

that John thought her the most charming girl in the world,

and by John`s engaging her before they parted to dance

with him that evening. Had she been older or vainer,

such attacks might have done little; but, where youth

and diffidence are united, it requires uncommon steadiness

of reason to resist the attraction of being called the most

charming girl in the world, and of being so very early

engaged as a partner; and the consequence was that,

when the two Morlands, after sitting an hour with the Thorpes,

set off to walk together to Mr. Allen`s, and James,

as the door was closed on them, said, " Well, Catherine,

how do you like my friend Thorpe? " instead of answering,

as she probably would have done, had there been no friendship

and no flattery in the case, " I do not like him at all, "

she directly replied, " I like him very much; he seems

very agreeable. "

" He is as good-natured a fellow as ever lived;

a little of a rattle; but that will recommend him to your sex,

I believe: and how do you like the rest of the family? "

" Very, very much indeed: Isabella particularly. "

" I am very glad to hear you say so; she is just the

kind of young woman I could wish to see you attached to;

she has so much good sense, and is so thoroughly

unaffected and amiable; I always wanted you to know her;

and she seems very fond of you. She said the highest

things in your praise that could possibly be; and the

praise of such a girl as Miss Thorpe even you, Catherine, "

taking her hand with affection, " may be proud of. "

" Indeed I am, " she replied; " I love her exceedingly,

and am delighted to find that you like her too.

You hardly mentioned anything of her when you wrote to me

after your visit there. "

" Because I thought I should soon see you myself.

I hope you will be a great deal together while you are

in Bath. She is a most amiable girl; such a superior

understanding! How fond all the family are of her;

she is evidently the general favourite; and how much she

must be admired in such a place as this--is not she? "

" Yes, very much indeed, I fancy; Mr. Allen thinks

her the prettiest girl in Bath. "

" I dare say he does; and I do not know any man

who is a better judge of beauty than Mr. Allen. I need

not ask you whether you are happy here, my dear Catherine;

with such a companion and friend as Isabella Thorpe, it would

be impossible for you to be otherwise; and the Allens,

I am sure, are very kind to you? "

" Yes, very kind; I never was so happy before;

and now you are come it will be more delightful than ever;

how good it is of you to come so far on purpose to see me. "

James accepted this tribute of gratitude,

and qualified his conscience for accepting it too,

by saying with perfect sincerity, " Indeed, Catherine,

I love you dearly. "

Inquiries and communications concerning brothers

and sisters, the situation of some, the growth of the rest,

and other family matters now passed between them, and continued,

with only one small digression on James`s part, in praise

of Miss Thorpe, till they reached Pulteney Street, where he

was welcomed with great kindness by Mr. and Mrs. Allen,

invited by the former to dine with them, and summoned by

the latter to guess the price and weigh the merits of a new

muff and tippet. A pre-engagement in Edgar`s Buildings

prevented his accepting the invitation of one friend,

and obliged him to hurry away as soon as he had satisfied

the demands of the other. The time of the two parties

uniting in the Octagon Room being correctly adjusted,

Catherine was then left to the luxury of a raised, restless,

and frightened imagination over the pages of Udolpho,

lost from all worldly concerns of dressing and dinner,

incapable of soothing Mrs. Allen`s fears on the delay of an

expected dressmaker, and having only one minute in sixty

to bestow even on the reflection of her own felicity,

in being already engaged for the evening.

CHAPTER 8

In spite of Udolpho and the dressmaker, however,

the party from Pulteney Street reached the Upper Rooms

in very good time. The Thorpes and James Morland

were there only two minutes before them; and Isabella

having gone through the usual ceremonial of meeting

her friend with the most smiling and affectionate haste,

of admiring the set of her gown, and envying the curl

of her hair, they followed their chaperones, arm in arm,

into the ballroom, whispering to each other whenever

a thought occurred, and supplying the place of many

ideas by a squeeze of the hand or a smile of affection.

The dancing began within a few minutes after they

were seated; and James, who had been engaged quite as long

as his sister, was very importunate with Isabella to stand up;

but John was gone into the card-room to speak to a friend,

and nothing, she declared, should induce her to join

the set before her dear Catherine could join it too.

" I assure you, " said she, " I would not stand up without

your dear sister for all the world; for if I did we

should certainly be separated the whole evening. "

Catherine accepted this kindness with gratitude,

and they continued as they were for three minutes longer,

when Isabella, who had been talking to James on the other

side of her, turned again to his sister and whispered,

" My dear creature, I am afraid I must leave you,

your brother is so amazingly impatient to begin; I know

you will not mind my going away, and I dare say John will

be back in a moment, and then you may easily find me out. "

Catherine, though a little disappointed, had too much good

nature to make any opposition, and the others rising up,

Isabella had only time to press her friend`s hand and say,

" Good-bye, my dear love, " before they hurried off.

The younger Miss Thorpes being also dancing, Catherine was

left to the mercy of Mrs. Thorpe and Mrs. Allen,

between whom she now remained. She could not help being

vexed at the non-appearance of Mr. Thorpe, for she not

only longed to be dancing, but was likewise aware that,

as the real dignity of her situation could not be known,

she was sharing with the scores of other young ladies still

sitting down all the discredit of wanting a partner.

To be disgraced in the eye of the world, to wear the

appearance of infamy while her heart is all purity,

her actions all innocence, and the misconduct of another

the true source of her debasement, is one of those

circumstances which peculiarly belong to the heroine`s life,

and her fortitude under it what particularly dignifies

her character. Catherine had fortitude too; she suffered,

but no murmur passed her lips.

From this state of humiliation, she was roused,

at the end of ten minutes, to a pleasanter feeling,

by seeing, not Mr. Thorpe, but Mr. Tilney, within three

yards of the place where they sat; he seemed to be

moving that way, but be did not see her, and therefore

the smile and the blush, which his sudden reappearance

raised in Catherine, passed away without sullying her

heroic importance. He looked as handsome and as lively

as ever, and was talking with interest to a fashionable

and pleasing-looking young woman, who leant on his arm,

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