Northanger Abbey 4 страница

⇐ ПредыдущаяСтр 5 из 19Следующая ⇒

and whom Catherine immediately guessed to be his sister;

thus unthinkingly throwing away a fair opportunity of

considering him lost to her forever, by being married already.

But guided only by what was simple and probable,

it had never entered her head that Mr. Tilney could

be married; he had not behaved, he had not talked,

like the married men to whom she had been used; he had

never mentioned a wife, and he had acknowledged a sister.

From these circumstances sprang the instant conclusion

of his sister`s now being by his side; and therefore,

instead of turning of a deathlike paleness and falling

in a fit on Mrs. Allen`s bosom, Catherine sat erect,

in the perfect use of her senses, and with cheeks only a

little redder than usual.

Mr. Tilney and his companion, who continued,

though slowly, to approach, were immediately preceded

by a lady, an acquaintance of Mrs. Thorpe; and this lady

stopping to speak to her, they, as belonging to her,

stopped likewise, and Catherine, catching Mr. Tilney`s eye,

instantly received from him the smiling tribute

of recognition. She returned it with pleasure,

and then advancing still nearer, he spoke both to her

and Mrs. Allen, by whom he was very civilly acknowledged.

" I am very happy to see you again, sir, indeed; I was

afraid you had left Bath. " He thanked her for her fears,

and said that he had quitted it for a week, on the very

morning after his having had the pleasure of seeing her.

" Well, sir, and I dare say you are not sorry to be

back again, for it is just the place for young people--

and indeed for everybody else too. I tell Mr. Allen,

when he talks of being sick of it, that I am sure he

should not complain, for it is so very agreeable a place,

that it is much better to be here than at home at this

dull time of year. I tell him he is quite in luck

to be sent here for his health. "

" And I hope, madam, that Mr. Allen will be obliged

to like the place, from finding it of service to him. "

" Thank you, sir. I have no doubt that he will.

A neighbour of ours, Dr. Skinner, was here for his health

last winter, and came away quite stout. "

" That circumstance must give great encouragement. "

" Yes, sir--and Dr. Skinner and his family were here

three months; so I tell Mr. Allen he must not be in a hurry

to get away. "

Here they were interrupted by a request from Mrs. Thorpe

to Mrs. Allen, that she would move a little to accommodate

Mrs. Hughes and Miss Tilney with seats, as they had

agreed to join their party. This was accordingly done,

Mr. Tilney still continuing standing before them;

and after a few minutes` consideration, he asked Catherine

to dance with him. This compliment, delightful as it was,

produced severe mortification to the lady; and in giving

her denial, she expressed her sorrow on the occasion

so very much as if she really felt it that had Thorpe,

who joined her just afterwards, been half a minute earlier,

he might have thought her sufferings rather too acute.

The very easy manner in which he then told her that he

had kept her waiting did not by any means reconcile her

more to her lot; nor did the particulars which he entered

into while they were standing up, of the horses and dogs

of the friend whom he had just left, and of a proposed

exchange of terriers between them, interest her so much

as to prevent her looking very often towards that part of the

room where she had left Mr. Tilney. Of her dear Isabella,

to whom she particularly longed to point out that gentleman,

she could see nothing. They were in different sets.

She was separated from all her party, and away from all

her acquaintance; one mortification succeeded another,

and from the whole she deduced this useful lesson,

that to go previously engaged to a ball does not necessarily

increase either the dignity or enjoyment of a young lady.

From such a moralizing strain as this, she was suddenly

roused by a touch on the shoulder, and turning round,

perceived Mrs. Hughes directly behind her, attended by Miss

Tilney and a gentleman. " I beg your pardon, Miss Morland, "

said she, " for this liberty--but I cannot anyhow get to

Miss Thorpe, and Mrs. Thorpe said she was sure you would

not have the least objection to letting in this young lady

by you. " Mrs. Hughes could not have applied to any creature

in the room more happy to oblige her than Catherine.

The young ladies were introduced to each other, Miss Tilney

expressing a proper sense of such goodness, Miss Morland

with the real delicacy of a generous mind making light

of the obligation; and Mrs. Hughes, satisfied with having

so respectably settled her young charge, returned to

her party.

Miss Tilney had a good figure, a pretty face,

and a very agreeable countenance; and her air, though it

had not all the decided pretension, the resolute

stylishness of Miss Thorpe`s, had more real elegance.

Her manners showed good sense and good breeding;

they were neither shy nor affectedly open; and she

seemed capable of being young, attractive, and at a ball

without wanting to fix the attention of every man

near her, and without exaggerated feelings of ecstatic

delight or inconceivable vexation on every little

trifling occurrence. Catherine, interested at once

by her appearance and her relationship to Mr. Tilney,

was desirous of being acquainted with her, and readily

talked therefore whenever she could think of anything

to say, and had courage and leisure for saying it.

But the hindrance thrown in the way of a very speedy intimacy,

by the frequent want of one or more of these requisites,

prevented their doing more than going through the first

rudiments of an acquaintance, by informing themselves how well

the other liked Bath, how much she admired its buildings

and surrounding country, whether she drew, or played,

or sang, and whether she was fond of riding on horseback.

The two dances were scarcely concluded before Catherine

found her arm gently seized by her faithful Isabella,

who in great spirits exclaimed, " At last I have got you.

My dearest creature, I have been looking for you this hour.

What could induce you to come into this set, when you

knew I was in the other? I have been quite wretched

without you. "

" My dear Isabella, how was it possible for me to get

at you? I could not even see where you were. "

" So I told your brother all the time--but he would

not believe me. Do go and see for her, Mr. Morland,

said I--but all in vain--he would not stir an inch.

Was not it so, Mr. Morland? But you men are all so

immoderately lazy! I have been scolding him to such

a degree, my dear Catherine, you would be quite amazed.

You know I never stand upon ceremony with such people. "

" Look at that young lady with the white beads round

her head, " whispered Catherine, detaching her friend

from James. " It is Mr. Tilney`s sister. "

" Oh! Heavens! You don`t say so! Let me look at her

this moment. What a delightful girl! I never saw anything

half so beautiful! But where is her all-conquering brother? Is

he in the room? Point him out to me this instant, if he is.

I die to see him. Mr. Morland, you are not to listen.

We are not talking about you. "

" But what is all this whispering about? What is going on? "

" There now, I knew how it would be. You men have

such restless curiosity! Talk of the curiosity of women,

indeed! `Tis nothing. But be satisfied, for you are not

to know anything at all of the matter. "

" And is that likely to satisfy me, do you think? "

" Well, I declare I never knew anything like you.

What can it signify to you, what we are talking of.

Perhaps we are talking about you; therefore I would advise

you not to listen, or you may happen to hear something not

very agreeable. "

In this commonplace chatter, which lasted some time,

the original subject seemed entirely forgotten; and though

Catherine was very well pleased to have it dropped for a while,

she could not avoid a little suspicion at the total suspension

of all Isabella`s impatient desire to see Mr. Tilney.

When the orchestra struck up a fresh dance, James would

have led his fair partner away, but she resisted.

" I tell you, Mr. Morland, " she cried, " I would not do such

a thing for all the world. How can you be so teasing;

only conceive, my dear Catherine, what your brother wants

me to do. He wants me to dance with him again, though I

tell him that it is a most improper thing, and entirely

against the rules. It would make us the talk of the place,

if we were not to change partners. "

" Upon my honour, " said James, " in these public assemblies,

it is as often done as not. "

" Nonsense, how can you say so? But when you men

have a point to carry, you never stick at anything.

My sweet Catherine, do support me; persuade your brother

how impossible it is. Tell him that it would quite shock

you to see me do such a thing; now would not it? "

" No, not at all; but if you think it wrong,

you had much better change. "

" There, " cried Isabella, " you hear what your sister says,

and yet you will not mind her. Well, remember that it

is not my fault, if we set all the old ladies in Bath

in a bustle. Come along, my dearest Catherine,

for heaven`s sake, and stand by me. " And off they went,

to regain their former place. John Thorpe, in the meanwhile,

had walked away; and Catherine, ever willing to give

Mr. Tilney an opportunity of repeating the agreeable

request which had already flattered her once, made her

way to Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Thorpe as fast as she could,

in the hope of finding him still with them--a hope which,

when it proved to be fruitless, she felt to have been

highly unreasonable. " Well, my dear, " said Mrs. Thorpe,

impatient for praise of her son, " I hope you have had

an agreeable partner. "

" Very agreeable, madam. "

" I am glad of it. John has charming spirits,

has not he? "

" Did you meet Mr. Tilney, my dear? " said Mrs. Allen.

" No, where is he? "

" He was with us just now, and said he was so tired

of lounging about, that he was resolved to go and dance;

so I thought perhaps he would ask you, if he met with you. "

" Where can he be? " said Catherine, looking round;

but she had not looked round long before she saw him

leading a young lady to the dance.

" Ah! He has got a partner; I wish he had asked you, "

said Mrs. Allen; and after a short silence, she added,

" he is a very agreeable young man. "

" Indeed he is, Mrs. Allen, " said Mrs. Thorpe,

smiling complacently; " I must say it, though I am his mother,

that there is not a more agreeable young man in the world. "

This inapplicable answer might have been too much

for the comprehension of many; but it did not puzzle

Mrs. Allen, for after only a moment`s consideration,

she said, in a whisper to Catherine, " I dare say she

thought I was speaking of her son. "

Catherine was disappointed and vexed. She seemed

to have missed by so little the very object she had

had in view; and this persuasion did not incline her

to a very gracious reply, when John Thorpe came up

to her soon afterwards and said, " Well, Miss Morland,

I suppose you and I are to stand up and jig it together again. "

" Oh, no; I am much obliged to you, our two dances

are over; and, besides, I am tired, and do not mean

to dance any more. "

" Do not you? Then let us walk about and quiz people.

Come along with me, and I will show you the four greatest

quizzers in the room; my two younger sisters and their partners.

I have been laughing at them this half hour. "

Again Catherine excused herself; and at last he walked

off to quiz his sisters by himself. The rest of the evening

she found very dull; Mr. Tilney was drawn away from their

party at tea, to attend that of his partner; Miss Tilney,

though belonging to it, did not sit near her, and James

and Isabella were so much engaged in conversing together

that the latter had no leisure to bestow more on her friend

than one smile, one squeeze, and one " dearest Catherine. "

CHAPTER 9

The progress of Catherine`s unhappiness from the

events of the evening was as follows. It appeared first

in a general dissatisfaction with everybody about her,

while she remained in the rooms, which speedily brought

on considerable weariness and a violent desire to go home.

This, on arriving in Pulteney Street, took the direction

of extraordinary hunger, and when that was appeased,

changed into an earnest longing to be in bed; such was

the extreme point of her distress; for when there

she immediately fell into a sound sleep which lasted

nine hours, and from which she awoke perfectly revived,

in excellent spirits, with fresh hopes and fresh schemes.

The first wish of her heart was to improve her acquaintance

with Miss Tilney, and almost her first resolution,

to seek her for that purpose, in the pump-room at noon.

In the pump-room, one so newly arrived in Bath must

be met with, and that building she had already found

so favourable for the discovery of female excellence,

and the completion of female intimacy, so admirably adapted

for secret discourses and unlimited confidence, that she

was most reasonably encouraged to expect another friend from

within its walls. Her plan for the morning thus settled,

she sat quietly down to her book after breakfast,

resolving to remain in the same place and the same employment

till the clock struck one; and from habitude very little

incommoded by the remarks and ejaculations of Mrs. Allen,

whose vacancy of mind and incapacity for thinking were such,

that as she never talked a great deal, so she could never be

entirely silent; and, therefore, while she sat at her work,

if she lost her needle or broke her thread, if she heard

a carriage in the street, or saw a speck upon her gown,

she must observe it aloud, whether there were anyone at

leisure to answer her or not. At about half past twelve,

a remarkably loud rap drew her in haste to the window,

and scarcely had she time to inform Catherine of there

being two open carriages at the door, in the first only

a servant, her brother driving Miss Thorpe in the second,

before John Thorpe came running upstairs, calling out,

" Well, Miss Morland, here I am. Have you been waiting

long? We could not come before; the old devil of a

coachmaker was such an eternity finding out a thing

fit to be got into, and now it is ten thousand to one

but they break down before we are out of the street.

How do you do, Mrs. Allen? A famous bag last night,

was not it? Come, Miss Morland, be quick, for the others

are in a confounded hurry to be off. They want to get their

tumble over. "

" What do you mean? " said Catherine. " Where are you

all going to? " " Going to? Why, you have not forgot our

engagement! Did not we agree together to take a drive this

morning? What a head you have! We are going up Claverton Down. "

" Something was said about it, I remember, "

said Catherine, looking at Mrs. Allen for her opinion;

" but really I did not expect you. "

" Not expect me! That`s a good one! And what a dust

you would have made, if I had not come. "

Catherine`s silent appeal to her friend, meanwhile,

was entirely thrown away, for Mrs. Allen, not being at all

in the habit of conveying any expression herself by a look,

was not aware of its being ever intended by anybody else;

and Catherine, whose desire of seeing Miss Tilney again could

at that moment bear a short delay in favour of a drive,

and who thought there could be no impropriety in her going

with Mr. Thorpe, as Isabella was going at the same time

with James, was therefore obliged to speak plainer.

" Well, ma`am, what do you say to it? Can you spare me

for an hour or two? Shall I go? "

" Do just as you please, my dear, " replied Mrs. Allen,

with the most placid indifference. Catherine took

the advice, and ran off to get ready. In a very few minutes

she reappeared, having scarcely allowed the two others time

enough to get through a few short sentences in her praise,

after Thorpe had procured Mrs. Allen`s admiration of his gig;

and then receiving her friend`s parting good wishes,

they both hurried downstairs. " My dearest creature, "

cried Isabella, to whom the duty of friendship immediately

called her before she could get into the carriage,

" you have been at least three hours getting ready.

I was afraid you were ill. What a delightful ball we

had last night. I have a thousand things to say to you;

but make haste and get in, for I long to be off. "

Catherine followed her orders and turned away,

but not too soon to hear her friend exclaim aloud to James,

" What a sweet girl she is! I quite dote on her. "

" You will not be frightened, Miss Morland, " said Thorpe,

as he handed her in, " if my horse should dance about

a little at first setting off. He will, most likely,

give a plunge or two, and perhaps take the rest for a minute;

but he will soon know his master. He is full of spirits,

playful as can be, but there is no vice in him. "

Catherine did not think the portrait a very inviting one,

but it was too late to retreat, and she was too young to own

herself frightened; so, resigning herself to her fate,

and trusting to the animal`s boasted knowledge of its owner,

she sat peaceably down, and saw Thorpe sit down by her.

Everything being then arranged, the servant who stood at the

horse`s head was bid in an important voice " to let him go, "

and off they went in the quietest manner imaginable,

without a plunge or a caper, or anything like one.

Catherine, delighted at so happy an escape, spoke her

pleasure aloud with grateful surprise; and her companion

immediately made the matter perfectly simple by assuring

her that it was entirely owing to the peculiarly judicious

manner in which he had then held the reins, and the singular

discernment and dexterity with which he had directed

his whip. Catherine, though she could not help wondering

that with such perfect command of his horse, he should think

it necessary to alarm her with a relation of its tricks,

congratulated herself sincerely on being under the care

of so excellent a coachman; and perceiving that the animal

continued to go on in the same quiet manner, without showing

the smallest propensity towards any unpleasant vivacity,

and (considering its inevitable pace was ten miles an hour)

by no means alarmingly fast, gave herself up to all the

enjoyment of air and exercise of the most invigorating kind,

in a fine mild day of February, with the consciousness

of safety. A silence of several minutes succeeded their

first short dialogue; it was broken by Thorpe`s saying

very abruptly, " Old Allen is as rich as a Jew--is not he? "

Catherine did not understand him--and he repeated his question,

adding in explanation, " Old Allen, the man you are with. "

" Oh! Mr. Allen, you mean. Yes, I believe, he is

very rich. "

" And no children at all? "

" No--not any. "

" A famous thing for his next heirs. He is your godfather,

is not he? "

" My godfather! No. "

" But you are always very much with them. "

" Yes, very much. "

" Aye, that is what I meant. He seems a good kind

of old fellow enough, and has lived very well in his time,

I dare say; he is not gouty for nothing. Does he drink

his bottle a day now? "

" His bottle a day! No. Why should you think

of such a thing? He is a very temperate man, and you

could not fancy him in liquor last night? "

" Lord help you! You women are always thinking

of men`s being in liquor. Why, you do not suppose

a man is overset by a bottle? I am sure of this--that

if everybody was to drink their bottle a day, there would

not be half the disorders in the world there are now.

It would be a famous good thing for us all. "

" I cannot believe it. "

" Oh! Lord, it would be the saving of thousands.

There is not the hundredth part of the wine consumed

in this kingdom that there ought to be. Our foggy climate

wants help. "

" And yet I have heard that there is a great deal

of wine drunk in Oxford. "

" Oxford! There is no drinking at Oxford now,

I assure you. Nobody drinks there. You would hardly meet

with a man who goes beyond his four pints at the utmost.

Now, for instance, it was reckoned a remarkable thing,

at the last party in my rooms, that upon an average we

cleared about five pints a head. It was looked upon

as something out of the common way. Mine is famous

good stuff, to be sure. You would not often meet with

anything like it in Oxford--and that may account for it.

But this will just give you a notion of the general rate

of drinking there. "

" Yes, it does give a notion, " said Catherine warmly,

" and that is, that you all drink a great deal more wine

than I thought you did. However, I am sure James does

not drink so much. "

This declaration brought on a loud and overpowering reply,

of which no part was very distinct, except the frequent

exclamations, amounting almost to oaths, which adorned it,

and Catherine was left, when it ended, with rather a strengthened

belief of there being a great deal of wine drunk in Oxford,

and the same happy conviction of her brother`s comparative sobriety.

Thorpe`s ideas then all reverted to the merits

of his own equipage, and she was called on to admire

the spirit and freedom with which his horse moved along,

and the ease which his paces, as well as the excellence

of the springs, gave the motion of the carriage.

She followed him in all his admiration as well as she could.

To go before or beyond him was impossible. His knowledge

and her ignorance of the subject, his rapidity of expression,

and her diffidence of herself put that out of her power;

she could strike out nothing new in commendation,

but she readily echoed whatever he chose to assert,

and it was finally settled between them without any

difficulty that his equipage was altogether the most

complete of its kind in England, his carriage the neatest,

his horse the best goer, and himself the best coachman.

" You do not really think, Mr. Thorpe, " said Catherine,

venturing after some time to consider the matter as

entirely decided, and to offer some little variation on

the subject, " that James`s gig will break down? "

" Break down! Oh! Lord! Did you ever see such a little

tittuppy thing in your life? There is not a sound piece

of iron about it. The wheels have been fairly worn out

these ten years at least--and as for the body! Upon my soul,

you might shake it to pieces yourself with a touch.

It is the most devilish little rickety business I ever

beheld! Thank God! we have got a better. I would not be

bound to go two miles in it for fifty thousand pounds. "

" Good heavens! " cried Catherine, quite frightened.

" Then pray let us turn back; they will certainly meet with

an accident if we go on. Do let us turn back, Mr. Thorpe;

stop and speak to my brother, and tell him how very unsafe

it is. "

" Unsafe! Oh, lord! What is there in that? They will

only get a roll if it does break down; and there is plenty

of dirt; it will be excellent falling. Oh, curse it! The

carriage is safe enough, if a man knows how to drive it;

a thing of that sort in good hands will last above twenty

years after it is fairly worn out. Lord bless you! I

would undertake for five pounds to drive it to York

and back again, without losing a nail. "

Catherine listened with astonishment; she knew

not how to reconcile two such very different accounts

of the same thing; for she had not been brought up

to understand the propensities of a rattle, nor to know

to how many idle assertions and impudent falsehoods the

excess of vanity will lead. Her own family were plain,

matter-of-fact people who seldom aimed at wit of any kind;

her father, at the utmost, being contented with a pun,

and her mother with a proverb; they were not in the habit

therefore of telling lies to increase their importance,

or of asserting at one moment what they would contradict

the next. She reflected on the affair for some time

in much perplexity, and was more than once on the point

of requesting from Mr. Thorpe a clearer insight into his

real opinion on the subject; but she checked herself,

because it appeared to her that he did not excel in giving

those clearer insights, in making those things plain

which he had before made ambiguous; and, joining to this,

the consideration that he would not really suffer

his sister and his friend to be exposed to a danger

from which he might easily preserve them, she concluded

at last that he must know the carriage to be in fact

perfectly safe, and therefore would alarm herself no longer.

By him the whole matter seemed entirely forgotten;

and all the rest of his conversation, or rather talk,

began and ended with himself and his own concerns.

He told her of horses which he had bought for a trifle

and sold for incredible sums; of racing matches,

in which his judgment had infallibly foretold the winner;

⇐ Предыдущая 1 2 3 456 7 8 9 10 Следующая ⇒