northanger abbey- 第39部分

Miss　Tilney　continuing　silent；　she　ventured　to　say；



〃Her　death　must　have　been　a　great　affliction！〃







　　　　　〃A　great　and　increasing　one；〃　replied　the　other；



in　a　low　voice。　　〃I　was　only　thirteen　when　it　happened；



and　though　I　felt　my　loss　perhaps　as　strongly　as　one



so　young　could　feel　it；　I　did　not；　I　could　not；



then　know　what　a　loss　it　was。〃　She　stopped　for　a　moment；



and　then　added；　with　great　firmness；　〃I　have　no　sister；



you　knowand　though　Henrythough　my　brothers　are



very　affectionate；　and　Henry　is　a　great　deal　here；



which　I　am　most　thankful　for；　it　is　impossible　for　me



not　to　be　often　solitary。〃







　　　　　〃To　be　sure　you　must　miss　him　very　much。〃







　　　　　〃A　mother　would　have　been　always　present。　　A　mother



would　have　been　a　constant　friend；　her　influence　would



have　been　beyond　all　other。〃







　　　　　〃Was　she　a　very　charming　woman？　Was　she　handsome？



Was　there　any　picture　of　her　in　the　abbey？　And　why　had



she　been　so　partial　to　that　grove？　Was　it　from　dejection



of　spirits？〃were　questions　now　eagerly　poured　forth；



the　first　three　received　a　ready　affirmative；　the　two



others　were　passed　by；　and　Catherine's　interest　in　the



deceased　Mrs。　Tilney　augmented　with　every　question；



whether　answered　or　not。　　Of　her　unhappiness　in　marriage；



she　felt　persuaded。　　The　general　certainly　had　been



an　unkind　husband。　　He　did　not　love　her　walk：　could　he



therefore　have　loved　her？　And　besides；　handsome　as　he　was；



there　was　a　something　in　the　turn　of　his　features　which



spoke　his　not　having　behaved　well　to　her。　







　　　　　〃Her　picture；　I　suppose；〃　blushing　at　the　consummate



art　of　her　own　question；　〃hangs　in　your　father's　room？〃







　　　　　〃No；　it　was　intended　for　the　drawing…room；　but　my　father



was　dissatisfied　with　the　painting；　and　for　some　time　it



had　no　place。　　Soon　after　her　death　I　obtained　it　for　my　own；



and　hung　it　in　my　bed…chamberwhere　I　shall　be　happy



to　show　it　you；　it　is　very　like。〃　Here　was　another　proof。　



A　portraitvery　likeof　a　departed　wife；　not　valued



by　the　husband！　He　must　have　been　dreadfully　cruel　to　her！







　　　　　Catherine　attempted　no　longer　to　hide　from　herself　the



nature　of　the　feelings　which；　in　spite　of　all　his　attentions；



he　had　previously　excited；　and　what　had　been　terror　and



dislike　before；　was　now　absolute　aversion。　　Yes；　aversion！　His



cruelty　to　such　a　charming　woman　made　him　odious　to　her。　



She　had　often　read　of　such　characters；　characters　which



Mr。　Allen　had　been　used　to　call　unnatural　and　overdrawn；



but　here　was　proof　positive　of　the　contrary。　







　　　　　She　had　just　settled　this　point　when　the　end



of　the　path　brought　them　directly　upon　the　general；



and　in　spite　of　all　her　virtuous　indignation；　she　found



herself　again　obliged　to　walk　with　him；　listen　to　him；



and　even　to　smile　when　he　smiled。　　Being　no　longer　able；



however；　to　receive　pleasure　from　the　surrounding　objects；



she　soon　began　to　walk　with　lassitude；　the　general　perceived　it；



and　with　a　concern　for　her　health；　which　seemed　to　reproach



her　for　her　opinion　of　him；　was　most　urgent　for　returning



with　his　daughter　to　the　house。　　He　would　follow　them



in　a　quarter　of　an　hour。　　Again　they　partedbut　Eleanor



was　called　back　in　half　a　minute　to　receive　a　strict　charge



against　taking　her　friend　round　the　abbey　till　his　return。　



This　second　instance　of　his　anxiety　to　delay　what　she



so　much　wished　for　struck　Catherine　as　very　remarkable。　















CHAPTER　23











　　　　　An　hour　passed　away　before　the　general



came　in；　spent；　on　the　part　of　his　young　guest；



in　no　very　favourable　consideration　of　his　character。　



〃This　lengthened　absence；　these　solitary　rambles；　did　not



speak　a　mind　at　ease；　or　a　conscience　void　of　reproach。〃



At　length　he　appeared；　and；　whatever　might　have　been　the



gloom　of　his　meditations；　he　could　still　smile　with　them。　



Miss　Tilney；　understanding　in　part　her　friend's



curiosity　to　see　the　house；　soon　revived　the　subject；



and　her　father　being；　contrary　to　Catherine's　expectations；



unprovided　with　any　pretence　for　further　delay；



beyond　that　of　stopping　five　minutes　to　order　refreshments



to　be　in　the　room　by　their　return；　was　at　last　ready



to　escort　them。　







　　　　　They　set　forward；　and；　with　a　grandeur　of　air；



a　dignified　step；　which　caught　the　eye；　but　could　not



shake　the　doubts　of　the　well…read　Catherine；　he　led



the　way　across　the　hall；　through　the　common　drawing…room



and　one　useless　antechamber；　into　a　room　magnificent



both　in　size　and　furniturethe　real　drawing…room；　used



only　with　company　of　consequence。　　It　was　very　noblevery



grandvery　charming！was　all　that　Catherine　had　to　say；



for　her　indiscriminating　eye　scarcely　discerned　the　colour



of　the　satin；　and　all　minuteness　of　praise；　all　praise



that　had　much　meaning；　was　supplied　by　the　general：



the　costliness　or　elegance　of　any　room's　fitting…up



could　be　nothing　to　her；　she　cared　for　no　furniture



of　a　more　modern　date　than　the　fifteenth　century。　



When　the　general　had　satisfied　his　own　curiosity；



in　a　close　examination　of　every　well…known　ornament；



they　proceeded　into　the　library；　an　apartment；　in　its　way；



of　equal　magnificence；　exhibiting　a　collection　of　books；



on　which　an　humble　man　might　have　looked　with　pride。　



Catherine　heard；　admired；　and　wondered　with　more　genuine



feeling　than　beforegathered　all　that　she　could　from



this　storehouse　of　knowledge；　by　running　over　the　titles



of　half　a　shelf；　and　was　ready　to　proceed。　　But　suites



of　apartments　did　not　spring　up　with　her　wishes。　



Large　as　was　the　building；　she　had　already　visited



the　greatest　part；　though；　on　being　told　that；



with　the　addition　of　the　kitchen；　the　six　or　seven　rooms



she　had　now　seen　surrounded　three　sides　of　the　court；



she　could　scarcely　believe　it；　or　overcome　the　suspicion



of　there　being　many　chambers　secreted。　　It　was　some　relief；



however；　that　they　were　to　return　to　the　rooms　in



common　use；　by　passing　through　a　few　of　less　importance；



looking　into　the　court；　which；　with　occasional　passages；



not　wholly　unintricate；　connected　the　different　sides；



and　she　was　further　soothed　in　her　progress　by　being　told



that　she　was　treading　what　had　once　been　a　cloister；



having　traces　of　cells　pointed　out；　and　observing　several



doors　that　were　neither　opened　nor　explained　to　herby



finding　herself　successively　in　a　billiard…room；　and　in



the　general's　private　apartment；　without　comprehending



their　connection；　or　being　able　to　turn　aright　when　she



left　them；　and　lastly；　by　passing　through　a　dark　little　room；



owning　Henry's　authority；　and　strewed　with　his　litter



of　books；　guns；　and　greatcoats。　







　　　　　From　the　dining…room；　of　which；　though　already　seen；



and　always　to　be　seen　at　five　o'clock；　the　general



could　not　forgo　the　pleasure　of　pacing　out　the　length；



for　the　more　certain　information　of　Miss　Morland；



as　to　what　she　neither　doubted　nor　cared　for；



they　proceeded　by　quick　communication　to　the　kitchen



the　ancient　kitchen　of　the　convent；　rich　in　the　massy　walls



and　smoke　of　former　days；　and　in　the　stoves　and　hot



closets　of　the　present。　　The　general's　improving　hand　had



not　loitered　here：　every　modern　invention　to　facilitate



the　labour　of　the　cooks　had　been　adopted　within　this；



their　spacious　theatre；　and；　when　the　genius　of　others



had　failed；　his　own　had　often　produced　the　perfection　wanted。　



His　endowments　of　this　spot　alone　might　at　any　time



have　placed　him　high　among　the　benefactors　of　the　convent。　







　　　　　With　the　walls　of　the　kitchen　ended　all　the　antiquity



of　the　abbey；　the　fourth　side　of　the　quadrangle　having；



on　account　of　its　decaying　state；　been　removed　by　the



general's　father；　and　the　present　erected　in　its　place。　



All　that　was　venerable　ceased　here。　　The　new　building　was



not　only　new；　but　declared　itself　to　be　so；　intended　only



for　offices；　and　enclosed　behind　by　stable…yards；　no



uniformity　of　architecture　had　been　thought　necessary。　



Catherine　could　have　raved　at　the　hand　which　had　swept



away　what　must　have　been　beyond　the　value　of　all　the　rest；



for　the　purposes　of　mere　domestic　economy；　and　would



willingly　have　been　spared　the　mortification　of　a　walk



through　scenes　so　fallen；　had　the　general　allowed　it；



but　if　he　had　a　vanity；　it　was　in　the　arrangement　of



his　offices；　and　as　he　was　convinced　that；　to　a　mind　like



Miss　Morland's；　a　view　of　the　accommodatio