northanger abbey- 第46部分

I　suppose；　we　shall　be　in　the　carriage　by　ten；　so；　about　a



quarter　before　one　on　Wednesday；　you　may　look　for　us。〃







　　　　　A　ball　itself　could　not　have　been　more　welcome



to　Catherine　than　this　little　excursion；　so　strong



was　her　desire　to　be　acquainted　with　Woodston；



and　her　heart　was　still　bounding　with　joy　when　Henry；



about　an　hour　afterwards；　came　booted　and　greatcoated　into



the　room　where　she　and　Eleanor　were　sitting；　and　said；



〃I　am　come；　young　ladies；　in　a　very　moralizing　strain；



to　observe　that　our　pleasures　in　this　world　are　always



to　be　paid　for；　and　that　we　often　purchase　them　at　a



great　disadvantage；　giving　ready…monied　actual　happiness



for　a　draft　on　the　future；　that　may　not　be　honoured。　



Witness　myself；　at　this　present　hour。　　Because　I　am



to　hope　for　the　satisfaction　of　seeing　you　at　Woodston



on　Wednesday；　which　bad　weather；　or　twenty　other　causes；



may　prevent；　I　must　go　away　directly；　two　days　before　I



intended　it。〃







　　　　　〃Go　away！〃　said　Catherine；　with　a　very　long　face。　



〃And　why？〃







　　　　　〃Why！　How　can　you　ask　the　question？　Because　no　time



is　to　be　lost　in　frightening　my　old　housekeeper　out　of



her　wits；　because　I　must　go　and　prepare　a　dinner　for　you；



to　be　sure。〃







　　　　　〃Oh！　Not　seriously！〃







　　　　　〃Aye；　and　sadly　toofor　I　had　much　rather　stay。〃







　　　　　〃But　how　can　you　think　of　such　a　thing；　after　what



the　general　said？　When　he　so　particularly　desired　you



not　to　give　yourself　any　trouble；　because　anything　would　do。〃







　　　　　Henry　only　smiled。　　〃I　am　sure　it　is　quite



unnecessary　upon　your　sister's　account　and　mine。　



You　must　know　it　to　be　so；　and　the　general　made　such　a



point　of　your　providing　nothing　extraordinary：　besides；



if　he　had　not　said　half　so　much　as　he　did；　he　has



always　such　an　excellent　dinner　at　home；　that　sitting



down　to　a　middling　one　for　one　day　could　not　signify。〃







　　　　　〃I　wish　I　could　reason　like　you；　for　his　sake　and　my　own。　



Good…bye。　As　tomorrow　is　Sunday；　Eleanor；　I　shall　not　return。〃







　　　　　He　went；　and；　it　being　at　any　time　a　much　simpler



operation　to　Catherine　to　doubt　her　own　judgment　than



Henry's；　she　was　very　soon　obliged　to　give　him　credit



for　being　right；　however　disagreeable　to　her　his　going。　



But　the　inexplicability　of　the　general's　conduct　dwelt



much　on　her　thoughts。　　That　he　was　very　particular　in



his　eating；　she　had；　by　her　own　unassisted　observation；



already　discovered；　but　why　he　should　say　one　thing



so　positively；　and　mean　another　all　the　while；



was　most　unaccountable！　How　were　people；　at　that　rate；



to　be　understood？　Who　but　Henry　could　have　been　aware



of　what　his　father　was　at？







　　　　　From　Saturday　to　Wednesday；　however；　they　were　now



to　be　without　Henry。　　This　was　the　sad　finale　of　every



reflection：　and　Captain　Tilney's　letter　would　certainly　come



in　his　absence；　and　Wednesday　she　was　very　sure　would　be　wet。　



The　past；　present；　and　future　were　all　equally　in　gloom。　



Her　brother　so　unhappy；　and　her　loss　in　Isabella　so　great；



and　Eleanor's　spirits　always　affected　by　Henry's　absence！



What　was　there　to　interest　or　amuse　her？　She　was　tired　of



the　woods　and　the　shrubberiesalways　so　smooth　and　so　dry；



and　the　abbey　in　itself　was　no　more　to　her　now　than　any



other　house。　　The　painful　remembrance　of　the　folly　it



had　helped　to　nourish　and　perfect　was　the　only　emotion



which　could　spring　from　a　consideration　of　the　building。　



What　a　revolution　in　her　ideas！　She；　who　had　so　longed



to　be　in　an　abbey！　Now；　there　was　nothing　so　charming



to　her　imagination　as　the　unpretending　comfort　of　a



well…connected　parsonage；　something　like　Fullerton；



but　better：　Fullerton　had　its　faults；　but　Woodston　probably



had　none。　　If　Wednesday　should　ever　come！







　　　　　It　did　come；　and　exactly　when　it　might　be　reasonably



looked　for。　　It　cameit　was　fineand　Catherine　trod



on　air。　　By　ten　o'clock；　the　chaise　and　four　conveyed



the　two　from　the　abbey；　and；　after　an　agreeable　drive



of　almost　twenty　miles；　they　entered　Woodston；　a　large



and　populous　village；　in　a　situation　not　unpleasant。　



Catherine　was　ashamed　to　say　how　pretty　she　thought　it；



as　the　general　seemed　to　think　an　apology　necessary　for



the　flatness　of　the　country；　and　the　size　of　the　village；



but　in　her　heart　she　preferred　it　to　any　place　she　had　ever



been　at；　and　looked　with　great　admiration　at　every　neat



house　above　the　rank　of　a　cottage；　and　at　all　the　little



chandler's　shops　which　they　passed。　　At　the　further　end



of　the　village；　and　tolerably　disengaged　from　the　rest　of　it；



stood　the　parsonage；　a　new…built　substantial　stone　house；



with　its　semicircular　sweep　and　green　gates；　and；　as　they



drove　up　to　the　door；　Henry；　with　the　friends　of　his　solitude；



a　large　Newfoundland　puppy　and　two　or　three　terriers；



was　ready　to　receive　and　make　much　of　them。　







　　　　　Catherine's　mind　was　too　full；　as　she　entered



the　house；　for　her　either　to　observe　or　to　say　a



great　deal；　and；　till　called　on　by　the　general　for　her



opinion　of　it；　she　had　very　little　idea　of　the　room



in　which　she　was　sitting。　　Upon　looking　round　it　then；



she　perceived　in　a　moment　that　it　was　the　most　comfortable



room　in　the　world；　but　she　was　too　guarded　to　say　so；



and　the　coldness　of　her　praise　disappointed　him。　







　　　　　〃We　are　not　calling　it　a　good　house；〃　said　he。　



〃We　are　not　comparing　it　with　Fullerton　and　Northangerwe



are　considering　it　as　a　mere　parsonage；　small　and　confined；



we　allow；　but　decent；　perhaps；　and　habitable；　and　altogether



not　inferior　to　the　generality；　or；　in　other　words；



I　believe　there　are　few　country　parsonages　in　England　half



so　good。　　It　may　admit　of　improvement；　however。　　Far　be



it　from　me　to　say　otherwise；　and　anything　in　reasona



bow　thrown　out；　perhapsthough；　between　ourselves；



if　there　is　one　thing　more　than　another　my　aversion；



it　is　a　patched…on　bow。〃







　　　　　Catherine　did　not　hear　enough　of　this　speech　to　understand



or　be　pained　by　it；　and　other　subjects　being　studiously



brought　forward　and　supported　by　Henry；　at　the　same　time　that



a　tray　full　of　refreshments　was　introduced　by　his　servant；



the　general　was　shortly　restored　to　his　complacency；



and　Catherine　to　all　her　usual　ease　of　spirits。　







　　　　　The　room　in　question　was　of　a　commodious；



well…proportioned　size；　and　handsomely　fitted　up　as



a　dining…parlour；　and　on　their　quitting　it　to　walk　round



the　grounds；　she　was　shown；　first　into　a　smaller　apartment；



belonging　peculiarly　to　the　master　of　the　house；　and　made



unusually　tidy　on　the　occasion；　and　afterwards　into　what



was　to　be　the　drawing…room；　with　the　appearance　of　which；



though　unfurnished；　Catherine　was　delighted　enough　even



to　satisfy　the　general。　　It　was　a　prettily　shaped　room；



the　windows　reaching　to　the　ground；　and　the　view



from　them　pleasant；　though　only　over　green　meadows；



and　she　expressed　her　admiration　at　the　moment　with



all　the　honest　simplicity　with　which　she　felt　it。　



〃Oh！　Why　do　not　you　fit　up　this　room；　Mr。　Tilney？　What



a　pity　not　to　have　it　fitted　up！　It　is　the　prettiest



room　I　ever　saw；　it　is　the　prettiest　room　in　the　world！〃







　　　　　〃I　trust；〃　said　the　general；　with　a　most　satisfied　smile；



〃that　it　will　very　speedily　be　furnished：　it　waits　only　for



a　lady's　taste！〃







　　　　　〃Well；　if　it　was　my　house；　I　should　never　sit



anywhere　else。　　Oh！　What　a　sweet　little　cottage　there　is



among　the　treesapple　trees；　too！　It　is　the　prettiest　cottage！〃







　　　　　〃You　like　ityou　approve　it　as　an　objectit　is　enough。　



Henry；　remember　that　Robinson　is　spoken　to　about　it。　



The　cottage　remains。〃







　　　　　Such　a　compliment　recalled　all　Catherine's　consciousness；



and　silenced　her　directly；　and；　though　pointedly　applied



to　by　the　general　for　her　choice　of　the　prevailing　colour



of　the　paper　and　hangings；　nothing　like　an　opinion



on　the　subject　could　be　drawn　from　her。　　The　influence



of　fresh　objects　and　fresh　air；　however；　was　of　great



use　in　dissipating　these　embarrassing　associations；



and；　having　reached　the　ornamental　part　of　the　premises；



consisting　of　a　walk　round　two　sides　of　a　meadow；　on　which



Henry's　genius　had　begun　to　act　about　half　a　year　ago；



she　was　sufficiently　recovered　to　think　it　prettier　than　any



pleasure…ground　she　had　ever　been　in　before；　though　there



was　not　a　shrub　in　it　higher　than　the　green　bench　in　the　corner。