northanger abbey- 第52部分

might　not　be　pained　by　the　perusal　ofand；　above　all；



which　she　might　not　blush　herself；　if　Henry　should　chance



to　see；　was　an　undertaking　to　frighten　away　all　her　powers



of　performance；　and；　after　long　thought　and　much　perplexity；



to　be　very　brief　was　all　that　she　could　determine　on　with　any



confidence　of　safety。　　The　money　therefore　which　Eleanor　had



advanced　was　enclosed　with　little　more　than　grateful　thanks；



and　the　thousand　good　wishes　of　a　most　affectionate　heart。　







　　　　　〃This　has　been　a　strange　acquaintance；〃



observed　Mrs。　Morland；　as　the　letter　was　finished；



〃soon　made　and　soon　ended。　　I　am　sorry　it　happens　so；



for　Mrs。　Allen　thought　them　very　pretty　kind　of　young　people；



and　you　were　sadly　out　of　luck　too　in　your　Isabella。　



Ah！　Poor　James！　Well；　we　must　live　and　learn；　and　the　next



new　friends　you　make　I　hope　will　be　better　worth　keeping。〃







　　　　　Catherine　coloured　as　she　warmly　answered；　〃No　friend



can　be　better　worth　keeping　than　Eleanor。〃







　　　　　〃If　so；　my　dear；　I　dare　say　you　will　meet　again　some



time　or　other；　do　not　be　uneasy。　　It　is　ten　to　one　but　you



are　thrown　together　again　in　the　course　of　a　few　years；



and　then　what　a　pleasure　it　will　be！〃







　　　　　Mrs。　Morland　was　not　happy　in　her　attempt　at　consolation。　



The　hope　of　meeting　again　in　the　course　of　a　few　years



could　only　put　into　Catherine's　head　what　might　happen



within　that　time　to　make　a　meeting　dreadful　to　her。　



She　could　never　forget　Henry　Tilney；　or　think　of　him　with



less　tenderness　than　she　did　at　that　moment；　but　he　might



forget　her；　and　in　that　case；　to　meet！　Her　eyes　filled



with　tears　as　she　pictured　her　acquaintance　so　renewed；



and　her　mother；　perceiving　her　comfortable　suggestions



to　have　had　no　good　effect；　proposed；　as　another　expedient



for　restoring　her　spirits；　that　they　should　call　on



Mrs。　Allen。　







　　　　　The　two　houses　were　only　a　quarter　of　a　mile　apart；



and；　as　they　walked；　Mrs。　Morland　quickly　dispatched　all



that　she　felt　on　the　score　of　James's　disappointment。　



〃We　are　sorry　for　him；〃　said　she；　〃but　otherwise　there



is　no　harm　done　in　the　match　going　off；　for　it　could　not



be　a　desirable　thing　to　have　him　engaged　to　a　girl　whom



we　had　not　the　smallest　acquaintance　with；　and　who　was　so



entirely　without　fortune；　and　now；　after　such　behaviour；



we　cannot　think　at　all　well　of　her。　　Just　at　present　it



comes　hard　to　poor　James；　but　that　will　not　last　forever；



and　I　dare　say　he　will　be　a　discreeter　man　all　his　life；



for　the　foolishness　of　his　first　choice。〃







　　　　　This　was　just　such　a　summary　view　of　the　affair



as　Catherine　could　listen　to；　another　sentence　might　have



endangered　her　complaisance；　and　made　her　reply　less　rational；



for　soon　were　all　her　thinking　powers　swallowed　up　in



the　reflection　of　her　own　change　of　feelings　and　spirits



since　last　she　had　trodden　that　well…known　road。　　It　was



not　three　months　ago　since；　wild　with　joyful　expectation；



she　had　there　run　backwards　and　forwards　some　ten　times



a　day；　with　an　heart　light；　gay；　and　independent；



looking　forward　to　pleasures　untasted　and　unalloyed；



and　free　from　the　apprehension　of　evil　as　from　the　knowledge



of　it。　　Three　months　ago　had　seen　her　all　this；　and　now；



how　altered　a　being　did　she　return！







　　　　　She　was　received　by　the　Allens　with　all　the　kindness



which　her　unlooked…for　appearance；　acting　on　a　steady　affection；



would　naturally　call　forth；　and　great　was　their　surprise；



and　warm　their　displeasure；　on　hearing　how　she　had　been



treatedthough　Mrs。　Morland's　account　of　it　was　no



inflated　representation；　no　studied　appeal　to　their　passions。　



〃Catherine　took　us　quite　by　surprise　yesterday　evening；〃



said　she。　　〃She　travelled　all　the　way　post　by　herself；　and　knew



nothing　of　coming　till　Saturday　night；　for　General　Tilney；



from　some　odd　fancy　or　other；　all　of　a　sudden　grew　tired



of　having　her　there；　and　almost　turned　her　out　of　the　house。　



Very　unfriendly；　certainly；　and　he　must　be　a　very　odd　man；



but　we　are　so　glad　to　have　her　amongst　us　again！　And



it　is　a　great　comfort　to　find　that　she　is　not　a　poor



helpless　creature；　but　can　shift　very　well　for　herself。〃







　　　　　Mr。　Allen　expressed　himself　on　the　occasion　with　the



reasonable　resentment　of　a　sensible　friend；　and　Mrs。　Allen



thought　his　expressions　quite　good　enough　to　be　immediately



made　use　of　again　by　herself。　　His　wonder；　his　conjectures；



and　his　explanations　became　in　succession　hers；　with　the



addition　of　this　single　remark〃I　really　have　not　patience



with　the　general〃to　fill　up　every　accidental　pause。　



And；　〃I　really　have　not　patience　with　the　general；〃



was　uttered　twice　after　Mr。　Allen　left　the　room；



without　any　relaxation　of　anger；　or　any　material　digression



of　thought。　　A　more　considerable　degree　of　wandering



attended　the　third　repetition；　and；　after　completing



the　fourth；　she　immediately　added；　〃Only　think；　my　dear；



of　my　having　got　that　frightful　great　rent　in　my　best



Mechlin　so　charmingly　mended；　before　I　left　Bath；　that　one



can　hardly　see　where　it　was。　　I　must　show　it　you　some　day



or　other。　　Bath　is　a　nice　place；　Catherine；　after　all。　



I　assure　you　I　did　not　above　half　like　coming　away。　



Mrs。　Thorpe's　being　there　was　such　a　comfort　to　us；



was　not　it？　You　know；　you　and　I　were　quite　forlorn　at　first。〃







　　　　　〃Yes；　but　that　did　not　last　long；〃　said　Catherine；



her　eyes　brightening　at　the　recollection　of　what　had　first



given　spirit　to　her　existence　there。　







　　　　　〃Very　true：　we　soon　met　with　Mrs。　Thorpe；　and　then　we



wanted　for　nothing。　　My　dear；　do　not　you　think　these　silk



gloves　wear　very　well？　I　put　them　on　new　the　first　time



of　our　going　to　the　Lower　Rooms；　you　know；　and　I　have　worn



them　a　great　deal　since。　　Do　you　remember　that　evening？〃







　　　　　〃Do　I！　Oh！　Perfectly。〃







　　　　　〃It　was　very　agreeable；　was　not　it？　Mr。　Tilney　drank



tea　with　us；　and　I　always　thought　him　a　great　addition；



he　is　so　very　agreeable。　　I　have　a　notion　you　danced　with　him；



but　am　not　quite　sure。　　I　remember　I　had　my　favourite



gown　on。〃







　　　　　Catherine　could　not　answer；　and；　after　a　short　trial



of　other　subjects；　Mrs。　Allen　again　returned　to〃I　really



have　not　patience　with　the　general！　Such　an　agreeable；



worthy　man　as　he　seemed　to　be！　I　do　not　suppose；



Mrs。　Morland；　you　ever　saw　a　better…bred　man　in　your　life。　



His　lodgings　were　taken　the　very　day　after　he　left



them；　Catherine。　　But　no　wonder；　Milsom　Street；　you　know。〃







　　　　　As　they　walked　home　again；　Mrs。　Morland　endeavoured



to　impress　on　her　daughter's　mind　the　happiness　of



having　such　steady　well…wishers　as　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Allen；



and　the　very　little　consideration　which　the　neglect



or　unkindness　of　slight　acquaintance　like　the　Tilneys



ought　to　have　with　her；　while　she　could　preserve　the



good　opinion　and　affection　of　her　earliest　friends。　



There　was　a　great　deal　of　good　sense　in　all　this；



but　there　are　some　situations　of　the　human　mind　in　which



good　sense　has　very　little　power；　and　Catherine's　feelings



contradicted　almost　every　position　her　mother　advanced。　



It　was　upon　the　behaviour　of　these　very　slight　acquaintance



that　all　her　present　happiness　depended；　and　while



Mrs。　Morland　was　successfully　confirming　her　own　opinions



by　the　justness　of　her　own　representations；　Catherine　was



silently　reflecting　that　now　Henry　must　have　arrived



at　Northanger；　now　he　must　have　heard　of　her　departure；



and　now；　perhaps；　they　were　all　setting　off　for　Hereford。　















CHAPTER　30











　　　　　Catherine's　disposition　was　not　naturally　sedentary；



nor　had　her　habits　been　ever　very　industrious；　but　whatever



might　hitherto　have　been　her　defects　of　that　sort；　her　mother



could　not　but　perceive　them　now　to　be　greatly　increased。　



She　could　neither　sit　still　nor　employ　herself　for　ten



minutes　together；　walking　round　the　garden　and　orchard



again　and　again；　as　if　nothing　but　motion　was　voluntary；



and　it　seemed　as　if　she　could　even　walk　about　the　house



rather　than　remain　fixed　for　any　time　in　the　parlour。　



Her　loss　of　spirits　was　a　yet　greater　alteration。　　In　her



rambling　and　her　idleness　she　might　only　be　a　caricature



of　herself；　but　in　her　silence　and　sadness　she　was　the　very



reverse　of　all　that　she　had　been　before。　







　　　　　For　two　days　Mrs。　Morland　allowed　it　to　pass　even



without　a　hint；　but　when　a　third　night's　rest　had　ne