northanger abbey- 第6部分

and　Isabella；　arm　in　arm；　again　tasted　the　sweets　of



friendship　in　an　unreserved　conversation；　they　talked　much；



and　with　much　enjoyment；　but　again　was　Catherine　disappointed



in　her　hope　of　reseeing　her　partner。　　He　was　nowhere　to　be



met　with；　every　search　for　him　was　equally　unsuccessful；



in　morning　lounges　or　evening　assemblies；　neither　at



the　upper　nor　lower　rooms；　at　dressed　or　undressed　balls；



was　he　perceivable；　nor　among　the　walkers；　the　horsemen；



or　the　curricle…drivers　of　the　morning。　　His　name　was　not



in　the　pump…room　book；　and　curiosity　could　do　no　more。　



He　must　be　gone　from　Bath。　　Yet　he　had　not　mentioned　that



his　stay　would　be　so　short！　This　sort　of　mysteriousness；



which　is　always　so　becoming　in　a　hero；　threw　a　fresh　grace



in　Catherine's　imagination　around　his　person　and　manners；



and　increased　her　anxiety　to　know　more　of　him。　



From　the　Thorpes　she　could　learn　nothing；　for　they　had　been



only　two　days　in　Bath　before　they　met　with　Mrs。　Allen。　



It　was　a　subject；　however；　in　which　she　often　indulged



with　her　fair　friend；　from　whom　she　received　every　possible



encouragement　to　continue　to　think　of　him；　and　his　impression



on　her　fancy　was　not　suffered　therefore　to　weaken。　



Isabella　was　very　sure　that　he　must　be　a　charming　young　man；



and　was　equally　sure　that　he　must　have　been　delighted　with



her　dear　Catherine；　and　would　therefore　shortly　return。　



She　liked　him　the　better　for　being　a　clergyman；　〃for　she



must　confess　herself　very　partial　to　the　profession〃；



and　something　like　a　sigh　escaped　her　as　she　said　it。　



Perhaps　Catherine　was　wrong　in　not　demanding　the　cause



of　that　gentle　emotionbut　she　was　not　experienced　enough



in　the　finesse　of　love；　or　the　duties　of　friendship；



to　know　when　delicate　raillery　was　properly　called　for；



or　when　a　confidence　should　be　forced。　







　　　　　Mrs。　Allen　was　now　quite　happyquite　satisfied



with　Bath。　　She　had　found　some　acquaintance；　had　been



so　lucky　too　as　to　find　in　them　the　family　of　a　most



worthy　old　friend；　and；　as　the　completion　of　good　fortune；



had　found　these　friends　by　no　means　so　expensively　dressed



as　herself。　　Her　daily　expressions　were　no　longer；　〃I　wish



we　had　some　acquaintance　in　Bath！〃　They　were　changed　into；



〃How　glad　I　am　we　have　met　with　Mrs。　Thorpe！〃　and　she　was



as　eager　in　promoting　the　intercourse　of　the　two　families；



as　her　young　charge　and　Isabella　themselves　could　be；



never　satisfied　with　the　day　unless　she　spent　the



chief　of　it　by　the　side　of　Mrs。　Thorpe；　in　what　they



called　conversation；　but　in　which　there　was　scarcely　ever



any　exchange　of　opinion；　and　not　often　any　resemblance



of　subject；　for　Mrs。　Thorpe　talked　chiefly　of　her　children；



and　Mrs。　Allen　of　her　gowns。　







　　　　　The　progress　of　the　friendship　between　Catherine



and　Isabella　was　quick　as　its　beginning　had　been　warm；



and　they　passed　so　rapidly　through　every　gradation



of　increasing　tenderness　that　there　was　shortly　no　fresh



proof　of　it　to　be　given　to　their　friends　or　themselves。　



They　called　each　other　by　their　Christian　name；　were　always



arm　in　arm　when　they　walked；　pinned　up　each　other's　train



for　the　dance；　and　were　not　to　be　divided　in　the　set；



and　if　a　rainy　morning　deprived　them　of　other　enjoyments；



they　were　still　resolute　in　meeting　in　defiance　of　wet



and　dirt；　and　shut　themselves　up；　to　read　novels　together。　



Yes；　novels；　for　I　will　not　adopt　that　ungenerous　and



impolitic　custom　so　common　with　novel…writers；　of　degrading



by　their　contemptuous　censure　the　very　performances；



to　the　number　of　which　they　are　themselves　addingjoining



with　their　greatest　enemies　in　bestowing　the　harshest



epithets　on　such　works；　and　scarcely　ever　permitting　them



to　be　read　by　their　own　heroine；　who；　if　she　accidentally



take　up　a　novel；　is　sure　to　turn　over　its　insipid　pages



with　disgust。　　Alas！　If　the　heroine　of　one　novel　be　not



patronized　by　the　heroine　of　another；　from　whom　can　she



expect　protection　and　regard？　I　cannot　approve　of　it。　



Let　us　leave　it　to　the　reviewers　to　abuse　such　effusions



of　fancy　at　their　leisure；　and　over　every　new　novel



to　talk　in　threadbare　strains　of　the　trash　with　which



the　press　now　groans。　　Let　us　not　desert　one　another；



we　are　an　injured　body。　　Although　our　productions　have



afforded　more　extensive　and　unaffected　pleasure　than



those　of　any　other　literary　corporation　in　the　world；



no　species　of　composition　has　been　so　much　decried。　



From　pride；　ignorance；　or　fashion；　our　foes　are　almost



as　many　as　our　readers。　　And　while　the　abilities　of



the　nine…hundredth　abridger　of　the　History　of　England；



or　of　the　man　who　collects　and　publishes　in　a　volume　some



dozen　lines　of　Milton；　Pope；　and　Prior；　with　a　paper　from



the　Spectator；　and　a　chapter　from　Sterne；　are　eulogized



by　a　thousand　pensthere　seems　almost　a　general　wish



of　decrying　the　capacity　and　undervaluing　the　labour



of　the　novelist；　and　of　slighting　the　performances　which



have　only　genius；　wit；　and　taste　to　recommend　them。　



〃I　am　no　novel…readerI　seldom　look　into　novelsDo



not　imagine　that　I　often　read　novelsIt　is　really



very　well　for　a　novel。〃　Such　is　the　common　cant。　



〃And　what　are　you　reading；　Miss？〃　〃Oh！　It　is　only



a　novel！〃　replies　the　young　lady；　while　she　lays　down　her



book　with　affected　indifference；　or　momentary　shame。　



〃It　is　only　Cecilia；　or　Camilla；　or　Belinda〃；　or；　in　short；



only　some　work　in　which　the　greatest　powers　of　the　mind



are　displayed；　in　which　the　most　thorough　knowledge　of



human　nature；　the　happiest　delineation　of　its　varieties；



the　liveliest　effusions　of　wit　and　humour；　are　conveyed



to　the　world　in　the　best…chosen　language。　　Now；　had　the　same



young　lady　been　engaged　with　a　volume　of　the　Spectator；



instead　of　such　a　work；　how　proudly　would　she　have



produced　the　book；　and　told　its　name；　though　the　chances



must　be　against　her　being　occupied　by　any　part　of　that



voluminous　publication；　of　which　either　the　matter　or　manner



would　not　disgust　a　young　person　of　taste：　the　substance



of　its　papers　so　often　consisting　in　the　statement　of



improbable　circumstances；　unnatural　characters；　and　topics



of　conversation　which　no　longer　concern　anyone　living；



and　their　language；　too；　frequently　so　coarse　as　to　give



no　very　favourable　idea　of　the　age　that　could　endure　it。　















CHAPTER　6











　　　　　The　following　conversation；　which　took　place



between　the　two　friends　in　the　pump…room　one　morning；



after　an　acquaintance　of　eight　or　nine　days；　is　given



as　a　specimen　of　their　very　warm　attachment；　and　of



the　delicacy；　discretion；　originality　of　thought；　and　literary



taste　which　marked　the　reasonableness　of　that　attachment。　







　　　　　They　met　by　appointment；　and　as　Isabella　had　arrived



nearly　five　minutes　before　her　friend；　her　first　address



naturally　was；　〃My　dearest　creature；　what　can　have　made



you　so　late？　I　have　been　waiting　for　you　at　least　this　age！〃







　　　　　〃Have　you；　indeed！　I　am　very　sorry　for　it；　but　really



I　thought　I　was　in　very　good　time。　　It　is　but　just　one。　



I　hope　you　have　not　been　here　long？〃







　　　　　〃Oh！　These　ten　ages　at　least。　　I　am　sure　I　have



been　here　this　half　hour。　　But　now；　let　us　go　and　sit



down　at　the　other　end　of　the　room；　and　enjoy　ourselves。　



I　have　an　hundred　things　to　say　to　you。　　In　the



first　place；　I　was　so　afraid　it　would　rain　this　morning；



just　as　I　wanted　to　set　off；　it　looked　very　showery；



and　that　would　have　thrown　me　into　agonies！　Do　you　know；



I　saw　the　prettiest　hat　you　can　imagine；　in　a　shop



window　in　Milsom　Street　just　nowvery　like　yours；



only　with　coquelicot　ribbons　instead　of　green；　I　quite



longed　for　it。　　But；　my　dearest　Catherine；　what　have　you



been　doing　with　yourself　all　this　morning？　Have　you　gone



on　with　Udolpho？〃







　　　　　〃Yes；　I　have　been　reading　it　ever　since　I　woke；



and　I　am　got　to　the　black　veil。〃







　　　　　〃Are　you；　indeed？　How　delightful！　Oh！　I　would　not



tell　you　what　is　behind　the　black　veil　for　the　world！



Are　not　you　wild　to　know？〃







　　　　　〃Oh！　Yes；　quite；　what　can　it　be？　But　do　not　tell



meI　would　not　be　told　upon　any　account。　　I　know　it　must



be　a　skeleton；　I　am　sure　it　is　Laurentina's　skeleton。　



Oh！　I　am　delighted　with　the　book！　I　should　like　to　spend



my　whole　life　in　reading　it。　　I　assure　you；　if　it　had



not　been　to　meet　you；　I　would　not　have　come　away　from　it



for　all　the　world。〃







　　　　　〃Dear　crea