northanger abbey-第33章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





came　in。〃







　　　　　〃Well；　proceed　by　all　means。　　I　know　how　much



your　heart　is　in　it。　　My　daughter；　Miss　Morland；〃



he　continued；　without　leaving　his　daughter　time　to　speak；



〃has　been　forming　a　very　bold　wish。　　We　leave　Bath；



as　she　has　perhaps　told　you；　on　Saturday　se'nnight。　A



letter　from　my　steward　tells　me　that　my　presence　is　wanted



at　home；　and　being　disappointed　in　my　hope　of　seeing



the　Marquis　of　Longtown　and　General　Courteney　here；



some　of　my　very　old　friends；　there　is　nothing　to　detain



me　longer　in　Bath。　　And　could　we　carry　our　selfish　point



with　you；　we　should　leave　it　without　a　single　regret。　



Can　you；　in　short；　be　prevailed　on　to　quit　this　scene



of　public　triumph　and　oblige　your　friend　Eleanor　with　your



company　in　Gloucestershire？　I　am　almost　ashamed　to　make



the　request；　though　its　presumption　would　certainly



appear　greater　to　every　creature　in　Bath　than　yourself。　



Modesty　such　as　yoursbut　not　for　the　world　would　I　pain



it　by　open　praise。　　If　you　can　be　induced　to　honour　us



with　a　visit；　you　will　make　us　happy　beyond　expression。　



'Tis　true；　we　can　offer　you　nothing　like　the　gaieties



of　this　lively　place；　we　can　tempt　you　neither　by　amusement



nor　splendour；　for　our　mode　of　living；　as　you　see；



is　plain　and　unpretending；　yet　no　endeavours　shall



be　wanting　on　our　side　to　make　Northanger　Abbey　not



wholly　disagreeable。〃







　　　　　Northanger　Abbey！　These　were　thrilling　words；　and　wound



up　Catherine's　feelings　to　the　highest　point　of　ecstasy。　



Her　grateful　and　gratified　heart　could　hardly　restrain



its　expressions　within　the　language　of　tolerable　calmness。　



To　receive　so　flattering　an　invitation！　To　have　her　company



so　warmly　solicited！　Everything　honourable　and　soothing；



every　present　enjoyment；　and　every　future　hope　was　contained



in　it；　and　her　acceptance；　with　only　the　saving　clause



of　Papa　and　Mamma's　approbation；　was　eagerly　given。　



〃I　will　write　home　directly；〃　said　she；　and　if　they　do



not　object；　as　I　dare　say　they　will　not〃







　　　　　General　Tilney　was　not　less　sanguine；　having　already



waited　on　her　excellent　friends　in　Pulteney　Street；



and　obtained　their　sanction　of　his　wishes。　　〃Since　they



can　consent　to　part　with　you；〃　said　he；　〃we　may　expect



philosophy　from　all　the　world。〃







　　　　　Miss　Tilney　was　earnest；　though　gentle；　in　her



secondary　civilities；　and　the　affair　became　in　a　few



minutes　as　nearly　settled　as　this　necessary　reference



to　Fullerton　would　allow。　







　　　　　The　circumstances　of　the　morning　had　led　Catherine's



feelings　through　the　varieties　of　suspense；　security；



and　disappointment；　but　they　were　now　safely　lodged



in　perfect　bliss；　and　with　spirits　elated　to　rapture；



with　Henry　at　her　heart；　and　Northanger　Abbey　on　her　lips；



she　hurried　home　to　write　her　letter。　　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Morland；



relying　on　the　discretion　of　the　friends　to　whom　they



had　already　entrusted　their　daughter；　felt　no　doubt



of　the　propriety　of　an　acquaintance　which　had　been　formed



under　their　eye；　and　sent　therefore　by　return　of　post



their　ready　consent　to　her　visit　in　Gloucestershire。　



This　indulgence；　though　not　more　than　Catherine　had



hoped　for；　completed　her　conviction　of　being　favoured



beyond　every　other　human　creature；　in　friends　and　fortune；



circumstance　and　chance。　　Everything　seemed　to　cooperate



for　her　advantage。　　By　the　kindness　of　her　first　friends；



the　Allens；　she　had　been　introduced　into　scenes　where



pleasures　of　every　kind　had　met　her。　　Her　feelings；



her　preferences；　had　each　known　the　happiness　of　a　return。　



Wherever　she　felt　attachment；　she　had　been　able　to



create　it。　　The　affection　of　Isabella　was　to　be　secured



to　her　in　a　sister。　　The　Tilneys；　they；　by　whom；



above　all；　she　desired　to　be　favourably　thought　of；



outstripped　even　her　wishes　in　the　flattering　measures



by　which　their　intimacy　was　to　be　continued。　　She　was



to　be　their　chosen　visitor；　she　was　to　be　for　weeks



under　the　same　roof　with　the　person　whose　society



she　mostly　prizedand；　in　addition　to　all　the　rest；



this　roof　was　to　be　the　roof　of　an　abbey！　Her　passion



for　ancient　edifices　was　next　in　degree　to　her　passion



for　Henry　Tilneyand　castles　and　abbeys　made　usually



the　charm　of　those　reveries　which　his　image　did　not　fill。　



To　see　and　explore　either　the　ramparts　and　keep　of　the　one；



or　the　cloisters　of　the　other；　had　been　for　many　weeks



a　darling　wish；　though　to　be　more　than　the　visitor



of　an　hour　had　seemed　too　nearly　impossible　for　desire。　



And　yet；　this　was　to　happen。　　With　all　the　chances　against



her　of　house；　hall；　place；　park；　court；　and　cottage；



Northanger　turned　up　an　abbey；　and　she　was　to　be　its　inhabitant。　



Its　long；　damp　passages；　its　narrow　cells　and　ruined　chapel；



were　to　be　within　her　daily　reach；　and　she　could　not



entirely　subdue　the　hope　of　some　traditional　legends；



some　awful　memorials　of　an　injured　and　ill…fated　nun。　







　　　　　It　was　wonderful　that　her　friends　should　seem



so　little　elated　by　the　possession　of　such　a　home；



that　the　consciousness　of　it　should　be　so　meekly　borne。　



The　power　of　early　habit　only　could　account　for　it。　



A　distinction　to　which　they　had　been　born　gave　no　pride。　



Their　superiority　of　abode　was　no　more　to　them　than　their



superiority　of　person。　







　　　　　Many　were　the　inquiries　she　was　eager　to　make



of　Miss　Tilney；　but　so　active　were　her　thoughts；



that　when　these　inquiries　were　answered；　she　was　hardly



more　assured　than　before；　of　Northanger　Abbey　having　been



a　richly　endowed　convent　at　the　time　of　the　Reformation；



of　its　having　fallen　into　the　hands　of　an　ancestor　of　the



Tilneys　on　its　dissolution；　of　a　large　portion　of　the　ancient



building　still　making　a　part　of　the　present　dwelling　although



the　rest　was　decayed；　or　of　its　standing　low　in　a　valley；



sheltered　from　the　north　and　east　by　rising　woods　of　oak。　















CHAPTER　18











　　　　　With　a　mind　thus　full　of　happiness；　Catherine　was　hardly



aware　that　two　or　three　days　had　passed　away；　without　her



seeing　Isabella　for　more　than　a　few　minutes　together。　



She　began　first　to　be　sensible　of　this；　and　to　sigh



for　her　conversation；　as　she　walked　along　the　pump…room



one　morning；　by　Mrs。　Allen's　side；　without　anything　to　say



or　to　hear；　and　scarcely　had　she　felt　a　five　minutes'



longing　of　friendship；　before　the　object　of　it　appeared；



and　inviting　her　to　a　secret　conference；　led　the　way



to　a　seat。　　〃This　is　my　favourite　place；〃　said　she　as　they



sat　down　on　a　bench　between　the　doors；　which　commanded



a　tolerable　view　of　everybody　entering　at　either；



〃it　is　so　out　of　the　way。〃







　　　　　Catherine；　observing　that　Isabella's　eyes　were



continually　bent　towards　one　door　or　the　other；　as　in



eager　expectation；　and　remembering　how　often　she　had　been



falsely　accused　of　being　arch；　thought　the　present　a　fine



opportunity　for　being　really　so；　and　therefore　gaily　said；



〃Do　not　be　uneasy；　Isabella；　James　will　soon　be　here。〃







　　　　　〃Psha！　My　dear　creature；〃　she　replied；　〃do　not　think



me　such　a　simpleton　as　to　be　always　wanting　to　confine　him



to　my　elbow。　　It　would　be　hideous　to　be　always　together；



we　should　be　the　jest　of　the　place。　　And　so　you　are



going　to　Northanger！　I　am　amazingly　glad　of　it。　　It　is



one　of　the　finest　old　places　in　England；　I　understand。　



I　shall　depend　upon　a　most　particular　description　of　it。〃







　　　　　〃You　shall　certainly　have　the　best　in　my　power　to　give。　



But　who　are　you　looking　for？　Are　your