northanger abbey-第48章

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rather　wonder　that　Eleanor　should　not　take　it　for　her　own。　



She　sent　you　to　look　at　it；　I　suppose？〃







　　　　　〃No。〃







　　　　　〃It　has　been　your　own　doing　entirely？〃　Catherine　said



nothing。　　After　a　short　silence；　during　which　he　had　closely



observed　her；　he　added；　〃As　there　is　nothing　in　the　room



in　itself　to　raise　curiosity；　this　must　have　proceeded



from　a　sentiment　of　respect　for　my　mother's　character；



as　described　by　Eleanor；　which　does　honour　to　her　memory。　



The　world；　I　believe；　never　saw　a　better　woman。　



But　it　is　not　often　that　virtue　can　boast　an　interest　such



as　this。　　The　domestic；　unpretending　merits　of　a　person



never　known　do　not　often　create　that　kind　of　fervent；



venerating　tenderness　which　would　prompt　a　visit



like　yours。　　Eleanor；　I　suppose；　has　talked　of　her　a　great　deal？〃







　　　　　〃Yes；　a　great　deal。　　That　isno；　not　much；



but　what　she　did　say　was　very　interesting。　　Her　dying



so　suddenly〃　（slowly；　and　with　hesitation　it　was　spoken）；



〃and　younone　of　you　being　at　homeand　your　father；



I　thoughtperhaps　had　not　been　very　fond　of　her。〃







　　　　　〃And　from　these　circumstances；〃　he　replied　（his　quick



eye　fixed　on　hers）；　〃you　infer　perhaps　the　probability



of　some　negligencesome〃（involuntarily　she　shook　her



head）〃or　it　may　beof　something　still　less　pardonable。〃



She　raised　her　eyes　towards　him　more　fully　than　she　had



ever　done　before。　　〃My　mother's　illness；〃　he　continued；



〃the　seizure　which　ended　in　her　death；　was　sudden。　



The　malady　itself；　one　from　which　she　had　often　suffered；



a　bilious　feverits　cause　therefore　constitutional。　



On　the　third　day；　in　short；　as　soon　as　she　could　be



prevailed　on；　a　physician　attended　her；　a　very　respectable　man；



and　one　in　whom　she　had　always　placed　great　confidence。　



Upon　his　opinion　of　her　danger；　two　others　were　called



in　the　next　day；　and　remained　in　almost　constant　attendance



for　four　and　twenty　hours。　　On　the　fifth　day　she　died。　



During　the　progress　of　her　disorder；　Frederick　and　I　（we



were　both　at　home）　saw　her　repeatedly；　and　from　our　own



observation　can　bear　witness　to　her　having　received



every　possible　attention　which　could　spring　from　the



affection　of　those　about　her；　or　which　her　situation



in　life　could　command。　　Poor　Eleanor　was　absent；　and　at



such　a　distance　as　to　return　only　to　see　her　mother　in



her　coffin。〃







　　　　　〃But　your　father；〃　said　Catherine；　〃was　he　afflicted？〃







　　　　　〃For　a　time；　greatly　so。　　You　have　erred　in　supposing



him　not　attached　to　her。　　He　loved　her；　I　am　persuaded；



as　well　as　it　was　possible　for　him　towe　have　not　all；



you　know；　the　same　tenderness　of　dispositionand



I　will　not　pretend　to　say　that　while　she　lived；



she　might　not　often　have　had　much　to　bear；　but　though



his　temper　injured　her；　his　judgment　never　did。　



His　value　of　her　was　sincere；　and；　if　not　permanently；



he　was　truly　afflicted　by　her　death。〃







　　　　　〃I　am　very　glad　of　it；〃　said　Catherine；　〃it　would



have　been　very　shocking！〃







　　　　　〃If　I　understand　you　rightly；　you　had　formed　a



surmise　of　such　horror　as　I　have　hardly　words　to　Dear



Miss　Morland；　consider　the　dreadful　nature　of　the　suspicions



you　have　entertained。　　What　have　you　been　judging　from？



Remember　the　country　and　the　age　in　which　we　live。　



Remember　that　we　are　English；　that　we　are　Christians。　



Consult　your　own　understanding；　your　own　sense　of　the　probable；



your　own　observation　of　what　is　passing　around　you。　



Does　our　education　prepare　us　for　such　atrocities？　Do



our　laws　connive　at　them？　Could　they　be　perpetrated



without　being　known；　in　a　country　like　this；　where　social



and　literary　intercourse　is　on　such　a　footing；　where　every



man　is　surrounded　by　a　neighbourhood　of　voluntary　spies；



and　where　roads　and　newspapers　lay　everything　open？　Dearest



Miss　Morland；　what　ideas　have　you　been　admitting？〃







　　　　　They　had　reached　the　end　of　the　gallery；　and　with



tears　of　shame　she　ran　off　to　her　own　room。　















CHAPTER　25











　　　　　The　visions　of　romance　were　over。　　Catherine　was



completely　awakened。　　Henry's　address；　short　as　it　had　been；



had　more　thoroughly　opened　her　eyes　to　the　extravagance　of　her



late　fancies　than　all　their　several　disappointments　had　done。　



Most　grievously　was　she　humbled。　　Most　bitterly　did　she　cry。　



It　was　not　only　with　herself　that　she　was　sunkbut



with　Henry。　　Her　folly；　which　now　seemed　even　criminal；



was　all　exposed　to　him；　and　he　must　despise　her　forever。　



The　liberty　which　her　imagination　had　dared　to　take　with



the　character　of　his　fathercould　he　ever　forgive　it？　The



absurdity　of　her　curiosity　and　her　fearscould　they　ever



be　forgotten？　She　hated　herself　more　than　she　could　express。　



He　hadshe　thought　he　had；　once　or　twice　before　this



fatal　morning；　shown　something　like　affection　for　her。　



But　nowin　short；　she　made　herself　as　miserable　as



possible　for　about　half　an　hour；　went　down　when　the　clock



struck　five；　with　a　broken　heart；　and　could　scarcely　give



an　intelligible　answer　to　Eleanor's　inquiry　if　she　was　well。　



The　formidable　Henry　soon　followed　her　into　the　room；



and　the　only　difference　in　his　behaviour　to　her　was



that　he　paid　her　rather　more　attention　than　usual。　



Catherine　had　never　wanted　comfort　more；　and　he　looked



as　if　he　was　aware　of　it。　







　　　　　The　evening　wore　away　with　no　abatement　of　this



soothing　politeness；　and　her　spirits　were　gradually　raised



to　a　modest　tranquillity。　　She　did　not　learn　either



to　forget　or　defend　the　past；　but　she　learned　to　hope



that　it　would　never　transpire　farther；　and　that　it　might



not　cost　her　Henry's　entire　regard。　　Her　thoughts　being



still　chiefly　fixed　on　what　she　had　with　such　causeless



terror　felt　and　done；　nothing　could　shortly　be　clearer　than



that　it　had　been　all　a　voluntary；　self…created　delusion；



each　trifling　circumstance　receiving　importance　from



an　imagination　resolved　on　alarm；　and　everything　forced



to　bend　to　one　purpose　by　a　mind　which；　before　she



entered　the　abbey；　had　been　craving　to　be　frightened。　



She　remembered　with　what　feelings　she　had　prepared　for　a



knowledge　of　Northanger。　　She　saw　that　the　infatuation



had　been　created；　the　mischief　settled；　long　before　her



quitting　Bath；　and　it　seemed　as　if　the　whole　might　be　traced



to　the　influence　of　that　sort　of　reading　which　she　had



there　indulged。　







　　　　　Charming　as　were　all　Mrs。　Radcliffe's　works；



and　charming　even　as　were　the　works　of　all　her　imitators；



it　was　not　in　them　perhaps　that　human　nature；　at　least



in　the　Midland　counties　of　England；　was　to　be　looked　for。　



Of　the　Alps　and　Pyrenees；　with　their　pine　forests　and



their　vices；　they　might　give　a　faithful　delineation；



and　Italy；　Switzerland；　and　the　south　of　France　might　be



as　fruitful　in　horrors　as　they　were　there　represented。　



Catherine　dared　not　doubt　beyond　her　own　country；　and　even



of　that；　if　hard　pressed；　would　have　yielded　the　northern



and　western　extremities。　　But　in　the　central　part　of



England　there　was　surely　some　security　for　the　existence



even　of　a　wife　not　beloved；　in　the　laws　of　the　land；



and　the　manners　of　the　age。　　Murder　was　not　tolerated；



servants　were　not　slaves；　and　neither　poison　nor　sleeping



potions　to　be　procured；　like　rhubarb；　from　every　druggist。　



Among　the　Alps　and　Pyrenees；　perhaps；　there　were　no



mixed　characters。　　There；　such　as　were　not　as　spotless



as　an　angel　might　have　the　dispositions　of　a　fiend。　



But　in　England　it　was　not　so；　among　t