northanger abbey-第52章

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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。　







　　　　　A　saunter　into　other　meadows；　and　through　part



of　the　village；　with　a　visit　to　the　stables　to　examine



some　improvements；　and　a　charming　game　of　play　with　a



litter　of　puppies　just　able　to　roll　about；　brought　them



to　four　o'clock；　when　Catherine　scarcely　thought　it　could



be　three。　　At　four　they　were　to　dine；　and　at　six　to　set



off　on　their　return。　　Never　had　any　day　passed　so　quickly！







　　　　　She　could　not　but　observe　that　the　abundance　of　the



dinner　did　not　seem　to　create　the　smallest　astonishment



in　the　general；　nay；　that　he　was　even　looking　at　the



side…table　for　cold　meat　which　was　not　there。　　His　son



and　daughter's　observations　were　of　a　different　kind。　



They　had　seldom　seen　him　eat　so　heartily　at　any　table



but　his　own；　and　never　before　known　him　so　little



disconcerted　by　the　melted　butter's　being　oiled。　







　　　　　At　six　o'clock；　the　general　having　taken　his　coffee；



the　carriage　again　received　them；　and　so　gratifying　had　been



the　tenor　of　his　conduct　throughout　the　whole　visit；　so　well



assured　was　her　mind　on　the　subject　of　his　expectations；



that；　could　she　have　felt　equally　confident　of　the　wishes



of　his　son；　Catherine　would　have　quitted　Woodston　with



little　anxiety　as　to　the　How　or　the　When　she　might　return　to　it。　















CHAPTER　27











　　　　　The　next　morning　brought　the　following　very　unexpected



letter　from　Isabella：







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Bath；　April



　　　　　



　　　　　　　　　　My　dearest　Catherine；　I　received　your　two　kind



　　　　　letters　with　the　greatest　delight；　and　have　a　thousand



　　　　　apologies　to　make　for　not　answering　them　sooner。



　　　　　I　really　am　quite　ashamed　of　my　idleness；　but　in



　　　　　this　horrid　place　one　can　find　time　for　nothing。



　　　　　I　have　had　my　pen　in　my　hand　to　begin　a　letter　to



　　　　　you