northanger abbey-第58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！





exclaiming　and　conjecturing　with　youthful　ardour。　　〃My　dear；



you　give　yourself　a　great　deal　of　needless　trouble；〃



said　her　mother　at　last；　〃depend　upon　it；　it　is　something



not　at　all　worth　understanding。〃







　　　　　〃I　can　allow　for　his　wishing　Catherine　away；



when　he　recollected　this　engagement；〃　said　Sarah；



〃but　why　not　do　it　civilly？〃







　　　　　〃I　am　sorry　for　the　young　people；〃　returned　Mrs。　Morland；



〃they　must　have　a　sad　time　of　it；　but　as　for　anything　else；



it　is　no　matter　now；　Catherine　is　safe　at　home；



and　our　comfort　does　not　depend　upon　General　Tilney。〃



Catherine　sighed。　　〃Well；〃　continued　her　philosophic　mother；



〃I　am　glad　I　did　not　know　of　your　journey　at　the　time；



but　now　it　is　an　over；　perhaps　there　is　no　great　harm　done。　



It　is　always　good　for　young　people　to　be　put　upon



exerting　themselves；　and　you　know；　my　dear　Catherine；



you　always　were　a　sad　little　shatter…brained　creature；



but　now　you　must　have　been　forced　to　have　your　wits　about　you；



with　so　much　changing　of　chaises　and　so　forth；　and　I　hope



it　will　appear　that　you　have　not　left　anything　behind　you



in　any　of　the　pockets。〃







　　　　　Catherine　hoped　so　too；　and　tried　to　feel　an　interest



in　her　own　amendment；　but　her　spirits　were　quite　worn　down；



and；　to　be　silent　and　alone　becoming　soon　her　only　wish；



she　readily　agreed　to　her　mother's　next　counsel　of　going　early



to　bed。　　Her　parents；　seeing　nothing　in　her　ill　looks　and



agitation　but　the　natural　consequence　of　mortified　feelings；



and　of　the　unusual　exertion　and　fatigue　of　such　a　journey；



parted　from　her　without　any　doubt　of　their　being　soon



slept　away；　and　though；　when　they　all　met　the　next　morning；



her　recovery　was　not　equal　to　their　hopes；　they　were　still



perfectly　unsuspicious　of　there　being　any　deeper　evil。　



They　never　once　thought　of　her　heart；　which；　for　the



parents　of　a　young　lady　of　seventeen；　just　returned



from　her　first　excursion　from　home；　was　odd　enough！







　　　　　As　soon　as　breakfast　was　over；　she　sat　down　to　fulfil



her　promise　to　Miss　Tilney；　whose　trust　in　the　effect



of　time　and　distance　on　her　friend's　disposition　was



already　justified；　for　already　did　Catherine　reproach



herself　with　having　parted　from　Eleanor　coldly；　with　having



never　enough　valued　her　merits　or　kindness；　and　never



enough　commiserated　her　for　what　she　had　been　yesterday



left　to　endure。　　The　strength　of　these　feelings；　however；



was　far　from　assisting　her　pen；　and　never　had　it　been



harder　for　her　to　write　than　in　addressing　Eleanor　Tilney。　



To　compose　a　letter　which　might　at　once　do　justice



to　her　sentiments　and　her　situation；　convey　gratitude



without　servile　regret；　be　guarded　without　coldness；



and　honest　without　resentmenta　letter　which　Eleanor



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