northanger abbey-第7章

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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　creature！　How　much　I　am　obliged　to　you；



and　when　you　have　finished　Udolpho；　we　will　read　the



Italian　together；　and　I　have　made　out　a　list　of　ten



or　twelve　more　of　the　same　kind　for　you。〃







　　　　　〃Have　you；　indeed！　How　glad　I　am！　What　are　they　all？〃







　　　　　〃I　will　read　you　their　names　directly；　here　they　are；



in　my　pocketbook。　　Castle　of　Wolfenbach；　Clermont；



Mysterious　Warnings；　Necromancer　of　the　Black　Forest；



Midnight　Bell；　Orphan　of　the　Rhine；　and　Horrid　Mysteries。　



Those　will　last　us　some　time。〃







　　　　　〃Yes；　pretty　well；　but　are　they　all　horrid；　are　you



sure　they　are　all　horrid？〃







　　　　　〃Yes；　quite　sure；　for　a　particular　friend　of　mine；



a　Miss　Andrews；　a　sweet　girl；　one　of　the　sweetest　creatures



in　the　world；　has　read　every　one　of　them。　　I　wish　you



knew　Miss　Andrews；　you　would　be　delighted　with　her。　



She　is　netting　herself　the　sweetest　cloak　you　can　conceive。　



I　think　her　as　beautiful　as　an　angel；　and　I　am　so　vexed



with　the　men　for　not　admiring　her！　I　scold　them　all　amazingly



about　it。〃







　　　　　〃Scold　them！　Do　you　scold　them　for　not　admiring　her？〃







　　　　　〃Yes；　that　I　do。　　There　is　nothing　I　would　not　do



for　those　who　are　really　my　friends。　　I　have　no　notion



of　loving　people　by　halves；　it　is　not　my　nature。　



My　attachments　are　always　excessively　strong。　　I　told



Captain　Hunt　at　one　of　our　assemblies　this　winter　that　if　he



was　to　tease　me　all　night；　I　would　not　dance　with　him；



unless　he　would　allow　Miss　Andrews　to　be　as　beautiful　as



an　angel。　　The　men　think　us　incapable　of　real　friendship；



you　know；　and　I　am　determined　to　show　them　the　difference。　



Now；　if　I　were　to　hear　anybody　speak　slightingly　of　you；



I　should　fire　up　in　a　moment：　but　that　is　not　at　all　likely；



for　you　are　just　the　kind　of　girl　to　be　a　great　favourite



with　the　men。〃







　　　　　〃Oh；　dear！〃　cri