northanger abbey-第5部分

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with　a　young　man　of　his　own　college；　of　the　name　of　Thorpe；



and　that　he　had　spent　the　last　week　of　the　Christmas



vacation　with　his　family；　near　London。　







　　　　　The　whole　being　explained；　many　obliging　things　were



said　by　the　Miss　Thorpes　of　their　wish　of　being　better



acquainted　with　her；　of　being　considered　as　already　friends；



through　the　friendship　of　their　brothers；　etc。；　which



Catherine　heard　with　pleasure；　and　answered　with　all　the



pretty　expressions　she　could　command；　and；　as　the　first



proof　of　amity；　she　was　soon　invited　to　accept　an　arm



of　the　eldest　Miss　Thorpe；　and　take　a　turn　with　her　about



the　room。　　Catherine　was　delighted　with　this　extension



of　her　Bath　acquaintance；　and　almost　forgot　Mr。　Tilney



while　she　talked　to　Miss　Thorpe。　　Friendship　is　certainly



the　finest　balm　for　the　pangs　of　disappointed　love。　







　　　　　Their　conversation　turned　upon　those　subjects；



of　which　the　free　discussion　has　generally　much　to　do



in　perfecting　a　sudden　intimacy　between　two　young



ladies：　such　as　dress；　balls；　flirtations；　and　quizzes。　



Miss　Thorpe；　however；　being　four　years　older　than



Miss　Morland；　and　at　least　four　years　better　informed；



had　a　very　decided　advantage　in　discussing　such　points；



she　could　compare　the　balls　of　Bath　with　those　of　Tunbridge；



its　fashions　with　the　fashions　of　London；　could　rectify



the　opinions　of　her　new　friend　in　many　articles　of



tasteful　attire；　could　discover　a　flirtation　between



any　gentleman　and　lady　who　only　smiled　on　each　other；



and　point　out　a　quiz　through　the　thickness　of　a　crowd。　



These　powers　received　due　admiration　from　Catherine；



to　whom　they　were　entirely　new；　and　the　respect　which　they



naturally　inspired　might　have　been　too　great　for　familiarity；



had　not　the　easy　gaiety　of　Miss　Thorpe's　manners；



and　her　frequent　expressions　of　delight　on　this



acquaintance　with　her；　softened　down　every　feeling　of　awe；



and　left　nothing　but　tender　affection。　　Their　increasing



attachment　was　not　to　be　satisfied　with　half　a　dozen



turns　in　the　pump…room；　but　required；　when　they　all



quitted　it　together；　that　Miss　Thorpe　should　accompany



Miss　Morland　to　the　very　door　of　Mr。　Allen's　house；



and　that　they　should　there　part　with　a　most　affectionate



and　lengthened　shake　of　hands；　after　learning；　to　their



mutual　relief；　that　they　should　see　each　other　across　the



theatre　at　night；　and　say　their　prayers　in　the　same　chapel



the　next　morning。　　Catherine　then　ran　directly　upstairs；



and　watched　Miss　Thorpe's　progress　down　the　street　from



the　drawing…room　window；　admired　the　graceful　spirit



of　her　walk；　the　fashionable　air　of　her　figure　and　dress；



and　felt　grateful；　as　well　she　might；　for　the　chance



which　had　procured　her　such　a　friend。　







　　　　　Mrs。　Thorpe　was　a　widow；　and　not　a　very　rich　one；



she　was　a　good…humoured；　well…meaning　woman；　and　a



very　indulgent　mother。　　Her　eldest　daughter　had　great



personal　beauty；　and　the　younger　ones；　by　pretending



to　be　as　handsome　as　their　sister；　imitating　her　air；



and　dressing　in　the　same　style；　did　very　well。　







　　　　　This　brief　account　of　the　family　is　intended　to



supersede　the　necessity　of　a　long　and　minute　detail　from



Mrs。　Thorpe　herself；　of　her　past　adventures　and　sufferings；



which　might　otherwise　be　expected　to　occupy　the　three　or　four



following　chapters；　in　which　the　worthlessness　of　lords



and　attornies　might　be　set　forth；　and　conversations；



which　had　passed　twenty　years　before；　be　minutely　repeated。　















CHAPTER　5











　　　　　Catherine　was　not　so　much　engaged　at　the　theatre



that　evening；　in　returning　the　nods　and　smiles　of　Miss　Thorpe；



though　they　certainly　claimed　much　of　her　leisure；



as　to　forget　to　look　with　an　inquiring　eye　for　Mr。　Tilney



in　every　box　which　her　eye　could　reach；　but　she　looked



in　vain。　　Mr。　Tilney　was　no　fonder　of　the　play　than　the



pump…room。　She　hoped　to　be　more　fortunate　the　next　day；



and　when　her　wishes　for　fine　weather　were　answered　by　seeing



a　beautiful　morning；　she　hardly　felt　a　doubt　of　it；　for　a



fine　Sunday　in　Bath　empties　every　house　of　its　inhabitants；



and　all　the　world　appears　on　such　an　occasion　to　walk



about　and　tell　their　acquaintance　what　a　charming　day　it　is。　







　　　　　As　soon　as　divine　service　was　over；　the　Thorpes



and　Allens　eagerly　joined　each　other；　and　after　staying



long　enough　in　the　pump…room　to　discover　that　the　crowd



was　insupportable；　and　that　there　was　not　a　genteel



face　to　be　seen；　which　everybody　discovers　every　Sunday



throughout　the　season；　they　hastened　away　to　the　Crescent；



to　breathe　the　fresh　air　of　better　company。　　Here　Catherine



and　Isabella；　arm　in　arm；　again　tasted　the　sweets　of



friendship　in　an　unreserved　conversation；　they　talked　much；



and　with　much　enjoyment；　but　again　was　Catherine　disappointed



in　her　hope　of　reseeing　her　partner。　　He　was　nowhere　to　be



met　with；　every　search　for　him　was　equally　unsuccessful；



in　morning　lounges　or　evening　assemblies；　neither　at



the　upper　nor　lower　rooms；　at　dressed　or　undressed　balls；



was　he　perceivable；　nor　among　the　walkers；　the　horsemen；



or　the　curricle…drivers　of　the　morning。　　His　name　was　not



in　the　pump…room　book；　and　curiosity　could　do　no　more。　



He　must　be　gone　from　Bath。　　Yet　he　had　not　mentioned　that



his　stay　would　be　so　short！　This　sort　of　mysteriousness；



which　is　always　so　becoming　in　a　hero；　threw　a　fresh　grace



in　Catherine's　imagination　around　his　person　and　manners；



and　increased　her　anxiety　to　know　more　of　him。　



From　the　Thorpes　she　could　learn　nothing；　for　they　had　been



only　two　days　in　Bath　before　they　met　with　Mrs。　Allen。　



It　was　a　subject；　however；　in　which　she　often　indulged



with　her　fair　friend；　from　whom　she　received　every　possible



encouragement　to　continue　to　think　of　him；　and　his　impression



on　her　fancy　was　not　suffered　therefore　to　weaken。　



Isabella　was　very　sure　that　he　must　be　a　charming　young　man；



and　was　equally　sure　that　he　must　have　been　delighted　with



her　dear　Catherine；　and　would　therefore　shortly　return。　



She　liked　him　the　better　for　being　a　clergyman；　〃for　she



must　confess　herself　very　partial　to　the　profession〃；



and　something　like　a　sigh　escaped　her　as　she　said　it。　



Perhaps　Catherine　was　wrong　in　not　demanding　the　cause



of　that　gentle　emotionbut　she　was　not　experienced　enough



in　the　finesse　of　love；　or　the　duties　of　friendship；



to　know　when　delicate　raillery　was　properly　called　for；



or　when　a　confidence　should　be　forced。　







　　　　　Mrs。　Allen　was　now　quite　happyquite　satisfied



with　Bath。　　She　had　found　some　acquaintance；　had　been



so　lucky　too　as　to　find　in　them　the　family　of　a　most



worthy　old　friend；　and；　as　the　completion　of　good　fortune；



had　found　these　friends　by　no　means　so　expensively　dressed



as　herself。　　Her　daily　expressions　were　no　longer；　〃I　wish



we　had　some　acquaintance　in　Bath！〃　They　were　changed　into；



〃How　glad　I　am　we　have　met　with　Mrs。　Thorpe！〃　and　she　was



as　eager　in　promoting　the　intercourse　of　the　two　families；



as　her　young　charge　and　Isabella　themselves　could　be；



never　satisfied　with　the　day　unless　she　spent　the



chief　of　it　by　the　side　of　Mrs。　Thorpe；　in　what　they



called　conversation；　but　in　which　there　was　scarcely　ever



any　exchange　of　opinion；　and　not　often　any　resemblance



of　subject；　for　Mrs。　Thorpe　talked　chiefly　of　her　children；



and　Mrs。　Allen　of　her　gowns。　







　　　　　The　progress　of　the　friendship　between　Catherine



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