northanger abbey-第44章

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earnestly　pitied；　Mrs。　Morland　had　very　early　dispatched



one　of　the　children　to　summon　him；　but　Mr。　Morland　was　from



homeand　being　thus　without　any　support；　at　the　end　of　a



quarter　of　an　hour　she　had　nothing　to　say。　　After　a　couple



of　minutes'　unbroken　silence；　Henry；　turning　to　Catherine



for　the　first　time　since　her　mother's　entrance；　asked　her；



with　sudden　alacrity；　if　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Allen　were　now　at



Fullerton？　And　on　developing；　from　amidst　all　her　perplexity



of　words　in　reply；　the　meaning；　which　one　short　syllable



would　have　given；　immediately　expressed　his　intention



of　paying　his　respects　to　them；　and；　with　a　rising　colour；



asked　her　if　she　would　have　the　goodness　to　show　him



the　way。　　〃You　may　see　the　house　from　this　window；　sir；〃



was　information　on　Sarah's　side；　which　produced　only　a　bow



of　acknowledgment　from　the　gentleman；　and　a　silencing　nod



from　her　mother；　for　Mrs。　Morland；　thinking　it　probable；



as　a　secondary　consideration　in　his　wish　of　waiting　on　their



worthy　neighbours；　that　he　might　have　some　explanation



to　give　of　his　father's　behaviour；　which　it　must　be



more　pleasant　for　him　to　communicate　only　to　Catherine；



would　not　on　any　account　prevent　her　accompanying　him。　



They　began　their　walk；　and　Mrs。　Morland　was　not　entirely



mistaken　in　his　object　in　wishing　it。　　Some　explanation



on　his　father's　account　he　had　to　give；　but　his　first



purpose　was　to　explain　himself；　and　before　they　reached



Mr。　Allen's　grounds　he　had　done　it　so　well　that　Catherine



did　not　think　it　could　ever　be　repeated　too　often。　



She　was　assured　of　his　affection；　and　that　heart　in　return



was　solicited；　which；　perhaps；　they　pretty　equally　knew



was　already　entirely　his　own；　for；　though　Henry　was　now



sincerely　attached　to　her；　though　he　felt　and　delighted



in　all　the　excellencies　of　her　character　and　truly　loved



her　society；　I　must　confess　that　his　affection　originated



in　nothing　better　than　gratitude；　or；　in　other　words；



that　a　persuasion　of　her　partiality　for　him　had　been　the



only　cause　of　giving　her　a　serious　thought。　　It　is　a　new



circumstance　in　romance；　I　acknowledge；　and　dreadfully



derogatory　of　an　heroine's　dignity；　but　if　it　be　as　new



in　common　life；　the　credit　of　a　wild　imagination　will



at　least　be　all　my　own。　







　　　　　A　very　short　visit　to　Mrs。　Allen；　in　which　Henry　talked



at　random；　without　sense　or　connection；　and　Catherine；



rapt　in　the　contemplation　of　her　own　unutterable　happiness；



scarcely　opened　her　lips；　dismissed　them　to　the　ecstasies



of　another　tete…a…tete；　and　before　it　was　suffered　to　close；



she　was　enabled　to　judge　how　far　he　was　sanctioned



by　parental　authority　in　his　present　application。　



On　his　return　from　Woodston；　two　days　before；　he　had



been　met　near　the　abbey　by　his　impatient　father；



hastily　informed　in　angry　terms　of　Miss　Morland's　departure；



and　ordered　to　think　of　her　no　more。　







　　　　　Such　was　the　permission　upon　which　he　had　now　offered



her　his　hand。　　The　affrighted　Catherine；　amidst　all　the



terrors　of　expectation；　as　she　listened　to　this　account；



could　not　but　rejoice　in　the　kind　caution　with　which　Henry



had　saved　her　from　the　necessity　of　a　conscientious　rejection；



by　engaging　her　faith　before　he　mentioned　the　subject；



and　as　he　proceeded　to　give　the　particulars；　and　explain



the　motives　of　his　father's　conduct；　her　feelings　soon



hardened　into　even　a　triumphant　delight。　　The　general　had



had　nothing　to　accuse　her　of；　nothing　to　lay　to　her　charge；



but　her　being　the　involuntary；　unconscious　object



of　a　deception　which　his　pride　could　not　pardon；



and　which　a　better　pride　would　have　been　ashamed　to　own。　



She　was　guilty　only　of　being　less　rich　than　he　had　supposed



her　to　be。　　Under　a　mistaken　persuasion　of　her　possessions



and　claims；　he　had　courted　her　acquaintance　in　Bath；



solicited　her　company　at　Northanger；　and　designed　her



for　his　daughter…in…law。　On　discovering　his　error；　to　turn



her　from　the　house　seemed　the　best；　though　to　his　feelings



an　inadequate　proof　of　his　resentment　towards　herself；



and　his　contempt　of　her　family。　







　　　　　John　Thorpe　had　first　misled　him。　　The　general；



perceiving　his　son　one　night　at　the　theatre　to　be　paying



considerable　attention　to　Miss　Morland；　had　accidentally



inquired　of　Thorpe　if　he　knew　more　of　her　than　her　name。　



Thorpe；　most　happy　to　be　on　speaking　terms　with　a　man



of　General　Tilney's　importance；　had　been　joyfully　and



proudly　communicative；　and　being　at　that　time　not　only　in　daily



expectation　of　Morland's　engaging　Isabella；　but　likewise



pretty　well　resolved　upon　marrying　Catherine　himself；



his　vanity　induced　him　to　represent　the　family　as　yet　more



wealthy　than　his　vanity　and　avarice　had　made　him　believe　them。　



With　whomsoever　he　was；　or　was　likely　to　be　connected；



his　own　consequence　always　required　that　theirs　should



be　great；　and　as　his　intimacy　with　any　acquaintance　grew；



so　regularly　grew　their　fortune。　　The　expectations　of　his



friend　Morland；　therefore；　from　the　first　overrated；



had　ever　since　his　introduction　to　Isabella　been



gradually　increasing；　and　by　merely　adding　twice　as　much



for　the　grandeur　of　the　moment；　by　doubling　what　he



chose　to　think　the　amount　of　Mr。　Morland's　preferment；



trebling　his　private　fortune；　bestowing　a　rich　aunt；



and　sinking　half　the　children；　he　was　able　to　represent



the　whole　family　to　the　general　in　a　most　respectable　light。　



For　Catherine；　however；　the　peculiar　object　of　the　general's



curiosity；　and　his　own　speculations；　he　had　yet　something



more　in　reserve；　and　the　ten　or　fifteen　thousand　pounds



which　her　father　could　give　her　would　be　a　pretty　addition



to　Mr。　Allen's　estate。　　Her　intimacy　there　had　made　him



seriously　determine　on　her　being　handsomely　legacied　hereafter；



and　to　speak　of　her　therefore　as　the　almost　acknowledged



future　heiress　of　Fullerton　naturally　followed。　



Upon　such　intelligence　the　general　had　proceeded；



for　never　had　it　occurred　to　him　to　doubt　its　authority。　



Thorpe's　interest　in　the　family；　by　his　sister's　approaching



connection　with　one　of　its　members；　and　his　own　views



on　another　（circumstances　of　which　he　boasted　with　almost



equal　openness）；　seemed　sufficient　vouchers　for　his　truth；



and　to　these　were　added　the　absolute　facts　of　the　Allens



being　wealthy　and　childless；　of　Miss　Morland's　being　under



their　care；　andas　soon　as　his　acquaintance　allowed　him



to　judgeof　their　treating　her　with　parental　kindness。　



His　resolution　was　soon　formed。　　Already　had　he　discerned



a　liking　towards　Miss　Morland　in　the　countenance　of　his　son；



and　thankful　for　Mr。　Thorpe's　communication；　he　almost



instantly　determined　to　spare　no　pains　in　weakening



his　boasted　interest　and　ruining　his　dearest　hopes。　



Catherine　herself　could　not　be　more　ignorant　at　the　time



of　all　this；　than　his　own　children。　　Henry　and　Eleanor；



perceiving　nothing　in　her　situation　likely　to　engage　their



father's　particular　respect；　had　seen　with　astonishment



the　suddenness；　continuance；　and　extent　of　his　attention；



and　though　latterly；　from　some　hints　which　had　accompanied



an　almost　positive　command　to　his　son　of　doing　everything



in　his　power　to　attach　her；　Henry　was　convinced　of　his



father's　believing　it　to　be　an　advantageous　connection；



it　was　not　till　the　late　explanation　at　Northanger　that　they



had　the　smallest　idea　of　the　false　calculations　which



had　hurried　him　on。　　That　they　were　false；　the　general



had　learnt　from　the　very　person　who　had　suggested　them；



from　Thorpe　himself；　whom　he　had　chanced　to　meet　again



in　town；　and　who；　under　the　influence　of　exactly



opposite　feelings；　irritated　by　Catherine's　refusal；



and　yet　more　by　the　failure　of　a　very　recent　endeavour



to　accomplish　a　reconciliation　between　Morland　and　Isabella；



convinced　that　they　were　separated　forever；　and　spurning



a　friendship　which　could　be　no　longer　serviceable；



hastened　to　contradict　all　that　he　had　said　before　to　the



advantage　of　the　Morlandsconfessed　himself　to　have　been



totally　mistaken　in　his　opinion　of　their　circumstances



and　character；　misled　by　the　rhodomontade　of　his　friend



to　believe　his　father　a　man　of　substance　and　credit；



whereas　the　transactions　of　the　two　or　three　last　weeks



proved　him　to　be　neither；　for　after　coming　eagerly　forward



on　the　first　overture　of　a　marriage　between　the　families；



with　the　most　liberal　proposals；　he　had；　on　being



brought　to　the　point　by　the　shrewdness　of　the　relator；



been　constrained　to　acknowledge　himself　incapable　of　giving



the　young　people　even　a　decent　support。　　They　were；　in　fact；



a　necessitous　family；　numerous；　too；　almost　beyond　example；



by　no　means　respected　in　their　own　neighbourhood；　as　he



had　lately　had　particular　opportunities　of　discovering；



aiming　at　a　style　of　life　which　their　fortune　could　not　warrant；



seeking　to　better　themselves　by　wealthy　connections；



a　forward；　bragging；　scheming　race。　







　　　　　The　terrified　general　pronounced　the　name　of　Allen



with　an　inquiring　look；　and　here　too　Thorpe　had　learnt



his　error。　　The　Allens；　he　believed；　had　lived　near　them



too　long；　and　he　knew　the　young　man　on　whom　the　Fullerton



estate　must　devolve。　　The　general　needed　no　more。　



Enraged　with　almost　everybody　in　the　world　but　himself；



he　set　out　the　next　day　for　the　abbey；　where　his　performances



have　been　seen。　







　　　　　I　leave　it　to　my　reader's　sagacity　to　determine　how



much　of　all　this　it　was　possible　for　Henry　to　communicate



at　this　time　to　Catherine；　how　much　of　it　he　could　have



learnt　from　his　father；　in　what　points　his　own　conjectures



might　assist　him；　and　what　portion　must　yet　remain　to　be



told　in　a　letter　from　James。　　I　have　united　for　their　case



what　they　must　divide　for　mine。　　Catherine；　at　any　rate；



heard　enough　to　feel　that　in　suspecting　General　Tilney　of



either　murdering　or　shutting　up　his　wife；　she　had　scarcely



sinned　against　his　character；　or　magnified　his　cruelty。　







　　　　　Henry；　in　having　such　things　to　relate　of　his　father；



was　almost　as　pitiable　as　in　their　first　avowal　to　himself。　



He　blushed　for　the　narrow…minded　counsel　which　he



was　obliged　to　expose。　　The　conversation　between　them



at　Northanger　had　been　of　the　most　unfriendly　kind。　



Henry's　indignation　on　hearing　how　Catherine　had　been　treated；