northanger abbey-第23节

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He　is　forever　finding　fault　with　me；　for　some　incorrectness



of　language；　and　now　he　is　taking　the　same　liberty　with　you。　



The　word　'nicest；'　as　you　used　it；　did　not　suit　him；



and　you　had　better　change　it　as　soon　as　you　can；　or　we



shall　be　overpowered　with　Johnson　and　Blair　all　the　rest



of　the　way。〃







　　　　　〃I　am　sure；〃　cried　Catherine；　〃I　did　not　mean



to　say　anything　wrong；　but　it　is　a　nice　book；　and　why



should　not　I　call　it　so？〃







　　　　　〃Very　true；〃　said　Henry；　〃and　this　is　a　very　nice　day；



and　we　are　taking　a　very　nice　walk；　and　you　are　two



very　nice　young　ladies。　　Oh！　It　is　a　very　nice　word



indeed！　It　does　for　everything。　　Originally　perhaps　it



was　applied　only　to　express　neatness；　propriety；　delicacy；



or　refinementpeople　were　nice　in　their　dress；



in　their　sentiments；　or　their　choice。　　But　now　every



commendation　on　every　subject　is　comprised　in　that　one　word。〃







　　　　　〃While；　in　fact；〃　cried　his　sister；　〃it　ought　only



to　be　applied　to　you；　without　any　commendation　at　all。　



You　are　more　nice　than　wise。　　Come；　Miss　Morland；



let　us　leave　him　to　meditate　over　our　faults　in　the　utmost



propriety　of　diction；　while　we　praise　Udolpho　in　whatever



terms　we　like　best。　　It　is　a　most　interesting　work。　



You　are　fond　of　that　kind　of　reading？〃







　　　　　〃To　say　the　truth；　I　do　not　much　like　any　other。〃







　　　　　〃Indeed！〃







　　　　　〃That　is；　I　can　read　poetry　and　plays；　and　things



of　that　sort；　and　do　not　dislike　travels。　　But　history；



real　solemn　history；　I　cannot　be　interested　in。　



Can　you？〃







　　　　　〃Yes；　I　am　fond　of　history。〃







　　　　　〃I　wish　I　were　too。　　I　read　it　a　little　as　a　duty；



but　it　tells　me　nothing　that　does　not　either　vex　or　weary　me。　



The　quarrels　of　popes　and　kings；　with　wars　or　pestilences；



in　every　page；　the　men　all　so　good　for　nothing；



and　hardly　any　women　at　allit　is　very　tiresome：



and　yet　I　often　think　it　odd　that　it　should　be　so　dull；



for　a　great　deal　of　it　must　be　invention。　　The　speeches



that　are　put　into　the　heroes'　mouths；　their　thoughts



and　designsthe　chief　of　all　this　must　be　invention；



and　invention　is　what　delights　me　in　other　books。〃







　　　　　〃Historians；　you　think；〃　said　Miss　Tilney；　〃are　not



happy　in　their　flights　of　fancy。　　They　display　imagination



without　raising　interest。　　I　am　fond　of　historyand　am



very　well　contented　to　take　the　false　with　the　true。　



In　the　principal　facts　they　have　sources　of　intelligence



in　former　histories　and　records；　which　may　be　as　much



depended　on；　I　conclude；　as　anything　that　does　not　actually



pass　under　one's　own　observation；　and　as　for　the　little



embellishments　you　speak　of；　they　are　embellishments；



and　I　like　them　as　such。　　If　a　speech　be　well　drawn　up；



I　read　it　with　pleasure；　by　whomsoever　it　may　be　madeand



probably　with　much　greater；　if　the　production　of　Mr。　Hume



or　Mr。　Robertson；　than　if　the　genuine　words　of　Caractacus；



Agricola；　or　Alfred　the　Great。〃







　　　　　〃You　are　fond　of　history！　And　so　are　Mr。　Allen　and



my　father；　and　I　have　two　brothers　who　do　not　dislike　it。　



So　many　instances　within　my　small　circle　of　friends　is



remarkable！　At　this　rate；　I　shall　not　pity　the　writers



of　history　any　longer。　　If　people　like　to　read　their　books；



it　is　all　very　well；　but　to　be　at　so　much　trouble　in　filling



great　volumes；　which；　as　I　used　to　think；　nobody　would



willingly　ever　look　into；　to　be　labouring　only　for　the　torment



of　little　boys　and　girls；　always　struck　me　as　a　hard　fate；



and　though　I　know　it　is　all　very　right　and　necessary；



I　have　often　wondered　at　the　person's　courage　that　could



sit　down　on　purpose　to　do　it。〃







　　　　　〃That　little　boys　and　girls　should　be　tormented；〃



said　Henry；　〃is　what　no　one　at　all　acquainted　with　human



nature　in　a　civilized　state　can　deny；　but　in　behalf



of　our　most　distinguished　historians；　I　must　observe



that　they　might　well　be　offended　at　being　supposed　to



have　no　higher　aim；　and　that　by　their　method　and　style；



they　are　perfectly　well　qualified　to　torment　readers



of　the　most　advanced　reason　and　mature　time　of　life。　



I　use　the　verb　'to　torment；'　as　I　observed　to　be　your



own　method；　instead　of　'to　instruct；'　supposing　them　to　be



now　admitted　as　synonymous。〃







　　　　　〃You　think　me　foolish　to　call　instruction　a　torment；



but　if　you　had　been　as　much　used　as　myself　to　hear　poor



little　children　first　learning　their　letters　and　then



learning　to　spell；　if　you　had　ever　seen　how　stupid　they



they　can　be　for　a　whole　morning　together；　and　how　tired



my　poor　mother　is　at　the　end　of　it；　as　I　am　in　the　habit



of　seeing　almost　every　day　of　my　life　at　home；　you　would



allow　that　'to　torment'　and　'to　instruct'　might　sometimes



be　used　as　synonymous　words。〃







　　　　　〃Very　probably。　　But　historians　are　not　accountable



for　the　difficulty　of　learning　to　read；　and　even　you　yourself；



who　do　not　altogether　seem　particularly　friendly　to



very　severe；　very　intense　application；　may　perhaps　be



brought　to　acknowledge　that　it　is　very　well　worth…while



to　be　tormented　for　two　or　three　years　of　one's　life；



for　the　sake　of　being　able　to　read　all　the　rest　of　it。　



Considerif　reading　had　not　been　taught；　Mrs。　Radcliffe



would　have　written　in　vainor　perhaps　might　not　have



written　at　all。〃







　　　　　Catherine　assentedand　a　very　warm　panegyric



from　her　on　that　lady's　merits　closed　the　subject。　



The　Tilneys　were　soon　engaged　in　another　on　which　she



had　nothing　to　say。　　They　were　viewing　the　country　with



the　eyes　of　persons　accustomed　to　drawing；　and　decided　on



its　capability　of　being　formed　into　pictures；　with　all　the



eagerness　of　real　taste。　　Here　Catherine　was　quite　lost。　



She　knew　nothing　of　drawingnothing　of　taste：　and　she



listened　to　them　with　an　attention　which　brought　her



little　profit；　for　they　talked　in　phrases　which　conveyed



scarcely　any　idea　to　her。　　The　little　which　she　could



understand；　however；　appeared　to　contradict　the　very　few



notions　she　had　entertained　on　the　matter　before。　



It　seemed　as　if　a　good　view　were　no　longer　to　be　taken



from　the　top　of　an　high　hill；　and　that　a　clear　blue



sky　was　no　longer　a　proof　of　a　fine　day。　　She　was



heartily　ashamed　of　her　ignorance。　　A　misplaced　shame。　



Where　people　wish　to　attach；　they　should　always　be　ignorant。　



To　come　with　a　well…informed　mind　is　to　come　with　an



inability　of　administering　to　the　vanity　of　others；



which　a　sensible　person　would　always　wish　to　avoid。　



A　woman　especially；　if　she　have　the　misfortune



of　knowing　anything；　should　conceal　it　as　well　as　she　can。　







　　　　　The　advantages　of　natural　folly　in　a　beautiful



girl　have　been　already　set　forth　by　the　capital　pen



of　a　sister　author；　and　to　her　treatment　of　the　subject



I　will　only　add；　in　justice　to　men；　that　though　to　the



larger　and　more　trifling　part　of　the　sex；　imbecility　in



females　is　a　great　enhancement　of　their　personal　charms；



there　is　a　portion　of　them　too　reasonable　and　too　well



informed　themselves　to　desire　anything　more　in　woman



than　ignorance。　　But　Catherine　did　not　know　her　own



advantagesdid　not　know　that　a　good…looking　girl；　with　an



affectionate　heart　and　a　very　ignorant　mind；　cannot　fail



of　attracting　a　clever　young　man；　unless　circumstances



are　particularly　untoward。　　In　the　present　instance；



she　confessed　and　lamented　her　want　of　knowledge；　declared　that



she　would　give　anything　in　the　world　to　be　able　to　draw；



and　a　lecture　on　the　picturesque　immediately　followed；



in　which　his　instructions　were　so　clear　that　she　soon



began　to　see　beauty　in　everything　admired　by　him；



and　her　attention　was　so　earnest　that　he　became　perfectly



satisfied　of　her　having　a　great　deal　of　natural　taste。　



He　talked　of　foregrounds；　distances；　and　second



distancesside…screens　and　perspectiveslights　and　shades；



and　Catherine　was　so　hopeful　a　scholar　that　when　they　gained



the　top　of　Beechen　Cliff；　she　voluntarily　rejected　the　whole



city　of　Bath　as　unworthy　to　make　part　of　a　landscape。　



Delighted　with　her　progress；　and　fearful　of　wearying　her　with



too　much　wisdom　at　once；　Henry　suffered　the　subject　to　decline；



and　by　an　easy　transition　from　a　piece　of　rocky　fragment



and　the　withered　oak　which　he　had　placed　near　its　summit；



to　oaks　in　general；　to　forests；　the　enclosure　of　them；



waste　lands；　crown　lands　and　government；　he　shortly



found　himself　arrived　at　politics；　and　from　politics；



it　was　an　easy　step　to　s