northanger abbey-第43节

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！





in　the　next　day；　and　remained　in　almost　constant　attendance



for　four　and　twenty　hours。　　On　the　fifth　day　she　died。　



During　the　progress　of　her　disorder；　Frederick　and　I　（we



were　both　at　home）　saw　her　repeatedly；　and　from　our　own



observation　can　bear　witness　to　her　having　received



every　possible　attention　which　could　spring　from　the



affection　of　those　about　her；　or　which　her　situation



in　life　could　command。　　Poor　Eleanor　was　absent；　and　at



such　a　distance　as　to　return　only　to　see　her　mother　in



her　coffin。〃







　　　　　〃But　your　father；〃　said　Catherine；　〃was　he　afflicted？〃







　　　　　〃For　a　time；　greatly　so。　　You　have　erred　in　supposing



him　not　attached　to　her。　　He　loved　her；　I　am　persuaded；



as　well　as　it　was　possible　for　him　towe　have　not　all；



you　know；　the　same　tenderness　of　dispositionand



I　will　not　pretend　to　say　that　while　she　lived；



she　might　not　often　have　had　much　to　bear；　but　though



his　temper　injured　her；　his　judgment　never　did。　



His　value　of　her　was　sincere；　and；　if　not　permanently；



he　was　truly　afflicted　by　her　death。〃







　　　　　〃I　am　very　glad　of　it；〃　said　Catherine；　〃it　would



have　been　very　shocking！〃







　　　　　〃If　I　understand　you　rightly；　you　had　formed　a



surmise　of　such　horror　as　I　have　hardly　words　to　Dear



Miss　Morland；　consider　the　dreadful　nature　of　the　suspicions



you　have　entertained。　　What　have　you　been　judging　from？



Remember　the　country　and　the　age　in　which　we　live。　



Remember　that　we　are　English；　that　we　are　Christians。　



Consult　your　own　understanding；　your　own　sense　of　the　probable；



your　own　observation　of　what　is　passing　around　you。　



Does　our　education　prepare　us　for　such　atrocities？　Do



our　laws　connive　at　them？　Could　they　be　perpetrated



without　being　known；　in　a　country　like　this；　where　social



and　literary　intercourse　is　on　such　a　footing；　where　every



man　is　surrounded　by　a　neighbourhood　of　voluntary　spies；



and　where　roads　and　newspapers　lay　everything　open？　Dearest



Miss　Morland；　what　ideas　have　you　been　admitting？〃







　　　　　They　had　reached　the　end　of　the　gallery；　and　with



tears　of　shame　she　ran　off　to　her　own　room。　















CHAPTER　25











　　　　　The　visions　of　romance　were　over。　　Catherine　was



completely　awakened。　　Henry's　address；　short　as　it　had　been；



had　more　thoroughly　opened　her　eyes　to　the　extravagance　of　her



late　fancies　than　all　their　several　disappointments　had　done。　



Most　grievously　was　she　humbled。　　Most　bitterly　did　she　cry。　



It　was　not　only　with　herself　that　she　was　sunkbut



with　Henry。　　Her　folly；　which　now　seemed　even　criminal；



was　all　exposed　to　him；　and　he　must　despise　her　forever。　



The　liberty　which　her　imagination　had　dared　to　take　with



the　character　of　his　fathercould　he　ever　forgive　it？　The



absurdity　of　her　curiosity　and　her　fearscould　they　ever



be　forgotten？　She　hated　herself　more　than　she　could　express。　



He　hadshe　thought　he　had；　once　or　twice　before　this



fatal　morning；　shown　something　like　affection　for　her。　



But　nowin　short；　she　made　herself　as　miserable　as



possible　for　about　half　an　hour；　went　down　when　the　clock



struck　five；　with　a　broken　heart；　and　could　scarcely　give



an　intelligible　answer　to　Eleanor's　inquiry　if　she　was　well。　



The　formidable　Henry　soon　followed　her　into　the　room；



and　the　only　difference　in　his　behaviour　to　her　was



that　he　paid　her　rather　more　attention　than　usual。　



Catherine　had　never　wanted　comfort　more；　and　he　looked



as　if　he　was　aware　of　it。　







　　　　　The　evening　wore　away　with　no　abatement　of　this



soothing　politeness；　and　her　spirits　were　gradually　raised



to　a　modest　tranquillity。　　She　did　not　learn　either



to　forget　or　defend　the　past；　but　she　learned　to　hope



that　it　would　never　transpire　farther；　and　that　it　might



not　cost　her　Henry's　entire　regard。　　Her　thoughts　being



still　chiefly　fixed　on　what　she　had　with　such　causeless



terror　felt　and　done；　nothing　could　shortly　be　clearer　than



that　it　had　been　all　a　voluntary；　self…created　delusion；



each　trifling　circumstance　receiving　importance　from



an　imagination　resolved　on　alarm；　and　everything　forced



to　bend　to　one　purpose　by　a　mind　which；　before　she



entered　the　abbey；　had　been　craving　to　be　frightened。　



She　remembered　with　what　feelings　she　had　prepared　for　a



knowledge　of　Northanger。　　She　saw　that　the　infatuation



had　been　created；　the　mischief　settled；　long　before　her



quitting　Bath；　and　it　seemed　as　if　the　whole　might　be　traced



to　the　influence　of　that　sort　of　reading　which　she　had



there　indulged。　







　　　　　Charming　as　were　all　Mrs。　Radcliffe's　works；



and　charming　even　as　were　the　works　of　all　her　imitators；



it　was　not　in　them　perhaps　that　human　nature；　at　least



in　the　Midland　counties　of　England；　was　to　be　looked　for。　



Of　the　Alps　and　Pyrenees；　with　their　pine　forests　and



their　vices；　they　might　give　a　faithful　delineation；



and　Italy；　Switzerland；　and　the　south　of　France　might　be



as　fruitful　in　horrors　as　they　were　there　represented。　



Catherine　dared　not　doubt　beyond　her　own　country；　and　even



of　that；　if　hard　pressed；　would　have　yielded　the　northern



and　western　extremities。　　But　in　the　central　part　of



England　there　was　surely　some　security　for　the　existence



even　of　a　wife　not　beloved；　in　the　laws　of　the　land；



and　the　manners　of　the　age。　　Murder　was　not　tolerated；



servants　were　not　slaves；　and　neither　poison　nor　sleeping



potions　to　be　procured；　like　rhubarb；　from　every　druggist。　



Among　the　Alps　and　Pyrenees；　perhaps；　there　were　no



mixed　characters。　　There；　such　as　were　not　as　spotless



as　an　angel　might　have　the　dispositions　of　a　fiend。　



But　in　England　it　was　not　so；　among　the　English；　she　believed；



in　their　hearts　and　habits；　there　was　a　general　though



unequal　mixture　of　good　and　bad。　　Upon　this　conviction；



she　would　not　be　surprised　if　even　in　Henry　and　Eleanor



Tilney；　some　slight　imperfection　might　hereafter　appear；



and　upon　this　conviction　she　need　not　fear　to　acknowledge



some　actual　specks　in　the　character　of　their　father；　who；



though　cleared　from　the　grossly　injurious　suspicions　which



she　must　ever　blush　to　have　entertained；　she　did　believe；



upon　serious　consideration；　to　be　not　perfectly　amiable。　







　　　　　Her　mind　made　up　on　these　several　points；



and　her　resolution　formed；　of　always　judging　and　acting



in　future　with　the　greatest　good　sense；　she　had　nothing



to　do　but　to　forgive　herself　and　be　happier　than　ever；



and　the　lenient　hand　of　time　did　much　for　her　by



insensible　gradations　in　the　course　of　another　day。　



Henry's　astonishing　generosity　and　nobleness　of　conduct；



in　never　alluding　in　the　slightest　way　to　what　had　passed；



was　of　the　greatest　assistance　to　her；　and　sooner　than



she　could　have　supposed　it　possible　in　the　beginning　of



her　distress；　her　spirits　became　absolutely　comfortable；



and　capable；　as　heretofore；　of　continual　improvement　by



anything　he　said。　　There　were　still　some　subjects；　indeed；



under　which　she　believed　they　must　always　tremblethe



mention　of　a　chest　or　a　cabinet；　for　instanceand　she　did



not　love　the　sight　of　japan　in　any　shape：　but　even　she



could　allow　that　an　occasional　memento　of　past　folly；



however　painful；　might　not　be　without　use。　







　　　　　The　anxieties　of　common　life　began　soon　to　succeed　to



the　alarms　of　romance。　　Her　desire　of　hearing　from　Isabella



grew　every　day　greater。　　She　was　quite　impatient　to　know



how　the　Bath　world　went　on；　and　how　the　rooms　were　attended；



and　especially　was　she　anxious　to　be　assured　of　Isabella's



having　matched　some　fine　netting…cotton；　on　which　she



had　left　her　intent；　and　of　her　continuing　on　the　best



terms　with　James。　　Her　only　dependence　for　information



of　any　kind　was　on　Isabella。　　James　had　protested　against



writing　to　her　till　his　return　to　Oxford；　and　Mrs。　Allen



had　given　her　no　hopes　of　a　letter　till　she　had　got　back



to　Fullerton。　　But　Isabella　had　promised　and　promised　again；



and　when　she　promised　a　thing；　she　was　so　scrupulous



in　performing　it！　This　made　it　so　particularly　strange！







　　　　　For　nine　successive　mornings；　Catherine　wondered



over　the　repetition　of　a　disappointment；　which　each



morning　became　more　severe：　but；　on　the　tenth；　when　she



entered　the　breakfast…room；　her　first　object　was　a　letter；



held　out　by　Henry's　willing　hand。　　She　thanked　him



as　heartily　as　if　he　had　written　it　himself。　　〃'Tis　only



from　James；　however；〃　as　she　looked　at　the　direc