Northanger Abbey. Джейн Остин

not to listen, or you may happen to hear something not very agreeable.’

      In this commonplace chatter, which lasted some time, the original subject seemed entirely forgotten; and though Catherine was very well pleased to have it dropped for a while, she could not avoid a little suspicion at the total suspension of all Isabella’s impatient desire to see Mr Tilney. When the orchestra struck up a fresh dance, James would have led his fair partner away, but she resisted. ‘I tell you, Mr Morland,’ she cried, ‘I would not do such a thing for all the world. How can you be so teasing; only conceive, my dear Catherine, what your brother wants me to do. He wants me to dance with him again, though I tell him that it is a most improper thing, and entirely against the rules. It would make us the talk of the place, if we were not to change partners.’

      ‘Upon my honour,’ said James, ‘in these public assemblies, it is as often done as not.’

      ‘Nonsense, how can you say so? But when you men have a point to carry, you never stick at anything. My sweet Catherine, do support me; persuade your brother how impossible it is. Tell him that it would quite shock you to see me do such a thing; now would not it?’

      ‘No, not at all; but if you think it wrong, you had much better change.’

      ‘There,’ cried Isabella, ‘you hear what your sister says, and yet you will not mind her. Well, remember that it is not my fault, if we set all the old ladies in Bath in a bustle. Come along, my dearest Catherine, for heaven’s sake, and stand by me.’ And off they went, to regain their former place. John Thorpe, in the meanwhile, had walked away; and Catherine, ever willing to give Mr Tilney an opportunity of repeating the agreeable request which had already flattered her once, made her way to Mrs Allen and Mrs Thorpe as fast as she could, in the hope of finding him still with them – a hope which, when it proved to be fruitless, she felt to have been highly unreasonable. ‘Well, my dear,’ said Mrs Thorpe, impatient for praise of her son, ‘I hope you have had an agreeable partner.’

      ‘Very agreeable, madam.’

      ‘I am glad of it. John has charming spirits, has not he?’

      ‘Did you meet Mr Tilney, my dear?’ said Mrs Allen.

      ‘No, where is he?’

      ‘He was with us just now, and said he was so tired of lounging about, that he was resolved to go and dance; so I thought perhaps he would ask you, if he met with you.’

      ‘Where can he be?’ said Catherine, looking round; but she had not looked round long before she saw him leading a young lady to the dance.

      ‘Ah! He has got a partner; I wish he had asked you,’ said Mrs Allen; and after a short silence, she added, ‘he is a very agreeable young man.’

      ‘Indeed he is, Mrs Allen,’ said Mrs Thorpe, smiling complacently; ‘I must say it, though I am his mother, that there is not a more agreeable young man in the world.’

      This inapplicable answer might have been too much for the comprehension of many; but it did not puzzle Mrs Allen, for after only a moment’s consideration, she said, in a whisper to Catherine, ‘I dare say she thought I was speaking of her son.’

      Catherine was disappointed and vexed. She seemed to have missed by so little the very object she had had in view; and this persuasion did not incline her to a very gracious reply, when John Thorpe came up to her soon afterwards and said, ‘Well, Miss Morland, I suppose you and I are to stand up and jig it together again.’

      ‘Oh, no; I am much obliged to you, our two dances are over; and, besides, I am tired, and do not mean to dance any more.’

      ‘Do not you? Then let us walk about and quiz people. Come along with me, and I will show you the four greatest quizzers in the room; my two younger sisters and their partners. I have been laughing at them this half hour.’

      Again Catherine excused herself; and at last he walked off to quiz his sisters by himself. The rest of the evening she found very dull; Mr Tilney was drawn away from their party at tea, to attend that of his partner; Miss Tilney, though belonging to it, did not sit near her, and James and Isabella were so much engaged in conversing together that the latter had no leisure to bestow more on her friend than one smile, one squeeze, and one ‘dearest Catherine.’

CHAPTER 9

      The progress of Catherine’s unhappiness from the events of the evening was as follows. It appeared first in a general dissatisfaction with everybody about her, while she remained in the rooms, which speedily brought on considerable weariness and a violent desire to go home. This, on arriving in Pulteney Street, took the direction of extraordinary hunger, and when that was appeased, changed into an earnest longing to be in bed; such was the extreme point of her distress; for when there she immediately fell into a sound sleep which lasted nine hours, and from which she awoke perfectly revived, in excellent spirits, with fresh hopes and fresh schemes. The first wish of her heart was to improve her acquaintance with Miss Tilney, and almost her first resolution, to seek her for that purpose, in the Pump-room at noon. In the Pump-room, one so newly arrived in Bath must be met with, and that building she had already found so favourable for the discovery of female excellence, and the completion of female intimacy, so admirably adapted for secret discourses and unlimited confidence, that she was most reasonably encouraged to expect another friend from within its walls. Her plan for the morning thus settled, she sat quietly down to her book after breakfast, resolving to remain in the same place and the same employment till the clock struck one; and from habitude very little incommoded by the remarks and ejaculations of Mrs Allen, whose vacancy of mind and incapacity for thinking were such, that as she never talked a great deal, so she could never be entirely silent; and, therefore, while she sat at her work, if she lost her needle or broke her thread, if she heard a carriage in the street, or saw a speck upon her gown, she must observe it aloud, whether there were anyone at leisure to answer her or not. At about half past twelve, a remarkably loud rap drew her in haste to the window, and scarcely had she time to inform Catherine of there being two open carriages at the door, in the first only a servant, her brother driving Miss Thorpe in the second, before John Thorpe came running upstairs, calling out, ‘Well, Miss Morland, here I am. Have you been waiting long? We could not come before; the old devil of a coachmaker was such an eternity finding out a thing fit to be got into, and now it is ten thousand to one but they break down before we are out of the street. How do you do, Mrs Allen? A famous ball last night, was not it? Come, Miss Morland, be quick, for the others are in a confounded hurry to be off. They want to get their tumble over.’

      ‘What do you mean?’ said Catherine. ‘Where are you all going to?’

      ‘Going to? Why, you have not forgot our engagement! Did not we agree together to take a drive this morning? What a head you have! We are going up Claverton Down.’

      ‘Something was said about it, I remember,’ said Catherine, looking at Mrs Allen for her opinion; ‘but really I did not expect you.’

      ‘Not expect me! That’s a good one! And what a dust you would have made, if I had not come.’

      Catherine’s silent appeal to her friend, meanwhile, was entirely thrown away, for Mrs Allen, not being at all in the habit of conveying any expression herself by a look, was not aware of its being ever intended by anybody else; and Catherine, whose desire of seeing Miss Tilney again could at that moment bear a short delay in favour of a drive, and who thought there could be no impropriety in her going with Mr Thorpe, as Isabella was going at the same time with James, was therefore obliged to speak plainer. ‘Well, ma’am, what do you say to it? Can you spare me for an hour or two? Shall I go?’

      ‘Do just as you please, my dear,’ replied Mrs Allen, with the most placid indifference. Catherine took the advice, and ran off to get ready. In a very few minutes she reappeared, having scarcely allowed the two others time enough to get through a few short sentences in her praise, after Thorpe had procured Mrs Allen’s admiration of his gig; and then receiving her friend’s parting good wishes, they both hurried downstairs. ‘My dearest creature,’