Northanger Abbey

Chapter 6

The following conversation, which took place

between the two friends in the pump-room one morning,

after an acquaintance of eight or nine days, is given

as a specimen of their very warm attachment, and of

the delicacy, discretion, originality of thought, and literary

taste which marked the reasonableness of that attachment.

They met by appointment; and as Isabella had arrived

nearly five minutes before her friend, her first address

naturally was, "My dearest creature, what can have made

you so late? I have been waiting for you at least this age!"

"Have you, indeed! I am very sorry for it; but really

I thought I was in very good time. It is but just one.

I hope you have not been here long?"

"Oh! These ten ages at least. I am sure I have

been here this half hour. But now, let us go and sit

down at the other end of the room, and enjoy ourselves.

I have an hundred things to say to you. In the

first place, I was so afraid it would rain this morning,

just as I wanted to set off; it looked very showery,

and that would have thrown me into agonies! Do you know,

I saw the prettiest hat you can imagine, in a shop

window in Milsom Street just now--very like yours,

only with coquelicot ribbons instead of green; I quite

longed for it. But, my dearest Catherine, what have you

been doing with yourself all this morning? Have you gone

on with Udolpho?"

"Yes, I have been reading it ever since I woke;

and I am got to the black veil."

"Are you, indeed? How delightful! Oh! I would not

tell you what is behind the black veil for the world!

Are not you wild to know?"

"Oh! Yes, quite; what can it be? But do not tell

me--I would not be told upon any account. I know it must

be a skeleton, I am sure it is Laurentina's skeleton.

Oh! I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend

my whole life in reading it. I assure you, if it had

not been to meet you, I would not have come away from it

for all the world."

"Dear creature! How much I am obliged to you;

and when you have finished Udolpho, we will read the

Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten

or twelve more of the same kind for you."

"Have you, indeed! How glad I am! What are they all?"

"I will read you their names directly; here they are,

in my pocketbook. Castle of Wolfenbach, Clermont,

Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest,

Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries.

Those will last us some time."

"Yes, pretty well; but are they all horrid, are you

sure they are all horrid?"

"Yes, quite sure; for a particular friend of mine,

a Miss Andrews, a sweet girl, one of the sweetest creatures

in the world, has read every one of them. I wish you

knew Miss Andrews, you would be delighted with her.

She is netting herself the sweetest cloak you can conceive.

I think her as beautiful as an angel, and I am so vexed

with the men for not admiring her! I scold them all amazingly

about it."

"Scold them! Do you scold them for not admiring her?"

"Yes, that I do. There is nothing I would not do

for those who are really my friends. I have no notion

of loving people by halves; it is not my nature.

My attachments are always excessively strong. I told

Captain Hunt at one of our assemblies this winter that if he

was to tease me all night, I would not dance with him,

unless he would allow Miss Andrews to be as beautiful as

an angel. The men think us incapable of real friendship,

you know, and I am determined to show them the difference.

Now, if I were to hear anybody speak slightingly of you,

I should fire up in a moment: but that is not at all likely,

for you are just the kind of girl to be a great favourite

with the men."

"Oh, dear!" cried Catherine, colouring. "How can

you say so?"

"I know you very well; you have so much animation,

which is exactly what Miss Andrews wants, for I must

confess there is something amazingly insipid about her.

Oh! I must tell you, that just after we parted yesterday,

I saw a young man looking at you so earnestly--I am

sure he is in love with you." Catherine coloured,

and disclaimed again. Isabella laughed. "It is very true,

upon my honour, but I see how it is; you are indifferent

to everybody's admiration, except that of one gentleman,

who shall be nameless. Nay, I cannot blame you"--speaking

more seriously--"your feelings are easily understood.

Where the heart is really attached, I know very well how little

one can be pleased with the attention of anybody else.

Everything is so insipid, so uninteresting, that does not

relate to the beloved object! I can perfectly comprehend

your feelings."

"But you should not persuade me that I think so very

much about Mr. Tilney, for perhaps I may never see him again."

"Not see him again! My dearest creature, do not talk

of it. I am sure you would be miserable if you thought so!"

"No, indeed, I should not. I do not pretend to say

that I was not very much pleased with him; but while I

have Udolpho to read, I feel as if nobody could make

me miserable. Oh! The dreadful black veil! My dear Isabella,

I am sure there must be Laurentina's skeleton behind it."

"It is so odd to me, that you should never have

read Udolpho before; but I suppose Mrs. Morland objects

to novels."

"No, she does not. She very often reads Sir Charles

Grandison herself; but new books do not fall in our way."

"Sir Charles Grandison! That is an amazing horrid book,

is it not? I remember Miss Andrews could not get through

the first volume."

"It is not like Udolpho at all; but yet I think it

is very entertaining."

"Do you indeed! You surprise me; I thought it

had not been readable. But, my dearest Catherine,

have you settled what to wear on your head tonight? I am

determined at all events to be dressed exactly like you.

The men take notice of that sometimes, you know."

"But it does not signify if they do," said Catherine,

very innocently.

"Signify! Oh, heavens! I make it a rule never to mind

what they say. They are very often amazingly impertinent

if you do not treat them with spirit, and make them keep

their distance."

"Are they? Well, I never observed that. They always

behave very well to me."

"Oh! They give themselves such airs. They are

the most conceited creatures in the world, and think

themselves of so much importance! By the by, though I

have thought of it a hundred times, I have always forgot

to ask you what is your favourite complexion in a man.

Do you like them best dark or fair?"

"I hardly know. I never much thought about it.

Something between both, I think. Brown--not fair,

and--and not very dark."

"Very well, Catherine. That is exactly he. I have

not forgot your description of Mr. Tilney--'a brown skin,

with dark eyes, and rather dark hair.' Well, my taste

is different. I prefer light eyes, and as to complexion--do

you know--I like a sallow better than any other.

You must not betray me, if you should ever meet with one

of your acquaintance answering that description."

"Betray you! What do you mean?"

"Nay, do not distress me. I believe I have said

too much. Let us drop the subject."

Catherine, in some amazement, complied, and after

remaining a few moments silent, was on the point of

reverting to what interested her at that time rather more

than anything else in the world, Laurentina's skeleton,

when her friend prevented her, by saying, "For heaven's

sake! Let us move away from this end of the room.

Do you know, there are two odious young men who have been

staring at me this half hour. They really put me quite

out of countenance. Let us go and look at the arrivals.

They will hardly follow us there."

Away they walked to the book; and while Isabella

examined the names, it was Catherine's employment to watch

the proceedings of these alarming young men.

"They are not coming this way, are they? I hope they

are not so impertinent as to follow us. Pray let me know

if they are coming. I am determined I will not look up."

In a few moments Catherine, with unaffected pleasure,

assured her that she need not be longer uneasy, as the

gentlemen had just left the pump-room.

"And which way are they gone?" said Isabella,

turning hastily round. "One was a very good-looking

young man."

"They went towards the church-yard."

"Well, I am amazingly glad I have got rid of them!

And now, what say you to going to Edgar's Buildings

with me, and looking at my new hat? You said you should

like to see it."

Catherine readily agreed. "Only," she added,

"perhaps we may overtake the two young men."

"Oh! Never mind that. If we make haste, we shall

pass by them presently, and I am dying to show you my hat."

"But if we only wait a few minutes, there will be

no danger of our seeing them at all."

"I shall not pay them any such compliment, I assure you.

I have no notion of treating men with such respect.

That is the way to spoil them."

Catherine had nothing to oppose against such reasoning;

and therefore, to show the independence of Miss Thorpe,

and her resolution of humbling the s*x, they set off

immediately as fast as they could walk, in pursuit of the

two young men.