northanger abbey-第6部分

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or　of　the　man　who　collects　and　publishes　in　a　volume　some



dozen　lines　of　Milton；　Pope；　and　Prior；　with　a　paper　from



the　Spectator；　and　a　chapter　from　Sterne；　are　eulogized



by　a　thousand　pensthere　seems　almost　a　general　wish



of　decrying　the　capacity　and　undervaluing　the　labour



of　the　novelist；　and　of　slighting　the　performances　which



have　only　genius；　wit；　and　taste　to　recommend　them。　



〃I　am　no　novel…readerI　seldom　look　into　novelsDo



not　imagine　that　I　often　read　novelsIt　is　really



very　well　for　a　novel。〃　Such　is　the　common　cant。　



〃And　what　are　you　reading；　Miss？〃　〃Oh！　It　is　only



a　novel！〃　replies　the　young　lady；　while　she　lays　down　her



book　with　affected　indifference；　or　momentary　shame。　



〃It　is　only　Cecilia；　or　Camilla；　or　Belinda〃；　or；　in　short；



only　some　work　in　which　the　greatest　powers　of　the　mind



are　displayed；　in　which　the　most　thorough　knowledge　of



human　nature；　the　happiest　delineation　of　its　varieties；



the　liveliest　effusions　of　wit　and　humour；　are　conveyed



to　the　world　in　the　best…chosen　language。　　Now；　had　the　same



young　lady　been　engaged　with　a　volume　of　the　Spectator；



instead　of　such　a　work；　how　proudly　would　she　have



produced　the　book；　and　told　its　name；　though　the　chances



must　be　against　her　being　occupied　by　any　part　of　that



voluminous　publication；　of　which　either　the　matter　or　manner



would　not　disgust　a　young　person　of　taste：　the　substance



of　its　papers　so　often　consisting　in　the　statement　of



improbable　circumstances；　unnatural　characters；　and　topics



of　conversation　which　no　longer　concern　anyone　living；



and　their　language；　too；　frequently　so　coarse　as　to　give



no　very　favourable　idea　of　the　age　that　could　endure　it。　















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　nowvery　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



meI　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　earnestlyI　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。　　Brownnot　fair；



andand　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　complexiondo



you　knowI　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　sub