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 Laurentinas 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 everybodys 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 Laurentinas 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, Laurentinas skeleton, when her friend prevented her, by saying, For heavens 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 Catherines 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 Edgars 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 sex, they set off immediately as fast as they could walk, in pursuit of the two young men.
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 sex, they set off immediately as fast as they could walk, in pursuit of the two young men.
CHAPTER 7
Half a minute conducted them through the pump-yard to the archway, opposite Union Passage; but here they were stopped. Everybody acquainted with Bath may remember the difficulties of crossing Cheap Street at this point; it is indeed a street of so impertinent a nature, so unfortunately connected with the great London and Oxford roads, and the principal inn of the city, that a day never passes in which parties of ladies, however important their business, whether in quest of pastry, millinery, or even (as in the present case) of young men, are not detained on one side or other by carriages, horsemen, or carts. This evil had been felt and lamented, at least three times a day, by Isabella since her residence in Bath; and she was now fated to feel and lament it once more, for at the very moment of coming opposite to Union Passage, and within view of the two gentlemen who were proceeding through the crowds, and threading the gutters of that interesting alley, they were prevented crossing by the approach of a gig, driven along on bad pavement by a most knowing-looking coachman with all the vehemence that could most fitly endanger the lives of himself, his companion, and his horse.
Oh, these odious gigs! said Isabella, looking up. How I detest them. But this detestation, though so just, was of short duration, for she looked again and exclaimed, Delightful! Mr. Morland and my brother!
Good heaven! Tis James! was uttered at the same moment by Catherine; and, on catching the young mens eyes, the horse was immediately checked with a violence which almost threw him on his haunches, and the servant having now scampered up, the gentlemen jumped out, and the equipage was delivered to his care.
Catherine, by whom this meeting was wholly unexpected, received her brother with the liveliest pleasure; and he, being of a very amiable disposition, and sincerely attached to her, gave every proof on his side of equal satisfaction, which he could have leisure to do, while the bright eyes of Miss Thorpe were incessantly challenging his notice; and to her his devoirs were speedily paid, with a mixture of joy and embarrassment which might have informed Catherine, had she been more expert in the development of other peoples feelings, and less simply engrossed by her own, that her brother thought her friend quite as pretty as she could do herself.
John Thorpe, who in the meantime had been giving orders about the horses, soon joined them, and from him she directly received the amends which were her due; for while he slightly and carelessly touched the hand of Isabella, on her he bestowed a whole scrape and half a short bow. He was a stout young man of middling height, who, with a plain face and ungraceful form, seemed fearful of being too handsome unless he wore the dress of a groom, and too much like a gentleman unless he were easy where he ought to be civil, and impudent where he might be allowed to be easy. He took out his watch: How long do you think we have been running it from Tetbury, Miss Morland?
I do not know the distance. Her brother told her that it was twenty-three miles.
Three and twenty! cried Thorpe. Five and twenty if it is an inch. Morland remonstrated, pleaded the authority of road-books, innkeepers, and milestones; but his friend disregarded them all; he had a surer test of distance. I know it must be five and twenty, said he, by the time we have been doing it. It is now half after one; we drove out of the inn-yard at Tetbury as the town clock struck eleven; and I defy any man in England to make my horse go less than ten miles an hour in harness; that makes it exactly twenty-five.
You have lost an hour, said Morland; it was only ten oclock when we came from Tetbury.
Ten oclock! It was eleven, upon my soul! I counted every stroke. This brother of yours would persuade me out of my senses, Miss Morland; do but look at my horse; did you ever see an animal so made for speed in your life? (The servant had just mounted the carriage and was driving off.) Such true blood! Three hours and and a half indeed coming only three and twenty miles! Look at that creature, and suppose it possible if you can.
He does look very hot, to be sure.
Hot! He had not turned a hair till we came to Walcot Church; but look at his forehand; look at his loins; only see how he moves; that horse cannot go less than ten miles an hour: tie his legs and he will get on. What do you think of my gig, Miss Morland? A neat one, is not it? Well hung; town-built; I have not had it a month. It was built for a Christchurch man, a friend of mine, a very good sort of fellow; he ran it a few weeks, till, I believe, it was convenient to have done with it. I happened just then to be looking out for some light thing of the kind, though I had pretty well determined on a curricle too; but I chanced to meet him on Magdalen Bridge, as he was driving into Oxford, last term: Ah! Thorpe, said he, do you happen to want such a little thing as this? It is a capital one of the kind, but I am cursed tired of it. Oh! D , said I; I am your man; what do you ask? And how much do you think he did, Miss Morland?
I am sure I cannot guess at all.
Curricle-hung, you see; seat, trunk, sword-case, splashing-board, lamps, silver moulding, all you see complete; the iron-work as good as new, or better. He asked fifty guineas; I closed with him directly, threw down the money, and the carriage was mine.
And I am sure, said Catherine, I know so little of such things that I cannot judge whether it was cheap or dear.
Neither one nor tother; I might have got it for less, I dare say; but I hate haggling, and poor Freeman wanted cash.
That was very good-natured of you, said Catherine, quite pleased.
Oh! D it, when one has the means of doing a kind thing by a friend, I hate to be pitiful.
An inquiry now took place into the intended movements of the young ladies; and, on finding whither they were going, it was decided that the gentlemen should accompany them to Edgars Buildings, and pay their respects to Mrs. Thorpe. James and Isabella led the way; and so well satisfied was the latter with her lot, so contentedly was she endeavouring to ensure a pleasant walk to him who brought the double recommendation of being her brothers friend, and her friends brother, so pure and uncoquettish were her feelings, that, though they overtook and passed the two offending young men in Milsom Street, she was so far from seeking to attract their notice, that she looked back at them only three times.
John Thorpe kept of course with Catherine, and, after a few minutes silence, renewed the conversation about his gig. You will find, however, Miss Morland, it would be reckoned a cheap thing by some people, for I might have sold it for ten guineas more the next day; Jackson, of Oriel, bid me sixty at once; Morland was with me at the time.
Yes, said Morland, who overheard this; but you forget that your horse was included.