NORTHANGER　ABBEY
  by
  Jane　Austen
  （1803）
  ADVERTISEMENT　BY　THE　AUTHORESS；　TO　NORTHANGER　ABBEY
  THIS　little　work　was　finished　in　the　year　1803；　and　intended
  for　immediate　publication。　　It　was　disposed　of　to　a　bookseller；
  it　was　even　advertised；　and　why　the　business　proceeded
  no　farther；　the　author　has　never　been　able　to　learn。
  That　any　bookseller　should　think　it　worth…while　to
  purchase　what　he　did　not　think　it　worth…while　to　publish
  seems　extraordinary。　　But　with　this；　neither　the　author
  nor　the　public　have　any　other　concern　than　as　some
  observation　is　necessary　upon　those　parts　of　the　work
  which　thirteen　years　have　made　comparatively　obsolete。
  The　public　are　entreated　to　bear　in　mind　that　thirteen
  years　have　passed　since　it　was　finished；　many　more
  since　it　was　begun；　and　that　during　that　period；
  places；　manners；　books；　and　opinions　have　undergone
  considerable　changes。
  CHAPTER　1
  No　one　who　had　ever　seen　Catherine　Morland　in　her
  infancy　would　have　supposed　her　born　to　be　an　heroine。
  Her　situation　in　life；　the　character　of　her　father　and　mother；
  her　own　person　and　disposition；　were　all　equally　against　her。
  Her　father　was　a　clergyman；　without　being　neglected；
  or　poor；　and　a　very　respectable　man；　though　his　name
  was　Richardand　he　had　never　been　handsome。　　He　had　a
  considerable　independence　besides　two　good　livingsand　he
  was　not　in　the　least　addicted　to　locking　up　his　daughters。
  Her　mother　was　a　woman　of　useful　plain　sense；　with　a
  good　temper；　and；　what　is　more　remarkable；　with　a
  good　constitution。　　She　had　three　sons　before　Catherine
  was　born；　and　instead　of　dying　in　bringing　the　latter
  into　the　world；　as　anybody　might　expect；　she　still　lived
  onlived　to　have　six　children　moreto　see　them　growing
  up　around　her；　and　to　enjoy　excellent　health　herself。
  A　family　of　ten　children　will　be　always　called　a　fine　family；
  where　there　are　heads　and　arms　and　legs　enough　for　the　number；
  but　the　Morlands　had　little　other　right　to　the　word；
  for　they　were　in　general　very　plain；　and　Catherine；
  for　many　years　of　her　life；　as　plain　as　any。　　She　had
  a　thin　awkward　figure；　a　sallow　skin　without　colour；
  dark　lank　hair；　and　strong　featuresso　much　for　her　person；
  and　not　less　unpropiteous　for　heroism　seemed　her　mind。
  She　was　fond　of　all　boy's　plays；　and　greatly　preferred
  cricket　not　merely　to　dolls；　but　to　the　more　heroic
  enjoyments　of　infancy；　nursing　a　dormouse；　feeding　a
  canary…bird；　or　watering　a　rose…bush。　Indeed　she　had　no
  taste　for　a　garden；　and　if　she　gathered　flowers　at　all；
  it　was　chiefly　for　the　pleasure　of　mischiefat　least　so　it
  was　conjectured　from　her　always　preferring　those　which　she
  was　forbidden　to　take。　　Such　were　her　propensitiesher
  abilities　were　quite　as　extraordinary。　　She　never　could
  learn　or　understand　anything　before　she　was　taught；
  and　sometimes　not　even　then；　for　she　was　often　inattentive；
  and　occasionally　stupid。　　Her　mother　was　three　months
  in　teaching　her　only　to　repeat　the　〃Beggar's　Petition〃；
  and　after　all；　her　next　sister；　Sally；　could　say　it
  better　than　she　did。　　Not　that　Catherine　was　always
  stupidby　no　means；　she　learnt　the　fable　of　〃The　Hare
  and　Many　Friends〃　as　quickly　as　any　girl　in　England。
  Her　mother　wished　her　to　learn　music；　and　Catherine　was
  sure　she　should　like　it；　for　she　was　very　fond　of　tinkling
  the　keys　of　the　old　forlorn　spinner；　so；　at　eight　years
  old　she　began。　　She　learnt　a　year；　and　could　not　bear　it；
  and　Mrs。　Morland；　who　did　not　insist　on　her　daughters
  being　accomplished　in　spite　of　incapacity　or　distaste；
  allowed　her　to　leave　off。　　The　day　which　dismissed　the
  music…master　was　one　of　the　happiest　of　Catherine's　life。
  Her　taste　for　drawing　was　not　superior；　though　whenever
  she　could　obtain　the　outside　of　a　letter　from　her　mother
  or　seize　upon　any　other　odd　piece　of　paper；　she　did
  what　she　could　in　that　way；　by　drawing　houses　and　trees；
  hens　and　chickens；　all　very　much　like　one　another。
  Writing　and　accounts　she　was　taught　by　her　father；　French　by
  her　mother：　her　proficiency　in　either　was　not　remarkable；
  and　she　shirked　her　lessons　in　both　whenever　she　could。
  What　a　strange；　unaccountable　character！for　with　all
  these　symptoms　of　profligacy　at　ten　years　old；　she　had
  neither　a　bad　heart　nor　a　bad　temper；　was　seldom　stubborn；
  scarcely　ever　quarrelsome；　and　very　kind　to　the　little　ones；
  with　few　interruptions　of　tyranny；　she　was　moreover　noisy
  and　wild；　hated　confinement　and　cleanliness；　and　loved　nothing
  so　well　in　the　world　as　rolling　down　the　green　slope　at　the
  back　of　the　house。
  Such　was　Catherine　Morland　at　ten。　　At　fifteen；
  appearances　were　mending；　she　began　to　curl　her　hair
  and　long　for　balls；　her　complexion　improved；　her　features
  were　softened　by　plumpness　and　colour；　her　eyes　gained
  more　animation；　and　her　figure　more　consequence。
  Her　love　of　dirt　gave　way　to　an　inclination　for　finery；
  and　she　grew　clean　as　she　grew　smart；　she　had　now　the
  pleasure　of　sometimes　hearing　her　father　and　mother
  remark　on　her　personal　improvement。　　〃Catherine　grows
  quite　a　good…looking　girlshe　is　almost　pretty　today；〃
  were　words　which　caught　her　ears　now　and　then；
  and　how　welcome　were　the　sounds！　To　look　almost　pretty
  is　an　acquisition　of　higher　delight　to　a　girl　who　has
  been　looking　plain　the　first　fifteen　years　of　her　life
  than　a　beauty　from　her　cradle　can　ever　receive。
  Mrs。　Morland　was　a　very　good　woman；　and　wished
  to　see　her　children　everything　they　ought　to　be；
  but　her　time　was　so　much　occupied　in　lying…in　and　teaching
  the　little　ones；　that　her　elder　daughters　were　inevitably
  left　to　shift　for　themselves；　and　it　was　not　very　wonderful
  that　Catherine；　who　had　by　nature　nothing　heroic　about　her；
  should　prefer　cricket；　baseball；　riding　on　horseback；
  and　running　about　the　country　at　the　age　of　fourteen；
  to　booksor　at　least　books　of　informationfor；　provided
  that　nothing　like　useful　knowledge　could　be　gained
  from　them；　provided　they　were　all　story　and　no　reflection；
  she　had　never　any　objection　to　books　at　all。　　But　from
  fifteen　to　seventeen　she　was　in　training　for　a　heroine；
  she　read　all　such　works　as　heroines　must　read　to　supply
  their　memories　with　those　quotations　which　are　so　serviceable
  and　so　soothing　in　the　vicissitudes　of　their　eventful　lives。
  From　Pope；　she　learnt　to　censure　those　who
  〃bear　about　the　mockery　of　woe。〃
  From　Gray；　that
  〃Many　a　flower　is　born　to　blush　unseen；
  〃And　waste　its　fragrance　on　the　desert　air。〃
  From　Thompson；　that
  〃It　is　a　delightful　task
  〃To　teach　the　young　idea　how　to　shoot。〃
  And　from　Shakespeare　she　gained　a　great　store　of　information
  amongst　the　rest；　that
  〃Trifles　light　as　air；
  〃Are；　to　the　jealous；　confirmation　strong；
  〃As　proofs　of　Holy　Writ。〃
  That
  〃The　poor　beetle；　which　we　tread　upon；
  〃In　corporal　sufferance　feels　a　pang　as　great
  〃As　when　a　giant　dies。〃
  And　that　a　young　woman　in　love　always　looks
  〃like　Patience　on　a　monument
  〃Smiling　at　Grief。〃
  So　far　her　improvement　was　sufficientand　in　many
  other　points　she　came　on　exceedingly　well；　for　though　she
  could　not　write　sonnets；　she　brought　herself　to　read　them；
  and　though　there　seemed　no　chance　of　her　throwing　a　whole
  party　into　raptures　by　a　prelude　on　the　pianoforte；
  of　her　own　composition；　she　could　listen　to　other　people's
  performance　with　very　little　fatigue。　　Her　greatest
  deficiency　was　in　the　pencilshe　had　no　notion　of
  drawingnot　enough　even　to　attempt　a　sketch　of　her
  lover's　profile；　that　she　might　be　detected　in　the　design。
  There　she　fell　miserably　short　of　the　true　heroic　height。
  At　present　she　did　not　know　her　own　poverty；　for　she　had　no
  lover　to　portray。　　She　had　reached　the　age　of　seventeen；
  without　having　seen　one　amiable　youth　who　could　call　forth
  her　sensibility；　without　having　inspired　one　real　passion；
  and　without　having　excited　even　any　admiration　but　what
  was　very　moderate　and　very　transient。　　This　was　str