第 13 节
作者:
打倒一切 更新:2024-04-07 21:07 字数:9322
She followed him in all his admiration as well as she could。
To go before or beyond him was impossible。 His knowledge
and her ignorance of the subject; his rapidity of expression;
and her diffidence of herself put that out of her power;
she could strike out nothing new in commendation;
but she readily echoed whatever he chose to assert;
and it was finally settled between them without any
difficulty that his equipage was altogether the most
complete of its kind in England; his carriage the neatest;
his horse the best goer; and himself the best coachman。
〃You do not really think; Mr。 Thorpe;〃 said Catherine;
venturing after some time to consider the matter as
entirely decided; and to offer some little variation on
the subject; 〃that James's gig will break down?〃
〃Break down! Oh! Lord! Did you ever see such a little
tittuppy thing in your life? There is not a sound piece
of iron about it。 The wheels have been fairly worn out
these ten years at leastand as for the body! Upon my soul;
you might shake it to pieces yourself with a touch。
It is the most devilish little rickety business I ever
beheld! Thank God! we have got a better。 I would not be
bound to go two miles in it for fifty thousand pounds。〃
〃Good heavens!〃 cried Catherine; quite frightened。
〃Then pray let us turn back; they will certainly meet with
an accident if we go on。 Do let us turn back; Mr。 Thorpe;
stop and speak to my brother; and tell him how very unsafe
it is。〃
〃Unsafe! Oh; lord! What is there in that? They will
only get a roll if it does break down; and there is plenty
of dirt; it will be excellent falling。 Oh; curse it! The
carriage is safe enough; if a man knows how to drive it;
a thing of that sort in good hands will last above twenty
years after it is fairly worn out。 Lord bless you! I
would undertake for five pounds to drive it to York
and back again; without losing a nail。〃
Catherine listened with astonishment; she knew
not how to reconcile two such very different accounts
of the same thing; for she had not been brought up
to understand the propensities of a rattle; nor to know
to how many idle assertions and impudent falsehoods the
excess of vanity will lead。 Her own family were plain;
matter…of…fact people who seldom aimed at wit of any kind;
her father; at the utmost; being contented with a pun;
and her mother with a proverb; they were not in the habit
therefore of telling lies to increase their importance;
or of asserting at one moment what they would contradict
the next。 She reflected on the affair for some time
in much perplexity; and was more than once on the point
of requesting from Mr。 Thorpe a clearer insight into his
real opinion on the subject; but she checked herself;
because it appeared to her that he did not excel in giving
those clearer insights; in making those things plain
which he had before made ambiguous; and; joining to this;
the consideration that he would not really suffer
his sister and his friend to be exposed to a danger
from which he might easily preserve them; she concluded
at last that he must know the carriage to be in fact
perfectly safe; and therefore would alarm herself no longer。
By him the whole matter seemed entirely forgotten;
and all the rest of his conversation; or rather talk;
began and ended with himself and his own concerns。
He told her of horses which he had bought for a trifle
and sold for incredible sums; of racing matches;
in which his judgment had infallibly foretold the winner;
of shooting parties; in which he had killed more birds
(though without having one good shot) than all his
companions together; and described to her some famous
day's sport; with the fox…hounds; in which his foresight
and skill in directing the dogs had repaired the mistakes
of the most experienced huntsman; and in which the boldness
of his riding; though it had never endangered his own
life for a moment; had been constantly leading others
into difficulties; which he calmly concluded had broken
the necks of many。
Little as Catherine was in the habit of judging
for herself; and unfixed as were her general notions of what
men ought to be; she could not entirely repress a doubt;
while she bore with the effusions of his endless conceit;
of his being altogether completely agreeable。 It was a
bold surmise; for he was Isabella's brother; and she had
been assured by James that his manners would recommend him
to all her sex; but in spite of this; the extreme weariness
of his company; which crept over her before they had been
out an hour; and which continued unceasingly to increase
till they stopped in Pulteney Street again; induced her;
in some small degree; to resist such high authority;
and to distrust his powers of giving universal pleasure。
When they arrived at Mrs。 Allen's door; the astonishment
of Isabella was hardly to be expressed; on finding that it
was too late in the day for them to attend her friend into
the house: 〃Past three o'clock!〃 It was inconceivable;
incredible; impossible! And she would neither believe her
own watch; nor her brother's; nor the servant's; she would
believe no assurance of it founded on reason or reality;
till Morland produced his watch; and ascertained the fact;
to have doubted a moment longer then would have been
equally inconceivable; incredible; and impossible;
and she could only protest; over and over again; that no
two hours and a half had ever gone off so swiftly before;
as Catherine was called on to confirm; Catherine could not
tell a falsehood even to please Isabella; but the latter
was spared the misery of her friend's dissenting voice;
by not waiting for her answer。 Her own feelings entirely
engrossed her; her wretchedness was most acute on finding
herself obliged to go directly home。 It was ages since she
had had a moment's conversation with her dearest Catherine;
and; though she had such thousands of things to say to her;
it appeared as if they were never to be together again;
so; with sniffles of most exquisite misery; and the laughing
eye of utter despondency; she bade her friend adieu and went on。
Catherine found Mrs。 Allen just returned from all
the busy idleness of the morning; and was immediately
greeted with; 〃Well; my dear; here you are;〃 a truth
which she had no greater inclination than power to dispute;
〃and I hope you have had a pleasant airing?〃
〃Yes; ma'am; I thank you; we could not have had
a nicer day。〃
〃So Mrs。 Thorpe said; she was vastly pleased
at your all going。〃
〃You have seen Mrs。 Thorpe; then?〃
〃Yes; I went to the pump…room as soon as you were gone;
and there I met her; and we had a great deal of talk together。
She says there was hardly any veal to be got at market
this morning; it is so uncommonly scarce。〃
〃Did you see anybody else of our acquaintance?〃
〃Yes; we agreed to take a turn in the Crescent;
and there we met Mrs。 Hughes; and Mr。 and Miss Tilney
walking with her。〃
〃Did you indeed? And did they speak to you?〃
〃Yes; we walked along the Crescent together for half
an hour。 They seem very agreeable people。 Miss Tilney
was in a very pretty spotted muslin; and I fancy; by what I
can learn; that she always dresses very handsomely。
Mrs。 Hughes talked to me a great deal about the family。〃
〃And what did she tell you of them?〃
〃Oh! A vast deal indeed; she hardly talked of anything else。〃
〃Did she tell you what part of Gloucestershire they
come from?〃
〃Yes; she did; but I cannot recollect now。 But they
are very good kind of people; and very rich。 Mrs。 Tilney was
a Miss Drummond; and she and Mrs。 Hughes were schoolfellows;
and Miss Drummond had a very large fortune; and; when she
married; her father gave her twenty thousand pounds;
and five hundred to buy wedding…clothes。 Mrs。 Hughes
saw all the clothes after they came from the warehouse。〃
〃And are Mr。 and Mrs。 Tilney in Bath?〃
〃Yes; I fancy they are; but I am not quite certain。
Upon recollection; however; I have a notion they are both dead;
at least the mother is; yes; I am sure Mrs。 Tilney is dead;
because Mrs。 Hughe