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