11 Northanger Abbey - Read By Stephanie Poppins

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Chapter 11 Soon after their reaching the bottom of the set,

Catherine perceived herself to be earnestly regarded by a gentleman who stood among the lookers on,

Immediately behind her partner.

He was a very handsome man of a commanding aspect,

Past the bloom but not past the vigour of life,

And with his eyes still directed towards her,

She saw him presently address Mr Tilney in a familiar whisper.

Confused by his notice and blushing from the fear of it being excited by something wrong in her appearance,

She turned away her head.

But while she did so,

The gentleman retreated and her partner coming nearer said,

I see that you guess what I've just been asked.

That gentleman knows your name and you have a right to know his.

It's General Tilney,

My father.

Catherine's answer was only,

Oh,

But it was an oh expressing everything needful,

Attention to his words and perfect reliance on their truth.

With real interest and strong admiration did her eye now follow the general as he moved towards the crowd.

And how handsome a family they are,

Was her secret remark.

In chatting with Miss Tilney before the evening concluded,

A new source of felicity arose to her.

She had never taken a country walk since her arrival in Bath.

Miss Tilney,

To whom all the commonly frequented environs were familiar,

Spoke of them in terms which made her all eagerness to know them too.

And on her openly fearing she might find nobody to go with her,

It was proposed by the brother and sister they should join in a walk some morning or other.

I shall like it,

She cried,

Beyond anything in the world.

And do not let us put it off,

Let us go tomorrow.

This was readily agreed to with only a proviso of Miss Tilney's that it did not rain,

Which Catherine was sure it would not.

At twelve o'clock they were to call for her in Pulteney Street,

And remember twelve o'clock was her parting speech to her new friend.

Of her other friend,

Her older friend,

Her more established friend,

Isabella,

Of whose fidelity and worth she had enjoyed a fortnight's experience,

She scarcely saw anything during the evening.

Yet,

Though longing to make her acquainted with her happiness,

She cheerfully submitted to the wish of Mr.

Allan,

Which took them rather early away,

And her spirits danced with her as she danced in her chair all the way home.

The morrow brought a very sober-looking morning,

The sun making only a few efforts to appear,

And Catherine award from it everything most favourable to her wishes.

A bright morning so early in the year,

She allowed,

Would generally turn to rain,

But a cloudy one foretold improvement as the day advanced.

She applied to Mr.

Allan for confirmation of her hopes,

But Mr.

Allan,

Not having his own skies and barometer about him,

Declined giving any absolute promise of sunshine.

She applied to Mrs.

Allan,

And Mrs.

Allan's opinion was more positive.

She had no doubt in the world of its being a very fine day,

She said,

If the clouds would only go off and the sun keep out.

At about eleven o'clock,

However,

A few specks of small rain upon the windows caught Catherine's watchful eye,

And,

Oh dear,

I do believe it will be wet,

Broke from her in a most desponding tone.

I thought how it would be,

Said Mrs.

Allan.

No walk for me today,

Sighed Catherine,

But perhaps it may come to nothing,

Or it may hold up before twelve.

Perhaps it may,

But then,

My dear,

It will be so dirty.

Oh,

That would not signify I never mind dirt.

No,

I know you never mind dirt.

It comes on faster and faster,

Said Catherine,

As she stood watching at the window.

So it does indeed.

If it keeps raining,

The streets will be very wet.

There are four umbrellas up already.

How I hate the sight of an umbrella.

They are disagreeable things to carry,

Said Mrs.

Allan.

I would much rather take a chair at any time.

It was such a nice-looking morning.

I felt so convinced it would be dry.

Anybody would have thought so indeed,

Agreed Mrs.

Allan.

I hope Mr.

Allan will put on his greatcoat when he goes,

But I dare say he will not,

For he'd rather do anything in the world than walk out in a greatcoat.

No wonder he should dislike it.

It must be so comfortable.

The rain continued fast,

Though not heavy.

Catherine went every five minutes to the clock,

Threatening on each return that if it still kept on raining another five minutes,

She would give up the matter as hopeless.

The clock struck twelve,

And still it rained.

You will not be able to go,

My dear.

I do not quite despair yet.

I shall not give it up till a quarter after twelve.

This is just the time of day for it to clear up,

And I do think it looks a little lighter.

There,

It's twenty minutes after twelve,

And now I shall give it up entirely.

Oh,

That we had such weather here as they had at Udolpho,

At least in Tuscany in the south of France.

The night that poor St Alban died.

Such beautiful weather.

At half past twelve,

When Catherine's anxious attention to the weather was over,

And she could no longer claim any merit from its amendment,

The sky began voluntarily to clear.

A gleam of sunshine took her quite by surprise.

She looked round,

The clouds were parting,

And she instantly returned to the window to watch over and encourage the happy appearance.

Ten minutes more made it certain a bright afternoon would succeed,

And justified the opinion of Mrs Allen,

Who had always thought it would.

But whether Catherine might still expect her friends,

Whether there had not been too much rain for Miss Tilney to venture,

Must yet be a question.

It was too dirty for Mrs Allen to accompany her husband to the pump room.

He accordingly set off by himself,

And Catherine had barely watched him go down the street,

When her notice was claimed by the approach of the same two open carriages containing the same three people that had surprised her so much a few mornings back.

Isabella,

My brother and Mr Thorpe,

I declare.

They're coming for me,

Perhaps,

But I shall not go,

I cannot go,

For you know Miss Tilney may still call.

Mrs Allen agreed to it.

John Thorpe was soon with them,

And his voice was with them yet sooner,

For on the stairs he was calling them out to Miss Morland to be quick.

Make haste,

Make haste,

As he threw open the door.

Put on your hat this moment,

There's no time to be lost.

We're going to Bristol.

How do you do,

Miss Allen?

To Bristol?

Is that not a way off?

However,

I cannot go with you today because I'm engaged.

I expect some friends any moment.

This was of course vehemently talked down as no reason at all.

Mrs Allen was called on to second him,

And two others walked in to give their assistance.

My sweetest Catherine,

Is this not delightful?

We shall have a most heavenly drive.

You're to thank your brother and me for the scheme.

It darted into our heads at breakfast time.

Oh,

I'm in such ecstasy at the thought of a little country air and quiet.

So much better than going to the lower rooms.

We shall drive directly to Clifton and dine there,

And as soon as dinner is over,

If there's time for it,

We'll go on to King Weston.

I doubt our being able to do so much,

Said Morland.

You croaking fellow,

Cried Thorpe.

We'll be able to do ten times more.

King's Weston,

Aye,

And Blaze Castle too,

And anything else we can hear of.

But here is your sister,

Says she will not go.

Blaze Castle,

Cried Catherine,

What is that?

The finest place in England,

Worth going fifty miles at any time to see.

What?

Is it really a castle,

An old castle?

The oldest in the kingdom?

But is it like what one reads of?

Exactly the very same.

But now really,

Are there towers and long galleries?

By dozens.

Then I should like to see it.

But I cannot,

I cannot go.

Not go,

My beloved creature,

What do you mean?

I cannot go because I expect Miss Tilney and her brother to call on me to take me to a country walk.

They promised to come at twelve,

Only it rained.

But now as it's so fine,

I dare say they will be here soon.

Not they indeed,

Cried Thorpe.

As we turned into Broad Street,

I saw them.

Does he not drive a Faton with bright chestnuts?

I do not know indeed.

I know he does,

I saw him.

You're talking of the man you danced with last night,

Are you not?

Yes,

Well I saw him at that moment turn up at the Lansdale Road,

Driving a smart looking girl.

Did you indeed?

Upon my soul I did,

Knew him again directly.

He seemed to have got some very pretty cattle too.

It's very odd,

But I suppose they thought it would be too dirty for a walk.

And well they might,

I never saw so much dirt in my life.

Walk,

You could no more walk than you could fly.

It's not been so dirty the whole winter,

It's ankle deep everywhere.

Then Isabella corroborated this.

My dearest Catherine,

You cannot form an idea of the dirt.

Come,

You must come with us,

You cannot refuse going now.

I should like to see the castle,

But may we go all over it?

May we go up every staircase and into every suite of rooms?

Yes,

And every hole and corner.

But then if they should only be gone out for an hour until it's drier and cool by and by?

Make yourself easy,

There's no danger of that.

I heard Tilney hallowing to a man who was just passing by on horseback that they were going as far as Weak Rocks.

Then I will.

Shall I go,

Mrs.

Allan?

Just as you please,

My dear.

Mrs.

Allan,

You must persuade her to go,

Was the general cry.

Mrs.

Allan was not inattentive to it.

Well,

My dear,

Said she,

Suppose you go.

And in two minutes,

They were off.

Catherine's feelings as she got into the carriage were in a very unsettled state.

Divided between regret for the loss of one great pleasure and the hope of soon enjoying another,

Almost its equalling degree,

However unlike in kind.

She could not think that Tilney's had acted quite well by her in so readily giving up their engagement,

Without sending her any message of excuse.

It was now but an hour later than the time fixed for the beginning of their walk,

And in spite of what she'd heard of the prodigious accumulation of dirt in the course of that hour,

She could not from her own observation help thinking they might have gone with very little inconvenience.

To feel herself slighted by them was very painful.

On the other hand,

The delight of exploring an edifice like Udolpho,

As her fancy represented Blay's castle to be,

Was such a counterpose of good as might console her for almost anything.