Chapter 26

by Jane Austen

　　From this time, the subject was frequently canvassedby the three young people; and Catherine found,with some surprise, that her two young friends wereperfectly agreed in considering Isabella's wantof consequence and fortune as likely to throw greatdifficulties in the way of her marrying their brother.Their persuasion that the general would, upon thisground alone, independent of the objection that mightbe raised against her character, oppose the connection,turned her feelings moreover with some alarm towards herself.She was as insignificant, and perhaps as portionless,as Isabella; and if the heir of the Tilney property hadnot grandeur and wealth enough in himself, at what pointof interest were the demands of his younger brother torest? The very painful reflections to which this thoughtled could only be dispersed by a dependence on the effectof that particular partiality, which, as she was givento understand by his words as well as his actions,she had from the first been so fortunate as to excitein the general; and by a recollection of some most generousand disinterested sentiments on the subject of money,which she had more than once heard him utter, and whichtempted her to think his disposition in such mattersmisunderstood by his children.

　　They were so fully convinced, however, that theirbrother would not have the courage to apply in personfor his father's consent, and so repeatedly assured herthat he had never in his life been less likely to cometo Northanger than at the present time, that she sufferedher mind to be at ease as to the necessity of any suddenremoval of her own. But as it was not to be supposedthat Captain Tilney, whenever he made his application,would give his father any just idea of Isabella's conduct,it occurred to her as highly expedient that Henry shouldlay the whole business before him as it really was,enabling the general by that means to form a cooland impartial opinion, and prepare his objectionson a fairer ground than inequality of situations.She proposed it to him accordingly; but he did notcatch at the measure so eagerly as she had expected."No," said he, "my father's hands need not be strengthened,and Frederick's confession of folly need not be forestalled.He must tell his own story."

　　"But he will tell only half of it."

　　"A quarter would be enough."

　　A day or two passed away and brought no tidingsof Captain Tilney. His brother and sister knew not whatto think. Sometimes it appeared to them as if his silencewould be the natural result of the suspected engagement,and at others that it was wholly incompatible with it.The general, meanwhile, though offended every morning byFrederick's remissness in writing, was free from any realanxiety about him, and had no more pressing solicitudethan that of making Miss Morland's time at Northangerpass pleasantly. He often expressed his uneasiness onthis head, feared the sameness of every day's societyand employments would disgust her with the place,wished the Lady Frasers had been in the country,talked every now and then of having a large partyto dinner, and once or twice began even to calculatethe number of young dancing people in the neighbourhood.But then it was such a dead time of year, no wild-fowl,no game, and the Lady Frasers were not in the country.And it all ended, at last, in his telling Henry one morningthat when he next went to Woodston, they would take himby surprise there some day or other, and eat their muttonwith him. Henry was greatly honoured and very happy,and Catherine was quite delighted with the scheme."And when do you think, sir, I may look forward to thispleasure? I must be at Woodston on Monday to attend theparish meeting, and shall probably be obliged to stay twoor three days."

　　"Well, well, we will take our chance some oneof those days. There is no need to fix. You are notto put yourself at all out of your way. Whatever youmay happen to have in the house will be enough.I think I can answer for the young ladies making allowancefor a bachelor's table. Let me see; Monday will bea busy day with you, we will not come on Monday;and Tuesday will be a busy one with me. I expect mysurveyor from Brockham with his report in the morning;and afterwards I cannot in decency fail attending the club.I really could not face my acquaintance if I stayedaway now; for, as I am known to be in the country,it would be taken exceedingly amiss; and it is a rulewith me, Miss Morland, never to give offence to any ofmy neighbours, if a small sacrifice of time and attentioncan prevent it. They are a set of very worthy men.They have half a buck from Northanger twice a year;and I dine with them whenever I can. Tuesday, therefore,we may say is out of the question. But on Wednesday,I think, Henry, you may expect us; and we shall be withyou early, that we may have time to look about us.Two hours and three quarters will carry us to Woodston,I suppose; we shall be in the carriage by ten; so, about aquarter before one on Wednesday, you may look for us."

　　A ball itself could not have been more welcometo Catherine than this little excursion, so strongwas her desire to be acquainted with Woodston;and her heart was still bounding with joy when Henry,about an hour afterwards, came booted and greatcoated intothe room where she and Eleanor were sitting, and said,"I am come, young ladies, in a very moralizing strain,to observe that our pleasures in this world are alwaysto be paid for, and that we often purchase them at agreat disadvantage, giving ready-monied actual happinessfor a draft on the future, that may not be honoured.Witness myself, at this present hour. Because I amto hope for the satisfaction of seeing you at Woodstonon Wednesday, which bad weather, or twenty other causes,may prevent, I must go away directly, two days before Iintended it."

　　"Go away!" said Catherine, with a very long face."And why?"

　　"Why! How can you ask the question? Because no timeis to be lost in frightening my old housekeeper out ofher wits, because I must go and prepare a dinner for you,to be sure."

　　"Oh! Not seriously!"

　　"Aye, and sadly too--for I had much rather stay."

　　"But how can you think of such a thing, after whatthe general said? When he so particularly desired younot to give yourself any trouble, because anything would do."

　　Henry only smiled. "I am sure it is quiteunnecessary upon your sister's account and mine.You must know it to be so; and the general made such apoint of your providing nothing extraordinary: besides,if he had not said half so much as he did, he hasalways such an excellent dinner at home, that sittingdown to a middling one for one day could not signify."

　　"I wish I could reason like you, for his sake and my own.Good-bye. As tomorrow is Sunday, Eleanor, I shall not return."

　　He went; and, it being at any time a much simpleroperation to Catherine to doubt her own judgment thanHenry's, she was very soon obliged to give him creditfor being right, however disagreeable to her his going.But the inexplicability of the general's conduct dweltmuch on her thoughts. That he was very particular inhis eating, she had, by her own unassisted observation,already discovered; but why he should say one thingso positively, and mean another all the while,was most unaccountable! How were people, at that rate,to be understood? Who but Henry could have been awareof what his father was at?

　　From Saturday to Wednesday, however, they were nowto be without Henry. This was the sad finale of everyreflection: and Captain Tilney's letter would certainly comein his absence; and Wednesday she was very sure would be wet.The past, present, and future were all equally in gloom.Her brother so unhappy, and her loss in Isabella so great;and Eleanor's spirits always affected by Henry's absence!What was there to interest or amuse her? She was tired ofthe woods and the shrubberies--always so smooth and so dry;and the abbey in itself was no more to her now than anyother house. The painful remembrance of the folly ithad helped to nourish and perfect was the only emotionwhich could spring from a consideration of the building.What a revolution in her ideas! She, who had so longedto be in an abbey! Now, there was nothing so charmingto her imagination as the unpretending comfort of awell-connected parsonage, something like Fullerton,but better: Fullerton had its faults, but Woodston probablyhad none. If Wednesday should ever come!

　　It did come, and exactly when it might be reasonablylooked for. It came--it was fine--and Catherine trodon air. By ten o'clock, the chaise and four conveyedthe two from the abbey; and, after an agreeable driveof almost twenty miles, they entered Woodston, a largeand populous village, in a situation not unpleasant.Catherine was ashamed to say how pretty she thought it,as the general seemed to think an apology necessary forthe flatness of the country, and the size of the village;but in her heart she preferred it to any place she had everbeen at, and looked with great admiration at every neathouse above the rank of a cottage, and at all the littlechandler's shops which they passed. At the further endof the village, and tolerably disengaged from the rest of it,stood the parsonage, a new-built substantial stone house,with its semicircular sweep and green gates; and, as theydrove up to the door, Henry, with the friends of his solitude,a large Newfoundland puppy and two or three terriers,was ready to receive and make much of them.

　　Catherine's mind was too full, as she enteredthe house, for her either to observe or to say agreat deal; and, till called on by the general for heropinion of it, she had very little idea of the roomin which she was sitting. Upon looking round it then,she perceived in a moment that it was the most comfortableroom in the world; but she was too guarded to say so,and the coldness of her praise disappointed him.

　　"We are not calling it a good house," said he."We are not comparing it with Fullerton and Northanger--weare considering it as a mere parsonage, small and confined,we allow, but decent, perhaps, and habitable; and altogethernot inferior to the generality; or, in other words,I believe there are few country parsonages in England halfso good. It may admit of improvement, however. Far beit from me to say otherwise; and anything in reason--abow thrown out, perhaps--though, between ourselves,if there is one thing more than another my aversion,it is a patched-on bow."

　　Catherine did not hear enough of this speech to understandor be pained by it; and other subjects being studiouslybrought forward and supported by Henry, at the same time thata tray full of refreshments was introduced by his servant,the general was shortly restored to his complacency,and Catherine to all her usual ease of spirits.

　　The room in question was of a commodious,well-proportioned size, and handsomely fitted up asa dining-parlour; and on their quitting it to walk roundthe grounds, she was shown, first into a smaller apartment,belonging peculiarly to the master of the house, and madeunusually tidy on the occasion; and afterwards into whatwas to be the drawing-room, with the appearance of which,though unfurnished, Catherine was delighted enough evento satisfy the general. It was a prettily shaped room,the windows reaching to the ground, and the viewfrom them pleasant, though only over green meadows;and she expressed her admiration at the moment withall the honest simplicity with which she felt it."Oh! Why do not you fit up this room, Mr. Tilney? Whata pity not to have it fitted up! It is the prettiestroom I ever saw; it is the prettiest room in the world!"

　　"I trust," said the general, with a most satisfied smile,"that it will very speedily be furnished: it waits only fora lady's taste!"

　　"Well, if it was my house, I should never sitanywhere else. Oh! What a sweet little cottage there isamong the trees--apple trees, too! It is the prettiest cottage!"

　　"You like it--you approve it as an object--it is enough.Henry, remember that Robinson is spoken to about it.The cottage remains."

　　Such a compliment recalled all Catherine's consciousness,and silenced her directly; and, though pointedly appliedto by the general for her choice of the prevailing colourof the paper and hangings, nothing like an opinionon the subject could be drawn from her. The influenceof fresh objects and fresh air, however, was of greatuse in dissipating these embarrassing associations;and, having reached the ornamental part of the premises,consisting of a walk round two sides of a meadow, on whichHenry's genius had begun to act about half a year ago,she was sufficiently recovered to think it prettier than anypleasure-ground she had ever been in before, though therewas not a shrub in it higher than the green bench in the corner.

　　A saunter into other meadows, and through partof the village, with a visit to the stables to examinesome improvements, and a charming game of play with alitter of puppies just able to roll about, brought themto four o'clock, when Catherine scarcely thought it couldbe three. At four they were to dine, and at six to setoff on their return. Never had any day passed so quickly!

　　She could not but observe that the abundance of thedinner did not seem to create the smallest astonishmentin the general; nay, that he was even looking at theside-table for cold meat which was not there. His sonand daughter's observations were of a different kind.They had seldom seen him eat so heartily at any tablebut his own, and never before known him so littledisconcerted by the melted butter's being oiled.

　　At six o'clock, the general having taken his coffee,the carriage again received them; and so gratifying had beenthe tenor of his conduct throughout the whole visit, so wellassured was her mind on the subject of his expectations,that, could she have felt equally confident of the wishesof his son, Catherine would have quitted Woodston withlittle anxiety as to the How or the When she might return to it.