Northanger Abbey - Chapter 23

An hour passed away before the general came in, spent, on the part of his young guest, in no very favourable ¹ consideration of his character. "This lengthened ² absence, these solitary ³ rambles ⁴, did not speak a mind at ease, or a conscience void of reproach." At length he appeared; and, whatever might have been the gloom of his meditations ⁵, he could still smile with them. Miss Tilney, understanding in part her friend's curiosity to see the house, soon revived the subject; and her father being, contrary to Catherine's expectations, unprovided with any pretence ⁶ for further delay, beyond that of stopping five minutes to order refreshments ⁸ to be in the room by their return, was at last ready to escort them., ,They set forward; and, with a grandeur ⁹ of air, a dignified ¹⁰ step, which caught the eye, but could not shake the doubts of the well-read Catherine, he led the way across the hall, through the common drawing-room and one useless antechamber, into a room magnificent both in size and furniture—the real drawing-room, used only with company of consequence. It was very noble—very grand—very charming!—was all that Catherine had to say, for her indiscriminating eye scarcely discerned the colour of the satin; and all minuteness of praise, all praise that had much meaning, was supplied by the general: the costliness ¹¹ or elegance ¹² of any room's fitting-up could be nothing to her; she cared for no furniture of a more modern date than the fifteenth century. When the general had satisfied his own curiosity, in a close examination of every well-known ornament ¹³, they proceeded into the library, an apartment, in its way, of equal magnificence, exhibiting a collection of books, on which an humble ¹⁴ man might have looked with pride. Catherine heard, admired, and wondered with more genuine feeling than before—gathered all that she could from this storehouse of knowledge, by running over the titles of half a shelf, and was ready to proceed. But suites ¹⁵ of apartments did not spring up with her wishes. Large as was the building, she had already visited the greatest part; though, on being told that, with the addition of the kitchen, the six or seven rooms she had now seen surrounded three sides of the court, she could scarcely believe it, or overcome the suspicion of there being many chambers ¹⁶ secreted ¹⁷. It was some relief, however, that they were to return to the rooms in common use, by passing through a few of less importance, looking into the court, which, with occasional passages, not wholly unintricate, connected the different sides; and she was further soothed ¹⁸ in her progress by being told that she was treading what had once been a cloister ¹⁹, having traces of cells pointed ²⁰ out, and observing several doors that were neither opened nor explained to her—by finding herself successively in a billiard-room, and in the general's private apartment, without comprehending their connection, or being able to turn aright when she left them; and lastly, by passing through a dark little room, owning Henry's authority, and strewed ²¹ with his litter of books, guns, and greatcoats., ,From the dining-room, of which, though already seen, and always to be seen at five o'clock, the general could not forgo ²² the pleasure of pacing out the length, for the more certain information of Miss Morland, as to what she neither doubted nor cared for, they proceeded by quick communication to the kitchen—the ancient kitchen of the convent, rich in the massy walls and smoke of former days, and in the stoves and hot closets of the present. The general's improving hand had not loitered here: every modern invention to facilitate the labour of the cooks had been adopted within this, their spacious ²³ theatre; and, when the genius of others had failed, his own had often produced the perfection wanted. His endowments of this spot alone might at any time have placed him high among the benefactors ²⁴ of the convent., , ,They returned to the hall, that the chief staircase might be ascended ³³, and the beauty of its wood, and ornaments ³⁴ of rich carving ³⁵ might be pointed out: having gained the top, they turned in an opposite direction from the gallery in which her room lay, and shortly entered one on the same plan, but superior in length and breadth. She was here shown successively into three large bed-chambers, with their dressing-rooms, most completely and handsomely fitted up; everything that money and taste could do, to give comfort and elegance to apartments, had been bestowed ³⁶ on these; and, being furnished within the last five years, they were perfect in all that would be generally pleasing, and wanting in all that could give pleasure to Catherine. As they were surveying the last, the general, after slightly naming a few of the distinguished ³⁷ characters by whom they had at times been honoured, turned with a smiling countenance ³⁸ to Catherine, and ventured to hope that henceforward some of their earliest tenants ³⁹ might be "our friends from Fullerton." She felt the unexpected compliment, and deeply regretted the impossibility of thinking well of a man so kindly ⁴⁰ disposed towards herself, and so full of civility to all her family., ,The gallery was terminated by folding doors, which Miss Tilney, advancing, had thrown open, and passed through, and seemed on the point of doing the same by the first door to the left, in another long reach of gallery, when the general, coming forwards, called her hastily, and, as Catherine thought, rather angrily back, demanding whether she were going?—And what was there more to be seen?—Had not Miss Morland already seen all that could be worth her notice?—And did she not suppose her friend might be glad of some refreshment ⁷ after so much exercise? Miss Tilney drew back directly, and the heavy doors were closed upon the mortified ⁴¹ Catherine, who, having seen, in a momentary ⁴² glance beyond them, a narrower passage, more numerous openings, and symptoms of a winding ⁴³ staircase, believed herself at last within the reach of something worth her notice; and felt, as she unwillingly ⁴⁴ paced back the gallery, that she would rather be allowed to examine that end of the house than see all the finery of all the rest. The general's evident desire of preventing such an examination was an additional stimulant ⁴⁵. Something was certainly to be concealed ⁴⁶; her fancy, though it had trespassed ⁴⁷ lately once or twice, could not mislead her here; and what that something was, a short sentence of Miss Tilney's, as they followed the general at some distance downstairs, seemed to point out: "I was going to take you into what was my mother's room—the room in which she died—" were all her words; but few as they were, they conveyed pages of intelligence to Catherine. It was no wonder that the general should shrink from the sight of such objects as that room must contain; a room in all probability never entered by him since the dreadful scene had passed, which released his suffering wife, and left him to the stings of conscience., ,We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。,The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了 。