northanger abbey- 第36部分

His　endowments　of　this　spot　alone　might　at　any　time



have　placed　him　high　among　the　benefactors　of　the　convent。　







　　　　　With　the　walls　of　the　kitchen　ended　all　the　antiquity



of　the　abbey；　the　fourth　side　of　the　quadrangle　having；



on　account　of　its　decaying　state；　been　removed　by　the



general's　father；　and　the　present　erected　in　its　place。　



All　that　was　venerable　ceased　here。　　The　new　building　was



not　only　new；　but　declared　itself　to　be　so；　intended　only



for　offices；　and　enclosed　behind　by　stable…yards；　no



uniformity　of　architecture　had　been　thought　necessary。　



Catherine　could　have　raved　at　the　hand　which　had　swept



away　what　must　have　been　beyond　the　value　of　all　the　rest；



for　the　purposes　of　mere　domestic　economy；　and　would



willingly　have　been　spared　the　mortification　of　a　walk



through　scenes　so　fallen；　had　the　general　allowed　it；



but　if　he　had　a　vanity；　it　was　in　the　arrangement　of



his　offices；　and　as　he　was　convinced　that；　to　a　mind　like



Miss　Morland's；　a　view　of　the　accommodations　and　comforts；



by　which　the　labours　of　her　inferiors　were　softened；



must　always　be　gratifying；　he　should　make　no　apology



for　leading　her　on。　　They　took　a　slight　survey　of　all；



and　Catherine　was　impressed；　beyond　her　expectation；



by　their　multiplicity　and　their　convenience。　　The　purposes



for　which　a　few　shapeless　pantries　and　a　comfortless



scullery　were　deemed　sufficient　at　Fullerton；　were　here



carried　on　in　appropriate　divisions；　commodious　and　roomy。　



The　number　of　servants　continually　appearing　did　not



strike　her　less　than　the　number　of　their　offices。　



Wherever　they　went；　some　pattened　girl　stopped　to　curtsy；



or　some　footman　in　dishabille　sneaked　off。　　Yet　this　was



an　abbey！　How　inexpressibly　different　in　these　domestic



arrangements　from　such　as　she　had　read　aboutfrom



abbeys　and　castles；　in　which；　though　certainly　larger



than　Northanger；　all　the　dirty　work　of　the　house　was



to　be　done　by　two　pair　of　female　hands　at　the　utmost。　



How　they　could　get　through　it　all　had　often　amazed　Mrs。　Allen；



and；　when　Catherine　saw　what　was　necessary　here；　she　began



to　be　amazed　herself。　







　　　　　They　returned　to　the　hall；　that　the　chief　staircase



might　be　ascended；　and　the　beauty　of　its　wood；　and　ornaments



of　rich　carving　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　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



characters　by　whom　they　had　at　times　been　honoured；



turned　with　a　smiling　countenance　to　Catherine；



and　ventured　to　hope　that　henceforward　some　of　their



earliest　tenants　might　be　〃our　friends　from　Fullerton。〃



She　felt　the　unexpected　compliment；　and　deeply　regretted



the　impossibility　of　thinking　well　of　a　man　so　kindly　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　after　so　much　exercise？　Miss



Tilney　drew　back　directly；　and　the　heavy　doors　were



closed　upon　the　mortified　Catherine；　who；　having　seen；



in　a　momentary　glance　beyond　them；　a　narrower　passage；



more　numerous　openings；　and　symptoms　of　a　winding　staircase；



believed　herself　at　last　within　the　reach　of　something



worth　her　notice；　and　felt；　as　she　unwillingly　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。　



Something　was　certainly　to　be　concealed；　her　fancy；



though　it　had　trespassed　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



roomthe　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。　







　　　　　She　ventured；　when　next　alone　with　Eleanor；



to　express　her　wish　of　being　permitted　to　see　it；



as　well　as　all　the　rest　of　that　side　of　the　house；



and　Eleanor　promised　to　attend　her　there；　whenever　they



should　have　a　convenient　hour。　　Catherine　understood　her：



the　general　must　be　watched　from　home；　before　that　room



could　be　entered。　　〃It　remains　as　it　was；　I　suppose？〃



said　she；　in　a　tone　of　feeling。　







　　　　　〃Yes；　entirely。〃







　　　　　〃And　how　long　ago　may　it　be　that　your　mother　died？〃







　　　　　〃She　has　been　dead　these　nine　years。〃　And　nine　years；



Catherine　knew；　was　a　trifle　of　time；　compared　with　what



generally　elapsed　after　the　death　of　an　injured　wife；



before　her　room　was　put　to　rights。　







　　　　　〃You　were　with　her；　I　suppose；　to　the　last？〃







　　　　　〃No；〃　said　Miss　Tilney；　sighing；　〃I　was　unfortunately



from　home。　　Her　illness　was　sudden　and　short；　and；　before　I



arrived　it　was　all　over。〃







　　　　　Catherine's　blood　ran　cold　with　the　horrid



suggestions　which　naturally　sprang　from　these　words。　



Could　it　be　possible？　Could　Henry's　father？　And　yet



how　many　were　the　examples　to　justify　even　the　blackest



suspicions！　And；　when　she　saw　him　in　the　evening；



while　she　worked　with　her　friend；　slowly　pacing　the



drawing…room　for　an　hour　together　in　silent　thoughtfulness；



with　downcast　eyes　and　contracted　brow；　she　felt　secure



from　all　possibility　of　wronging　him。　　It　was　the　air



and　attitude　of　a　Montoni！　What　could　more　plainly　speak



the　gloomy　workings　of　a　mind　not　wholly　dead　to　every



sense　of　humanity；　in　its　fearful　review　of　past　scenes



of　guilt？　Unhappy　man！　And　the　anxiousness　of　her　spirits



directed　her　eyes　towards　his　figure　so　repeatedly；



as　to　catch　Miss　Tilney's　notice。　　〃My　father；〃



she　whispered；　〃often　walks　about　the　room　in　this　way；



it　is　nothing　unusual。〃







　　　　　〃So　much　the　worse！〃　thought　Catherine；　such　ill…timed



exercise　was　of　a　piece　with　the　strange　unseasonableness



of　his　morning　walks；　and　boded　nothing　good。　







　　　　　After　an　evening；　the　little　variety　and　seeming



length　of　which　made　her　peculiarly　sensible　of　Henry's



importance　among　them；　she　was　heartily　glad　to　be　dismissed；



though　it　was　a　look　from　the　general　not　designed　for



her　observation　which　sent　his　daughter　to　the　bell。　



When　the　butler　would　have　lit　his　master's　candle；　however；



he　was　forbidden。　　The　latter　was　not　going　to　retire。　



〃I　have　many　pamphlets　to　finish；〃　said　he　to　Catherine；



〃before　I　can　close　my　eyes；　and　perhaps　may　be　poring　over



the　affairs　of　the　nation　for　hours　after　you　are　asleep。　



Can　either　of　us　be　more　meetly　employed？　My　eyes　will



be　blinding　for　the　good　of　others；　and　yours　preparing



by　rest　for　future　mischief。〃







　　　　　But　neither　the　business　alleged；　nor　the　magnificent



compliment；　could　win　Catherine　from　thinking　that　some



very　different　object　must　occasion　so　serious　a　delay



of　proper　repose。　　To　be　kept　up　for　hours；　after　the　family



were　in　bed；　by　stupid　pamphlets　was　not　very　likely。　



There　must　be　some　deeper　cause：　something　was　to　be　done



which　could　be　done　only　while　the　household　slept；



and　the　probability　that　Mrs。　Tilney　yet　lived；　shut　up



for　causes　unknown；　and　receiving　from　the　pitiless



hands　of　her　husband　a　nightly　supply　of　coarse　food；



was　the　conclusion　which　necessarily　followed。　



Shocking　as　was　the　idea；　it　was　at　least　better　than



a　death　unfairly　hastened；　as；　in　the　natural　course



of　things；　she　must　ere　long　be　released。　　The　suddenness



of　her　reputed　illness；　the　absence　of　her　daughter；



and　probably　of　her　other　children；　at　the　timeall　favoured



the　supposition　of　her　imprisonment。　　Its　originjealousy



perhaps；　or　wanton　crueltywas　yet　to　be　unravelled。　







　　　　　In　revolving　these　matters；　while　she　undressed；



it　suddenly　struck　her　as　not　unlikely　that　she　might



that　morning　have　passed　near　the　very　spot　of　this



unfortunate　woman's　confinementmight　have　been　within　a　few



paces　of　the　cell　in　which　she　languished　out　her