Welcome to sleep stories with Steph Your go-to podcast That offers you a calm and relaxing transition Into a great night's sleep It is time to relax and fully let go There is nothing you need to be doing now and nowhere you need to go Close your eyes And feel yourself sink into the support beneath you And let all the worries of the day Drift away This is your time and your space Take a deep breath in through your nose And let it out with a long sigh There is nothing you need to be doing now and nowhere you need to go Happy listening Chapter 28 continued It was with pain that Catherine could speak at all now and it was only for Eleanor's sake that she attempted it I'm sure Said she I'm,
Very sorry if i've offended the general it was a nasty thing.
I willingly would have done But do not be happy Eleanor An engagement,
You know must be kept I'm,
Only sorry.
It was not recollected sooner that I might have written home But it is of very little consequence I hope I honestly hope that to your real safety it will be none But to everything else it is of the greatest consequence to comfort appearance propriety your family to the world Were your friends the Allens still in Bath you might go to them with comparative ease A few hours would take you there But a journey of 70 miles to be taken post by you at your age alone unattended All the journey is nothing do not think about that And if we are to part a few hours sooner or later,
You know makes no difference I can be ready by seven Let me be called in time Eleanor saw that Catherine wished to be alone And believing it better for each they should avoid any further conversation now left her with I shall see you in the morning Catherine's swelling heart needed relief In Eleanor's presence friendship and pride had equally restrained her tears But no sooner was she gone Than they burst forth in torrents Turned from the house and in such a way without any reason that could justify Any apology that could atone for the abruptness the rudeness Nay,
The insolence of it Henry at a distance not able even to bid him farewell Every hope every expectation from him suspended at least And who could say how long?
Who could say when they might meet again?
And all by this is such a man as general Tilney so polite so well-bred And heretofore so particularly fond of her It was as incomprehensible as it was mortifying and grievous For what it could arise and where it would end were considerations of equal perplexity and alarm The manner in which it was done so grossly uncivil Hurrying her away without any reference to her own convenience or allowing her even the appearance of choice as to the time or mode of her traveling of two days the earliest fixed on And of that almost the earliest hour as if resolved to have her gone before he was stirring in the morning That he might not be obliged even to see her What could all this mean but an intentional affront?
By some means or other she must have had the misfortune to offend him Eleanor had wished to spare her for so painful a notion But Catherine could not believe it possible that any injury or misfortune Could provoke such ill will against a person not connected Or at least not supposed to be connected with it Heavily past the night Sleep or a pose that deserved the name of sleep was out of the question That room in which her disturbed imagination had tormented her on her first arrival Was again the scene of agitated spirits and unquiet slumbers Yet how different now the source of her inquietude from what it had been then How mournfully superior in reality and substance Her anxiety had foundation in fact her fears in probability And with a mind so occupied in the contemplation of actual and natural evil the solitude of her situation the darkness of her chamber the antiquity of the building Were felt and considered without the smallest emotion though The wind was high and often produced strange and sudden noises throughout the house She heard it all as she lay awake hour after hour without curiosity or terror She was not aware of what was happening Soon after six Eleanor entered her room eager to show attention or give assistance where it was possible But very little remained to be done Catherine had not loitered.
She was almost dressed and her packing almost finished The possibility of some conciliatory message from the general occurred to her as his daughter appeared What's so natural as that anger should pass away and repent and succeed it And she only wanted to know how far after what had passed an apology might properly be received by her But the knowledge would have been useless here.
It was not called for Neither clemency nor dignity was put to the trial Eleanor brought no message Very little passed between them on meeting Each found her greatest safety in silence And few and trivial were the sentences exchanged while they remained upstairs Catherine in busy agitation completing her dress And Eleanor with more goodwill and experience intend upon filling the trunk When everything was done they left the room Catherine lingering only half a minute beyond her friend To throw a parting glance on every well-known cherished object And went down to the breakfast parlor where breakfast was prepared She tried to eat as well as to save herself from the pain of being urged as to make her friend comfortable But she had no appetite and could not swallow many mouthfuls The contrast between this and her last breakfast in that room Gave her fresh misery and strengthened her distaste for everything before her It was not four and twenty hours ago since they had met there to the same repast But in circumstances how different With what cheerful ease what happy though false security had she then looked around her Enjoying everything present And fearing little in future beyond henry's going to woodston for a day Happy happy breakfast For henry had been there Henry had sat by her and helped her These reflections were long indulged Undisturbed by any address from her companion Who sat as deep in thought as herself?
And the appearance of the carriage was the first thing to startle and recall them to the present moment Catherine's color rose at the sight of it And the indignity with which she was treated striking at that instant on her mind with peculiar force Made her for a short time sensible only of resentment Eleanor seemed now impelled into resolution and speech You must write to me catherine She cried you must let me hear from you as soon as possible Till I know you to be safe at home.
I shall not have an hour's comfort For one letter at all risks all hazards.
I must entreat Let me have the satisfaction of knowing you are safe at fullerton and have found your family.
Well And then till I can ask for your correspondence as I ought to do I will not expect more Direct to me at lord longton's and I must ask it under cover to alice No,
Elena if you are not allowed to receive a letter from me i'm sure i'd better not write There can be no doubt of my getting home safe Eleanor only replied I cannot wonder at your feelings I will not importune you I will trust your own kindness of heart when i'm at a distance from you But this With a look of sorrow accompanying it was enough to melt catherine's pride in a moment And she instantly said oh elena.
I will write you indeed There was yet another point which miss tilney was anxious to settle though somewhat embarrassed in speaking of It had occurred to her that after so long an absence from home Catherine might not be provided with money enough for the expenses of her journey And upon suggesting it to her with the most affectionate offer of accommodation It proved to be exactly the case Catherine had never thought on the subject till that moment But upon examining her purse was convinced that but for this kindness of her friend She might have been turned from the house Without even the means of getting home And the distress in which she must have been thereby involved filling the minds of both Scarcely another word was said by either During the time of their remaining together Short however was that time The carriage was soon announced to be ready and catherine Instantly rising A long and affectionate embrace supplied the place of language in bidding each other adieu And as they entered the hall Unable to leave the house without some mention of one whose name had not yet been spoken by either She paused a moment And with quivering lips just made it intelligible That she left her kind remembrance for her absent friend But with this approach to his name ending all possibility of restraining her feelings And hiding her face as well as she could with her handkerchief She darted across the hall Jumped into the chaise And in a moment Was driven from the door
