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Chapter 8 In spite of Udolpho and the dressmaker,
However,
The party from Poultry Street reached the chaperones in very good time.
The Thorpes and James Moreland were there only two minutes before them,
And Isabella,
Having gone through the usual ceremonial of meeting her friend with the most smiling and affectionate haste,
Of admiring the set of her gown and envying the curl of her hair,
They followed their chaperones arm in arm into the ballroom,
Whispering to each other whenever a thought occurred,
And supplying place of many ideas by a squeeze of the hand or a smile of affection.
The dancing began within a few minutes after they were seated,
And James,
Who had been engaged quite as long as his sister,
Was very important with Isabella to stand up,
But John was gone into the card room to speak to a friend,
And nothing she declared could induce her to join the set before her dear Catherine could join it too.
"'I assure you,
' said she,
"'I would not stand up without your dear sister for all the world,
For if I did,
We should certainly be separated the whole evening!
' Catherine accepted this kindness with gratitude,
And they continued as they were for three minutes longer when Isabella,
Who had been talking to James on the other side of her,
Turned again to his sister and whispered,
"'My dear creature,
I am afraid I must leave you.
Your brother is so amazingly impatient to begin.
I know you will not mind my going away,
And I dare say John will be back in a moment.
Then you may easily find me out.
' Catherine,
Though a little disappointed,
Had too much good nature to make any opposition,
And the others rising up,
Isabella had only time to press her friend's hand and say,
"'Goodbye,
My dear love,
' before they hurried off.
The younger Miss Thorpe's being also dancing,
Catherine was left to the mercy of Mrs.
Thorpe and Mrs.
Allan,
Between whom she now remained.
She could not help being vexed at the non-appearance of Mr.
Thorpe,
For she not only longed to be dancing,
But was likewise aware that as the real dignity of her situation could not be known,
She was sharing with the scores of other young ladies still sitting down all the discredit of wanting a partner.
To be disgraced in the eye of the world,
To wear the appearance of infamy while her heart is all purity,
Her actions all innocence,
And the misconduct of another the true source of her debasement,
Is one of those circumstances which peculiarly belong to the heroine's life,
And her fortitude under it what particularly dignifies her character.
Catherine had fortitude too.
She suffered,
But no murmur passed her lips.
From this state of humiliation she was roused,
At the end of ten minutes,
To a pleasanter feeling,
By seeing not Mr.
Thorpe,
But Mr.
Tilney,
Within three yards of the place where they sat.
He seemed to be moving that way,
But he did not see her,
And therefore the smile and the blush,
Which his sudden reappearance raised in Catherine,
Passed away without sullying her heroic importance.
He looked as handsome and as lively as ever.
He was talking with interest to a fashionable and pleasing-looking young woman,
Who leant on his arm,
And who Catherine immediately guessed to be his sister,
Thus unthinkingly throwing away a fair opportunity of considering him lost to her forever by being married already.
Guided only by what was simple and probable,
It had never entered her head Mr.
Tilney could be married.
He had not behaved,
He had not talked like the married men to whom she had been used.
He had never mentioned a wife,
And he had acknowledged a sister.
From these circumstances sprang the instant conclusion of his sister's now being by his side,
And therefore,
Instead of turning of a death-like paleness and falling in a fit on Mrs.
Allan's bosom,
Catherine sat erect in the perfect use of her senses and with cheeks only a little redder than usual.
Mr.
Tilney and his companion,
Who continued,
Though slowly,
To approach,
Were immediately preceded by a lady,
An acquaintance of Mrs.
Thorpe,
And this lady stopping to speak to her.
They,
As belonging to her,
Stopped likewise.
Catherine catching Mr.
Tilney's eye,
Instantly received from him the smiling tribute of recognition.
She returned it with pleasure,
Then advancing still nearer,
He spoke both to her and Mrs.
Allan,
By whom he was very civilly acknowledged.
I am very happy to see you again,
Sir,
Indeed,
I was afraid you'd left bar.
He thanked her for her fears,
And said he'd quitted for a week,
On the very morning after his having had the pleasure of seeing her.
Well,
Sir,
And I dare say you're not sorry to be back again,
For it's just the place for young people,
And indeed for everybody else too.
I tell Mr.
Allan,
When he talks of being sick of it,
I'm sure he should not complain,
For it's so very agreeable a place,
It's much better to be here than at home at this dark time of the year.
I tell him he's quite in luck to be sent here for his health.
And I hope,
Madam,
Mr.
Allan will be obliged to like the place,
For finding it of service to him.
Thank you,
Sir,
I have no doubt he will,
A neighbour of ours,
Dr.
Skinner,
Was here for his health last winter,
And came away quite stout.
That circumstance must give great encouragement.
Yes,
Sir,
And Dr.
Skinner and his family were here three months,
So I tell Mr.
Allan he must not be in a hurry to get away.
Here they were interrupted by a request from Mrs.
Thorpe to Mrs.
Allan,
That she would move a little to accommodate Mrs.
Hughes and Miss Tilney with seats,
As they had agreed to join the party.
This was accordingly done,
Mr.
Tilney still continually standing before them,
And after a few minutes' consideration,
He asked Catherine to dance.
This compliment,
Delightful as it was,
Produced severe mortification to the lady,
And in giving her denial,
She expressed her sorrow on the occasion so very much,
As if she really felt it,
That had Thorpe,
Who joined her just afterwards,
Been half a minute earlier,
He might have thought her sufferings rather too acute.
The very easy manner in which he then told her he'd kept her waiting,
Did not by any means reconcile her more to her lot,
Nor did the particulars which she entered into when they were standing up,
Of the horses and dogs of the friend whom he just left,
And of a proposed exchange of terriers between them,
Interest her so much as to prevent her looking very often towards that part of the room where she'd just left Mr.
Tilney.
Of her dear Isabella,
To whom she particularly longed to point out that gentleman,
She could see nothing.
They were in different sets.
She was separated from all her party,
And away from all her acquaintance.
One mortification succeeded another,
And from the whole she deduced this useful lesson that to go previously engaged to a ball does not necessarily increase either the dignity or enjoyment of a young lady,
But such a moralising strain as this,
She was suddenly aroused by a touch on the shoulder,
And turning around,
She perceived Mrs.
Hughes directly behind her,
Attended by Miss Tilney and a gentleman.
"'I beg your pardon,
Miss Morland,
' said she,
For this liberty,
But I cannot,
Anyhow,
Get to Miss Thorpe,
And Mrs.
Thorpe said she was sure you would not have the least objection to letting in this young lady by you.
' Mrs.
Hughes could not have applied to any creature in the room more happy to oblige her than Catherine.
The young ladies were introduced to each other.
Miss Tilney expressed a proper sense of such goodness,
Miss Morland with a real delicacy of a generous mind making light of the obligation,
And Mrs.
Hughes,
Satisfied with having so respectably settled her young charge,
Now returned to her party.
