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Chapter 16 Catherine's expectation of pleasure from her visit in Milton Street was so very high that disappointment was inevitable,
And accordingly,
Though she was most politely received by General Tilney and kindly welcomed by his daughter,
Though Henry was at home and no one else of the party,
She fouled on her return without spending many hours in the examination of her feelings that she had gone to her appointment preparing for happiness which it had not afforded.
Instead of finding herself improved in acquaintance with Miss Tilney from the intercourse of the day,
She seemed hardly so intimate with her as before.
Instead of seeing Henry Tilney to greater advantage than ever in the ease of a family party,
He had never said so little nor been so little agreeable,
And in spite of their father's great civilities to her,
In spite of his thanks,
Invitations and compliments,
It had been a release to get away from him.
It puzzled her to account for all this.
It could not be General Tilney's fault that he was perfectly agreeable and good-natured and altogether a very charming man,
Did not admit of a doubt,
For he was tall and handsome and Henry's father.
He could not be accountable for his children's want of spirits or for her want of enjoyment in his company.
The former she hoped at last might have been accidental and the latter she could only attribute to her own stupidity.
Isabella on hearing the particulars of the visit gave a different explanation.
It was all pride,
Pride,
Insufferable haughtiness and pride.
I have long suspected the family to be very high and this has made it certain.
Such insolence of behaviour as Miss Tilney's I have never heard of in my life.
Not to do the honours of her house with common good breeding,
To behave to her guests with such superciliousness,
Hardly even to speak to her.
But it was not so bad as that,
Isabella,
There was no superciliousness,
She was very civil.
Oh,
Don't defend her.
And then the brother,
He who had a beard so attached to you,
Good heavens,
Well some people's feelings are incomprehensible and so he hardly looked once at you the whole day?
I did not say so,
But he did not seem in good spirits.
How contemptible,
Of all the things in the world inconstancy is my aversion,
Let me entreat you never to think of him again,
My dear Catherine,
Indeed he is unworthy of you.
Unworthy?
I do not suppose he ever thinks of me.
That is exactly what I say,
He never thinks of you.
Such fickleness.
Oh,
How different to your brother and to mine,
I really believe John has the most constant heart.
But as for General Tilney,
I assure you it will be impossible for anybody to behave to me with greater civility and attention.
It seems he only cares to entertain and make me happy.
Oh,
I know no harm of him,
I do not suspect him of pride,
I believe he is a very gentleman-like man.
John thinks very well of him and John's judgment,
Well I shall see how they behave to me this evening,
We shall meet them at the rooms.
And must I go?
Do you not intend it,
Isabella?
I thought it was all settled.
Nay,
Since you make such a point of it,
I can refuse you nothing,
But do not insist upon my being very agreeable,
For my heart,
You know,
Will be some forty miles off.
And as for dancing,
Do not mention it,
I beg,
That is quite out of the question.
Charles Hodges will plague me to death,
I dare say,
That I shall cut him very short.
Ten to one,
But he guesses the reason,
And that is exactly what I want to avoid,
So I shall insist on his keeping his conjecture to himself.
Isabella's opinion of the Tilneys did not influence her friend.
She was sure there had been no insolence in the manners either of brother or sister,
And she did not credit there being any pride in their hearts.
The evening rewarded her confidence,
And she was met by one with the same kindness and by the other with the same attention as heretofore.
Miss Tilney took pains to be near her,
And Henry asked her to dance.
Having heard the day before in Milsom Street that their elder brother Captain Tilney was expected almost every hour,
Catherine was at no loss for the name of a very fashionable looking,
Handsome young man,
Whom she had never seen before and who now evidently belonged to their party.
She looked at him with great admiration,
And even supposed it possible that some people might think him handsomer than his brother,
Though in her eyes his air was more assuming and his countenance less prepossessing.
His taste and manners were beyond a doubt decidedly inferior,
For within her hearing he not only protested against every thought of dancing himself,
But even laughed openly at Henry for finding it possible.
From the latter circumstance it may be presumed that whatever might be our heroine's opinion of him,
His admiration of her was not of a very dangerous kind,
Nor likely to produce animosities between the brothers,
Nor persecutions to the lady.
He cannot be the instigator of the three villains in horseman's great coats,
By whom she will hereafter be forced into a travelling chaise en four,
Which will drive off with incredible speed.
Catherine,
Meanwhile,
Undisturbed by presentiments of such evil,
Or of any evil at all,
Except that of having but a short set to dance down,
Enjoyed her usual happiness with Henry Tilney,
Listening with sparkling eyes to everything he said,
And in finding him irresistible,
Becoming so herself.
At the end of the first dance,
Captain Tilney came towards them again,
And much to Catherine's dissatisfaction,
Pulled his brother away.
They retired whispering together,
And though her delicate sensibility did not take immediate alarm and lay it down as fact that Captain Tilney must have heard some malevolent misrepresentation of her,
Which he now hastened to communicate to his brother,
In the hope of separating them forever,
She could not have her partner conveyed from her sight without very uneasy sensations.
Her suspense was a full five minutes' duration,
And she was beginning to think it a very long quarter of an hour,
When they both returned and an explanation was given.
By Henry's requesting to know if she thought her friend Miss Thorpe would have any objection to dancing,
As his brother would be most happy to be introduced to her,
Catherine without hesitation replied she was very sure Miss Thorpe did not mean to dance at all.
The cruel reply was passed on to the other,
And he immediately walked away.
Your brother will not mind it,
I know,
Said she,
Because I heard him say before he hated dancing,
But it was very good nature to him to think of it.
I suppose he saw Isabella sitting down and fancied she might wish for a partner,
But he is quite mistaken,
For she would not dance upon any account in the world.
Henry smiled and said,
How very little trouble it can give you to understand the motive of other people's actions.
Why,
What do you mean?
With you,
Is it not?
How is such a one likely to be influenced?
What is the inducement most likely to act upon such a person's feelings?
But how should I be influenced?
What would be my inducement in acting so and so?
I do not understand you.
Then we are on very unequal terms,
For I understand you perfectly well.
Me?
Yes,
I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible.
Bravo,
An excellent satire on modern language.
But pray tell me what you mean.
Shall I indeed?
Do you really desire it?
But you are not aware of the consequences.
It will involve you in a very cruel embarrassment and certainly bring on a disagreement between us.
No,
It shall not do either,
I am not afraid.
Well then,
I only mean you are attributing my brother's wish of dancing with Miss Thorpe to good nature alone.
Convince me of your being superior in good nature yourself to all the rest of the world.
Catherine blushed and disclaimed,
And the gentleman's predictions were verified.
There was a something,
However,
In his words which repaid her for the pain of confusion,
And that something occupied her mind so much that she drew back for some time,
Forgetting to speak or to listen and almost forgetting where she was.
Till,
Roused by the voice of Isabella,
She looked up and saw her with Captain Tilney preparing to give them hands across.
Isabella shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
The only explanation of this extraordinary change which could at that time be given.
But as it was not quite enough for Catherine's comprehension,
She spoke her astonishment in very plain terms to her partner.
I cannot think how it could happen.
Isabella was so determined not to dance.
And did Isabella never change her mind before?
Oh,
But because,
And your brother,
After what you told him from me,
How could he think of going to ask her?
I cannot take surprise to myself on that,
Ted.
You bid me be surprised on your friend's account,
And therefore I am.
But as for my brother,
His conduct in the business I must own has been no more than I believed him perfectly equal to.
The fairness of your friend was an open attraction.
Her firmness,
You know,
Could only be understood by yourself.
You're laughing,
But I assure you Isabella was very firm in general.
It is as much as should be said of anyone.
To be always firm must be to be often obstinate.
When properly to relax is the trial of judgment,
And without reference to my brother,
I really think Miss Thorpe has by no means chosen ill in fixing on the present hour.
The friends were not able to get together for any confidential discourse till all the dancing was over.
But then,
As they walked about the room arm in arm,
Isabella thus explained herself.
I do not wonder at your surprise that I am really fatigued to death.
He's such a rattle.
Amusing enough,
If my mind had been disengaged,
But I would have given the world to sit still.
Then why did you not?
Oh my dear,
It would have looked so particular,
And you know how I abhor doing that.
I refused him as long as I possibly could,
But he would take no denial.
You have no idea how he pressed me.
I begged him to excuse me and get some other partner.
But no,
Not he.
After a spine to my hand,
There was nobody else in the room he could bear to think of.
And it was not that he wanted merely to dance,
He wanted to be with me.
Oh,
Such nonsense.
I told him he'd taken a very unlikely way to prevail upon me.
For of all the things in the world,
I hated fine speeches and compliments.
And so,
And so,
Then I found there would be no peace if I did not stand up.
Besides,
I thought Mrs Hughes,
Who introduced him,
Might take it ill if I did not.
And your dear brother,
I'm sure he would have been miserable if I had sat down the whole evening.
I am glad it's over.
My spirits are quite jaded with listening to his nonsense.
And then,
Being such a smart young fellow,
I saw every eye was upon us.
He is very handsome indeed.
Handsome?
Yes,
I suppose he may.
I dare say people would admire him in general,
But he's not in my style of beauty.
I hate a florid complexion and dark eyes in a man.
However,
He's very well.
Amazingly conceited,
I'm sure.
I took him down several times,
You know.
In my way.
