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    Northanger Abbey (Illustrated by Hugh Thomson)
    Northanger Abbey (Illustrated by Hugh Thomson)
    Northanger Abbey (Illustrated by Hugh Thomson)
    Ebook308 pages3 hours

    Northanger Abbey (Illustrated by Hugh Thomson)

    By Jane Austen

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    First published posthumously in 1817, “Northanger Abbey” was actually the first finished novel that Jane Austen wrote. It is the story of seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland, one of ten children of a country clergyman, who imagines life as living in one of the Gothic novels with which she is excessively fond of reading. When she is invited by her wealthy neighbors, the Fullertons, to accompany them to the spa town of Bath she experiences her first taste of the fashionable upper class society of England. While there she meets the clever young gentleman, Henry Tilney, his sister Eleanor, and their father, the imposing General Tilney. The Tilneys invite Catherine to come stay with them at their estate, the titular Northanger Abbey. Catherine’s naïve over-active imagination quickly leads to embarrassment when she infers some sinister circumstances regarding the lack of emotion that General Tilney shows for the loss of his deceased wife. Eventually she realizes that real life is not at all like that of a Gothic novel. Noted for the insight it gives to Austen’s one opinions of the literature of her day, “Northanger Abbey” is both a satirical parody of the gothic romance novel and the story of a young girl’s maturation into womanhood. This edition is illustrated by Hugh Thomson.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDigireads.com Publishing
    Release dateJan 1, 2017
    ISBN9781420954296
    Northanger Abbey (Illustrated by Hugh Thomson)
    Author

    Jane Austen

    Jane Austen (1775–1817) was an English novelist whose work centred on social commentary and realism. Her works of romantic fiction are set among the landed gentry, and she is one of the most widely read writers in English literature.

    Read more from Jane Austen

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    Reviews for Northanger Abbey (Illustrated by Hugh Thomson)

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    • 5/5
      After being so-so about Pride and Prejudice, which everyone seems to love, I was suprised at how much I liked Northanger Abbey. It is genuinely funny.
    • 3/5
      A quite surprising novel in its frankness and how it treats the subject matter. Austen proves her worth by crafting characters whose journeys inward parallel the motion of the plot-line occurring around them. While the prose might seem a little dated by today's standards, there is still much to be admired here. This is, I believe, one of Austen's finer novels.

      3.35-- worth the read.
    • 4/5
      Not my favourite Austen novel, but still a lovely read and a very intriguing story. Northanger Abbey concerns itself with appearance, style, and fashion. This is established immediately with the author's advertisement, and with the repetition in the first few chapters that Catherine is the "heroine" and must appear "heroic." Of course, Austen breaks down the rules of appearances, demonstrating throughout the length of the novel that nothing is as it appears. Even the lovely abbey that Catherine longs for, she soon remarks that it is the place where she has been most miserable, and received the most terrible news, as opposed to its exterior joys. All in all, it's a snarky Austen, and a witty Austen, but it lacks the mastery of some of Austen's other works.
    • 4/5
      Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey was the first she completed for publication, in 1803, though it was not published until after her death in 1817. The work satirizes gothic novels though the heroine, Catherine Morland, who “is in training for a heroine.” She is fond of gothic novels, particularly the work of Ann Radcliffe’s work, and this allows Austen to comment on the novel as a literary form, defending it against critics who derided it for its supposed lack of serious content. Discussing her reading habits, Catherine describes the follies then current in historical writing, saying, “The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all – it is very tiresome: and yet I often think it odd that it should be so dull, for a great deal of it must be invention. The speeches that are put into the heroes’ mouths, their thoughts and designs – the chief of all this must be invention, and invention is what delights me in other books” (pg. 102). As modern academic history was relatively recent, first appearing with Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in 1776, Austen comments on the earlier fashion of historical writing and how authors would simply repackage classical texts with some of their own inventions to spice up the narrative. The power of reading runs through Austen’s work, driving many of Catherine’s choices and informing her conversations. This Barnes & Noble edition includes an introduction and notes from Alfred Mac Adam that the Austen scholar may find interesting, though his habit of putting definitions for all the early-nineteenth century terms in the footnotes becomes distracting, especially as the meaning of most can be gleaned from context.
    • 1/5
      I see what she was trying to do here, but it comes off more frustrated and catty than satirical. It does make me glad that I live in the 21st century, though, and not the 18th.
    • 3/5
      This may make me a disgrace to Jane Austen fandom, but Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice have always been fairly interchangeable in my mind. They’re just so similar! So, even though I love them both dearly, I was initially very excited to start this book and find something a bit different. As always, I adored Austen’s writing style and her pointed humor. In this book, she very deliberately breaks the tropes of the Gothic novel, with funny asides about the genre along the way. Her points are made clearly enough that I could tell what she was making fun of in Gothic novels, even though I’ve read very few myself. However, as I got further into the book, it soon became clear that there was essentially no plot and the main character isn’t very bright. Although she does grow a bit, she has very little agency. Nearly all of the difficulties she faces are in her head or at least blown all out of proportion. I didn’t really feel that this silly main protagonist deserved the intelligent, funny, kind love interest. In typical Austen fashion though, everything just works itself out in the last few pages. This doesn’t typically bother me, but in this case, there wasn’t enough action by the main character preceding the speedy resolution. Only Austen’s wonderful writing saved this for me.

      This review first published on Doing Dewey.
    • 5/5
      I read this book way back in 1982 and I thinks it's due for a re-read.
    • 5/5
      actually very exciting and intriguing. early references to baseball and literature. it has a lot of character. Austen still can't write dialogue for confessions of love.
    • 5/5
      It is so refreshing to read a book that does not have sex, violence and profanity! Modern authors seem to have lost this mysterious art of being able to write a good book without the above mentioned "trinity." Jane Austen's works excel not only in quality of writing (which seems missing in modern authors), but quality of subject. I watched two or three screen renditions of this book and not a single one was able to capture Miss Austen's story. Catherine is not a stupid girl with an absurdly idiotic imagination. If you watched the movies and read this book you will understand my inference. Miss Austen writings all seem to me guided toward good. Henry Tilney is, as all Miss Austen's heroes seem to be, a charming man, elegant and respectful. But unlike other male characters (heroes) of her books, he has a delightful, even teasing sense of humor. His witty comments made me chuckle more than once. I am not a great writer of reviews, so my advice is read it. Even if you don't like the story very much, the writer style will certainly captivate you.
    • 4/5
      Catherine Morland was an ordinary young girl who was good-natured, inquisitive, and gullible. She blossomed when she traveled to Bath from her country parsonage and "came out" to society. There she was easily deceived by the calculating Isabella, but her basic goodness was never in doubt. I like to think her naivete was due to her youth and protected upbringing. Also, she was extremely fond of reading novels which further sparked her already lively imagination.The plot was simple and straighforward made a bit more interesting by the gothic intrigue of the abbey itself and the General's dark demeanor. I was disappointed in the hurried and weak ending. Perhaps I just wanted it to go on a bit longer so I could spend more time with Austen's delightful characters.
    • 1/5
      This book wasn't published during Austen's lifetime and you can see why. It simply isn't as good as her later books.I couldn't get into it at all.
    • 2/5
      Please don't be angry Austen fans but I'm afraid I will never be able to join your ranks. I liked Pride & Prejudice but I couldn't even finish Persuasion. I can see why fans like Northanger Abbey. Austen got in some pretty cutting comments on social mores and gothic literature. Unfortunately, the humor was not enough to draw me into the story.
    • 5/5
      Being the Austen fan that I am, I eventually would have read Northanger but due to the recommendation of a friend (also an Austen fan), I wound up reading it much sooner than I had anticipated. At first, I was hesitant: how good could Austen's first novel have been if it had been overlooked by many for almost 200 years? Nevertheless, I read it- and loved it. The simplicity of the main character (Catherine) and the trifles of her life when suddenly placed in Bath, England push the story along much faster than you could imagine. Although characters are blatantly divided into "good" and "evil" there is no denying the fact that sometimes people ally themselves with bad people. It also goes without saying that Austen did an eloquent job of providing the reader with that sense of being alone in a world where everyone seems to despise you. Northanger Abbey is a wonderful little novel that'll make you want to sit in bed on a cold night and "gobble it all up".
    • 4/5
      Miss Austen has remained for the past 10 years one of my absolute favorite authors; ever since first reading Emma when I was 12. Her humour is so subtle and mischievous in tone that it feels as if you're sharing an inside joke with a friend. Or at least that's how I described it to a disdainful friend that couldn't understand why I liked moldy old books from the 1800s.This was no exception. The delightful Mr. Tilney would sweep me off my feet with his charming teasing and good nature. But as with all her characters, no one is spared faults, including her hero and heroine. Catherine is burdened with pernicious folly and Mr. Tilney is skilled at vexing others for slight mistakes. I love this because who wants to read about perfect people all the time? It just makes you feel bad about yourself.Anyways, if you're an Austen fan who hasn't read it, do. If you've never read Austen, I wouldn't start with this book, but I definitely recommend reading something! by her. I've made friends simply for having read Austen. It was a great conversation starter when I visited colleges years ago...
    • 2/5
      Characters were childish. This is the first Jane Austen book I have read and was highly disappointed.
    • 4/5
      Catherine Morland is taken to stay in Bath by Mr and Mrs Allen. She falls in love with one man, is courted by another, and is invited to stay at an old Abbey where her imagination runs riot.

      Not a huge amount of plot, but plenty of humour as characters are cleverly revealed by their speech and actions. Supposedly a spoof on the romantic fiction of the time, but with a satisfying and happy ending after several misunderstandings are cleared up. Lighter than most Jane Austen, and rather shorter but very enjoyable.
    • 2/5
      This is my first Austen since I started reading for pleasure (elementary and high school beat that love right out of me, and I hardly touched any nonrequired reading until college), and the biggest thing I noticed is that she never heard that age-old rule about writing: "show, don't tell." I admit that I haven't read large amounts of literature from this time period, but was it in style to simply describe conversations rather than write actual dialogue? Either way, I can look past that. Unfortunately, the story wasn't particularly interesting. Catherine visits friends in Bath, hooks up with the Tilneys, has a series of misunderstandings, then abruptly there's a happy ending. Though I can't say I'll never read another Austen novel, I don't see myself going out of my way to read them either.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorite Jane Austen reads. Henry and Catherine are amazing characters and I can identify with both of them on some level! Great coming of age story and wonderful romance.
    • 3/5
      Jane Austen's satire on the gothic novels of her time is, at the same time, a defense of the novel, according to the Austen scholar who was in my bookclub meeting the other day. The novel showcases Austen's sense of humor, and at times gently, at times not-so-gently, highlights flaws in the society.
    • 3/5
      I've loved Jane Austen's other novels, and this was a fairly entertaining diversion, especially if you've got any experience reading 18th Century Gothic novels. It probably isn't something I'll come back to as I will with her others, but I'm glad to have explored it over once--a relaxing break from the real world if nothing else, and an easy read.
    • 3/5
      This was my first time reading a Jane Austen novel. I found it to be quite enjoyable and loved the humor that Ms Austen used. This is labeled to be a bit on the "gothic" side, however being use to today's type of gothic, this did not stand out at all to me. In Northanger Abbey, we have young Catherine Morland, who is off to spend a few weeks in Bath, with a dear family friend. While there, she sees many exciting things and meets many people. One such person, Eleanor Tilney, becomes a beloved friend and also happens to be the sister of Henry, who Catherine has fallen in love with.The time has soon come for the Tilney's to head home and Eleanor asks that Catherine come to stay with them. Not only does the prospect of getting to see the inside of a true Abbey excite her, but to be able to stay with her dear friend and be able to be near the man she has fallen in love with, are to good to be true.Once settled in Northanger Abbey, Catherine begins to question the death of Eleanor and Henry's mother. She envisions their father keeping their dear mother stashed away somewhere within the Abbey, or worse yet, having killed her at his own hand, rather than a sudden illness taking her life. Thus enters the role of the gothic play.By reading Northanger Abbey, I feel as though I was given the chance to travel back in a time much much different than today. I look forward to reading more of Jane Austin's work and may even search out the movie, based upon this book - just to see how it plays out on the screen, compared to how I envisioned it while reading.
    • 3/5
      This is abook about a woman. She is Catherine. She came to Bath with Mr and Mrs Allen. When she went to balls, she met a girl. She is Isabella. She became her friend. And there She met a man. He is Henry who is destined to marry her. This book is easy to read. So everyone can read easy.
    • 4/5
      At seventeen, Catherine Morland reads books. She especially enjoys gothic novels like Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho which contain castles with secret passages, mysterious rooms and evil inhabitants. Miss Morland takes these romantic thoughts with her to Bath where she spends several weeks with her neighbors, the Allens. It is there that she meets Isabella and the braggart, foul mouthed, deceptive John Thorpe and both love Catherine immensely, or do they really? Catherine also befriends Henry and his sister Eleanor Tilney. Catherine loves Henry from the first sight of him. She is ecstatic to be invited to their home, Northanger Abbey. Henry fuels her romantic thoughts on the trip to the Abbey in what seems like a mockery of her love of novels. I so looked forward to reading my beautiful edition of Northanger Abbey but I was just as let down by the Abbey as Catherine. We both expected something that never transpired. There was little romance and hardly any cat and mouse games which I have become accustomed to in an Austen novel. As usual, her trademark injustices of class distinctions are present . The exception to any romantic liaison is John Thorpe who simply loves John Thorpe. I have never met a character which I detest more than this man. His gaul and audacity make me cringe.I never knew for certain Henry's feelings for Catherine as I found the story to lack passion and intensity with a conclusion that is hurried and is simply a review of events by the narrator. A tidy way to wrap things up. It is as if Austen was ready to finish this story and move on to the next. Disappointed that the object of the title did not present itself until Chapter 20! With all do respect, this novel was Austen's first but published post-humously by her brother.I recommend it to lovers of Austen though not enthusiastically.
    • 4/5
      Chose this book for a book club selection to complement a modern adaptation to Jane Austen. I not only read the book but listened to an audio version that was narrated by Mary Sarah Agliotta. I also watched a Netflix Masterpiece Theatre DVD starring Felicity Jones this was very well done. Enjoyed seeing the book brought to life. The book itself is considered a parody of the gothic romances of the time period. This is an earlier work of Austen that was published after her death and did not go through a tough editing process. It is very cheeky for the time and there are some wonderful lines in the book that can even be used today.

      "It is only a novel... or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humor, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language"

      or how about this one -

      "Miss Moreland, no one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do. In my opinion, nature has given them so much, that they never find it necessary to use more than half."

      After reading Northanger Abbey, I look forward to reading more of Austen's other works.
    • 3/5
      I am so glad I read this - so that I never have to read it again. She's a very good author, I agree - but you have to have some knowledge of a subject to enjoy a satire on it, and I avoid Gothic novels because I find them boring and histrionic. So I missed 90% of her clever satirical bits (all but the ones she pointed out with loud handwavings and lampshadings) and got to read a boring, histrionic Gothic novel. The characters are rather sketchy - aside from Our Heroine and a little bit Our Hero, none of them move much past stereotype. The events are (deliberately) dull, ordinary, and conventional...hmm, we never did get that abduction in a coach and four she mentioned as a future event. I was expecting it to show up during her ride home, and to be conventionally explained. It's almost a sweet little romance, but the obstacles are so silly... I also found the narrator/author extremely intrusive, particularly at the beginning while she was explaining how Catherine was a heroine despite lacking all the standard markers. Hopefully this is part of the satire, and not her standard form. I will read more Austen (this was, I believe, my first), and will do my best to forget about this one.
    • 5/5
      Catherine, away from home for the first time, is disappointed when visiting her friend's home, Northanger Abbey, to find that it isn't quite what she expected from her avid reading of gothic novels.Northanger Abbey may not have much story, but it is full of Austen's customary wit and charm. In fact, I found this one of her most charming books because it pokes gentle fun at some of the absurdities of popular fiction, while still showing a healthy respect for readers and their obsession with books. Who has not been in Catherine's position, forced to attend a social occasion when what you'd really rather be doing is finding out what happens next in the novel you're reading? I found myself chuckling aloud at several points, particularly when Catherine's attempts to unearth something mysterious and adventurous at Northanger Abbey only results in discovering something disappointedly mundane. Catherine herself, who starts out quite naive, grows up quite a bit during the course of her novel, and I, like her mother, was impressed after she was suddenly turned out of Northanger Abbey with her ability to get herself home alone and without any misadventures whatsoever.Of course, Austen saves her true social criticism for those who deserve it, the false friends and money-grubbers that Catherine meets along the way. True friends (and true love) win out in the end, and Austen, as always, lets us go with a happy ending and a wedding. Such fun.Read in July 2014.
    • 5/5
      This is probably my favorite Austen novel. It is so lighthearted.
    • 5/5
      I think Northanger Abbey may be my favorite Jane Austen novel, although it's almost impossible to pick a favorite. This one is up there, though. It's a lighthearted satire that parodies the Gothic novels of Austen's day and age. I love how good Catherine is... how she sees the best in people. I love how she loves to read and how her imagination can run away from her. It's just a fun read. Henry Tilney and his sister are both delightful characters as well, and Isabelle Thorpe is a perfectly written shallow gold-digger. Don't skip this Austen read just because it's not one of her more well-known works!Recommendations:Would I recommend this to a fellow book-lover? Absolutely.Would I recommend this to my teen daughter? Yes.
    • 4/5
      Catherine Morland, who enjoys reading novels, finds herself in a twist on one as she accompanies neighbors to Bath. She soon finds herself as a guest at Northanger Abbey where she falls for Henry Tilney, the son of the owner, a rather nasty general. This is Jane Austen's take/parody on a gothic novel. I tried to read this one about 35 years ago when I read a lot of romantic suspense and Gothic novels. I did not like it at that time, probably because of the linguistic and grammatical differences in reading a novel written at the time of Austen versus that of a novel written in the 1970s. I found myself enjoying it much more this time. While Catherine is not in quite the lowest of circumstances of many heroines of Gothic novels, she is not as affluent as Henry's family so there is a difference in social class. Catherine experiences many things in this novel including the betrayal of a friend.
    • 2/5
      Surprisingly funny for Austen! I first read this one for a Gothic Novels class - fantastic class by the way - and really liked it. It's not my favorite of hers, but definitely worth reading. I enjoyed the way she defended her craft against critics of the novel genre.

    Book preview

    Northanger Abbey (Illustrated by Hugh Thomson) - Jane Austen

    cover.jpg

    NORTHANGER ABBEY

    By JANE AUSTEN

    Illustrated by HUGH THOMSON

    Northanger Abbey

    By Jane Austen

    Illustrated by Hugh Thomson

    Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-5428-9

    eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-5429-6

    This edition copyright © 2017. Digireads.com Publishing.

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

    Cover Image: a detail of Two Views of Apley Priory (oil on canvas), English School, (18th century) / Roy Miles Fine Paintings / Bridgeman Images.

    Please visit www.digireads.com

    CONTENTS

    Advertisement by the Authoress, to Northanger Abbey

    Chapter 1

    Chapter 2

    Chapter 3

    Chapter 4

    Chapter 5

    Chapter 6

    Chapter 7

    Chapter 8

    Chapter 9

    Chapter 10

    Chapter 11

    Chapter 12

    Chapter 13

    Chapter 14

    Chapter 15

    Chapter 16

    Chapter 17

    Chapter 18

    Chapter 19

    Chapter 20

    Chapter 21

    Chapter 22

    Chapter 23

    Chapter 24

    Chapter 25

    Chapter 26

    Chapter 27

    Chapter 28

    Chapter 29

    Chapter 30

    Chapter 31

    Advertisement by the Authoress, to Northanger Abbey

    This little work was finished in the year 1803, and intended for immediate publication. It was disposed of to a bookseller, it was even advertised, and why the business proceeded no farther, the author has never been able to learn. That any bookseller should think it worth-while to purchase what he did not think it worth-while to publish seems extraordinary. But with this, neither the author nor the public have any other concern than as some observation is necessary upon those parts of the work which thirteen years have made comparatively obsolete. The public are entreated to bear in mind that thirteen years have passed since it was finished, many more since it was begun, and that during that period, places, manners, books, and opinions have undergone considerable changes.

    Chapter 1

    No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her. Her father was a clergyman, without being neglected, or poor, and a very respectable man, though his name was Richard—and he had never been handsome. He had a considerable independence besides two good livings—and he was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters. Her mother was a woman of useful plain sense, with a good temper, and, what is more remarkable, with a good constitution. She had three sons before Catherine was born; and instead of dying in bringing the latter into the world, as anybody might expect, she still lived on—lived to have six children more—to see them growing up around her, and to enjoy excellent health herself. A family of ten children will be always called a fine family, where there are heads and arms and legs enough for the number; but the Morlands had little other right to the word, for they were in general very plain, and Catherine, for many years of her life, as plain as any. She had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without colour, dark lank hair, and strong features—so much for her person; and not less unpropitious for heroism seemed her mind. She was fond of all boy’s plays, and greatly preferred cricket not merely to dolls, but to the more heroic enjoyments of infancy, nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary-bird, or watering a rose-bush. Indeed she had no taste for a garden; and if she gathered flowers at all, it was chiefly for the pleasure of mischief—at least so it was conjectured from her always preferring those which she was forbidden to take. Such were her propensities—her abilities were quite as extraordinary. She never could learn or understand anything before she was taught; and sometimes not even then, for she was often inattentive, and occasionally stupid. Her mother was three months in teaching her only to repeat the Beggar’s Petition; and after all, her next sister, Sally, could say it better than she did. Not that Catherine was always stupid—by no means; she learnt the fable of The Hare and Many Friends as quickly as any girl in England. Her mother wished her to learn music; and Catherine was sure she should like it, for she was very fond of tinkling the keys of the old forlorn spinner; so, at eight years old she began. She learnt a year, and could not bear it; and Mrs. Morland, who did not insist on her daughters being accomplished in spite of incapacity or distaste, allowed her to leave off. The day which dismissed the music-master was one of the happiest of Catherine’s life. Her taste for drawing was not superior; though whenever she could obtain the outside of a letter from her mother or seize upon any other odd piece of paper, she did what she could in that way, by drawing houses and trees, hens and chickens, all very much like one another. Writing and accounts she was taught by her father; French by her mother: her proficiency in either was not remarkable, and she shirked her lessons in both whenever she could. What a strange, unaccountable character!—for with all these symptoms of profligacy at ten years old, she had neither a bad heart nor a bad temper, was seldom stubborn, scarcely ever quarrelsome, and very kind to the little ones, with few interruptions of tyranny; she was moreover noisy and wild, hated confinement and cleanliness, and loved nothing so well in the world as rolling down the green slope at the back of the house.

    Such was Catherine Morland at ten. At fifteen, appearances were mending; she began to curl her hair and long for balls; her complexion improved, her features were softened by plumpness and colour, her eyes gained more animation, and her figure more consequence. Her love of dirt gave way to an inclination for finery, and she grew clean as she grew smart; she had now the pleasure of sometimes hearing her father and mother remark on her personal improvement. Catherine grows quite a good-looking girl—she is almost pretty today, were words which caught her ears now and then; and how welcome were the sounds! To look almost pretty is an acquisition of higher delight to a girl who has been looking plain the first fifteen years of her life than a beauty from her cradle can ever receive.

    Mrs. Morland was a very good woman, and wished to see her children everything they ought to be; but her time was so much occupied in lying-in and teaching the little ones, that her elder daughters were inevitably left to shift for themselves; and it was not very wonderful that Catherine, who had by nature nothing heroic about her, should prefer cricket, baseball, riding on horseback, and running about the country at the age of fourteen, to books—or at least books of information—for, provided that nothing like useful knowledge could be gained from them, provided they were all story and no reflection, she had never any objection to books at all. But from fifteen to seventeen she was in training for a heroine; she read all such works as heroines must read to supply their memories with those quotations which are so serviceable and so soothing in the vicissitudes of their eventful lives.

    img1.png

    CATHERINE GROWS QUITE A GOOD-LOOKING GIRL

    From Pope, she learnt to censure those who

    bear about the mockery of woe.

    From Gray, that

    "Many a flower is born to blush unseen,

    And waste its fragrance on the desert air.

    From Thompson, that—

    "it is a delightful task

    To teach the young idea how to shoot.

    And from Shakespeare she gained a great store of information—amongst the rest, that—

    "Trifles light as air,

    "Are, to the jealous, confirmation strong,

    As proofs of Holy Writ.

    That

    "The poor beetle, which we tread upon,

    "In corporal sufferance feels a pang as great

    As when a giant dies.

    And that a young woman in love always looks—

    "like Patience on a monument

    Smiling at Grief.

    So far her improvement was sufficient—and in many other points she came on exceedingly well; for though she could not write sonnets, she brought herself to read them; and though there seemed no chance of her throwing a whole party into raptures by a prelude on the pianoforte, of her own composition, she could listen to other people’s performance with very little fatigue. Her greatest deficiency was in the pencil—she had no notion of drawing—not enough even to attempt a sketch of her lover’s profile, that she might be detected in the design. There she fell miserably short of the true heroic height. At present she did not know her own poverty, for she had no lover to portray. She had reached the age of seventeen, without having seen one amiable youth who could call forth her sensibility, without having inspired one real passion, and without having excited even any admiration but what was very moderate and very transient. This was strange indeed! But strange things may be generally accounted for if their cause be fairly searched out. There was not one lord in the neighbourhood; no—not even a baronet. There was not one family among their acquaintance who had reared and supported a boy accidentally found at their door—not one young man whose origin was unknown. Her father had no ward, and the squire of the parish no children.

    But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way.

    Mr. Allen, who owned the chief of the property about Fullerton, the village in Wiltshire where the Morlands lived, was ordered to Bath for the benefit of a gouty constitution—and his lady, a good-humoured woman, fond of Miss Morland, and probably aware that if adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad, invited her to go with them. Mr. and Mrs. Morland were all compliance, and Catherine all happiness.

    Chapter 2

    In addition to what has been already said of Catherine Morland’s personal and mental endowments, when about to be launched into all the difficulties and dangers of a six weeks’ residence in Bath, it may be stated, for the reader’s more certain information, lest the following pages should otherwise fail of giving any idea of what her character is meant to be, that her heart was affectionate; her disposition cheerful and open, without conceit or affectation of any kind—her manners just removed from the awkwardness and shyness of a girl; her person pleasing, and, when in good looks, pretty—and her mind about as ignorant and uninformed as the female mind at seventeen usually is.

    When the hour of departure drew near, the maternal anxiety of Mrs. Morland will be naturally supposed to be most severe. A thousand alarming presentiments of evil to her beloved Catherine from this terrific separation must oppress her heart with sadness, and drown her in tears for the last day or two of their being together; and advice of the most important and applicable nature must of course flow from her wise lips in their parting conference in her closet. Cautions against the violence of such noblemen and baronets as delight in forcing young ladies away to some remote farm-house, must, at such a moment, relieve the fullness of her heart. Who would not think so? But Mrs. Morland knew so little of lords and baronets, that she entertained no notion of their general mischievousness, and was wholly unsuspicious of danger to her daughter from their machinations. Her cautions were confined to the following points. I beg, Catherine, you will always wrap yourself up very warm about the throat, when you come from the rooms at night; and I wish you would try to keep some account of the money you spend; I will give you this little book on purpose.

    Sally, or rather Sarah (for what young lady of common gentility will reach the age of sixteen without altering her name as far as she can?), must from situation be at this time the intimate friend and confidante of her sister. It is remarkable, however, that she neither insisted on Catherine’s writing by every post, nor exacted her promise of transmitting the character of every new acquaintance, nor a detail of every interesting conversation that Bath might produce. Everything indeed relative to this important journey was done, on the part of the Morlands, with a degree of moderation and composure, which seemed rather consistent with the common feelings of common life, than with the refined susceptibilities, the tender emotions which the first separation of a heroine from her family ought always to excite. Her father, instead of giving her an unlimited order on his banker, or even putting an hundred pounds bank-bill into her hands, gave her only ten guineas, and promised her more when she wanted it.

    Under these unpromising auspices, the parting took place, and the journey began. It was performed with suitable quietness and uneventful safety. Neither robbers nor tempests befriended them, nor one lucky overturn to introduce them to the hero. Nothing more alarming occurred than a fear, on Mrs. Allen’s side, of having once left her clogs behind her at an inn, and that fortunately proved to be groundless.

    They arrived at Bath. Catherine was all eager delight—her eyes were here, there, everywhere, as they approached its fine and striking environs, and afterwards drove through those streets which conducted them to the hotel. She was come to be happy, and she felt happy already.

    They were soon settled in comfortable lodgings in Pulteney Street.

    It is now expedient to give some description of Mrs. Allen, that the reader may be able to judge in what manner her actions will hereafter tend to promote the general distress of the work, and how she will, probably, contribute to reduce poor Catherine to all the desperate wretchedness of which a last volume is capable—whether by her imprudence, vulgarity, or jealousy—whether by intercepting her letters, ruining her character, or turning her out of doors.

    Mrs. Allen was one of that numerous class of females, whose society can raise no other emotion than surprise at there being any men in the world who could like them well enough to marry them. She had neither beauty, genius, accomplishment, nor manner. The air of a gentlewoman, a great deal of quiet, inactive good temper, and a trifling turn of mind were all that could account for her being the choice of a sensible, intelligent man like Mr. Allen. In one respect she was admirably fitted to introduce a young lady into public, being as fond of going everywhere and seeing everything herself as any young lady could be. Dress was her passion. She had a most harmless delight in being fine; and our heroine’s entree into life could not take place till after three or four days had been spent in learning what was mostly worn, and her chaperone was provided with a dress of the newest fashion. Catherine too made some purchases herself, and when all these matters were arranged, the important evening came which was to usher her into the Upper Rooms. Her hair was cut and dressed by the best hand, her clothes put on with care, and both Mrs. Allen and her maid declared she looked quite as she should do. With such encouragement, Catherine hoped at least to pass uncensured through the crowd. As for admiration, it was always very welcome when it came, but she did not depend on it.

    Mrs. Allen was so long in dressing that they did not enter the ballroom till late. The season was full, the room crowded, and the two ladies squeezed in as well as they could. As for Mr. Allen, he repaired directly to the card-room, and left them to enjoy a mob by themselves. With more care for the safety of her new gown than for the comfort of her protégée, Mrs. Allen made her way through the throng of men by the door, as swiftly as the necessary caution would allow; Catherine, however, kept close at her side, and linked her arm too firmly within her friend’s to be torn asunder by any common effort of a struggling assembly. But to her utter amazement she found that to proceed along the room was by no means the way to disengage themselves from the crowd; it seemed rather to increase as they went on, whereas she had imagined that when once fairly within the door, they should easily find seats and be able to watch the dances with perfect convenience. But this was far from being the case, and though by unwearied diligence they gained even the top of the room, their situation was just the same; they saw nothing of the dancers but the high feathers of some of the ladies. Still they moved on—something better was yet in view; and by a continued exertion of strength and ingenuity they found themselves at last in the passage behind the highest bench. Here there was something less of crowd than below; and hence Miss Morland had a comprehensive view of all the company beneath her, and of all the dangers of her late passage through them. It was a splendid sight, and she began, for the first time that evening, to feel herself at a ball: she longed to dance, but she had not an acquaintance in the room. Mrs. Allen did all that she could do in such a case by saying very placidly, every now and then, I wish you could dance, my dear—I wish you could get a partner. For some time her young friend felt obliged to her for these wishes; but they were repeated so often, and proved so totally ineffectual, that Catherine grew tired at last, and would thank her no more.

    They were not long able, however, to enjoy the repose of the eminence they had so laboriously gained. Everybody was shortly in motion for tea, and they must squeeze out like the rest. Catherine began to feel something of disappointment—she was tired of being continually pressed against by people, the generality of whose faces possessed nothing to interest, and with all of whom she was so wholly unacquainted that she could not relieve the irksomeness of imprisonment by the exchange of a syllable with any of her fellow captives; and when at last arrived in the tea-room, she felt yet more the awkwardness of having no party to join, no acquaintance to claim, no gentleman to assist them. They saw nothing of Mr. Allen; and after looking about them in vain for a more eligible situation, were obliged to sit down at the end of a table, at which a large party were already placed, without having anything to do there, or anybody to speak to, except each other.

    Mrs. Allen congratulated herself, as soon as they were seated, on having preserved her gown from injury. It would have been very shocking to have it torn, said she, would not it? It is such a delicate muslin. For my part I have not seen anything I like so well in the whole room, I assure you.

    How uncomfortable it is, whispered Catherine, not to have a single acquaintance here!

    Yes, my dear, replied Mrs. Allen, with perfect serenity, it is very uncomfortable indeed.

    What shall we do? The gentlemen and ladies at this table look as if they wondered why we came here—we seem forcing ourselves into their party.

    Aye, so we do. That is very disagreeable. I wish we had a large acquaintance here.

    I wish we had any—it would be somebody to go to.

    Very true, my dear; and if we knew anybody we would join them directly. The Skinners were here last year—I wish they were here now.

    Had not we better go away as it is? Here are no tea-things for us, you see.

    No more there are, indeed. How very provoking! But I think we had better sit still, for one gets so tumbled in such a crowd! How is my head, my dear? Somebody gave me a push that has hurt it, I am afraid.

    No, indeed, it looks very nice. But, dear Mrs. Allen, are you sure there is nobody you know in all this multitude of people? I think you must know somebody.

    I don’t, upon my word—I wish I did. I wish I had a large acquaintance here with all my heart, and then I should get you a partner. I should be so glad to have you dance. There goes a strange-looking woman! What an odd gown she has got on! How old-fashioned it is! Look at the back.

    img2.png

    WHAT AN ODD GOWN SHE HAS GOT ON

    After some time they received an offer of tea from one of their neighbours; it was thankfully accepted, and this introduced a light conversation with the gentleman who offered it, which was the only time that anybody spoke to them during the evening, till they were discovered and joined by Mr. Allen when the dance was over.

    Well, Miss Morland, said he, directly, I hope you have had an agreeable ball.

    Very agreeable indeed, she replied, vainly endeavouring to hide a great yawn.

    I wish she had been able to dance, said his wife; I wish we could have got a partner for her. I have been saying how glad I should be if the Skinners were here this winter instead of last; or if the Parrys had come, as they talked of once, she might have danced with George Parry. I am so sorry she has not had a partner!

    We shall do better another evening I hope, was Mr. Allen’s consolation.

    The company began to disperse when the dancing was over—enough to leave space for the remainder to walk about in some comfort; and now was the time for a heroine, who had not yet played a very distinguished part in the events of the evening, to be noticed and admired. Every five minutes, by removing some of the crowd, gave greater openings for her charms. She was now seen by many young men who had not been near her before. Not one, however, started with rapturous wonder on beholding her, no whisper of eager inquiry ran round the room, nor was she once called a divinity by anybody. Yet Catherine was in very good looks, and had the company only seen her three years before, they would now have thought her exceedingly handsome.

    She was looked at, however, and with some admiration; for, in her own hearing, two gentlemen pronounced her to be a pretty girl. Such words had their due effect; she immediately thought the evening

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