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1Many were the inquiries she was eager to make of Miss Tilney; but so active were her thoughts, that when these inquiries
2were answered, she was hardly more assured than before, of Northanger Abbey having been a richly endowed convent at the
3time of the Reformation, of its having fallen into the hands of an ancestor of the Tilneys on its dissolution, of a
4large portion of the ancient building still making a part of the present dwelling although the rest was decayed, or of
5its standing low in a valley, sheltered from the north and east by rising woods of oak. CHAPTER 18 With a mind thus full
6of happiness, Catherine was hardly aware that two or three days had passed away, without her seeing Isabella for more
7than a few minutes together. She began first to be sensible of this, and to sigh for her conversation, as she walked
8along the pump-room one morning, by Mrs. Allen's side, without anything to say or to hear; and scarcely had she felt a
9five minutes' longing of friendship, before the object of it appeared, and inviting her to a secret conference, led the
10way to a seat. "This is my favourite place," said she as they sat down on a bench between the doors, which commanded a
11tolerable view of everybody entering at either; "it is so out of the way." Catherine, observing that Isabella's eyes
12were continually bent towards one door or the other, as in eager expectation, and remembering how often she had been
13falsely accused of being arch, thought the present a fine opportunity for being really so; and therefore gaily said, "Do
14not be uneasy, Isabella, James will soon be here." "Psha! my dear creature," she replied, "do not think me such a
15simpleton as to be always wanting to confine him to my elbow. It would be hideous to be always together; we should be
16the jest of the place. And so you are going to Northanger! i am amazingly glad of it. It is one of the finest old places
17in England, I understand. I shall depend upon a most particular description of it." "You shall certainly have the best
18in my power to give. But who are you looking for? Are your sisters coming?" "I am not looking for anybody. One's eyes
19must be somewhere, and you know what a foolish trick I have of fixing mine, when my thoughts are an hundred miles off. I
20am amazingly absent; I believe I am the most absent creature in the world. Tilney says it is always the case with minds
21of a certain stamp." "But I thought, Isabella, you had something in particular to tell me?" "Oh yes, and so I have. But
22here is a proof of what I was saying. My poor head, I had quite forgot it. Well, the thing is this: I have just had a
23letter from John; you can guess the contents." "No, indeed, I cannot." "My sweet love, do not be so abominably affected.
24What can he write about, but yourself? You know he is over head and ears in love with you." "With me, dear Isabella!"
25"Nay, my sweetest Catherine, this is being quite absurd! modesty, and all that, is very well in its way, but really a
26little common honesty is sometimes quite as becoming. I have no idea of being so overstrained! it is fishing for
27compliments. His attentions were such as a child must have noticed. And it was but half an hour before he left Bath that
28you gave him the most positive encouragement. He says so in this letter, says that he as good as made you an offer, and
29that you received his advances in the kindest way; and now he wants me to urge his suit, and say all manner of pretty
30things to you. So it is in vain to affect ignorance." Catherine, with all the earnestness of truth, expressed her
31astonishment at such a charge, protesting her innocence of every thought of Mr. Thorpe's being in love with her, and the
32consequent impossibility of her having ever intended to encourage him. "As to any attentions on his side, I do declare,
33upon my honour, I never was sensible of them for a moment--except just his asking me to dance the first day of his
34coming. And as to making me an offer, or anything like it, there must be some unaccountable mistake. I could not have
35misunderstood a thing of that kind, you know! and, as I ever wish to be believed, I solemnly protest that no syllable of
36such a nature ever passed between us. The last half hour before he went away! it must be all and completely a
37mistake--for I did not see him once that whole morning." "But that you certainly did, for you spent the whole morning in
38Edgar's Buildings--it was the day your father's consent came--and I am pretty sure that you and John were alone in the
39parlour some time before you left the house." "Are you? Well, if you say it, it was so, I dare say--but for the life of
40me, I cannot recollect it. I do remember now being with you, and seeing him as well as the rest--but that we were ever
41alone for five minutes-- However, it is not worth arguing about, for whatever might pass on his side, you must be
42convinced, by my having no recollection of it, that I never thought, nor expected, nor wished for anything of the kind
43from him. I am excessively concerned that he should have any regard for me--but indeed it has been quite unintentional
44on my side; I never had the smallest idea of it. Pray undeceive him as soon as you can, and tell him I beg his
45pardon--that is--I do not know what I ought to say--but make him understand what I mean, in the properest way. I would
46not speak disrespectfully of a brother of yours, Isabella, I am sure; but you know very well that if I could think of
47one man more than another--he is not the person." Isabella was silent. "My dear friend, you must not be angry with me. I
48cannot suppose your brother cares so very much about me. And, you know, we shall still be sisters." "Yes, yes" (with a
49blush), "there are more ways than one of our being sisters. But where am I wandering to? Well, my dear Catherine, the
50case seems to be that you are determined against poor John--is not it so?" "I certainly cannot return his affection, and
51as certainly never meant to encourage it." "Since that is the case, I am sure I shall not tease you any further. John
52desired me to speak to you on the subject, and therefore I have. But I confess, as soon as I read his letter, I thought
53it a very foolish, imprudent business, and not likely to promote the good of either; for what were you to live upon,
54supposing you came together? You have both of you something, to be sure, but it is not a trifle that will support a
55family nowadays; and after all that romancers may say, there is no doing without money. I only wonder John could think
56of it; he could not have received my last." "You do acquit me, then, of anything wrong?--You are convinced that I never
57meant to deceive your brother, never suspected him of liking me till this moment?" "Oh! as to that," answered Isabella
58laughingly, "I do not pretend to determine what your thoughts and designs in time past may have been. All that is best
59known to yourself. A little harmless flirtation or so will occur, and one is often drawn on to give more encouragement
60than one wishes to stand by. But you may be assured that I am the last person in the world to judge you severely. All
61those things should be allowed for in youth and high spirits. What one means one day, you know, one may not mean the
62next. Circumstances change, opinions alter." "But my opinion of your brother never did alter; it was always the same.
63You are describing what never happened."
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