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1The side of the quadrangle, in which she supposed the guilty scene to be acting, being, according to her belief, just
2opposite her own, it struck her that, if judiciously watched, some rays of light from the General's lamp might glimmer
3through the lower windows, as he passed to the prison of his wife; and, twice before she stepped into bed, she stole
4gently from her room to the corresponding window in the gallery, to see if it appeared; but all abroad was dark, and it
5must yet be too early. The various ascending noises convinced her that the servants must still be up. Till midnight, she
6supposed it would be in vain to watch; but then, when the clock had struck twelve, and all was quiet, she would, if not
7quite appalled by darkness, steal out and look once more. The clock struck twelve--and Catherine had been half an hour
8asleep. CHAPTER 24 The next day afforded no opportunity for the proposed examination of the mysterious apartments. It
9was Sunday, and the whole time between morning and afternoon service was required by the General in exercise abroad or
10eating cold meat at home; and great as was Catherine's curiosity, her courage was not equal to a wish of exploring them
11after dinner, either by the fading light of the sky between six and seven o'clock, or by the yet more partial though
12stronger illumination of a treacherous lamp. The day was unmarked therefore by anything to interest her imagination
13beyond the sight of a very elegant monument to the memory of Mrs. Tilney, which immediately fronted the family pew. By
14that her eye was instantly caught and long retained; and the perusal of the highly strained epitaph, in which every
15virtue was ascribed to her by the inconsolable husband, who must have been in some way or other her destroyer, affected
16her even to tears. That the General, having erected such a monument, should be able to face it, was not perhaps very
17strange, and yet that he could sit so boldly collected within its view, maintain so elevated an air, look so fearlessly
18around, nay, that he should even enter the church, seemed wonderful to Catherine. Not, however, that many instances of
19beings equally hardened in guilt might not be produced. She could remember dozens who had persevered in every possible
20vice, going on from crime to crime, murdering whomsoever they chose, without any feeling of humanity or remorse; till a
21violent death or a religious retirement closed their black career. The erection of the monument itself could not in the
22smallest degree affect her doubts of Mrs. Tilney's actual decease. Were she even to descend into the family vault where
23her ashes were supposed to slumber, were she to behold the coffin in which they were said to be enclosed--what could it
24avail in such a case? Catherine had read too much not to be perfectly aware of the ease with which a waxen figure might
25be introduced, and a supposititious funeral carried on. The succeeding morning promised something better. The General's
26early walk, ill-timed as it was in every other view, was favourable here; and when she knew him to be out of the house,
27she directly proposed to Miss Tilney the accomplishment of her promise. Eleanor was ready to oblige her; and Catherine
28reminding her as they went of another promise, their first visit in consequence was to the portrait in her bed-chamber.
29It represented a very lovely woman, with a mild and pensive countenance, justifying, so far, the expectations of its new
30observer; but they were not in every respect answered, for Catherine had depended upon meeting with features, hair,
31complexion, that should be the very counterpart, the very image, if not of Henry's, of Eleanor's--the only portraits of
32which she had been in the habit of thinking, bearing always an equal resemblance of mother and child. A face once taken
33was taken for generations. But here she was obliged to look and consider and study for a likeness. She contemplated it,
34however, in spite of this drawback, with much emotion, and, but for a yet stronger interest, would have left it
35unwillingly. Her agitation as they entered the great gallery was too much for any endeavour at discourse; she could only
36look at her companion. Eleanor's countenance was dejected, yet sedate; and its composure spoke her inured to all the
37gloomy objects to which they were advancing. Again she passed through the folding doors, again her hand was upon the
38important lock, and Catherine, hardly able to breathe, was turning to close the former with fearful caution, when the
39figure, the dreaded figure of the General himself at the further end of the gallery, stood before her! the name of
40"Eleanor" at the same moment, in his loudest tone, resounded through the building, giving to his daughter the first
41intimation of his presence, and to Catherine terror upon terror. An attempt at concealment had been her first
42instinctive movement on perceiving him, yet she could scarcely hope to have escaped his eye; and when her friend, who
43with an apologizing look darted hastily by her, had joined and disappeared with him, she ran for safety to her own room,
44and, locking herself in, believed that she should never have courage to go down again. She remained there at least an
45hour, in the greatest agitation, deeply commiserating the state of her poor friend, and expecting a summons herself from
46the angry General to attend him in his own apartment. No summons, however, arrived; and at last, on seeing a carriage
47drive up to the abbey, she was emboldened to descend and meet him under the protection of visitors. The breakfast-room
48was gay with company; and she was named to them by the General as the friend of his daughter, in a complimentary style,
49which so well concealed his resentful ire, as to make her feel secure at least of life for the present. And Eleanor,
50with a command of countenance which did honour to her concern for his character, taking an early occasion of saying to
51her, "My father only wanted me to answer a note," she began to hope that she had either been unseen by the General, or
52that from some consideration of policy she should be allowed to suppose herself so. Upon this trust she dared still to
53remain in his presence, after the company left them, and nothing occurred to disturb it. In the course of this morning's
54reflections, she came to a resolution of making her next attempt on the forbidden door alone. It would be much better in
55every respect that Eleanor should know nothing of the matter. To involve her in the danger of a second detection, to
56court her into an apartment which must wring her heart, could not be the office of a friend. The General's utmost anger
57could not be to herself what it might be to a daughter; and, besides, she thought the examination itself would be more
58satisfactory if made without any companion. It would be impossible to explain to Eleanor the suspicions, from which the
59other had, in all likelihood, been hitherto happily exempt; nor could she therefore, in her presence, search for those
60proofs of the General's cruelty, which however they might yet have escaped discovery, she felt confident of somewhere
61drawing forth, in the shape of some fragmented journal, continued to the last gasp. Of the way to the apartment she was
62now perfectly mistress; and as she wished to get it over before Henry's return, who was expected on the morrow, there
63was no time to be lost. The day was bright, her courage high; at four o'clock, the sun was now two hours above the
64horizon, and it would be only her retiring to dress half an hour earlier than usual.
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