considering him lost to her forever, by being married already.
But guided only by what was simple and probable,

it had never entered her head that 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 deathlike paleness and falling
in a fit on Mrs. Allen'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, and Catherine, catching Mr. Tilney's eye,
instantly received from him the smiling tribute

of recognition. She returned it with pleasure,
and then advancing still nearer, he spoke both to her

and Mrs. Allen, by whom he was very civilly acknowledged.
"I am very happy to see you again, sir, indeed; I was

afraid you had left Bath." He thanked her for her fears,
and said that he had quitted it for a week, on the very

morning after his having had the pleasure of seeing her.
"Well, sir, and I dare say you are not sorry to be

back again, for it is just the place for young people--
and indeed for everybody else too. I tell Mr. Allen,

when he talks of being sick of it, that I am sure he
should not complain, for it is so very agreeable a place,

that it is much better to be here than at home at this
dull time of year. I tell him he is quite in luck

to be sent here for his health."
"And I hope, madam, that Mr. Allen will be obliged

to like the place, from finding it of service to him."
"Thank you, sir. I have no doubt that 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. Allen he must not be in a hurry
to get away."

Here they were interrupted by a request from Mrs. Thorpe
to Mrs. Allen, that she would move a little to accommodate

Mrs. Hughes and Miss Tilney with seats, as they had
agreed to join their party. This was accordingly done,

Mr. Tilney still continuing standing before them;
and after a few minutes' consideration, he asked Catherine

to dance with him. 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 that he
had kept her waiting did not by any means reconcile her

more to her lot; nor did the particulars which he entered
into while they were standing up, of the horses and dogs

of the friend whom he had 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 had 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.
From such a moralizing strain as this, she was suddenly

roused by a touch on the shoulder, and turning round,
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
expressing a proper sense of such goodness, Miss Morland

with the real delicacy of a generous mind making light
of the obligation; and Mrs. Hughes, satisfied with having

so respectably settled her young charge, returned to
her party.

Miss Tilney had a good figure, a pretty face,
and a very agreeablecountenance; and her air, though it

had not all the decided pretension, the resolute
stylishness of Miss Thorpe's, had more real elegance.

Her manners showed good sense and good breeding;
they were neither shy nor affectedly open; and she

seemed capable of being young, attractive, and at a ball
without wanting to fix the attention of every man

near her, and without exaggerated feelings of ecstatic
delight or inconceivable vexation on every little

trifling occurrence. Catherine, interested at once
by her appearance and her relationship to Mr. Tilney,

was desirous of being acquainted with her, and readily
talked thereforewhenever she could think of anything

to say, and had courage and leisure for saying it.
But the hindrance thrown in the way of a very speedy intimacy,

by the frequent want of one or more of these requisites,
prevented their doing more than going through the first

rudiments of an acquaintance, by informing themselves how well
the other liked Bath, how much she admired its buildings

and surrounding country, whether she drew, or played,
or sang, and whether she was fond of riding on horseback.

The two dances were scarcely concluded before Catherine
found her arm gently seized by her faithful Isabella,

who in great spirits exclaimed, "At last I have got you.
My dearest creature, I have been looking for you this hour.

What could induce you to come into this set, when you
knew I was in the other? I have been quite wretched

without you."
"My dear Isabella, how was it possible for me to get

at you? I could not even see where you were."
"So I told your brother all the time--but he would

not believe me. Do go and see for her, Mr. Morland,
said I--but all in vain--he would not stir an inch.

Was not it so, Mr. Morland? But you men are all so
immoderately lazy! I have been scolding him to such

a degree, my dear Catherine, you would be quite amazed.
You know I never stand upon ceremony with such people."

"Look at that young lady with the white beads round
her head," whispered Catherine, detaching her friend

from James. "It is Mr. Tilney's sister."
"Oh! Heavens! You don't say so! Let me look at her