or the cloisters of the other, had been for many weeks



a darling wish, though to be more than the visitor

of an hour had seemed too nearly impossible for desire.



And yet, this was to happen. With all the chances against

her of house, hall, place, park, court, and cottage,



Northanger turned up an abbey, and she was to be its inhabitant.

Its long, damp passages, its narrow cells and ruined chapel,



were to be within her daily reach, and she could not

entirely subdue the hope of some traditional legends,



some awful memorials of an injured and ill-fated nun.

It was wonderful that her friends should seem



so little elated by the possession of such a home,

that the consciousness of it should be so meekly borne.



The power of early habit only could account for it.

A distinction to which they had been born gave no pride.



Their superiority of abode was no more to them than their

superiority of person.



Many were the inquiries she was eager to make

of Miss Tilney; but so active were her thoughts,



that when these inquiries were answered, she was hardly

more assured than before, of Northanger Abbey having been



a richly endowed convent at the time of the Reformation,

of its having fallen into the hands of an ancestor of the



Tilneys on its dissolution, of a large portion of the ancient

building still making a part of the present dwelling although



the rest was decayed, or of its standing low in a valley,

sheltered from the north and east by rising woods of oak.



CHAPTER 18

With a mind thus full of happiness, Catherine was hardly



aware that two or three days had passed away, without her

seeing Isabella for more than a few minutes together.



She began first to be sensible of this, and to sigh

for her conversation, as she walked along the pump-room



one morning, by Mrs. Allen's side, without anything to say

or to hear; and scarcely had she felt a five minutes'



longing of friendship, before the object of it appeared,

and inviting her to a secret conference, led the way



to a seat. "This is my favourite place," said she as they

sat down on a bench between the doors, which commanded



a tolerable view of everybody entering at either;

"it is so out of the way."



Catherine, observing that Isabella's eyes were

continually bent towards one door or the other, as in



eager expectation, and remembering how often she had been

falsely accused of being arch, thought the present a fine



opportunity for being really so; and therefore gaily said,

"Do not be uneasy, Isabella, James will soon be here."



"Psha! My dear creature," she replied, "do not think

me such a simpleton as to be always wanting to confine him



to my elbow. It would be hideous to be always together;

we should be the 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 in England, I understand.



I shall depend upon a most particular description of it."

"You shall certainly have the best in my power to give.



But who are you looking for? Are your sisters coming?"

"I am not looking for anybody. One's eyes must



be somewhere, and you know what a foolish trick I have of

fixing mine, when my thoughts are an hundred miles off.



I am amazinglyabsent; I believe I am the most absent

creature in the world. Tilney says it is always the case



with minds of a certain stamp."

"But I thought, Isabella, you had something



in particular to tell me?"

"Oh! Yes, and so I have. But here 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 letter from John;



you can guess the contents."

"No, indeed, I cannot."



"My sweet love, do not be so abominably affected.

What can he write about, but yourself? You know he is over



head and ears in love with you."

• interview [´intəvju:] n.&vt.接见；会见；交谈 (初中英语单词)


• cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)


• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)


• acquaintance [ə´kweintəns] n.相识；熟人，相识的人 (初中英语单词)


• additional [ə´diʃənəl] a.附加的，额外的 (初中英语单词)


• engagement [in´geidʒmənt] n.婚约；雇用；受聘 (初中英语单词)


• excite [ik´sait] vt.激动；引起，招惹 (初中英语单词)


• countenance [´kauntinəns] n.面部表情；脸色；面容 (初中英语单词)


• arrival [ə´raivəl] n.到达；到达的人(物) (初中英语单词)


• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)


• application [,æpli´keiʃən] n.申请；申请书；应用 (初中英语单词)


• selfish [´selfiʃ] a.自私的，利己的 (初中英语单词)


• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• oblige [ə´blaidʒ] vt.责成；迫使；使感激 (初中英语单词)


• ashamed [ə´ʃeimd] a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词)


• lively [´laivli] a.活泼的；热烈的 (初中英语单词)


• grateful [´greitful] a.感谢的；令人愉快的 (初中英语单词)


• honourable [´ɔnərəbəl] a.荣誉的；正直的 (初中英语单词)


• eagerly [´i:gəli] ad.渴望地，急切地 (初中英语单词)


• earnest [´ə:nist] a.认真的 n.认真；诚恳 (初中英语单词)


• disappointment [,disə´pɔintmənt] n.失望；挫折 (初中英语单词)


• safely [´seifli] ad.安全地；平安地 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• conviction [kən´vikʃən] n.定罪；确信，信服 (初中英语单词)


• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)


• affection [ə´fekʃən] n.友爱；慈爱 (初中英语单词)


• visitor [´vizitə] n.访问者；来宾；参观者 (初中英语单词)


• mostly [´məustli] ad.主要地；多半；通常 (初中英语单词)


• addition [ə´diʃən] n.加；加法；附加物 (初中英语单词)


• darling [´dɑ:liŋ] n.爱人 a.亲爱的 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• distinction [di´stiŋkʃən] n.差别；特征；卓越 (初中英语单词)


• ancestor [´ænsəstə] n.祖宗，祖先 (初中英语单词)


• portion [´pɔ:ʃən] n.嫁妆；命运 vt.分配 (初中英语单词)


• dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)


• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)


• sensible [´sensəbəl] a.感觉得到的 (初中英语单词)


• conference [´kɔnfərəns] n.讨论(会)；会谈 (初中英语单词)


• confine [kən´fain] vt.限制 n.边界；境界 (初中英语单词)


• description [di´skripʃən] n.描写 (初中英语单词)


• absent [´æbsənt, əb´sent] a.不在的 vt.使缺席 (初中英语单词)


• fortnight [´fɔ:tnait] n.两星期 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• joyful [´dʒɔifəl] a.高兴的，充满快乐的 (高中英语单词)


• congratulate [kən´grætjuleit] vt.祝贺 (高中英语单词)


• steward [´stju:əd] n.管家；服务员 (高中英语单词)


• marquis [´mɑ:kwis] n.侯爵 (高中英语单词)


• presumption [pri´zʌmpʃən] n.推测；专横；冒昧 (高中英语单词)


• flattering [´flætəriŋ] a.谄媚的；奉承的 (高中英语单词)


• enjoyment [in´dʒɔimənt] n.享受；愉快；乐趣 (高中英语单词)


• acceptance [ək´septəns] n.接受；承认 (高中英语单词)


• sanction [´sæŋkʃən] n.&vt.批准；认可 (高中英语单词)


• hurried [´hʌrid] a.仓促的，慌忙的 (高中英语单词)


• explore [ik´splɔ:] v.勘探；探索；探查 (高中英语单词)


• subdue [səb´dju:] vt.征服；克制；减弱 (高中英语单词)


• consciousness [´kɔnʃəsnis] n.意识；觉悟；知觉 (高中英语单词)


• convent [´kɔnvənt] n.女修道院；女修道会 (高中英语单词)


• expectation [,ekspek´teiʃən] n.期待(望)；预期 (高中英语单词)


• uneasy [ʌn´i:zi] a.不安的；不自在的 (高中英语单词)


• hideous [´hidiəs] a.丑陋的，可怕的 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• corresponding [,kɔri´spɔndiŋ] a.符合的；相当的 (英语四级单词)


• discretion [di´skreʃən] n.谨慎；判断(力) (英语四级单词)


• indulgence [in´dʌldʒəns] n.沉迷；宽容；恩惠 (英语四级单词)


• attachment [ə´tætʃmənt] n.附着；附件；爱慕 (英语四级单词)


• favourably [´feivərəbli] ad.善意地 (英语四级单词)


• intimacy [´intiməsi] n.亲密；熟悉；秘密 (英语四级单词)


• traditional [trə´diʃənəl] a.传统的，习惯的 (英语四级单词)


• meekly [´mi:kli] ad.温顺地；卑恭屈节地 (英语四级单词)


• superiority [su:piəri´ɔriti, sju:-] n.优越，卓越 (英语四级单词)


• richly [´ritʃli] ad.富裕地；浓厚地 (英语四级单词)


• dissolution [,disə´lu:ʃən] n.溶解；取消；解除 (英语四级单词)


• suspense [sə´spens] n.悬挂；悬虑不安 (英语六级单词)


• felicity [fi´lisiti] n.幸福；(措词)适当 (英语六级单词)


• politeness [pə´laitnis] n.礼貌；文雅；温和 (英语六级单词)


• wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)


• sanguine [´sæŋgwin] a.血红的 n.血红色 (英语六级单词)


• propriety [prə´praiəti] n.正当；合适；礼貌 (英语六级单词)


• assured [ə´ʃuəd] a.确实的 n.被保险人 (英语六级单词)


• inviting [in´vaitiŋ] a.动人的 (英语六级单词)


• amazingly [ə´meiziŋli] ad.惊人地；惊奇地 (英语六级单词)