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Northanger Abbey-Part26_Jane Austen(1775-1817)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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surely might be spared; and, so desperate should be



the exertion of her strength, that, unless secured

by supernatural means, the lid in one moment should



be thrown back. With this spirit she sprang forward,

and her confidence did not deceive her. Her resolute



effort threw back the lid, and gave to her astonished eyes

the view of a white cotton counterpane, properly folded,



reposing at one end of the chest in undisputed possession!

She was gazing on it with the first blush of surprise



when Miss Tilney, anxious for her friend's being ready,

entered the room, and to the rising shame of having



harboured for some minutes an absurdexpectation, was then

added the shame of being caught in so idle a search.



"That is a curious old chest, is not it?" said Miss Tilney,

as Catherine hastily closed it and turned away to the glass.



"It is impossible to say how many generations it has

been here. How it came to be first put in this room I



know not, but I have not had it moved, because I thought

it might sometimes be of use in holding hats and bonnets.



The worst of it is that its weight makes it difficult

to open. In that corner, however, it is at least out of



the way."

Catherine had no leisure for speech, being at



once blushing, tying her gown, and forming wise resolutions

with the most violentdispatch. Miss Tilney gently hinted



her fear of being late; and in half a minute they ran

downstairs together, in an alarm not wholly unfounded,



for General Tilney was pacing the drawing-room, his watch

in his hand, and having, on the very instant of their entering,



pulled the bell with violence, ordered "Dinner to be

on table directly!"



Catherine trembled at the emphasis with which he spoke,

and sat pale and breathless" target="_blank" title="a.屏息的">breathless, in a most humble mood,



concerned for his children, and detesting old chests;

and the general, recovering his politeness as he looked



at her, spent the rest of his time in scolding his daughter

for so foolishly hurrying her fair friend, who was absolutely



out of breath from haste, when there was not the least

occasion for hurry in the world: but Catherine could not



at all get over the double distress of having involved

her friend in a lecture and been a great simpleton herself,



till they were happily seated at the dinner-table, when

the general's complacent smiles, and a good appetite



of her own, restored her to peace. The dining-parlour

was a noble room, suitable in its dimensions to a much



larger drawing-room than the one in common use, and fitted

up in a style of luxury and expense which was almost lost



on the unpractised eye of Catherine, who saw little more

than its spaciousness and the number of their attendants.



Of the former, she spoke aloud her admiration;

and the general, with a very gracious countenance,



acknowledged that it was by no means an ill-sized room,

and further confessed that, though as careless on such



subjects as most people, he did look upon a tolerably

large eating-room as one of the necessaries of life;



he supposed, however, "that she must have been used

to much better-sized apartments at Mr. Allen's?"



"No, indeed," was Catherine's honest assurance;

"Mr. Allen's dining-parlour was not more than half as large,"



and she had never seen so large a room as this in her life.

The general's good humour increased. Why, as he had



such rooms, he thought it would be simple not to make

use of them; but, upon his honour, he believed there



might be more comfort in rooms of only half their size.

Mr. Allen's house, he was sure, must be exactly of the true



size for rational happiness.

The evening passed without any further disturbance,



and, in the occasionalabsence of General Tilney, with much




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