Нортенгерське абатство
Chapter 23
ItwastheairandattitudeofaMontoni!Whatcouldmoreplainlyspeakthegloomyworkingsofamindnotwhollydeadtoeverysenseofhumanity,initsfearfulreviewofpastscenesofguilt?Unhappyman!Andtheanxiousnessofherspiritsdirectedhereyestowardshisfiguresorepeatedly,astocatchMissTilney’snotice.“Myfather,”shewhispered,“oftenwalksabouttheroominthisway;itisnothingunusual.”
“Somuchtheworse!”thoughtCatherine;suchill-timedexercisewasofapiecewiththestrangeunseasonablenessofhismorningwalks,andbodednothinggood.
Afteranevening,thelittlevarietyandseeminglengthofwhichmadeherpeculiarlysensibleofHenry’simportanceamongthem,shewasheartilygladtobedismissed;thoughitwasalookfromthegeneralnotdesignedforherobservationwhichsenthisdaughtertothebell.Whenthebutlerwouldhavelithismaster’scandle,however,hewasforbidden.Thelatterwasnotgoingtoretire.“Ihavemanypamphletstofinish,”saidhetoCatherine,“beforeIcanclosemyeyes,andperhapsmaybeporingovertheaffairsofthenationforhoursafteryouareasleep.Caneitherofusbemoremeetlyemployed?Myeyeswillbeblindingforthegoodofothers,andyourspreparingbyrestforfuturemischief.”
Butneitherthebusinessalleged,northemagnificentcompliment,couldwinCatherinefromthinkingthatsomeverydifferentobjectmustoccasionsoseriousadelayofproperrepose.Tobekeptupforhours,afterthefamilywereinbed,bystupidpamphletswasnotverylikely.
