‘Yes,she did;but I cannot recollect now.But they are very good kind of people,and very rich.Mrs Tilney was a Miss Drummond,and she and Mrs Hughes were school fellows;and Miss Drummond had a very large fortune;and,when she married,her father gave her twenty thousand pounds,and five hundred to buy wedding clothes.Mrs Hughes saw all the clothes after they came from the warehouse.’
‘And are Mr and Mrs Tilney in Bath?’
‘Yes,I fancy they are,but I am not quite certain.Upon recollection,however,I have a notion they are both dead;at least the mother is;yes,I am sure Mrs Tilney is dead,because Mrs Hughes told me there was a very beautiful set of pearls that Mr Drummond gave his daughter on her wedding day and that Miss Tilney has got now,for they were put by for her when her mother died.’
‘And is Mr Tilney,my partner,the only son?’
‘I cannot be quite positive about that,my dear;I have some idea he is;but,however,he is a very fine young man Mrs Hughes says,and likely to do very well.’
Catherine inquired no further;she had heard enough to feel that Mrs Allen had no real intelligence to give,and that she was most particularly unfortunate herself in having missed such a meeting with both brother and sister.Could she have foreseen such a circumstance,nothing should have persuaded her to go out with the others;and,as it was,she could only lament her ill luck,and think over what she had lost,till it was clear to her,that the drive had by no means been very pleasant and that John Thorpe himself was quite disagreeable.
Chapter 10
The Allens,Thorpes,and Morlands,all met in the evening at the theatre;and,as Catherine and Isabella sat together,there was then an opportunity for the latter to utter some few of the many thousand things which had been collecting within her for communication,in the immeasurable length of time which had divided them. ‘Oh,heavens!my beloved Catherine,have I got you at last?’was her address on Catherine's entering the box and sitting by her.‘Now,Mr Morland,’for he was close to her on the other side,‘I shall not speak another word to you all the rest of the evening;so I charge you not to expect it.My sweetest Catherine,how have you been this long age?but I need not ask you,for you look delightfully.You really have done your hair in a more heavenly style than ever:you mischievous creature,do you want to attract everybody?I assure you,my brother is quite in love with you already;and as for Mr Tilney but that is a settled thing even your modesty cannot doubt his attachment now;his coming back to Bath makes it too plain.Oh!what would not I give to see him!I really am quite wild with impatience.My mother says he is the most delightful young man in the world;she saw him this morning you know:you must introduce him to me.Is he in the house now? Look about for heaven's sake!I assure you,I can hardly exist till I see him.’
‘No,’said Catherine,‘he is not here;I cannot see him anywhere.’
‘Oh,horrid!am I never to be acquainted with him?How do you like my gown?I think it does not look amiss;the sleeves were entirely my own thought.Do you know I get so immoderately sick of Bath;your brother and I were agreeing this morning that,though it is vastly well to be here for a few weeks,we would not live here for millions.We soon found out that our tastes were exactly alike in preferring the country to every other place;really,our opinions were so exactly the same,it was quite ridiculous!There was not a single point in which we differed;I would not have had you by for the world;you are such a sly thing,I am sure you would have made some droll remark or other about it.’
‘No,indeed I should not.’
‘Oh,yes you would indeed;I know you better than you know yourself.You would have told us that we seemed born for each other,or some nonsense of that kind,which would have distressed me beyond conception;my cheeks would have been as red as your roses;I would not have had you by for the world.’
‘Indeed you do me injustice;I would not have made so improper a remark upon any account;and besides,I am sure it would never have entered my head.’
Isabella smiled incredulously,and talked the rest of the evening to James.
