It was a prettily shaped room, the windows reaching to the ground, and the view from them pleasant, though only over green meadows; and she expressed her admiration at the moment with all the honest simplicity with which she felt it.
"Oh! Why do not you fit up this room, Mr. Tilney?
What a pity not to have it fitted up!
It is the prettiest room I ever saw; it is the prettiest room in the world!"
"I trust," said the general, with a most satisfied smile, "that it will very speedily be furnished: it waits only for a lady's taste!"
"Well, if it was my house, I should never sit anywhere else.
Oh! What a sweet little cottage there is among the trees - apple trees, too!
It is the prettiest cottage!"
"You like it - you approve it as an object - it is enough.
Henry, remember that Robinson is spoken to about it.
The cottage remains."
Such a compliment recalled all Catherine's consciousness, and silenced her directly; and, though pointedly applied to by the general for her choice of the prevailing colour of the paper and hangings, nothing like an opinion on the subject could be drawn from her.
The influence of fresh objects and fresh air, however, was of great use in dissipating these embarrassing associations; and, having reached the ornamental part of the premises, consisting of a walk round two sides of a meadow, on which Henry's genius had begun to act about half a year ago, she was sufficiently recovered to think it prettier than any pleasure-ground she had ever been in before, though there was not a shrub in it higher than the green bench in the corner.
A saunter into other meadows, and through part of the village, with a visit to the stables to examine some improvements, and a charming game of play with a litter of puppies just able to roll about, brought them to four o'clock, when Catherine scarcely thought it could be three.
At four they were to dine, and at six to set off on their return.
Never had any day passed so quickly!
She could not but observe that the abundance of the dinner did not seem to create the smallest astonishment in the general; nay, that he was even looking at the side-table for cold meat which was not there.
His son and daughter's observations were of a different kind.
They had seldom seen him eat so heartily at any table but his own, and never before known him so little disconcerted by the melted butter's being oiled.
At six o'clock, the general having taken his coffee, the carriage again received them; and so gratifying had been the tenor of his conduct throughout the whole visit, so well assured was her mind on the subject of his expectations, that, could she have felt equally confident of the wishes of his son, Catherine would have quitted Woodston with little anxiety as to the How or the When she might return to it.
CHAPTER 27
The next morning brought the following very unexpected letter from Isabella:
Bath, April
My dearest Catherine, I received your two kind letters with the greatest delight, and have a thousand apologies to make for not answering them sooner.
I really am quite ashamed of my idleness; but in this horrid place one can find time for nothing.
I have had my pen in my hand to begin a letter to you almost every day since you left Bath, but have always been prevented by some silly trifler or other.
Pray write to me soon, and direct to my own home.
Thank God, we leave this vile place tomorrow.
Since you went away, I have had no pleasure in it - the dust is beyond anything; and everybody one cares for is gone.
I believe if I could see you I should not mind the rest, for you are dearer to me than anybody can conceive.
I am quite uneasy about your dear brother, not having heard from him since he went to Oxford; and am fearful of some misunderstanding.
Your kind offices will set all right: he is the only man I ever did or could love, and I trust you will convince him of it.
The spring fashions are partly down; and the hats the most frightful you can imagine.
I hope you spend your time pleasantly, but am afraid you never think of me.
I will not say all that I could of the family you are with, because I would not be ungenerous, or set you against those you esteem; but it is very difficult to know whom to trust, and young men never know their minds two days together.
I rejoice to say that the young man whom, of all others, I particularly abhor, has left Bath.
You will know, from this description, I must mean Captain Tilney, who, as you may remember, was amazingly disposed to follow and tease me, before you went away.
Afterwards he got worse, and became quite my shadow.
Many girls might have been taken in, for never were such attentions; but I knew the fickle sex too well.
He went away to his regiment two days ago, and I trust I shall never be plagued with him again.
He is the greatest coxcomb I ever saw, and amazingly disagreeable.
The last two days he was always by the side of Charlotte Davis: I pitied his taste, but took no notice of him.
The last time we met was in Bath Street, and I turned directly into a shop that he might not speak to me; I would not even look at him.
He went into the pump-room afterwards; but I would not have followed him for all the world.
Such a contrast between him and your brother!
Pray send me some news of the latter - I am quite unhappy about him; he seemed so uncomfortable when he went away, with a cold, or something that affected his spirits.
I would write to him myself, but have mislaid his direction; and, as I hinted above, am afraid he took something in my conduct amiss.
Pray explain everything to his satisfaction; or, if he still harbours any doubt, a line from himself to me, or a call at Putney when next in town, might set all to rights.
I have not been to the rooms this age, nor to the play, except going in last night with the Hodges, for a frolic, at half price: they teased me into it; and I was determined they should not say I shut myself up because Tilney was gone.
We happened to sit by the Mitchells, and they pretended to be quite surprised to see me out.