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Chapter 5
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Catherine was not so much engaged at the theatre that evening, in returning the nods and smiles of Miss Thorpe, though they certainly claimed much of her leisure, as to forget to look with an inquiring eye for Mr. Tilney in every box which her eye could reach; but she looked in vain. Mr. Tilney was no fonder of the play than the pump-room. She hoped to be more fortunate the next day; and when her wishes for fine weather were answered by seeing a beautiful morning, she hardly felt a doubt of it; for a fine Sunday in Bath empties every house of its inhabitants, and all the world appears on such an occasion to walk about and tell their acquaintance what a charming day it is.

As soon as divine service was over, the Thorpes and Allens eagerly joined each other; and after staying long enough in the pump-room to discover that the crowd was insupportable, and that there was not a genteel face to be seen, which everybody discovers every Sunday throughout the season, they hastened away to the Crescent, to breathe the fresh air of better company. Here Catherine and Isabella, arm in arm, again tasted the sweets of friendship in an unreserved conversation; they talked much, and with much enjoyment1; but again was Catherine disappointed in her hope of reseeing her partner. He was nowhere to be met with; every search for him was equally unsuccessful, in morning lounges or evening assemblies; neither at the Upper nor Lower Rooms, at dressed or undressed balls, was he perceivable; nor among the walkers, the horsemen, or the curricle-drivers of the morning. His name was not in the pump-room book, and curiosity could do no more. He must be gone from Bath. Yet he had not mentioned that his stay would be so short! This sort of mysteriousness, which is always so becoming in a hero, threw a fresh grace in Catherine's imagination around his person and manners, and increased her anxiety to know more of him. From the Thorpes she could learn nothing, for they had been only two days in Bath before they met with Mrs. Allen. It was a subject, however, in which she often indulged with her fair friend, from whom she received every possible encouragement to continue to think of him; and his impression on her fancy was not suffered therefore to weaken. Isabella was very sure that he must be a charming young man, and was equally sure that he must have been delighted with her dear Catherine, and would therefore shortly return. She liked him the better for being a clergyman, "for she must confess herself very partial to the profession"; and something like a sigh escaped her as she said it. Perhaps Catherine was wrong in not demanding the cause of that gentle emotion -- but she was not experienced enough in the finesse2 of love, or the duties of friendship, to know when delicate raillery was properly called for, or when a confidence should be forced.

Mrs. Allen was now quite happy -- quite satisfied with Bath. She had found some acquaintance, had been so lucky too as to find in them the family of a most worthy3 old friend; and, as the completion of good fortune, had found these friends by no means so expensively dressed as herself. Her daily expressions were no longer, "I wish we had some acquaintance in Bath!" They were changed into, "How glad I am we have met with Mrs. Thorpe!" and she was as eager in promoting the intercourse4 of the two families, as her young charge and Isabella themselves could be; never satisfied with the day unless she spent the chief of it by the side of Mrs. Thorpe, in what they called conversation, but in which there was scarcely ever any exchange of opinion, and not often any resemblance of subject, for Mrs. Thorpe talked chiefly of her children, and Mrs. Allen of her gowns.

The progress of the friendship between Catherine and Isabella was quick as its beginning had been warm, and they passed so rapidly through every gradation of increasing tenderness that there was shortly no fresh proof of it to be given to their friends or themselves. They called each other by their Christian5 name, were always arm in arm when they walked, pinned up each other's train for the dance, and were not to be divided in the set; and if a rainy morning deprived them of other enjoyments6, they were still resolute7 in meeting in defiance8 of wet and dirt, and shut themselves up, to read novels together. Yes, novels; for I will not adopt that ungenerous and impolitic custom so common with novel-writers, of degrading by their contemptuous censure9 the very performances, to the number of which they are themselves adding -- joining with their greatest enemies in bestowing10 the harshest epithets11 on such works, and scarcely ever permitting them to be read by their own heroine, who, if she accidentally take up a novel, is sure to turn over its insipid12 pages with disgust. Alas13! If the heroine of one novel be not patronized by the heroine of another, from whom can she expect protection and regard? I cannot approve of it. Let us leave it to the reviewers to abuse such effusions of fancy at their leisure, and over every new novel to talk in threadbare strains of the trash with which the press now groans14. Let us not desert one another; we are an injured body. Although our productions have afforded more extensive and unaffected pleasure than those of any other literary corporation in the world, no species of composition has been so much decried16. From pride, ignorance, or fashion, our foes17 are almost as many as our readers. And while the abilities of the nine-hundredth abridger18 of the History of England, or of the man who collects and publishes in a volume some dozen lines of Milton, Pope, and Prior, with a paper from the Spectator, and a chapter from Sterne, are eulogized by a thousand pens -- there seems almost a general wish of decrying19 the capacity and undervaluing the labour of the novelist, and of slighting the performances which have only genius, wit, and taste to recommend them. "I am no novel-reader -- I seldom look into novels -- Do not imagine that I often read novels -- It is really very well for a novel." Such is the common cant20. "And what are you reading, Miss -- ?" "Oh! It is only a novel!" replies the young lady, while she lays down her book with affected15 indifference21, or momentary22 shame. "It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda"; or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation23 of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language. Now, had the same young lady been engaged with a volume of the Spectator, instead of such a work, how proudly would she have produced the book, and told its name; though the chances must be against her being occupied by any part of that voluminous publication, of which either the matter or manner would not disgust a young person of taste: the substance of its papers so often consisting in the statement of improbable circumstances, unnatural24 characters, and topics of conversation which no longer concern anyone living; and their language, too, frequently so coarse as to give no very favourable25 idea of the age that could endure it.

当天晚上,凯瑟琳坐在剧院里,见索普小姐频频向她点头、微笑,当然要花出很多工夫进行回敬。但她没有顾此失彼,没有忘记左顾右盼,往她目力所及的每个包厢里寻觅蒂尔尼先生。可惜她始终也没找到。蒂尔尼先生看戏的兴趣,并不比去矿泉厅的兴趣大。莫兰小馆希望第二天能走运一些。当她祈求天公作美的愿望得到应验,次日早晨果见天晴气朗时,她简直不怀疑自己要交好运了,因为在巴思,星期天天气一好,家家户户都要出来玩耍。这时候,仿佛全镇的人都在到处散步,见熟人便说:今天天气多好。

一作完礼拜,索普一家和艾伦夫妇便急忙跑到了一起。大家先到矿泉厅玩了了一会,发现那里面人太多,而且见不到一副优雅的面孔。在这个季节,每逢星期天,都有这个感觉,便又匆匆赶到新月街,去呼吸一下上流社会的新鲜空气。在这里,凯瑟琳和伊莎贝拉臂挽着臂,无拘无束地畅谈着,再次尝到了友谊的欢乐。她们谈了很多,而且也很带劲,但是凯瑟琳重见她的舞伴的希望又落空了。蒂尔尼先生哪儿也碰不见。早晨的散步也好,晚上的舞会也罢,总是找不到他。无论在上舞厅还是下舞厅,无论在化装舞会上还是便装舞会上,哪儿都见不到他,在早晨散步、骑马或赶车的人们中间,也找不见他。矿泉厅的来宾簿上没有他的名字,再怎么打听也无济于事。他一定离开巴思了,然而他并没说过只呆这么几天呀。男主角总是行踪神秘,在凯瑟琳的想象中,这种神秘感给蒂尔尼的容貌和举止增添了一层新的魅力,使她更迫切地要进一步了解他。她从索普家那儿探听不到什么情况,因为她们遇见艾伦太太之前,来到巴思仅仅两天。不过,这是她和她的漂亮朋友经常议论的话题。她的朋友极力鼓励她,要她不要忘掉蒂尔尼先生。因此,蒂尔尼先生给她留下的印象一直没有减淡。伊莎贝拉确信,蒂尔尼先生一定是个很迷人的青年。她还确信,他一定很喜欢亲爱的凯瑟琳,因此很快就会回来的。她还因为他是个牧师,而越发喜爱他,因为“说老实话,我自己就很喜欢这个职业”。伊莎贝拉说完这话,不由自主地像是叹了口气。也许凯瑟琳不该不问问她为何轻声叹息,但她对爱情的花招和友谊的职责毕竟不够老练,不知道什么时候需要插科打诨,什么时候应该迫使对方吐露隐衷。

艾伦太太现在十分快活,对巴思十分满意。她终于找到了熟人,还非常幸运地发现,她们原来是她的一位极其可敬的老朋友的一家人。而且,使她感到无比庆幸的是,这些朋友的穿戴绝没有她自己的来得豪华。她每天的口头禅不再是:“我们要是在巴思有几位朋友就好了,”而是变成:“我真高兴,能遇见索普太太!”她就像她年轻的被保护人和伊莎贝拉一样,迫不及待地要增进两家人的交往。一天下来,除非大部分时间是守在索普太太身边,否则她决不会感到满意。她们在一起,照她们的说法是聊聊天,谁知她们几乎从不交换意见,也很少谈论类似的话题,因为索普太太主要谈自己的孩子,艾伦太太主要谈自己的长裙。

凯瑟琳与伊莎贝拉之间的友谊,一开始就很热烈,因而进展得也很迅速。两人一步步地越来越亲密,不久,无论她们的朋友还是她们自己,再也见不到还有什么进一步发展的余地了。她们相互以教名相称,总是挽臂而行。跳舞时相互帮着别好长裙,并且非在一个组里跳不可。如果逢上早晨下雨,不能享受别的乐趣,那她们也要不顾雨水与泥泞,坚决聚到一起,关在屋里一道看小说。是的,看小说,因为我不想采取小说家通常采取的那种卑鄙而愚蠢的行径,明明自己也在写小说,却以轻蔑的态度去诋毁小说。他们同自己不共戴天的敌人串通一气,对这些作品进行恶语中伤,从不允许自己作品中的女主角看小说。如果有位女主角偶尔拾起了一本书,这本书一定乏味至极,女主角一定怀着憎恶的心情在翻阅着。天哪!如果一部小说的女主角不从另一部小说的女主角那里得到庇护,那她又能指望从何处得到保护和尊重呢?我可不赞成这样做。让那些评论家穷极无聊地去咒骂那些洋溢着丰富想象力的作品吧,让他们使用那些目今充斥在报章上的种种陈词滥调去谈论每本新小说吧。我们可不要互相背弃,我们是个受到残害的整体。虽然我们的作品比其他任何文学形式给人们提供了更广泛、更真挚的乐趣,但是还没有任何一种作品遭到如此多的诋毁。由于傲慢、无知或赶时髦的缘故,我们的敌人几乎和我们的读者一样多。有人把《英国史》缩写成百分之九,有人把弥尔顿、蒲柏和普赖尔的几十行诗,《旁观者》的一篇杂文,以及斯特恩作品里的某一章,拼凑成一个集子加以出版,诸如此般的才干受到了上千人的赞颂;然而人们几乎总是愿意诋毁小说家的才能,贬损小说家的劳动,蔑视那些只以天才、智慧和情趣见长的作品。“我不是小说读者,很少浏览小说。别以为我常看小说。这对一本小说来说还真够不错的了。”这是人们常用的口头禅。

“你在读什么,小姐! ”“哦!

只不过是本小说!小姐答道,一面装着不感兴趣的样子,或是露出一时羞愧难言的神情,赶忙将书撂下。“这只不过是本《西西丽亚》,《卡米拉》,或是《贝林达》。总而言之,只是这样一些作品。在这些作品中,智慧的伟力得到了最充分的施展,因而,对人性的最透彻的理解、对其千姿百态的恰如其分的描述,四处洋溢的机智幽默,所有这一切都用最精湛的语言展现出来。假如那位小姐是在看一本《旁观者》杂志。而不是在看这种作品,她一定会十分骄傲地把杂志拿出来,而且说出它的名字!不过,别看那厚厚的一本,这位小姐无论在读哪一篇,其内容和文体都不可能不使一位情趣高雅的青年人为之作呕。这些作品的要害,往在在于描写了一些不可能发生的事件,矫揉造作的人物,以及与活人无关的话题;而且语言常常如此粗劣,使人对于能够容忍这种语言的时代产生了不良的印象。


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 enjoyment opaxV     
n.乐趣;享有;享用
参考例句:
  • Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同,我们这次访问更加愉快了。
  • After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话,这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。
2 finesse 3kaxV     
n.精密技巧,灵巧,手腕
参考例句:
  • It was a disappointing performance which lacked finesse.那场演出缺乏技巧,令人失望。
  • Lillian Hellman's plays are marked by insight and finesse.莉莲.赫尔曼的巨作以富有洞察力和写作技巧著称。
3 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
4 intercourse NbMzU     
n.性交;交流,交往,交际
参考例句:
  • The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
  • There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。
5 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
6 enjoyments 8e942476c02b001997fdec4a72dbed6f     
愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 ); 令人愉快的事物; 享有; 享受
参考例句:
  • He is fond of worldly enjoyments. 他喜爱世俗的享乐。
  • The humanities and amenities of life had no attraction for him--its peaceful enjoyments no charm. 对他来说,生活中的人情和乐趣并没有吸引力——生活中的恬静的享受也没有魅力。
7 resolute 2sCyu     
adj.坚决的,果敢的
参考例句:
  • He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
  • The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。
8 defiance RmSzx     
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗
参考例句:
  • He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
  • He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。
9 censure FUWym     
v./n.责备;非难;责难
参考例句:
  • You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。
  • His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。
10 bestowing ec153f37767cf4f7ef2c4afd6905b0fb     
砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖
参考例句:
  • Apollo, you see, is bestowing the razor on the Triptolemus of our craft. 你瞧,阿波罗正在把剃刀赠给我们这项手艺的特里泼托勒默斯。
  • What thanks do we not owe to Heaven for thus bestowing tranquillity, health and competence! 我们要谢谢上苍,赐我们的安乐、健康和饱暖。
11 epithets 3ed932ca9694f47aefeec59fbc8ef64e     
n.(表示性质、特征等的)词语( epithet的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • He insulted me, using rude epithets. 他用粗话诅咒我。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He cursed me, using a lot of rude epithets. 他用上许多粗鲁的修饰词来诅咒我。 来自辞典例句
12 insipid TxZyh     
adj.无味的,枯燥乏味的,单调的
参考例句:
  • The food was rather insipid and needed gingering up.这食物缺少味道,需要加点作料。
  • She said she was a good cook,but the food she cooked is insipid.她说她是个好厨师,但她做的食物却是无味道的。
13 alas Rx8z1     
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
参考例句:
  • Alas!The window is broken!哎呀!窗子破了!
  • Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而,真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
14 groans 41bd40c1aa6a00b4445e6420ff52b6ad     
n.呻吟,叹息( groan的名词复数 );呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦
参考例句:
  • There were loud groans when he started to sing. 他刚开始歌唱时有人发出了很大的嘘声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • It was a weird old house, full of creaks and groans. 这是所神秘而可怕的旧宅,到处嘎吱嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
16 decried 8228a271dcb55838e82261f4e24dc430     
v.公开反对,谴责( decry的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The measures were decried as useless. 这些措施受到指责,说是不起作用。
  • The old poet decried the mediocrity of today's writing. 老诗人抨击了现代文体的平庸无奇。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
17 foes 4bc278ea3ab43d15b718ac742dc96914     
敌人,仇敌( foe的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
  • She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战,挫败过很多对手。
18 abridger 9ab2bae3894f0f78491dac42bd58e70f     
参考例句:
19 decrying 1b34819af654ee4b1f6ab02103d1cd2f     
v.公开反对,谴责( decry的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Soon Chinese Internet users, including government agencies, were decrying the' poisonous panda. 不久,中国网民以及政府机构纷纷谴责“影响极坏的熊猫烧香”。 来自互联网
  • Democratic leaders are decrying President Bush's plan to indefinitely halt troop withdrawals from Iraq after July. 民主党领导公开谴责布什总统七月后无限停止从伊拉克撤兵的举动。 来自互联网
20 cant KWAzZ     
n.斜穿,黑话,猛扔
参考例句:
  • The ship took on a dangerous cant to port.船只出现向左舷危险倾斜。
  • He knows thieves'cant.他懂盗贼的黑话。
21 indifference k8DxO     
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎
参考例句:
  • I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
  • He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。
22 momentary hj3ya     
adj.片刻的,瞬息的;短暂的
参考例句:
  • We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
  • I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。
23 delineation wxrxV     
n.记述;描写
参考例句:
  • Biography must to some extent delineate characters.传记必须在一定程度上描绘人物。
  • Delineation of channels is the first step of geologic evaluation.勾划河道的轮廓是地质解译的第一步。
24 unnatural 5f2zAc     
adj.不自然的;反常的
参考例句:
  • Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗?
  • She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。
25 favourable favourable     
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的
参考例句:
  • The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
  • We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。


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