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 horrid1 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 vile2 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 Oxford3; 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 frightful4 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 esteem5; 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 abhor6, 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 fickle7 sex too well. He went away to his regiment8 two days ago, and I trust I shall never be plagued with him again. He is the greatest coxcomb9 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 affected10 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 determined11 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. I knew their spite: at one time they could not be civil to me, but now they are all friendship; but I am not such a fool as to be taken in by them. You know I have a pretty good spirit of my own. Anne Mitchell had tried to put on a turban like mine, as I wore it the week before at the concert, but made wretched work of it -- it happened to become my odd face, I believe, at least Tilney told me so at the time, and said every eye was upon me; but he is the last man whose word I would take. I wear nothing but purple now: I know I look hideous12 in it, but no matter -- it is your dear brother's favourite colour. Lose no time, my dearest, sweetest Catherine, in writing to him and to me, Who ever am, etc.
Such a strain of shallow artifice13 could not impose even upon Catherine. Its inconsistencies, contradictions, and falsehood struck her from the very first. She was ashamed of Isabella, and ashamed of having ever loved her. Her professions of attachment14 were now as disgusting as her excuses were empty, and her demands impudent15. "Write to James on her behalf! No, James should never hear Isabella's name mentioned by her again."
On Henry's arrival from Woodston, she made known to him and Eleanor their brother's safety, congratulating them with sincerity16 on it, and reading aloud the most material passages of her letter with strong indignation. When she had finished it -- "So much for Isabella," she cried, "and for all our intimacy17! She must think me an idiot, or she could not have written so; but perhaps this has served to make her character better known to me than mine is to her. I see what she has been about. She is a vain coquette, and her tricks have not answered. I do not believe she had ever any regard either for James or for me, and I wish I had never known her."
"It will soon be as if you never had," said Henry.
"There is but one thing that I cannot understand. I see that she has had designs on Captain Tilney, which have not succeeded; but I do not understand what Captain Tilney has been about all this time. Why should he pay her such attentions as to make her quarrel with my brother, and then fly off himself?"
"I have very little to say for Frederick's motives18, such as I believe them to have been. He has his vanities as well as Miss Thorpe, and the chief difference is, that, having a stronger head, they have not yet injured himself. If the effect of his behaviour does not justify19 him with you, we had better not seek after the cause."
"Then you do not suppose he ever really cared about her?"
"I am persuaded that he never did."
"And only made believe to do so for mischief's sake?"
"Well, then, I must say that I do not like him at all. Though it has turned out so well for us, I do not like him at all. As it happens, there is no great harm done, because I do not think Isabella has any heart to lose. But, suppose he had made her very much in love with him?"
"But we must first suppose Isabella to have had a heart to lose -- consequently to have been a very different creature; and, in that case, she would have met with very different treatment."
"It is very right that you should stand by your brother."
"And if you would stand by yours, you would not be much distressed21 by the disappointment of Miss Thorpe. But your mind is warped22 by an innate23 principle of general integrity, and therefore not accessible to the cool reasonings of family partiality, or a desire of revenge."
Catherine was complimented out of further bitterness. Frederick could not be unpardonably guilty, while Henry made himself so agreeable. She resolved on not answering Isabella's letter, and tried to think no more of it.
第二天早晨、凯瑟琳十分意外地收到伊莎贝拉的一封来信，信文如下：
巴思、四月
最亲爱的凯瑟琳：
十分欣喜地收到你的两封来信，万分抱歉没有及早回信。我真为自己的懒惰感到惭愧，不过在这个令人厌恶的地方，干什么都没有工夫。自从你离开巴思以后，我几乎每天都要拿起笔来准备给你写信，但总是被种种无聊的琐事搅得不能如愿。请你马上给我来信，寄到我的家中。谢天谢地！我们明天就要离开这个令人讨厌的地方。自你走后，我在这里没有快活过。到处都是尘土，喜爱的人全都走了。我相信，假若能见到你，其余的一切我都可以置之度外。因为谁也想象不到你对我有多亲。我对你亲爱的哥哥感到十分不安，自他去牛津以后，一直没收到他的音信。我担心发生了什么误会。务请你从中斡旋，使得一切误会冰解冻释。你哥哥是我唯一爱过、唯一爱得上的男人。我相信你会让他心服口服的。春季服装已经部分上市，那些帽子真是要多难看有多难看。我希望你过得愉快，但是你恐怕一点都不系念我。我不想多说和你在一起的那家人的坏话，因为我不愿意显得气量很小，或者让你厌恶作所器重的人。但是，你很难知道究竟哪个人是靠得住的，青年人的思想过两天就要变卦。我十分高兴地告诉你，我最最讨厌的那个青年人已经离开了巴思。你从我的形容可以得知，我指的一定是蒂尔尼上尉。你可能记得，就是他，在你没走之前，总在痴心妄想地追逐我，引逗我。后来他更变本加厉，简直成了我的影子。许多女孩子都会上他的当，因为你从没见过有这么献殷勤的。不过我太了解男人的三心二意了。他两天前归队了。我相信他也不会再来跟我胡搅了。他是我见过的最典型的花花公子，令人讨厌透顶。最后两天他又缠上了夏洛特·戴维斯，我可怜他的眼力，但是并没理会他。我最后一次遇见他是在巴思街，我当即钻进一家商店，免得跟他说话。我连看都不愿看他。后来他走进矿泉厅，我说什么也不愿意跟着进去。他和你哥哥可真是天渊之别！请来信介绍点你哥哥的情况。我为他感到十分难过，他走的时候似乎很不舒服，不是身上着了凉，就是情绪受了点影响。我本想亲自给他写信，可是不知道把他的地址丢到哪里去了。再说，我前面提到过，他恐怕对我的行为发生了误会。请把这一切给他作个满意的解释。如果还有疑问，请他直接给我写信，或者下次进城时到普特尼来一趟，一切都会解释明白。我好久没去舞厅了，也没看过戏，只在昨天晚上陪霍奇斯家去看了一场半票的闹剧。这是他们逗引我去地，我也决不想让他们说我蒂尔尼一走连门都不出。我们凑巧坐在米切尔一家旁边，他们见我出了门，假装十分惊讶。我知道他们不怀好意：他们一度对我很不客气。现在居然友好极了。但我不是傻瓜，决不会上他们的当。你知道我是很有头脑的。安妮·米切尔见我上星期在音乐厅戴着一块头巾，也找来这么一块戴上了，没想到难看得要命。我相信，那块头巾恰好适合我这张古怪的面庞。至少蒂尔尼当时是这么对我说的，他还说所有的目光都在投向我。不过，我最不相信他的话。我现在只穿紫的了，我知道我穿紫的很难看，但是没有关系，这是你亲爱的哥哥最喜欢的颜色。我最亲爱、最甜蜜的凯瑟琳，请立即给你哥哥和我写信。
永远忠于你的……
这等拙劣的把戏连凯瑟琳都骗不了。她从一开始就觉得这封信前后矛盾，假话连篇。她为伊莎贝拉感到羞耻，为自己曾经爱过她感到羞耻。她那些亲热的表白现在听了真叫人恶心，还有她的托词是那样空洞，要求是那样无耻。“替她给詹姆斯写信！休想！我决不会再在詹姆斯面前提起伊莎贝拉的名字。”
亨利从伍德斯顿一回来，她就把弗雷德里克安然无恙的消息告诉了他和埃丽诺，真心实意地向他们表示祝贺，并且愤愤然地把信里最要害的几段话高声念了一遍。念完之后，便接着嚷道：“算了吧，伊莎贝拉，我们的友爱到此结束了！她一定以为我是一个白痴，否则就不会给我写这样的信。不过．这封信也许有助于我看透了她的为人，而她却没有认准我是怎样一个人。我明白她用心何在。她是个爱慕虚荣的风骚货，可惜伎俩没有得逞。我相信她从没把詹姆斯和我放在心上，我只怪自己不该认识她。”
“你很快就会像是没认识她似的，”亨利说。
“只有一件事搞不明白。我知道她想勾搭蒂尔尼上尉没有得逞，可我不晓得蒂尔尼上尉这一向用意何在。他既然那么追求她，让她和我哥哥闹翻了，可为什么又要突然溜走呢？”
“我也说不上弗雷德里克用心何在，只能猜测而已。他和索普小姐一样爱慕虚荣，但是两人的主要区别在于，弗雷德里克头脑比较清醒，因而他还没有深受其害。如果你觉得他这样做的结果已经证明他不对了，我们最好就不必追究其原因了。”
“那么你认为他对索普小姐一直无动于衷吗？”
“我相信是这样。”
“他假装喜欢她仅仅是为了捣乱？”
亨利点头表示同意。
“那么我必须告诉你，我一点也不喜欢他。虽然事情的结局还不坏，我还是一点也不喜欢他。的确、这次没有造成很大的危害，因为我相信伊莎贝拉是不会倾心相爱的。可是，假定弗雷德里克使她真正爱上他呢？”
“不过，我们必须首先假定伊莎贝拉会倾心相爱因而是一个截然不同的人。那样的话，她也不会遭到这样的待遇。”
“理所当然，你应该站在你哥哥那边。”
“如果你能站在你哥哥那边，你就不会为索普小姐的失望感到痛苦。但是你心里早就形成了一条人人应该诚实的定见，因此你就无法接受自家人应该互相庇护的冷漠道理，也不可能产生报复的欲念。”
凯瑟琳听了这番恭维，也就打消了心中的怨艾，亨利既然如此和蔼可亲，弗雷德里克不可能犯下不可宽恕的罪行。她决定不给伊莎贝拉回信，而且也不再去想这件事。
收听单词发音 |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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Oxford
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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abhor
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| v.憎恶；痛恨 | |
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fickle
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| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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coxcomb
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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warped
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| adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾， | |
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innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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