Northanger Abbey by Desiree Holt

Author:Desiree Holt [Holt, Jane Austen & Desiree]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Totally Entwined Group Ltd
Published: 2012-07-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Mr and Mrs Allen were sorry to lose their young friend, whose good humour and cheerfulness had made her a valuable companion and in the promotion of whose enjoyment their own had been gently increased. Her happiness in going with Miss Tilney, however, prevented their wishing it otherwise and as they were to remain only one more week in Bath themselves, her quitting them now would not long be felt. Mr Allen attended her to Milsom Street, where she was to breakfast and saw her seated with the kindest welcome among her new friends but so great was her agitation in finding herself as one of the family and so fearful was she of not doing exactly what was right and of not being able to preserve their good opinion, that, in the embarrassment of the first five minutes, she could almost have wished to return with him to Pulteney Street.

Miss Tilney’s manners and Henry’s smile soon did away some of her unpleasant feelings but still she was far from being at ease nor could the incessant attentions of the general himself entirely reassure her. Nay, perverse as it seemed, she doubted whether she might not have felt less, had she been less attended to. His anxiety for her comfort—his continual solicitations that she would eat and his often-expressed fears of her seeing nothing to her taste—though never in her life before had she beheld half such variety on a breakfast-table—made it impossible for her to forget for a moment that she was a visitor. She felt utterly unworthy of such respect and knew not how to reply to it. Her tranquillity was not improved by the general’s impatience for the appearance of his eldest son, nor by the displeasure he expressed at his laziness when Captain Tilney at last came down. She was quite pained by the severity of his father’s reproof, which seemed disproportionate to the offence and much was her concern increased when she found herself the principal cause of the lecture and that his tardiness was chiefly resented from being disrespectful to her. This was placing her in a very uncomfortable situation and she felt great compassion for Captain Tilney, without being able to hope for his goodwill. The remnants of her conversation with Isabella did nothing to ease her mind, especially when she found herself imagining Captain Tilney naked. She frequently took refuge behind her fan to disguise her thoughts.

He listened to his father in silence and attempted not any defence, which confirmed her in fearing that the inquietude of his mind, on Isabella’s account, might, by keeping him long sleepless, have been the real cause of his rising late. It was the first time of her being decidedly in his company and she had hoped to be now able to form her opinion of him but she scarcely heard his voice while his father remained in the room and even afterwards, so much were his spirits affected, she could distinguish nothing but these words, in a whisper to Eleanor, “How glad I shall be when you are all off.

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