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northanger abbey-第29章

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waiting for me; you took the volume into the Hermitage Walk;



and I was obliged to stay till you had finished it。〃







     〃Thank you; Eleanora most honourable testimony。 



You see; Miss Morland; the injustice of your suspicions。 



Here was I; in my eagerness to get on; refusing to wait



only five minutes for my sister; breaking the promise



I had made of reading it aloud; and keeping her in



suspense at a most interesting part; by running away



with the volume; which; you are to observe; was her own;



particularly her own。  I am proud when I reflect on it;



and I think it must establish me in your good opinion。〃







     〃I am very glad to hear it indeed; and now I shall



never be ashamed of liking Udolpho myself。  But I really



thought before; young men despised novels amazingly。〃







     〃It is amazingly; it may well suggest amazement



if they dofor they read nearly as many as women。 



I myself have read hundreds and hundreds。  Do not imagine



that you can cope with me in a knowledge of Julias



and Louisas。  If we proceed to particulars; and engage



in the never…ceasing inquiry of 'Have you read this?'



and 'Have you read that?' I shall soon leave you as far



behind me aswhat shall I say?l want an appropriate



simile。as far as your friend Emily herself left poor



Valancourt when she went with her aunt into Italy。 



Consider how many years I have had the start of you。 



I had entered on my studies at Oxford; while you were a good



little girl working your sampler at home!〃







     〃Not very good; I am afraid。  But now really;



do not you think Udolpho the nicest book in the world?〃







     〃The nicestby which I suppose you mean the neatest。 



That must depend upon the binding。〃







     〃Henry;〃 said Miss Tilney; 〃you are very impertinent。 



Miss Morland; he is treating you exactly as he does his sister。 



He is forever finding fault with me; for some incorrectness



of language; and now he is taking the same liberty with you。 



The word 'nicest;' as you used it; did not suit him;



and you had better change it as soon as you can; or we



shall be overpowered with Johnson and Blair all the rest



of the way。〃







     〃I am sure;〃 cried Catherine; 〃I did not mean



to say anything wrong; but it is a nice book; and why



should not I call it so?〃







     〃Very true;〃 said Henry; 〃and this is a very nice day;



and we are taking a very nice walk; and you are two



very nice young ladies。  Oh! It is a very nice word



indeed! It does for everything。  Originally perhaps it



was applied only to express neatness; propriety; delicacy;



or refinementpeople were nice in their dress;



in their sentiments; or their choice。  But now every



commendation on every subject is comprised in that one word。〃







     〃While; in fact;〃 cried his sister; 〃it ought only



to be applied to you; without any commendation at all。 



You are more nice than wise。  Come; Miss Morland;



let us leave him to meditate over our faults in the utmost



propriety of diction; while we praise Udolpho in whatever



terms we like best。  It is a most interesting work。 



You are fond of that kind of reading?〃







     〃To say the truth; I do not much like any other。〃







     〃Indeed!〃







     〃That is; I can read poetry and plays; and things



of that sort; and do not dislike travels。  But history;



real solemn history; I cannot be interested in。 



Can you?〃







     〃Yes; I am fond of history。〃







     〃I wish I were too。  I read it a little as a duty;



but it tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me。 



The quarrels of popes and kings; with wars or pestilences;



in every page; the men all so good for nothing;



and hardly any women at allit is very tiresome:



and yet I often think it odd that it should be so dull;



for a great deal of it must be invention。  The speeches



that are put into the heroes' mouths; their thoughts



and designsthe chief of all this must be invention;



and invention is what delights me in other books。〃







     〃Historians; you think;〃 said Miss Tilney; 〃are not



happy in their flights of fancy。  They display imagination



without raising interest。  I am fond of historyand am



very well contented to take the false with the true。 



In the principal facts they have sources of intelligence



in former histories and records; which may be as much



depended on; I conclude; as anything that does not actually



pass under one's own observation; and as for the little



embellishments you speak of; they are embellishments;



and I like them as such。  If a speech be well drawn up;



I read it with pleasure; by whomsoever it may be madeand



probably with much greater; if the production of Mr。 Hume



or Mr。 Robertson; than if the genuine words of Caractacus;



Agricola; or Alfred the Great。〃







     〃You are fond of history! And so are Mr。 Allen and



my father; and I have two brothers who do not dislike it。 



So many instances within my small circle of friends is



remarkable! At this rate; I shall not pity the writers



of history any longer。  If people like to read their books;



it is all very well; but to be at so much trouble in filling



great volumes; which; as I used to think; nobody would



willingly ever look into; to be labouring only for the torment



of little boys and girls; always struck me as a hard fate;



and though I know it is all very right and necessary;



I have often wondered at the person's courage that could



sit down on purpose to do it。〃







     〃That little boys and girls should be tormented;〃



said Henry; 〃is what no one at all acquainted with human



nature in a civilized state can deny; but in behalf



of our most distinguished historians; I must observe



that they might well be offended at being supposed to



have no higher aim; and that by their method and style;



they are perfectly well qualified to torment readers



of the most advanced reason and mature time of life。 



I use the verb 'to torment;' as I observed to be your



own method; instead of 'to instruct;' supposing them to be



now admitted as synonymous。〃







     〃You think me foolish to call instruction a torment;



but if you had been as much used as myself to hear poor



little children first learning their letters and then



learning to spell; if you had ever seen how stupid they



they can be for a whole morning together; and how tired



my poor mother is at the end of it; as I am in the habit



of seeing almost every day of my life at home; you would



allow that 'to torment' and 'to instruct
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