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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