Northanger Abbey

At the theatre that evening, Isabella sits between Catherine and James. She proclaims that her brother John is quite in love with Catherine, and that Henry’s return to Bath proves he loves her as well. Isabella tries to encourage Catherine to compliment her gown by pretending to be dissatisfied with it. Instead of waiting for Catherine’s response, Isabella quickly moves to yet another topic: She remarks that she and James have identical tastes, and that if Catherine was there, she would have probably commented that they were meant to be together. Catherine responds quite simply that she would not say anything like that, because doing so is improper. Isabella ignores her for the rest of the night, talking only to James.

The next day at the Pump-room, Catherine walks apart from Isabella and James because she still hopes to find Miss Tilney. When she does find her, she and Miss Tilney and strikes up a conversation. While their discussions are simple, they are sincere and honest; the narrator asserts that their sincerity makes the conversations “uncommon” even if the subject is common. Catherine then returns to the Allens’ house and plans her outfit for the next day’s ball. The narrator remarks on the frivolity of women’s fashion.

Catherine makes every effort to avoid John at the ball. She fears that if he asks her to dance again, she will once again find herself unable to dance with Henry. Isabella dances with James repeatedly, while encouraging Catherine to dance with John. At the very moment Catherine is ready to give up on dancing with Henry, he finds her and asks for a dance. Catherine accepts, but as they move to the dance floor, John interrupts and says she cannot dance with Henry because she already promised to dance with him. Catherine says, “I wonder you should think so, for you never asked me” (59). John lies, claiming that he asked her as soon as he entered the room. As the dance begins, the crowd separates Catherine and Henry from John, much to their mutual relief.

Henry jokingly remarks that dancing and marriage are similar in that both partners agree to certain terms, such as loyalty and ensuring the other’s happiness, at least for a set period of time. Catherine views the two terms quite literally, and as such she does not see the same comparison Henry makes. Henry asks if Catherine still enjoys Bath; Catherine does not think she will ever get bored of it, because Bath is far more entertaining than her life in the country. Henry remarks that people only seem to get bored of Bath when they run out of money, and he finds her perspective refreshing.

Catherine notices an older man watching them dance. After they separate, he whispers something to Henry. She soon discovers that the man is Henry’s father, General Tilney. Before the Tilneys leave for the night, Catherine and Miss Tilney agree to go for a walk together the next day, with Henry accompanying them. Catherine hardly sees Isabella for the rest of her time at the ball, but she finds that her happiness is not affected by being unable to share it with her friend.

Catherine keeps a close eye on the weather while she waits for the Tilneys to arrive for their walk. When it stops raining, she is surprised to see Isabella, John, and James arrive in their carriages. Both James and Isabella try to persuade her to join them for a ride, but Catherine remains firm in wanting to wait for the Tilneys. John then claims that he saw the Tilneys leaving town in their carriage, so they obviously must have changed their plans. Discouraged, Catherine finally agrees to join them. During their ride, she suddenly sees Henry and Miss Tilney walking along the street. Catherine urges John to stop the carriage so she can go back and talk to them, but John ignores Catherine’s pleas and makes the horses run faster. Catherine is angry to learn that John lied to her, and she refuses to speak to him for the rest of the ride.

Despite her hurt feelings, Catherine still looks forward to seeing Blaize Castle, where the group is heading. After an hour or so, James pulls his carriage alongside theirs and tells them that they all must turn back; it is too late in the day, and they will not be able to make the trip. John becomes angry, claiming that James’s horse is too slow, and he should get a better one. Catherine says that James cannot afford to have his own fast horse and carriage. John remarks that it is James’s own fault if he cannot afford a good horse despite being rich. Catherine has no idea what John means and decides to stop talking to him again instead of pressing the topic any further.

When Catherine returns to the Allens’ house, their footman tells her that the Tilneys did in fact come by while she was gone; they asked if she left a note, and Catherine feels tremendous regret. Later that evening, while Catherine talks with Isabella about their day, she notices that Isabella does not seem to care that Catherine is upset. Isabella blames the Tilneys for being late, claiming that John would never keep her waiting like that.

The following day, Catherine visits the Tilneys, hoping to explain everything about the day before. When she arrives, a servant claims that the Tilneys are not at home, but Catherine notices the expression on the man’s face and wonders if he is lying to her. While walking away, Catherine looks over her shoulder and sees the Tilneys heading out of their house. She is greatly upset they refused her visit. That night she goes to the theatre and spots Henry in the crowd. She feels ashamed, assuming he must now think less of her.

When the play is over, Henry comes to speak with her, and Catherine explains the whole situation and how badly she wanted to escape the carriage when she saw them walking outside. In turn, Henry explains they did not reject her visit because of her behavior, but because they already had plans which General Tilney did not wish to delay. They agree to reschedule their walk for someday soon. When Henry leaves, Catherine notices John and General Tilney talking. Later, she asks John how he knows the General. John claims to know everyone in Bath, and he tells her the General is a good man—and a rich man, too. He also says the General called Catherine the finest girl in Bath; Catherine feels relieved to learn the General likes her. John insists on accompanying Catherine outside to her carriage, ignoring her protests that she does not need his help.