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Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey
ISBN 978-83-953239-3-5
Wydawnictwo Wymownia: www.wymownia.pl
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Northanger Abbey
by Jane Austen
(1803)
CHAPTER 1
No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed
her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and
mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her. Her father
was a clergyman, without being neglected, or poor, and a very respectable man,
though his name was Richard—and he had never been handsome. He had a
considerable independence besides two good livings—and he was not in the least
addicted to locking up his daughters. Her mother was a woman of useful plain
sense, with a good temper, and, what is more remarkable, with a good constitution.
She had three sons before Catherine was born; and instead of dying in bringing the
latter into the world, as anybody might expect, she still lived on—lived to have six
children more—to see them growing up around her, and to enjoy excellent health
herself. A family of ten children will be always called a fine family, where there are
heads and arms and legs enough for the number; but the Morlands had little other
right to the word, for they were in general very plain, and Catherine, for many years
of her life, as plain as any. She had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without
colour, dark lank hair, and strong features—so much for her person; and not less
unpropitious for heroism seemed her mind. She was fond of all boy's plays, and
greatly preferred cricket not merely to dolls, but to the more heroic enjoyments of
infancy, nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary-bird, or watering a rose-bush. Indeed
she had no taste for a garden; and if she gathered flowers at all, it was chiefly for
the pleasure of mischief—at least so it was conjectured from her always preferring
those which she was forbidden to take. Such were her propensities—her abilities
were quite as extraordinary. She never could learn or understand anything before
she was taught; and sometimes not even then, for she was often inattentive, and
occasionally stupid. Her mother was three months in teaching her only to repeat the
“Beggar's Petition”; and after all, her next sister, Sally, could say it better than she
did. Not that Catherine was always stupid—by no means; she learnt the fable of
“The Hare and Many Friends” as quickly as any girl in England. Her mother
wished her to learn music; and Catherine was sure she should like it, for she was
very fond of tinkling the keys of the old forlorn spinnet; so, at eight years old she
began. She learnt a year, and could not bear it; and Mrs.
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