Mr. Tilney and his companion, who continued, though slowly, to approach, were immediately preceded by a lady, an acquaintance of Mrs. Thorpe; and this lady stopping to speak to her, they, as belonging to her, stopped likewise, and Catherine, catching Mr. Tilney’s eye, instantly received from him the smiling tribute of recognition.  She returned it with pleasure, and then advancing still nearer, he spoke both to her and Mrs. Allen, by whom he was very civilly acknowledged.  “I am very happy to see you again, sir, indeed; I was afraid you had left Bath.”  He thanked her for her fears, and said that he had quitted it for a week, on the very morning after his having had the pleasure of seeing her.

“Well, sir, and I dare say you are not sorry to be back again, for it is just the place for young people —­ and indeed for everybody else too.  I tell Mr. Allen, when he talks of being sick of it, that I am sure he should not complain, for it is so very agreeable a place, that it is much better to be here than at home at this dull time of year.  I tell him he is quite in luck to be sent here for his health.”

“And I hope, madam, that Mr. Allen will be obliged to like the place, from finding it of service to him.”

“Thank you, sir.  I have no doubt that he will.  A neighbour of ours, Dr. Skinner, was here for his health last winter, and came away quite stout.”

“That circumstance must give great encouragement.” 

“Yes, sir —­ and Dr. Skinner and his family were here three months; so I tell Mr. Allen he must not be in a hurry to get away.”

Here they were interrupted by a request from Mrs. Thorpe to Mrs. Allen, that she would move a little to accommodate Mrs. Hughes and Miss Tilney with seats, as they had agreed to join their party.  This was accordingly done, Mr. Tilney still continuing standing before them; and after a few minutes’ consideration, he asked Catherine to dance with him.  This compliment, delightful as it was, produced severe mortification to the lady; and in giving her denial, she expressed her sorrow on the occasion so very much as if she really felt it that had Thorpe, who joined her just afterwards, been half a minute earlier, he might have thought her sufferings rather too acute.  The very easy manner in which he then told her that he had kept her waiting did not by any means reconcile her more to her lot; nor did the particulars which he entered into while they were standing up, of the horses and dogs of the friend whom he had just left, and of a proposed exchange of terriers between them, interest her so much as to prevent her looking very often towards that part of the room where she had left Mr. Tilney.  Of her dear Isabella, to whom she particularly longed to point out that gentleman, she could see nothing.  They were in different sets.  She was separated from all her party, and away from all her acquaintance; one mortification succeeded another, and from the whole she deduced this useful