Northanger Abbey

As Catherine readies herself for dinner, she finds an old chest in her room. Although she does not want to disappoint the General by being late, she decides to investigate the chest immediately. It is monogrammed, but not with the Tilney family’s initials. She wonders how the Tilneys came to possess a large chest that does not seem to be theirs. As she struggles to open the heavy lid, Eleanor’s maid suddenly enters the room to see if Catherine needs any help getting ready for dinner. Catherine promptly dismisses the maid and continues getting dressed, but her intense curiosity about the chest lures her back to it. When she finally opens it, she finds it is full of sheets and other spare linens. Catherine’s surprise is interrupted by Eleanor herself coming in. Eleanor explains she does not know where the chest came from or how old it is, but that she stores miscellaneous textiles in it from time to time and keeps it in the corner so it is not in anyone’s way.

The General orders dinner be served as soon as the women enter the dining room. Catherine looks around the room, and the General asks how Mr. Allen’s rooms compare; Catherine says the rooms at the Abbey are much bigger. The General delights at her comment, saying that he is sure Mr. Allen’s smaller rooms are more comfortable than the large ones at the Abbey. Dinner goes pleasantly, with Catherine noticing that things are more cheerful when the General is momentarily absent. Catherine thinks of her friends back in Bath and finds she does not miss being there.

That night, a storm brews outside, reminding Catherine of her gothic novels. She calms herself down by thinking of how brave the heroines in those novels are. She decides there is nothing to be afraid of as she gets ready for bed. Catherine then notices a strange cabinet in her room. It is painted black and yellow, and its key is positioned in the lock. She struggles turning the key, but once opened, she finds it contains a roll of papers which reminds her of Henry’s joke about a hidden manuscript. Catherine excitedly attempts to examine the papers, and in her haste, she accidentally extinguishes her candle. She remains frozen in the darkness for a moment, then has no choice but to sleep. Throughout the night she tosses and turns, unable to fully sleep because she is scared by odd sounds within the house.

In the morning, Catherine decides to investigate the papers she found, but is disappointed to see it is merely a laundry bill. She feels embarrassed by her fantasies about the old chest and the black and yellow cabinet, and she hopes Henry never learns that she got so carried away. In the dining room, Henry jokingly asks if last night’s storm frightened her. Catherine does not want to lie; she says it did keep her up for a while, and she is glad to see the weather cleared by morning. She quickly changes the subject. The General joins them for breakfast. Catherine tells him she thinks their breakfast plates are beautiful, to which the General replies that he considered buying a newer set, as these plates are two years old. The General says he is not so vain about his possessions as to need new plates so often, although he does hope to choose a new set for someone else soon.

Henry leaves for Woodston. The General offers to tour the Abbey with Catherine, but he insists they do so after they go for a walk through the grounds. Catherine worries that without Henry there to explain what is picturesque, she will not be able to understand and enjoy everything she sees. Catherine is impressed with the gardens, and the General says gardening is his favorite hobby. He further adds that even though he does not know or care much about high-quality food, he loves fruit. He is pleased to hear Catherine say the Abbey is much grander and more elegant than Mr. Allen’s. Catherine and Eleanor walk separately from the General, as he opts for a sunnier path.

As the women walk together, Eleanor says the path they currently walk was her mother’s favorite. Eleanor misses her mother very much, and although Henry makes frequent visits, she has no sister and is often left alone. Catherine inquires about Eleanor’s mother, specifically if she favored this darker, colder path because she was in some way depressed. Eleanor does not answer some of Catherine’s more invasive questions, so Catherine forms her own theory that their late mother was unhappy in her marriage to the General. She thinks the General’s preference for a sunnier path is evidence of their disharmony.

Eleanor reveals that the General was not wholly satisfied with his wife’s portrait, so it now hangs in Eleanor’s room. Catherine suspects the General was somehow cruel to his wife, and she finds it hard to be as pleasant as before when they meet up again at the end of their walks. The General worries that she overexerted herself and tells her to go back to the Abbey to rest. He asks Eleanor to wait for him to finish his walk before they tour the Abbey.

While they wait for the General, Catherine spends the hour considering his character, and she does not reach any favorable conclusions. She thinks it unusual for him to go for such long walks alone, and wonders if his mind is uneasy. When the General returns, he immediately begins the tour. In each room, he details the fashionable and costly items within, and Catherine is silently disappointed that an entire section of the old Abbey was torn down and replaced with a modern structure. Catherine is happy to see that part of an old cloister has not yet been renovated.

Near the end of the tour, Eleanor begins walking toward the last remaining unexplored wing of the house, but the General stops her and asks if she is sure that Catherine wants to see those rooms. He proposes they quit the tour and have a snack. Catherine catches a glimpse of a winding staircase and more rooms in the wing; she thinks the oldest and most interesting part of the Abbey is withheld from her on purpose. Eleanor reveals that those rooms belonged to her late mother, and she promises to show them to Catherine when they have the opportunity to go alone—i.e., when the General leaves the Abbey. Catherine suspects the General avoids that wing of the house because he has a guilty conscience.

Eleanor says that her mother died nine years ago and that she was not home when she passed away. Catherine suspects the General killed his wife while Henry and Eleanor were travelling, recalling similar scenarios in the gothic novels she has read. Catherine watches the General pacing that evening, and she also thinks it is odd that he stays up late reading after everyone else is asleep. Catherine soon theorizes that Mrs. Tilney is actually still alive, but the General keeps her locked away in the forbidden wing and he stays up late to feed her when everyone is asleep. As Catherine readies herself for bed, she entertains the possibility that she may have walked by the very room Mrs. Tilney is locked within during their tour that afternoon. Catherine tries to stay awake to catch the General creeping about the house at midnight, but she is very tired and soon falls asleep.