Jane Austen brings happiness back into the plot when Catherine is finally able to go on a walk with Mr. and Miss Tilney.
When Catherine apologizes for her love of novels, Henry Tilney counters with, "The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid. I have read all of Mrs. Radcliffe's works, and most of them with great pleasure" (Austen 86). Catherine is exceedingly pleased at the news of Mr. Tilney's love of books.
Their relationship has progressed to the stage of teasing in a very short time. Even Miss Tilney remarks on his attitude: "'Henry,' said Miss Tilney, 'you are very impertinent. Miss Morland, he is treating you exactly as he does his sister. He is for ever finding fault with me, for some incorrectness of language, and now he is taking the same liberty with you'" (Austen 87).
On their walk, the Tilney's began discussing the view from an artist's perspective. Catherine was completely naïve regarding the topic.
Austen injected this belief into the story: "I will only add in justice to men, that though to the larger and more trifling part of the sex, imbecility in females is a great enhancement of their personal charms, there is a portion of them too reasonable and too well informed themselves to desire anything more in woman than ignorance. Catherine did not know her own advantages – did not know that a good-looking girl, with an affectionate heart and a very ignorant mind, cannot fail of attracting a clever young man, unless circumstances are particularly untoward" (Austen 90).
When Mr. Tilney became aware of Catherine's ignorance to the subject of art, he was happy to inform her. "A lecture on the picturesque immediately followed, in which his instructions were so clear that she soon began to see beauty in every thing admire by him, and her attention was so earnest, that he became perfectly satisfied of her having a great deal of natural taste" (Austen 90).
When the topic of conversation returned to books, Catherine commented on a new work soon to be published. Miss Tilney misunderstood and was immediately teased by her brother. "'Miss Morland has been talking of nothing more dreadful than a new publication which is shortly to come out… my stupid sister has mistaken all your clearest expressions. She immediately pictured to herself a mob of three thousand men assembling in St. George's Fields'" (Austen 92).
Catherine was a little shocked at Mr. Tilney's teasing, but Miss Tilney quickly put her at ease again. "'You may as well make Miss Morland understand yourself'" (Austen 92). She told her brother to stop teasing, but all Mr. Tilney said in reply was, "'I shall be most happy to make her better acquainted with [his odd ways]. Miss Morland, no one can think more highly of the understanding of women than I do. In my opinion, nature has given them so much that they never find it necessary to use more than half'" (Austen 92).
The walk was a great success, and Catherine was able to become better acquainted with the Tilney's just as she had hoped.
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