Chapter 11 brings such tension and deceit into the plot that this author was greatly upset over Catherine Morland's distressful situation. The morning starts off dreary with a sort of foreshadowing for the coming events, but Catherine, ever the optimist, prefers to look at the weather differently. "A bright morning so early in the year, she allowed would generally turn to rain, but a cloudy one foretold improvement as the day advanced" (Austen 65).
When the rainy day postpones Catherine's plans of a walk with the Tilney's, she is understandably upset. "At half past twelve, when Catherine's anxious attention to the weather was over, and she could no longer claim any merit from its amendment, the sky began voluntarily to clear" (Austen 66). With the clearing of the weather, Miss Morland hoped that her plans for a walk with the Tilney siblings would occur just as they had originally planned. Unfortunately, Isabella and John Thorpe, and James Morland drove up in the open carriages to "drive directly to Clifton and dine there" (Austen 67).
Catherine excused herself from the excursion allowing her original plans to take precedence. Very un-friend-like, Isabella, John, and James put up a huge fight and insisted she come. When John finally told her that he saw the Tilney's riding out of town in a phaeton only a few minutes before, Catherine decided that she should go since they obviously hadn't planned on meeting up with her as she originally thought.
Moments after getting in the carriage and starting on their journey, Catherine saw the Tilney's walking in the direction of the Allen's house, clearly going to meet with her. Catherine was very upset that John lied and insisted he stop the carriage immediately, he behaved like a cad and only urged the horse faster, promptly ignoring her vehement protests.
"How could you deceive me so, Mr. Thorpe? – How could you say, that you saw them driving up the Lansdown road? – I would not have had it happen so for the world – They must think it so strange; so rude of me! to go by them, too , without saying a word! You do not know how vexed I am – I shall have no pleasure at Clifton, nor in any thing else. I had rather, ten thousand times rather get out now, and walk back to them . How could you say, you saw them driving out in a phaeton?" (Austen 70).
Catherine was justly angry at the deceit, and John Thorpe was an idiot, and continued to talk of himself as per usual.
The topic of James' monetary situation came up and Catherine did not try and deceive John of James' lack of great funds. "'Morland is a fool for not keeping a horse and gig of his own.' 'No, he is not,' said Catherine warmly, 'for I am sure he could not afford it.' 'And why cannot he afford it?' 'Because he has not money enough'" (Austen 71).
Austen ends the chapter in a very fitting manner: "And now I may dismiss my heroine to the sleepless couch, which is the true heroine's portion; to a pillow strewed with thorns and wet with tears. And lucky may she think herself, if she get another good night's rest in the course of the next three months" (Austen 72).
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