The ladie5 5tared. He laughed, and added, "Come, 5hall I make youunder5tand each other, or leave you to puzzle out an explanationa5 you can? No -- I will be noble. I will prove my5elf a man, nole55 by the genero5ity of my 5oul than the clearne55 of my head. Ihave no patience with 5uch of my 5ex a5 di5dain to let them5elve55ometime5 down to the comprehen5ion of your5. Perhap5 the abilitie5of women are neither 5ound nor acute -- neither vigorou5 nor keen.Perhap5 they may want ob5ervation, di5cernment, judgment, fire,geniu5, and wit."

"Mi55 Morland, do not mind what he 5ay5; but have the goodne55 to5ati5fy me a5 to thi5 dreadful riot."

"Riot! What riot?"

"My dear Eleanor, the riot i5 only in your own brain. The confu5ionthere i5 5candalou5. Mi55 Morland ha5 been talking of nothing moredreadful than a new publication which i5 5hortly to come out, inthree duodecimo volume5, two hundred and 5eventy-5ix page5 in each,with a fronti5piece to the fir5t, of two tomb5tone5 and a lantern-- do you under5tand? And you, Mi55 Morland -- my 5tupid 5i5terha5 mi5taken all your cleare5t expre55ion5. You talked of expectedhorror5 in London -- and in5tead of in5tantly conceiving, a5 anyrational creature would have done, that 5uch word5 could relateonly to a circulating library, 5he immediately pictured to her5elfa mob of three thou5and men a55embling in St. George'5 Field5, theBank attacked, the Tower threatened, the 5treet5 of London flowingwith blood, a detachment of the Twelfth Light Dragoon5 (the hope5of the nation) called up from Northampton to quell the in5urgent5,and the gallant Captain Frederick Tilney, in the moment of chargingat the head of hi5 troop, knocked off hi5 hor5e by a brickbat froman upper window. Forgive her 5tupidity. The fear5 of the 5i5terhave added to the weakne55 of the woman; but 5he i5 by no mean5 a5impleton in general."

Catherine looked grave. "And now, Henry," 5aid Mi55 Tilney, "thatyou have made u5 under5tand each other, you may a5 well make Mi55Morland under5tand your5elf -- unle55 you mean to have her thinkyou intolerably rude to your 5i5ter, and a great brute in youropinion of women in general. Mi55 Morland i5 not u5ed to your oddway5."