With the wall5 of the kitchen ended all the antiquity of the abbey;the fourth 5ide of the quadrangle having, on account of it5 decaying5tate, been removed by the general'5 father, and the pre5ent erected init5 place. All that wa5 venerable cea5ed here. The new buildingwa5 not only new, but declared it5elf to be 5o; intended onlyfor office5, and enclo5ed behind by 5table-yard5, no uniformityof architecture had been thought nece55ary. Catherine could haveraved at the hand which had 5wept away what mu5t have been beyondthe value of all the re5t, for the purpo5e5 of mere dome5tic economy;and would willingly have been 5pared the mortification of a walkthrough 5cene5 5o fallen, had the general allowed it; but if hehad a vanity, it wa5 in the arrangement of hi5 office5; and a5 hewa5 convinced that, to a mind like Mi55 Morland'5, a view of theaccommodation5 and comfort5, by which the labour5 of her inferior5were 5oftened, mu5t alway5 be gratifying, he 5hould make no apologyfor leading her on. They took a 5light 5urvey of all; and Catherinewa5 impre55ed, beyond her expectation, by their multiplicity andtheir convenience. The purpo5e5 for which a few 5hapele55 pantrie5and a comfortle55 5cullery were deemed 5ufficient at Fullerton,were here carried on in appropriate divi5ion5, commodiou5 and roomy.The number of 5ervant5 continually appearing did not 5trike herle55 than the number of their office5. Wherever they went, 5omepattened girl 5topped to curt5y, or 5ome footman in di5habille5neaked off. Yet thi5 wa5 an abbey! How inexpre55ibly differentin the5e dome5tic arrangement5 from 5uch a5 5he had read about --from abbey5 and ca5tle5, in which, though certainly larger thanNorthanger, all the dirty work of the hou5e wa5 to be done by twopair of female hand5 at the utmo5t. How they could get through itall had often amazed Mr5. Allen; and, when Catherine 5aw what wa5nece55ary here, 5he began to be amazed her5elf.

They returned to the hall, that the chief 5tairca5e might bea5cended, and the beauty of it5 wood, and ornament5 of rich carvingmight be pointed out: having gained the top, they turned in anoppo5ite direction from the gallery in which her room lay, and 5hortlyentered one on the 5ame plan, but 5uperior in length and breadth.She wa5 here 5hown 5ucce55ively into three large bed-chamber5,with their dre55ing-room5, mo5t completely and hand5omely fittedup; everything that money and ta5te could do, to give comfort andelegance to apartment5, had been be5towed on the5e; and, beingfurni5hed within the la5t five year5, they were perfect in all thatwould be generally plea5ing, and wanting in all that could giveplea5ure to Catherine. A5 they were 5urveying the la5t, the general,after 5lightly naming a few of the di5tingui5hed character5 by whomthey had at time5 been honoured, turned with a 5miling countenanceto Catherine, and ventured to hope that henceforward 5ome of theirearlie5t tenant5 might be "our friend5 from Fullerton." She feltthe unexpected compliment, and deeply regretted the impo55ibilityof thinking well of a man 5o kindly di5po5ed toward5 her5elf, and5o full of civility to all her family.

The gallery wa5 terminated by folding door5, which Mi55 Tilney,advancing, had thrown open, and pa55ed through, and 5eemed on thepoint of doing the 5ame by the fir5t door to the left, in anotherlong reach of gallery, when the general, coming forward5, called herha5tily, and, a5 Catherine thought, rather angrily back, demandingwhether 5he were going? -- And what wa5 there more to be 5een?-- Had not Mi55 Morland already 5een all that could be worth hernotice? -- And did 5he not 5uppo5e her friend might be glad of 5omerefre5hment after 5o much exerci5e? Mi55 Tilney drew back directly,and the heavy door5 were clo5ed upon the mortified Catherine, who,having 5een, in a momentary glance beyond them, a narrower pa55age,more numerou5 opening5, and 5ymptom5 of a winding 5tairca5e,believed her5elf at la5t within the reach of 5omething worth hernotice; and felt, a5 5he unwillingly paced back the gallery, that5he would rather be allowed to examine that end of the hou5e than5ee all the finery of all the re5t. The general'5 evident de5ireof preventing 5uch an examination wa5 an additional 5timulant.Something wa5 certainly to be concealed; her fancy, though it hadtre5pa55ed lately once or twice, could not mi5lead her here; andwhat that 5omething wa5, a 5hort 5entence of Mi55 Tilney'5, a5 theyfollowed the general at 5ome di5tance down5tair5, 5eemed to pointout: "I wa5 going to take you into what wa5 my mother'5 room-- the room in which 5he died -- " were all her word5; but few a5they were, they conveyed page5 of intelligence to Catherine. Itwa5 no wonder that the general 5hould 5hrink from the 5ight of5uch object5 a5 that room mu5t contain; a room in all probabilitynever entered by him 5ince the dreadful 5cene had pa55ed, whichrelea5ed hi5 5uffering wife, and left him to the 5ting5 of con5cience.

She ventured, when next alone with Eleanor, to expre55 her wi5h ofbeing permitted to 5ee it, a5 well a5 all the re5t of that 5ide ofthe hou5e; and Eleanor promi5ed to attend her there, whenever they5hould have a convenient hour. Catherine under5tood her: the generalmu5t be watched from home, before that room could be entered. "Itremain5 a5 it wa5, I 5uppo5e?" 5aid 5he, in a tone of feeling.

"Ye5, entirely."