Northanger Abbey: Volume 2, Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

Catherine is too upset to pay any attention to the journey at first. She travels the same road she had ten days before on her way to Woodston. She remembers how the General had seemed so much to want her engagement to Henry and wonders what she could have done. She is sure Henry did not tell his father about her suspicions that he was a murderer. She is most concerned, however, about how Henry will take the news of her having been turned out of Northanger. She alternately thinks that he will calmly accept his father’s will and that he will be upset and angry on her behalf. After passing Woodston, she is too consumed by her thoughts to notice the journey, especially since she is not eager to arrive home under such odd circumstances, which will likely prejudice her family against the entire Tilney family.

Catherine meets with no trouble on her eleven-hour journey. She is looked after by those around her because of her youth, good manners, and ability to pay well. Most heroines return from journeys in grand style, the Narrator says, with many servants and an elegant carriage, which prompt authors to describe them in minute detail. But there is nothing much to say about a heroine in a post-chaise carriage.

Catherine’s entire large family is thrilled to see her when she arrives at Fullerton, which soothes her more than she thought anything could. Over tea, Catherine explains why she has returned so suddenly, and although the Morlands are not easily insulted, they think General Tilney’s treatment of their daughter is ungentlemanly. The family cannot understand his behavior, but Mrs. Morland says that it is not worth understanding. She says Catherine has always been absentminded, so hopefully she learned something from the experience of having to get home by herself.

Mrs. Morland sends Catherine to bed early, but her daughter still looks pale and unhappy in the morning. It never occurs to her parents to wonder about Catherine’s heart—and, the Narrator notes, this is quite unusual in the parents of a seventeen-year-old just returning from her first trip away from home.

Catherine sits down to write to Eleanor. She is now fully aware of how hard this situation was for Eleanor and is eager to do as Eleanor asked and write. She puzzles over how to strike the right tone in her letter. She wishes to show kindness to Eleanor, but to be honest, while also writing a letter she would not be embarrassed for Henry to read. In the end, she decides to write a very brief note, expressing gratitude and affection and repaying the money Eleanor lent her.

After hearing Catherine’s story of her time in Bath and with the Tilneys, Mrs. Morland says it has been a strange acquaintance, with such quick intimacy and such a quick end to the relationship. She says Catherine was also mistaken about Isabella’s character. She says she hopes that the next friends Catherine makes “will be better worth keeping.” Catherine blushes and defends Eleanor. Mrs. Morland calmly predicts that, if what she says is true, they will surely meet again in a few years. This is not comforting to Catherine, who thinks that Henry Tilney will likely forget her in a few years, although she will never forget him.

Mrs. Morland and Catherine call on Mrs. Allen, and Mrs. Morland tells Catherine that she feels sorry for James, but he will likely be a wiser man after this early disappointment. Catherine reflects on the last time, less than three months before, when she walked this path, filled with excitement for her trip to Bath. She feels herself to be a different human being now.

The Allens are surprised and happy to see her and very appalled by General Tilney’s treatment of Catherine. Mrs. Morland says they are happy to have Catherine back and glad to know that she can look after herself on a long journey. Mr. Allen expresses anger with the General, and then Mrs. Allen repeats several times the same phrases her husband has used, before turning the topic back to her clothing and the happiness of their having met the Thorpes when they had no acquaintances. Mrs. Allen also talks about how agreeable Mr. Tilney was, to which Catherine cannot reply.

On the way home, Mrs. Morland tells Catherine how unimportant it is that she has lost the friendship of the Tilneys, when she has the esteem of the Allens. This sensible argument has little effect on Catherine’s feelings. Catherine feels her entire happiness rests with the Tilneys. She silently thinks that Henry must by this time have heard about what happened to her.