At length however she was empowered to disengage herself from her friend, by the avowed necessity of speaking to Miss Tilney, whom she most joyfully saw just entering the room with Mrs.Hughes, and whom she instantly joined, with a firmer determination to be acquainted, than she might have had courage to command, had she not been urged by the disappointment of the day before.

Miss Tilney met her with great civility, returned her advances with equal goodwill, and they continued talking together as long as both parties remained in the room; and though in all probability not an observation was made, nor an expression used by either which had not been made and used some thousands of times before, under that roof, in every Bath season, yet the merit of their being spoken with simplicity and truth, and without personal conceit, might be something uncommon.
"How well your brother dances!" was an artless exclamation of Catherine's towards the close of their conversation, which at once surprised and amused her companion.
"Henry!" she replied with a smile.

"Yes, he does dance very well." "He must have thought it very odd to hear me say I was engaged the other evening, when he saw me sitting down.

But I really had been engaged the whole day to Mr.Thorpe." Miss Tilney could only bow.

"You cannot think," added Catherine after a moment's silence, "how surprised I was to see him again.