Caʈrin wz nt so mć ingejd at ɖ ʈiytr ɖt īvnñ, in rtrnñ ɖ nodz n smîlz v Mis Ʈorp, ɖo ɖe srtnli clemd mć v hr leźr, az t fget t lc wɖ an inqîrñ î fr Mr Tilni in evri box ẃć hr î cd rīć; bt ś lct in ven. Mr Tilni wz no fondr v ɖ ple ɖn ɖ pumprūm. Ś hopt t b mor forćṇt ɖ nxt de; n ẃn hr wśz fr fîn weɖr wr ansrd bî siyñ a bytifl mornñ, ś hardli flt a dǎt v it; fr a fîn Súnde in Baʈ emtiz evri hǎs v its inhabitnts, n ol ɖ wrld apirz on sć an oceźn t wōc abt n tel ɖer aqentns ẃt a ćarmñ de it z.
Az sn az dvîn srvis wz ovr, ɖ Ʈorps n Aḷnz īgrli jônd ć uɖr; n aftr steyñ loñ inuf in ɖ pumprūm t dscuvr ɖt ɖ crǎd wz inṣportbl, n ɖt ɖr wz nt a jntīl fes t b sìn, ẃć evrbdi dscuvrz evri Súnde ʈrt ɖ sīzn, ɖe hesnd awe t ɖ Cresnt, t briɖ ɖ freś er v betr cumṗni. Hir Caʈrin n Iẓbela, arm in arm, agn testd ɖ swīts v frendśp in an unrizrvd convseśn; ɖe tōct mć, n wɖ mć injômnt; bt agn wz Caʈrin dis’pôntd in hr hop v rīsiyñ hr partnr. H wz nẃr t b met wɖ; evri srć fr him wz īqli unṣxesfl, in mornñlǎnjz or īvnñ’smbliz; nɖr at ɖ Upr nr Lowr Rūmz, at drest or undrest bōlz, wz h psiṿbl; nr amñ ɖ wōcrz, ɖ horsṃn, or ɖ curicldrîvrz v ɖ mornñ. Hiz nem wz nt in ɖ pumprūm-bc, n krioṣti cd d no mor. H mst b gn fṛm Baʈ. Yt h hd nt mnśnd ɖt hiz ste wd b so śort! Ɖs sort v mistirịsnis, ẃć z olwz so bcmñ in a hiro, ʈrù a freś gres in Caʈrin’z imaɉneśn arnd hiz prsn n manrz, n incrist hr añzayti t nǒ mor v him. Fṛm ɖ Ʈorps ś cd lrn nʈñ, fr ɖe hd bn onli tū dez in Baʈ bfr ɖe met wɖ Msz Aḷn. It wz a subjict, hvr, in ẃć ś ofn induljd wɖ hr fer frend, fṛm hūm ś rsivd evri poṣbl incurijmnt t cntiny t ʈnc v him; n hiz impreśn on hr fansi wz nt sufrd ɖrfr t wìcn. Iẓbela wz vri śr ɖt h mst b a ćarmñ yuñ man, n wz īqli śr ɖt h mst hv bn dlîtd wɖ hr dir Caʈrin, n wd ɖrfr śortli rtrn. Ś lîct him ɖ betr fr biyñ a clrjimn, “fr ś mst cnfes hrslf vri parśl t ɖ pṛfeśn”; n smʈñ lîc a sai iscept hr az ś sd it. Phps Caʈrin wz roñ in nt dmandñ ɖ cōz v ɖt jntl imośn—bt ś wz nt xpirịnst inuf in ɖ finés v luv, or ɖ dytiz v frendśp, t nǒ ẃn delic̣t reḷri wz proprli cōld fr, or ẃn a confidns śd b forst.
Msz Aḷn wz nǎ qt hapi—qt saṭsfaid wɖ Baʈ. Ś hd faund sm aqentns, hd bn so luci tù az t fînd in ɖm ɖ faṃli v a most wrɖi old frend; n, az ɖ cmpliśn v gd fortyn, hd faund ɖz frendz bî no mīnz so xpnsvli drest az hrslf. Hr dêli xpreśnz wr no longr, “I wś w hd sm aqentns in Baʈ!” Ɖe wr ćenjd intu, “Hǎ glad I am w hv met wɖ Msz Ʈorp!” n ś wz az īgr in pṛmotñ ɖ inṭcors v ɖ tū faṃliz, az hr yuñ ćarj n Iẓbela ɖmslvz cd b; nvr saṭsfaid wɖ ɖ de unls ś spent ɖ ćīf v it bî ɖ sîd v Msz Ʈorp, in ẃt ɖe cōld convseśn, bt in ẃć ɖr wz scersli evr eni xćenj v opińn, n nt ofn eni rzmbḷns v subjict, fr Msz Ʈorp tōct ćīfli v hr ćildṛn, n Msz Aḷn v hr gǎnz.
Ɖ progres v ɖ frendśp btwn Caʈrin n Iẓbela wz qc az its bginñ hd bn worm, n ɖe pást so rapidli ʈru evri gṛdeśn v incrisñ tndrnis ɖt ɖr wz śortli no freś prūf v it t b gvn t ɖer frendz or ɖmslvz. Ɖe cōld ć uɖr bî ɖer Crisćn nem, wr olwz arm in arm ẃn ɖe wōct, pind p ć uɖr’z tren fr ɖ dans, n wr nt t b dvîdd in ɖ set; n f a reni mornñ dprîvd ɖm v uɖr injômnts, ɖe wr stl reẓlut in mītñ in dfayns v wet n drt, n śut ɖmslvz p, t rīd novlz tgɖr. Yes, novlz; fr I wl nt adopt ɖt unjenṛs n impoḷtic custm so comn wɖ novlraitrz, v dgredñ bî ɖer cntmćs snśr ɖ vri pformnsz, t ɖ numbr v ẃć ɖe r ɖmslvz adñ—jônñ wɖ ɖer gretist eṇmiz in bstowñ ɖ harśist epiʈets on sć wrcs, n scersli evr pmitñ ɖm t b réd bî ɖer ǒn herǒin, hu, f ś axdntli tec p a novl, z śr t trn ovr its insipid pejz wɖ dsgust. Alas! F ɖ herǒin v wn novl b nt patṛnîzd bî ɖ herǒin v anɖr, fṛm hūm cn ś xpct pṛtx́n n rgard? I canot apruv v it. Let s līv it t ɖ rvywrz t abyz sć ifyźnz v fansi at ɖer leźr, n ovr evri ny novl t tōc in ʈredbér strenz v ɖ traś wɖ ẃć ɖ pres nǎ gronz. Let s nt dzrt wn anɖr; w r an injrd bodi. Olɖo ǎr pṛdux́nz hv afordd mor xtnsv n un’fctd pleźr ɖn ɖoz v eni uɖr litrri corṗreśn in ɖ wrld, no spīśīz v compziśn hz bn so mć dcraid. Fṛm prîd, ignṛns, or faśn, ǎr foz r olmst az mni az ǎr rīdrz. N ẃl ɖ abiḷtiz v ɖ nîn-hundṛdʈ abrijr v ɖ Hisṭri v Ñgḷnd, or v ɖ man hu c’lects n publiśz in a volym sm duzn lînz v Miltn, Pǒp, n Prîr, wɖ a pepr fṛm ɖ Spectetr, n a ćaptr fṛm Strn, r yḷjîzd bî a ʈǎznd pnz—ɖr sīmz olmst a jenṛl wś v dcrayñ ɖ c’paṣti n unḍvalywñ ɖ lebr v ɖ noṿlist, n v slîtñ ɖ pformnsz ẃć hv onli jīńs, wit, n test t rec̣mnd ɖm. “I am no novlrīdr—I sldm lc intu novlz—D nt imajn ɖt I ofn rīd novlz—It z riyli vri wel fr a novl.” Sć z ɖ comn cant. “N ẃt r y rīdñ, Mis—?” “Ǒ! It z onli a novl!” rplîz ɖ yuñ ledi, ẃl ś lez dǎn hr bc wɖ afctd indifṛns, or momnṭri śem. “It z onli Ssīła, or Cmila, or B’linda”; or, in śort, onli sm wrc in ẃć ɖ gretist pǎrz v ɖ mînd r dspleid, in ẃć ɖ most ʈura nolij v hymn nećr, ɖ hapiist d’linieśn v its vraytiz, ɖ lîvliist ifyźnz v wit n hymr, r cnveid t ɖ wrld in ɖ bst-ćozn lanḡj. Nǎ, hd ɖ sem yuñ ledi bn ingejd wɖ a volym v ɖ Spectetr, instd v sć a wrc, hǎ prǎdli wd ś hv pṛdyst ɖ bc, n tld its nem; ɖo ɖ ćansz mst b agnst hr biyñ okpaid bî eni part v ɖt vlūmiṇs pubḷceśn, v ẃć îɖr ɖ matr or manr wd nt dsgust a yuñ prsn v test: ɖ substns v its peprz so ofn cnsistñ in ɖ stetmnt v improbbl srcmstansz, uņaćṛl caṛctrz, n topics v convseśn ẃć no longr cnsrn enwn livñ; n ɖer lanḡj, tù, frīqntli so cōrs az t gv no vri fevṛbl îdīa v ɖ ej ɖt cd indyr it.
