It was idle
to attempt to ascertain the state of her affections without direct
inquiry, because, if she had not had an expressive manner among the
familiar influences of home, she failed to gather animation from the
mountains of Switzerland or the monuments of Italy. She was always
her father's docile and reasonable associate--going through their
sight-seeing in deferential silence, never complaining of fatigue,
always ready to start at the hour he had appointed over-night, making
no foolish criticisms and indulging in no refinements of
appreciation. "She is about as intelligent as the bundle of shawls,"
the Doctor said; her main superiority being that while the bundle of
shawls sometimes got lost, or tumbled out of the carriage, Catherine
was always at her post, and had a firm and ample seat. But her
father had expected this, and he was not constrained to set down her
intellectual limitations as a tourist to sentimental depression; she
had completely divested herself of the characteristics of a victim,
and during the whole time that they were abroad she never uttered an
audible sigh. He supposed she was in correspondence with Morris
Townsend; but he held his peace about it, for he never saw the young
man's letters, and Catherine's own missives were always given to the
courier to post. She heard from her lover with considerable
regularity, but his letters came enclosed in Mrs.
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