This scene is one of the ones which stays in my memory each time I read NA: I take delight in hating Thorpe for deceiving Catherine and can feel for Catherine here as she desperately attempts to set things right between her and the Tilneys. It is also, I think, a pivotal scene in the development of Catherine herself. She is strong enough to stand up for herself (she is "determined to persevere"), although still quite naive, and her backbone is developing.
Like you, each time I re-read this passage I hear the genuine angst which Catherine is expressing and in spite of the fact that I have never been able to identify or empathise with Catherine very much, this scene actually does make me feel for her and start to empathise with her. Perhaps I am beginning to like her after all!
I agree with you: it is a very enjoyable scene.
Board Index
