... to be unintelligible." I love this quote from Catherine and even have it as a refrigerator magnet. So, what did Catherine not understand? She is such an innocent, good natured person. She was shocked that Isabella Thorpe accepted Captain Frederick Tileny’s request to dance because she is engaged to her brother James. Catherine only asks herself what she would do in such a situation, not what another person, less principled, would do. So why did Isabella accept Frederick’s offer? She is a gold-digger. She thought James would have a higher living and when she found out he would only make 400 £ per year she was disappointed. Isabella told her that it was the 2 ½ year wait to be married, not the lower income, and Catherine believed her lie. Isabella decided to accept Frederick’s offer to dance and then flirt with him because she thought that the Tilney’s were rich. Well, even though Frederick is not a complete gentleman, his flirtation was actually good for James because Isabella was deceptive and greedy.