After reading Isabella's letter, I have to think of what a delightful source of diversion Isabella has become for us all. The newly awakened Catherine can now see through Isabella like a lace curtain, so much so that her intelligence now appears to surpass that of James, who still thinks well of John Thorpe, and who says of Isabella "I can never expect to know such another woman" (lucky for him.)

"Shallow artifice, inconsistencies, contradictions, and falsehood"- typical IT wouldn't you say? Not that it would likely have made any difference, but I wonder if she wrote her letter assuming that Catherine knew the real story from James already? Her tragic relationship with James in one sentence, spring fashions in the next, and back again. Bath is a vile place, yet she seemed to have a pretty good time there. The funniest part has got to be: "The last two days he (Cpt. Tilney) was always by the side of Charlotte Davis: I pitied his taste, but took no notice of him. The last time we met was in Bath Street, and I turned directly into a shop that he might not speak to me: I would not even look at him. He went into the Pump Room afterwards..." roflol!

I suspect that had Catherine took Isabella at her word, and had her and James went back to visit Isabella and renew old aquaintance, she would have already had another man on the string and would have denied having even wrote the letter.