] And now I will confess that when I *first* read NA, I thought General Tilney was after young Catherine, and that his increasingly irritating behavior was due to his realization that she was oblivious to his charms.

That was a possibility I entertained too, on this my first read of NA. What better to energize a middle-aged widower than a sweet young thing? We see a match with similar ages in S&S (although Col. B is probably younger than the General). But then, Gen. T is no Col. Brandon!