| abstract | - She met Catherine Morland in Bath. She reminded Isabella of James Morland, Catherine's brother. Isabella's brother was a friend of James's at school, and the Thorpes had him for Christmas the year before. Isabella and Catherine became fast friends, and moved through the stages of friendship quite quickly during both their stays in the city. They called each other by their Christian names, dispensing with usual formality, walked hand in hand, and were not to be divided while dancing. They even shared a mutual love of the Gothic novel, specifically novels by Ann Radcliffe. Isabella was overjoyed to learn that James Morland was in town, and began to spend as much time with him as possible, with the goal of marrying him, as she believed that James was heir to a larger fortune than he was—but none of the Morlands never deceived them about this. She pushed Catherine towards her brother, John Thorpe, a vain man who swore almost every sentence. Isabella made it her goal to snag James, as she believed him to be wealthier than he was, or the heir to much more wealth than he was. She even ruined Catherine's plans to go to the pump-room to talk with Eleanor Tilney when she pushed her to accompany them on a carriage ride.
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