名著选读：傲慢与偏见20

Elizabeth could not but smile at such a conclusion of such a beginning; but Mrs. Bennet, who had persuaded herself that her husband regarded the affair as she wished, was excessively disappointed.
伊丽莎白听到了那样的开头和这样的结论，不得不笑了一笑;不过，这可苦了班纳特太太，她本以为丈夫一定会照着她的意思来对待这件事的，哪里料到反而叫她大失所望。

"What do you mean, Mr. Bennet, by talking in this way? You promised me to insist upon her marrying him."
“你这话是什么意思，我的好老爷？你事先不是答应了我，非叫她嫁给他不可吗?”

"My dear," replied her husband, "I have two small favours to request. First, that you will allow me the free use of my understanding on the present occasion; and secondly, of my room. I shall be glad to have the library to myself as soon as may be."
“好太太，”丈夫回答道，“我有两件事要求你帮帮忙。第一，请你允许我自由运用我自己的书房。我真巴不得早日在自己书房里图个清闲自在。”

Not yet, however, in spite of her disappointment in her husband, did Mrs. Bennet give up the point. She talked to Elizabeth again and again; coaxed and threatened her by turns. She endeavoured to secure Jane in her interest but Jane with all possible mildness declined interfering; -- and Elizabeth, sometimes with real earnestness and sometimes with playful gaiety, replied to her attacks. Though her manner varied, however, her determination never did.
班纳特太太虽然碰了一鼻子灰，可是并不甘心罢休。她一遍又一遍地说服伊丽莎白，一忽儿哄骗，一忽儿威胁。她想尽办法拉着吉英帮忙，可是吉英偏不愿意多管闲事，极其委婉地谢绝了。伊丽莎白应付得很好，一忽儿情意恳切，一忽儿又是嘻皮笑脸，方式尽管变来变换去，决心却始终如一。

Mr. Collins, meanwhile, was meditating in solitude on what had passed. He thought too well of himself to comprehend on what motive his cousin could refuse him; and though his pride was hurt, he suffered in no other way. His regard for her was quite imaginary; and the possibility of her deserving her mother's reproach prevented his feeling any regret.
这当儿，柯林斯先生独自把刚才的那一幕深思默想了一番。他的把自己估价太高了，因此弄不明白表妹所以拒绝他，原因究竟何在。虽说他的自尊心受到了伤害，可是他别的方面丝毫也不觉得难过。他对他的好感完全是凭空想象的，他又以为她的母亲一定会责骂她，因此心里便也不觉得有什么难受了，因为她挨她母亲的骂是活该，不必为她过意不去。

While the family were in this confusion, Charlotte Lucas came to spend the day with them. She was met in the vestibule by Lydia, who, flying to her, cried in a half whisper, "I am glad you are come, for there is such fun here! -- What do you think has happened this morning? -- Mr. Collins has made an offer to Lizzy, and she will not have him."
正当这一家子闹得乱纷纷的时候，夏绿蒂·卢卡斯上她们这儿来玩了。丽迪雅在大门品碰到她，立刻奔上前去凑近她跟前说道：“你来了我真高兴，这儿正闹得有趣呢!你知道今天上午发生了什么事?柯林斯先生向丽萃求婚，丽萃偏偏不肯要他。”

Charlotte had hardly time to answer, before they were joined by Kitty, who came to tell the same news, and no sooner had they entered the breakfast-room, where Mrs. Bennet was alone, than she likewise began on the subject, calling on Miss Lucas for her compassion, and entreating her to persuade her friend Lizzy to comply with the wishes of all her family. "pray do, my dear Miss Lucas," she added in a melancholy tone, "for nobody is on my side, nobody takes part with me, I am cruelly used, nobody feels for my poor nerves."
夏绿蒂还没来得及回答，吉蒂就走到她们跟前来了，把同样的消息报道了一遍。她们走进起坐间，只见班纳特太太正独自待在那儿，马上又和她们谈到这话题上来，要求卢卡斯小姐怜恤怜恤她老人家，劝劝她的朋友丽萃顺从全家人的意思。“求求你吧，卢卡斯小姐，”她又用苦痛的声调说道：“谁也不站在我一边，大家都故意作践我，一个个都对我狠心透顶，谁也不能体谅我的神经。”

Charlotte's reply was spared by the entrance of Jane and Elizabeth.
夏绿蒂正要回答，恰巧吉英和伊丽莎白走进来了，因此没有开口。

"Aye, there she comes," continued Mrs. Bennet, "looking as unconcerned as may be, and caring no more for us than if we were at York, provided she can have her own way. -- But I tell you what, Miss Lizzy, if you take it into your head to go on refusing every offer of marriage in this way, you will never get a husband at all -- and I am sure I do not know who is to maintain you when your father is dead. -- I shall not be able to keep you -- and so I warn you. -- I have done with you from this very day. -- I told you in the library, you know, that I should never speak to you again, and you will find me as good as my word. I have no pleasure in talking to undutiful children, -- Not that I have much pleasure indeed in talking to any body. people who suffer as I do from nervous complaints can have no great inclination for talking. Nobody can tell what I suffer! -- But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied."
“嘿，她来啦，”班纳特太太接下去说。“看她一脸满不在乎的神气，一些不把我们放在心上，好象是冤家对头，一任她自己独断独行。──丽萃小姐，让我老实告诉你吧；如果你一碰到人家求婚，就象这样拒绝，那你一生一世都休想弄到一个丈夫。瞧你爸爸去世以后，还有谁来养你。我是养不活你的，事先得跟你声明。从今天起，我跟你一刀两断。你知道，刚刚在书房里，我就跟你说过，我再也不要跟你说话了，瞧我说得到就做得到。我不高兴跟忤逆的女儿说话。老实说，跟谁说话都不大乐意。象我这样一个神经上有病痛的人，就没有多大的兴致说话。谁也不知道我的苦楚！不过天下事总是这样的，你嘴上不诉苦，就没有人可怜你。”

Her daughters listened in silence to this effusion, sensible that any attempt to reason with or sooth her would only increase the irritation. She talked on, therefore, without interruption from any of them till they were joined by Mr. Collins, who entered with an air more stately than usual, and on perceiving whom, she said to the girls,
女儿们一声不响，只是听着她发牢骚。她们都明白，要是你想跟她评评理，安慰安慰她，那就等于火上加油。她唠唠叨叨往下说，女儿们没有一个来岔断她的话。最后，柯林斯先生进来了，脸上的神气比平常显得益发庄严，她一见到他，便对女儿们这样说：

"Now, I do insist upon it, that you, all of you, hold your tongues, and let Mr. Collins and me have a little conversation together."
“现在我要你们一个个都住嘴，让柯林斯先生跟我谈一会儿。”

Elizabeth passed quietly out of the room, Jane and Kitty followed, but Lydia stood her ground, determined to hear all she could; and Charlotte, detained first by the civility of Mr. Collins, whose inquiries after herself and all her family were very minute, and then by a little curiosity, satisfied herself with walking to the window and pretending not to hear. In a doleful voice Mrs. Bennet thus began the projected conversation. -- "Oh! Mr. Collins!" --
伊丽莎白静悄悄地走出去了，吉英和吉蒂跟着也走了出去，只有丽迪雅站在那儿不动，正要听听他们谈些什么。夏绿蒂也没有走，先是因为柯林斯先生仔仔细细问候她和她的家庭，所以不便即走，随后又为了满足她自己的好奇心，便走到窗口，去偷听他们谈话。只听得班纳特太太开始怨声怨气地把预先准备好的一番话谈出来：“哦，柯林斯先生。”

"My dear Madam," replied he, "let us be for ever silent on this point. Far be it from me," he presently continued, in a voice that marked his displeasure, "to resent the behaviour of your daughter. Resignation to inevitable evils is the duty of us all; the peculiar duty of a young man who has been so fortunate as I have been in early preferment; and I trust I am resigned. perhaps not the less so from feeling a doubt of my positive happiness had my fair cousin honoured me with her hand; for I have often observed that resignation is never so perfect as when the blessing denied begins to lose somewhat of its value in our estimation. You will not, I hope, consider me as shewing any disrespect to your family, my dear Madam, by thus withdrawing my pretensions to your daughter's favour, without having paid yourself and Mr. Bennet the compliment of requesting you to interpose your authority in my behalf. My conduct may, I fear, be objectionable in having accepted my dismission from your daughter's lips instead of your own. But we are all liable to error. I have certainly meant well through the whole affair. My object has been to secure an amiable companion for myself, with due consideration for the advantage of all your family, and if my manner has been at all reprehensible, I here beg leave to apologise."
“亲爱的太太，”柯林斯先生说，“这件事让我们再也别提了吧。我决不会怨恨令嫒这种行为。”他说到这里，声调中立刻流露出极其不愉快的意味：“我们大家都得逆来顺受，象我这样年少得志，小小年纪就得到了人家的器重，特别应该如此，我相信我一切都听天由命。即使蒙我那位美丽的表妹不弃，答应了我的求婚，或许我仍然免不了要怀疑，是否就此会获得真正的幸福，因为我一向认为，幸福一经拒绝，就不值得我们再加重视。遇到这种场合，听天由命是再好不过的办法。亲爱的太太，我这样收回了对令嫒的求婚，希望你别以为这是对您老人家和班纳特先生不恭敬的表示，别怪我没要求你们出面代我调停一下。只不过我并不是受到您拒绝，而是受到令嫒的拒绝，这一点也许值得遗憾。可是人人都难免有个阴错阳差的时候。我对于这件事始终是一片好心好意。我的目的就是要找一个可爱的伴侣，并且适当地考虑到府上的利益；假使我的态度方面有什么地方应该受到责备的话，就让我当面道个谦吧。”

（来源：爱词霸 编辑：许晶晶）