名著·傲慢与偏见 - 第11节


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  “珈罗琳,我敢说,买下彭伯里比仿照彭伯里的式样造房子,可能性更大些。”

   Elizabeth was so much caught by what passed, as to leave her very little attention for her book; and soon laying it wholly aside, she drew near the card-table, and stationed herself between Mr. Bingley and his eldest sister to observe the game.

  伊丽莎白听这些话听得出了神,弄得没心思看书了,索性把书放在一旁,走到牌桌跟前,坐在彬格莱先生和他的妹妹之间,看他们斗牌。

   "Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?" said Miss Bingley; "will she be as tall as I am?"

  这时彬格莱小姐又问达西:“从春天到现在,达西长高了很多吧?她将来会长到我这么高吧?”

   "I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's height, or rather taller."

  “我想会吧。她现在大概有伊丽莎白·班纳特小姐那么高了,恐怕还要高一点。”

   "How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much. Such a countenance, such manners, and so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on the piano-forte is exquisite."

  “我直想再见见她!我从来没碰到过这么使我喜爱的人。模样儿那么好,又那样懂得礼貌,小小的年纪就出落得多才多艺,她的钢琴真弹得高明极了。”

  彬格莱先生说:“这真叫我惊奇,年轻的姑娘们怎么一个个都有那么大的能耐,把自己锻炼和多才多艺。”

   "All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?"

  “一个个年轻的姑娘们都是多才多艺!亲受的查尔斯,你这话是什么意思呀?”

   "Yes all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished."

  “是的,我认为一个个都是那样。她们都会装饰台桌,点缀屏风,编织钱袋。我简直就没有见过哪一位不是样样都会,而且每逢听人谈起一个年轻姑娘,,没有哪一次不听说她是多才多艺的。”

   "Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said Darcy, "has too much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse, or covering a screen. But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished."

  达西说:“你这一套极其平凡的所谓才艺,倒是千真万确。多少女人只不过会编织钱袋,点缀屏风,就享有了多才多艺的美名;可是我却不能同意你对一般妇女的估价。我不敢说大话;我认识很多女人,而真正多才多艺的实在不过半打。”

   "Nor I, I am sure," said Miss Bingley.

  “我也的确不敢说大话,”彬格莱小姐说。

  伊丽莎白说:“那么,在你的想象中,一个多才多艺的妇女应该包括很多条件啦。”

   "Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it."

  “不错,我认为应该包括很多条件。”

   "Oh! certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved."

  “噢,当然罗,”他的忠实助手叫起来了,“要是一个妇女不能超越常人,就不能算是多才多艺。一个女人必须精通音乐、歌唱、图画、舞蹈以及现代语文,那才当得起这个称号;除此以外,她的仪表和步态,她的声调,她的谈吐和表情,都得有相当风趣,否则她就不够资格。”

   "All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."

  达西接着说:“她除了具备这些条件以外,还应该多读书,长见识,有点真才实学。”

   "I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any."

  “怪不得你只认识六个才女啦。我现在简直疑心你连一个也不认识呢。”

  “你怎么对你们女人这般苛求,竟以为她们不可能具备这些条件?”

   "I never saw such a woman, I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united."

  “我从来没见过这样的女人。我从来没见过哪一个人象你所说的这样有才干,有情趣,又那么好学,那么仪态优雅。”

   Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt, and were both protesting that they knew many women who answered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward. As all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room.

  “赫斯脱太太和彬格莱小姐都叫起来了,说她不应该表示怀疑,因为这种怀疑是不公平的,而且她们还一致提出反证,说她们自己就知道有很多女人都够得上这些条件。一直等到赫斯脱先生叫她们好好打牌,怪她们不该对牌场上的事那么漫不经心,她们才住嘴,一场争论就这样结束了,伊丽莎白没有多久也走开了。”

   "Eliza Bennet," said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, "is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own, and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds. But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art."

  门关上之后,彬格莱小姐说,“有些女人们为了自抬身价,往往在男人们面前编派女人,伊丽莎白·班纳特就是这样一个女人,这种手段在某些男人身上也许会发生效果,但是我认为这是一种下贱的诡计,一种卑鄙的手腕。”

   "Undoubtedly," replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, "there is meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable."

  达西听出她这几句话是有意说给他自己听的,便连忙答道:“毫无疑问,姑娘们为了勾引男子,有时竟不择手段,使用巧计,这真是卑鄙。只要你的做法带有几分狡诈,都应该受到鄙弃。”

  彬格莱小姐不太满意他这个回答,因此也就没有再谈下去。

   Elizabeth joined them again only to say that her sister was worse, and that she could not leave her. Bingley urged Mr. Jones's being sent for immediately; while his sisters, convinced that no country advice could be of any service, recommended an express to town for one of the most eminent physicians. This she would not hear of, but she was not so unwilling to comply with their brother's proposal; and it was settled that Mr. Jones should be sent for early in the morning if Miss Bennet were not decidedly better. Bingley was quite uncomfortable; his sisters declared that they were miserable. They solaced their wretchedness, however, by duets after supper, while he could find no better relief to his feelings than by giving his housekeeper directions that every possible attention might be paid to the sick lady and her sister.

  伊丽莎白又到他们这儿来了一次,只是为了告诉他们一声,她姐姐的病更加严重了,她不能离开。彬格醚再三主张立刻请钟斯大夫来,他的姐妹们却都以为乡下郎中无济于是,主张赶快到城里去请一位最有名的大夫来,伊丽莎白不赞成,不过她也不便太辜负她们兄弟的一番盛意,于是大家协商出了一个办法;如果班纳特小姐明儿一大早依旧毫无起色,就马上去请钟斯大夫来。彬格莱先生心里非常不安,他的姐姐和妹妹也说是十分担忧。吃过晚饭以后,她们俩总算合奏了几支歌来消除了一些烦闷,而彬格莱先生因为想不出好办法来解除焦虑,便只有关照他那管家婆尽心尽意地照料病人和病人的妹妹。

   Elizabeth passed the chief of the night in her sister's room, and in the morning had the pleasure of being able to send a tolerable answer to the enquiries which she very early received from Mr. Bingley by a housemaid, and some time afterwards from the two elegant ladies who waited on his sisters. In spite of this amendment, however, she requested to have a note sent to Longbourn, desiring her mother to visit Jane, and form her own judgment of her situation. The note was immediately dispatched, and its contents as quickly complied with. Mrs. Bennet, accompanied by her two youngest girls, reached Netherfield soon after the family breakfast.

  伊丽莎白那一晚上的大部分时间都是在她姐姐房间里度过的,第二天一大早,彬格莱先生就派了个女佣人来问候她们。过了一会儿,彬格莱的姐姐妹妹也打发了两个文雅的待女来探病,伊丽莎白总算可以聊以自慰地告诉她们说,病人已略见好转。不过,她虽然宽了一下心,却还是要求他们府上替她差人送封信到浪博恩去,要她的妈妈来看看吉英,来亲自判断她的病情如何。信立刻就送去了,信上所说的事也很快就照办了。班纳特太太带着两个最小的女儿来到尼日斐花园的时候,他们家里刚刚吃过早饭。

   Had she found Jane in any apparent danger, Mrs. Bennet would have been very miserable; but being satisfied on seeing her, that her illness was not alarming, she had no wish of her recovering immediately, as her restoration to health would probably remove her from Netherfield. She would not listen therefore to her daughter's proposal of being carried home; neither did the apothecary, who arrived about the same time, think it at all advisable. After sitting a little while with Jane, on Miss Bingley's appearance and invitation the mother and three daughters all attended her into the breakfast parlour. Bingley met them with hopes that Mrs. Bennet had not found Miss Bennet worse than she expected.

  倘使班纳特太太发觉吉英有什么危险,那她真要伤心死了;但是一看到吉英的病并不怎么严重,她就满意了;她也并不希望吉英马上复元,因为,要是一复元,她就得离开尼日斐花园回家去。所以她的女儿一提起要她带她回家去,她听也不要听,况且那位差不多跟她同时来到的医生,也认为搬回去不是个好办法。母亲陪着吉英坐了一会儿工夫,彬格莱小姐便来请她吃早饭,于是她就带着三个女儿一块儿上饭厅去。彬格莱先生前来迎接她们,说是希望班纳特太太看到了小姐的病一定会觉得并不是想象中那般严重。

   "Indeed I have, Sir," was her answer. "She is a great deal too ill to be moved. Mr. Jones says we must not think of moving her. We must trespass a little longer on your kindness."

  班纳特太太回答道:“我却没有想象到会这般严重呢,先生,她病得太厉害了,根本不能搬动。钟斯大夫也说,千万不可以叫她搬动。我们只得叨光你们多照顾几天啦。”

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名著·傲慢与偏见 - 第11节