名著·傲慢与偏见 - 第45节


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  “达西先生,你这样走过来听,莫不是想吓唬我?尽管你妹妹的确演奏得很好,我也不怕。我性子倔强,决不肯让别人把我吓倒。人家越是想来吓倒我,我的胆子就越大。”

   "I shall not say that you are mistaken," he replied, "because you could not really believe me to entertain any design of alarming you; and I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance long enough to know, that you find great enjoyment in occasionally professing opinions which in fact are not your own."

  达西说:“我决不会说你讲错了,因为你不会真以为我存心吓你;好在我认识你很久了,知道你就喜欢说一些并不是你自己心里想说的话。”

   Elizabeth laughed heartily at this picture of herself, and said to Colonel Fitzwilliam, "Your cousin will give you a very pretty notion of me, and teach you not to believe a word I say. I am particularly unlucky in meeting with a person so well able to expose my real character, in a part of the world where I had hoped to pass myself off with some degree of credit. Indeed, Mr. Darcy, it is very ungenerous in you to mention all that you knew to my disadvantage in Hertfordshire -- and, give me leave to say, very impolitic too -- for it is provoking me to retaliate, and such things may come out, as will shock your relations to hear."

  伊丽莎白听到人家这样形容她,便高兴地笑了起来,于是对费茨廉说道:“你表兄竟在你面前把我说成一个多糟糕的人教你对我的话一句也不要相信。我真晦气,我本来想在这里骟骗人,叫人相信我多少有些长处,偏偏碰上了一个看得穿我真正性格的人。──真的,达西先生,你把我在哈福德郡的一些倒霉的事儿都一股脑儿说了出来,你这是不厚道的──而且,请允许我冒昧说一句,你这也是不聪明的──因为你这样做,会引起我的报复心,我也会说出一些事来,叫你的亲戚们听了吓一跳。”

   "I am not afraid of you," said he, smilingly.

  “我才不怕你呢,”他微笑持说。

   "Pray let me hear what you have to accuse him of," cried Colonel Fitzwilliam. "I should like to know how he behaves among strangers."

  费茨威廉连忙叫道:“我倒要请你说说看,他有什么不是。我很想街道他跟陌生人一起的时候,行为怎么样。”

  “那么我就讲给你听吧;我先得请你不要骇怕。你得明白,我第一次在哈福德郡看见他,是在一个舞会上,你知道他在这个跳舞会上做些什么?他一共只跳了四次舞!我不愿意叫你听了难受,不过事实确是这样。虽说男客很少,他却只跳了四次,而且我知道得很清楚,当时在场的女客中间,没有舞伴而闲坐在一旁的可不止一个人呢──达西先生,你可不能否认有这件事哟。”

   "I had not at that time the honour of knowing any lady in the assembly beyond my own party."

  “说来遗憾,当时舞场上除了我自己人以外,一个女客也不认识。”

   "True; and nobody can ever be introduced in a ball room. Well, Colonel Fitzwilliam, what do I play next? My fingers wait your orders."

  “不错;跳舞场里是不作兴请人家介绍女朋友的。──唔,费茨威廉上校,再叫我弹什么呢?我的手指在等着你吩咐。”

   "Perhaps," said Darcy, "I should have judged better, had I sought an introduction, but I am ill qualified to recommend myself to strangers."

  达西说:“也许我当时最好请人介绍一下,可是我又不配去向陌生人自我推荐。”

   "Shall we ask your cousin the reason of this?" said Elizabeth, still addressing Colonel Fitzwilliam. "Shall we ask him why a man of sense and education, and who has lived in the world, is ill qualified to recommend himself to strangers?"

  “我们要不要问问你的表兄,这究竟是什么缘故?”伊丽莎白仍然对着费茨威廉上校说话。“我们要不要问问他,一个有见识、有阅历、而又受过教育的人,为什么不配把自己介绍给陌生人?”

  费茨威廉说:“我可以回答你的问题,用不着请教他。那是因为他自己怕麻烦。”

   "I certainly have not the talent which some people possess," said Darcy, "of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done."

  达西说:“我的确不象人家那样有本领,遇到向来不认识的人也能任情谈笑。我也不会象人家那样随声附和,假意关切。”

   "My fingers," said Elizabeth, "do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women's do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault -- because I would not take the trouble of practising. It is not that I do not believe my fingers as capable as any other woman's of superior execution."

  伊丽莎白说:“我谈起钢琴来,手指不象许多妇女那么有气派,也不象她们那么有力和灵活,也没有她们弹得那么有表情。我一直认为这是我自己的缺点,是我自己不肯用功练习的缘故。我可不信我的手指不及那些比我弹奏得高明的女人。”

   Darcy smiled, and said, "You are perfectly right. You have employed your time much better. No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you, can think any thing wanting. We neither of us perform to strangers."

  达西笑了笑说:“你说得完全对。可见你的成绩要她得多。凡是有福份听过你演奏的人,都觉得你毫无欠缺的地方。我们两人可就不愿意在陌生人面前表演。”

   Here they were interrupted by Lady Catherine, who called out to know what they were talking of. Elizabeth immediately began playing again. Lady Catherine approached, and, after listening for a few minutes, said to Darcy,

  说到这里,咖苔琳夫人大声地问他们谈些什么,打断了他们的话。伊丽莎白立刻重新弹起琴来。咖苔琳夫人走近前来,听了几分钟以后,就对达西说:

  班纳特小姐如果再多练习练习,能够请一位伦敦名师指点指点,弹起来就不会有毛,病了。虽说她的趣味比不上安妮,可是她很懂得指法。安妮要是身体好,能够学习的话,一定会成为一位令人满意的演奏者。”

   Elizabeth looked at Darcy to see how cordially he assented to his cousin's praise; but neither at that moment nor at any other could she discern any symptom of love; and from the whole of his behaviour to Miss De Bourgh she derived this comfort for Miss Bingley, that he might have been just as likely to marry her, had she been his relation.

  伊丽莎白望着达西,要看看他听了夫人对他表妹的这番夸奖,是不是竭诚表示赞同,可是当场和事后都看不出他对她有一丝一毫爱的迹象、从他对待德·包尔小姐的整个态度看来,她不禁替彬格莱小姐感到安慰:要是彬格莱小姐跟达西是亲戚的话,达西一定也会跟她结婚。

   Lady Catherine continued her remarks on Elizabeth's performance, mixing with them many instructions on execution and taste. Elizabeth received them with all the forbearance of civility; and at the request of the gentlemen, remained at the instrument till her ladyship's carriage was ready to take them all home.

  咖苔琳夫人继续对伊丽莎白的演奏发表意见,还给了她许多关于演奏和鉴赏方面的指示。伊丽莎白只得极有忍耐地虚心领教。她听从了丙位男客的要求,一直坐在钢琴旁边,弹到夫人备她了马车送他们大家回家。

   Elizabeth was sitting by herself the next morning, and writing to Jane, while Mrs. Collins and Maria were gone on business into the village, when she was startled by a ring at the door, the certain signal of a visitor. As she had heard no carriage, she thought it not unlikely to be Lady Catherine, and under that apprehension was putting away her half-finished letter that she might escape all impertinent questions, when the door opened, and to her very great surprise, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Darcy only, entered the room.

  第二天早晨,柯林斯太太和玛丽亚到村里有事去了,伊丽莎白独自坐在家里写信给吉英,这时候,她突然吓了一跳,因为门铃响了起来,准是有客人来了。她并没有听到马车声,心想,可能是咖苔琳夫人来了,于是她就疑虑不安地把那封写好一半的信放在一旁,免得她问些卤莽的话。就在这当儿,门开了,她大吃一惊,万万想不到走进来的是达西先生,而且只有达西一个人。

   He seemed astonished too on finding her alone, and apologised for his intrusion by letting her know that he had understood all the ladies to be within.

  达西看见她单独一人,也显得很吃惊,连忙道歉说,他原以为太太小姐们全没有,出去,所以才冒昧闯进来。

  他们俩坐了下来,她向他问了几句关于罗新斯的情形以后,双方便好象都无话可说,大有陷于僵局的危险。因此,非得想点儿什么说说不可;正当这紧张关头,她想起了上次在哈福德郡跟他见面的情况,顿时便起了一阵好奇心,想要听听他对那次匆匆的离别究竟有些什么意见,于是她便说道:

   "How very suddenly you all quitted Netherfield last November, Mr. Darcy! It must have been a most agreeable surprise to Mr. Bingley to see you all after him so soon; for, if I recollect right, he went but the day before. He and his sisters were well, I hope, when you left London."

  “去年十一月你们离开尼日斐花园多么突然呀,达西先生!彬格莱先生看见你们大家一下子都跟着他走,一定相当惊奇吧;我好象记得他比你们只早走一天。我想,当你离开伦敦的时候,他和他的姐妹们一定身体都很好吧?”

   "Perfectly so -- I thank you."

  “好极了,谢谢你。”

   She found that she was to receive no other answer -- and, after a short pause, added,

  她发觉对方没有别的话再回答她了,隔了一会儿便又说道:

   "I think I have understood that Mr. Bingley has not much idea of ever returning to Netherfield again?"

  “我想,彬攻莱先生大概不打算再回到尼日斐花园来了吧?”

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名著·傲慢与偏见 - 第45节