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大家听到她这些可怕的话，都失声大叫；嘉丁纳先生告诉她说，无论对她本人，对她家里人，他都会尽心照顾，然后又告诉她说，他明天就要到伦敦去，尽力帮助班纳特先生去找丽迪雅。 "Do not give way to useless alarm," added he; "though it is right to be prepared for the worst, there is no occasion to look on it as certain. It is not quite a week since they left Brighton. In a few days more, we may gain some news of them, and till we know that they are not married, and have no design of marrying, do not let us give the matter over as lost. As soon as I get to town, I shall go to my brother and make him come home with me to Gracechurch Street, and then we may consult together as to what is to be done." 他又说：“不要过分焦急，虽说也应该从最坏的方面去着想，可也不一定会落得最坏的下场。他们离开白利屯还不到一个星期。再过几天，我们可能会打听到一些有关他们的消息。等我们把事情弄明白了；要是他们真的没有结婚，而且不打算结婚，那时候才谈得上失望。我一进城就会到姐夫那里去，请他到天恩寺街我们家里去住，那时候我们就可以一块儿商量出一个办法来。” "Oh! my dear brother," replied Mrs. Bennet, "that is exactly what I could most wish for. And now do, when you get to town, find them out, wherever they may be; and if they are not married already, make them marry. And as for wedding clothes, do not let them wait for that, but tell Lydia she shall have as much money as she chooses to buy them, after they are married. And, above all things, keep Mr. Bennet from fighting. Tell him what a dreadful state I am in, -- that I am frightened out of my wits; and have such tremblings, such flutterings all over me such spasms in my side, and pains in my head, and such beatings at heart, that I can get no rest by night nor by day. And tell my dear Lydia, not to give any directions about her clothes till she has seen me, for she does not know which are the best warehouses. Oh, brother, how kind you are! I know you will contrive it all." 班纳特太太回答道：“噢，好兄弟，这话正讲在我心上。你一到城里，千万把他们找到，不管他们在哪里也好；要是他们还没有结婚，一定叫他们结婚。讲到结婚的礼服，叫他们用不着等了，只告诉丽迪雅说，等他们结婚以后，她要多少钱做衣服我就给她多少钱。千万要紧的是，别让班纳特先生跟他打架。还请你告诉他，我真是在活受罪简直给吓得神经错乱了，遍身发抖，东倒西歪，腰部抽搐，头痛心跳，从白天到夜里，没有一刻能够安心。请你跟我的丽迪雅宝贝儿说，叫她不要自作主张做衣服，等到和我见了面再说，因为她不知道哪一家衣料店最好。噢，兄弟，你真是一片好心！我知道你会想出办法来把样样事情都办好。” But Mr. Gardiner, though he assured her again of his earnest endeavours in the cause, could not avoid recommending moderation to her, as well in her hopes as her fears; and, after talking with her in this manner till dinner was on table, they left her to vent all her feelings on the housekeeper, who attended in the absence of her daughters. 嘉丁纳先生虽然又重新安了她一下心，说他一定会认真尽力地去效劳，可是又叫她不要过分乐观，也不要过分忧虑。大家跟她一直谈到吃中饭才走开，反正女儿们不在她跟前的时候，有管家妇等候她，她还可以去向管家妇发牢骚。 Though her brother and sister were persuaded that there was no real occasion for such a seclusion from the family, they did not attempt to oppose it, for they knew that she had not prudence enough to hold her tongue before the servants while they waited at table, and judged it better that one only of the household, and the one whom they could most trust, should comprehend all her fears and solicitude on the subject. 虽然她弟弟和弟妇都以为她大可不必和家里人分开吃饭，可是他们并不打算反对她这样做，因为他们考虑到她说话不谨慎，如果吃起饭来让好几个佣人一起来等候，那么她在佣人们面前把心里话全说了出来，未免不大好，因此最好还是只让一个佣人──一个最靠得住的佣人等候她，听她去叙述她对这件事是多么担心，多么牵挂。 
他们走进饭厅不久，曼丽和吉蒂也来了，原来这两姐妹都在自己房间里忙着各人自己的事，一个在读书，一个在化妆，因此没有能够早一些出来。两人的脸色都相当平静，看不出有什么变化，只是吉蒂讲话的声调比平常显得暴躁一些，这或者是因为她丢了一个心爱的妹妹而感到伤心，或者是因为这件事也使她觉得气愤。至于曼丽，她却自有主张，等大家坐定以后，她便摆出一副严肃的面孔，跟伊丽莎白低声说道： "This is a most unfortunate affair; and will probably be much talked of. But we must stem the tide of malice, and pour into the wounded bosoms of each other the balm of sisterly consolation." “家门不幸，遭此惨祸，很可能会引起外界议论纷纷。人心恶毒，我们一定要及时防范，免得一发不可收拾。我们要用姐妹之情来安慰彼此创伤的心灵。” Then, perceiving in Elizabeth no inclination of replying, she added, "Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful lesson: that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable -- that one false step involves her in endless ruin -- that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful, -- and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behaviour towards the undeserving of the other sex." 她看到伊丽莎白不想回答，便又接下去说：“此事对于丽迪雅固属不幸，但亦可以作为我们的前车之鉴。大凡女人家一经失去贞操，便无可挽救，这真是一失足成千古恨。美貌固然难于永保，名誉亦何尝容易保全。世间多的是轻薄男子，岂可不寸步留神？” Elizabeth lifted up her eyes in amazement, but was too much oppressed to make any reply. Mary, however, continued to console herself with such kind of moral extractions from the evil before them. 伊丽莎白抬起眼睛来，神情很是诧异；她心里实在太郁闷，所以一句话也答不上来。可是曼丽还在往下说，她要从这件不幸的事例中阐明道德的精义，以便聊以自慰。 In the afternoon, the two elder Miss Bennets were able to be for half an hour by themselves; and Elizabeth instantly availed herself of the opportunity of making many enquiries, which Jane was equally eager to satisfy. After joining in general lamentations over the dreadful sequel of this event, which Elizabeth considered as all but certain, and Miss Bennet could not assert to be wholly impossible, the former continued the subject by saying, "But tell me all and every thing about it which I have not already heard. Give me farther particulars. What did Colonel Forster say? Had they no apprehension of any thing before the elopement took place? They must have seen them together for ever." 到了下午，两位年纪最大的小姐有了半个钟头的时间可以在一起谈谈心。伊丽莎白不肯错过机会，连忙向吉英问东问西，吉英也连忙一一加以回答，好让妹妹放心。两姐妹先把这件事的不幸的后果共同叹息了一番。伊丽莎白认为一定会发生不幸的后果，吉英也认为难免。于是伊丽莎白继续说道：“凡是我不知道的情节，请你全部说给我听。请你谈得再详细一些。弗斯脱上校怎么说的？他们俩私奔之前，难道看不出一点形迹可疑的地方吗？照理应该常常看到他们两人在一起呀。” 
“弗斯脱上校说，他也曾怀疑过他们俩有情感，特别是怀疑丽迪雅，可是他并没有看出什么形迹，因此没有及时留意。我真为他难受。他为人极其殷勤善良。远在他想到他们两人并没有到苏格兰去的时候，他就打算上我们这儿来慰问我们。等到人心惶惶的时候，他连忙便赶来了。” "And was Denny convinced that Wickham would not marry? Did he know of their intending to go off? Had Colonel Forster seen Denny himself?" “丹尼认为韦翰不会跟她结婚吗？他是否知道他们存心私奔？弗斯脱上校有没有见到丹尼本人？” "Yes; but when questioned by him, Denny denied knowing any thing of their plan, and would not give his real opinion about it. He did not repeat his persuasion of their not marrying -- and from that, I am inclined to hope, he might have been misunderstood before." “见到的，不过他回到丹尼的时候，丹尼绝口否认，说是根本不知道他们私奔的打算，也不肯说出他自己对这件事究竟怎样看法。丹尼以后便没有再提起他们俩不会结婚之类的话。照这样看来，但愿上一次是我听错了他的话。” "And till Colonel Forster came himself, not one of you entertained a doubt, I suppose, of their being really married?" “我想弗斯脱上校没有到这儿以前，你们谁都没有怀疑到他们不会正式结婚吧？” "How was it possible that such an idea should enter our brains! I felt a little uneasy -- a little fearful of my sister's happiness with him in marriage, because I knew that his conduct had not been always quite right. My father and mother knew nothing of that, they only felt how imprudent a match it must be. Kitty then owned, with a very natural triumph on knowing more than the rest of us, that in Lydia's last letter she had prepared her for such a step. She had known, it seems, of their being in love with each other many weeks." “我们的脑子里怎么会有这种念头呢！我只是觉得有些不安心，有些顾虑，怕妹妹跟他结婚不会幸福，因为我早就知道他的品德不太端正。父亲和母亲完全不知道这种情形，他们只觉得这门亲事非常冒昧。吉蒂当时十分好胜地说，她比我们大家都熟悉内幕情形，丽迪雅给她的最后一封信上就已经隐隐约约透露也了一些口风，准备来这一着。看吉蒂那副神气，她好象远在她几个星期以前，就知道他们俩相爱了。” 
“总不见得在他们俩去到白利屯以前就看出了吧？” "No, I believe not." “不见得，我相信不见得。” "And did Colonel Forster appear to think ill of Wickham himself? Does he know his real character?" “弗斯脱上校是不是显出看不起韦翰的样子？他了解韦翰的真面目吗？” "I must confess that he did not speak so well of Wickham as he formerly did. He believed him to be imprudent and extravagant. And since this sad affair has taken place, it is said that he left Meryton greatly in debt; but I hope this may be false." “这我得承认，他不象从前那样器重他了。他认为他行事荒唐，又爱奢华，这件伤心的事发生以后，人们都传说他离开麦里屯的时候，还欠下了好多债，我但愿这是谣言。” "Oh, Jane, had we been less secret, had we told what we knew of him, this could not have happened!" “哎哟，吉英，要是我们当初少替他保守一点秘密，把他的事情照直说出来，那也许就不会发生这件事了！” 
吉英说：“说不定会好些，不过，光是揭露人家过去的错误，而不尊重人家目前的为人，未免亦有些说不过去。我们待人接物，应该完全好心好意。”
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