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我已经写信给弗斯脱上校，请他尽可能在民兵团里把那个年轻小伙子的要好朋友找几个来打听一下，韦翰有没有什么亲友知道他躲藏在这个城里的哪一个区域。要是我们有这样的人可以请教，得到一些线索，那是大有用处的。目前我们还是无从捉摸。也许弗斯上校会尽量把这件事做得使我们满意。，倡我又想了一下，觉得丽萃也许比任何人都了解情况。会知道他现在还有些什么亲戚。 Elizabeth was at no loss to understand from whence this deference for her authority proceeded; but it was not in her power to give any information of so satisfactory a nature as the compliment deserved. 伊丽莎白究竟为什么会受到这样的推崇，她自己完全知道，只可惜她提供不出什么令人满意的材料，所以也就受不起这样的恭维。 She had never heard of his having had any relations, except a father and mother, both of whom had been dead many years. It was possible, however, that some of his companions in the ----shire, might be able to give more information; and, though she was not very sanguine in expecting it, the application was a something to look forward to. 她除了听到韦翰谈起过他自己的父母以外，从来不曾听到他有什么亲友，况且他父母也都去世多年。某某郡民兵团里他的一些朋友们，可能提供得出一些材料，她虽说并不能对此存着过分的奢望，但究竟不妨试一试。 Every day at Longbourn was now a day of anxiety; but the most anxious part of each was when the post was expected. The arrival of letters was the first grand object of every morning's impatience. Through letters, whatever of good or bad was to be told would be communicated, and every succeeding day was expected to bring some news of importance. 浪搏恩一家人每天都过得非常心焦，最焦急的时间莫过于等待邮差送信来。不管信上报道的是好消息还是坏消息，总是要讲给大家听，还盼望着第二天会有重要的消息传来。 But before they heard again from Mr. Gardiner, a letter arrived for their father from a different quarter -- from Mr. Collins; which, as Jane had received directions to open all that came for him in his absence, she accordingly read; and Elizabeth, who knew what curiosities his letters always were, looked over her, and read it likewise. It was as follows: 嘉丁纳先生虽然还没有给她们寄来第二封信，可是她们却收到了别的地方寄来的一封信，原来是柯林斯先生寄来了一封信给她们的父亲。吉英事前曾受到父亲的嘱托，代他拆阅一切信件，于是她便来拜读这一封信。伊丽莎白也知道柯林斯先生的信总是写得奇奇怪怪，便也挨在吉英身旁一同拜读。信是这样写的： 
长者先生赐鉴： I feel myself called upon by our relationship, and my situation in life, to condole with you on the grievous affliction you are now suffering under, of which we were yesterday informed by a letter from Hertfordshire. Be assured, my dear Sir, that Mrs. Collins and myself sincerely sympathise with you, and all your respectable family, in your present distress, which must be of the bitterest kind, because proceeding from a cause which no time can remove. No arguments shall be wanting on my part that can alleviate so severe a misfortune; or that may comfort you, under a circumstance that must be of all others most afflicting to a parent's mind. The death of your daughter would have been a blessing in comparison of this. And it is the more to be lamented, because there is reason to suppose, as my dear Charlotte informs me, that this licentiousness of behaviour in your daughter has proceeded from a faulty degree of indulgence, though at the same time, for the consolation of yourself and Mrs. Bennet, I am inclined to think that her own disposition must be naturally bad, or she could not be guilty of such an enormity at so early an age. Howsoever that may be, you are grievously to be pitied, in which opinion I am not only joined by Mrs. Collins, but likewise by Lady Catherine and her daughter, to whom I have related the affair. They agree with me in apprehending that this false step in one daughter will be injurious to the fortunes of all the others; for who, as Lady Catherine herself condescendingly says, will connect themselves with such a family. And this consideration leads me moreover to reflect with augmented satisfaction on a certain event of last November, for had it been otherwise, I must have been involved in all your sorrow and disgrace. Let me advise you then, my dear Sir, to console yourself as much as possible, to throw off your unworthy child from your affection for ever, and leave her to reap the fruits of her own heinous offence. 昨接哈福德郡来信，借悉先生目前正什心烦虑乱，不胜苦悲。不佞与拙荆闻之，无论对先生个人或尊府老幼，均深表同情。以不佞之名份职位而言，自当聊申悼惜之意，何况与尊府为葭莩，益觉责无旁贷。夫癸诸情理，此次不幸事件自难免令人痛心疾首，盖家声一经败坏，便永无清洗之日，伤天下父母之心，孰有甚于此者？早知如此，但冀其早日夭亡为幸耳。不佞只有曲尽言辞，备加慰问，庶几可以聊宽尊怀。据内人夏绿蒂言，令媛此次淫奔，实系由于平日过分溺爱所致，此尤其可悲者也。唯不不佞以为令媛年方及笄，竟而铸成大错，亦足见其本身天性之恶劣；先生固不必过于引咎自责也。日前遇咖苔琳夫人及其千金小姐，曾以此事奉告，夫人等亦与不佞夫妇不所同感。多蒙夫人与愚见不谋而合，认为令媛此次失足，辱没家声，遂使后之攀亲者望而却步，殃及其姐氏终生幸福，堪虑堪虑。瓴念言及此，不禁忆及去年十一月间一事，则又深为庆幸，否则木已成舟，势必自取其辱，受累不浅。敬祈先生善自宽慰，任其妄自菲薄，自食其果，不足怜惜也。 I am, dear Sir, &c. &c." （下略） Mr. Gardiner did not write again till he had received an answer from Colonel Forster; and then he had nothing of a pleasant nature to send. It was not known that Wickham had a single relation with whom he kept up any connection, and it was certain that he had no near one living. His former acquaintance had been numerous; but since he had been in the militia, it did not appear that he was on terms of particular friendship with any of them. There was no one therefore who could be pointed out as likely to give any news of him. And in the wretched state of his own finances there was a very powerful motive for secrecy, in addition to his fear of discovery by Lydia's relations, for it had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him, to a very considerable amount. Colonel Forster believed that more than a thousand pounds would be necessary to clear his expences at Brighton. He owed a good deal in the town, but his debts of honour were still more formidable. Mr. Gardiner did not attempt to conceal these particulars from the Longbourn family; Jane heard them with horror. "A gamester!" she cried. "This is wholly unexpected. I had not an idea of it." 嘉丁纳先生一直挨到接得弗斯脱上校的回信以后，才写第二封信到浪搏恩来。信上并没有报道一点喜讯。大家都不知道韦翰是否还有什么亲戚跟他来往，不过倒知道他确确实实已经没有一个至亲在世。他以前交游颇广，只是自从进了民兵团以后，看来跟他们都已疏远，因此找不出一个人来可以报道一些有关他的消息。他这次所以要保守秘密，据说是因为他临走时拖欠了一大笔赌债，而他目前手头又非常拮据，无法偿还，再则是因为怕让丽迪雅的亲友发觉。弗斯脱上校认为，要清偿他在白利屯的债务，需要不一千多英镑才够。他在本镇固然欠债很多，但赌债则更可观。嘉丁纳先生并打算把这些事情瞒住浪搏恩这家人家。吉英听得心惊肉跳，不禁叫道：“好一个赌棍！这真是完全出人意料；我想也不曾想到。” Mr. Gardiner added, in his letter, that they might expect to see their father at home on the following day, which was Saturday. Rendered spiritless by the ill-success of all their endeavours, he had yielded to his brother-in-law's entreaty that he would return to his family, and leave it to him to do whatever occasion might suggest to be advisable for continuing their pursuit. When Mrs. Bennet was told of this, she did not express so much satisfaction as her children expected, considering what her anxiety for his life had been before. 嘉丁纳先生的信上又说，她们的父亲明天（星期六）就可以回家来了。原来他们两人再三努力，毫无成绩，情绪十分低落，因此班纳特先生答应了他舅爷的要求，立刻回家，一切事情都留给嘉丁纳相机而行。女儿们本以为母亲既是那样担心父亲会被人打死，听到这个消息，一定会非常得意，谁知并不尽然。 
班纳特太太嚷道：“什么！他没有找到可怜的丽迪雅，就这样一个人回来吗？他既然没有找到他们俩，当然不应该离开伦敦。他一走，还有谁去跟韦翰决斗，逼着他跟丽迪雅结婚？” As Mrs. Gardiner began to wish to be at home, it was settled that she and her children should go to London at the same time that Mr. Bennet came from it. The coach, therefore, took them the first stage of their journey, and brought its master back to Longbourn. 嘉丁纳太太也开始想要回家了，决定在班纳特先生动身回浪搏恩的那一天，她就带着孩子们回伦敦去。动身的那天可以由这里打发一部马车把她送到第一站，然后趁便接主人回来。 Mrs. Gardiner went away in all the perplexity about Elizabeth and her Derbyshire friend that had attended her from that part of the world. His name had never been voluntarily mentioned before them by her niece; and the kind of half-expectation which Mrs. Gardiner had formed, of their being followed by a letter from him, had ended in nothing. Elizabeth had received none since her return, that could come from Pemberley. 嘉丁纳太太走了以后，对伊丽莎白和德比郡她那位朋友的事，还是糊里糊涂，从当初在德比郡的时候起，就一直弄不明白。外甥女儿从来没有主动在舅父母面前提起过他的名字。她本以为回来以后，那位先生就会有信来，可是结果并没有。伊丽莎白一直没收到过从彭伯里寄来的信。 The present unhappy state of the family, rendered any other excuse for the lowness of her spirits unnecessary; nothing, therefore, could be fairly conjectured from that, though Elizabeth, who was by this time tolerably well acquainted with her own feelings, was perfectly aware that, had she known nothing of Darcy, she could have borne the dread of Lydia's infamy somewhat better. It would have spared her, she thought, one sleepless night out of two. 她看到外甥女儿情绪消沉；可是，家里既然出了这种不幸的事情，自然难免如此，不必把这种现象牵扯到别的原因上面去。因此她还是摸不着一点边际。只有伊丽莎白自己明白自己的心思，她想，要是不认识达西，那么丽迪雅这件丢脸的事也许会叫她多少她受些，也许可以使她减少几个失眠之夜。 When Mr. Bennet arrived, he had all the appearance of his usual philosophic composure. He said as little as he had ever been in the habit of saying; made no mention of the business that had taken him away, and it was some time before his daughters had courage to speak of it. 班纳特先生回到家里，仍然是那一副乐天安命的样子。他还是象平常一样不多说话，根本不提起他这次外出是为了什么事情，女儿们也过了好久才敢提起。 
一直到下午，他跟她们一块儿喝茶的时候，伊丽莎白才大胆地谈到这件事。她先简单地说到他这次一定吃了不少的苦，这使她很难过，他却回答道：“别说这种话吧。除了我自己之外，还有谁该受罪呢？我自己做的事应该自己承担。” "You must not be too severe upon yourself," replied Elizabeth. 伊丽莎白劝慰他说：“你千万不要过分埋怨自己。” "You may well warn me against such an evil. Human nature is so prone to fall into it! No, Lizzy, let me once in my life feel how much I have been to blame. I am not afraid of being overpowered by the impression. It will pass away soon enough." “你劝我也是白劝。人的本性就是会自怨自艾！不丽萃，我一辈子也不曾自怨自艾过，这次也让我尝尝这种滋味吧。我不怕忧郁成病。这种事一下子就会过去的。”
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