名著·傲慢与偏见 - 第79节


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  妹妹的婚期到了,吉英和伊丽莎白都为她担心,恐怕比妹妹自己担心得还要厉害。家里打发了一部马车到某某地方去接新夫妇,吃中饭时他们就可以来到。两位姐姐都怕他们来,尤其是吉英怕得厉害。她设身处地地想:要是丽迪雅这次丑行发生在她自己身上,她一定会感触万千,再想到妹妹心里的难受,便越发觉得不好过。

   They came. The family were assembled in the breakfast room to receive them. Smiles decked the face of Mrs. Bennet as the carriage drove up to the door; her husband looked impenetrably grave; her daughters, alarmed, anxious, uneasy.

  新夫妇来了。全家都集合在起居室里迎接他们。当马车停在门前的时候,班纳特太太满面堆着笑容,她丈夫却板着脸。女儿们又是惊奇又是焦急,而且十分不安。

   Lydia's voice was heard in the vestibule; the door was thrown open, and she ran into the room. Her mother stepped forwards, embraced her, and welcomed her with rapture; gave her hand, with an affectionate smile, to Wickham, who followed his lady; and wished them both joy with an alacrity which showed no doubt of their happiness.

  只听得门口已经有了丽迪雅说话的声音,一会儿,门给打开了,丽迪雅跑进屋来。母亲高兴得要命,连忙走上前来欢迎她,拥抱她,一面又带着亲切的笑容把手伸给韦翰(他走在新妇后面),祝他们夫妇俩快活。班太太的话讲得那么响亮,说明了她相信他们俩一定会幸福。

   Their reception from Mr. Bennet, to whom they then turned, was not quite so cordial. His countenance rather gained in austerity; and he scarcely opened his lips. The easy assurance of the young couple, indeed, was enough to provoke him. Elizabeth was disgusted, and even Miss Bennet was shocked. Lydia was Lydia still; untamed, unabashed, wild, noisy, and fearless. She turned from sister to sister, demanding their congratulations; and when at length they all sat down, looked eagerly round the room, took notice of some little alteration in it, and observed, with a laugh, that it was a great while since she had been there.

  然后新夫妇转身到班纳特先生跟前,他对他们可没有他太太那么热诚。只见他的脸色显得分外严峻,连嘴也不张一下。这一对年轻夫妇那种安然自得的样子,实在叫他生气。伊丽莎白觉得厌恶,连吉英也禁不住感到惊骇。丽迪雅还是丽迪雅──不安分,不害羞,撒野吵嚷,天不怕地不怕的。她从这个姐姐跟前走到那个姐姐跟前,要她们一个个恭喜她。最后大家都坐下来了,她连忙扫视了一下这间屋子,看到里面稍许有些改变,便笑着说,好久不曾到这儿来了。

   Wickham was not at all more distressed than herself, but his manners were always so pleasing, that had his character and his marriage been exactly what they ought, his smiles and his easy address, while he claimed their relationship, would have delighted them all. Elizabeth had not before believed him quite equal to such assurance; but she sat down, resolving within herself to draw no limits in future to the impudence of an impudent man. She blushed, and Jane blushed; but the cheeks of the two who caused their confusion suffered no variation of colour.

  韦翰更没有一点难受的样子。他的仪表一向亲切动人,要是他为人正派一些,聚亲合乎规矩一些,那么,这次来拜见岳家,他那笑容可掬、谈吐安详的样子,自然会讨人家欢喜。伊丽莎白从来不相信他竟会这样厚颜无耻,她坐下来思忖道:一个人不要起脸来可真是漫无止境。她不禁红了脸,吉英也红了脸;可是那两位当事人,别人都为他们难为情,他们自己却面不改色。

  这个场合确实是不愁没有话谈。新娘和她母亲只觉得有话来不及说;韦翰凑巧坐在伊丽莎白身旁,便向她问起附近一带的熟人近况如何,问得极其和悦从容,弄得她反而不能对答如流。这一对夫妇俨然心安理得,毫无羞耻之心。他们想起过去的事,心里丝毫不觉得难受;丽迪雅又不由自主地谈到了许多事情──要是换了她姐姐们,这种事情是无论如何也说不出口的。

   "Only think of its being three months," she cried, "since I went away; it seems but a fortnight I declare; and yet there have been things enough happened in the time. Good gracious! when I went away, I am sure I had no more idea of being married till I came back again! though I thought it would be very good fun if I was."

  只听得丽迪雅大声说道:“且想想看,我已经走了三个月了!好象还只有两个星期呢;可是时间虽短,却发生了多少事情。天啊!我走的时候,的确想也没想到这次要结了婚再回来,不过我也想到:如果真就这样结了婚,倒也挺有趣的。”

   Her father lifted up his eyes. Jane was distressed. Elizabeth looked expressively at Lydia; but she, who never heard nor saw any thing of which she chose to be insensible, gaily continued, "Oh! mamma, do the people here abouts know I am married to-day? I was afraid they might not; and we overtook William Goulding in his curricle, so I was determined he should know it, and so I let down the side-glass next to him, and took off my glove, and let my hand just rest upon the window frame, so that he might see the ring, and then I bowed and smiled like any thing."

  父亲瞪着眼睛。吉英很难受,伊丽莎白啼笑皆非地望着丽迪雅;可是丽迪雅,凡是她不愿意知道的事,她一概不闻不问,她仍然得意洋洋地说下去:“噢,妈妈,附近的人们都知道我今天结婚了吗?我怕他们还不见得都知道;我们一路来的时候,追上了威廉·戈丁的马车,这为了要让他知道我结婚了,便把我自己车子上的一扇玻璃窗放了下来,又脱下手套,把手放在窗口,好让他看见我手上的戒指,然后我又对他点点头笑得什么似的。”

   Elizabeth could bear it no longer. She got up, and ran out of the room; and returned no more, till she heard them passing through the hall to the dining parlour. She then joined them soon enough to see Lydia, with anxious parade, walk up to her mother's right hand, and hear her say to her eldest sister, "Ah! Jane, I take your place now, and you must go lower, because I am a married woman."

  伊丽莎白实在忍无可忍了,只得站起身来跑回屋外去,一直听到她们走过穿堂,进入饭厅,她才回来。来到她们这里,又见丽迪雅急急匆匆大摇大摆走到母亲右边,一面对她的大姐姐说:“喂,吉英,这次我要坐你的位子了,你得坐到下手去,因为我已经是出了嫁的姑娘。”

   It was not to be supposed that time would give Lydia that embarrassment from which she had been so wholly free at first. Her ease and good spirits increased. She longed to see Mrs. Phillips, the Lucases, and all their other neighbours, and to hear herself called "Mrs. Wickham" by each of them; and in the mean time, she went after dinner to show her ring, and boast of being married, to Mrs. Hill and the two housemaids.

  

   "Well, mamma," said she, when they were all returned to the breakfast room, "and what do you think of my husband? Is not he a charming man? I am sure my sisters must all envy me. I only hope they may have half my good luck. They must all go to Brighton. That is the place to get husbands. What a pity it is, mamma, we did not all go."

  大家都回到起坐间以后,她又说道:“妈妈,你觉得我丈夫怎么样?他不是挺可爱吗?姐姐们一定都要羡慕我。但愿她们有我一半运气就好啦。谁叫她们不到白利屯去。那里才是个找丈夫的地方。真可惜,妈妈,我们没有大家一起去!”

   "Very true; and if I had my will, we should. But my dear Lydia, I don't at all like your going such a way off. Must it be so?"

  “你讲得真对;要是照我的意见,我们早就应该一起都去。可是,丽迪雅宝贝儿,我不愿意你到那么远的地方去。你难道非去不可吗?”

   "Oh, lord! yes; -- there is nothing in that. I shall like it of all things. You and papa, and my sisters, must come down and see us. We shall be at Newcastle all the winter, and I dare say there will be some balls, and I will take care to get good partners for them all."

  “天啊!当然非去不可,那有什么关系。我真高兴极了。你和爸爸,还有姐姐们,一定要来看我们呀。我们整个冬天都住在纽卡斯尔,那儿一定会有很多舞会,而且我一定负责给姐姐们找到很好舞伴。”

   "I should like it beyond any thing!" said her mother.

  “那我真是再喜欢也没有了!”母亲说。

  “等你动身回家的时候,你可以让一两个姐姐留在那儿;我担保在今年冬天以内就会替她们找到丈夫。”

   "I thank you for my share of the favour," said Elizabeth; "but I do not particularly like your way of getting husbands."

  伊丽莎白连忙说:“谢谢你的关怀,可惜你这种找丈夫的方式,我不太欣赏。”

   Their visitors were not to remain above ten days with them. Mr. Wickham had received his commission before he left London, and he was to join his regiment at the end of a fortnight.

  新夫妇只能和家里相聚十天。韦翰先生在没有离开伦敦之前就已经受到了委任,必须在两星期以内就到团部去报到。

   No one but Mrs. Bennet regretted that their stay would be so short; and she made the most of the time by visiting about with her daughter, and having very frequent parties at home. These parties were acceptable to all; to avoid a family circle was even more desirable to such as did think, than such as did not.

  只有班纳特太太一个人惋惜他们行期太匆促,因此她尽量抓紧时间,陪着女儿到处走亲访友,又常常在家里宴客。这些宴会大家都欢迎:没有心思的人固然愿意赴宴,有心思的人更愿意借这个机会出去解解闷。

   Wickham's affection for Lydia was just what Elizabeth had expected to find it; not equal to Lydia's for him. She had scarcely needed her present observation to be satisfied, from the reason of things, that their elopement had been brought on by the strength of her love, rather than by his; and she would have wondered why, without violently caring for her, he chose to elope with her at all, had she not felt certain that his flight was rendered necessary by distress of circumstances; and if that were the case, he was not the young man to resist an opportunity of having a companion.

  果然不出伊丽莎白所料,韦翰对丽迪雅的恩爱比不上丽迪雅对韦翰那样深厚。从一切事实上都可以看出来,他们的私奔多半是因为丽迪雅热爱韦翰,而不是因为韦翰热爱丽迪雅,这在伊丽莎白看来,真是一件显而易见的事。至于说,他既然并不十分爱她为什么还要跟她私奔,伊丽莎白一点也不觉得奇怪,因为她断定韦翰这次为债务所逼,本来非逃跑不可;那么,象他这样一个青年,路上有一个女人陪陪他,他当然不表错过机会。

  丽迪雅太喜欢他了,她每说一句话就要叫一声亲爱的韦翰。谁也比不上他。他无论做什么事都是天下第一。她相信到了九月一日那一天,他射到的鸟一定比全国任何人都要多。

   One morning, soon after their arrival, as she was sitting with her two elder sisters, she said to Elizabeth,

  他们来到这儿没有多少时候,有一天早晨,丽迪雅跟两位姐姐坐在一起,对伊丽莎白说:

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名著·傲慢与偏见 - 第79节