英文名著精选阅读：《傲慢与偏见》第四十八章 （下）

英文名著精选阅读：《傲慢与偏见》第四十八章 (下)

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 numerousbut 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 wretchedstate 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 transpiredthat 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，需要有一千多英镑才够。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. Renderedspiritlessby the ill-success of all their endeavours, he had yielded to his brother-in-law's intreatythat 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。

"What, is he coming home, and without poor Lydia!" she cried. "Sure he will not leave London before he has found them. Who is to fight Wickham, and make him marry her, if he comes away?"

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 perplexityabout Elizabeth and her Derbyshire friend that had attended her from that part of the world. His name had never been voluntarilymentioned 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 lownessof 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 dreadof 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好受些，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 philosophiccomposure. 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。

It was not till the afternoon, when he joined them at tea, that Elizabeth ventured to introduce the subject; and then, on her briefly expressing her sorrow for what he must have endured, he replied, "Say nothing of that. Who would suffer but myself? It has been my own doing, and I ought to feel it."

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 severeupon 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 proneto 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。

"Do you suppose them to be in London?"

“你以为他们会在伦敦吗?

"Yes; where else can they be so well concealed?"

“是的，还有什么别的地方能让他们藏得这样好呢?

"And Lydia used to want to go to London," added Kitty.

吉蒂又在一旁补说了一句：“而且丽迪雅老是想要到伦敦去。

"She is happy, then," said her father, drily"and her residencethere will probably be of some duration."

父亲冷冷地说：“那么，她可得意啦，她也许要在那儿住一阵子呢。

Then, after a short silence, he continued, "Lizzy, I bear you no ill-will for being justified in your advice to me last May, which, considering the event, shews some greatness of mind."

沉默了片刻以后，他又接下去说：“丽萃，五月间你劝我的那些话的确没有劝错，我决不怪你，从目前这件事看来，你的确有见识。

They were interrupted by Miss Bennet, who came to fetchher mother's tea.

班纳特小姐送茶进来给她母亲，打断了他们的谈话。

"This is a parade," cried he, "which does one good; it gives such an eleganceto misfortune! Another day I will do the same; I will sit in my library, in my night capand powdering gown, and give as much trouble as I can, -- or, perhaps, I may defer it till Kitty runs away."

班纳特先生大声叫道：“这真所谓享福，舒服极了;居然倒霉也不忘风雅!哪一天我也要来学你的样子，坐在书房里，头戴睡帽，身穿寝衣，尽量找人麻烦;要不就等到吉蒂私奔了以后再说。

"I am not going to run away, Papa," said Kitty, fretfully"if I should ever go to Brighton, I would behave better than Lydia."

吉蒂气恼地说：“我不会私奔的，爸爸，要是我上白利屯去，我一定比丽迪雅规矩。

"You go to Brighton! -- I would not trust you so near it as East-Bourne, for fifty pounds! No, Kitty, I have at last learnt to be cautious, and you will feel the effects of it. No officer is ever to enter my house again, nor even to pass through the village. Balls will be absolutely prohibited, unless you stand up with one of your sisters. And you are never to stirout of doors till you can prove that you have spent ten minutes of every day in a rational manner."

“你上白利屯去!你即使要到东浪搏恩那么近的地方去，叫我跟人家打五十镑的赌，我也不敢!不吉蒂，我至少已经学会了小心，我一定要让你看看我的厉害。今后随便哪个军官都不许上我的门，甚至不许从我们村里经过。绝对不许你们去参加跳舞会，除非你们姐妹之间自己跳跳;也不许你走出家门一步，除非你在家里每天至少有十分钟规规矩矩，象个人样。

Kitty, who took all these threats in a serious light, began to cry.

吉蒂把这些威吓的话看得很认真，不由得哭了起来。

"Well, well," said he, "do not make yourself unhappy. If you are a good girl for the next ten years, I will take you to a review at the end of them."

班纳特先生连忙说道：“得啦，得啦，别伤心吧。假使你从今天起，能做上十年好姑娘，那么等到十年满期的时候，我一定带你去看阅兵典礼。