Elizabeth awoke the next morning to the same thoughts and meditations which had at length closed her eyes. She could not yet recover from the surprise of what had happened; it was impossible to think of any thing else, and totally indisposed for employment, she resolved soon after breakfast to indulge herself in air and exercise. She was proceeding directly to her favourite walk, when the recollection of Mr. Darcy’s sometimes coming there stopped her, and instead of entering the park, she turned up the lane, which led her farther from the turnpike road. The park paling was still the boundary on one side, and she soon passed one of the gates into the ground.
[p1]After walking two or three times along that part of the lane, she was tempted, by the pleasantness of the morning, to stop at the gates and look into the park. The five weeks which she had now passed in Kent, had made a great difference in the country, and every day was adding to the verdure of the early trees.
[p2] She was on the point of continuing her walk, when she caught a glimpse of a gentleman within the sort of grove which edged the park; he was moving that way; and fearful of its being Mr. Darcy, she was directly retreating. But the person who advanced, was now near enough to see her, and stepping forward with eagerness, pronounced her name. She had turned away, but on hearing herself called, though in a voice which proved it to be Mr. Darcy, she moved again towards the gate.
He had by that time reached it also, and holding out a letter, which she instinctively took, said with a look of haughty composure, "I have been walking in the grove some time in the hope of meeting you. Will you do me the honour of reading that letter?"—And then, with a slight bow, turned again into the plantation, and was soon out of sight.
With no expectation of pleasure, but with the strongest curiosity, Elizabeth opened the letter, and to her still increasing wonder, perceived an envelope containing two sheets of letter paper, written quite through, in a very close hand.—The envelope itself was likewise full.—Pursuing her way along the lane, she then began it. It was dated from Rosings, at eight o’clock in the morning, and was as follows:—
[p1]"Be not alarmed, Madam, on receiving this letter, by the apprehension of its containing any repetition of those sentiments, or renewal of those offers, which were last night so disgusting to you.
[p2]I write without any intention of paining you, or humbling myself, by dwelling on wishes, which, for the happiness of both, cannot be too soon forgotten; and the effort which the formation, and the perusal of this letter must occasion, should have been spared, had not my character required it to be written and read.
读书笔记
是否公开
8
-
因此你得原谅我那么冒昧地亵渎你的清神,我知道你决不会愿意劳神的,可是我要求你心平气和一些。
读书笔记
是否公开
8
-
You must, therefore, pardon the freedom with which I demand your attention; your feelings, I know, will bestow it unwillingly, but I demand it of your justice.
读书笔记
是否公开
9
-
你昨夜曾把两件性质不同、轻重不等的罪名加在我头上。
读书笔记
是否公开
9
-
Two offences of a very different nature, and by no means of equal magnitude, you last night laid to my charge.
The first mentioned was, that, regardless of the sentiments of either, I had detached Mr. Bingley from your sister,—and the other, that I had, in defiance of various claims, in defiance of honour and humanity, ruined the immediate prosperity, and blasted the prospects of Mr. Wickham.
—Wilfully and wantonly to have thrown off the companion of my youth, the acknowledged favourite of my father, a young man who had scarcely any other dependence than on our patronage, and who had been brought up to expect its exertion, would be a depravity, to which the separation of two young persons, whose affection could be the growth of only a few weeks, could bear no comparison.
—But from the severity of that blame which was last night so liberally bestowed, respecting each circumstance, I shall hope to be in future secured, when the following account of my actions and their motives has been read.
—If, in the explanation of them which is due to myself, I am under the necessity of relating feelings which may be offensive to your’s, I can only say that I am sorry.—The necessity must be obeyed—and farther apology would be absurd.
—I had not been long in Hertfordshire, before I saw, in common with others, that Bingley preferred your eldest sister, to any other young woman in the country.—But it was not till the evening of the dance at Netherfield that I had any apprehension of his feeling a serious attachment.
—I had often seen him in love before.—At that ball, while I had the honour of dancing with you, I was first made acquainted, by Sir William Lucas’s accidental information, that Bingley’s attentions to your sister had given rise to a general expectation of their marriage.
读书笔记
是否公开
16
-
听他说起来,好象事情已经千稳万妥,只是迟早问题罢了。
读书笔记
是否公开
16
-
He spoke of it as a certain event, of which the time alone could be undecided.
From that moment I observed my friend’s behaviour attentively; and I could then perceive that his partiality for Miss Bennet was beyond what I had ever witnessed in him.
Your sister I also watched.—Her look and manners were open, cheerful and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of peculiar regard, and I remained convinced from the evening’s scrutiny, that though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did not invite them by any participation of sentiment.
读书笔记
是否公开
19
-
要是这件事你没有弄错,那么错处一定在我;
读书笔记
是否公开
19
-
—If you have not been mistaken here, I must have been in an error.
读书笔记
是否公开
20
-
你对于令姐既有透辟的了解,那么当然可能是我错了。
读书笔记
是否公开
20
-
Your superior knowledge of your sister must make the latter probable.
读书笔记
是否公开
21
-
倘若事实果真如此,倘若果真是我弄错了,造成令姐的痛苦,那当然难怪你气愤。
读书笔记
是否公开
21
-
—If it be so, if I have been misled by such error, to inflict pain on her, your resentment has not been unreasonable.
But I shall not scruple to assert, that the serenity of your sister’s countenance and air was such, as might have given the most acute observer, a conviction that, however amiable her temper, her heart was not likely to be easily touched.
—That I was desirous of believing her indifferent is certain,—but I will venture to say that my investigations and decisions are not usually influenced by my hopes or fears.
读书笔记
是否公开
24
-
我认为,令姐决不会因为我希望她无动于衷,她就当真无动于衷;
读书笔记
是否公开
24
-
—I did not believe her to be indifferent because I wished it;
读书笔记
是否公开
25
-
我的看法大公无私,我的愿望也合情合理。
读书笔记
是否公开
25
-
—I believed it on impartial conviction, as truly as I wished it in reason.
—My objections to the marriage were not merely those, which I last night acknowledged to have required the utmost force of passion to put aside, in my own case; the want of connection could not be so great an evil to my friend as to me.
—But there were other causes of repugnance;—causes which, though still existing, and existing to an equal degree in both instances, I had myself endeavoured to forget, because they were not immediately before me.
—The situation of your mother’s family, though objectionable, was nothing in comparison of that total want of propriety so frequently, so almost uniformly betrayed by herself, by your three younger sisters, and occasionally even by your father.
—Pardon me.—It pains me to offend you. But amidst your concern for the defects of your nearest relations, and your displeasure at this representation of them, let it give you consolation to consider that, to have conducted yourselves so as to avoid any share of the like censure, is praise no less generally bestowed on you and your eldest sister, than it is honourable to the sense and disposition of both.
—I will only say farther, that from what passed that evening, my opinion of all parties was confirmed, and every inducement heightened, which could have led me before, to preserve my friend from what I esteemed a most unhappy connection.
读书笔记
是否公开
32
-
他第二天就离开尼日斐花园到伦敦去了,我相信你一定记得,他本来打算去一下便立刻回来。
读书笔记
是否公开
32
-
—He left Netherfield for London, on the day following, as you, I am certain, remember, with the design of soon returning.
读书笔记
是否公开
33
-
我得在这里把我当初参与这件事的经过说明一下。
读书笔记
是否公开
33
-
The part which I acted, is now to be explained.
读书笔记
是否公开
34
-
原来他的姐妹们当时跟我一样,深为这件事感到不安。
读书笔记
是否公开
34
-
His sisters’ uneasiness had been equally excited with my own;
读书笔记
是否公开
35
-
我们立刻发觉了彼此有同感,都觉得应该赶快到伦敦去把她们这位兄弟隔离起来,于是决定立刻动身。
读书笔记
是否公开
35
-
our coincidence of feeling was soon discovered; and, alike sensible that no time was to be lost in detaching their brother, we shortly resolved on joining him directly in London.
读书笔记
是否公开
36
-
我们就这样走了。到了那里,便由我负责向我朋友指出,他如果攀上了这门亲事,必定有多少多少坏处。
读书笔记
是否公开
36
-
—We accordingly went—and there I readily engaged in the office of pointing out to my friend, the certain evils of such a choice.
—But, however this remonstrance might have staggered or delayed his determination, I do not suppose that it would ultimately have prevented the marriage, had it not been seconded by the assurance which I hesitated not in giving, of your sister’s indifference.
读书笔记
是否公开
39
-
在我没有进行这番劝说以前,他总以为令姐即使没有以同样的钟情报答他,至少也是在竟诚期待着他。
读书笔记
是否公开
39
-
He had before believed her to return his affection with sincere, if not with equal regard.
读书笔记
是否公开
40
-
但是彬格莱先生天性谦和,遇到任何事情,只要我一出主意,他总是相信我胜过相信他自己。
读书笔记
是否公开
40
-
—But Bingley has great natural modesty, with a stronger dependence on my judgment than on his own.
There is but one part of my conduct in the whole affair, on which I do not reflect with satisfaction; it is that I condescended to adopt the measures of art so far as to conceal from him your sister’s being in town.
读书笔记
是否公开
45
-
这件事不但我知道,彬格莱小姐也知道,然而她哥哥一直到现在还蒙在鼓里。
读书笔记
是否公开
45
-
I knew it myself, as it was known to Miss Bingley, but her brother is even yet ignorant of it.