The observations of her uncle and aunt now began; and each of them pronounced him to be infinitely superior to any thing they had expected. "He is perfectly well behaved, polite, and unassuming,'' said her uncle.
舅父母现在开始评长论短了;夫妇俩都说他的人品比他们所料想的不知要好多少。舅父说:“他的举止十分优雅,礼貌也极其周到,而且丝毫不搭架子。”
"There is something a little stately in him to be sure,'' replied her aunt, "but it is confined to his air, and is not unbecoming. I can now say with the housekeeper, that though some people may call him proud, I have seen nothing of it.''
舅母说:“他的确有点儿高高在上的样子,不过只是风度上稍微有这么一点儿罢了,并不叫人讨厌。现在我真觉得那位管家奶奶的话说得一点不错:虽然有些人说
他傲慢,我可完全看不出来。”
"I was never more surprised than by his behaviour to us. It was more than civil; it was really attentive; and there was no necessity for such attention. His acquaintance with Elizabeth was very trifling.''
“他竟那样款待我们,真是万万料想不到。这不仅是客气而是真正的殷勤;其实他用不到这样殷勤,他跟伊丽莎白的交情是很浮浅的。”
"To be sure, Lizzy,'' said her aunt, "he is not so handsome as Wickham; or rather he has not Wickham's countenance, for his features are perfectly good. But how came you to tell us that he was so disagreeable?''
舅母说:“丽萃,他当然比不上韦翰那么漂亮,或者可以说,他不象韦翰那样谈笑风生,因为他的容貌十分端庄。可是你怎么会跟我们说他十分讨厌呢?”
Elizabeth excused herself as well as she could; said that she had liked him better when they met in Kent than before, and that she had never seen him so pleasant as this morning.
伊丽莎白竭力为自己辨解,她说她那次在肯特郡见他时,就比以前对他有好感,又说,她从来没有看见过他象今天上午那么和蔼可亲。
"But perhaps he may be a little whimsical in his civilities,'' replied her uncle.”Your great men often are; and therefore I shall not take him at his word about fishing, as he might change his mind another day, and warn me off his grounds.''
舅父说:“不过,他那么殷勤客气,也许靠不大住,这些贵人大都如此;他请我常常去钓鱼,我也不能信他的话,也许有一天他会改变了主意,不许我进他的庄园。”
Elizabeth felt that they had entirely mistaken his character, but said nothing.
伊丽莎白觉得他们完全误解了他的性格,可是并没说出口来。
"From what we have seen of him,'' continued Mrs. Gardiner, "I really should not have thought that he could have behaved in so cruel a way by any body, as he has done by poor Wickham. He has not an ill-natured look. On the contrary, there is something pleasing about his mouth when he speaks. And there is something of dignity in his countenance, that would not give one an unfavorable idea of his heart. But to be sure, the good lady who showed us the house did give him a most flaming character! I could hardly help laughing aloud sometimes. But he is a liberal master, I suppose, and that in the eye of a servant comprehends every virtue.''
嘉丁纳太太接着说:“从我们看到他的一些情形来说,我真想象不出,他竟会那样狠心地对待可怜的韦翰。这人看上去心地不坏。他说起话来,嘴上的表情倒很讨人喜欢。至于他脸上的表情,的确有些尊严,不过人家也不会因此就说他心肠不好。只是带我们去参观的那个管家奶奶,倒真把他的性格说得天花乱坠。有几次我几乎忍不住要笑出声来。不过,我看他一定是位很慷慨的主人;在一个佣人的眼睛里看来,一切的德性就在于这一点上面。”