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Elizabeth was surprised, but agreed to it immediately. Miss Bingley succeeded no less in the real object of her civility; Mr. Darcy looked up. He was as much awake to the novelty of attention in that quarter as Elizabeth herself could be, and unconsciously closed his book.
伊丽莎白感到有点儿意外，不过马上就同意了。宾格莱小姐对伊丽莎白这番客气的目的果真达到了，达西先生抬起头来。他对伊丽莎白也愿意这么做，感到很新鲜，就像伊丽莎白对宾格莱小姐邀她踱步觉得新鲜一样，他下意识地合上了书。
He was directly invited to join their party, but he declined it, observing that he could imagine but two motives for their chusing to walk up and down the room together, with either of which motives his joining them would interfere.
两位女士邀请他也参加进来，他谢绝了，说他猜测她们这么做，无非是出于两个动机，如果他加入进去的话，对其中任何一个动机都会是一种干扰。
"What could he mean?" she was dying to know what could be his meaning -- and asked Elizabeth whether she could at all understand him?
宾格莱小姐急于弄清他说的意思，便问伊丽莎白是否有点儿听明白了。
"Not at all," was her answer; "but depend upon it, he means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it."
“一点儿也不明白，”伊丽莎白回答道，“不过，可以肯定的是，他是存心想奚落我们，叫他失望的一个最有效的办法，就是不理睬他。”
Miss Bingley, however, was incapable of disappointing Mr. Darcy in any thing, and persevered therefore in requiring an explanation of his two motives.
宾格莱小姐可没有这种让达西先生在什么事情上失望的本领，所以一味地请求他说说这两个动机。
"I have not the smallest objection to explaining them," said he, as soon as she allowed him to speak. "You either chuse this method of passing the evening because you are in each other's confidence, and have secret affairs to discuss, or because you are conscious that your figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking; -- if the first, I should be completely in your way; -- and if the second, I can admire you much better as I sit by the fire."
“我丝毫也不反对把它们解释解释，”她的话音刚落，达西就紧跟着说，“你们之所以选择这个方式消磨时间，是因为你们彼此亲密，有秘密的事情要商量，再不就是你们意识到，你们姣好的身材在行走中才显得最为楚楚动人。如果是第一个原因，那我就要妨碍你们两个了。如果是第二个原因，那我倒宁可坐在火炉边，来更好地欣赏你们两个人。”
"Oh! shocking!" cried Miss Bingley. "I never heard any thing so abominable. How shall we punish him for such a speech?"
“噢！真损人！”宾格莱小姐喊道，“我从来没听过这么损人的话，我们该怎样惩罚他一下呢？”
"Nothing so easy, if you have but the inclination," said Elizabeth. "We can all plague and punish one another. Teaze him -- laugh at him. -- Intimate as you are, you must know how it is to be done."
“只要你诚心罚他，没有比这更容易的了，”伊丽莎白说，“人们很容易做到彼此讨扰和惩罚对方的。逗他生气——嘲笑他。你们俩这么熟悉，你一定知道怎么做的。”
"But upon my honour I do not. I do assure you that my intimacy has not yet taught me that. Teaze calmness of temper and presence of mind! No, no -- I feel he may defy us there. And as to laughter, we will not expose ourselves, if you please, by attempting to laugh without a subject. Mr. Darcy may hug himself."
“可是，说实话，我还真不知道。我与他的惯熟可没曾教会我这一点。去逗弄这样一个性情沉稳、头脑冷静的人！不成，不成——我觉得我们斗不过他。说到开他的玩笑，我们可不能凭空笑人家，反倒弄得我们自己成了笑料，你说呢？那样的话，达西先生会自鸣得意的。”
"Mr. Darcy is not to be laughed at!" cried Elizabeth. "That is an uncommon advantage, and uncommon I hope it will continue, for it would be a great loss to me to have many such acquaintance. I dearly love a laugh."
“原来达西先生是开不得玩笑的！”伊丽莎白不由得抬高了嗓门，“这可是一个不寻常的优点，我希望这样的优点永远少一些，不然的话，这种朋友多了会对我是个很大的损失。因为我是非常喜欢开玩笑的。”
"Miss Bingley," said he, "has given me credit for more than can be. The wisest and the best of men, nay, the wisest and best of their actions, may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke."
“宾格莱小姐对我褒奖得名不副实啦，”达西说，“要是一个人把开玩笑当作人生最重要的目的，那么最聪明、最出众的人，最明智、最出色的行为，也会变得可笑起来。”
"Certainly," replied Elizabeth -- "there are such people, but I hope I am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. -- But these, I suppose, are precisely what you are without."
“毫无疑问，”伊丽莎白回答说，“世上有这样的人，不过，我希望自己不是他们中间的一个。我希望我永远不会去嘲笑明智善良的行为。愚蠢、无聊、心血来潮、反复无常，这些毛病的确让我觉得好笑，我承认，只要可能我就不会放过嘲笑它们的机会。不过，我想，达西先生是恰好没有这些毛病的。”
"Perhaps that is not possible for any one. But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule."
“或许，没有任何一个人能做到你所说的这一点。不过，因为这些弱点常常把一个聪明人置于可笑的境地，所以尽量避免犯这样的错误，正是我这一生所追求的。”
"Such as vanity and pride."
“譬如虚荣和骄傲这样的弱点。”
"Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride -- where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."
“是的，虚荣的确是一种缺点。不过，骄傲——如果是人真正聪明的话，骄傲将总会受到很好的规范的。”
Elizabeth turned away to hide a smile.
伊丽莎白转过身去，偷偷地笑了笑。
"Your examination of Mr. Darcy is over, I presume," said Miss Bingley; -- "and pray what is the result?"
“你对达西先生的考察该结束了吧，我想，”宾格莱小姐说，“请问结果如何呢？”
"I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Darcy has no defect. He owns it himself without disguise."
“我完全相信达西先生是没有缺点的。他自己也毫不隐讳地承认这一点。”
"No" — said Darcy, "I have made no such pretension. I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. -- It is I believe too little yielding -- certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offences against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. -- My good opinion once lost is lost for ever."
“不，”达西说，“我可没有那么大言不惭。我的缺点很多，不过，我希望它们不是关于理解力方面的。对于我的性情，我也不敢说它完美无缺。我相信它是过于倔强了点，太不能迁就于世俗了。对别人的愚蠢和恶习，我不能像应该做的那样很快忘记，对别人得罪于我的地方也是如此。我并不曾调动起自己的情感，千方百计地去把它们从我的脑子里除去。我的性情也许可以称之为是怨恨型的。我对一个人的好感一旦失去，便永远地失去了。”
"That is a failing indeed!" -- cried Elizabeth. "Implacable resentment is a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. -- I really cannot laugh at it; you are safe from me."
“这的确是一种缺陷！”伊丽莎白大声说，“不能消除的怨恨情绪的确是性格上的一种阴影。不过，你选择你的缺点，选择得很好。对这样的缺点，我可真是不愿去取笑。你放心好了。”
"There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil, a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."
“我想，每个人性格中都有着某种消极的东西——一种天生的缺陷，就是接受了最好的教育，也未必能将其克服。”
"And your defect is a propensity to hate every body."
“你的缺陷，就是倾向于恨每一个人。”
"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is wilfully to misunderstand them."
“而你的缺陷呢，”达西笑着回答。“就是故意去误解别人。”
"Do let us have a little music," -- cried Miss Bingley, tired of a conversation in which she had no share.
“喂，还是让我们来点音乐吧。”宾格莱小姐喊道，她已经厌倦了这场没有她参加的份儿的谈话。
-- "Louisa, you will not mind my waking Mr. Hurst."
“露易莎，你不介意我会弄醒赫斯特先生吧。”
Her sister made not the smallest objection, and the piano-forte was opened, and Darcy, after a few moments recollection, was not sorry for it. He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention.
她姐姐没有一点儿反对的意思，于是琴盖便被打开了。达西经过一会儿的思考，不再为谈话的中断而感到遗憾。因为他开始觉得，他对伊丽莎白已给予了太多的关注。
