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A few days after this visit, Mr. Bingley called again, and alone. His friend had left him that morning for London, but was to return home in ten days time. He sat with them above an hour, and was in remarkably good spirits. Mrs. Bennet invited him to dine with them; but, with many expressions of concern, he confessed himself engaged elsewhere.
几天以后，宾格莱先生又来做客，这一次是他一个人。他的朋友那天早晨已动身去伦敦了，要走十天的时间。宾格莱与班纳特先生家的人很有兴致地聊了一个多钟头。班纳特太太留他跟他们一起用饭，他说了许多道歉的话，因为他在别处已先有了约会。
“Next time you call,” said she, “I hope we shall be more lucky.”
“等你下次再来时，”班纳特太太说，“希望我们能有幸请你吃饭了。”
He should be particularly happy at any time, etc. etc.; and if she would give him leave, would take an early opportunity of waiting on them.
他说他非常高兴在任何时间光临，如果班纳特太太这边方便，他愿意尽早地过来吃饭。
“Can you come to-morrow?”
“明天你能来吗？”
Yes, he had no engagement at all for to-morrow; and her invitation was accepted with alacrity.
可以，他明天没有任何约会；于是，班纳特太太的这一邀请便被爽快地接受下来。
He came, and in such very good time that the ladies were none of them dressed. In ran Mrs. Bennet to her daughter’s room, in her dressing gown, and with her hair half finished, crying out:
第二天一大早宾格莱先生就到了。太太小姐们都还没打扮好呢。班纳特太太穿着晨衣，头发还没来得及梳好，便跑进女儿房间里喊：“吉英快点儿弄好下楼去。他来了——宾格莱先生来了——这是真的。赶紧点儿。喂，莎雷，到班纳特小姐那边，帮她穿一下衣服。这个时候，丽萃的头发你就甭去管了。”
“My dear Jane, make haste and hurry down. He is come—Mr. Bingley is come. He is, indeed. Make haste, make haste. Here, Sarah, come to Miss Bennet this moment, and help her on with her gown. Never mind Miss Lizzy’s hair.”
“我们马上就下去，”吉英说，“不过，我敢说吉蒂比我们两个都快，因为她在半个钟头前就下楼了。”
“We will be down as soon as we can,” said Jane; “but I dare say Kitty is forwarder than either of us, for she went up stairs half an hour ago.”
“噢！你提吉蒂干吗？这关她的什么事？赶快！赶快！你的腰带放在哪儿啦，亲爱的？”
“Oh! hang Kitty! what has she to do with it? Come be quick, be quick! Where is your sash, my dear?”
然而，在母亲出去后，吉英没有妹妹们陪着，却怎么也不愿意一个人下楼。
But when her mother was gone, Jane would not be prevailed on to go down without one of her sisters.
到了傍晚时分，班纳特太太想让吉英和宾格莱两个人单独待上一会儿。喝过茶后，班纳特先生像往常一样到了书房，玛丽上楼去弹琴了。五个障碍就这样去掉了两个。班纳特太太坐在那儿朝伊丽莎白和凯瑟琳使了好一阵子眼色，可没得到她们两个的响应。伊丽莎白装作没看见，吉蒂后来觉察到了，却不解其意地天真地追问：“妈妈，你怎么啦？刚才老对我眨巴眼睛干什么？你想让我做什么呀？”
The same anxiety to get them by themselves was visible again in the evening. After tea, Mr. Bennet retired to the library, as was his custom, and Mary went up stairs to her instrument. Two obstacles of the five being thus removed, Mrs. Bennet sat looking and winking at Elizabeth and Catherine for a considerable time, without making any impression on them. Elizabeth would not observe her; and when at last Kitty did, she very innocently said, “What is the matter mamma? What do you keep winking at me for? What am I to do?”
“没事，没事，孩子。我没有朝你眨眼睛。”就这样他们又坐了五分钟的光景，班纳特太太实在不忍心让这样一个大好的机会错过了，于是，她突然站起来对吉蒂说：
“Nothing child, nothing. I did not wink at you.” She then sat still five minutes longer; but unable to waste such a precious occasion, she suddenly got up, and saying to Kitty, “Come here, my love, I want to speak to you,” took her out of the room. Jane instantly gave a look at Elizabeth which spoke her distress at such premeditation, and her entreaty that she would not give in to it. In a few minutes, Mrs. Bennet half-opened the door and called out:
“来，宝贝，跟妈妈走，我想跟你说件事。”说着领着吉蒂出了屋子。吉英立刻向伊丽莎白望了一眼，示意她不要离开，因为她对母亲的这一做法已经感到有点儿不好意思了。可没过几分钟，班纳特太太又半拉开门喊道：
“Lizzy, my dear, I want to speak with you.”
“丽萃，亲爱的，妈妈有话要跟你说。”
Elizabeth was forced to go.
伊丽莎白不得不走了出去。
“We may as well leave them by themselves you know;” said her mother, as soon as she was in the hall. “Kitty and I are going up stairs to sit in my dressing-room.”
“我们还是不要打搅他们两个人”，伊丽莎白走进穿堂的时候，母亲说，“吉蒂和我要上楼到我的梳妆间里坐了。”
Elizabeth made no attempt to reason with her mother, but remained quietly in the hall, till she and Kitty were out of sight, then returned into the drawing-room.
伊丽莎白没有和母亲争辩，在穿堂里静静地待着，看到母亲和吉蒂上了楼以后，又转回到客厅里。
Mrs. Bennet’s schemes for this day were ineffectual. Bingley was every thing that was charming, except the professed lover of her daughter. His ease and cheerfulness rendered him a most agreeable addition to their evening party; and he bore with the ill-judged officiousness of the mother, and heard all her silly remarks with a forbearance and command of countenance particularly grateful to the daughter.
班纳特太太那一天的计划没有奏效。宾格莱浑身上下都是可爱之处，可没有表明他对吉英的爱意。他的随和、快乐风趣，为他们家的夜晚增添了格外的欢乐，他能很好地忍耐这位母亲的不合时宜的过分殷勤，听着她母亲讲许多的蠢话而能耐住性子，不表示出厌烦，这让吉英尤为感激。
He scarcely needed an invitation to stay supper; and before he went away, an engagement was formed, chiefly through his own and Mrs. Bennet’s means, for his coming next morning to shoot with her husband.
几乎没要主人家邀请，宾格莱便留下来吃了晚饭；临走前，经他自己和班纳特太太极力撮合，约好了翌日清晨与她的丈夫去一同打猎。
After this day, Jane said no more of her indifference. Not a word passed between the sisters concerning Bingley; but Elizabeth went to bed in the happy belief that all must speedily be concluded, unless Mr. Darcy returned within the stated time. Seriously, however, she felt tolerably persuaded that all this must have taken place with that gentleman’s concurrence.
从这一天以后，吉英再也不提坦然处之的话了。姐妹俩之间也没再谈起宾格莱。只不过伊丽莎白在晚上睡觉的时候，心里高兴地想着只要达西先生不在这几天赶回来，这件事很快就能成功了。可她又认真地转念一想，觉得事情之所以这样发展一定是事先有了达西先生的参与。
Bingley was punctual to his appointment; and he and Mr. Bennet spent the morning together, as had been agreed on. The latter was much more agreeable than his companion expected. There was nothing of presumption or folly in Bingley that could provoke his ridicule, or disgust him into silence; and he was more communicative, and less eccentric, than the other had ever seen him. Bingley of course returned with him to dinner; and in the evening Mrs. Bennet’s invention was again at work to get every body away from him and her daughter. Elizabeth, who had a letter to write, went into the breakfast room for that purpose soon after tea; for as the others were all going to sit down to cards, she could not be wanted to counteract her mother’s schemes.
宾格莱准时前来赴约。他和班纳特先生像事先说好的那样，一起消磨了一个上午。班纳特先生待他友好热情，实在出乎宾格莱的预料。在宾格莱身上找不到半点傲慢跋扈或愚蠢的地方，让班纳特先生去嘲笑，或叫他厌恶得不愿意开口；他健谈，而又少了他平时的那种怪癖，宾格莱还不曾见过他这样的热情待人。不用说，宾格莱和他一块儿回来吃了午饭；下午的时候，班纳特太太又想法把别人支开，留下宾格莱和吉英两个人。伊丽莎白有封信要写，喝过茶以后就去早餐厅了；因为她看到别人都躲开去打牌，她也不愿意再和母亲的安排做对。
But on returning to the drawing-room, when her letter was finished, she saw, to her infinite surprise, there was reason to fear that her mother had been too ingenious for her. On opening the door, she perceived her sister and Bingley standing together over the hearth, as if engaged in earnest conversation; and had this led to no suspicion, the faces of both, as they hastily turned round and moved away from each other, would have told it all. Their situation was awkward enough; but hers she thought was still worse. Not a syllable was uttered by either; and Elizabeth was on the point of going away again, when Bingley, who as well as the other had sat down, suddenly rose, and whispering a few words to her sister, ran out of the room.
伊丽莎白写完信回到客厅里时，不胜惊讶地看到母亲的做法在起作用了。她拉开门的当儿，瞥见姐姐和宾格莱挨着站在壁炉前，好像正沉浸在一场热烈的谈话中。如果这还不够引起她的怀疑的话，在他俩急忙转过头相互站开来时脸上流露出的表情，却也把一切都告诉她了。他们两个都显出了羞色。可伊丽莎白觉得她自己的情形也许更糟。那两个人谁也没有吭声。伊丽莎白正待走开时，宾格莱（他和吉英刚才都已坐下了）突然立起身子，跟吉英悄悄地说了些什么，跑出屋子去了。
Jane could have no reserves from Elizabeth, where confidence would give pleasure; and instantly embracing her, acknowledged, with the liveliest emotion, that she was the happiest creature in the world.
只要这贴心的话儿能带来快乐，吉英从来也不会向伊丽莎白保守秘密的；她即刻上前去抱住了妹妹，无比快乐地说，她现在已经是世界上最幸福的人了。
“’Tis too much!” she added, “by far too much. I do not deserve it. Oh! why is not everybody as happy?”
“这幸福我得到的太多啦！”吉英接着说，“实在是太多了。我不配享有这么多的幸福。噢！为什么不是所有的人都像我这么幸福呢？”
Elizabeth’s congratulations were given with a sincerity, a warmth, a delight, which words could but poorly express. Every sentence of kindness was a fresh source of happiness to Jane. But she would not allow herself to stay with her sister, or say half that remained to be said for the present.
伊丽莎白连连地向姐姐道贺。那种真挚、热烈和喜悦的心情实在是语言难以表达的。她的每一句祝贺，都让吉英觉得是一份新的快乐。可是此时的吉英不愿意只让她们两个人享受这份幸福，或者说她要把还没说完的话儿留着跟别的人去倾吐。
“I must go instantly to my mother;” she cried. “I would not on any account trifle with her affectionate solicitude; or allow her to hear it from anyone but myself. He is gone to my father already. Oh! Lizzy, to know that what I have to relate will give such pleasure to all my dear family! how shall I bear so much happiness!”
“我现在去妈妈那儿，”吉英大声说，“我无论如何也不愿意让她那份爱心还悬在半空里；我要亲自告诉她，不要她从别人那儿听到。噢！丽萃，且想象一下我要说的话将会给我们的家人带来多少欢乐呀！我如何能消受得了这样的幸福！”
She then hastened away to her mother, who had purposely broken up the card party, and was sitting up stairs with Kitty.
说着她便匆匆去了母亲那里，只见母亲已经有意提前散了牌局，在楼上和吉蒂坐着说话。
