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“Can you possibly guess, Lizzy, who is meant by this? ‘This young gentleman is blessed, in a peculiar way, with every thing the heart of mortal can most desire,—splendid property, noble kindred, and extensive patronage. Yet in spite of all these temptations, let me warn my cousin Elizabeth, and yourself, of what evils you may incur by a precipitate closure with this gentleman’s proposals, which, of course, you will be inclined to take immediate advantage of.’
“你能猜得到，丽萃，科林斯指的是谁吗？‘这位年轻人福星高照，拥有世人梦寐以求的一切——巨大的财富，世袭的高贵门第，众多受其荫庇的人们。虽然这一切的诱惑力如此大，不过，我还是要告诫我的表妹伊丽莎白和你自己，当这位先生到府上求婚时，切不可见利眼红，遽尔应承，否则会招来种种祸患。’”
“Have you any idea, Lizzy, who this gentleman is? But now it comes out:
“丽萃，你知道这位先生是谁吗？下面就要提到了。”
“‘My motive for cautioning you is as follows. We have reason to imagine that his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, does not look on the match with a friendly eye.’
“‘我之所以要告诫你们，是因为我们有理由认为，他的姨妈凯瑟琳·德·包尔夫人对这门亲事是很有看法的。'”
“Mr. Darcy, you see, is the man! Now, Lizzy, I think I have surprised you. Could he, or the Lucases, have pitched on any man within the circle of our acquaintance, whose name would have given the lie more effectually to what they related? Mr. Darcy, who never looks at any woman but to see a blemish, and who probably never looked at you in his life! It is admirable!”
“现在你明白了，这个人就是达西先生！丽萃，我想你感到意外了吧。科林斯先生，或者说鲁卡斯一家人，难道还能从我们认识的人里找出一个人，比此人更能证明他们的话是无稽之谈的吗？达西先生在任何一个女人身上看到的都是瑕疵，他这一生也许就没正眼瞧过你一回！他们的想象力实在也太丰富啦！”
Elizabeth tried to join in her father’s pleasantry, but could only force one most reluctant smile. Never had his wit been directed in a manner so little agreeable to her.
伊丽莎白尽力想跟父亲一起调笑打诨，却只勉强挤出一个极不自然的笑来。父亲的机智幽默从来没像今天这样不合她的口味。
“Are you not diverted?”
“难道你不觉得有趣吗？”
“Oh! yes. Pray read on.”
“噢！很有趣。请再往下读吧。”
“‘After mentioning the likelihood of this marriage to her ladyship last night, she immediately, with her usual condescension, expressed what she felt on the occasion; when it became apparent, that on the score of some family objections on the part of my cousin, she would never give her consent to what she termed so disgraceful a match. I thought it my duty to give the speediest intelligence of this to my cousin, that she and her noble admirer may be aware of what they are about, and not run hastily into a marriage which has not been properly sanctioned.’
“‘当昨天晚上我们向她提及了这桩可能的姻缘时，凯瑟琳夫人立即表达了她对这件事情的看法。很显然，由于我表妹家庭方面的种种缺陷，她坚决反对她称之为极不光彩的这一婚姻。所以我想我有责任尽快地将这一情况告诉我的表妹，以便能引起她和倾慕她的贵人的警觉，以免没有经得至亲的同意便草率婚娶。’
Mr. Collins moreover adds, ‘I am truly rejoiced that my cousin Lydia’s sad business has been so well hushed up, and am only concerned that their living together before the marriage took place should be so generally known. I must not, however, neglect the duties of my station, or refrain from declaring my amazement at hearing that you received the young couple into your house as soon as they were married. It was an encouragement of vice; and had I been the rector of Longbourn, I should very strenuously have opposed it. You ought certainly to forgive them, as a Christian, but never to admit them in your sight, or allow their names to be mentioned in your hearing.’
科林斯先生还说：‘得知我表妹丽迪雅的不贞之事得到了悄然的解决，我真为你们高兴，我唯一的担心只是他们没有结婚就住在一起的行为，日后总会被人知晓。不过，在听到你在他们刚刚成亲后便邀他们回家去住的消息，我还是感到了极大的困惑，我的身份和职责都要求我必须就此说上几句。你这是对邪恶秽行的一种怂恿。如果我是浪博恩的牧师，我一定会拼力反对这种做法的。作为一个基督教徒，你当然应该宽恕他们的行为，但永远不该再见到他们，或是允许别人再在你面前提到他们的名字。'”
That is his notion of Christian forgiveness! The rest of his letter is only about his dear Charlotte’s situation, and his expectation of a young olive-branch. But, Lizzy, you look as if you did not enjoy it. You are not going to be missish, I hope, and pretend to be affronted at an idle report. For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?”
“这就是科林斯关于基督教徒应该对人宽宥的见解！”班纳特先生说，“这封信的其他部分都是关于卡洛蒂现在的情况，以及他们将喜得贵子的消息。喂，丽萃，你好像听得并不高兴。我想，你不至于也变得故作正经起来，一听到这种闲话便装出受到触犯的样子。我们活着，难道不就是做邻居的笑料，反过来也对他们进行取笑吗？”
“Oh!” cried Elizabeth, “I am excessively diverted. But it is so strange!”
“噢！”伊丽莎白喊道，“我听得津津有味呢。不过，这事还是有点儿太奇怪啦。”
“Yes—that is what makes it amusing. Had they fixed on any other man it would have been nothing; but his perfect indifference, and your pointed dislike, make it so delightfully absurd! Much as I abominate writing, I would not give up Mr. Collins’s correspondence for any consideration. Nay, when I read a letter of his, I cannot help giving him the preference even over Wickham, much as I value the impudence and hypocrisy of my son-in-law. And pray, Lizzy, what said Lady Catherine about this report? Did she call to refuse her consent?”
“的确古怪……有趣的也正是这一点。如果他们讲的是另外一个人，那倒还说得过去。最可笑的是，那位贵人完全没有把你放在眼里，你对他又是厌恶透顶！我平常虽然最讨厌写信，可是我无论如何也不愿和科林斯断绝书信往来。唔，我每次读到他的信，总觉得他比威克汉姆还要讨我喜欢。我那位女婿虽然又冒失又虚伪，还是及不上他。请问你，丽萃，凯瑟琳夫人对这事是怎么说的？她是不是特地赶来表示反对？”
To this question his daughter replied only with a laugh; and as it had been asked without the least suspicion, she was not distressed by his repeating it. Elizabeth had never been more at a loss to make her feelings appear what they were not. It was necessary to laugh, when she would rather have cried. Her father had most cruelly mortified her, by what he said of Mr. Darcy’s indifference, and she could do nothing but wonder at such a want of penetration, or fear that perhaps, instead of his seeing too little, she might have fancied too much.
女儿听到父亲问这句话，只是笑了一笑。其实父亲这一问完全没有一点猜疑的意思，因此他问了又问，也没有使她感觉到痛苦。伊丽莎白从来没有像今天这样为难：心里想的是一套，表面上却要装出另一套。她真想哭，可是又不得不强颜为笑。父亲说达西先生没有把她放在眼里，这句话未免太使她伤心。她只有怪她父亲为什么这样糊涂，或者说，她现在心里又添了一重顾虑：这件事也许倒不能怪父亲看见得太少，而应该怪她自己幻想得太多呢。
