Mr. Darcy smiled; but Elizabeth thought she could perceive that he was rather offended; and therefore checked her laugh. Miss Bingley warmly resented the indignity he had received, in an expostulation with her brother for talking such nonsense.
达西微笑了一下,伊丽莎白本来要笑,可是觉得他好象有些生气了,便忍住了没有笑。彬格莱小姐看见人家拿他开玩笑,很是生气,便怪她的哥哥干吗要谈这样没意思的话。
I see your design, Bingley, said his friend. You dislike an argument, and want to silence this.
达西说:“我明白你的用意,彬格莱,你不喜欢辩论,要把这场辩论压下去。”
Perhaps I do. Arguments are too much like disputes. If you and Miss Bennet will defer yours till I am out of the room, I shall be very thankful; and then you may say whatever you like of me.
“我也许真是这样。辩论往往很象争论,假若你和班纳特小姐能够稍缓一下等我走出房间以后再,辩论那我是非常感激的。我走出去以后,你们便可以爱怎么说我就怎么说我了。”
What you ask, said Elizabeth, is no sacrifice on my side; and Mr. Darcy had much better finish his letter.
伊丽莎白说:“你要这样做,对我并没有什么损失;达西先生还是去把信写好吧。”
Mr. Darcy took her advice, and did finish his letter.
达西先生听从了她的意见,去把那封信写好。
When that business was over, he applied to Miss Bingley and Elizabeth for the indulgence of some music. Miss Bingley moved with alacrity to the pianoforte, and after a polite request that Elizabeth would lead the way, which the other as politely and more earnestly negatived, she seated herself.
这件事过去以后,达西要求彬格莱小姐和伊丽莎白小姐赏赐他一点音乐听听,彬格莱小姐便敏捷地走钢琴跟前,先客气了一番,请伊丽莎白带头,伊丽莎白却更加客气、更加诚恳地推辞了,然后彬格莱小姐才在琴旁坐下来。
Mrs. Hurst sang with her sister, and while they were thus employed, Elizabeth could not help observing, as she turned over some music books that lay on the instrument, how frequently Mr. Darcy's eyes were fixed on her. She hardly knew how to suppose that she could be an object of admiration to so great man; and yet that he should look at her because he disliked her was still more strange. She could only imagine however, at last, that she drew his notice because there was a something about her more wrong and reprehensible, according to his ideas of right, than in any other person present. The supposition did not pain her. She liked him too little to care for his approbation.
赫斯脱太太替她妹妹伴唱。当她们姐妹俩演奏的时候,伊丽莎白翻阅着钢琴上的几本琴谱,只见达西先生的眼睛总是望着她。如果说,这位了不起的人这样看着她是出于爱慕之意,她可不大敢存这种奢望,不过,要是说达西是因为讨厌她所以才望着她,那就更说不通了。最后,她只得这样想;她所以引起了达西的注意,大概是因为达西认为她比起在座的任何人来,都叫人看不顺眼。她作出了这个假想之后,并没有感到痛苦,因为她根本不喜欢他,因此不稀罕他的垂青。
After playing some Italian songs, Miss Bingley varied the charm by a lively Scotch air; and soon afterwards Mr. Darcy, drawing near Elizabeth, said to her Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?
彬格莱小姐弹了几支意大利歌曲以后,便改弹了一些活泼的苏格兰曲子来变换变换情调。不大一会儿工夫,达西先生走到伊丽莎白跟前来,跟她说:“班纳特小姐,你是不是很想趁这个机会来跳一次苏格兰舞?”
She smiled, but made no answer. He repeated the question, with some surprise at her silence.
伊丽莎白没有回答他,只是笑了笑。他见她闷声不响,觉得有点儿奇怪,便又问了她一次。
Oh! said she, I heard you before; but I could not immediately determine what to say in reply. You wanted me, I know, to say Yes, that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste; but I always delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt. I have therefore made up my mind to tell you that I do not want to dance a reel at all and now despise me if you dare.
“噢,”她说,“我早就听见了;可是我一下子拿不准应该怎样回答你。当然,我知道你希望我回答一声‘是的’那你就会蔑视我的低级趣味,好让你自己得意一番,只可惜我一向喜欢戳穿人家的诡计,作弄一下那些存心想要蔑视人的人。因此,我决定跟你说,我根本不爱跳苏格兰舞;这一下你可不敢蔑视我了吧。”
Indeed I do not dare.
“果真不敢。”