As no objection was made to the young people's engagement with their aunt, and all Mr. Collins's scruples of leaving Mr. and Mrs. Bennet for a single evening during his visit were most steadily resisted, the coach conveyed him and his five cousins at a suitable hour to Meryton; and the girls had the pleasure of hearing, as they entered the drawing-room, that Mr. Wickham had accepted their uncle's invitation, and was then in the house.
年轻的小姐们跟她们姨妈的约会，并没有遭受到反对。柯林斯只觉得来此作客，反而把班纳特夫妇整晚丢在家里，未免有些过意不去，可是他们叫他千万不要放在心上。于是他和他的五个表妹便乘着马车，准时到了麦里屯。小姐们一走进客厅，就听说韦翰先生接受了她们姨爹的邀请，而且已经驾到，觉得很是高兴。
When this information was given, and they had all taken their seats, Mr. Collins was at leisure to look around him and admire, and he was so much struck with the size and furniture of the apartment, that he declared he might almost have supposed himself in the small summer breakfast parlour at Rosings; a comparison that did not at first convey much gratification; but when Mrs. Philips understood from him what Rosings was, and who was its proprietor, when she had listened to the description of only one of Lady Catherine's drawing-rooms, and found that the chimney-piece alone had cost eight hundred pounds, she felt all the force of the compliment, and would hardly have resented a comparison with the housekeeper's room.
大家听到这个消息之后，便都坐了下来。柯林斯先生悠闲自在地朝四下望望，瞻仰瞻仰一切；屋子的尺寸和里面的家具使他十分惊羡，他说他好象进了咖苔琳夫人在罗新斯的那间消夏的小饭厅。这个比喻开头并不怎么叫主人家满意，可是接下来腓力普太太弄明白了罗新斯是一个什么地方，它的主人是谁，又听他说起咖苔琳夫人的一个会客间的情形，光是一只壁炉架就要值八百英镑，她这才体会到他那个譬喻实在太恭维她了，即使把她家里比作罗新斯管家奶奶的房间，她也不反对了。
In describing to her all the grandeur of Lady Catherine and her mansion, with occasional digressions in praise of his own humble abode and the improvements it was receiving, he was happily employed until the gentlemen joined them; and he found in Mrs. Philips a very attentive listener, whose opinion of his consequence increased with what she heard, and who was resolving to retail it all among her neighbours as soon as she could. To the girls, who could not listen to their cousin, and who had nothing to do but to wish for an instrument, and examine their own indifferent imitations of china on the mantlepiece, the interval of waiting appeared very long. It was over at last, however. The gentlemen did approach; and when Mr. Wickham walked into the room, Elizabeth felt that she had neither been seeing him before, nor thinking of him since, with the smallest degree of unreasonable admiration. The officers of the --- shire were in general a very creditable, gentlemanlike set, and the best of them were of the present party; but Mr. Wickham was as far beyond them all in person, countenance, air, and walk, as they were superior to the broad-faced stuffy uncle Philips, breathing port wine, who followed them into the room.
柯林斯在讲述咖苔琳夫人和她公馆的富丽堂皇时，偶然还要穿插上几句话，来夸耀他自己的寒舍，说他的住宅正在装璜改善中等，他就这样自得其乐地一直扯到男客们进来为止。他发觉腓力普太太很留心听他的话，她愈听就愈把他看得了不起，而且决定一有空就把他的话传播出去。至于小姐们，实在觉得等得太久了，因为她们不高兴听她们表兄的闲扯，又没事可做，想弹弹琴又不成，只有照着壁炉架上那些瓷器的样子，漫不经心地画些小玩艺儿消遗消遗。等待的时间终于过去了，男客们来了。韦翰先生一走进来，伊丽莎白就觉得，无论是上次看见他的时候也好，从上次见面以来想起他的时候也好，她都没有错爱了他。某某郡的军官们都是一批名誉很好的绅士气派的人物，参加这次宴会的尤其是他们之中的精华。韦翰先生无论在人品上，相貌上，风度上，地位上，都远远超过他们，正如他们远远超过那位姨爹一样──瞧那位肥头大耳，大腹便便的姨爹，他正带着满口葡萄酒味，跟着他们走进屋来。
Mr. Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself; and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation, though it was only on its being a wet night, and on the probability of a rainy season, made her feel that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker.
韦翰先生是当天最得意的男子，差不多每个女人的眼睛都朝着他看；伊丽莎白是当天最得意的女子，韦翰终于在她的身旁坐了下来。他马上就跟她攀谈，虽然谈的只是些当天晚上下雨和雨季可能就要到来之类的话，可是他那么和颜悦色，使她不禁感觉到即使最平凡、最无聊、最陈旧的话，只要说话的人有技巧，还是一样可以说得动听。
With such rivals for the notice of the fair, as Mr. Wickham and the officers, Mr. Collins seemed likely to sink into insignificance; to the young ladies he certainly was nothing; but he had still at intervals a kind listener in Mrs. Philips, and was, by her watchfulness, most abundantly supplied with coffee and muffin.
说起要博得女性的青眼，柯林斯先生遇到象韦翰先生和军官们这样的劲敌，真变得无足轻重了。他在小姐们眼睛里实在算不上什么，幸亏好心的腓力普太太有时候还听听他谈主，她又十分细心，尽量把咖啡和松饼敬给他吃。
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