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| Chapter 18 (Vol. I, Chap. XVIII) | 第十八章 |
| Till Elizabeth entered the drawing-room at Netherfield and looked in vain for Mr. Wickham among the cluster of red coats there assembled, a doubt of his being present had never occurred to her. The certainty of meeting him had not been checked by any of those recollections that might not unreasonably have alarmed her. She had dressed with more than usual care, and prepared in the highest spirits for the conquest of all that remained unsubdued of his heart, trusting that it was not more than might be won in the course of the evening. But in an instant arose the dreadfulsuspicion of his being purposely omitted for Mr. Darcy's pleasure in the Bingleys' invitation to the officers; and though this was not exactly the case, the absolute fact of his absence was pronounced by his friend Mr. Denny, to whom Lydia eagerly applied, and who told them that Wickham had been obliged to go to town on business the day before, and was not yet returned; adding, with a significant smile, | 伊丽莎白走进尼日斐花园的会客室，在一群穿 着"红制服"的人们里面寻找韦翰先生，找来 找去都找不着，这时候她才怀疑他也许不会来 了。她本以为他一定会来，虽然想起了过去的 种种事情而颇为担心，可是她的信心并没有因 此受到影响，她比平常更小心地打扮了一番， 高高兴兴地准备要把他那颗没有被征服的心全 部征服，她相信在今天的晚会上，一定会让她 把他那颗心完全赢到手。但是过了一会儿，她 起了一种可怕的怀疑：莫不是彬格莱先生请军 官们的时候，为了讨达西先生的好，故意没有 请韦翰吗？虽然事实并非如此，不过他缺席的 原委马上就由他的朋友丹尼先生宣布了。这是 因为丽迪雅迫不及待地问丹尼，丹尼就告诉她 们说，韦翰前一天上城里有事去了，还没有回 来，又带着意味深长的微笑补充了几句： |
| "I do not imagine his business would have called him away just now, if he had not wished to avoid a certain gentleman here." | "我想，他要不是为了要回避这儿的某一位先 生，决不会就这么凑巧，偏偏这时候因事缺席 。" |
| This part of his intelligence, though unheard by Lydia, was caught by Elizabeth, and as it assured her that Darcy was not less answerable for Wickham's absence than if her first surmise had been just, every feeling of displeasure against the former was so sharpened by immediate disappointment, that she could hardly reply with tolerable civility to the polite inquiries which he directly afterwards approached to make. -- Attention, forbearance, patience with Darcy, was injury to Wickham. She was resolved against any sort of conversation with him, and turned away with a degree of ill humour, which she could not wholly surmount even in speaking to Mr. Bingley, whose blind partiality provoked her. | 他这个消息丽迪雅虽然没有听见，却给伊丽莎 白听见了。伊丽莎白因此断定：关于韦翰缺席 的原因，虽然她开头没有猜对，却依旧是达西 先生一手造成的。她觉得非常扫兴，对达西也 就越发起了反感，因此接下来当达西走上前来 向她问好的时候，她简直不能好声好气地回答 他。要知道，对达西殷勤，宽容，忍耐，就等 于伤害韦翰。她决定不跟他说一句话，怏怏不 乐地掉过头来就走，甚至跟彬格莱先生说起话 来也不大快乐，因为他对达西的盲目偏爱引起 了她的气愤。 |
| But Elizabeth was not formed for ill-humour; and though every prospect of her own was destroyed for the evening, it could not dwell long on her spirits; and having told all her griefs to Charlotte Lucas, whom she had not seen for a week, she was soon able to make a voluntarytransition to the oddities of her cousin, and to point him out to her particular notice. The two first dances, however, brought a return of distress; they were dances of mortification. Mr. Collins, awkward and solemn, apologising instead of attending, and often moving wrong without being aware of it, gave her all the shame and misery which a disagreeablepartner for a couple of dances can give. The moment of her release from him was ecstasy. | 伊丽莎白天生不大会发脾气，虽然她今天晚上 大为扫兴，可是她情绪上并没有不愉快多少时 候。她先把满腔的愁苦都告诉了那位一星期没 有见面的夏绿蒂·卢卡斯小姐，过了一会儿又 自告奋勇地把她表兄奇奇怪怪的情形讲给她听 ，一面又特别把他指出来给他看。头两场舞重 新使他觉得烦恼，那是两场活受罪的跳舞。柯 林斯先生又呆笨又刻板，只知道道歉，却不知 道小心一些，往往脚步弄错了自己还不知道。 他真是个十足叫人讨厌的舞伴，使她丢尽了脸 ，受尽了罪。因此，从他手里解脱出来，真叫 她喜欢欲狂。 |
| She danced next with an officer, and had the refreshment of talking of Wickham, and of hearing that he was universally liked. When those dances were over she returned to Charlotte Lucas, and was in conversation with her, when she found herself suddenly addressed by Mr. Darcy, who took her so much by surprise in his application for her hand, that, without knowing what she did, she accepted him. He walked away again immediately, and she was left to fret over her own want of presence of mind; Charlotte tried to console her. | 她接着跟一位军官跳舞，跟他谈起韦翰的事。 听他说，韦翰是个到处讨人喜爱的人，于是她 精神上舒服了许多。跳过这几场舞以后，她就 回到夏绿蒂·卢卡斯身边，跟她谈话，这时候 突然听到达西先生叫她，出其不意地请她跳舞 ，她吃了一惊，竟然不由自主地答应了他。达 西跳过以后便立刻走开了，于是她口口声声怪 自己为什么这样没主意。夏绿蒂尽力安慰她。 |
| "I dare say you will find him very agreeable." | "你将来一定会发觉他很讨人喜欢的。" |
| "Heaven forbid! -- That would be the greatest misfortune of all! -- To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! -- Do not wish me such an evil." | "天不容！那才叫做倒了大的霉呢！下定决心 去恨一个人，竟会一下子又喜欢起他来！别这 样咒我吧。" |
| When the dancing recommenced, however, and Darcy approached to claim her hand, Charlotte could not help cautioning her, in a whisper, not to be a simpleton, and allow her fancy for Wickham to make her appear unpleasant in the eyes of a man of ten times his consequence. Elizabeth made no answer, and took her place in the set, amazed at the dignity to which she was arrived in being allowed to stand opposite to Mr. Darcy, and reading in her neighbours' looks their equal amazement in beholding it. They stood for some time without speaking a word; and she began to imagine that their silence was to last through the two dances, and at first was resolved not to break it; till suddenly fancying that it would be the greater punishment to her partner to oblige him to talk, she made some slight observation on the dance. He replied, and was again silent. After a pause of some minutes, she addressed him a second time with: | 当跳舞重新开始，达西又走到她跟前来请她跳 舞的时候，夏绿蒂禁不住跟她咬了咬耳朵，提 醒她别做傻瓜，别为了对韦翰有好感，就宁可 得罪一个比韦翰的身价高上十倍的人。伊丽莎 白没有回答便下了舞池，她想不到居然会有这 样的体面，跟达西先生面对面跳舞，她看见身 旁的人们也同样露出了惊奇的目光。他们俩跳 了一会儿，一句话也没有交谈。她想象着这两 场舞可能一直要沉默到底，开头决定不要打破 这种沉默，后来突然异想天开，认为如果逼得 她的舞伴不得不说几句话，那就会叫他受更大 的罪，于是她就说了几句关于跳舞方面的话。 他回答了她的话，接着又是沉默。歇了几分钟 ，她第二次跟他攀谈： |
| "It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy. -- I talked about the dance, and you ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples." | "现在该轮到你谈谈啦，达西先生。我既然谈 了跳舞，你就得谈谈舞池的大小以及有多少对 舞伴之类的问题。" |
| He smiled, and assured her that whatever she wished him to say should be said. | 他笑了笑，告诉她说，她要他说什么他就说什 么。 |
| "Very well. -- That reply will do for the present. -- Perhaps by and by I may observe that private balls are much pleasanter than public ones. -- But now we may be silent." | "好极了；这种回答眼前也说得过去了。待一 忽儿我或许会谈到私人舞会比公共场所的跳舞 会来得她；不过，我们现在可以不必作声了。 " |
| "Do you talk by rule then, while you are dancing?" | "那么说，你跳起舞来照例总得要谈上几句吗 ？" |
| "Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together, and yet for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so arranged as that they may have the trouble of saying as little as as possible." | "有时候要的。你知道，一个人总得要说些话 。接连半个钟头待在一块儿一声不响，那是够 别扭的。不过有些人就偏偏巴不得说话愈少愈 好，为这些人着想，谈话也不妨安排得少一点 。" |
| "Are you consulting your own feelings in the present case, or do you imagine that you are gratifying mine?" | "在目前这样的情况下，你是在照顾你自已的 情绪呢，还是想要使我情绪上快慰？" |
| "Both," replied Elizabeth archly; "for I have always seen a great similarity in the turn of our minds. -- We are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the eclat of a proverb." | "一举两得，"伊丽莎白油滑地回答道。"因 为我老是感觉到我们俩转的念头很相同。你我 的性格跟人家都不大合得来，又不愿意多说话 ，难得开口，除非想说几句一鸣惊人的话，让 大家当作格言来流传千古。" |
| "This is no very strikingresemblance of your own character, I am sure," said he. "How near it may be to mine, I cannot pretend to say. -- You think it a faithful portrait undoubtedly." | 他说："我觉得你的性格并不见得就是这样， 我的性格是否有很近似这方面，我也不敢说。 你一定觉得你自己形容得很恰当吧。" |
| "I must not decide on my own performance." | "我当做不能自己下断语。" |
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