from her seat as she finished the letter, in eagerness to
follow him without losing a moment of the time so precious;
but as she reached the door, it was opened by a servant, and
Mr. Darcy appeared. Her pale face and impetuous manner made
him start, and before he could recover himself enough to
speak, she, in whose mind every idea was superseded by Lydia's
situation, hastily exclaimed, "I beg your pardon, but I must
leave you. I must find Mr. Gardiner this moment, on business
that cannot be delayed; I have not a moment to lose."


伊丽莎白读完信以后，不禁失声叫道：“舅父

上哪儿去啦？”她连忙从椅子上跳起来急急去

找寻舅父。时间太宝贵，一分钟也不能错过。

她刚走到门口，恰逢佣人把门打开，达西先生

走了进来。他看见她脸色苍白，神情仓皇，不

由得吃了一惊。他还没有定下心来说一句话，

她却因为一心只想到丽迪雅的处境，却连忙叫

起来了：“对不起，不能奉陪。我有紧要的事

要去找嘉丁纳先生，一分钟也不能耽搁。”




"Good God! what is the matter?" cried he, with more feeling
than politeness; then recollecting himself, "I will not detain
you a minute, but let me, or let the servant, go after Mr. and
Mrs. Gardiner. You are not well enough; -- you cannot go
yourself."


他抑制不住一时的感情冲动，便也顾不得礼貌

。大声嚷道：“老天爷，这究竟是怎么回事？

”他让自己定了一下心，然后接下去说：“我

不愿意耽搁你一分钟；不过还是让我去替你找

嘉丁纳先生夫妇吧，或是让佣人去也好。你身

体不好；你不能去。”




Elizabeth hesitated, but her knees trembled under her, and
she felt how little would be gained by her attempting to
pursue them. Calling back the servant, therefore, she
commissioned him, though in so breathless an accent as made
her almost unintelligible, to fetch his master and mistress
home instantly.


伊丽莎白犹豫不定，但是她已经双膝发抖，也

觉得自己没有办法去找他们。她只得叫佣人来

，打发他去把主人和主妇立刻找回来。她说话

的时候上气不接下气，几乎叫人家听不清楚。




On his quitting the room, she sat down, unable to support
herself, and looking so miserably ill that it was impossible
for Darcy to leave her, or to refrain from saying, in a tone of
gentleness and commiseration, "Let me call your maid. Is there
nothing you could take, to give you present relief? -- A glass
of wine; -- shall I get you one? -- You are very ill."


佣人走出去以后，她便坐下来，达西见她身体

已经支持不住，脸色非常难看，简直不放心离

开她，便用了一种温柔体贴的声调跟她说：“

让我把你的女佣人叫来吧。你能不能吃点东西

，叫你自己好过一些？要我给你弄一杯酒吗？

你好象有病呢。”




"No, I thank you;" she replied, endeavouring to recover
herself. "There is nothing the matter with me. I am quite
well. I am only distressed by some dreadful news which I have
just received from Longbourn."


她竭力保持镇静，回答他道：“不要，谢谢你

。我没有什么。我很好；只是刚刚从浪搏恩传

来了一个不幸的消息，使我很难受。”




She burst into tears as she alluded to it, and for a few
minutes could not speak another word. Darcy, in wretched
suspense, could only say something indistinctly of his concern,
and observe her in compassionate silence. At length, she spoke
again. "I have just had a letter from Jane, with such dreadful
news. It cannot be concealed from any one. My youngest sister
has left all her friends -- has eloped; -- has thrown herself
into the power of -- of Mr. Wickham. They are gone off
together from Brighton. You know him too well to doubt the
rest. She has no money, no connections, nothing that can tempt
him to -- she is lost for ever."


她说到这里，不禁哭了起来，半天说不出一句

话。达西一时摸不着头脑，只得含含糊糊说了

些慰问的话，默默无言地望着她，心里很是同

情。后来她便向他吐露实情：“我刚刚收到吉

英一封信，告诉我一个非常不幸的消息，反正

这也瞒不住任何人。告诉你，我那最小的妹妹

丢了她所有的亲友──私奔了──落入了韦翰

先生的圈套。他们俩是从白利屯逃走的。你深

知他的为人，下文也就不必提了。她没钱没势

，没有任何地方足以使他要──丽迪雅一生完

了。”




Darcy was fixed in astonishment. "When I consider," she added,
in a yet more agitated voice, "that I might have prevented
it! -- I who knew what he was. Had I but explained some part
of it only -- some part of what I learnt -- to my own family!
Had his character been known, this could not have happened.
But it is all, all too late now."


达西给吓呆了。伊丽莎白又用一种更激动的声

调接下去说：“我本来是可以阻止这一件事的

！我知道他的真面目！我只要把那件事的一部

分──我所听到的一部分，早讲给家里人听就

好了，要是大家都知道了他的品格，就不会出

这一场乱子了，但现在事已太迟。”




"I am grieved, indeed," cried Darcy; "grieved -- shocked.
But is it certain, absolutely certain?"


达西叫道：“我真痛心，又痛心又惊吓。但是

这消息靠得住吗，完全靠得住吗？”




"Oh yes! -- They left Brighton together on Sunday night,
and were traced almost to London, but not beyond; they are
certainly not gone to Scotland."


“当然靠得住！他们是星期日晚上从白利屯出

奔的，人家追他们一直追到伦敦，可是无法再

追下去。他们一定没有去苏格兰。”




"And what has been done, what has been attempted, to recover
her?"


“那么，有没有想什么办法去找她呢？”




"My father is gone to London, and Jane has written to beg my
uncle's immediate assistance, and we shall be off, I hope, in
half an hour. But nothing can be done; I know very well that
nothing can be done. How is such a man to be worked on? How
are they even to be discovered? I have not the smallest hope.
It is every way horrible!"


“我父亲到伦敦去了，吉英写信来，要舅父立

刻回去帮忙，我希望我们在半个钟头之内就能

动身。可是事情毫无办法，我认为一定毫无办

法。这样的一个人，有什么办法对付得了？又

想得出什么办法去找他们？我实在不敢存一线

的希望。想来想去真可怕。”




Darcy shook his head in silent acquiescence.


达西摇摇头，表示默认。




"When my eyes were opened to his real character. -- Oh! had
I known what I ought, what I dared, to do! But I knew not --
I was afraid of doing too much. Wretched, wretched, mistake!"


“我当初本已看穿了他的人品，只怪我一时缺

乏果断，没有大着胆子去办事。我只怕做得太

过火，这真是千不该万不该！”




Darcy made no answer. He seemed scarcely to hear her, and was
walking up and down the room in earnest meditation; his brow
contracted, his air gloomy. Elizabeth soon observed and
instantly understood it. Her power was sinking; every thing
must sink under such a proof of family weakness, such an
assurance of the deepest disgrace. She should neither wonder
nor condemn, but the belief of his self-conquest brought
nothing consolatory to her bosom, afforded no palliation of her
distress. It was, on the contrary, exactly calculated to make
her understand her own wishes; and never had she so honestly
felt that she could have loved him, as now, when all love must
be vain.


达西没有回答。他好象完全没有听到她的话，

只是在房间里踱来踱去，煞费苦心地在深思默

想。他双眉紧蹙，满脸忧愁。伊丽莎白立刻看

到了他这副面容，而且随即明白了他的心思。

她对他的魔力一步步在消退了；家庭这样不争

气，招来了这样的奇耻大辱，自然处处都会惹

得人家一天比一天看不起。她丝毫不觉得诧异

，也不怪别人。她即使姑且认为他愿意委曲求

全，也未必就会感到安慰，未必就会减轻痛苦

。这反而足发使她愈加有自知之明。现在千恩

万爱都已落空，她倒第一次感觉到真心真意地

爱他。




But self, though it would intrude, could not engross her.
Lydia -- the humiliation, the misery, she was bringing on them
all -- soon swallowed up every private care; and covering her
face with her handkerchief, Elizabeth was soon lost to every
thing else; and, after a pause of several minutes, was only
recalled to a sense of her situation by the voice of her
companion, who, in a manner, which though it spoke compassion,
spoke likewise restraint, said, "I am afraid you have been long
desiring my absence, nor have I any thing to plead in excuse of
my stay, but real, though unavailing, concern. Would to heaven
that any thing could be either said or done on my part, that
might offer consolation to such distress! -- But I will not
torment you with vain wishes, which may seem purposely to ask
for your thanks. This unfortunate affair will, I fear, prevent
my sister's having the pleasure of seeing you at Pemberley
to-day."


她虽然难免想到自己，却并不是完全只想到自

己。只要一想到丽迪雅给大家带来的耻辱和痛

苦，她立刻就打消了一切的个人顾虑。她用一

条手绢掩住了脸，便一切都不闻不问了。过了

好一会儿，她听到她朋友的声音，这才神志清

醒过来。只听得达西说话的声调里满含着同情

，也带着一些拘束；“我恐怕你早就希望我走

开了吧，我实在没有理由待在这儿，不过我无

限地同情你，虽然这种同情无济于事。天哪，

我但愿能够说几句什么话，或是尽我一份力量

，来安慰安慰你这样深切的痛苦！可是我不愿

意说些空洞的漂亮话，让你受罪，这样做倒好

象是我故意要讨你的好。我恐怕这桩不幸的事

，会使得你们今天不能到彭伯里去看我妹妹了

。”




"Oh, yes. Be so kind as to apologize for us to Miss Darcy.