伊丽莎白跳下马车，匆匆忙忙把每个孩子亲吻

了一下便赶快向门口奔去，吉英这时候正从母

亲房间里跑下楼来，在那儿迎接她。




Elizabeth, as she affectionately embraced her, whilst tears
filled the eyes of both, lost not a moment in asking whether
any thing had been heard of the fugitives.


伊丽莎白热情地拥抱着她，姐妹两人都热泪滚

滚。伊丽莎白一面又迫不及待地问她是否听到

那一对私奔的男女有什么下落。




"Not yet," replied Jane. "But now that my dear uncle is come,
I hope every thing will be well."


“还没有听到什么下落，”吉英回答道。“好

在亲爱的舅舅回来了，我希望从此以后一切都

会顺利。”




"Is my father in town?"


“爸爸进城去了吗？”




"Yes, he went on Tuesday, as I wrote you word."


“进城去了，他是星期二走的，我信上告诉过

你了。”




"And have you heard from him often?"


“常常收到他的信吗？”




"We have heard only once. He wrote me a few lines on
Wednesday, to say that he had arrived in safety, and to give
me his directions, which I particularly begged him to do.
He merely added that he should not write again till he had
something of importance to mention."


“只收到他一封信。是星期三寄来的，信上三

言两语，只说他已经平安抵达，又把他的详细

地址告诉了我，这还是他临走时我特别要求他

写的。另外他只说，等到有了重要消息，再写

信来。”




"And my mother -- How is she? How are you all?"


“妈好吗？家里人都好吗？”




"My mother is tolerably well, I trust; though her spirits are
greatly shaken. She is up stairs, and will have great
satisfaction in seeing you all. She does not yet leave her
dressing-room. Mary and Kitty, thank Heaven! are quite well."


“我觉得妈还算好，只不过精神上受了很大的

挫折。她在楼上；她看到你们回来，一定非常

快活。她还在自己的化妆室里呢。谢天谢地，

曼丽和吉蒂都非常好。”




"But you -- How are you?" cried Elizabeth. "You look pale.
How much you must have gone through!"


“可是你好吗？”伊丽莎白又大声问道。“你

脸色苍白。你一定担了多少心思啊！”




Her sister, however, assured her of her being perfectly well;
and their conversation, which had been passing while Mr. and
Mrs. Gardiner were engaged with their children, was now put an
end to by the approach of the whole party. Jane ran to her
uncle and aunt, and welcomed and thanked them both, with
alternate smiles and tears.


姐姐告诉她完好无恙。姐妹俩趁着嘉丁纳夫妇

忙于应付孩子们的时候，刚刚谈了这几句话，

只见他们一大群男女老幼都走过来了，于是谈

话只得终止。吉英走到舅父母跟前去表示欢迎

和感谢，笑一阵又哭一阵。




When they were all in the drawing room, the questions which
Elizabeth had already asked were of course repeated by the
others, and they soon found that Jane had no intelligence to
give. The sanguine hope of good, however, which the
benevolence of her heart suggested, had not yet deserted her;
she still expected that it would all end well, and that every
morning would bring some letter, either from Lydia or her
father, to explain their proceedings, and perhaps announce the
marriage.


大家都走进会客室以后，舅父母又把伊丽莎白

刚才问过的那些话重新问了一遍，立刻就发觉

吉英没有什么消息可以奉行。吉英因为心肠慈

善，总是从乐观的方面去着想，即使事到如今

，她还没有心灰意冷，她还在指望着一切都会

有圆满的结局；总有哪一天早上她会收到一封

信，或者是父亲写来的，或者是丽迪雅写来的

，信上会把事情进行的经过详细报道一番，或

许还会宣布那一对男女的结婚消息。




Mrs. Bennet, to whose apartment they all repaired, after a few
minutes conversation together, received them exactly as might
be expected; with tears and lamentations of regret, invectives
against the villainous conduct of Wickham, and complaints of
her own sufferings and ill usage; blaming every body but the
person to whose ill-judging indulgence the errors of her
daughter must be principally owing.


大家谈了一会儿以后，都到班纳特太太房里去

了。果然不出所料，班纳特太太见到他们便眼

泪汪汪，长吁短叹。她先把韦翰的卑劣行为痛

骂了一顿，又为自己的病痛和委屈抱怨了一番

，她几乎把每个人都骂到了，只有一个人没骂

到，而那个人却正是盲目溺爱女儿，使女儿铸

成大错的主要原因。




"If I had been able," said she, "to carry my point of going to
Brighton, with all my family, this would not have happened;
but poor dear Lydia had nobody to take care of her. Why did
the Forsters ever let her go out of their sight? I am sure
there was some great neglect or other on their side, for she is
not the kind of girl to do such a thing, if she had been well
looked after. I always thought they were very unfit to have
the charge of her; but I was over-ruled, as I always am. Poor
dear child! And now here's Mr. Bennet gone away, and I know he
will fight Wickham wherever he meets him, and then he will be
killed, and what is to become of us all? The Collinses will
turn us out, before he is cold in his grave; and if you are not
kind to us, brother, I do not know what we shall do."


她说：“要是当初能够依了我的打算，让全家

人都跟着到白利屯去，那就不会发生这种事了

。丽迪雅真是又可怜又可爱。毛病就出在没有

人照应。弗斯脱太太怎么竟放心让她离开他们

跟前呢？我看，一定是他们太怠慢了她。象她

那样一个姑娘，要是有人好好地照料她，她是

决不会做出那种事来的。我一起觉得他们不配

照管她；可是我一直要受人家摆布。可怜的好

孩子呀！班纳特先生已经走了，他一碰到韦翰

，一定会跟他拚个死活，他一定会给韦翰活活

打死，那叫我们大家可怎么办？他尸骨未寒，

柯林斯一家人就要把我们撵；出去兄弟呀，要

是你不帮帮我们的忙，我就真不知道怎么是好

啦。”




They all exclaimed against such terrific ideas; and Mr.
Gardiner, after general assurances of his affection for her and
all her family, told her that he meant to be in London the very
next day, and would assist Mr. Bennet in every endeavour for
recovering Lydia.


大家听到她这些可怕的话，都失声大叫；嘉丁

纳先生告诉她说，无论对她本人，对她家里人

，他都会尽心照顾，然后又告诉她说，他明天

就要到伦敦去，尽力帮助班纳特先生去找丽迪

雅。




"Do not give way to useless alarm," added he; "though it is
right to be prepared for the worst, there is no occasion to
look on it as certain. It is not quite a week since they left
Brighton. In a few days more, we may gain some news of them,
and till we know that they are not married, and have no design
of marrying, do not let us give the matter over as lost. As
soon as I get to town, I shall go to my brother and make him
come home with me to Gracechurch Street, and then we may
consult together as to what is to be done."


他又说：“不要过分焦急，虽说也应该从最坏

的方面去着想，可也不一定会落得最坏的下场

。他们离开白利屯还不到一个星期。再过几天

，我们可能会打听到一些有关他们的消息。等

我们把事情弄明白了；要是他们真的没有结婚

，而且不打算结婚，那时候才谈得上失望。我

一进城就会到姐夫那里去，请他到天恩寺街我

们家里去住，那时候我们就可以一块儿商量出

一个办法来。”




"Oh! my dear brother," replied Mrs. Bennet, "that is exactly
what I could most wish for. And now do, when you get to town,
find them out, wherever they may be; and if they are not
married already, make them marry. And as for wedding clothes,
do not let them wait for that, but tell Lydia she shall have as
much money as she chooses to buy them, after they are married.
And, above all things, keep Mr. Bennet from fighting. Tell him
what a dreadful state I am in, -- that I am frightened out of
my wits; and have such tremblings, such flutterings all over me
such spasms in my side, and pains in my head, and such beatings
at heart, that I can get no rest by night nor by day. And tell
my dear Lydia, not to give any directions about her clothes
till she has seen me, for she does not know which are the best
warehouses. Oh, brother, how kind you are! I know you will
contrive it all."


班纳特太太回答道：“噢，好兄弟，这话正讲

在我心上。你一到城里，千万把他们找到，不

管他们在哪里也好；要是他们还没有结婚，一

定叫他们结婚。讲到结婚的礼服，叫他们用不

着等了，只告诉丽迪雅说，等他们结婚以后，

她要多少钱做衣服我就给她多少钱。千万要紧

的是，别让班纳特先生跟他打架。还请你告诉

他，我真是在活受罪简直给吓得神经错乱了，

遍身发抖，东倒西歪，腰部抽搐，头痛心跳，

从白天到夜里，没有一刻能够安心。请你跟我

的丽迪雅宝贝儿说，叫她不要自作主张做衣服

，等到和我见了面再说，因为她不知道哪一家

衣料店最好。噢，兄弟，你真是一片好心！我

知道你会想出办法来把样样事情都办好。”




But Mr. Gardiner, though he assured her again of his earnest
endeavours in the cause, could not avoid recommending
moderation to her, as well in her hopes as her fears; and,
after talking with her in this manner till dinner was on table,
they left her to vent all her feelings on the housekeeper, who
attended in the absence of her daughters.


嘉丁纳先生虽然又重新安了她一下心，说他一

定会认真尽力地去效劳，可是又叫她不要过分

乐观，也不要过分忧虑。大家跟她一直谈到吃

中饭才走开，反正女儿们不在她跟前的时候，

有管家妇等候她，她还可以去向管家妇发牢骚

。




Though her brother and sister were persuaded that there was no
real occasion for such a seclusion from the family, they did
not attempt to oppose it, for they knew that she had not
prudence enough to hold her tongue before the servants while
they waited at table, and judged it better that one only of
the household, and the one whom they could most trust, should
comprehend all her fears and solicitude on the subject.


虽然她弟弟和弟妇都以为她大可不必和家里人

分开吃饭，可是他们并不打算反对她这样做，

因为他们考虑到她说话不谨慎，如果吃起饭来

让好几个佣人一起来等候，那么她在佣人们面

前把心里话全说了出来，未免不大好，因此最

好还是只让一个佣人──一个最靠得住的佣人

等候她，听她去叙述她对这件事是多么担心，

多么牵挂。




In the dining-room they were soon joined by Mary and Kitty, who
had been too busily engaged in their separate apartments, to
make their appearance before. One came from her books, and the
other from her toilette. The faces of both, however, were
tolerably calm; and no change was visible in either, except
that the loss of her favourite sister, or the anger which she
had herself incurred in the business, had given something more
of fretfulness than usual to the accents of Kitty. As for
Mary, she was mistress enough of herself to whisper to
Elizabeth, with a countenance of grave reflection, soon after
they were seated at table,


他们走进饭厅不久，曼丽和吉蒂也来了，原来

这两姐妹都在自己房间里忙着各人自己的事，

一个在读书，一个在化妆，因此没有能够早一

些出来。两人的脸色都相当平静，看不出有什

么变化，只是吉蒂讲话的声调比平常显得暴躁

一些，这或者是因为她丢了一个心爱的妹妹而

感到伤心，或者是因为这件事也使她觉得气愤

。至于曼丽，她却自有主张，等大家坐定以后

，她便摆出一副严肃的面孔，跟伊丽莎白低声

说道：




"This is a most unfortunate affair; and will probably be much
talked of. But we must stem the tide of malice, and pour into
the wounded bosoms of each other the balm of sisterly
consolation."


“家门不幸，遭此惨祸，很可能会引起外界议

论纷纷。人心恶毒，我们一定要及时防范，免

得一发不可收拾。我们要用姐妹之情来安慰彼

此创伤的心灵。”




Then, perceiving in Elizabeth no inclination of replying, she
added, "Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw
from it this useful lesson: that loss of virtue in a female is
irretrievable -- that one false step involves her in endless
ruin -- that her reputation is no less brittle than it is
beautiful, -- and that she cannot be too much guarded in her
behaviour towards the undeserving of the other sex."


她看到伊丽莎白不想回答，便又接下去说：“

此事对于丽迪雅固属不幸，但亦可以作为我们

的前车之鉴。大凡女人家一经失去贞操，便无

可挽救，这真是一失足成千古恨。美貌固然难

于永保，名誉亦何尝容易保全。世间多的是轻

薄男子，岂可不寸步留神？”




Elizabeth lifted up her eyes in amazement, but was too much
oppressed to make any reply. Mary, however, continued to
console herself with such kind of moral extractions from the
evil before them.


伊丽莎白抬起眼睛来，神情很是诧异；她心里

实在太郁闷，所以一句话也答不上来。可是曼

丽还在往下说，她要从这件不幸的事例中阐明

道德的精义，以便聊以自慰。




In the afternoon, the two elder Miss Bennets were able to be
for half an hour by themselves; and Elizabeth instantly availed
herself of the opportunity of making many enquiries, which Jane
was equally eager to satisfy. After joining in general
lamentations over the dreadful sequel of this event, which
Elizabeth considered as all but certain, and Miss Bennet could
not assert to be wholly impossible, the former continued the
subject by saying, "But tell me all and every thing about it
which I have not already heard. Give me farther particulars.
What did Colonel Forster say? Had they no apprehension of any
thing before the elopement took place? They must have seen
them together for ever."


到了下午，两位年纪最大的小姐有了半个钟头

的时间可以在一起谈谈心。伊丽莎白不肯错过

机会，连忙向吉英问东问西，吉英也连忙一一

加以回答，好让妹妹放心。两姐妹先把这件事

的不幸的后果共同叹息了一番。伊丽莎白认为

一定会发生不幸的后果，吉英也认为难免。于

是伊丽莎白继续说道：“凡是我不知道的情节

，请你全部说给我听。请你谈得再详细一些。

弗斯脱上校怎么说的？他们俩私奔之前，难道

看不出一点形迹可疑的地方吗？照理应该常常

看到他们两人在一起呀。”