"Colonel Forster did own that he had often suspected some partiality, especially on Lydia's side, but nothing to give him any alarm. I am so grieved for him. His behaviour was attentive and kind to the utmost. He was coming to us, in order to assure us of his concern, before he had any idea of their not being gone to Scotland; when that apprehension first got abroad, it hastened his journey."
| “弗斯脱上校说,他也曾怀疑过他们俩有情感
,特别是怀疑丽迪雅,可是他并没有看出什么
形迹,因此没有及时留意。我真为他难受。他
为人极其殷勤善良。远在他想到他们两人并没
有到苏格兰去的时候,他就打算上我们这儿来
慰问我们。等到人心惶惶的时候,他连忙便赶
来了。”
|
"And was Denny convinced that Wickham would not marry? Did he know of their intending to go off? Had Colonel Forster seen Denny himself?"
|
“丹尼认为韦翰不会跟她结婚吗?他是否知道
他们存心私奔?弗斯脱上校有没有见到丹尼本
人?”
|
"Yes; but when questioned by him, Denny denied knowing any thing of their plan, and would not give his real opinion about it. He did not repeat his persuasion of their not marrying -- and from that, I am inclined to hope, he might have been misunderstood before."
|
“见到的,不过他回到丹尼的时候,丹尼绝口
否认,说是根本不知道他们私奔的打算,也不
肯说出他自己对这件事究竟怎样看法。丹尼以
后便没有再提起他们俩不会结婚之类的话。照
这样看来,但愿上一次是我听错了他的话。”
|
"And till Colonel Forster came himself, not one of you entertained a doubt, I suppose, of their being really married?"
|
“我想弗斯脱上校没有到这儿以前,你们谁都
没有怀疑到他们不会正式结婚吧?”
|
"How was it possible that such an idea should enter our brains! I felt a little uneasy -- a little fearful of my sister's happiness with him in marriage, because I knew that his conduct had not been always quite right. My father and mother knew nothing of that, they only felt how imprudent a match it must be. Kitty then owned, with a very natural triumph on knowing more than the rest of us, that in Lydia's last letter she had prepared her for such a step. She had known, it seems, of their being in love with each other many weeks."
|
“我们的脑子里怎么会有这种念头呢!我只是
觉得有些不安心,有些顾虑,怕妹妹跟他结婚
不会幸福,因为我早就知道他的品德不太端正
。父亲和母亲完全不知道这种情形,他们只觉
得这门亲事非常冒昧。吉蒂当时十分好胜地说
,她比我们大家都熟悉内幕情形,丽迪雅给她
的最后一封信上就已经隐隐约约透露也了一些
口风,准备来这一着。看吉蒂那副神气,她好
象远在她几个星期以前,就知道他们俩相爱了
。”
|
"But not before they went to Brighton?"
|
“总不见得在他们俩去到白利屯以前就看出了
吧?”
|
"No, I believe not."
|
“不见得,我相信不见得。”
|
"And did Colonel Forster appear to think ill of Wickham himself? Does he know his real character?"
|
“弗斯脱上校是不是显出看不起韦翰的样子?
他了解韦翰的真面目吗?”
|
"I must confess that he did not speak so well of Wickham as he formerly did. He believed him to be imprudent and extravagant. And since this sad affair has taken place, it is said that he left Meryton greatly in debt; but I hope this may be false."
|
“这我得承认,他不象从前那样器重他了。他
认为他行事荒唐,又爱奢华,这件伤心的事发
生以后,人们都传说他离开麦里屯的时候,还
欠下了好多债,我但愿这是谣言。”
|
"Oh, Jane, had we been less secret, had we told what we knew of him, this could not have happened!"
|
“哎哟,吉英,要是我们当初少替他保守一点
秘密,把他的事情照直说出来,那也许就不会
发生这件事了!”
|
"Perhaps it would have been better," replied her sister. "But to expose the former faults of any person, without knowing what their present feelings were, seemed unjustifiable. We acted with the best intentions."
|
吉英说:“说不定会好些,不过,光是揭露人
家过去的错误,而不尊重人家目前的为人,未
免亦有些说不过去。我们待人接物,应该完全
好心好意。”
|
"Could Colonel Forster repeat the particulars of Lydia's note to his wife?"
|
“弗斯脱上校能不能把丽迪雅留给他太太的那
封短信逐字逐句背出来?”
|
"He brought it with him for us to see."
|
“那封信他是随身带来给我们看的。”
|
Jane then took it from her pocket-book, and gave it to Elizabeth. These were the contents:
|
于是吉英从口袋里掏出那封信,递给伊丽莎白
。全文如下:
|
"MY DEAR HARRIET,
|
亲爱的海丽,
|
You will laugh when you know where I am gone, and I cannot help laughing myself at your surprise to-morrow morning, as soon as I am missed. I am going to Gretna Green, and if you cannot guess with who, I shall think you a simpleton, for there is but one man in the world I love, and he is an angel. I should never be happy without him, so think it no harm to be off. You need not send them word at Longbourn of my going, if you do not like it, for it will make the surprise the greater when I write to them and sign my name Lydia Wickham. What a good joke it will be! I can hardly write for laughing. Pray make my excuses to Pratt, for not keeping my engagement and dancing with him to night. Tell him I hope he will excuse me when he knows all, and tell him I will dance with him at the next ball we meet, with great pleasure. I shall send for my clothes when I get to Longbourn; but I wish you would tell Sally to mend a great slit in my worked muslin gown before they are packed up. Good bye. Give my love to Colonel Forster. I hope you will drink to our good journey.
|
明天一大早你发现我失了踪,一定会大为惊奇
;等你弄明白了我上什么地方去,你一定又会
发笑。我想到这里,自己也禁不住笑出来了。
我要到格利那草场去。如果你猜不着我是跟谁
一起去,那我真要把你看成一个大傻瓜,因为
这世界上只有一个男人是我心爱的,他真是一
个天使。没有了他,我决不会幸福,因此,你
别以为这这次去会惹出什么祸来。如果你不愿
意把我出走的消息告诉浪搏恩我家里人,那你
不告诉也罢。我要使他们扪到我信的时候,看
到我的签名是“丽迪雅·韦翰”,让他们更觉
得事出意外。这个玩笑真开得太有意思!我几
乎笑得无法写下去了!请你替我向普拉特道个
歉,我今天晚上不能赴约,不能和他跳舞了。
我希望他知道了这一切情形以后,能够原谅我
;请你告诉他,下次在跳舞会上想见的时候,
我一定乐意同他跳舞。我到了浪搏恩就派人来
取衣服,请你告诉莎蕾一声,我那件细洋纱的
长衣服裂了一条大缝,叫她替我收拾行李的时
候,把它补一补。再见。请代问候弗斯脱上校
。愿你为我们的一路顺风而干杯。
|
Your affectionate friend,
|
你的好友
|
LYDIA BENNET."
|
丽迪雅·班纳特
|
"Oh! thoughtless, thoughtless Lydia!" cried Elizabeth when she had finished it. "What a letter is this, to be written at such a moment. But at least it shows that she was serious in the object of her journey. Whatever he might afterwards persuade her to, it was not on her side a scheme of infamy. My poor father! how he must have felt it!"
|
伊丽莎白读完了信以后叫道:“好一个没有脑
子的丽迪雅!遇到这样重大的事,竟会写出这
样一封信来!但是至少可以说明,她倒是把这
一次旅行看成一件正经事。不管他以后会诱惑
她走到哪一步田地,她可没有存心要做出什么
丢脸的事来。可怜的爸爸!!他对这件事会不
多少感触啊!”
|
"I never saw any one so shocked. He could not speak a word for full ten minutes. My mother was taken ill immediately, and the whole house in such confusion!"
|
“他当时惊骇得那种样子,我真一辈子也没见
过。他整整十分钟说不出一句话来。妈一下子
就病倒了,全家都给弄得鬼神不安!”
|
"Oh! Jane!" cried Elizabeth, "was there a servant belonging to it, who did not know the whole story before the end of the day?"
|
“噢,吉英,”伊丽莎白叫道。“岂不是所有
的佣人当天都知道了这件事的底细吗?”
|
"I do not know. -- I hope there was. -- But to be guarded at such a time, is very difficult. My mother was in hysterics, and though I endeavoured to give her every assistance in my power, I am afraid I did not do so much as I might have done! But the horror of what might possibly happen, almost took from me my faculties."
|
“我不清楚,但愿他们并没有全都知道。不过
在这种时候,即使你要当心,也很难办到。妈
那种歇斯底里的毛病又发作了,我虽然尽了我
的力量去劝慰她,恐怕还是不有够周到的地方
。我只怕会出什么意外,因此吓得不知如何是
好。”
|
"Your attendance upon her has been too much for you. You do not look well. Oh! that I had been with you, you have had every care and anxiety upon yourself alone."
|
“你这样待候她,真够你累的。我看你脸色不
怎么好。样样事都让你一个人操心烦神,要是
我跟你在一起就好了!”
|
"Mary and Kitty have been very kind, and would have shared in every fatigue, I am sure, but I did not think it right for either of them. Kitty is slight and delicate, and Mary studies so much, that her hours of repose should not be broken in on. My aunt Phillips came to Longbourn on Tuesday, after my father went away; and was so good as to stay till Thursday with me. She was of great use and comfort to us all, and Lady Lucas has been very kind; she walked here on Wednesday morning to condole with us, and offered her services, or any of her daughters, if they could be of use to us."
|
“曼丽和吉蒂都非常好心,愿意替我分担疲劳
,可是我不好意思让她们受累,因为吉蒂很纤
弱,曼丽又太用功,不应该再去打扰她们休息
的时间。好在星期二那天,父亲一走,腓力普
姨妈就到浪搏恩来了,蒙她那么好心,一直陪
我到星期四才走。她帮了我们不少的忙,还安
慰了我们。卢卡斯太太待我们也好,她星期三
早上来慰问过我们,她说,如果我们需要她们
帮忙,她和她女儿们都乐意效劳。”
|
"She had better have stayed at home," cried Elizabeth; "perhaps she meant well, but under such a misfortune as this, one cannot see too little of one's neighbours. Assistance is impossible; condolence, insufferable. Let them triumph over us at a distance, and be satisfied."
|
伊丽莎白大声说道:“还是让她待在自己家里
吧,她也许真是出于一片好意,但是遇到了这
样一件不幸的事,谁还乐意见到自己的邻居?
他们帮我们忙帮不成功,慰问我们反而会叫我
们难受。让她们在我们背后去高兴得意吧。”
|
She then proceeded to enquire into the measures which her father had intended to pursue, while in town, for the recovery of his daughter.
|
然后她又问起父亲这次到城里去,打算采用什
么方法去找到丽迪雅。
|
"He meant, I believe," replied Jane, "to go to Epsom, the place where they last changed horses, see the postillions, and try if any thing could be made out from them. His principal object must be to discover the number of the hackney coach which took them from Clapham. It had come with a fare from London; and as he thought the circumstance of a gentleman and lady's removing from one carriage into another might be remarked, he meant to make enquiries at Clapham. If he could any how discover at what house the coachman had before set down his fare, he determined to make enquiries there, and hoped it might not be impossible to find out the stand and number of the coach. I do not know of any other designs that he had formed: but he was in such a hurry to be gone, and his spirits so greatly discomposed, that I had difficulty in finding out even so much as this."
|
吉英说:“我看他打算到艾普桑去,因为他们
俩是在那儿换马车的,他要上那儿去找找那些
马车夫,看看能不能从他们哪里探听出一点消
息。他的主要目的就要去查出他们在克拉普汗
所搭乘的那辆出租马车的号码。那辆马车本来
是从伦敦搭乘客人来的来的;据他的想法,一
男一女从一辆马车换上另一辆马车,一定会引
起人家注目,因此他准备到克拉普汗去查问。
他只要查出那个马车夫在哪家门口卸下先前的
那位客人,他便决定上那儿去查问一下,也许
能够查问得出那辆马车的号码和停车的地方。
至于他有什么别的打算,我就不知道了。他急
急忙忙要走,心绪非常紊乱,我能够从他嘴里
问出这么些话来,已经算是不容易了。”
|