文章总共2页
文章总共2页
| Chapter 13 (Vol. I, Chap. XIII) | 第十三章 |
| "I hope, my dear," said Mr. Bennet to his wife, as they were at breakfast the next morning, "that you have ordered a good dinner to-day, because I have reason to expect an addition to our family party." | 第二天吃过早饭的时候，班纳特先生对他的太 太说："我的好太太，我希望你今天的午饭准 备得好一些，因为我预料今天一定有客人来。 " |
| "Who do you mean, my dear? I know of nobody that is coming, I am sure, unless Charlotte Lucas should happen to call in--and I hope my dinners are good enough for her. I do not believe she often sees such at home." | "你指的是那一位客人，我的好老爷？我一些 也不知道有谁要来，除非夏绿蒂·卢卡斯碰巧 会来看我们，我觉得拿我们平常的饭餐招待她 也够好了。我不相信她在家里经常吃得这么好 。" |
| "The person of whom I speak is a gentleman, and a stranger." | "我所说到的这位客人是位男宾，又是个生客 。" |
| Mrs. Bennet's eyes sparkled. "A gentleman and a stranger! It is Mr. Bingley, I am sure! Well, I am sure I shall be extremely glad to see Mr. Bingley. But--good Lord! how unlucky! There is not a bit of fish to be got to-day. Lydia, my love, ring the bell--I must speak to Hill this moment." | 班纳特太太的眼睛闪亮了起来。"一位男宾又 是一位生客！那准是彬格莱先生，没有错。─ ─哦，吉英，你从来没出过半点儿风声，你这 个狡猾的东西！──嘿，彬格莱先生要来，真 叫我太高兴啦。可是──老天爷呀！运气真不 好，今天连一点儿鱼也买不着。──丽迪雅宝 贝儿，代我按一按铃。我要马上吩咐希尔一下 。" |
| "It is not Mr. Bingley," said her husband; "it is a person whom I never saw in the whole course of my life." | 她的丈夫连忙说："并不是彬格莱先生要来； 说起这位客人，我一生都没见过他。" |
| This roused a general astonishment; and he had the pleasure of being eagerly questioned by his wife and his five daughters at once. | 这句话叫全家都吃了一惊。他的太太和五个女 儿立刻迫切地追问他，使他颇为高兴。 |
| After amusing himself some time with their curiosity, he thus explained: | 拿他太太和女儿们的好奇心打趣了一阵以后， 他便原原本本地说： |
| "About a month ago I received this letter; and about a fortnight ago I answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy, and requiring early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr. Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases." | "大约在一个月以前，我就收到了一封信，两 星期以前我写了回信，因为我觉得这是件相当 伤脑筋的事，得趁早留意。信是我的表侄柯林 斯先生寄来的。我死了以后，这位表侄可以高 兴什么时候把你们撵出这所屋子，就什么时候 撵出去。" |
| "Oh! my dear," cried his wife, "I cannot bear to hear that mentioned. Pray do not talk of that odious man. I do think it is the hardest thing in the world, that your estate should be entailed away from your own children; and I am sure, if I had been you, I should have tried long ago to do something or other about it." | "噢,天啊!"他的太太叫起来了。"听你提起 这件事我就受不了。请你别谈那个讨厌的家伙 吧。你自己的产业不能让自己的孩子继承，却 要让别人来继承，这是世界上最难堪的事。如 果我是你，一定早就想出办法来补救这个问题 啦。" |
| Jane and Elizabeth tried to explain to her the nature of an entail. They had often attempted to do it before, but it was a subject on which Mrs. Bennet was beyond the reach of reason, and she continued to rail bitterly against the cruelty of settling an estate away from a family of five daughters, in favour of a man whom nobody cared anything about. | 吉英和伊丽莎白设法把继承权的问题跟她解释 了一下。其实她们一直没法跟她解释，可是这 个问题跟她是讲不明白的。她老是破口大骂， 说是自己的产业不能由五个亲生女儿继承，却 白白送给一个和她们毫不相干的人，这实在是 太不合情理。 |
| "It certainly is a most iniquitous affair," said Mr. Bennet, "and nothing can clear Mr. Collins from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn. But if you will listen to his letter, you may perhaps be a little softened by his manner of expressing himself." | "这的确是一最不公道的事，"班纳特先生说 ，"柯林斯先生要继承浪博恩的产业，他这桩 罪过是洗也洗不清的。不过，要是你听听他这 封信里所说的话，那你就会心肠软一些，因为 他这番表明心迹还算不错。" |
| "No, that I am sure I shall not; and I think it is very impertinent of him to write to you at all, and very hypocritical. I hate such false friends. Why could he not keep on quarreling with you, as his father did before him?" | "不，我相信我绝对不会心软下来；我觉得他 写信给你真是既没有礼貌，又非常虚伪。我恨 这种虚伪的朋友。他为什么不象他的爸爸那样 跟你吵得不可开交呢？" |
| "Why, indeed; he does seem to have had some filial scruples on that head, as you will hear." | "哦，真的，他对这个问题，好象也有些为了 顾全孝道，犹豫不决，且让我把信读给你们听 吧： |
| "Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent, 15th October. | 亲爱的长者： |
| "Dear Sir,-- | 以前你为先父之间曾有些芥蒂，这一直使我感 到不安。自先父不幸弃世以来，我常常想到要 弥补这个裂痕；但我一时犹豫，没有这样做， 怕的是先父生前既然对阁下唯恐仇视不及，而 我今天却来与阁下修好，这未免有辱先人。─ ─"注意听呀，我的好太太。"──不过目前 我对此事已经拿定主张，因为我已在复活节那 天受了圣职。多蒙故刘威斯·德·包尔公爵的 孀妻咖苔琳·德·包尔夫人宠礼有加，恩惠并 施，提拔我担任该教区的教士，此后可以勉尽 厥诚，恭待夫人左右，奉行英国教会所规定的 一切仪节，这真是拜三生不幸。况且以一个教 士的身份来说，我觉得我有责任尽我之所及， 使家家户户得以敦穆亲谊，促进友好。因此我 自信这番好意一定会受到你的重视，而有关我 继承浪博恩产权一事，你也可不必介意。并请 接受我献上的这一枝橄榄枝。我这样侵犯了诸 位令媛的利益，真是深感不安，万分抱歉，但 请你放心，我极愿给她们一切可能的补偿，此 事容待以后详谈。如果你不反对我踵门拜候， 我建议于十一月十八是，星期一，四点钟前来 拜谒，甚或在府上叨扰至下星期六为止。这对 于我毫无不便之处，因为咖苔琳夫人决不会反 对我星期日偶而离开教堂一下，只消有另一个 教士主持这一天的事怀就行了。敬向尊夫人及 诸位令媛致候。 |
| "The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father always gave me much uneasiness, and since I have had the misfortune to lose him, I have frequently wished to heal the breach; but for some time I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone with whom it had always pleased him to be at variance.--'There, Mrs. Bennet.'--My mind, however, is now made up on the subject, for having received ordination at Easter, I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has preferred me to the valuable rectory of this parish, where it shall be my earnestendeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her ladyship, and be ever ready to perform those rites and ceremonies which are instituted by the Church of England. As a clergyman, moreover, I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace in all families within in the reach of my influence; and on these grounds I flatter myself that my present overtures are highly commendable, and that the circumstance of my being next in the entail of Longbourn estate will be kindly overlooked on your side, and not lead you to reject the offered olive-branch. I cannot be otherwise than concerned at being the means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to apologise for it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make them every possible amends--but of this hereafter. If you should have no objection to receive me into your house, I propose myself the satisfaction of waiting on you and your family, Monday, November 18th, by four o'clock, and shall probably trespass on your hospitality till the Saturday se'ennight following, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting to my occasionalabsence on a Sunday, provided that some other clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the day.--I remain, dear sir, with respectful compliments to your lady and daughters, your well-wisher and friend, | 你的祝福者和朋友威廉·柯林斯 |
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