SIR WILLIAM staid only a week at Hunsford; but his visit was long enough to convince him of his daughter's being most comfortably settled, and of her possessing such a husband and such a neighbour as were not often met with. While Sir William was with them, Mr. Collins devoted his mornings to driving him out in his gig and shewing him the country; but when he went away, the whole family returned to their usual employments, and Elizabeth was thankful to find that they did not see more of her cousin by the alteration, for the chief of the time between breakfast and dinner was now passed by him either at work in the garden, or in reading and writing, and looking out of window in his own book room, which fronted the road. The room in which the ladies sat was backwards. Elizabeth at first had rather wondered that Charlotte should not prefer the dining parlour for common use; it was a better sized room, and had a pleasanter aspect; but she soon saw that her friend had an excellent reason for what she did, for Mr. Collins would undoubtedly have been much less in his own apartment, had they sat in one equally lively; and she gave Charlotte credit for the arrangement.
威廉爵士在汉斯福只待了一个星期,可是经过了这一次短短的拜访,他大可以为了:女儿嫁得极其称心如意,而且有了这样不可多得的丈夫和难能可贵的邻居。威谦爵士在这儿作客的时候,柯林斯先生总是每天上午同他乘着双轮马车,带他到郊野去漫游;他走了以后,家里又恢复了日常生活。伊丽莎白真要谢天谢地。因为这一次作客,跟她表兄柯林斯朝夕相见的次数并不多。原来他从吃早饭到吃午饭那一段时间里,不是在收拾花园,就是在自己那间面临着大路的书房里看书写字,凭窗远眺,而女客的起坐间又在后面那一间。伊丽莎白开头很奇怪:这里的餐厅比较大,地位光线也比较好,为什么夏绿蒂不愿意把餐厅兼作起居室?可是她立刻看出了她朋友所以要这样做,的确非常有理由,因为:假如女客也在一间同样舒适的起坐间里,那么柯林斯先生待在自己房间里的时间就要比较少了;她很赞赏夏绿蒂这样的按排。

From the drawing room they could distinguish nothing in the lane, and were indebted to Mr. Collins for the knowledge of what carriages went along, and how often especially Miss De Bourgh drove by in her phaeton, which he never failed coming to inform them of, though it happened almost every day. She not unfrequently stopped at the Parsonage, and had a few minutes' conversation with Charlotte, but was scarcely ever prevailed on to get out.
她们从会客室里根本看不见外面大路的情形,幸亏每逢有什么车辆驶过,柯林斯先生总是要告诉她们;特别是德·包尔小姐常常乘着小马车驶过,差不多天天驶过,他没有哪一次不告诉她们的。小姐常在牧师的门前停下车来,跟夏绿蒂闲谈几分钟,可是主人从来不请她下车。

Very few days passed in which Mr. Collins did not walk to Rosings, and not many in which his wife did not think it necessary to go likewise; and till Elizabeth recollected that there might be other family livings to be disposed of, she could not understand the sacrifice of so many hours. Now and then, they were honoured with a call from her ladyship, and nothing escaped her observation that was passing in the room during these visits. She examined into their employments, looked at their work, and advised them to do it differently; found fault with the arrangement of the furniture, or detected the housemaid in negligence; and if she accepted any refreshment, seemed to do it only for the sake of finding out that Mrs. Collins's joints of meat were too large for her family.
柯林斯先生差不多每天要到罗新斯去一趟,他的太太也是隔不了几天就要去一次。伊丽莎白总以为他们还有些别的应得的俸禄要去处理一下,否则她就不懂得为什么要牺牲那么多的时间。有时候夫人也会光临他们的住宅,来了以后就把屋子里无论什么事都看在眼里。她查问他们的日常生活,察看他们的家务,劝他们换个方式处置;又吹毛求疵地说,他们的家具摆得不对,或者是他们的佣人在偷懒;要是她肯在这里吃点东西,那好象只是为了要看看柯林斯太太是否持家节俭,不滥吃滥用。

Elizabeth soon perceived that though this great lady was not in the commission of the peace for the county, she was a most active magistrate in her own parish, the minutest concerns of which were carried to her by Mr. Collins; and whenever any of the cottagers were disposed to be quarrelsome, discontented or too poor, she sallied forth into the village to settle their differences, silence their complaints, and scold them into harmony and plenty.
伊丽莎白立刻就发觉,这位贵妇人虽然没有担任郡里的司法职使,可是事实上她等于是她自己这个教区里最积极的法官,一点点芝麻大的事都由柯林斯先生报告给她;只要哪一个穷苦人在吵架,闹意气,或是穷得活不下去,她问题亲自到村里去调解处理,镇压制服,又骂得他们一个个相安无事,不再叫苦叹穷。

The entertainment of dining at Rosings was repeated about twice a week; and, allowing for the loss of Sir William, and there being only one card table in the evening, every such entertainment was the counterpart of the first. Their other engagements were few; as the style of living of the neighbourhood in general was beyond the Collins' reach. This, however, was no evil to Elizabeth, and upon the whole she spent her time comfortably enough; there were half hours of pleasant conversation with Charlotte, and the weather was so fine for the time of year, that she had often great enjoyment out of doors. Her favourite walk, and where she frequently went while the others were calling on Lady Catherine, was along the open grove which edged that side of the park, where there was a nice sheltered path, which no one seemed to value but herself, and where she felt beyond the reach of Lady Catherine's curiosity.
罗新斯大约每星期要请她们吃一两次饭;尽管缺少了威廉爵士,而且只有一桌牌,不过每有一次这样的宴会,都依照第一次如法炮制。他们简直没有别的宴会,因为附近一般人家的那种生活派头,柯林斯还高攀不上。不过伊丽莎白并不觉得遗憾,因为她在这里大体上是过得够舒服了:经常和夏绿蒂作半个钟点的交谈,加上这个季节里又是天气睛朗,可以常常到户外去舒畅一下。别人去拜访咖苔琳夫人的时候,她总是爱到花园旁边那座小林子里去散散步,那儿有一条很美的绿荫小径,她觉得那地方只有她一人懂得欣赏,而且到了那儿,也就可以免得惹起咖苔琳夫人的好奇心。