Mr. Gardiner did not write again till he had received an answer from Colonel Forster; and then he had nothing of a pleasant nature to send. It was not known that Wickham had a single relation with whom he kept up any connection, and it was certain that he had no near one living. His former acquaintance had been numerous; but since he had been in the militia, it did not appear that he was on terms of particular friendship with any of them. There was no one therefore who could be pointed out as likely to give any news of him. And in the wretched state of his own finances there was a very powerful motive for secrecy, in addition to his fear of discovery by Lydia's relations, for it had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him, to a very considerable amount. Colonel Forster believed that more than a thousand pounds would be necessary to clear his expences at Brighton. He owed a good deal in the town, but his debts of honour were still more formidable. Mr. Gardiner did not attempt to conceal these particulars from the Longbourn family; Jane heard them with horror. "A gamester!" she cried. "This is wholly unexpected. I had not an idea of it."
嘉丁纳先生一直挨到接得弗斯脱上校的回信以后,才写第二封信到浪搏恩来。信上并没有报道一点喜讯。大家都不知道韦翰是否还有什么亲戚跟他来往,不过倒知道他确确实实已经没有一个至亲在世。他以前交游颇广,只是自从进了民兵团以后,看来跟他们都已疏远,因此找不出一个人来可以报道一些有关他的消息。他这次所以要保守秘密,据说是因为他临走时拖欠了一大笔赌债,而他目前手头又非常拮据,无法偿还,再则是因为怕让丽迪雅的亲友发觉。弗斯脱上校认为,要清偿他在白利屯的债务,需要有一千多英镑才够。他在本镇固然欠债很多,但赌债则更可观。嘉丁纳先生并打算把这些事情瞒住浪搏恩这家人家。吉英听得心惊肉跳,不禁叫道:“好一个赌棍!这真是完全出人意料;我想也不曾想到。”

Mr. Gardiner added, in his letter, that they might expect to see their father at home on the following day, which was Saturday. Rendered spiritless by the ill-success of all their endeavours, he had yielded to his brother-in-law's intreaty that he would return to his family, and leave it to him to do whatever occasion might suggest to be advisable for continuing their pursuit. When Mrs. Bennet was told of this, she did not express so much satisfaction as her children expected, considering what her anxiety for his life had been before.
嘉丁纳先生的信上又说,她们的父亲明天(星期六)就可以回家来了。原来他们两人再三努力,毫无成绩,情绪十分低落,因此班纳特先生答应了他舅爷的要求,立刻回家,一切事情都留给嘉丁纳相机而行。女儿们本以为母亲既是那样担心父亲会被人打死,听到这个消息,一定会非常得意,谁知并不尽然。

"What, is he coming home, and without poor Lydia!" she cried. "Sure he will not leave London before he has found them. Who is to fight Wickham, and make him marry her, if he comes away?"
班纳特太太嚷道:“什么!他没有找到可怜的丽迪雅,就这样一个人回来吗?他既然没有找到他们俩,当然不应该离开伦敦。他一走,还有谁去跟韦翰决斗,逼着他跟丽迪雅结婚?”

As Mrs. Gardiner began to wish to be at home, it was settled that she and her children should go to London at the same time that Mr. Bennet came from it. The coach, therefore, took them the first stage of their journey, and brought its master back to Longbourn.
嘉丁纳太太也开始想要回家了,决定在班纳特先生动身回浪搏恩的那一天,她就带着孩子们回伦敦去。动身的那天可以由这里打发一部马车把她送到第一站,然后趁便接主人回来。

Mrs. Gardiner went away in all the perplexity about Elizabeth and her Derbyshire friend that had attended her from that part of the world. His name had never been voluntarily mentioned before them by her niece; and the kind of half-expectation which Mrs. Gardiner had formed, of their being followed by a letter from him, had ended in nothing. Elizabeth had received none since her return, that could come from Pemberley.
嘉丁纳太太走了以后,对伊丽莎白和德比郡她那位朋友的事,还是糊里糊涂,从当初在德比郡的时候起,就一直弄不明白。外甥女儿从来没有主动在舅父母面前提起过他的名字。她本以为回来以后,那位先生就会有信来,可是结果并没有。伊丽莎白一直没收到过从彭伯里寄来的信。

The present unhappy state of the family, rendered any other excuse for the lowness of her spirits unnecessary; nothing, therefore, could be fairly conjectured from that, though Elizabeth, who was by this time tolerably well acquainted with her own feelings, was perfectly aware that, had she known nothing of Darcy, she could have borne the dread of Lydia's infamy somewhat better. It would have spared her, she thought, one sleepless night out of two.
她看到外甥女儿情绪消沉;可是,家里既然出了这种不幸的事情,自然难免如此,不必把这种现象牵扯到别的原因上面去。因此她还是摸不着一点边际。只有伊丽莎白自己明白自己的心思,她想,要是不认识达西,那么丽迪雅这件丢脸的事也许会叫她多少好受些,也许可以使她减少几个失眠之夜。