THE whole party were in hopes of a letter from Mr. Bennet the next morning, but the post came in without bringing a single line from him. His family knew him to be, on all common occasions, a most negligent and dilatory correspondent, but at such a time they had hoped for exertion. They were forced to conclude that he had no pleasing intelligence to send, but even of that they would have been glad to be certain. Mr. Gardiner had waited only for the letters before he set off.
第二天早上,大家都指望班纳特先生会寄信来,可是等到邮差来了,却没有带来他的片纸只字。家里人本来知道他一向懒得写信,能够拖延总是拖延;但是在这样的时候,她们都希望他能够勉为其难一些。既是没有信来,她们只得认为他没有什么愉快的消息可以报道,即使如此,她们也希望把事情弄个清楚明白。嘉丁纳先生也希望在动身以前能够看到几封信。

When he was gone, they were certain at least of receiving constant information of what was going on, and their uncle promised, at parting, to prevail on Mr. Bennet to return to Longbourn as soon as he could, to the great consolation of his sister, who considered it as the only security for her husband's not being killed in a duel.
嘉丁纳先生去了以后,大家都认为,今后至少可以经常听到一些事情进行的经过情形。他临走的时候,答应一定去劝告班纳特先生尽可能马上回来。她们的母亲听了这些话,很是安慰,她认为只有这样,才能保证她丈夫不会在决斗中被人打死。

Mrs. Gardiner and the children were to remain in Hertfordshire a few days longer, as the former thought her presence might be serviceable to her nieces. She shared in their attendance on Mrs. Bennet, and was a great comfort to them in their hours of freedom. Their other aunt also visited them frequently, and always, as she said, with the design of cheering and heartening them up, though as she never came without reporting some fresh instance of Wickham's extravagance or irregularity, she seldom went away without leaving them more dispirited than she found them.
嘉丁纳太太和她的孩子们还要在哈福德郡多待几天,因为她觉得,待在这里可以让外甥女们多一个帮手。她可以帮她们等候班纳特太太,等她们空下来的时候,又大可以安慰安慰她们。姨妈也常常来看她们,而且据她自己说,她来的目的是为了让她们高兴高兴,给她们打打气,不过,她没有哪一次来不谈到韦翰的奢侈淫佚,每次都可以举出新的事例。她每次走了以后,总是叫她们比她没有来以前更加意气消沉。

All Meryton seemed striving to blacken the man, who, but three months before, had been almost an angel of light. He was declared to be in debt to every tradesman in the place, and his intrigues, all honoured with the title of seduction, had been extended into every tradesman's family. Every body declared that he was the wickedest young man in the world; and every body began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness. Elizabeth, though she did not credit above half of what was said, believed enough to make her former assurance of her sister's ruin still more certain; and even Jane, who believed still less of it, became almost hopeless, more especially as the time was now come when, if they had gone to Scotland, which she had never before entirely despaired of, they must in all probability have gained some news of them.
三个月以前,差不多整个麦里屯的人们都把这个男人捧到天上;三个月以后,整个麦里屯的人都说他的坏话。他们说,他在当地每一个商人那里都欠下了一笔债;又给他加上了诱骗妇女的的头衔,又说每个商人家里都受过他的糟蹋。每个人都说他是天下最坏的青年;每个人都开始发觉自己一向就不信任他那伪善的面貌。伊丽莎白虽然对这些话只是半信半疑,不过她早就认为妹妹会毁在他手里,这一来当然更是深信无疑。吉英本来连半信半疑也谈不上,这一来也几乎感到失望──因为时间已经过了这么久,如果他们两人真到苏格兰去了,现在也应该有消息了,这样一想,纵使她从来没有觉得完全失望,现在当然也难免要感到失望。

Mr. Gardiner left Longbourn on Sunday; on Tuesday, his wife received a letter from him; it told them that on his arrival, he had immediately found out his brother, and persuaded him to come to Gracechurch street; that Mr. Bennet had been to Epsom and Clapham before his arrival, but without gaining any satisfactory information; and that he was now determined to enquire at all the principal hotels in town, as Mr. Bennet thought it possible they might have gone to one of them, on their first coming to London, before they procured lodgings. Mr. Gardiner himself did not expect any success from this measure, but as his brother was eager in it, he meant to assist him in pursuing it. He added that Mr. Bennet seemed wholly disinclined at present, to leave London, and promised to write again very soon. There was also a postscript to this effect:
嘉丁纳先生是星期日离开浪搏恩的。星期二他太太接到他一封信。信上说,他一到那里就找到了姐夫,把他劝到天恩寺街去。又说,他没有到达伦敦以前,班纳特先生曾到艾普桑和克拉普汗去过,可惜没有打听到一点儿满意的消息;又说他决定到城里各大旅馆去打听一下,因为班纳特先生认为,韦翰和丽迪雅一到伦敦,可能先住旅馆,然后再慢慢寻找房子。嘉丁纳先生本人并没有指望这种办法会获得什么成绩;既是姐夫非要那样做不可,也只有帮助他着手进行。信上还说,班纳特先生暂时根本不想离开伦敦,他答应不久就会再写一封信来。这封信上还有这样的一段附言: