"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, ---You will laugh when you know where I am gone, and I cannot help laughing myself at your surprise tomorrow 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. ---Your affectionate friend, LYDIA BENNET."
亲爱的海丽,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。我要使他们接到我信的时候,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。你的好友丽迪雅·班纳特