【经典名著阅读】《傲慢与偏见》第三十二章
作者:Jane Austen
2011-06-15 10:00
"What can be the meaning of this!" said Charlotte, as soon as he was gone. "My dear Eliza, he must be in love with you, or he would never have called on us in this familiar way."
他走了以后,夏绿蒂说;“这是什么意思?亲爱的伊丽莎,他一定爱上你啦,否则他决不会这样随随便便来看我们的。”
But when Elizabeth told of his silence, it did not seem very likely, even to Charlotte's wishes, to be the case; and after various conjectures, they could at last only suppose his visit to proceed from the difficulty of finding any thing to do, which was the more probable from the time of year. All field sports were over. Within doors there was Lady Catherine, books, and a billiard table, but gentlemen cannot be always within doors; and in the nearness of the Parsonage, or the pleasantness of the walk to it, or of the people who lived in it, the two cousins found a temptation from this period of walking thither almost every day. They called at various times of the morning, sometimes separately, sometimes together, and now and then accompanied by their aunt. It was plain to them all that Colonel Fitzwilliam came because he had pleasure in their society, a persuasion which of course recommended him still more; and Elizabeth was reminded by her own satisfaction in being with him, as well as by his evident admiration of her, of her former favourite George Wickham; and though, in comparing them, she saw there was less captivating softness in Colonel Fitzwilliam's manners, she believed he might have the best informed mind.
伊丽莎白把他刚才那种说不出话的情形告诉了她,夏绿蒂便觉得自己纵有这番好意,看上去又不象是这么回事。她们东猜西猜,结果只有认为他这次是因为闲来无聊,所以才出来探亲访友,这种说法倒还算讲得过去,因为到了这个季节,一切野外的活动都过时了,待在家里虽然可以和咖苔琳夫人谈谈,看看书,还可以打打弹子,可是男人们总不能一直不出房门;既然牧师住宅相隔很近,顺便散散步荡到那儿去玩玩,也很愉快,况且那家人又很有趣昧,于是两位表兄弟在这段作客时期,差不多每天都禁不住要上那儿去走一趟。他们总是上午去,迟早没有一定,有时候分头去,有时候同道去,间或姨母也跟他们一起去。女眷们看得非常明白,费茨威廉来访,是因为他喜欢跟她们在一起──这当然使人家愈加喜欢他,伊丽莎白跟他在一起就觉得很满意,他显然也爱慕伊丽莎白,这两重情况使伊丽莎白想起了她以前的心上人乔治·韦翰;虽说把这两个人比较起来,她觉得费茨威廉的风度没有韦翰那么温柔迷人,然而她相信他脑子里的花样更多。
But why Mr. Darcy came so often to the Parsonage, it was more difficult to understand. It could not be for society, as he frequently sat there ten minutes together without opening his lips; and when he did speak, it seemed the effect of necessity rather than of choice -- a sacrifice to propriety, not a pleasure to himself. He seldom appeared really animated. Mrs. Collins knew not what to make of him. Colonel Fitzwilliam's occasionally laughing at his stupidity, proved that he was generally different, which her own knowledge of him could not have told her; and as she would have liked to believe this change the effect of love, and the object of that love, her friend Eliza, she sat herself seriously to work to find it out. -- She watched him whenever they were at Rosings, and whenever he came to Hunsford; but without much success. He certainly looked at her friend a great deal, but the expression of that look was disputable. It was an earnest, steadfast gaze, but she often doubted whether there were much admiration in it, and sometimes it seemed nothing but absence of mind.
可是达西先生为什么常到牧师家来,这仍然叫人不容易明白。他不可能是为了要热闹,因为他老是在那儿坐上十分钟一句话也不说,说起话来也好象是迫不得已的样子,而不是真有什么话要说──好象是在礼貌上委曲求全,而不是出于内心的高兴。他很少有真正兴高采烈的时候。柯林斯太太简直弄他不懂。费茨威廉有时候笑他呆头呆脑,可见他平常并不是这样,柯林斯太太当然弄不清其中的底蕴。她但愿他这种变化是恋爱所造成的,而且恋爱的对象就是她朋友伊丽莎,于是她一本正经地动起脑筋来,要把这件事弄个明白。每当她们去罗新斯的时候,每当他来到汉斯福的时候,她总是注意着他,可是毫无效果。他的确常常望着她的朋友,可是他那种目光究竟深意何在,还值得商榷。他痴呆呆地望着她,的确很诚恳,可是柯林斯太太还是不敢断定他的目光里面究竟含有多少爱慕的情意,而且有时候那种目光简直是完全心不在焉的样子。
She had once or twice suggested to Elizabeth the possibility of his being partial to her, but Elizabeth always laughed at the idea; and Mrs. Collins did not think it right to press the subject, from the danger of raising expectations which might only end in disappointment; for in her opinion it admitted not of a doubt, that all her friend's dislike would vanish, if she could suppose him to be in her power.
她曾经有一两次向伊丽莎白提示过,说他可能倾心于她,可是伊丽莎白老是一笑置之;柯林斯太太觉得不应该尽在这个问题上唠叨不休,不要撩得人家动了心,到头来却只落得一个失望;照她的看法,只要伊丽莎白自己觉得已经把他抓在手里,那么,毫无问题,一切厌恶他的情绪自然都会消失的。
In her kind schemes for Elizabeth, she sometimes planned her marrying Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was beyond comparison the pleasantest man; he certainly admired her, and his situation in life was most eligible; but, to counterbalance these advantages, Mr. Darcy had considerable patronage in the church, and his cousin could have none at all.
她好心好意处处为伊丽莎白打算,有时候也打算把她嫁给费茨威廉,他真是个最有风趣的人,任何人也比不上他;他当然也爱慕她,他的社会地位又是再适当也没有了;不过,达西先生在教会里有很大的权力,而他那位表兄弟却根本没有,相形之下,表兄弟这些优点就无足轻重了。