【經典名著閱讀】《傲慢與偏見》第四十五章
作者:Jane Austen
2011-06-30 10:00
The next variation which their visit afforded was produced by the entrance of servants with cold meat, cake, and a variety of all the finest fruits in season; but this did not take place till after many a significant look and smile from Mrs. Annesley to Miss Darcy had been given, to remind her of her post. There was now employment for the whole party; for though they could not all talk, they could all eat; and the beautiful pyramids of grapes, nectarines, and peaches soon collected them round the table.
她們來了不久,傭人們便送來了冷肉、點心、以及各種應時鮮果。本來達西小姐一直忘了叫人端來,幸虧安涅斯雷太太頻頻向她做著眼色,裝著微笑,方才提醒了她做主人的責任。這一下大家都有事情可做了。雖然不是每個人都健談,可是每個人都會吃;大家一看見那大堆大堆美麗的葡萄、油桃和桃子,一下子就聚攏來圍著桌子坐下。
While thus engaged, Elizabeth had a fair opportunity of deciding whether she most feared or wished for the appearance of Mr. Darcy, by the feelings which prevailed on his entering the room; and then, though but a moment before she had believed her wishes to predominate, she began to regret that he came.
吃東西的時候,達西先生走了進來,伊麗莎白便趁此辨別一下自己的心情,究竟是希望他在場,還是害怕他在場。辨別的結果,雖然自以為盼望的心情多于害怕的心情,可是他進來了不到一分鐘,她卻又認為他還是不進來的好。
He had been some time with Mr. Gardiner, who, with two or three other gentlemen from the house, was engaged by the river, and had left him only on learning that the ladies of the family intended a visit to Georgiana that morning. No sooner did he appear, than Elizabeth wisely resolved to be perfectly easy and unembarrassed; -- a resolution the more necessary to be made, but perhaps not the more easily kept, because she saw that the suspicions of the whole party were awakened against them, and that there was scarcely an eye which did not watch his behaviour when he first came into the room. In no countenance was attentive curiosity so strongly marked as in Miss Bingley's, in spite of the smiles which overspread her face whenever she spoke to one of its objects; for jealousy had not yet made her desperate, and her attentions to Mr. Darcy were by no means over. Miss Darcy, on her brother's entrance, exerted herself much more to talk; and Elizabeth saw that he was anxious for his sister and herself to get acquainted, and forwarded, as much as possible, every attempt at conversation on either side. Miss Bingley saw all this likewise; and, in the imprudence of anger, took the first opportunity of saying, with sneering civility,
且說達西原先同自己家里兩三個人陪著嘉丁納先生在河邊釣魚,后來一聽到嘉丁納太太和她外甥女當天上午就要來拜望喬治安娜,便立刻離開了他們,回到家里來。伊麗莎白見他走進來,便臨機應變,下定決心,促使自己千萬要表現得從容不迫,落落大方。她下定這個決心,確實很必要,只可惜事實上不大容易做到,因為她看到全場的人都在懷疑他們倆;達西一走進來,幾乎沒有一只眼睛不在注意著他的舉止。雖然人人都有好奇心,可是誰也不象彬格萊小姐那么露骨,她對他們兩人中間隨便哪一個談起話來,還是滿面笑容,這是因為她還沒有嫉妒到不擇手段的地步,也沒有對達西先生完全死心。達西小姐看見哥哥來了,便盡量多說話;伊麗莎白看出達西極其盼望她跟他妹妹處熟起來,他還盡量促進她們雙方多多攀談。彬格萊小姐把這些情形看在眼里,很是氣憤,也就顧不得唐突,顧不得禮貌,一有機會便冷言冷語地說:
"Pray, Miss Eliza, are not the ----shire militia removed from Meryton? They must be a great loss to your family."
“請問你,伊麗莎白小姐,麥里屯的民兵團不是開走了嗎?府上一定覺得這是一個很大的損失吧。”
In Darcy's presence she dared not mention Wickham's name; but Elizabeth instantly comprehended that he was uppermost in her thoughts; and the various recollections connected with him gave her a moment's distress; but, exerting herself vigorously to repel the ill-natured attack, she presently answered the question in a tolerably disengaged tone. While she spoke, an involuntary glance shewed her Darcy with an heightened complexion, earnestly looking at her, and his sister overcome with confusion and unable to lift up her eyes. Had Miss Bingley known what pain she was then giving her beloved friend, she undoubtedly would have refrained from the hint; but she had merely intended to discompose Elizabeth, by bringing forward the idea of a man to whom she believed her partial, to make her betray a sensibility which might injure her in Darcy's opinion, and perhaps to remind the latter of all the follies and absurdities by which some part of her family were connected with that corps. Not a syllable had ever reached her of Miss Darcy's meditated elopement. To no creature had it been revealed, where secrecy was possible, except to Elizabeth; and from all Bingley's connections her brother was particularly anxious to conceal it, from that very wish which Elizabeth had long ago attributed to him, of their becoming hereafter her own. He had certainly formed such a plan, and without meaning that it should affect his endeavour to separate him from Miss Bennet, it is probable that it might add something to his lively concern for the welfare of his friend.
她只是不敢當著達西的面明目張膽地提起韋翰的名字,可是伊麗莎白立刻懂得她指的就是那個人,因此不禁想起過去跟他的一些來往,一時感到難過。這是一種惡意的攻擊,伊麗莎白非要狠狠地還擊她一下不可,于是她立刻用一種滿不在乎的聲調回答了她那句話。她一面說,一面不由自主地對達西望了一眼,只見達西漲紅了臉,懇切地望著她,達西的妹妹更是萬分慌張,低頭無語。彬格萊小姐如果早知道這種不三不四的話會使得她自己的意中人這樣苦痛,她自然就決不會說出中了。她只是存心要打亂伊麗莎白的心思,她以為伊麗莎白過去曾傾心于那個男人,便故意說了出來,使她出出丑,讓達西看不起她,甚至還可以讓達西想起她幾個妹妹曾經為了那個民兵團鬧出多少荒唐的笑話。至于達西小姐想要私奔的事情,她一點也不知情,因為達西先生對這件事一向盡量保守秘密,除了伊麗莎白小姐以外,沒有向任何人透露過。她對彬格萊的親友們隱瞞得特別小心,因為他認為以后要和他們攀親,這也是伊麗莎白意料中的事。他的確早就有了這個打算;也許就是為了這個原因,便對彬格萊的幸福更加關心,可并不是因此而千方百計地拆散彬格萊和班納特小姐的好事。
Elizabeth's collected behaviour, however, soon quieted his emotion; and as Miss Bingley, vexed and disappointed, dared not approach nearer to Wickham, Georgiana also recovered in time, though not enough to be able to speak any more. Her brother, whose eye she feared to meet, scarcely recollected her interest in the affair, and the very circumstance which had been designed to turn his thoughts from Elizabeth, seemed to have fixed them on her more, and more cheerfully.
達西看到伊麗莎白不動聲色,方才安下心來。彬格萊小姐苦惱失望之余,不敢再提到韋翰,于是喬治安娜也很快恢復了正常的神態(tài),只不過一時之間還不好意思開口說話。她害怕看到她哥哥的眼睛,事實上她哥哥倒沒有留意她也牽涉在這件事情里面。彬格萊小姐這次本來已經安排好神機妙算,要使得達西回心轉意,不再眷戀伊麗莎白,結果反而使他對伊麗莎白更加念念難忘,更加有情意。