Elizabeth could not but smile at such a conclusion of such a beginning; but Mrs. Bennet, who had persuaded herself that her husband regarded the affair as she wished, was excessively disappointed.
伊麗莎白聽到了那樣的開頭和這樣的結(jié)論，不得不笑了一笑;不過，這可苦了班納特太太，她本以為丈夫一定會照著她的意思來對待這件事的，哪里料到反而叫她大失所望。

"What do you mean, Mr. Bennet, by talking in this way? You promised me to insist upon her marrying him."
“你這話是什么意思，我的好老爺？你事先不是答應(yīng)了我，非叫她嫁給他不可嗎?”

"My dear," replied her husband, "I have two small favours to request. First, that you will allow me the free use of my understanding on the present occasion; and secondly, of my room. I shall be glad to have the library to myself as soon as may be."
“好太太，”丈夫回答道，“我有兩件事要求你幫幫忙。第一，請你允許我自由運用我自己的書房。我真巴不得早日在自己書房里圖個清閑自在。”

Not yet, however, in spite of her disappointment in her husband, did Mrs. Bennet give up the point. She talked to Elizabeth again and again; coaxed and threatened her by turns. She endeavoured to secure Jane in her interest but Jane with all possible mildness declined interfering; -- and Elizabeth, sometimes with real earnestness and sometimes with playful gaiety, replied to her attacks. Though her manner varied, however, her determination never did.
班納特太太雖然碰了一鼻子灰，可是并不甘心罷休。她一遍又一遍地說服伊麗莎白，一忽兒哄騙，一忽兒威脅。她想盡辦法拉著吉英幫忙，可是吉英偏不愿意多管閑事，極其委婉地謝絕了。伊麗莎白應(yīng)付得很好，一忽兒情意懇切，一忽兒又是嘻皮笑臉，方式盡管變來變換去，決心卻始終如一。

Mr. Collins, meanwhile, was meditating in solitude on what had passed. He thought too well of himself to comprehend on what motive his cousin could refuse him; and though his pride was hurt, he suffered in no other way. His regard for her was quite imaginary; and the possibility of her deserving her mother's reproach prevented his feeling any regret.
這當(dāng)兒，柯林斯先生獨自把剛才的那一幕深思默想了一番。他的把自己估價太高了，因此弄不明白表妹所以拒絕他，原因究竟何在。雖說他的自尊心受到了傷害，可是他別的方面絲毫也不覺得難過。他對他的好感完全是憑空想象的，他又以為她的母親一定會責(zé)罵她，因此心里便也不覺得有什么難受了，因為她挨她母親的罵是活該，不必為她過意不去。

While the family were in this confusion, Charlotte Lucas came to spend the day with them. She was met in the vestibule by Lydia, who, flying to her, cried in a half whisper, "I am glad you are come, for there is such fun here! -- What do you think has happened this morning? -- Mr. Collins has made an offer to Lizzy, and she will not have him."
正當(dāng)這一家子鬧得亂紛紛的時候，夏綠蒂·盧卡斯上她們這兒來玩了。麗迪雅在大門品碰到她，立刻奔上前去湊近她跟前說道：“你來了我真高興，這兒正鬧得有趣呢!你知道今天上午發(fā)生了什么事?柯林斯先生向麗萃求婚，麗萃偏偏不肯要他。”

Charlotte had hardly time to answer, before they were joined by Kitty, who came to tell the same news, and no sooner had they entered the breakfast-room, where Mrs. Bennet was alone, than she likewise began on the subject, calling on Miss Lucas for her compassion, and entreating her to persuade her friend Lizzy to comply with the wishes of all her family. "pray do, my dear Miss Lucas," she added in a melancholy tone, "for nobody is on my side, nobody takes part with me, I am cruelly used, nobody feels for my poor nerves."
夏綠蒂還沒來得及回答，吉蒂就走到她們跟前來了，把同樣的消息報道了一遍。她們走進起坐間，只見班納特太太正獨自待在那兒，馬上又和她們談到這話題上來，要求盧卡斯小姐憐恤憐恤她老人家，勸勸她的朋友麗萃順從全家人的意思。“求求你吧，盧卡斯小姐，”她又用苦痛的聲調(diào)說道：“誰也不站在我一邊，大家都故意作踐我，一個個都對我狠心透頂，誰也不能體諒我的神經(jīng)。”

Charlotte's reply was spared by the entrance of Jane and Elizabeth.
夏綠蒂正要回答，恰巧吉英和伊麗莎白走進來了，因此沒有開口。

"Aye, there she comes," continued Mrs. Bennet, "looking as unconcerned as may be, and caring no more for us than if we were at York, provided she can have her own way. -- But I tell you what, Miss Lizzy, if you take it into your head to go on refusing every offer of marriage in this way, you will never get a husband at all -- and I am sure I do not know who is to maintain you when your father is dead. -- I shall not be able to keep you -- and so I warn you. -- I have done with you from this very day. -- I told you in the library, you know, that I should never speak to you again, and you will find me as good as my word. I have no pleasure in talking to undutiful children, -- Not that I have much pleasure indeed in talking to any body. people who suffer as I do from nervous complaints can have no great inclination for talking. Nobody can tell what I suffer! -- But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied."
“嘿，她來啦，”班納特太太接下去說。“看她一臉滿不在乎的神氣，一些不把我們放在心上，好象是冤家對頭，一任她自己獨斷獨行。──麗萃小姐，讓我老實告訴你吧；如果你一碰到人家求婚，就象這樣拒絕，那你一生一世都休想弄到一個丈夫。瞧你爸爸去世以后，還有誰來養(yǎng)你。我是養(yǎng)不活你的，事先得跟你聲明。從今天起，我跟你一刀兩斷。你知道，剛剛在書房里，我就跟你說過，我再也不要跟你說話了，瞧我說得到就做得到。我不高興跟忤逆的女兒說話。老實說，跟誰說話都不大樂意。象我這樣一個神經(jīng)上有病痛的人，就沒有多大的興致說話。誰也不知道我的苦楚！不過天下事總是這樣的，你嘴上不訴苦，就沒有人可憐你。”

Her daughters listened in silence to this effusion, sensible that any attempt to reason with or sooth her would only increase the irritation. She talked on, therefore, without interruption from any of them till they were joined by Mr. Collins, who entered with an air more stately than usual, and on perceiving whom, she said to the girls,
女兒們一聲不響，只是聽著她發(fā)牢騷。她們都明白，要是你想跟她評評理，安慰安慰她，那就等于火上加油。她嘮嘮叨叨往下說，女兒們沒有一個來岔斷她的話。最后，柯林斯先生進來了，臉上的神氣比平常顯得益發(fā)莊嚴(yán)，她一見到他，便對女兒們這樣說：

"Now, I do insist upon it, that you, all of you, hold your tongues, and let Mr. Collins and me have a little conversation together."
“現(xiàn)在我要你們一個個都住嘴，讓柯林斯先生跟我談一會兒。”

Elizabeth passed quietly out of the room, Jane and Kitty followed, but Lydia stood her ground, determined to hear all she could; and Charlotte, detained first by the civility of Mr. Collins, whose inquiries after herself and all her family were very minute, and then by a little curiosity, satisfied herself with walking to the window and pretending not to hear. In a doleful voice Mrs. Bennet thus began the projected conversation. -- "Oh! Mr. Collins!" --
伊麗莎白靜悄悄地走出去了，吉英和吉蒂跟著也走了出去，只有麗迪雅站在那兒不動，正要聽聽他們談些什么。夏綠蒂也沒有走，先是因為柯林斯先生仔仔細細問候她和她的家庭，所以不便即走，隨后又為了滿足她自己的好奇心，便走到窗口，去偷聽他們談話。只聽得班納特太太開始怨聲怨氣地把預(yù)先準(zhǔn)備好的一番話談出來：“哦，柯林斯先生。”

"My dear Madam," replied he, "let us be for ever silent on this point. Far be it from me," he presently continued, in a voice that marked his displeasure, "to resent the behaviour of your daughter. Resignation to inevitable evils is the duty of us all; the peculiar duty of a young man who has been so fortunate as I have been in early preferment; and I trust I am resigned. perhaps not the less so from feeling a doubt of my positive happiness had my fair cousin honoured me with her hand; for I have often observed that resignation is never so perfect as when the blessing denied begins to lose somewhat of its value in our estimation. You will not, I hope, consider me as shewing any disrespect to your family, my dear Madam, by thus withdrawing my pretensions to your daughter's favour, without having paid yourself and Mr. Bennet the compliment of requesting you to interpose your authority in my behalf. My conduct may, I fear, be objectionable in having accepted my dismission from your daughter's lips instead of your own. But we are all liable to error. I have certainly meant well through the whole affair. My object has been to secure an amiable companion for myself, with due consideration for the advantage of all your family, and if my manner has been at all reprehensible, I here beg leave to apologise."
“親愛的太太，”柯林斯先生說，“這件事讓我們再也別提了吧。我決不會怨恨令嬡這種行為。”他說到這里，聲調(diào)中立刻流露出極其不愉快的意味：“我們大家都得逆來順受，象我這樣年少得志，小小年紀(jì)就得到了人家的器重，特別應(yīng)該如此，我相信我一切都聽天由命。即使蒙我那位美麗的表妹不棄，答應(yīng)了我的求婚，或許我仍然免不了要懷疑，是否就此會獲得真正的幸福，因為我一向認為，幸福一經(jīng)拒絕，就不值得我們再加重視。遇到這種場合，聽天由命是再好不過的辦法。親愛的太太，我這樣收回了對令嬡的求婚，希望你別以為這是對您老人家和班納特先生不恭敬的表示，別怪我沒要求你們出面代我調(diào)停一下。只不過我并不是受到您拒絕，而是受到令嬡的拒絕，這一點也許值得遺憾。可是人人都難免有個陰錯陽差的時候。我對于這件事始終是一片好心好意。我的目的就是要找一個可愛的伴侶，并且適當(dāng)?shù)乜紤]到府上的利益；假使我的態(tài)度方面有什么地方應(yīng)該受到責(zé)備的話，就讓我當(dāng)面道個謙吧。”

（來源：愛詞霸 編輯：許晶晶）