"With respect to that other, moreweightyaccusation, of having injured Mr. Wickham, I can only refute it by laying before you the whole of his connection with my family. Of what he has PARTICULARLY accused me I am ignorant; but of the truth of what I shall relate, I can summon more than one witness of undoubted veracity.
現在再談另一件更重的罪名：毀損了韋翰先生的前途。關于這件事，我唯一的駁斥辦法 ，只有把他和我家的關系全部說給你聽，請你評判一下其中的是非曲直。我不知道他特 別指責我的是哪一點；但是我要在這里陳述的事實真相，可以找出不少信譽卓著的人出 來做見證。
"Mr. Wickham is the son of a very respectable man, who had for many years the management of all the Pemberley estates, and whose good conduct in the discharge of his trust naturally inclined my father to be of service to him; and on George Wickham, who was his godson, his kindness was therefore liberally bestowed. My father supported him at school, and afterwards at Cambridge--most important assistance, as his own father, always poor from the extravagance of his wife, would have been unable to give him a gentleman's education. My father was not only fond of this young man's society, whose manner were alwaysengaging; he had also the highest opinion of him, and hoping the church would be his profession, intended to provide for him in it. As for myself, it is many, many years since I first began to think of him in a very different manner. The vicious propensities--the want of principle, which he was careful to guard from the knowledge of his best friend, could not escape the observation of a young man of nearly the same age with himself, and who had opportunities of seeing him in unguarded moments, which Mr. Darcy could not have. Here again shall give you pain--to what degree you only can tell. But whatever may be the sentiments which Mr. Wickham has created, asuspicionof their nature shall not prevent me from unfolding his real character--it adds even another motive.
韋翰先生是個值得尊敬的人的兒子。他父親在彭伯里管了好幾年產業，極其盡職，這自然使得先父愿意幫他的忙；因此先父對他這個教子喬治•韋翰恩寵有加。先父供給他上學，后來還供給他進劍橋大學……這是對他最重要的一項幫助，因為他自己的父親被他母親吃光用窮，無力供給他受高等教育。先父不僅因為這位年輕人風采翩翩而喜歡和他來往，而且非常器重他，希望他從事教會職業，并且一心要替他安插一個位 置。至于說到我自己所以對他印象轉壞，那已經是好多好多年的事了。他為人放蕩不羈 ，惡習重重，他雖然十分小心地把這些惡習遮掩起來，不讓他最好的朋友覺察，可是究 竟逃不過一個和他年齡相仿佛的青年人的眼睛，他一個不提防就給我瞧見了漏洞，機會 多的是……當然老達西先生決不會有這種機會。這里我不免又要引起你的痛苦了，痛苦 到什么地步，只有你自己知道。不論韋翰先生已經引起了你何等樣的感情，我卻要懷疑 到這些感情的本質，因而我也就不得不對你說明他真正的品格。這里面甚至還難免別有 用心。
"My excellent father died about five years ago; and his attachment to Mr. Wickham was to the last so steady, that in his will he particularly recommended it to me, to promote his advancement in the best manner that his profession might allow--and if he took orders, desired that a valuable family living might be his as soon as it became vacant. There was also a legacy of one thousand pounds. His own father did not long survive mine, and within half a year from these events, Mr. Wickham wrote to inform me that, having finally resolved against taking orders, he hoped I should not think it unreasonable for him to expect some more immediatepecuniaryadvantage, in lieu of the preferment, by which he could not be benefited. He had some intention, he added, of studying law, and I must be aware that the interest of one thousand pounds would be a very insufficient support therein. I rather wished, than believed him to be sincere; but, at any rate, was perfectly ready to accede to his proposal. I knew that Mr. Wickham ought not to be a clergyman; the business was therefore soon settled--he resigned all claim to assistance in the church, were it possible that he could ever be in a situation to receive it, and accepted in return three thousand pounds. All connection between us seemed now dissolved. I thought too ill of him to invite him to Pemberley, or admit his society in town. In town I believe he chiefly lived, but his studying the law was a mere pretence, and being now free from all restraint, his life was a life of idleness and dissipation. For about three years I heard little of him; but on the decease of the incumbent of the living which had been designed for him, he applied to me again by letter for the presentation. His circumstances, he assured me, and I had no difficulty in believing it, were exceedingly bad. He had found the law a most unprofitable study, and was now absolutely resolved on beingordained, if I would present him to the living in question--of which he trusted there could be little doubt, as he was well assured that I had no other person to provide for, and I could not have forgotten my revered father's intentions. You will hardly blame me for refusing to comply with this entreaty, or for resisting every repetition to it.
德高望重的先父大約去世于五年前，他寵愛韋翰先生始終如一，連遺囑上也特別向我提 到他，要我斟酌他的職業情況，極力提拔他，要是他受了圣職，俸祿優厚的位置一有空 缺，就讓他替補上去。另外還給了他一千磅遺產。他自己的父親不久也去世了；這幾樁 大事發生以后，不出半年工夫，韋翰先生就寫信跟我說，他已最后下定決心，不愿意去 受圣職；他既然不能獲得那個職位的俸祿，便希望我給他一些直接的經濟利益，不要以 為他這個要求不合理。他又說，他倒有意學法律，他叫我應該明白，要他靠一千磅的利 息去學法律，當然非常不夠。我與其說，相信他這些話靠得住，不如說，我但愿他這些 話靠得住。不過，我無論如何還是愿意答應他的要求。我知道韋翰先生不適宜當牧師。 因此這件事立刻就談妥條件，獲得解決：我們拿出三千磅給他，他不再要求我們幫助他 獲得圣職，算是自動放棄權利，即使將來他有資格擔任圣職，也不再提出請求。從此我 和他之間的一切關系，便好象一刀兩斷。我非常看不起他，不再請他到彭伯里來玩，在 城里也不和他來往。我相信他大半都住在城里，但是他所謂學法律，只不過是一個借口 罷了，現在他既然擺脫了一切羈絆，便整天過著浪蕩揮霍的生活。我大約接連三年簡直 聽不到他的消息，可是后來有個牧師逝世了，這份俸祿本來是可以由他接替的，于是他 又寫信給我，要我薦舉他。他說他境遇窘得不能再窘，這一點我當然不難相信。他又說 研究法律毫無出息，現在已下決心當牧師，只要我肯薦舉他去接替這個位置就行了。他 自以為我一定會推薦他，因為他看準我沒有別人可以補缺，況且我也不能疏忽先父生前 應承他的一片好意。我沒有答應他的要求，他再三請求，我依然拒絕，這你總不見得會 責備我吧。
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