評論
打印
Mrs. Reynolds then directed their attention to one of Miss Darcy, drawn when she was only eight years old.
雷諾奶奶接著又指給他們看達西小姐的一張畫像，那還是她八歲的時候畫的。
“And is Miss Darcy as handsome as her brother?” said Mrs. Gardiner.
“達西小姐也跟她哥哥一樣漂亮嗎？”嘉丁納先生問道。
“Oh! Yes-the handsomest young lady that ever was seen; and so accomplished!-She plays and sings all day long. In the next room is a new instrument just come down for her-a present from my master; she comes here to-morrow with him. ”
“噢，那還用說……從來沒有過這樣漂亮的小姐，又那么多才多藝！她成天彈琴唱歌。隔壁的房間里就是剛剛替她買來的一架鋼琴，那是我主人給她的禮物，她明天會跟他一塊兒回來。”
Mr. Gardiner, whose manners were very easy and pleasant, encouraged her communicativeness by his questions and remarks; Mrs. Reynolds, either by pride or attachment, had evidently great pleasure in talking of her master and his sister.
那位管家奶奶看見嘉丁納先生為人那么隨和，便跟他有問有答。雷諾奶奶非常樂意談到她主人兄妹倆，這或者是由于為他們感到驕傲，或者是由于和他們交情深厚。
“Is your master much at Pemberley in the course of the year?”
“你主人每年在彭伯里待的日子多嗎？”
“Not so much as I could wish, sir; but I dare say he may spend half his time here; and Miss Darcy is always down for the summer months.”
“并沒有我所盼望的那么多，先生，他每年大概可以在這兒待上半年；達西小姐總是在這兒歇夏。”
“Except,” thought Elizabeth, “when she goes to Ramsgate. ”
伊麗莎白心想：“除非到拉姆斯蓋特去就不來了。”
“If your master would marry, you might see more of him. ”
“要是你主人結(jié)了婚，你見到他的時候就會多些。”
“Yes, sir; but I do not know when THAT will be. I do not know who is good enough for him. ”
“是的，先生；不過我不知道這件事幾時才能如愿。我也不知道哪家小姐配得上他。”
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner smiled. Elizabeth could not help saying,” It is very much to his credit, I am sure, that you should think so. ”
嘉丁納夫婦都笑了。伊麗莎白不由得說，“你會這樣想，真使他太有面子了。”
“I say no more than the truth, and everybody will say that knows him,” replied the other. Elizabeth thought this was going pretty far; and she listened with increasing astonishment as the housekeeper added, “I have never known a cross word from him in my life, and I have known him ever since he was four years old.”
管家奶奶說：“我說的全是真話，認識他的人都是這樣說，”伊麗莎白覺得這話實在講得有些過分。只聽得那管家奶奶又說道：“我一輩子沒聽過他一句重話，從他四歲起，我就跟他在一起了。”伊麗莎白聽得更是驚奇。
This was praise, of all others most extraordinary, most opposite to her ideas. That he was not a good-tempered man had been her firmest opinion. Her keenest attention was awakened; she longed to hear more, and was grateful to her uncle for saying:
這句褒獎的話說得最出人意料，也叫她最難想象。她早就斷定達西是個脾氣不好的人，今日乍聽此話，不禁引起了她深切的注意。她很想再多聽一些。幸喜她舅舅又開口說道：
“There are very few people of whom so much can be said. You are lucky in having such a master. ”
“當?shù)闷疬@樣恭維的人，實在沒有幾個。你真是運氣好，碰上了這樣一個好主人。”
“Yes, sir, I know I am. If I were to go through the world, I could not meet with a better. But I have always observed, that they who are good-natured when children, are good-natured when they grow up; and he was always the sweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world. ”
“你真說得是，先生，我自己也知道運氣好。我就是走遍天下，再也不會碰到一個更好的主人。我常說，小時候脾氣好，長大了脾氣也會好；他從小就是個脾氣最乖、肚量最大的孩子。”
Elizabeth almost stared at her. “Can this be Mr. Darcy?” thought she.
伊麗莎白禁不住瞪起眼來看她。她心里想：“達西當真是這樣一個人嗎？”
“His father was an excellent man,” said Mrs. Gardiner.
“他父親是個了不起的人，”嘉丁納太太說。
“Yes, ma'am, that he was indeed; and his son will be just like him-just as affable to the poor.”
“太太，你說得是，他的確是個了不起的人；他獨生子完全象他一樣……也象他那樣體貼窮苦人。”
Elizabeth listened, wondered, doubted, and was impatient for more. Mrs. Reynolds could interest her on no other point. She related the subjects of the pictures, the dimensions of the rooms, and the price of the furniture, in vain, Mr. Gardiner, highly amused by the kind of family prejudice to which he attributed her excessive commendation of her master, soon led again to the subject; and she dwelt with energy on his many merits as they proceeded together up the great staircase.
伊麗莎白一直聽下去，先是奇怪，繼而懷疑，最后又極想再多聽一些，可是雷諾奶奶再也想不出別的話來引起她的興趣。她談到畫像，談到房間大小，談到家具的價格，可是她都不愛聽。嘉丁納先生覺得，這個管家奶奶所以要過甚其辭地夸獎她自己的主人，無非是出于家人的偏見，這倒也使他聽得很有趣，于是馬上又談到這個話題上來了。她一面起勁地談到他的許多優(yōu)點，一面領(lǐng)著他們走上大樓梯。
“He is the best landlord, and the best master,” said she, “that ever lived; not like the wild young men nowadays, who think of nothing but themselves. There is not one of his tenants or servants but will give him a good name. Some people call him proud; but I am sure I never saw anything of it. To my fancy, it is only because he does not rattle away like other young men. ”
“他是個開明的莊主，又是個最好的主人；”她說，“他不象目前一般撒野的青年，一心只為自己打算。沒有一個佃戶或傭人不稱贊他。有些人說他傲慢；可是我從來沒看到過他有哪一點傲慢的地方。據(jù)我猜想，他只是不象一般青年人那樣愛說話罷了。”
“In what an amiable light does this place him!” thought Elizabeth.
“他被你說得多么可愛！”伊麗莎白想道。
“This fine account of him,” whispered her aunt as they walked, “is not quite consistent with his behaviour to our poor friend.”
她舅母一邊走，一邊輕輕地說：“只聽到說他的好話，可是他對待我們那位可憐的朋友卻是那種樣子，好象與事實不大符合。”
“Perhaps we might be deceived.”
“我們可能是受到蒙蔽了。”
“That is not very likely; our authority was too good.”
“這不大可能；我們的根據(jù)太可靠了。”
On reaching the spacious lobby above they were shown into a very pretty sitting-room, lately fitted up with greater elegance and lightness than the apartments below; and were informed that it was but just done to give pleasure to Miss Darcy, who had taken a liking to the room when last at Pemberley.
他們走到樓上那個寬敞的穿堂，就給領(lǐng)進一間漂亮的起坐間，這起坐間新近才布置起來，比樓下的許多房間還要精致和清新，據(jù)說那是剛剛收拾起來專供達西小姐享用的，因為去年她在彭伯里看中了這間屋子。
“He is certainly a good brother,” said Elizabeth, as she walked towards one of the windows.
“他千真萬確是一個好哥哥，”伊麗莎白一面說，一面走到一個窗戶跟前。
