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Mr. Bennet's expectations were fully answered. His cousin was as absurd as he had hoped, and he listened to him with the keenest enjoyment, maintaining at the same time the most resolute composure of countenance, and, except in an occasional glance at Elizabeth, requiring no partner in his pleasure.
班納特先生果然料想得完全正確，他這位表侄確實(shí)象他所想象的那樣荒謬，他聽得非常有趣，不過表面上卻竭力保持鎮(zhèn)靜，除了偶而朝著伊麗莎白望一眼以外，他并不需要?jiǎng)e人來分享他這份愉快。
By tea-time, however, the dose had been enough, and Mr. Bennet was glad to take his guest into the drawing-room again, and when tea was over, glad to invite him to read aloud to the ladies. Mr. Collins readily assented, and a book was produced; but on beholding it (for every thing announced it to be from a circulating library), he started back, and begging pardon, protested that he never read novels. -- Kitty stared at him, and Lydia exclaimed. -- Other books were produced, and after some deliberation he chose Fordyce's Sermons. Lydia gaped as he opened the volume, and before he had, with very monotonous solemnity, read three pages, she interrupted him with, "Do you know, mama, that my uncle Philips talks of turning away Richard, and if he does, Colonel Forster will hire him. My aunt told me so herself on Saturday. I shall walk to Meryton tomorrow to hear more about it, and to ask when Mr. Denny comes back from town."
不過到吃茶的時(shí)候，這一場(chǎng)罪總算受完了。班納特先生高高興興地把客人帶到會(huì)客室里，等到茶喝完了，他又高高興興地邀請(qǐng)他朗誦點(diǎn)什么給他的太太和小姐們聽。柯林斯先生立刻就答應(yīng)了，于是她們就拿了一本書給他，可是一看到那本書（因?yàn)槟潜緯谎劬涂梢钥闯鍪菑牧魍▓D書館借來的）他就吃驚得往后一退，連忙聲明他從來不讀小說，請(qǐng)求她們?cè)彙＜賹?duì)他瞪著眼，麗迪雅叫起來了。于是她們另外拿了幾本書來，他仔細(xì)考慮了一下以后，選了一本弗迪斯的《講道集》。他一攤開那本書，麗迪雅不禁目瞪口呆，等到他那么單調(diào)無味，一本正經(jīng)地剛要讀完三頁的時(shí)候，麗迪雅趕快岔斷了他：“媽媽，你知不知道腓力普姨爹要解雇李卻？要是他真的要解雇他，弗斯脫上校一定愿意雇他。這是星期六那一天姨爹親自告訴我的。我打算明天上麥里屯去多了解一些情況，順便問問他們，丹尼先生什么時(shí)候從城里回來。”
