評論
打印
After the first fortnight or three weeks of her absence, health, good humour, and cheerfulness began to re-appear at Longbourn. Everything wore a happier aspect. The families who had been in town for the winter came back again, and summer finery and summer engagements arose. Mrs. Bennet was restored to her usual querulous serenity, and by the middle of June Kitty was so much recovered as to be able to enter Meryton without tears; an event of such happy promise as to make Elizabeth hope that by the following Christmas, she might be so tolerably reasonable as not to mention an officer above once a day, unless, by some cruel and malicious arrangement at the War-Office, another regiment should be quartered in Meryton.
她走了兩三個星期以后，浪搏恩又重新恢復了愉快歡樂的氣象。一切都欣欣向榮。上城里過冬的那些人家都搬回來了，人們都穿起了夏天的新裝，到處是夏天的約會。班納特太太又象往常一樣動不動就發牢騷。到了六月中旬吉蒂完全恢復了常態，到麥里屯去可以不掉眼淚了，伊麗莎白看到真高興，她希望到了圣誕節，吉蒂會變得相當有理智，不至于每天三番五次地提到軍官們，除非作戰部不管人家死活，又來一次惡作劇，重新調一團人駐扎到麥里屯來。
The time fixed for the beginning of their Northern tour was now fast approaching; and a fortnight only was wanting of it, when a letter arrived from Mrs. Gardiner, which at once delayed its commencement and curtailed its extent. Mr. Gardiner would be prevented by business from setting out till a fortnight later in July, and must be in London again within a month; and as that left too short a period for them to go so far, and see so much as they had proposed, or at least to see it with the leisure and comfort they had built on, they were obliged to give up the Lakes, and substitute a more contracted tour; and, according to the present plan, were to go no farther northward than Derbyshire. In that county, there was enough to be seen to occupy the chief of their three weeks; and to Mrs. Gardiner it had a peculiarly strong attraction. The town where she had formerly passed some years of her life, and where they were now to spend a few days, was probably as great an object of her curiosity, as all the celebrated beauties of Matlock, Chatsworth, Dovedale, or the Peak.
他們北上旅行的日期已經迫近，只剩下兩個星期了，不料這時候嘉丁納太太卻寄來了一封信，使行期耽擱下來，旅行范圍也得縮小。信上說，因為嘉丁納先生有事，行期必須延遲兩個星期，到七月里才能動身，又因為他只能出外旅行一個月便得回到倫敦，日期很短促，不能照原來的計劃作長途旅行，飽餐山川景色，至少不能照原來所安排的那樣悠閑自在地去游覽，湖區必須放棄，旅程必須縮短，只能到德比郡為止。其實德比郡就足夠供他們游覽，足夠他們消磨短短三星期的旅行日程，而且嘉丁納太太非常向往那個地方。她以前曾在那兒住過兒年，現在能夠舊地重游，盤桓數日，便不禁對于馬特洛克、恰滋華斯、鴿谷、秀阜的風景名勝，心醉神往。
