In the dining-room they were soon joined by Mary and Kitty, who had been too busily engaged in their separate apartments, to make their appearance before. One came from her books, and the other from her toilette. The faces of both, however, were tolerably calm; and no change was visible in either, except that the loss of her favourite sister, or the anger which she had herself incurred in the business, had given something more of fretfulness than usual to the accents of Kitty. As for Mary, she was mistress enough of herself to whisper to Elizabeth, with a countenance of grave reflection, soon after they were seated at table,
他們走進飯廳不久，曼麗和吉蒂也來了，原來這兩姐妹都在自己房間里忙著各人自己的事，一個在讀書，一個在化妝，因此沒有能夠早一些出來。兩人的臉色都相當平靜，看不出有什么變化，只是吉蒂講話的聲調比平常顯得暴躁一些，這或者是因為她丟了一個心愛的妹妹而感到傷心，或者是因為這件事也使她覺得氣憤。至于曼麗，她卻自有主張，等大家坐定以后，她便擺出一副嚴肅的面孔，跟伊麗莎白低聲說道：
This is a most unfortunate affair; and will probably be much talked of. But we must stem the tide of malice, and pour into the wounded bosoms of each other the balm of sisterly consolation.
“家門不幸，遭此慘禍，很可能會引起外界議論紛紛。人心惡毒，我們一定要及時防范，免得一發不可收拾。我們要用姐妹之情來安慰彼此創傷的心靈。”
Then, perceiving in Elizabeth no inclination of replying, she added, Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful lesson: that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable that one false step involves her in endless ruin that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful, and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behaviour towards the undeserving of the other sex.
她看到伊麗莎白不想回答，便又接下去說：“此事對于麗迪雅固屬不幸，但亦可以作為我們的前車之鑒。大凡女人家一經失去貞操，便無可挽救，這真是一失足成千古恨。美貌固然難于永保，名譽亦何嘗容易保全。世間多的是輕薄男子，豈可不寸步留神？”
Elizabeth lifted up her eyes in amazement, but was too much oppressed to make any reply. Mary, however, continued to console herself with such kind of moral extractions from the evil before them.
伊麗莎白抬起眼睛來，神情很是詫異；她心里實在太郁悶，所以一句話也答不上來。可是曼麗還在往下說，她要從這件不幸的事例中闡明道德的精義，以便聊以自慰。
In the afternoon, the two elder Miss Bennets were able to be for half an hour by themselves; and Elizabeth instantly availed herself of the opportunity of making many enquiries, which Jane was equally eager to satisfy. After joining in general lamentations over the dreadful sequel of this event, which Elizabeth considered as all but certain, and Miss Bennet could not assert to be wholly impossible, the former continued the subject by saying, But tell me all and every thing about it which I have not already heard. Give me farther particulars. What did Colonel Forster say? Had they no apprehension of any thing before the elopement took place? They must have seen them together for ever.
到了下午，兩位年紀最大的小姐有了半個鐘頭的時間可以在一起談談心。伊麗莎白不肯錯過機會，連忙向吉英問東問西，吉英也連忙一一加以回答，好讓妹妹放心。兩姐妹先把這件事的不幸的后果共同嘆息了一番。伊麗莎白認為一定會發生不幸的后果，吉英也認為難免。于是伊麗莎白繼續說道：“凡是我不知道的情節，請你全部說給我聽。請你談得再詳細一些。弗斯脫上校怎么說的？他們倆私奔之前，難道看不出一點形跡可疑的地方嗎？照理應該常常看到他們兩人在一起呀。”
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