評論
打印
As Elinor and Marianne were walking together the next morning the latter communicated a piece of news to her sister, which in spite of all that she knew before of Marianne's imprudence and want of thought, surprised her by its extravagant testimony of both. Marianne told her, with the greatest delight, that Willoughby had given her a horse, one that he had bred himself on his estate in Somersetshire, and which was exactly calculated to carry a woman. Without considering that it was not in her mother's plan to keep any horse, that if she were to alter her resolution in favour of this gift, she must buy another for the servant, and keep a servant to ride it, and after all, build a stable to receive them, she had accepted the present without hesitation, and told her sister of it in raptures.
第二天早晨，埃麗諾與瑪麗安一道散步，瑪麗安向姐姐透露了一樁事。埃麗諾早就知道瑪麗安言行輕率，沒有心計，但是這樁事表明她搞得實在太過分了，不免大為驚訝?，旣惏残老伯惓５馗嬖V她，威洛比送給她一匹馬。這匹馬是他在他薩默塞特郡的莊園里親自喂養的，正好供女人騎用。她也不想一想母親從不打算養馬——即便母親可以改變決心，讓她接受這件禮物，那也得再買一匹，雇個傭人騎著這匹馬，而且終究還得建一所馬廄一—這一切她全沒考慮，就毫不猶豫地接受了這件禮物，并且欣喜若狂地告訴了姐姐。
"He intends to send his groom into Somersetshire immediately for it, " she added, "and when it arrives we will ride every day. You shall share its use with me. Imagine to yourself, my dear Elinor, the delight of a gallop on some of these downs. "
“他準備馬上打發馬夫去薩默塞特郡取馬，”她接著說，“馬一到，我們就能天天騎啦。你可以跟我合著用。親愛的埃麗諾，你想想看，在這丘陵草原上騎馬飛奔，該有多么愜意啊!”
Most unwilling was she to awaken from such a dream of felicity to comprehend all the unhappy truths which attended the affair; and for some time she refused to submit to them. As to an additional servant, the expense would be a trifle; Mamma she was sure would never object to it; and any horse would do for HIM; he might always get one at the park; as to a stable, the merest shed would be sufficient. Elinor then ventured to doubt the propriety of her receiving such a present from a man so little, or at least so lately known to her. This was too much.
她很不愿意從這幸福的迷夢中驚醒，更不愿意去領悟這樁事所包含的不幸現實。有好長時間，她拒不承認這些現實。再雇一個傭人，那花不了幾個錢，她相信母親決不會反對。傭人騎什么馬都可以，隨時都可以到巴頓莊園去牽。至于馬廄，只要有個棚子就行。隨后埃麗諾大膽地表示，從一個自己并不了解、或者至少是最近才了解的男人那里接受禮物，她懷疑是否恰當。這話可叫瑪麗安受不了啦。
