书城外语那些无法拒绝的名篇
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第43章 傲慢与偏见 (1)

Pride and Prejudice

傲慢与偏见

小乡绅班纳特有五个待字闺中的千金,班纳特太

太整天操心着为女儿物色称心如意的丈夫。 新来的邻

居彬格莱在一次舞会上,对班纳特家的大女儿简一见

钟情,班纳特太太为此欣喜若狂。彬格莱的好友达西

对伊丽莎白产生了好感,在另一次舞会上主动请她同

舞,却遭到伊丽莎白的拒绝,达西狼狈不堪。经过了

一系列的变化后,伊丽莎白对达西的偏见转化成了真

诚之爱。 一对曾因傲慢和偏见而延搁婚事的有情人终

成了眷属。

[ 英] 简·奥斯汀(Jane Austen)

This was enough to prove that her approbation need not be

doubted: and Elizabeth,rejoicing that such an effusion was heard

only by herself,soon went away. But before she had been three

minutes in her own room,her mother followed her.

“My dearest child,”she cried,“I can think of nothing else!

Ten thousand a year,and very likely more! Tis as good as a Lord!

And a special licence. You must and shall be married by a special

licence. But my dearest love,tell me what dish Mr. Darcy is

particularly fond of,that I may have it tomorrow.”

This was a sad omen of what her mother’s behaviour to the

gentleman himself might be ;and Elizabeth found that,though

in the certain possession of his warmest affection,and secure

of her relations’consent,there was still something to be wished

for. But the morrow passed off much better than she expected ;

for Mrs. Bennet luckily stood in such awe of her intended sonin-

law that she ventured not to speak to him,unless it was in her

power to offer him any attention,or mark her deference for his

opinion.

Elizabeth had the satisfaction of seeing her father taking

pains to get acquainted with him ;and Mr. Bennet soon assured

her that he was rising every hour in his esteem.

“I a dmi r e a l l my t h r e e s o n s - i n - l a w h i g h l y,”s a i d

he.“Wickham,perhaps,is my favourite ;but I think I shall like

your husband quite as well as Jane’s.”

Elizabeth’s spirits soon rising to playfulness again,she

wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his having ever fallen in love with

her.“How could you begin?”said she.“I can comprehend your

going on charmingly,when you had once made a beginning ;but

what could set you off in the first place?”

“I cannot fix on the hour,or the spot,or the look,or the

words,which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the

middle before I knew that I had begun .”

“My beauty you had early withstood,and as for my

manners — my behaviour to you was at least always bordering

on the uncivil,and I never spoke to you without rather wishing to

give you pain than not. Now be sincere ;did you admire me for

my impertinence?”

“For the liveliness of your mind,I did.”

“You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little

less. The fact is,that you were sick of civility,of deference,of

officious attention. You were disgusted with the women who were

always speaking and looking,and thinking for your approbation

alone. I roused,and interested you,because I was so unlike them.

Had you not been really amiable,you would have hated me for

it ;but in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself,your

feelings were always noble and just ;and in your heart,you

thoroughly despised the persons who so assiduously courted you.

There — I have saved you the trouble of accounting for it ;and really,

all things considered,I begin to think it perfectly reasonable. To

be sure,you knew no actual good of me — but nobody thinks of

that when they fall in love.”

“Was there no good in your affectionate behaviour to Jane,

while she was ill at Netherfield?”

“Dearest Jane! Who could have done less for her? But

make a virtue of it by all means. My good qualities are under your

protection,and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible ;

and,in return,it belongs to me to find occasions for teasing and

quarrelling with you as often as may be ;and I shall begin directly

by asking you what made you so unwilling to come to the point

at last.What made you so shy of me,when you first called,and

afterwards dined here? Why,especially,when you called,did

you look as if you did not care about me?”

“Because you were grave and silent,and gave me no

encouragement.”

“But I was embarrassed.”

“And so was I.”

“You might have talked to me more when you came to

dinner.”

“A man who had felt less,might.”

“How unlucky that you should have a reasonable answer

to give,and that I should be so reasonable as to admit it! But I

wonder how long you would have gone on,if you had been left

to yourself. I wonder when you would have spoken,if I had not

asked you! My resolution of thanking you for your kindness to

Lydia had certainly great effect. Too much,I am afraid ;for what

becomes of the moral,if our comfort springs from a breach of

promise? for I ought not to have mentioned the subject. This will

never do.”