作者﹕簡．奧斯汀
第 10 章
這一天過得和前一天沒有多大的不同。赫斯脫太太和彬格萊小姐上午陪了病人幾個鐘頭，病人儘管好轉得很慢，卻在不斷地好轉。晚上，伊莉莎白跟她們一塊兒待在客廳裏。不過這一回卻沒有看見有人打"祿牌"。達西先生在寫信，彬格萊小姐坐在他身旁看他寫，一再糾纏不清地要他代她附筆問候他的妹妹。赫斯脫先生和彬格萊先生在打"皮克牌"，赫斯脫太太在一旁看他們打。
伊莉莎白在做針線，一面留神地聽著達西跟彬格萊小姐談話。只聽得彬格萊小姐恭維話說個不停，不是說他的字寫得好，就是說他的字跡一行行很齊整，要不就是讚美他的信寫得仔細，可是對方卻完全是冷冰冰愛理不理。這兩個人你問我答，形成了一段奇妙的對白。照這樣看來，伊莉莎白的確沒有把他們倆看錯。達西小姐收到了這樣的一封信，將會怎樣高興啊！"
他沒有回答。你寫信寫得這樣快，真是少見。"你這話可說得不對。我寫得相當慢。"你一年裏頭得寫多少封信啊。還得寫事務上的信，我看這是夠厭煩的吧！"這麼說，這些信總算幸虧碰到了我，沒有碰到你。"請你告訴令妹，我很想和她見見面。"我已經遵命告訴過她了。"我怕你那支筆不大管用了吧。讓我來代你修理修理。修筆真是我的拿手好戲。"謝謝你的好意，我一向都是自己修理。"你怎麼寫得那麼整齊來著？"
他沒有作聲。請告訴令妹，就說我聽到她的豎琴彈得進步了。真覺得高興，還請你告訴她說，她寄來給我裝飾桌子的那張美麗的小圖案，我真喜歡極了，我覺得比起格蘭特小姐的那張真好得太多了。"可否請你通融一下，讓我把你的喜歡，延遲到下一次寫信時再告訴她？這一次我可寫不下這麼多啦。"噢，不要緊。正月裏我就可以跟她見面。不過，你老是寫那麼動人的長信給她嗎，達西先生？"我的信一般都寫得很長；不過是否每封信都寫得動人，那可不能由我自己來說了。"不過我總覺得，凡是寫起長信來一揮而就的人，無論如何也不會寫得不好。"
她的哥哥嚷道："這種恭維話可不能用在達西身上，珈羅琳，因為他並不能夠大筆一揮而就，他還得在四個音節的字上面多多推敲。──達西，你可不是這樣嗎？"我寫信的風格和你很不同。"噢，"彬格萊小姐叫起來了，"查理斯寫起信來，那種潦草隨便的態度，簡直不可想像。他要漏掉一半字，塗掉一半字。"我念頭轉得太快，簡直來有及寫，因此有時候收信人讀到我的信，反而覺得言之無物。"彬格萊先生，"伊莉莎白說，"你這樣謙虛，真叫人家本來要責備你也不好意思責備了。"
達西說："假裝謙虛偏偏往往就是信口開河，有時候簡直是轉彎抹角的自誇？"那麼，我剛剛那幾句謙虛的話，究竟是信口開河呢，還是轉彎抹角的自誇？"要算是轉彎抹角的自誇，因為你對於你自己寫信方面的缺點覺得很得意，你認為你思想敏捷，懶得去注意書法，而且你認為你這些方面即使沒有什麼了不起，完全不考慮到做出來的成績是不是完美。你今天早上跟班納特太太說，如果你決定要從尼日斐花園搬走，你五分鐘之內就可以搬走，這種話無非是誇耀自己，恭維自己。再說，急躁的結果只會使得應該要做好的事情沒有做好，無論對人對已，都沒有真正的好處，這有什麼值得讚美的呢？"得了吧，"彬格萊先生嚷道，"晚上還記起早上的事，真是太不值得。而且老實說，我相信我對於自己的看法並沒有錯，我到現在還相信沒有錯。因此，我至少不是故意要顯得那麼神速，想要在小姐們面前炫耀自己。"也許你真的相信你自己的話；可是我怎麼也不相信你做事情會那麼當機立斷。我知道你也跟一般人一樣，都是見機行事。譬如你正跨上馬要走了，忽然有朋友跟你說：'彬格萊，你最好還是待到下個星期再走吧。'那你可能就會聽他的話，可能就不走了，要是他再跟你說句什麼的，你也許就會再待上一個月。"
伊莉莎白叫道："你這一番話只不過說明了彬格萊先生並沒有任著他自己的性子說做就做。你這樣一說，比他自己說更來得光彩啦。"
彬格萊說："我真太高興了，我的朋友所說的話，經你這麼一圓轉，反面變成恭維我的話了。不過，我只怕你這種圓轉並不投合那位先生的本意，因為：我如果真遇到這種事，我會爽爽快快地謝絕那位朋友，騎上馬就走，那他一定更看得起我。"那麼，難道達西先生認為，不管你本來的打算是多麼輕率鹵莽，只要你一打定主意就堅持到底，也就情有可原了嗎？"老實說，我也解釋不清楚；那得由達西自己來說明。"你想要把這些意見說成我的意見，我可從來沒承認過。不過，班納特小姐，即使把你所說的這種種情形假定為真有其事，你可別忘了這一點：那個朋友固然叫他回到屋子裏去叫他不要那麼說做就做，可是那也不過是那位朋友有那麼一種希望，對他提出那麼一個要求，可並沒有堅持要他非那樣做不可。"說到隨隨便便地輕易聽從一個朋友的勸告，在你身上可還找不出這個優點。"如果不問是非，隨隨便便就聽從，恐怕對於兩個人全不能算是一種恭維吧。"達西先生，我覺得你未免否定了友誼和感情對於一個人的影響。要知道，一個人如果尊重別人提出的要求，通常都是用不著說服就會心甘情願地聽從的。我並不是因為你說到彬格萊先生而就借題發揮。也許我們可以等到真有這種事情發生的時候，再來討論他處理得是不適當。不過一般說來，朋友與朋友相處，遇到一件無關緊要的事情的時候，一個已經打定主意，另一個要他改變一下主意，如果被要求的人不等到到對方加以說服，就聽眾了對方的意見，你能說他有什麼不是嗎？"我們且慢討論這個問題，不妨先仔仔細細研究一下，那個朋友提出的要求究竟重要到什麼程度，他們兩個人的交情又深到什麼程度，這樣好不好？"
彬格萊大聲說道："好極了，請你仔仔細細講吧，連到他們的身材的高矮和大小也別忘了講，因為，班納特小姐，你一定想像不到討論起問題來的時候這一點是多麼重要。老實對你說，要是達西先生不比我高那麼多，大那麼多，你才休想叫我那麼尊敬他。在某些時候，某些場合，達西是個再討厭不過的傢伙──特別是禮拜天晚上在他家裏，當他沒有事情做的時候。"
達西微笑了一下，伊莉莎白本來要笑，可是覺得他好象有些生氣了，便忍住了沒有笑。彬格萊小姐看見人家拿他開玩笑，很是生氣，便怪她的哥哥幹嗎要談這樣沒意思的話。
達西說："我明白你的用意，彬格萊，你不喜歡辯論，要把這場辯論壓下去。"我也許真是這樣。辯論往往很象爭論，假若你和班納特小姐能夠稍緩一下等我走出房間以後再，辯論那我是非常感激的。我走出去以後，你們便可以愛怎麼說我就怎麼說我了。"
伊莉莎白說："你要這樣做，對我並沒有什麼損失；達西先生還是去把信寫好吧。"
達西先生聽從了她的意見，去把那封信寫好。
這件事過去以後，達西要求彬格萊小姐和伊莉莎白小姐賞賜他一點音樂聽聽，彬格萊小姐便敏捷地走鋼琴跟前，先客氣了一番，請伊莉莎白帶頭，伊莉莎白卻更加客氣、更加誠懇地推辭了，然後彬格萊小姐才在琴旁坐下來。
赫斯脫太太替她妹妹伴唱。當她們姐妹倆演奏的時候，伊莉莎白翻閱著鋼琴上的幾本琴譜，只見達西先生的眼睛總是望著她。如果說，這位了不起的人這樣看著她是出於愛慕之意，她可不大敢存這種奢望，不過，要是說達西是因為討厭她所以才望著她，那就更說不通了。最後，她只得這樣想；她所以引起了達西的注意，大概是因為達西認為她比起在座的任何人來，都叫人看不順眼。她作出了這個假想之後，並沒有感到痛苦，因為她根本不喜歡他，因此不稀罕他的垂青。
彬格萊小姐彈了幾支義大利歌曲以後，便改彈了一些活潑的蘇格蘭曲子來變換變換情調。不大一會兒工夫，達西先生走到伊莉莎白跟前來，跟她說：班納特小姐，你是不是很想趁這個機會來跳一次蘇格蘭舞？"
伊莉莎白沒有回答他，只是笑了笑。他見她悶聲不響，覺得有點兒奇怪，便又問了她一次。噢，"她說，"我早就聽見了；可是我一下子拿不准應該怎樣回答你。當然，我知道你希望我回答一聲'是的'那你就會蔑視我的低級趣味，好讓你自己得意一番，只可惜我一向喜歡戳穿人家的詭計，作弄一下那些存心想要蔑視人的人。因此，我決定跟你說，我根本不愛跳蘇格蘭舞；這一下你可不敢蔑視我了吧。"果真不敢。"
伊莉莎白本來打算使他難堪一下，這會兒見他那麼體貼，倒楞住了。不過，伊莉莎白的為人一貫溫柔乖巧，不輕易得罪任何人，而達西又對她非常著迷，以前任何女人也不曾使他這樣著迷過。他不由得一本正經地想道，要不是她的親戚出身微賤，那我難免危險了。
彬格萊小姐見到這般光景，很是嫉妒，或者也可以說是她疑心病重，因此由疑而妒。於是她愈想把伊莉莎白攆走，就愈巴不得她的好朋友吉英病體趕快複元。
為了挑撥達西厭惡這位客人，她常常閒言閒語，說他跟伊莉莎白終將結成美滿良緣，而且估料著這一門良緣會給達西帶來多大幸福。
第二天彬格萊小姐跟達西兩人在矮樹林裏散步，彬格萊小姐說："我希望將來有一天好事如願的時候，你得委婉地奉勸你那位岳母出言吐語要謹慎些，還有你那幾位小姨子，要是你能力辦得到，最好也得把她們那種醉心追求軍官的毛病醫治好。還有一件事，我真不好意思說出口；尊夫人有一點兒小脾氣，好象是自高自大，又好象是不懂禮貌，你也得盡力幫助她克制一下。"關於促進我的家庭幸福方面，你還有什麼別的意見嗎？"噢，有的是。千萬把你姨丈人姨丈母的像掛到彭伯裏畫廊裏面去，就掛在你那位當法官的伯祖父大人遺象旁邊。你知道他們都是同行，只不過部門不同而已。至於尊夫人伊莉莎白，可千萬別讓別人替她畫像，天下哪一個畫家能夠把她那一雙美麗的眼睛畫得維妙維肖？"那雙眼睛的神氣確不容易描畫；可是眼睛的形狀和顏色，以及她的睫毛，都非常美妙，也許描畫得出來。"
他們正談得起勁和時候，忽然看見赫斯脫太太和伊莉莎白從另外一條路走過來。
彬格萊小姐連忙招呼她們說："我不知道你們也想出來散散步，"她說這話的時候，心裏很有些惴惴不安，因為她恐怕剛才的話讓她們聽見了。你們也太對不起我們了，"赫斯脫太太回答道，"只顧自己出來，也不告訴我們一聲。"
接著她就挽住達西空著的那條臂膀，丟下伊莉莎白，讓她獨個兒去走。這條路恰巧只容得下三個人並排走。達西先生覺得她們太冒味了，便說道：這條路太窄，不能讓我們大家一塊兒並排走，我們不是走到大道上去吧。"
伊莉莎白本不想跟他們待在一起，一聽這話，便笑嘻嘻地說：不用啦，不用啦；你們就在這兒走走吧。你們三個人在一起走非常好看，而且很出色。加上第四個人，畫面就給弄毀了。再見。"
於是她就得意洋洋地跑開了。她一面跪溜達，一面想到一兩天內就可以回家，覺得很高興。吉英的病已經大為好轉，當天晚上就想走出房間去玩它兩個鐘頭。
Chapter 10
THE day passed much as the day before had done. Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley had spent some hours of the morning with the invalid, who continued, though slowly, to mend; and in the evening Elizabeth joined their party in the drawing room. The loo table, however, did not appear. Mr. Darcy was writing, and Miss Bingley, seated near him, was watching the progress of his letter, and repeatedly calling off his attention by messages to his sister. Mr. Hurst and Mr. Bingley were at piquet, and Mrs. Hurst was observing their game.
Elizabeth took up some needlework, and was sufficiently amused in attending to what passed between Darcy and his companion. The perpetual commendations of the lady either on his hand-writing, or on the evenness of his lines, or on the length of his letter, with the perfect unconcern with which her praises were received, formed a curious dialogue, and was exactly in unison with her opinion of each.
"How delighted Miss Darcy will be to receive such a letter!"
He made no answer.
"You write uncommonly fast."
"You are mistaken. I write rather slowly."
"How many letters you must have occasion to write in the course of the year! Letters of business too! How odious I should think them!"
"It is fortunate, then, that they fall to my lot instead of to yours."
"Pray tell your sister that I long to see her."
"I have already told her so once, by your desire."
"I am afraid you do not like your pen. Let me mend it for you. I mend pens remarkably well."
"Thank you -- but I always mend my own."
"How can you contrive to write so even?"
He was silent.
"Tell your sister I am delighted to hear of her improvement on the harp, and pray let her know that I am quite in raptures with her beautiful little design for a table, and I think it infinitely superior to Miss Grantley's."
"Will you give me leave to defer your raptures till I write again? -- At present I have not room to do them justice."
"Oh! it is of no consequence. I shall see her in January. But do you always write such charming long letters to her, Mr. Darcy?"
"They are generally long; but whether always charming, it is not for me to determine."
"It is a rule with me, that a person who can write a long letter, with ease, cannot write ill."
"That will not do for a compliment to Darcy, Caroline," cried her brother -- "because he does not write with ease. He studies too much for words of four syllables. -- Do not you, Darcy?"
"My stile of writing is very different from yours."
"Oh!" cried Miss Bingley, "Charles writes in the most careless way imaginable. He leaves out half his words, and blots the rest."
"My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them -- by which means my letters sometimes convey no ideas at all to my correspondents."
"Your humility, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth, "must disarm reproof."
"Nothing is more deceitful," said Darcy, "than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast."
"And which of the two do you call my little recent piece of modesty?"
"The indirect boast; -- for you are really proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting. The power of doing any thing with quickness is always much prized by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance. When you told Mrs. Bennet this morning that if you ever resolved on quitting Netherfield you should be gone in five minutes, you meant it to be a sort of panegyric, of compliment to yourself -- and yet what is there so very laudable in a precipitance which must leave very necessary business undone, and can be of no real advantage to yourself or any one else?"
"Nay," cried Bingley, "this is too much, to remember at night all the foolish things that were said in the morning. And yet, upon my honour, I believed what I said of myself to be true, and I believe it at this moment. At least, therefore, I did not assume the character of needless precipitance merely to shew off before the ladies."
"I dare say you believed it; but I am by no means convinced that you would be gone with such celerity. Your conduct would be quite as dependant on chance as that of any man I know; and if, as you were mounting your horse, a friend were to say, "Bingley, you had better stay till next week," you would probably do it, you would probably not go -- and, at another word, might stay a month."
"You have only proved by this," cried Elizabeth, "that Mr. Bingley did not do justice to his own disposition. You have shewn him off now much more than he did himself."
"I am exceedingly gratified," said Bingley, "by your converting what my friend says into a compliment on the sweetness of my temper. But I am afraid you are giving it a turn which that gentleman did by no means intend; for he would certainly think the better of me, if under such a circumstance I were to give a flat denial, and ride off as fast as I could."
"Would Mr. Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intention as atoned for by your obstinacy in adhering to it?"
"Upon my word I cannot exactly explain the matter; Darcy must speak for himself."
"You expect me to account for opinions which you chuse to call mine, but which I have never acknowledged. Allowing the case, however, to stand according to your representation, you must remember, Miss Bennet, that the friend who is supposed to desire his return to the house, and the delay of his plan, has merely desired it, asked it without offering one argument in favour of its propriety."
"To yield readily -- easily -- to the persuasion of a friend is no merit with you."
"To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either."
"You appear to me, Mr. Darcy, to allow nothing for the influence of friendship and affection. A regard for the requester would often make one readily yield to a request without waiting for arguments to reason one into it. I am not particularly speaking of such a case as you have supposed about Mr. Bingley. We may as well wait, perhaps, till the circumstance occurs, before we discuss the discretion of his behaviour thereupon. But in general and ordinary cases between friend and friend, where one of them is desired by the other to change a resolution of no very great moment, should you think ill of that person for complying with the desire, without waiting to be argued into it?"
"Will it not be advisable, before we proceed on this subject, to arrange with rather more precision the degree of importance which is to appertain to this request, as well as the degree of intimacy subsisting between the parties?"
"By all means," cried Bingley; "Let us hear all the particulars, not forgetting their comparative height and size; for that will have more weight in the argument, Miss Bennet, than you may be aware of. I assure you that if Darcy were not such a great tall fellow, in comparison with myself, I should not pay him half so much deference. I declare I do not know a more aweful object than Darcy, on particular occasions, and in particular places; at his own house especially, and of a Sunday evening when he has nothing to do."
Mr. Darcy smiled; but Elizabeth thought she could perceive that he was rather offended; and therefore checked her laugh. Miss Bingley warmly resented the indignity he had received, in an expostulation with her brother for talking such nonsense.
"I see your design, Bingley," said his friend. -- "You dislike an argument, and want to silence this."
"Perhaps I do. Arguments are too much like disputes. If you and Miss Bennet will defer yours till I am out of the room, I shall be very thankful; and then you may say whatever you like of me."
"What you ask," said Elizabeth, "is no sacrifice on my side; and Mr. Darcy had much better finish his letter,"
Mr. Darcy took her advice, and did finish his letter.
When that business was over, he applied to Miss Bingley and Elizabeth for the indulgence of some music. Miss Bingley moved with alacrity to the piano-forte, and after a polite request that Elizabeth would lead the way, which the other as politely and more earnestly negatived, she seated herself.
Mrs. Hurst sang with her sister, and while they were thus employed, Elizabeth could not help observing, as she turned over some music books that lay on the instrument, how frequently Mr. Darcy's eyes were fixed on her. She hardly knew how to suppose that she could be an object of admiration to so great man; and yet that he should look at her because he disliked her was still more strange. She could only imagine however, at last, that she drew his notice because there was a something about her more wrong and reprehensible, according to his ideas of right, than in any other person present. The supposition did not pain her. She liked him too little to care for his approbation.
After playing some Italian songs, Miss Bingley varied the charm by a lively Scotch air; and soon afterwards Mr. Darcy, drawing near Elizabeth, said to her --
"Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?"
She smiled, but made no answer. He repeated the question, with some surprise at her silence.
"Oh!" said she, "I heard you before; but I could not immediately determine what to say in reply. You wanted me, I know, to say "Yes," that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste; but I always delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt. I have therefore made up my mind to tell you that I do not want to dance a reel at all -- and now despise me if you dare."
"Indeed I do not dare."
Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry; but there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront anybody; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger.
Miss Bingley saw, or suspected, enough to be jealous; and her great anxiety for the recovery of her dear friend Jane received some assistance from her desire of getting rid of Elizabeth.
She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest, by talking of their supposed marriage, and planning his happiness in such an alliance.
"I hope," said she, as they were walking together in the shrubbery the next day, "you will give your mother-in-law a few hints, when this desirable event takes place, as to the advantage of holding her tongue; and if you can compass it, do cure the younger girls of running after the officers. -- And, if I may mention so delicate a subject, endeavour to check that little something, bordering on conceit and impertinence, which your lady possesses."
"Have you any thing else to propose for my domestic felicity?"
"Oh! yes. -- Do let the portraits of your uncle and aunt Philips be placed in the gallery at Pemberley. Put them next to your great uncle, the judge. They are in the same profession, you know; only in different lines. As for your Elizabeth's picture, you must not attempt to have it taken, for what painter could do justice to those beautiful eyes?"
"It would not be easy, indeed, to catch their expression, but their colour and shape, and the eye-lashes, so remarkably fine, might be copied."
At that moment they were met from another walk, by Mrs. Hurst and Elizabeth herself.
"I did not know that you intended to walk," said Miss Bingley, in some confusion, lest they had been overheard.
"You used us abominably ill," answered Mrs. Hurst, "in running away without telling us that you were coming out." Then taking the disengaged arm of Mr. Darcy, she left Elizabeth to walk by herself. The path just admitted three.
Mr. Darcy felt their rudeness and immediately said, --
"This walk is not wide enough for our party. We had better go into the avenue."
But Elizabeth, who had not the least inclination to remain with them, laughingly answered,
"No, no; stay where you are. -- You are charmingly group'd, and appear to uncommon advantage. The picturesque would be spoilt by admitting a fourth. Good bye."
She then ran gaily off, rejoicing, as she rambled about, in the hope of being at home again in a day or two. Jane was already so much recovered as to intend leaving her room for a couple of hours that evening.
文章出處：大紀元-中英文對照文章
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