英文阅读

我不怪你这次冷酷无情，因为我知道，你们姑娘们对于男人第一次的求婚，照例总是拒绝，也许你刚刚听说的一番话，正符合女人家微妙的性格，反而足以鼓励我继续追求下去。

It was absolutely necessary to interrupt him now.

"You are too hasty, sir, " she cried. "You forget that I have made no answer. Let me do it without further loss of time. Accept my thanks for the compliment you are paying me. I am very sensible of the honour of your proposals, but it is impossible for me to do otherwise than to decline them. "

"I am not now to learn, " replied Mr. Collins, with a formal wave of the hand, "that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept, when he first applies for their favour; and that sometimes the refusal is repeated a second, or even a third time. I am therefore by no means discouraged by what you have just said, and shall hope to lead you to the altar ere long. "

"Upon my word, sir, " cried Elizabeth, "your hope is a rather extraordinary one after my declaration. I do assure you that I am not one of those young ladies (if such young ladies there are) who are so daring as to risk their happiness on the chance of being asked a second time. I am perfectly serious in my refusal. You could not make ME happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so. Nay, were your friend Lady Catherine to know me, I am persuaded she would find me in every respect ill qualified for the situation. "

"Were it certain that Lady Catherine would think so, " said Mr. Collins very gravely--"but I cannot imagine that her ladyship would at all disapprove of you. And you may be certain when I have the honour of seeing her again, I shall speak in the very highest terms of your modesty, economy, and other amiable qualification. "

"Indeed, Mr. Collins, all praise of me will be unnecessary. You must give me leave to judge for myself, and pay me the compliment of believing what I say. I wish you very happy and very rich, and by refusing you hand, do all in my power to prevent your being otherwise.

In making me the offer, you must have satisfied the delicacy of your feelings with regard to my family, and may take possession of Longbourn estate whenever it falls, without any self-reproach. This matter may be considered, therefore, as finally settled. " And rising as she thus spoke, she would have quitted the room, had Mr. Collins not thus addressed her:

"When I do myself the honour of speaking to you next on the subject, I shall hope to receive a more favourable answer than you have now given me; though I am far from accusing you of cruelty at present, because I know it to be the established custom of your sex to reject a man on the first application, and perhaps you have even now said as much to encourage my suit as would be consistent with the true delicacy of the female character. "

参考译文

现在可非打断他的话不可了。

“你太心急了吧，先生，”她叫了起来。“你忘了我根本没有回答你呢。别再浪费时间，就让我来回答你吧。谢谢你的夸奖。你的求婚使我感到荣幸，可惜我除了谢绝之外，别无办法。”

柯林斯先生郑重其事地挥手回答道：“年轻的姑娘们遇到人家第一次求婚，即使心里愿意答应，口头上总是拒绝；有时候甚至会拒绝两次三次。这样看来，你刚才所说的话决不会叫我灰心，我希望不久就能领你到神坛跟前去呢。”

伊丽莎白嚷道：“不瞒你说，先生，我既然话已经说出了口，你还要存着指望，那真太奇怪了。老实跟你说，如果世上真有那么胆大的年轻小姐，拿自己的幸福去冒险，让人家提出第二次请求，那我也不是这种人。我的谢绝完全是严肃的。你不能使我幸福，而且我，相信我也绝对不能使你幸福。唔，要是你的朋友咖苔琳夫人认识我的话，我相信她一定会发觉，我无论在哪一方面，都不配做你的太太。”

柯林斯先生严肃地说：“就算咖苔琳夫人会有这样的想法，我想她老人家也决不会不赞成你。请你放心，我下次有幸见到她的时候，一定要在她面前把你的淑静、节俭、以及其他种种可爱的优点，大大夸奖一番。”

“说实话，柯林斯先生，任你怎么夸奖我，都是浪费唇舌。这自己的事自己会有主张，只要你相信我所说的话，就是赏我的脸了。我祝你幸福豪富。我所以放纵你的求婚，也就是为了免得你发生什么意外。而你呢，既然向我提出了求婚，那么，你对于我家里的事情，也就不必感到有什么不好意思了，将来浪博恩庄园一旦轮到你做评价，你就可以取之无愧了。这件事就这样一言为定吧。”她一面说，一面站起身来，要不是柯林斯先生向她说出下面的话，她早就走出屋子了。

“要是下趟我有幸再跟你谈到这个问题，我希望你能够给我一个比这次满意点的回答。我不怪你这次冷酷无情，因为我知道，你们姑娘们对于男人第一次的求婚，照例总是拒绝，也许你刚刚听说的一番话，正符合女人家微妙的性格，反而足以鼓励我继续追求下去。”