英文阅读

他说，他本以为夏绿蒂·卢卡斯相当懂事，哪知道她简直跟他太太一样蠢，比起他的女儿来就更要蠢了，他实在觉得高兴！

Elizabeth was sitting with her mother and sisters, reflecting on what she had heard, and doubting whether she was authorised to mention it, when Sir William Lucas himself appeared, sent by his daughter, to announce her engagement to the family. With many compliments to them, and much self-gratulation on the prospect of a connection between the houses, he unfolded the matter--to an audience not merely wondering, but incredulous; for Mrs. Bennet, with more perseverance than politeness, protested he must be entirely mistaken; and Lydia, always unguarded and often uncivil, boisterously exclaimed:

"Good Lord! Sir William, how can you tell such a story? Do not you know that Mr. Collins wants to marry Lizzy?"

Nothing less than the complaisance of a courtier could have borne without anger such treatment; but Sir William's good breeding carried him through it all; and though he begged leave to be positive as to the truth of his information, he listened to all their impertinence with the most forbearing courtesy.

Elizabeth, feeling it incumbent on her to relieve him from so unpleasant a situation, now put herself forward to confirm his account, by mentioning her prior knowledge of it from Charlotte herself; and endeavoured to put a stop to the exclamations of her mother and sisters by the earnestness of her congratulations to Sir William, in which she was readily joined by Jane, and by making a variety of remarks on the happiness that might be expected from the match, the excellent character of Mr. Collins, and the convenient distance of Hunsford from London.

Mrs. Bennet was in fact too much overpowered to say a great deal while Sir William remained; but no sooner had he left them than her feelings found a rapid vent. In the first place, she persisted in disbelieving the whole of the matter; secondly, she was very sure that Mr. Collins had been taken in; thirdly, she trusted that they would never be happy together; and fourthly, that the match might be broken off.

Two inferences, however, were plainly deduced from the whole: one, that Elizabeth was the real cause of the mischief; and the other that she herself had been barbarously misused by them all; and on these two points she principally dwelt during the rest of the day. Nothing could console and nothing could appease her. Nor did that day wear out her resentment. A week elapsed before she could see Elizabeth without scolding her, a month passed away before she could speak to Sir William or Lady Lucas without being rude, and many months were gone before she could at all forgive their daughter.

Mr. Bennet's emotions were much more tranquil on the occasion, and such as he did experience he pronounced to be of a most agreeable sort; for it gratified him, he said, to discover that Charlotte Lucas, whom he had been used to think tolerably sensible, was as foolish as his wife, and more foolish than his daughter!

参考译文

伊丽莎白正跟母亲和姐妹坐在一起，回想刚才所听到的那件事，决不定是否可以把它告诉大家，就在这时候，威廉·卢卡斯爵士来了。他是受了女儿的拜托，前来班府上宣布她订婚的消息。他一面叙述这件事，一面又大大地恭维了太太小姐们一阵，说是两家能结上亲，他真感到荣幸。班府上的人听了，不仅感到惊异，而且不相信真有这回事。班纳特太太再也顾不得礼貌，竟一口咬定他弄错了。丽迪雅一向又任性又撒野，不由得叫道：

“天哪！威廉爵士，你怎么会说出这番话来？你不知道柯林斯先生要娶丽萃吗？”

遇到这种情形，只有象朝廷大臣那样能够逆来顺受的人，才不会生气，好在威廉爵士颇有素养，竟没有把它当一回事，虽然他要求她们相信他说的是实话，可是他却使出了极大的忍耐功夫，满有礼貌地听着她们无理的谈吐。

伊丽莎白觉得自己有责任帮助他来打开这种僵局，于是挺身而出，证明他说的实话，说是刚刚已经听到夏绿蒂本人谈起过了。为了尽力使母亲和妹妹们不再大惊小怪，她便诚恳地向威廉爵士道喜，吉英马上也替她帮腔，又用种种话来说明这门婚姻是何等幸福，柯林斯先生品格又非常好，汉斯福和伦敦相隔不远往返方便。

班纳特太太在威廉爵士面前，实在气得说不出话；可是他一走，她那一肚子牢骚便马上发泄出来。第一，她坚决不相信这回事；第二，她断定柯林斯先生受了骗；第三，她相信这一对夫妇决不会幸福；第四，这门亲事可能会破裂。不过她却从整个事件上简单地得出了两个结论……一个是：这场笑话全都是伊丽莎白一手造成的；另一个是，她自己受尽了大家的欺负虐待；在那一整天里，她所谈的大都是这两点。随便怎么也安慰不了她，随便怎么也平不了她的气。直到晚上，怨愤依然没有消散。她见到伊丽莎白就骂，一直骂了一个星期之久。她同威廉爵士或卢卡斯太太说起话来，总是粗声粗气，一直过了一个月才好起来；至于夏绿蒂，她竟过了好几个月才宽恕了她。

对班纳特先生说来，这件事反而使他心情上益发洒脱，据他说，这次所经过的一切，真使他精神上舒服到极点。他说，他本以为夏绿蒂·卢卡斯相当懂事，哪知道她简直跟他太太一样蠢，比起他的女儿来就更要蠢了，他实在觉得高兴！