Pride and Prejudice Chapter 10

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. 
这一天过得和前一天没什么两样。赫斯脱太太和彬格莱小姐上午陪了病人几个钟头，病人虽然好转得很慢，却还在继续好转。晚上，伊丽莎白跟她们一块儿待在客厅里。然而，达西先生坐在梳妆台前写信，彬格莱小姐坐在他旁边看他写，一再要他代她写信给他妹妹。赫斯脱先生和彬格莱先生在打皮克，赫斯脱太太在一旁看他们打。
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 handwriting, 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 union with her opinion of each. 
伊丽莎白开始做针线活，达西和达西的那位朋友正在谈话，她听得很有趣。只听得那位小姐没完没了地恭维他的字写得好，或是赞美他的行文齐整，或是赞美他的信写得好，可是对方却完全是冷冰冰的。这两句话形成了一段奇妙的对话。
“How delighted Miss Darcy will be to receive such a letter!” 
“达西小姐收到了这样的信，将会多么高兴啊!”
He made no answer. 
他没有做出任何回答。
“You write uncommonly fast.” 
“你写得特别快。”
“You are mistaken. I write rather slowly.” 
“你错了。我写得相当慢。”
“How many letters you must have occasion to write in the course of a year! Letters of business, too! How odious I should think them!” 
“一年中你得写多少封信啊!”还有商务信函!我看他们多么可恶!”
“It is fortunate, then, that they fall to my lot instead of yours.” 
“那么，幸亏我得到了这些礼物，而你没有。”
“Pray tell your sister that I long to see her.” 
“请你告诉令妹，我很想和她见见面”
“I have already told her so once, by your desire.” 
“我已经照你的意思告诉过她了。”
“I am afraid you do not like your pen. Let me mend it for you. I mend pens 
remarkably well.” 
“我怕你这支笔用不完。让我来帮你修一下。我修笔修得特别好。”
“Thank you—but I always mend my own.” 
“谢谢——不过我总是自己修理的。”
“How can you contrive to write so even?” 
“你怎么写得那么整齐?”
He was silent. 
他不做声了
“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.” 
“告诉你妹妹，听到她的竖琴弹得进步了，我感到很高兴;请你告诉她说，她寄来给我装饰桌子的那张美丽的小图案，我真喜欢极了，我觉得比起格兰特小姐的那张真好得太多了。”
“Will you give me leave to defer your raptures till I write again? At present I have not room to do them justice.” 
“可否请你通融一下，让我把你的喜欢，推迟到下次写信时再告诉你?”现在我可说不出话来了。”
“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?” 
“哦!这无关紧要。我将在一月见到她。不过，你总是写那么动人的长信给她吗，达西先生?”
“They are generally long; but whether always charming it is not for me to determine.” 
“信一般都很长;不过是否总是那么迷人，那可由不得我来决定了。”
“It is a rule with me, that a person who can write a long letter with ease, cannot write ill.” 
“我总觉得，一个能写长信的人，总不会写得不好。”
“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?” 
她的哥哥嚷道:“这种恭维话可不能用在达西身上，珈罗琳，因为他并不能够一挥而就。他对四个音节的单词研究得太多了。达西，你不是这样吗?”
“My style of writing is very different from yours.” 
“我写信的风格和你很不同。”
“Oh!” cried Miss Bingley, “Charles writes in the most careless way imaginable. He leaves out half his words, and blots the rest.” 
“哦!彬格莱小姐叫起来了。“查尔斯写得那么随便，简直是想象不到的。”他要漏掉一半字，涂掉一半字。”
“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.” 
“我思绪万千，简直来不及表达出来，因此有时候收信人读到我的信，反而觉得不知所云。”
“Your humility, Mr. Bingley,” said Elizabeth, “must disarm reproof.” 
伊丽莎白说:“彬格莱先生，你这样谦虚，真叫本来要责备你的人也来不及责备你了。”
“Nothing is more deceitful,” said Darcy, “than the appearance of humility. 
达西说:“装出一副谦卑的样子，实在是最骗人的。
It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast.” 
这种说法往往只不过是信口开河，有时候简直是转弯抹角的自夸。”
“And which of the two do you call my little recent piece of modesty?” 
“那你把我最近的那句话叫做谦虚呢?”
“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 anything with quickness is always prized much 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 upon 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 anyone else?” 
“间接自夸;你对自己写作方面的缺点感到非常得意，你认为你思维敏捷，粗心大意，你认为这些缺点即使没有什么了不起，但至少还很有趣。快速做任何事情的能力总是被拥有者所珍视，而且通常不会注意到表现的不完美。今天早上当你对班纳特太太说,如果你决定离开尼日斐花园时你应该在五分钟内消失了,你的意思是一种颂词,赞美自己,对你自己的恭维；然而，轻率行事只会把必须做的事情搁在一边，无论对你对别人都没有真正的好处，这有什么值得称赞的呢?”
“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 believe 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 show off before the ladies.” 
“不，”彬格莱嚷道，“晚上还记起早上说的那些傻话，真是太可惜了。可是，我敢以我的名誉担保，我相信我所说的关于我自己的话是真的，我现在还是这样认为的。因此，我至少不是故意要显得那么神速，想要在小姐们面前炫耀自己。”
“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 dependent 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.” 
“也许你真的相信你自己的话;可是我怎么也不相信你做事情会这样当机立断。我知道你也跟一般人一样，都是见机行事。你正跨上马要走的时候，忽然有朋友跟你说:‘彬格莱，你最好还是待到下个星期再走吧。’你也许会答应，也许就不去了;要是再跟他说一句话，你也许就会待上一个月。”
“You have only proved by this,” cried Elizabeth, “that Mr. Bingley did not do justice to his own disposition. You have shown him off now much more than he did himself.” 
伊丽莎白嚷道:“你这一番话只不过说明了彬格莱先生并没有照他自己的意思做。你这样叫他出风头，比他自己更厉害了。”
“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 better of me, if under such a circumstance I were to give a flat denial, and ride off as fast as I could.” 
彬格莱说:“我真太高兴了，我的朋友所说的话，经过你这么一圆转，反面变成恭维我的话了。不过，我只怕你这种转变并非那位先生的本意;我要是真遇到这种事，我会爽爽快快地谢绝他，骑上马就走，那他一定更看得起我了。”
“Would Mr. Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intentions as atoned for by your obstinacy in adhering to it?” 
“那么，难道达西先生认为，不管你本来的打算是多么轻率，只要你一打定主意就坚持到底，也就情有可原了吗?”
“Upon my word, I cannot exactly explain the matter; Darcy must speak for himself.” 
“老实说，我也解释不清楚;那得由达西自己来说明。”
“You expect me to account for opinions which you choose 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.”
“你要我把你的意见说成是我的意见，我可从来没有承认过。允许情况下,然而,根据你的表现,你必须记住,班纳特小姐,朋友是应该希望他回到家,和他的计划的延迟,只是想要它,问它没有提供一个参数在适当的支持。” 
“To yield readily—easily—to the persuasion of a friend is no merit with you.” 
“说到随随便便地听从一个朋友的劝告，在你身上还找不到这个优点。”
“To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either.” 
“对双方的理解都不是一种恭维。”
“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?” 
“达西先生，我觉得你未免不把友谊和感情看作一种影响。对请求者的关心通常会使人轻易地屈服于请求，而不用等待论据来说服自己。我并不象你所想象的彬格莱先生一件事就特别提到。也许我们可以等到真有这种事情发生的时候，再来讨论他行为是否得体。可是一般说来，朋友与朋友相处，遇到一件无关紧要的事情，一个已经下了决心，另一个要他改变一下主意，若是被要求的人不等到经过一番劝说，就服从了对方的意愿，你能说他有什么不好吗?”
“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?” 
“我们且慢讨论这个问题，不妨先仔仔细细考虑一下，这个要求究竟重要到什么程度，他们两个人的交情又深到什么程度，这样好不好?”
“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 awful 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.” 
“好极了，”彬格莱嚷道;“让我们听听细枝末节，别忘了它们的高度和大小。班纳特小姐，你一定不知道，这件事谈起来有多么重要。老实告诉你，要是达西先生的个子跟我比起来，不是那么高，我才不会对他那么尊敬呢。”在某些时候，某些场合，达西是个再讨厌不过的家伙。尤其是礼拜天晚上，当他无事可做的时候。”
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.
达西先生笑了;可是伊丽莎白看出来他是生气了，便止住了笑。彬格莱小姐见他受了人家的侮辱，很是生气，便劝她哥哥不要说这种废话。 
“I see your design, Bingley,” said his friend. “You dislike an argument, and want to silence this.” 
“我明白你的用意，彬格莱，”他的朋友说。“你不喜欢争论，想让它平息。”
“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.” 
“也许我做的。争论太像争论了。请你和班纳特小姐能等我走出去以后，再谈你的私事，我将非常感激;到那时你爱怎么说我就怎么说我吧。”
“What you ask,” said Elizabeth, “is no sacrifice on my side; and Mr. Darcy had much better finish his letter.” 
伊丽莎白说:“你要这样做，对我并没有什么损失;达西先生还是去把信写好吧。”
Mr. Darcy took her advice, and did finish his letter. 
达西先生听从了她的劝告，把信写完了。
When that business was over, he applied to Miss Bingley and Elizabeth for an indulgence of some music. Miss Bingley moved with some alacrity to the pianoforte; and, after a polite request that Elizabeth would lead the way which the other as politely and more earnestly negatived, she seated herself. 
这件事办完以后，他请求彬格莱小姐和伊丽莎白小姐给他听些音乐。彬格莱小姐很敏捷地走到钢琴跟前。她先客客气气地请伊丽莎白先来，伊丽莎白则更客气、更恳切地谢绝了，然后便坐了下来。
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 a 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 something 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. 
赫斯脱太太替她妹妹唱歌。当她们唱着歌的时候，伊丽莎白翻阅着钢琴上的几本乐谱，只见达西先生的眼睛老是在她身上望着。她简直想象不出自己会成为这样一位骄傲人的爱慕对象;然而，他因为不喜欢她而望着她，这就更奇怪了。最后，她只得这样想;她所以引起了达西的注意，大概是因为达西认为她比在场的任何人都更可恶，都应受责备吧。这种设想并没有使她感到痛苦。她根本不喜欢他，所以不在乎他的赞许。
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: 
彬格莱小姐弹了几支意大利歌曲以后，便改弹了一些活泼的苏格兰曲子来变换变换情调。不一会儿工夫，达西先生走到伊丽莎白跟前来，对她说:
“Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?” 
“班纳特小姐，你是不是很想趁这个机会来跳一次苏格兰舞?”
She smiled, but made no answer. He repeated the question, with some surprise at her silence. 
她笑了笑，但没有回答。他又问了一遍，对她的沉默感到有些惊奇。
“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.”
“哦!她说，“我早就听见了，可是我一下子拿不准应该怎样回答你。”我知道，你希望我说‘是的’，那样你就可以蔑视我的鉴赏力，好自娱自乐。可是我一向喜欢戳穿人家的诡计，作弄一下那些存心要蔑视人的人。因此，我决定告诉你，我根本不爱跳苏格兰舞——这一下你可不敢蔑视我了吧。 
“Indeed I do not dare.” 
“我实在不敢。”
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. 
伊丽莎白本以为会惹他一生气，现在见他这么殷勤，倒觉得奇怪。不过，她的举止既温柔又乖巧，使她很难冒犯任何人。而达西对她又是那样着迷，从来没有哪个女人使他如此着迷。他深信，要不是她那些亲戚出身低微，他的处境一定会很危险。
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. 
彬格莱小姐见了，或者说，她起了疑心，因此醋意大发。于是她一心一意地希望自己的好朋友简赶快复元，因此想把伊丽莎白撵走。
She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest, by talking of their supposed marriage, and planning his happiness in such an alliance. 
为了挑拨达西讨厌这位客人，她常常大谈特谈他们两人所谓的婚事，并且计划着这门姻缘会给达西带来多大的幸福。
“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 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.” 
第二天彬格莱小姐和达西两人在矮树林里散步，彬格莱小姐说:“我希望将来好事如愿的时候，你得委婉地奉劝你那位岳母说话要小心谨慎;要是你能办得到的话，把那些年轻姑娘们追求军官的毛病也治好吧。还有一件事，容我说一句十分敏感的话;你的小姐有一点小脾气，好象是自高自大，又好象是不懂礼貌，你也得尽力抑制住她。”
“Have you anything else to propose for my domestic felicity?” 
“关于促进我的家庭幸福方面，你还有什么别的意见吗?”
“Oh! yes. Do let the portraits of your uncle and aunt Phillips 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 have it taken, for what painter could do justice to those beautiful eyes?”
“哦!是的。请你姨父姨母的像一定要挂到彭伯里画廊里去。放在你的法官叔祖父旁边。你知道，他们是同行，他们从事同一职业。至于尊夫人伊丽莎白，可千万别让别人替她画像，天下哪一个画家能够把她那一双美丽的眼睛画得维妙维肖?” 
“It would not be easy, indeed, to catch their expression, but their colour and shape, and the eyelashes, so remarkably fine, might be copied.” “的确，要捕捉它们的表情并不容易，但它们的颜色、形状和睫毛都是可以模仿的，它们非常纤巧。”
At that moment they were met from another walk by Mrs. Hurst and Elizabeth herself. 
正在这时，赫斯脱太太和伊丽莎白从另一条路走过来。
“I did not know that you intended to walk,” said Miss Bingley, in some confusion, lest they had been overheard. 
彬格莱小姐说:“我不知道你也要散步，”她很是慌张，恐怕让她们听见了。
“You used us abominably ill,” answered Mrs. Hurst, “running away without telling us that you were coming out.” 
“你们也太对不起我们了，”赫斯脱太太回答道，“只顾自己出来，也不告诉我们一声。”
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:
于是她就挽着达西空着的那只胳膊，离开伊丽莎白，让她自己走。这条路只容得下三个人。达西先生觉得她们太冒失了，便说道:
“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: 
“这条路太窄，我们不能并排走。我们最好到林荫道去。”伊丽莎白本不想跟他们待在一起，便笑嘻嘻地说:
“No, no; stay where you are. You are charmingly grouped, and appear to uncommon advantage. The picturesque would be spoilt by admitting a fourth. Good-bye.” 
“不,不,待在原地别动。你们聚在一起很可爱，而且显得很有优势。如果出现第四个人，风景就会被毁了。再见。”
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. 
于是她就高高兴兴地跑开了。她一面溜达，一面想到一两天就可以回家，心里觉得很高兴。简已经完全恢复了健康，打算那天晚上离开房间去玩两个小时。