Pride and Prejudice Chapter 17

Chapter 17 
Elizabeth related to Jane the next day what had passed between Mr. Wickham and herself. Jane listened with astonishment and concern; she knew not how to believe that Mr. Darcy could be so unworthy of Mr. Bingley’s regard; and yet, it was not in her nature to question the veracity of a young man of such amiable appearance as Wickham. The possibility of his having endured such unkindness, was enough to interest all her tender feelings; and nothing remained therefore to be done, but to think well of them both, to defend the conduct of each, and throw into the account of accident or mistake whatever could not be otherwise explained. 
第二天，伊丽莎白把韦翰先生跟她自己说的话全告诉了简。简又是惊奇又是关切地听着。她简直不能相信，达西先生会这样地不值得彬格莱先生看重。可是，象韦翰这样一个青年美男子，她实在无从怀疑他说话不诚实。一想到他可能会受到这些亏待，她就不禁起了怜惜之心;因此，除了认为他们两人都好，替他们两人辩护，把他们两人的过错归罪于意外事故之外，已经没有别的办法了。
“They have both,” said she, “been deceived, I dare say, in some way or other, of which we can form no idea. Interested people have perhaps misrepresented each to the other. It is, in short, impossible for us to conjecture the causes or circumstances which may have alienated them, without actual blame on either side.” 
她说:“我想他们俩都受了蒙蔽，究竟是怎么回事，我们当然无从知道。有兴趣的人可能互相误导了对方。简单地说，除非是我们有确确实实的根据可以责怪任何一方，我们就无从凭空猜想出他们是为了什么事才不和睦的。”
“Very true, indeed; and now, my dear Jane, what have you got to say on behalf of the interested people who have probably been concerned in the business? Do clear them too, or we shall be obliged to think ill of somebody.” 
“非常正确,确实;那么，亲爱的简，你将替这种有关的人说些什么话呢?你也得替他辨白一下，不然，我们又不得不怪到某一个人头上去了。”
“Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion. My dearest Lizzy, do but consider in what a disgraceful light it places Mr. Darcy, to be treating his father’s favourite in such a manner, one whom his father had promised to provide for. It is impossible. No man of common humanity, no man who had any value for his character, could be capable of it. Can his most intimate friends be so excessively deceived in him? Oh! no.” 
“你爱怎么笑就怎么笑吧，但你总不能把我的意见笑掉。亲爱的丽兹，你且想一想，达西先生的父亲生前那样疼爱他，而且答应将来供养他，现在达西先生却这样亏待他，他自己真是太不体面了。这是不可能的。凡是具有一般人性的人，凡是稍微重视自己人格的人，是不会做出这种事来的。难道他最要好的朋友们对他竟会这样忘乎所以吗?哦!没有。”
“I can much more easily believe Mr. Bingley’s being imposed on, than that Mr. Wickham should invent such a history of himself as he gave me last night; names, facts, everything mentioned without ceremony. If it be not so, let Mr. Darcy contradict it. Besides, there was truth in his looks.” 
“我还是认为彬格莱先生受了他的蒙蔽，并不认为韦翰先生昨儿晚上跟我说和话是捏造的。名字，事实，随便提到的一切。倘若事实并非如此，那就让达西先生自己来驳斥吧。此外，他的神情也会流露出真情”
“It is difficult indeed—it is distressing. One does not know what to think.” 
“这确实很困难，很痛苦。真不知道该怎么想才好。”
“I beg your pardon; one knows exactly what to think.” 
“请原谅;谁都知道该怎么想。”
But Jane could think with certainty on only one point—that Mr. Bingley, if he had been imposed on, would have much to suffer when the affair became public. 
简只有一件事是猜得准的:要是彬格莱先生果真受了蒙蔽，那么，一旦真要把这件事公诸于众，他一定会非常痛苦。
The two young ladies were summoned from the shrubbery, where this conversation passed, by the arrival of the very persons of whom they had been speaking; Mr. Bingley and his sisters came to give their personal invitation for the long-expected ball at Netherfield, which was fixed for the following Tuesday. The two ladies were delighted to see their dear friend again, called it an age since they had met, and repeatedly asked what she had been doing with herself since their separation. To the rest of the family they paid little attention; avoiding Mrs. Bennet as much as possible, saying not much to Elizabeth, and nothing at all to the others. They were soon gone again, rising from their seats with an activity which took their brother by surprise, and hurrying off as if eager to escape from Mrs. Bennet’s civilities. 
两位年轻的小姐刚才谈到的那几个人也来了，便从灌木林里被叫了出来。尼日斐花园下星期二举行一次盼望已久的舞会，彬格莱先生和他的姐妹们亲自前来邀请她们参加。两位太太又见到了自己亲爱的朋友，非常高兴，说好久不见，又再三地问起她别离以后干些什么。他们对家里其他的人都不大注意;她尽量避开班纳特太太，同伊丽莎白少说几句话，至于别的人，一句也不谈。她们立刻就走了，而且采取了她们哥哥想不到的举动，从座位上站起身来，拔腿就走，仿佛急于要避开班纳特太太那些繁文缛节似的。
The prospect of the Netherfield ball was extremely agreeable to every female of the family. Mrs. Bennet chose to consider it as given in compliment to her eldest daughter, and was particularly flattered by receiving the invitation from Mr. Bingley himself, instead of a ceremonious card. Jane pictured to herself a happy evening in the society of her two friends, and the attentions of their brother; and Elizabeth thought with pleasure of dancing a great deal with Mr. Wickham, and of seeing a confirmation of everything in Mr. Darcy’s look and behaviour. The happiness anticipated by Catherine and Lydia depended less on any single event, or any particular person, for though they each, like Elizabeth, meant to dance half the evening with Mr. Wickham, he was by no means the only partner who could satisfy them, and a ball was, at any rate, a ball. And even Mary could assure her family that she had no disinclination for it. 
尼日斐花园要开舞会了，这一件事使这一家的女人都乐不可支。班纳特太太认为这次舞会是为了恭维她的大女儿才开的，而且这次舞会是由彬格莱先生亲自来请的，而不是来请贴，这使她更加高兴。简心里想象着，那天晚上可以跟两个朋友欢聚一堂，又可以受到她们兄弟的殷勤款待;伊丽莎白高兴地想，可以跟韦翰先生尽情地跳舞，又可以从达西先生的举止举止上把事情弄个水落石出。咖苔琳和丽迪雅的幸福，并不完全取决于某一件事或某一个人，虽然她们跟伊丽莎白一样，打算跟韦翰先生跳上大半夜，可是能叫她们跳得高兴的舞伴决不只有他一个人，何况舞会究竟是舞会。连玛丽也对家里人说，她也不是不愿意去。
“While I can have my mornings to myself,” said she, “it is enough—I think it is no sacrifice to join occasionally in evening engagements. Society has claims on us all; and I profess myself one of those who consider intervals of recreation and amusement as desirable for everybody.” 
丽迪雅说:“只要上午的时间能够由我自己支配就足够了。我认为偶尔参加参加晚会并不是什么牺牲。社会对我们所有人都有要求;我认为谁都少不了要不些消遣和娱乐。”
Elizabeth’s spirits were so high on this occasion, that though she did not often speak unnecessarily to Mr. Collins, she could not help asking him whether he intended to accept Mr. Bingley’s invitation, and if he did, whether he would think it proper to join in the evening’s amusement; and she was rather surprised to find that he entertained no scruple whatever on that head, and was very far from dreading a rebuke either from the Archbishop, or Lady Catherine de Bourgh, by venturing to dance. 
伊丽莎白这一次真是太高兴了，她虽然本来不大跟柯林斯先生多话，现在也不禁问起他是否愿意接受彬格莱先生的邀请，如果愿意，参加晚会是否合适。出乎伊丽莎白的意料，柯林斯先生对舞会竟然毫无顾忌，而且还大胆跳舞，一点不怕大主教或咖苔琳·德·包尔夫人的指责。
“I am by no means of the opinion, I assure you,” said he, “that a ball of this kind, given by a young man of character, to respectable people, can have any evil tendency; and I am so far from objecting to dancing myself, that I shall hope to be honoured with the hands of all my fair cousins in the course of the evening; and I take this opportunity of soliciting yours, Miss Elizabeth, for the two first dances especially, a preference which I trust my cousin Jane will attribute to the right cause, and not to any disrespect for her.” 
科斯林先生说:“老实告诉你，这样的舞会，由一个品格高尚的青年举办，客人都是些体面的人，我决不认为会有什么不好的倾向。我不但不反对自己跳舞，而且希望当天晚上所有的表妹们都赏光跟我跳舞。伊丽莎白小姐，我就利用这个机会请你跟我特别跳头两场舞，我相信简表妹一定会认为我这样喜欢你是出于正当的理由，而不是对她有什么不尊重。”
Elizabeth felt herself completely taken in. She had fully proposed being engaged by Mr. Wickham for those very dances; and to have Mr. Collins instead! her liveliness had never been worse timed. There was no help for it, however. Mr. Wickham’s happiness and her own were perforce delayed a little longer, and Mr. Collins’s proposal accepted with as good a grace as she could. She was not the better pleased with his gallantry from the idea it suggested of something more. It now first struck her, that she was selected from among her sisters as worthy of being mistress of Hunsford Parsonage, and of assisting to form a quadrille table at Rosings, in the absence of more eligible visitors. The idea soon reached to conviction, as she observed his increasing civilities toward herself, and heard his frequent attempt at a compliment on her wit and vivacity; and though more astonished than gratified herself by this effect of her charms, it was not long before her mother gave her to understand that the probability of their marriage was extremely agreeable to her. Elizabeth, however, did not choose to take the hint, being well aware that a serious dispute must be the consequence of any reply. Mr. Collins might never make the offer, and till he did, it was useless to quarrel about him. 
伊丽莎白觉得自己完全上当了。她本来一心要韦翰先生跟她跳两场舞;却换来了柯林斯先生!她的活泼从来没有像现在这样糟糕过。然而，这是毫无办法的。韦翰先生的幸福和她自己的幸福不得不耽搁一下了，于是她极其和颜悦色地答应了柯林斯先生的请求。她虽然以为他的献殷勤另有隐情，却并不因此而感到高兴。她首先就想到他已经在她的几个姐妹中间看中了她自己，认为她配做汉斯福牧师家里的主妇，而且当罗新斯没有更适当的宾客时打起牌来要是三缺一，她也可以凑凑数。她这个想法立刻就得到了证实，因为她看到他对她越来越殷勤，只听得他老是恭维她聪明活泼;虽然从这种魅力的效果来看，她并不得意，反而感到惊奇，可是她母亲不久又告诉她，他们俩是可能结婚的，这叫她非常高兴。伊丽莎白没有听她的暗示，因为她心里很明白，只要跟她攀谈，一定会引起一场大的争论。柯林斯先生也许永远不会提出求婚，他不提出，你再为他吵也没有用。
If there had not been a Netherfield ball to prepare for and talk of, the younger Miss Bennets would have been in a very pitiable state at this time, for from the day of the invitation, to the day of the ball, there was such a succession of rain as prevented their walking to Meryton once. No aunt, no officers, no news could be sought after—the very shoe-roses for Netherfield were got by proxy. Even Elizabeth might have found some trial of her patience in weather which totally suspended the improvement of her acquaintance with Mr. Wickham; and nothing less than a dance on Tuesday, could have made such a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday endurable to Kitty and Lydia. 
要不是把尼日斐花园要开舞会的事准备一下，谈谈一下，班纳特家几位年轻的小姐们现在真要可怜死了，因为从邀请他们的那天起，到开跳舞会的那天为止，雨一直下个不停，弄得他们没有到麦里屯去过一次。她们找不到姨母，找不到军官，也找不到消息——连尼日斐花园的玫瑰花都是叫别人替她们买的。甚至伊丽莎白也对这种天气感到不耐烦，因为这种天气使她和韦翰先生的交情完全断绝了。吉蒂和丽迪亚她们忍受星期五、星期六、星期日和星期一，终于等待了星期二的跳舞会。