《傲慢与偏见》第 6 期

“Oh,” said Lydia, stoutly, “I am not afraid; for though I _am_ the youngest, I’m the tallest.”

“哦，”莉迪亚坚决地说，“我才不害怕呢；因为虽然我是最年幼的，可我是最高的。”

The rest of the evening was spent in conjecturing how soon he would return Mr. Bennet’s visit, and determining when they should ask him to dinner.

余下的晚间时光都用来猜测他什么时候会回访班纳特先生，以及决定何时邀请他来吃饭。

“He rode a black horse” ]

“他骑的是一匹黑马” ]

CHAPTER III.

第三章

Not all that Mrs. Bennet, however, with the assistance of her five daughters, could ask on the subject, was sufficient to draw from her husband any satisfactory description of Mr. Bingley. They attacked him in various ways, with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and distant surmises; but he eluded the skill of them all; and they were at last obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbour, Lady Lucas. Her report was highly favourable. Sir William had been delighted with him. He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party. Nothing could be more delightful! To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love; and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley’s heart were entertained.

然而，班纳特太太在五个女儿的协助下，围绕这个话题所能提出的一切问题，都不足以从丈夫那里问出关于宾利先生的任何令人满意的描述。她们用各种方式向他进攻：直截了当的问题，巧妙的假设，以及拐弯抹角的猜测；但他避开了她们所有人的伎俩。最后，她们不得不接受邻居卢卡斯夫人转述的消息。她的报告极为有利。威廉爵士对他十分满意。他相当年轻，英俊非凡，极其和蔼可亲；更令人高兴的是，他打算下一场舞会上带着一大群人出席。没有什么比这更令人愉快了！喜欢跳舞，无疑是坠入爱河的必经一步；因此，人们对宾利先生的心意抱有十分热切的希望。

“If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield,” said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, “and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for.”

“只要能看到我的一个女儿在尼日斐花园幸福地安顿下来，”班纳特太太对丈夫说，“而其他女儿也都同样嫁得如意，我就再也没有什么可奢求的了。”

In a few days Mr. Bingley returned Mr. Bennet’s visit, and sat about ten minutes with him in his library. He had entertained hopes of being admitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose beauty he had heard much; but he saw only the father. The ladies were somewhat more fortunate, for they had the advantage of ascertaining, from an upper window, that he wore a blue coat and rode a black horse.

几天后，宾利先生回访了班纳特先生，并在他的书房里坐了约十分钟。他原本希望能够见到那些年轻小姐——他早已听说她们美貌非凡；可是他只见到了她们的父亲。小姐们倒要幸运一些，因为她们从楼上的窗户看清了他穿着一件蓝色外套，骑着一匹黑马。