《傲慢与偏见》第 7 期

An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards despatched; and already had Mrs. Bennet planned the courses that were to do credit to her housekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred it all. Mr. Bingley was obliged to be in town the following day, and consequently unable to accept the honour of their invitation, etc. Mrs. Bennet was quite disconcerted. She could not imagine what business he could have in town so soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire; and she began to fear that he might always be flying about from one place to another, and never settled at Netherfield as he ought to be. Lady Lucas quieted her fears a little by starting the idea of his

宴请的邀请很快便发了出去；班纳特太太已经计划好了菜单，准备以此彰显她持家的本领，这时却收到了一封回信，将一切都推迟了。宾利先生第二天不得不进城，因此无法接受他们的邀请，等等。班纳特太太十分不安。她无法想象，他刚到赫特福德郡不久，怎么会这么快就在城里有事；她开始担心，他也许总是在一个地方和另一个地方之间奔波，永远不会像他应该的那样定居在尼日斐花园。卢卡斯夫人提出了一个想法，使她的担忧稍稍平息：宾利先生进伦敦只是为了给舞会召集一大群宾客；不久便有传闻说，宾利先生将带十二位小姐和七位绅士来参加舞会。

“When the Party entered”

“当宾客们进入舞厅时”

[_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]

[版权所有 1894 年，乔治·艾伦。]]

being gone to London only to get a large party for the ball; and a report soon followed that Mr. Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly. The girls grieved over such a number of ladies; but were comforted the day before the ball by hearing that, instead of twelve, he had brought only six with him from London, his five sisters and a cousin. And when the party entered the assembly-room, it consisted of only five altogether: Mr. Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, and another young man.

只是为了进伦敦召集一大群宾客；不久便有传闻说，宾利先生将带十二位小姐和七位绅士来参加舞会。姑娘们为有这么多小姐而感到遗憾；但在舞会前一天听说他从伦敦带来的不是十二位，而只有六位——他的五个姐妹和一位表亲——之后，她们便感到安慰了。而当这群宾客进入舞厅时，总共只有五个人：宾利先生、他的两个姐妹、长姐的丈夫，以及另一位年轻人。

Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike: he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion. His brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, merely looked the gentleman; but his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report, which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.

宾利先生相貌英俊，举止彬彬有礼：面容和善，仪态轻松自然，不矫揉造作。他的姐妹们都是漂亮的女子，显露出十足的时髦气派。他的妹夫赫斯特先生徒有绅士的外表；但他的朋友达西先生一进场，便因身材高大挺拔、相貌英俊、气度高贵，以及入场不到五分钟便传遍众人的消息——他年收入一万英镑——吸引了全场的注意。男士们称赞他是个仪表堂堂的人，女士们则断言他比宾利先生英俊得多。大半个晚上，他都受到众人的艳羡注目，直到他的举止令人反感，彻底扭转了他的人气；因为人们发现他傲慢自大，看不起在场的人，也不屑于取悦他人。即使他在德比郡拥有大片产业，也无法挽救他那副极其冷峻、令人厌恶的面容，更无法使他配得上与他的朋友相提并论。