4 The letter

Chapter 4 The letter Lizzy went straight out after breakfast, trying to clear her head with fresh air. She hadn't gone far along her usual walk when she saw Mr. Darcy ahead of her. She turned away, but he called her name, came after her and gave her a letter. "Will you read this for me?" he asked. Instinctively, she took it. Mr. Darcy gave a slight bow and walked away. Intrigued, Lizzy began to read...

丽萃吃过早饭就出去了，想吸点新鲜空气清醒一下头脑。 她照例走了没多远，就看见达西先生走在她前面。 她转过身去，但他叫着她的名字，跟在她后面，递给她一封信。 “你能给我读一下吗？”他问。 她本能地接受了。 达西先生微微鞠了一躬，就走开了。 丽萃很感兴趣，开始读起来……

Do not be alarmed, Miss Bennet. I am not going to repeat my offer of marriage. Yesterday, you accused me of two things. I only want the chance to defend myself. It wasn't long before I realized Bingley was in love, but as I studied your sister, it did not seem to me that she loved him. And, as I watched your family at the Netherfield Ball, I became convinced that Bingley was about to become trapped in a marriage with an unsuitable family and a girl who did not love him. So I went with Bingley to London, where I told him that Jane did not return his affection. After that, it wasn't hard to persuade him never to return to Netherfield... "How could he know Jane's true feelings?" thought Lizzy, still fuming. Though her face burned with shame when she remembered how her family had behaved that night. With shaking hands, she read on.

别惊慌，班纳特小姐。 我不会重复我的求婚。 昨天，你指责了我两件事。 我只想有机会为自己辩护。 没过多久，我就意识到彬格莱恋爱了，但当我仔细研究你妹妹时，我觉得她似乎并不爱他。 而且，当我在尼日斐花园的舞会上看到你的家人时，我确信彬格莱即将陷入一场婚姻的困境，他的家庭不合适，他的女儿也不爱他。 于是我和彬格莱一起去了伦敦，在那里我告诉他简没有回报他的爱。 从那以后，说服他再也不要回到尼日斐花园并不难…… “他怎么会知道吉英的真实感情？”丽萃心里想，还在生气。 虽然当她想起那天晚上家人的行为时，她的脸羞得通红。 她颤抖着双手继续读下去。

As for Mr. Wickham, he has not told you the whole truth. I offered him the job of clergyman, as my father requested in his will. Wickham turned it down. Instead, he asked for money to study law, which I gave him, but he frittered it away. Then, last summer, he tried to run away with my sister to force her to marry him- not because he loved her, but because he wanted her money. If your dislike of me makes you doubt me, do ask my cousin, Mr. Fitzwilliam. I will only add, God bless you. Darcy

至于韦翰先生，他并没有把全部实情告诉你。 我按照我父亲在遗嘱中提出的要求，请他担任牧师。 韦翰拒绝了。相反，他向我要钱去学法律，我给了他钱，但他挥霍掉了。 然后，去年夏天，他试图和我妹妹私奔，强迫她嫁给他——不是因为他爱她，而是因为他想要她的钱。 如果你不喜欢我而怀疑我，那就去问我的表兄费茨威廉先生吧。 我只想补充一句，上帝保佑你。 达西

Lizzy didn't see either Darcy or Fitzwilliam before they left. By the time she was making her own journey home, she felt she knew Darcy's letter by heart. How could she have been so wrong- she, who always prided herself on her insight? As her anger faded, she realized that Jane did hide her true feelings, even from those closest to her. She thought how she'd praised Wickham, been blinded by his charm... At least she didn't have to face Wickham again. The officers had gone to Brighton. Lizzy was anxious to discover that Lydia had gone with them, in the company of one of her friends. "Call her back, Papa," she begged. "She will only become more giddy and foolish away from home. And how Lydia acts affects us all... how we are all judged." Mr. Bennet laughed. "Do you mean to say Lydia is frightening away husbands for you and Jane? Don't make yourself uneasy, my love. Wherever you and Jane go, you will be respected and valued."

在达西和费茨威廉离开之前，丽萃没有见到他们。 在她自己回家的路上，她觉得她已经把达西的信背熟了。 她总是以自己的洞察力而自豪，她怎么可能犯这样的错误呢？ 当她的愤怒消退时，她意识到简确实隐藏了她的真实感受，甚至对她最亲近的人也是如此。 她回想起自己是如何赞美韦翰，被他的魅力蒙蔽了双眼…… 至少她不用再面对韦翰了。 军官们到布赖顿去了。 丽萃很想知道丽迪雅是跟他们一起去的，而且是跟她的一个朋友一起去的。 “叫她回来，爸爸，”她恳求道。 “她离开家只会变得更加轻浮和愚蠢。 莉迪亚的行为影响着我们所有人 我们是如何被评判的。”班纳特先生笑了。 “你是说丽迪雅把你和吉英的丈夫吓跑了吗？ 别让自己不安，亲爱的。 无论你和简走到哪里，你们都会受到尊重和重视。”

Lizzy had to leave it at that. She was glad she had one thing to look forward to- a trip with her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners. "We have decided to go to Derbyshire," her aunt wrote. Instantly, Lizzy thought of Pemberley- Mr. Darcy's home. "But surely," she thought, "I can go to Derbyshire without seeing him?" The trip was delayed once, twice, until at last, they set out, Lizzy longing to see new sights.

莉兹只好就此打住。 她很高兴有一件事值得期待——和她的叔叔婶婶嘉丁纳夫妇一起去旅行。 “我们决定去德比郡，”她姑妈写道。 丽萃立刻想起了彭伯里——达西先生的家。 “可是，”她想，“我到德比郡去一定可以不去见他吗？”这次旅行推迟了一次，两次，直到最后，他们才出发，丽萃渴望看到新的风景。