第1章
Volume I
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.
“My dear Mr. Bennet,”said his lady to him one day,“have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?”
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
“But it is,”returned she;“for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.”
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
“Do not you want to know who has taken it?”cried his wife impatiently.
“You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.”
This was invitation enough.
“Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately;that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.”
“What is his name?”
“Bingley.”
“Is he married or single?”
“Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!”
“How so? how can it affect them?”
“My dear Mr. Bennet,”replied his wife,“how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.”
“Is that his design in settling here?”
“Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.”
“I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for, as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party.”
“My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.”
“In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.”
“But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood.”
“It is more than I engage for, I assure you.”
“But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know they visit no new comers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him, if you do not.”
“You are over-scrupulous, surely. I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying which ever he chooses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy.”
“I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good humoured as Lydia. But you are always giving her the preference.”
“They have none of them much to recommend them,”replied he;“they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters.”
“Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves.”
“You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.”
“Ah! you do not know what I suffer.”
“But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood.”
“It will be no use to us if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them.”
“Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty I will visit them all.”
Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develope. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.
第一卷
腰缠万贯的单身汉一定想娶一位太太，这是一条普遍公认的真理。
这种单身汉初到一个地方，尽管左邻右舍完全不了解他的性情或见解，但这种真理在人们心里根深蒂固，所以他就被看成是他们某个女儿可以合法得到的一笔财产。
“亲爱的贝内特先生，”一天，他的太太对他说道，“你听说过内瑟菲尔德庄园终于租出去了吗？”
贝内特先生回答说他没有听说过。
“可它租了出去，”她又说道，“因为朗太太刚来过这里，并把这一切都告诉了我。”
贝内特先生没有回答。
“你不想知道是谁租去的吗？”他的太太不耐烦地大声说道。
“你想告诉我，我也不反对听。”
这足以请她讲下去。
“啊，亲爱的，你一定知道，朗太太说内瑟菲尔德庄园是被一个来自英格兰北部的非常有钱的小伙子租去的；他星期一乘着一辆四马轻便马车来看房子，对房子十分满意，立马就跟莫里斯先生谈好了；他要在米迦勒节前入住，下一个周末几个仆人先来住。”
“他姓什么？”
“宾利。”
“他是已婚还是单身？”
“噢！当然是单身，亲爱的！一个非常有钱的单身汉，一年四五千呢。这对我们的姑娘们真是好事！”
“为什么是这样？这怎么能影响她们呢？”
“亲爱的贝内特先生，”他的太太回答说，“你怎么能这样烦人啊！你一定知道我正在想着他会娶我们女儿当中的哪一个呢。”
“他移居这里，就是这个图谋？”
“图谋！胡说，你怎么这样说！而他十有八九会爱上我们女儿中的一个，所以他一来，你就一定要去拜访他。”
“我看没有那个必要。你和姑娘们可以去，要么你可以打发她们自己去，这样说不定会更好；因为你跟她们一样好看，所以宾利先生说不定会最喜欢你呢。”
“亲爱的，你是奉承我。我的确曾有过漂亮的容貌，可我现在不敢自称有任何突出的地方了。一个女人有了五个成年的女儿之后，应该放弃关心自己漂亮的容貌。”
“要是这样的话，一个女人对美貌常常也就没有多少想头了。”
“不过，亲爱的，等宾利先生搬来这里之后，你真的一定要去看看他。”
“我确切告诉你，这我保证不了。”
“你可要为女儿们考虑考虑啊。试想一下，攀上这样的人家，该是多好的一门亲事啊！威廉爵士和卢卡斯决定去，也不过是这个原因，因为一般来说，你知道他们从不拜访新来的房客。你真的一定要去啊，要是你不去的话，我们就不可能去拜访他。”
“你的确是多虑了。我敢说，宾利先生会很高兴见你；我写几句话让你捎去，确切告诉他，无论他选中哪个姑娘，我都衷心同意他娶过去；不过，我必须为我的小丽齐美言一句。”
“我希望你不要这样做。丽齐一点也不比其他姑娘出色；而且我确信，她还没有简一半漂亮，也没有丽迪雅一半快乐。可你总是偏爱她。”
“她们都没有什么值得称道的，”他答道，“她们都傻乎乎的，像其他姑娘一样愚昧无知；不过，丽齐要比她的几个姐妹机灵些。”
“贝内特先生，你怎么能这样污蔑自己的孩子们呢？你就喜爱惹我生气，从不怜悯我可怜的神经。”
“你错怪我了，亲爱的。我十分尊重你的神经。它们是我的老朋友了。至少这二十年，我总是听到你体贴周到地提起它们。”
“啊！你不知道我受的苦。”
“不过，我希望你会克服这一点，亲眼看到好多个收入四千英镑的年轻人搬到这里来。”
“既然你不愿去拜访他们，即使搬来二十个这样的人，对我们也毫无用处。”
“放心好了，亲爱的，要是有二十个搬来的话，我就一定会一一拜访他们。”
贝内特先生就是这样古怪，既爱插科打诨、讽刺挖苦，又矜持内敛、变幻莫测，相处二十三年的经验也不足以使太太了解他的性格。太太的头脑倒不难捉摸。她是一个悟性低下、知识不多、性情无常的女人，心里不满时，就以为自己神经出了毛病。她一生的任务就是要把女儿们嫁出去；她一生的安慰就是走亲访友和打听消息。