第8章

At five o'clock the two ladies retired to dress, and at half past six Elizabeth was summoned to dinner. To the civil enquiries which then poured in, and amongst which she had the pleasure of distinguishing the much superior solicitude of Mr. Bingley's, she could not make a very favourable answer. Jane was by no means better. The sisters, on hearing this, repeated three or four times how much they were grieved, how shocking it was to have a bad cold, and how excessively they disliked being ill themselves, and then thought no more of the matter; and their indifference towards Jane, when not immediately before them, restored Elizabeth to the enjoyment of all her original dislike.

Their brother, indeed, was the only one of the party whom she could regard with any complacency. His anxiety for Jane was evident, and his attentions to herself most pleasing, and they prevented her feeling herself so much an intruder as she believed she was considered by the others. She had very little notice from any but him. Miss Bingley was engrossed by Mr. Darcy, her sister scarcely less so; and as for Mr. Hurst, by whom Elizabeth sat, he was an indolent man, who lived only to eat, drink, and play at cards, who, when he found her prefer a plain dish to a ragout, had nothing to say to her.

When dinner was over, she returned directly to Jane, and Miss Bingley began abusing her as soon as she was out of the room. Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and impertinence; she had no conversation, no stile, no taste, no beauty. Mrs. Hurst thought the same, and added,

“She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked almost wild.”

“She did indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance. Very nonsensical to come at all! Why must she be scampering about the country, because her sister had a cold? Her hair so untidy, so blowsy!”

“Yes, and her petticoat; I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud, I am absolutely certain; and the gown which had been let down to hide it not doing its office.”

“Your picture may be very exact, Louisa,”said Bingley;“but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably well, when she came into the room this morning. Her dirty petticoat quite escaped my notice.”

“You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure,”said Miss Bingley,“and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition.”

“Certainly not.”

“To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! what could she mean by it? It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country town indifference to decorum.”

“It shows an affection for her sister that is very pleasing,”said Bingley.

“I am afraid, Mr. Darcy,”observed Miss Bingley in a half whisper,“that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes.”

“Not at all,”he replied;“they were brightened by the exercise.”—A short pause followed this speech, and Mrs. Hurst began again.

“I have an excessive regard for Jane Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and I wish with all my heart she were well settled. But with such a father and mother, and such low connections, I am afraid there is no chance of it.”

“I think I have heard you say, that their uncle is an attorney in Meryton.”

“Yes; and they have another, who lives somewhere near Cheapside.”

“That is capital,”added her sister, and they both laughed heartily.

“If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside,”cried Bingley,“it would not make them one jot less agreeable.”

“But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world,”replied Darcy.

To this speech Bingley made no answer; but his sisters gave it their hearty assent, and indulged their mirth for some time at the expense of their dear friend's vulgar relations.

With a renewal of tenderness, however, they repaired to her room on leaving the dining-parlour, and sat with her till summoned to coffee. She was still very poorly, and Elizabeth would not quit her at all till late in the evening, when she had the comfort of seeing her asleep, and when it appeared to her rather right than pleasant that she should go down stairs herself. On entering the drawing-room she found the whole party at loo, and was immediately invited to join them; but suspecting them to be playing high she declined it, and making her sister the excuse, said she would amuse herself for the short time she could stay below with a book. Mr. Hurst looked at her with astonishment.

“Do you prefer reading to cards?”said he;“that is rather singular.”

“Miss Eliza Bennet,”said Miss Bingley,“despises cards She is a great reader and has no pleasure in anything else.”

“I deserve neither such praise nor such censure,”cried Elizabeth;“I am not a great reader, and I have pleasure in manythings.”

“In nursing your sister I am sure you have pleasure,”said Bingley;“and I hope it will soon be increased by seeing her quite well.”

Elizabeth thanked him from her heart, and then walked towards a table where a few books were lying. He immediately offered to fetch her others; all that his library afforded.

“And I wish my collection were larger for your benefit and my own credit; but I am an idle fellow, and though I have not many, I have more than I ever look into.”

Elizabeth assured him that she could suit herself perfectly with those in the room.

“I am astonished,”said Miss Bingley,“that my father should have left so small a collection of books. —What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy!”

“It ought to be good,”he replied,“it has been the work of many generations.”

“And then you have added so much to it yourself, you are always buying books.”

“I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these,”

“Neglect! I am sure you neglect nothing that can add to the beauties of that noble place. Charles, when you build your house, I wish it may be half as delightful as Pemberley.”

“I wish it may.”

“But I would really advise you to make your purchase in that neighbourhood, and take Pemberley for a kind of model. There is not a finer county in England than Derbyshire.”

“With all my heart; I will buy Pemberley itself if Darcy will sell it.”

“I am talking of possibilities, Charles.”

“Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible to get Pemberley by purchase than by imitation.”

Elizabeth was so much caught by what passed, as to leave her very little attention for her book; and soon laying it wholly aside, she drew near the card-table, and stationed herself between Mr. Bingley and his eldest sister to observe the game.

“Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?”said Miss Bingley;“will she be as tall as I am?”

“I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's height, or rather taller.”

“How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much. Such a countenance, such manners, and so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on the piano-forte is exquisite.”

“It is amazing to me,”said Bingley,“how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are.”

“All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?”

“Yes all of them, I think. They all paint tables, cover skreens, and net purses. I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished.”

“Your list of the common extent of accomplishments,”said Darcy,“has too much truth. The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse, or covering a skreen. But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished.”

“Nor I, I am sure,”said Miss Bingley.

“Then,”observed Elizabeth,“you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished women.”

“Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it.”

“Oh! certainly,”cried his faithful assistant,“no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.”

“All this she must possess,”added Darcy,“and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”

“I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.”

“Are you so severe upon your own sex, as to doubt the possibility of all this?”

“I never saw such a woman, I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united.”

Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt, and were both protesting that they knew many women who answered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward. As all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room.

“Eliza Bennet,”said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her,“is one of those young ladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own, and with many men, I dare say, it succeeds. But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art.”

“Undoubtedly,”replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed,“there is meanness in all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable.”

Miss Bingley was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject.

Elizabeth joined them again only to say that her sister was worse, and that she could not leave her. Bingley urged Mr. Jones's being sent for immediately; while his sisters, convinced that no country advice could be of any service, recommended an express to town for one of the most eminent physicians. This she would not hear of, but she was not so unwilling to comply with their brother's proposal; and it was settled that Mr. Jones should be sent for early in the morning if Miss Bennet were not decidedly better. Bingley was quite uncomfortable; his sisters declared that they were miserable. They solaced their wretchedness, however, by duets after supper, while he could find no better relief to his feelings than by giving his housekeeper directions that every possible attention might be paid to the sick lady and her sister.

五点钟主人家的两位小姐告退前去更衣，六点半伊丽莎白被召去吃晚饭。于是，大家纷纷礼貌地询问简的病情。伊丽莎白非常高兴，宾利先生的关怀要比别人多得多，她却无法作出十分有利的回答。简绝对没有好转。听了这件事，宾利家姐妹俩反复说了三、四遍她们是多么难过，得重感冒是多么令人讨厌，她们自己是多么不喜欢生病，然后就不再想这件事了；她们没有跟伊丽莎白面对面时，对简漠不关心，所以她又恢复了自己原来对她们的所有厌恶。

的确，在这群人中，她们的弟弟是她唯一能满意看待的人。他对简的担忧显而易见，对伊丽莎白的种种殷勤让她心花怒放，所以这才没有让她感觉自己是一个不速之客，她相信别人都会这样认为。除了他之外，谁也不大注意她。宾利小姐一心都在达西先生的身上，她的姐姐简直也一样；赫斯特先生坐在伊丽莎白的身边，他是一个懒散的人，活着只是吃喝、打牌，他发现伊丽莎白宁愿吃一道普通菜，也不愿吃蔬菜炖肉，就什么也没对她说。

吃过饭后，她直接回到简的房间。她一走出餐厅，宾利小姐就开始辱骂她，说她的举止的确很糟，既傲慢又无礼，从不交谈，没有仪表，没有情趣，也不漂亮。赫斯特太太也是同样的看法，而且补充说：

“简而言之，除了走路出色之外，她没有什么可取之处。我永远忘不了她今天早上的样子。她真的简直像是疯了一样。”

“她的确像是疯了，路易莎。我简直忍不住想笑。这次来得非常荒唐！姐姐感冒了，为什么她一定要跑遍整个村子？她的头发那么乱，那么邋遢！”

“是的，还有她的衬裙；我希望你看到了她的衬裙，六英寸高都溅上了泥点，我绝对相信；她放下长裙想遮住泥点，但没有遮住。”

“路易莎，你的描述可能非常准确，”宾利先生说，“可我并不以为然。我觉得，伊丽莎白·贝内特小姐今天早上进屋时，看上去非常好。我完全没有看到她肮脏的衬裙。”

“达西先生，我敢说你看到了，”宾利小姐说，“我倒认为你不愿看到你的姐妹弄成那个样子。”

“当然不愿。”

“走三英里、四英里、五英里，如此等等，泥土盖住了脚踝，而且是孤孤单单，完全一个人！她这到底会是什么意思？在我看来，她露出了自以为是、特立独行的可恶状态，活像是乡下人不懂礼貌的样子。”

“那说明了她们姐妹情深，真让人高兴，”宾利说。

“达西先生，我怕，”宾利小姐压低声音说，“她这次冒险有点儿影响你喜爱她那双漂亮眼睛吧？”

“毫无影响，”他答道，“经过这次冒险，她的眼睛更亮了。”——这句话说完之后是一阵短暂的停顿，随后赫斯特太太又开始说了起来。

“我特别喜爱简·贝内特，她的确是一个非常可爱的姑娘，我一心希望她扎根在好人家。可是，那样的父母亲，那样卑贱的亲戚，我怕不会有什么希望。”

“我想，我曾经听你说过她们的姨父在魅力屯当律师。”

“是的，她们还有一个舅舅住在齐普赛街附近的某个地方。”

“那好极了，”她的妹妹补充道，姐妹俩放声大笑起来。

“就是她们有足够塞满整个齐普赛街的舅舅，”宾利嚷道，“也不会减少一点她们讨人喜爱的地方。”

“可她们要是想嫁给有地位的男人，机会肯定就会大大减少。”达西回答说。

宾利没有回应这句话；但是，他的姐妹们却打心眼里同意，就越发放任，拿亲密朋友的卑贱亲戚调侃了一阵。

然而，离开餐厅，她们重又带着关心体贴去了简的房间，而且一直坐到了有人来叫喝咖啡。简还是很不舒服，直到深夜伊丽莎白看到她入睡才放心离开。伊丽莎白觉得自己应该到楼下去，尽管她并不乐意下楼。走进客厅时，她发现所有人都在玩纸牌游戏，他们马上请她参加，但她怀疑他们豪赌，就婉言谢绝了，说放心不下姐姐，一会儿就要上楼，她可以在楼下坐一会儿，看看书，自娱自乐。赫斯特先生惊讶地望着她。

“你宁愿看书，也不愿打牌吗？”他说，“这相当少见。”

“伊莱扎·贝内特小姐，”宾利小姐说，“瞧不起打牌。她是一个了不起的读书人，对别的事儿都没有乐趣。”

“这样的赞扬和这样的责难，我不敢当，”伊丽莎白嚷道，“我不是什么了不起的读书人，而且我对好多东西都有乐趣。”

“我敢说你对照料自己的姐姐有乐趣，”宾利先生说，“我希望她完全好转，你就会更加快乐。”

伊丽莎白从心里感激他，然后走向一张放有几本书的桌子。他马上要主动给她再拿几本书，把他书房里的书都拿来。

“我真希望自己的藏书多些，对你有好处，对我自己也有面子；可我是一个懒人；所以，尽管我藏书不多，但我还有好多没有看过。”

伊丽莎白向他保证说，屋里那些书完全够她看了。

宾利小姐说：“我很惊讶，爸爸就留下这么少的藏书。——达西先生，你在彭伯利的藏书室真是赏心悦目啊！”

“它应该不错，”达西回答说，“那是好几代人的功劳。”

“那你自己又增添了好多，你总是在买书。”

“在这样的日子，我不能疏忽家里的藏书室。”

“疏忽！我敢说，只要能给你那个高贵的地方增添美观的东西，你就不会疏忽。查尔斯，你建房子时，我希望有彭伯利一半那样宜人就行了。”

“我希望如此。”

“可我真要劝你在那附近购买房产，并把彭伯利作为一种样板。英国哪个郡也没有德比郡好。”

“我满心欢喜；只要达西愿意卖，我就会买下彭伯利。”

“我是在谈种种可能性，查尔斯。”

“卡罗琳，我敢保证，买下彭伯利比仿照彭伯利可能性更大。”

伊丽莎白完全被这些话迷住了，没有心思看书，就干脆把书放在一边，走近牌桌，坐在宾利先生和他的姐姐之间，看他们打牌。

“从春天起，达西小姐长了好多吧？”宾利小姐问道，“她会长得跟我一样高吗？”

“我想她会的。她现在大概跟伊丽莎白·贝内特小姐一样高了，或者更高一点。”

“我是多么想再见见她！我从来没有碰见过这样让我开心的人。这么好的容貌，这么好的举止，她这个年龄就如此多才多艺！她的钢琴弹得好极了。”

“这真让我吃惊，”宾利说，“小姐们怎么能有耐心一个个都这样多才多艺。”

“所有小姐都多才多艺！亲爱的查尔斯，你这话什么意思？”

“是的，我认为她们都多才多艺。她们都会装饰台桌，点缀屏风，编织钱包。我见过的每个人几乎都是无所不能，而且我确信，我第一次听人说起一位小姐时，没有不说她多才多艺的。”

达西说：“你列的这些普通才艺都千真万确。好多女人只不过是会编织钱包、点缀屏风，就得到了多才多艺的美名；不过，我完全不同意你对女士们的一般评价。我不能夸口说，在我认识的所有女人中，真正多才多艺的超过半打。”

“我确信我也不能，”宾利小姐说。

“那么，”伊丽莎白说，“你认为，一个多才多艺的女人必须包括好多条件喽。”

“是的，我的确认为应该包括好多条件。”

“噢！当然，”他的忠实助手嚷道，“要是一个女人不能大大超过平常的要求，就不能真正称为多才多艺。一个女人必须通晓音乐、歌唱、绘画、舞蹈和现代语言，才配得上这个称号；除此以外，她的仪表步态、她的声调、她的谈吐表情，都必须具有一种气质，否则她就会只够半格。”

“所有这一切她必须具备，”达西补充说，“除此以外，她还必须增添更多的实质性东西，博览群书，增长才智。”

“我对你只认识六个才女不再感到吃惊。我现在倒怀疑你连一个也不认识。”

“你对你们女人如此苛刻，是怀疑这一切的可能性吗？”

“我从来没有见过这样一个女人。我从来没有见过哪个女人像你描述的那样有合力，既有能力又有情趣，既勤奋又高雅。”

赫斯特太太和宾利小姐都大声叫嚷，抗议她不该表示怀疑，因为这种怀疑是不公平的，而且她们俩还抗议说，她们知道好多女人都符合这个描述，这时赫斯特先生叫她们好好打牌，尖刻地埋怨她们对出牌粗心大意。所有的谈话就此结束，伊丽莎白不久以后便离开了房间。

门关上之后，宾利小姐说：“伊丽莎白·贝内特是一个力图自抬身价、在男人们面前贬低自己同类的女人，我敢说这在好多男人的身上都会得手。可是，我认为，这是一种卑鄙的手段，是一种非常下作的伎俩。”

“毫无疑问，”达西答道，因为这番话主要是对他说的，“女士们为了显示魅力，有时居然放下架子，所有的伎俩中都有卑鄙的手段。凡是带有狡诈的亲和力都是可鄙的。”宾利小姐对这个回答不是那么满意，因此就没有继续这个话题。

伊丽莎白又到他们这里来了一次，只是为了说，她姐姐的病情更重了，她不能离开。宾利催促马上去请琼斯大夫来；他的姐妹们都深信乡下医生不可能有什么用，建议赶快去城里请一位最有名的大夫。伊丽莎白拒绝听取这个建议，但她又不是不情愿依从她们兄弟的建议；于是，大家商定，如果贝内特小姐明天一早还不见明显好转，就派人去请琼斯大夫。宾利先生相当不安；他的姐姐和妹妹声称她们非常难过。然而，吃过晚饭之后，她们俩合奏了几曲二重奏，消除了烦闷；而宾利先生找不到更好的方法来排解情绪，就关照女管家尽一切可能照料生病的小姐和她的妹妹。