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Chapter 61
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HAPPY for all her maternal1 feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters. With what delighted pride she afterwards visited Mrs. Bingley, and talked of Mrs. Darcy, may be guessed. I wish I could say, for the sake of her family, that the accomplishment2 of her earnest desire in the establishment of so many of her children produced so happy an effect as to make her a sensible, amiable3, well-informed woman for the rest of her life; though perhaps it was lucky for her husband, who might not have relished4 domestic felicity in so unusual a form, that she still was occasionally nervous and invariably silly.
Mr. Bennet missed his second daughter exceedingly; his affection for her drew him oftener from home than any thing else could do. He delighted in going to Pemberley, especially when he was least expected.
Mr. Bingley and Jane remained at Netherfield only a twelvemonth. So near a vicinity to her mother and Meryton relations was not desirable even to his easy temper, or her affectionate heart. The darling wish of his sisters was then gratified; he bought an estate in a neighbouring county to Derbyshire, and Jane and Elizabeth, in addition to every other source of happiness, were within thirty miles of each other.

Kitty, to her very material advantage, spent the chief of her time with her two elder sisters. In society so superior to what she had generally known, her improvement was great. She was not of so ungovernable a temper as Lydia; and, removed from the influence of Lydia's example, she became, by proper attention and management, less irritable5, less ignorant, and less insipid6. From the farther disadvantage of Lydia's society she was of course carefully kept, and though Mrs. Wickham frequently invited her to come and stay with her, with the promise of balls and young men, her father would never consent to her going.

Mary was the only daughter who remained at home; and she was necessarily drawn7 from the pursuit of accomplishments8 by Mrs. Bennet's being quite unable to sit alone. Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but she could still moralize over every morning visit; and as she was no longer mortified9 by comparisons between her sisters' beauty and her own, it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without much reluctance10.

As for Wickham and Lydia, their characters suffered no revolution from the marriage of her sisters. He bore with philosophy the conviction that Elizabeth must now become acquainted with whatever of his ingratitude11 and falsehood had before been unknown to her; and in spite of every thing, was not wholly without hope that Darcy might yet be prevailed on to make his fortune. The congratulatory letter which Elizabeth received from Lydia on her marriage, explained to her that, by his wife at least, if not by himself, such a hope was cherished. The letter was to this effect:

"MY DEAR LlZZY,

I wish you joy. If you love Mr. Darcy half as well as I do my dear Wickham, you must be very happy. It is a great comfort to have you so rich, and when you have nothing else to do, I hope you will think of us. I am sure Wickham would like a place at court very much, and I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live upon without some help. Any place would do, of about three or four hundred a year; but however, do not speak to Mr. Darcy about it, if you had rather not.

Your's, &c."

As it happened that Elizabeth had much rather not, she endeavoured in her answer to put an end to every intreaty and expectation of the kind. Such relief, however, as it was in her power to afford, by the practice of what might be called economy in her own private expences, she frequently sent them. It had always been evident to her that such an income as theirs, under the direction of two persons so extravagant13 in their wants, and heedless of the future, must be very insufficient14 to their support; and whenever they changed their quarters, either Jane or herself were sure of being applied15 to for some little assistance towards discharging their bills. Their manner of living, even when the restoration of peace dismissed them to a home, was unsettled in the extreme. They were always moving from place to place in quest of a cheap situation, and always spending more than they ought. His affection for her soon sunk into indifference16; her's lasted a little longer; and in spite of her youth and her manners, she retained all the claims to reputation which her marriage had given her.

Though Darcy could never receive him at Pemberley, yet, for Elizabeth's sake, he assisted him farther in his profession. Lydia was occasionally a visitor there, when her husband was gone to enjoy himself in London or Bath; and with the Bingleys they both of them frequently staid so long, that even Bingley's good humour was overcome, and he proceeded so far as to talk of giving them a hint to be gone.

Miss Bingley was very deeply mortified by Darcy's marriage; but as she thought it advisable to retain the right of visiting at Pemberley, she dropt all her resentment17; was fonder than ever of Georgiana, almost as attentive18 to Darcy as heretofore, and paid off every arrear19 of civility to Elizabeth.

Pemberley was now Georgiana's home; and the attachment20 of the sisters was exactly what Darcy had hoped to see. They were able to love each other even as well as they intended. Georgiana had the highest opinion in the world of Elizabeth; though at first she often listened with an astonishment21 bordering on alarm at her lively, sportive, manner of talking to her brother. He, who had always inspired in herself a respect which almost overcame her affection, she now saw the object of open pleasantry. Her mind received knowledge which had never before fallen in her way. By Elizabeth's instructions, she began to comprehend that a woman may take liberties with her husband which a brother will not always allow in a sister more than ten years younger than himself.

Lady Catherine was extremely indignant on the marriage of her nephew; and as she gave way to all the genuine frankness of her character in her reply to the letter which announced its arrangement, she sent him language so very abusive, especially of Elizabeth, that for some time all intercourse22 was at an end. But at length, by Elizabeth's persuasion23, he was prevailed on to overlook the offence, and seek a reconciliation24; and, after a little farther resistance on the part of his aunt, her resentment gave way, either to her affection for him, or her curiosity to see how his wife conducted herself; and she condescended25 to wait on them at Pemberley, in spite of that pollution which its woods had received, not merely from the presence of such a mistress, but the visits of her uncle and aunt from the city.

With the Gardiners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude12 towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.
 

班纳特太太两个最值得疼爱的女儿出嫁的那一天,正是她做母亲的生平最高兴的一天。她以后去拜访彬格莱太太,在人家面前谈起达西太太,是多么得意,多么骄傲,这是可想而知的。看她家庭面上,我想在这里作一个说明,她所有的女儿后来都得到了归宿,她生平最殷切的愿望终于如愿以偿;说来可喜,她后半辈子竟因此变成了一个头脑清楚、和蔼可亲、颇有见识的女人;不过她有时候还是神经衰弱,经常都是痴头怪脑,这也许倒是她丈夫的幸运,否则他就无从享受这种稀奇古怪的家庭幸福了。

班纳特先生非常舍不得第二个女儿;他因为疼爱她,便常常去看她,他生平从来不肯这样经常出外作客。他喜欢到彭伯里去,而且去起来大都是别人完全意料不到的时候。

彬格莱先生和吉英在尼日斐花园只住了一年。虽说他的脾气非常随和,她的性情亦极其温柔,可是夫妇俩都不大愿意和她母亲以及麦里屯的亲友们住得太近。后来他在德比郡邻近的一个郡里买了一幢房子,于是他姐妹们的衷心愿望总算如愿以偿;而吉英和伊丽莎白俩在万重幸福上又添了一重幸福,那就是说,姐妹俩从此不过相隔三十英里了。

吉蒂最受实惠,大部分时间都消磨在两位姐姐那儿。从此她所交的人物都比往常高尚,她本身当然也就大有长进。她本来不象丽迪雅那样放纵,现在既没有丽迪雅来影响她,又有人对她加以妥善的注意和照管,她便不象以前那样轻狂无知和麻木不仁了。当然家里少不了要小心地管教她,不让她和丽迪雅来往,免得再受到她的坏影响;韦翰太太常常要接她去住,说是有多少跳舞会,有多少美少年,她父亲总是不让她去。

后来只剩下曼丽还没有出嫁;班纳特太太因为不甘寂寞,自然弄得她这个女儿无从探求学问。曼丽不得不多多和外界应酬,可是她仍然能够用道德的眼光去看待每一次的出外作客。她现在再也不用为了和姐妹们争妍比美而操心了,因此她父亲不禁怀疑到,她这种改变是否出于心甘情愿。

说到韦翰和丽迪雅,他们俩的性格并没有因为她两位姐姐结婚而有所变化。韦翰想起自己对达西种种忘恩负义、虚伪欺诈的事情,伊丽莎白虽然从前不知道,现在可完全明白了,不过他依旧处之泰然,他多少还指望达西给他一些钱。伊丽莎白结婚的时候,接到丽迪雅的一封祝贺信。她看得很明白,即使韦翰本人没有存那种指望,至少他太太也有那种意思。那封信是这样写的:亲爱的丽萃:

祝你愉快。要是你爱达西先生抵得上我爱韦翰的一半,那你一定会非常幸福了。你能这样富有,真叫人十分快慰;当你闲来无事的时候,希望你会想到我们。我相信韦翰极其希望在宫廷里找份差事做做。要是再没有别人帮帮忙,我们便很难维持生计了。随便什么差使都行,只要每年有三四百镑的收入。不过,要是你不愿意跟达西讲,那就不必提起。(下略)

伊丽莎白果然不愿意讲,因此在回信中尽力打消她这种希望,断了她这一类的念头。--不过伊丽莎白还是尽量把自己平日的用途节省一些,积下钱来去接济妹妹。她一向看得很明白,他们的收入那么少,两口子又挥霍无度,只顾眼前,不顾今后,这当然不够维持生活;每逢他们搬家,伊丽莎白或是吉英总是接到他们的信,要求接济他们一些钱去偿付账款。即使天下太平了,他们退伍回家,他们的生活终究难望安定。他们老是东迁西涉,寻找便宜房子住,结果总是多花了不少钱。韦翰对丽迪雅不久便情淡爱弛,丽迪雅对他比较持久一些,尽管她年轻荒唐,还是顾全了婚后应有的名誉。

虽然达西再三不肯让韦翰到彭伯里来,但是看在伊丽莎白面上,他依旧帮助他找职业。丽迪雅每当丈夫到伦敦去或是到巴思去寻欢作乐的时候,也不时到他们那儿去作客;到于彬格莱家里,他们夫妇老是一住下来就不想走,弄得连彬格莱那样性格温和的人,也觉得不高兴,甚至说,要暗示他们走。

达西结婚的时候,彬格莱小姐万分伤心,可是她又要在彭伯里保持作客的权利,因此便把多少怨气都打消了;她比从前更喜爱乔治安娜,对达西好象依旧一往情深,又把以前对伊丽莎白失礼的地方加以弥补。

乔治安娜现在长住在彭伯里了;姑嫂之间正如达西先生所料到的那么情投意合,互尊互爱,甚至融洽得完全合乎她们自己的理想。乔治安娜非常推崇伊丽莎白,不过,开头看到嫂嫂跟哥哥谈起话来,那么活泼调皮,她不禁大为惊讶,几乎有些担心,因为她一向尊敬哥哥,几乎尊敬得超过了手足的情份,想不到现在他竟成为公开打趣的对象。她以前无论如何也弄不懂的事,现在才恍然大悟了。经过伊丽莎白的陶治,她开始懂得,妻子可以对丈夫放纵,做哥哥的却不能允许一个比自己小十岁的妹妹调皮。

咖苔琳夫人对她姨侄这门婚姻极其气愤。姨侄写信给她报喜,她竟毫不留情,直言无讳,写了封回信把他大骂一顿,对伊丽莎白尤其骂得厉害,于是双方有一个短时期断绝过往来。后来伊丽莎白说服了达西,达西才不再计较这次无礼的事,上门去求和;姨母稍许拒绝了一下便不计旧怨了,这可能是因为疼爱姨侄,也可能是因为她有好奇心,要看看侄媳妇怎样做人。尽管彭伯里因为添了这样一位主妇,而且主妇在城里的那两位舅父母都到这儿来过,因此使门户受到了玷污,但她老人家还是屈尊到彭伯里来拜访。

新夫妇跟嘉丁纳夫妇一直保持着极其深厚的交情。达西和伊丽莎白都衷心喜爱他们,又一直感激他们,原来多亏他们把伊丽莎白带到德比郡来,才成全了新夫妇这一段姻缘。


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 maternal 57Azi     
adj.母亲的,母亲般的,母系的,母方的
参考例句:
  • He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
  • The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。
2 accomplishment 2Jkyo     
n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能
参考例句:
  • The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
  • Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标,钱是至关重要的。
3 amiable hxAzZ     
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的
参考例句:
  • She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
  • We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。
4 relished c700682884b4734d455673bc9e66a90c     
v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 );从…获得乐趣;渴望
参考例句:
  • The chaplain relished the privacy and isolation of his verdant surroundings. 牧师十分欣赏他那苍翠的环境所具有的幽雅恬静,与世隔绝的气氛。 来自辞典例句
  • Dalleson relished the first portion of the work before him. 达尔生对眼前这工作的前半部分满有兴趣。 来自辞典例句
5 irritable LRuzn     
adj.急躁的;过敏的;易怒的
参考例句:
  • He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
  • Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。
6 insipid TxZyh     
adj.无味的,枯燥乏味的,单调的
参考例句:
  • The food was rather insipid and needed gingering up.这食物缺少味道,需要加点作料。
  • She said she was a good cook,but the food she cooked is insipid.她说她是个好厨师,但她做的食物却是无味道的。
7 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
8 accomplishments 1c15077db46e4d6425b6f78720939d54     
n.造诣;完成( accomplishment的名词复数 );技能;成绩;成就
参考例句:
  • It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
  • Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
9 mortified 0270b705ee76206d7730e7559f53ea31     
v.使受辱( mortify的过去式和过去分词 );伤害(人的感情);克制;抑制(肉体、情感等)
参考例句:
  • She was mortified to realize he had heard every word she said. 她意识到自己的每句话都被他听到了,直羞得无地自容。
  • The knowledge of future evils mortified the present felicities. 对未来苦难的了解压抑了目前的喜悦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 reluctance 8VRx8     
n.厌恶,讨厌,勉强,不情愿
参考例句:
  • The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
  • He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。
11 ingratitude O4TyG     
n.忘恩负义
参考例句:
  • Tim's parents were rather hurt by his ingratitude.蒂姆的父母对他的忘恩负义很痛心。
  • His friends were shocked by his ingratitude to his parents.他对父母不孝,令他的朋友们大为吃惊。
12 gratitude p6wyS     
adj.感激,感谢
参考例句:
  • I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
  • She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。
13 extravagant M7zya     
adj.奢侈的;过分的;(言行等)放肆的
参考例句:
  • They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
  • He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。
14 insufficient L5vxu     
adj.(for,of)不足的,不够的
参考例句:
  • There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
  • In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代,科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。
15 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
16 indifference k8DxO     
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎
参考例句:
  • I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
  • He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。
17 resentment 4sgyv     
n.怨愤,忿恨
参考例句:
  • All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
  • She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。
18 attentive pOKyB     
adj.注意的,专心的;关心(别人)的,殷勤的
参考例句:
  • She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
  • The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。
19 arrear wNLyB     
n.欠款
参考例句:
  • He is six weeks in arrear with his rent.他已拖欠房租6周。
  • The arts of medicine and surgery are somewhat in arrear in africa.医疗和外科手术在非洲稍微有些落后。
20 attachment POpy1     
n.附属物,附件;依恋;依附
参考例句:
  • She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
  • She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。
21 astonishment VvjzR     
n.惊奇,惊异
参考例句:
  • They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
  • I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。
22 intercourse NbMzU     
n.性交;交流,交往,交际
参考例句:
  • The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
  • There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。
23 persuasion wMQxR     
n.劝说;说服;持有某种信仰的宗派
参考例句:
  • He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说,他才决定离开。
  • After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后,她同意去了。
24 reconciliation DUhxh     
n.和解,和谐,一致
参考例句:
  • He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
  • Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。
25 condescended 6a4524ede64ac055dc5095ccadbc49cd     
屈尊,俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 ); 故意表示和蔼可亲
参考例句:
  • We had to wait almost an hour before he condescended to see us. 我们等了几乎一小时他才屈尊大驾来见我们。
  • The king condescended to take advice from his servants. 国王屈驾向仆人征求意见。


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