傲慢與偏見英文版

1、PRIDE AND PREJUDICEChapter 1It 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 surr

2、ounding families, that he is considered 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, an

3、d she told me all about it. Mr. Bennet made no answer.Do you not want to know who has taken it? cried his wife impatiently._You_ want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.1This was invitation enough.Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of

4、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 ne

5、xt 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

6、 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

7、 send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley may 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 gro

8、wn-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 thin

9、k 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 newcomers. 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 s

10、ay Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send adopt it. But these are not Janes feelings; she is not acting by design. As yet, she cannot even be certain of the degree of her own regard nor of its reasonableness. She has known him only a fortnight. She danced four dances with him at M

11、eryton; she saw him one morning at his own house, and has since dined with him in company four times. This is not quite enough to make her understand his character.Not as you represent it. Had she merely _dined_ with him, she might only have discovered whether he had a good appetite; but you must re

12、member that four evenings have also been spent together-and four evenings may do a great deal.Yes; these four evenings have enabled them to ascertain that they both like Vingt-un better than Commerce; but with respect to any other leading characteristic, I do not imagine that much has been unfolded.

13、HWell, said Charlotte, I wish Jane success with all my heart; and if she were married to him to-morrow, I should think she had as good a chance of happiness as if she were to be studying his character for a twelvemonth. Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the

14、 parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with

15、whom you are to pass your life.You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself.Occupied in observing Mr. Bingleys attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some

16、 interest in the eyes of his friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticise. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good fea

17、ture in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to

18、acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness. Of this she was perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought

19、her handsome enough to dance with.He began to wish to know more of her, and as a step towards conversing with her himself, attended to her conversation with others. His doing so drew her notice. It was at Sir William Lucass, where a large party were assembled.What does Mr. Darcy mean, said she to Ch

20、arlotte, by listening to my conversation with Colonel Forster?That is a question which Mr. Darcy only can answer.But if he does it any more I shall certainly let him know that I see what he is about. He has a very satirical eye, and if I do not begin by being impertinent myself, I shall soon grow af

21、raid of him.1 On his approaching them soon afterwards, though without seeming to have any intention of speaking, Miss Lucas defied her friend to mention such a subject to him; which immediately provoking Elizabeth to do it, she turned to him and said:Did you not think, Mr. Darcy, that I expressed my

22、self uncommonly well just now, when I was teasing Colonel Forster to give us a ball at Meryton?With great energy; but it is always a subject which makes a lady energetic.10We have dined nine times at Rosings, besides drinking tea there twice! How much I shall have to tell!Elizabeth added privately,

23、And how much I shall have to conceal!Their journey was performed without much conversation, or any alarm; and within four hours of their leaving Hunsford they reached Mr. Gardiners house, where they were to remain a few days.Jane looked well, and Elizabeth had little opportunity of studying her spir

24、its, amidst the various engagements which the kindness of her aunt had reserved for them. But Jane was to go home with her, and at Longbourn there would be leisure enough for observation.It was not without an effort, meanwhile, that she could wait even for Longbourn, before she told her sister of Mr

25、. Darcys proposals. To know that she had the power of revealing what would so exceedingly astonish Jane, and must, at the same time, so highly gratify whatever of her own vanity she had not yet been able to reason away, was such a temptation to openness as nothing could have conquered but the state

26、of indecision in which she remained as to the extent of what she should communicate; and her fear, if she once entered on the subject, of being hurried into repeating something of Bingley which might only grieve her sister further.It was the second week in May, in which the three young ladies set ou

27、t together from Gracechurch Street for the town of , in Hertfordshire; and, as they drew near the appointed inn where Mr. Bennets carriage was to meet them, they quickly perceived, in token of the coachmans punctuality, both Kitty and Lydia looking out of a dining-room up stairs. These two girls had

28、 been above an hour in the place, happily employed in visiting an opposite milliner, watching the sentinel on guard, and dressing a salad and cucumber.After welcoming their sisters, they triumphantly displayed a table set out with such cold meat as an inn larder usually affords, exclaiming, Is not t

29、his nice? Is not this an agreeable surprise?And we mean to treat you all, added Lydia, but you must lend us the money, for we have just spent ours at the shop out there. Then, showing her purchases-Look here, I have bought this bonnet. I do not think it is very pretty; but I thought I might as well

30、buy it as not. I shall pull it to pieces as soon as I get home, and see if I can make it up any better.And when her sisters abused it as ugly, she added, with perfect unconcern, Oh! but there were two or three much uglier in the shop; and when I have bought some prettier-coloured satin to trim it wi

31、th fresh, I think it will be very tolerable. Besides, it will not much signify what one wears this summer; after the -shire have left Meryton, and they are going in a fortnight.Are they indeed! cried Elizabeth, with the greatest satisfaction.They are going to be encamped near Brighton; and I do so w

32、ant papa to take us all there for the summer! It would be such a delicious scheme; and I dare say would hardly cost anything at all. Mamma would like to go too of all things! Only think what a miserable summer else we shall have!Yes, thought Elizabeth, _that_ would be a delightful scheme indeed, and

33、 completely do for us at once. Good Heaven! Brighton, and a whole campful of soldiers, to us, who have been overset already by one poor regiment of militia, and the monthly balls of Meryton!Now I have got some news for you, said Lydia, as they sat down at table. What do you think? It is excellent ne

34、ws-capital news-and about a certain person we all like!Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other, and the waiter was told he need not stay. Lydia laughed, and said:Aye, that is just like your formality and discretion. You thought the waiter must not hear, as if he100 cared! I dare say he often hears w

35、orse things said than I am going to say. But he is an ugly fellow! I am glad he is gone. I never saw such a long chin in my life. Well, but now for my news; it is about dear Wickham; too good for the waiter, is it not? There is no danger of Wickhams marrying Mary King. Theres for you! She is gone do

36、wn to her uncle at Liverpool: gone to stay. Wickham is safe. And Mary King is safe! added Elizabeth; safe from a connection imprudent as to fortune. She is a great fool for going away, if she liked him.But I hope there is no strong attachment on either side, said Jane.I am sure there is not on _his_

37、. I will answer for it, he never cared three straws about her-who could about such a nasty little freckled thing?Elizabeth was shocked to think that, however incapable of such coarseness of _expression_ herself, the coarseness of the _sentiment_ was little other than her own breast had harboured and

38、 fancied liberal!As soon as all had ate, and the elder ones paid, the carriage was ordered; and after some contrivance, the whole party, with all their boxes, work-bags, and parcels, and the unwelcome addition of Kittys and Lydias purchases, were seated in it.How nicely we are all crammed in J cried

39、 Lydia. I am glad I bought my bonnet, if it is only for the fun of having another bandbox! Well, now let us be quite comfortable and snug, and talk and laugh all the way home. And in the first place, let us hear what has happened to you all since you went away. Have you seen any pleasant men? Have y

40、ou had any flirting? I was in great hopes that one of you would have got a husband before you came back. Jane will be quite an old maid soon, I declare. She is almost three-and-twenty! Lord, how ashamed I should be of not being married before three-and-twenty! My aunt Phillips wants you so to get hu

41、sbands, you cant think. She says Lizzy had better have taken Mr. Collins; but _l_ do not think there would have been any fun in it. Lord! how I should like to be married before any of you; and then I would chaperon you about to all the balls. Dear me! we had such a good piece of fun the other day at

42、 Colonel Forsters. Kitty and me were to spend the day there, and Mrs. Forster promised to have a little dance in the evening; (by the bye, Mrs. Forster and me are _such_ friends!) and so she asked the two Harringtons to come, but Harriet was ill, and so Pen was forced to come by herself; and then, w

43、hat do you think we did? We dressed up Chamberlayne in womans clothes on purpose to pass for a lady, only think what fun! Not a soul knew of it, but Colonel and Mrs. Forster, and Kitty and me, except my aunt, for we were forced to borrow one of her gowns; and you cannot imagine how well he looked! W

44、hen Denny, and Wickham, and Pratt, and two or three more of the men came in, they did not know him in the least. Lord! how I laughed! and so did Mrs. Forster. I thought I should have died. And _that_ made the men suspect something, and then they soon found out what was the matter. With such kinds of

45、 histories of their parties and good jokes, did Lydia, assisted by Kittys hints and additions, endeavour to amuse her companions all the way to Longbourn. Elizabeth listened as little as she could, but there was no escaping the frequent mention of Wickhams name.Their reception at home was most kind.

46、 Mrs. Bennet rejoiced to see Jane in undiminished beauty; and more than once during dinner did Mr. Bennet say voluntarily to Elizabeth:I am glad you are come back, Lizzy.Their party in the dining-room was large, for almost all the Lucases came to meet Maria and hear the news; and various were the su

47、bjects that occupied them: Lady Lucas was inquiring of Maria, after the welfare and poultry of her eldest daughter; Mrs. Bennet was doubly engaged, on one hand collecting an account of the present fashions from Jane, who sat some way below her, and, on the other, retailing them all to the younger Lu

48、cases; and Lydia, in a voice rather louder than any other persons, was enumerating the various pleasures of the morning to anybody who would hear101her.Oh! Mary, said she, I wish you had gone with us, for we had such fun! As we went along, Kitty and I drew up the blinds, and pretended there was nobo

49、dy in the coach; and I should have gone so all the way, if Kitty had not been sick; and when we got to the George, I do think we behaved very handsomely, for we treated the other three with the nicest cold luncheon in the world, and if you would have gone, we would have treated you too. And then whe

50、n we came away it was such fun! I thought we never should have got into the coach. I was ready to die of laughter. And then we were so merry all the way home! we talked and laughed so loud, that anybody might have heard us ten miles off!To this Mary very gravely replied, Far be it from me, my dear s

51、ister, to depreciate such pleasures! They would doubtless be congenial with the generality of female minds. But I confess they would have no charms for _me_-l should infinitely prefer a book.But of this answer Lydia heard not a word. She seldom listened to anybody for more than half a minute, and ne

52、ver attended to Mary at all.In the afternoon Lydia was urgent with the rest of the girls to walk to Meryton, and to see how everybody went on; but Elizabeth steadily opposed the scheme. It should not be said that the Miss Bennets could not be at home half a day before they were in pursuit of the off

53、icers. There was another reason too for her opposition. She dreaded seeing Mr. Wickham again, and was resolved to avoid it as long as possible. The comfort to _her_ of the regiments approaching removal was indeed beyond expression. In a fortnight they were to go-and once gone, she hoped there could

54、be nothing more to plague her on his account.She had not been many hours at home before she found that the Brighton scheme, of which Lydia had given them a hint at the inn, was under frequent discussion between her parents. Elizabeth saw directly that her father had not the smallest intention of yie

55、lding; but his answers were at the same time so vague and equivocal, that her mother, though often disheartened, had never yet despaired of succeeding at last.Elizabeths impatience to acquaint Jane with what had happened could no longer be overcome; and at length, resolving to suppress every particu

56、lar in which her sister was concerned, and preparing her to be surprised, she related to her the next morning the chief of the scene between Mr. Darcy and herself.Miss Bennets astonishment was soon lessened by the strong sisterly partiality which made any admiration of Elizabeth appear perfectly nat

57、ural; and all surprise was shortly lost in other feelings. She was sorry that Mr. Darcy should have delivered his sentiments in a manner so little suited to recommend them; but still more was she grieved for the unhappiness which her sisters refusal must have given him.His being so sure of succeedin

58、g was wrong, said she, and certainly ought not to have appeared; but consider how much it must increase his disappointment!Indeed, replied Elizabeth, I am heartily sorry for him; but he has other feelings, which will probably soon drive away his regard for me. You do not blame me, however, for refus

59、ing him? Blame you! Oh, no.But you blame me for having spoken so warmly of Wickham?No-I do not know that you were wrong in saying what you did.But you _will_ know it, when I tell you what happened the very next day.She then spoke of the letter, repeating the whole of its contents as far as they conc

60、erned George102Wickham. What a stroke was this for poor Jane! who would willingly have gone through the world without believing that so much wickedness existed in the whole race of mankind, as was here collected in one individual. Nor was Darcys vindication, though grateful to her feelings, capable