Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 16
Orgullo y Prejuicio - Capítulo 16
The next morning, Elizabeth was walking in the garden when she saw Darcy approaching. He was holding a letter, and he seemed determined to speak to her.
Elizabeth pasó el resto del día leyendo la carta una y otra vez. Tuvo que admitir que el relato de Darcy sobre sus acciones tenía sentido.
"Miss Bennet," he said, "I have written this letter to answer your accusations. Please read it."
Recordó el comportamiento de Wickham. Nunca había hablado mal de Darcy hasta que Darcy dejó Netherfield. Y había intentado cortejar a la señorita King tan pronto como ella heredó una fortuna.
Elizabeth took the letter, curious despite her anger. Darcy waited while she read, then left without another word.
—Es un mercenario —pensó Elizabeth—. Y yo estaba demasiado ciega para verlo.
The letter explained everything. First, Darcy wrote about Jane and Bingley. He admitted that he had advised Bingley to leave Jane, but he explained his reasons.
En cuanto a Jane, Elizabeth recordó lo tranquila y serena que Jane siempre había sido. Un extraño podría haber pensado fácilmente que no estaba enamorada.
"I believed your sister was indifferent to him," he wrote. "She showed her feelings in a way that could only be perceived as calmness and composure. I did not want my friend to make a marriage that would be unhappy for both."
—Darcy se equivocó —pensó—. Pero fue un error comprensible.
Elizabeth thought back to Jane's behaviour. It was true—Jane was always calm, always composed. Bingley could easily have misunderstood her feelings.
Cuando dejó Hunsford al día siguiente, era una mujer cambiada. Había aprendido que sus primeras impresiones a menudo eran erróneas y que había juzgado demasiado rápido.
The second part of the letter was about Wickham. Darcy wrote that Wickham had been left money by Darcy's father, with the intention that he should enter the church. Instead, Wickham had gambled away the money and then tried to elope with Darcy's sister, Georgiana, for her fortune.
Se despidió de Charlotte y del señor Collins. Charlotte parecía contenta, pero Elizabeth no pudo evitar sentir lástima por ella. Una vida con el señor Collins le parecía un castigo terrible.
"He told you I refused him the living," Darcy wrote. "But the truth is that he refused to enter the church and demanded more money. When I refused, he spread lies about me."
Pero Charlotte había hecho su elección, y parecía decidida a sacar lo mejor de ella.
Elizabeth was shocked. Could it be true? Could Wickham have deceived her so completely?
En el viaje a casa, Elizabeth pensaba constantemente en Darcy. Se avergonzaba de su comportamiento hacia él. Lo había insultado y rechazado, y sin embargo él había respondido con dignidad y honestidad.
She remembered how charming Wickham had been, how easily he had won her confidence. But she also remembered that Darcy had never spoken ill of anyone else. Perhaps he had been telling the truth all along.
—Es mejor hombre que yo —admitió para sí misma—. Estaba orgullosa de mi conocimiento de las personas, pero me he equivocado en todo.
By the time she finished the letter, Elizabeth's feelings had changed completely. She was ashamed of her prejudice, ashamed of the way she had judged Darcy so harshly.
Cuando llegaron a Londres, donde recogieron a sus tíos, decidió no contarle a nadie sobre la carta. Era el secreto de Darcy, y ella lo guardaría.
"I have been so foolish," she thought. "I allowed my first impressions to blind me to the truth."
Pero sabía que nunca volvería a ver a Wickham con los mismos ojos. Era un mentiroso y un engañador, y se cuidaría de él.
But it was too late. Darcy had left, and she might never see him again.
Elizabeth prepared to leave Hunsford and return home. Her visit was over, but the changes in her heart were only beginning.