Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 17
プライドと偏見 - 第17章
Elizabeth returned from Kent with much to think about. Her experiences at Hunsford had changed her perspective on many things, particularly on Darcy.
エリザベスはロングボーンに戻る。彼女はより賢く、謙虚になった。彼女はジョージアナの名誉を守るためにウィカムについての真実を明かさないことにするが、彼に対する態度は変える。
She now realized that she had been prejudiced against him from the beginning. She had allowed her wounded pride to blind her to his true character. And she had believed Wickham's lies without questioning them.
末の妹リディアは、連隊と共にブライトンへ行くよう招待される。エリザベスは彼女が不祥事を起こすことを恐れて、父に行かせないよう忠告するが、ベネット氏は許可してしまう。
"I have been so foolish," she thought over and over. "I judged him without giving him a chance."
When she arrived home, she found the household in an uproar. Her youngest sister Lydia had been invited to go to Brighton with the regiment, and Mrs. Bennet was delighted.
"It will be so good for her," Mrs. Bennet said. "She will have a chance to meet officers and have fun."
Elizabeth was horrified. Brighton was a seaside town known for its wild parties and loose morals. She feared that Lydia would get into trouble there.
"You cannot let her go," Elizabeth told her father. "It is too dangerous."
But Mr. Bennet was careless. "Let her go," he said. "She will learn her lesson soon enough."
Elizabeth tried to convince him, but he would not listen. He thought Lydia was too silly to get into any real trouble.
Meanwhile, Jane returned from London with news. She had seen Bingley briefly, and he had seemed friendly but distant.
"I think he has forgotten me," Jane said sadly.
Elizabeth was sure that Darcy was still influencing Bingley, but she said nothing to Jane. She did not want to raise her sister's hopes falsely.
In the meantime, Elizabeth continued to think about Darcy. She remembered how he had looked at her at the ball, how he had proposed to her despite her family's obvious shortcomings. He must truly love her, she realized, to propose under such circumstances.
And she remembered the letter—the honest explanation, the admission of his mistakes, the revelation of Wickham's true character. Darcy was not the villain she had thought him to be. He was a good man who had been misunderstood.
But what could she do now? It was too late to change anything. Darcy was gone, and she might never see him again.