Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 4
傲慢与偏见 - 第四章
Jane and Elizabeth were particularly close. They were both intelligent and well-read, but their personalities were quite different.
简和伊丽莎白特别亲密。她们都聪明而且读很多书,但她们的个性完全不同。
Jane was gentle and kind, always seeing the best in everyone. She rarely spoke ill of others, and she was quick to forgive. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was more critical. She saw flaws and faults where Jane saw only good, and she was not afraid to speak her mind.
简温柔善良,总是看到每个人最好的一面。她很少说别人的坏话,并且很快就原谅。另一方面,伊丽莎白更批评。她看到简只看到好的缺陷和错误,她不害怕说出她的想法。
"You are too quick to judge, Lizzy," Jane would say gently when Elizabeth criticized someone.
"你太快评判了,利兹,"当伊丽莎白批评某人时简会温柔地说。
"And you are too kind, Jane," Elizabeth would reply with a laugh. "Sometimes you cannot see the bad in people even when it is right in front of you."
"而你太善良了,简,"伊丽莎白会笑着回答,"有时候即使坏就在你面前你也看不到人们身上的坏。"
Despite their differences, the sisters loved each other dearly and shared everything. When Elizabeth expressed her concerns about Darcy, Jane tried to defend him.
尽管有差异,姐妹们深爱彼此,分享一切。当伊丽莎白表达对达西的担忧时,简试图为他辩护。
"Perhaps he was just shy," Jane suggested. "Some people are uncomfortable in social situations. It does not mean they are proud."
"也许他只是害羞,"简建议,"有些人在社交场合不舒服。这不意味着他们骄傲。"
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, it was more than shyness. He looked down on everyone, as if he thought he was better than all of us. That is not shyness, Jane. That is pride."
伊丽莎白摇头。"不,不仅仅是害羞。他看不起每个人,好像他认为他比我们都好。那不是害羞,简。那是骄傲。"
But Jane would not be convinced. She preferred to think the best of people, even when evidence suggested otherwise.
但简不会被说服。她宁愿想人最好的一面,即使证据表明否则。
Their younger sisters were very different. Lydia and Kitty were silly and frivolous, interested only in officers and balls and pretty dresses. Mary, the middle sister, was serious and studious, always reading books and trying to improve herself.
她们的妹妹非常不同。莉迪亚和基蒂愚蠢轻浮,只对军官、舞会和漂亮衣服感兴趣。玛丽,中间的姐妹,严肃好学,总是读书,试图提高自己。
Mrs. Bennet worried about all her daughters, but she was most concerned about finding husbands for them. With five daughters and no son, the estate would go to a distant cousin when Mr. Bennet died, and the girls would be left with very little.
贝内特太太担心所有女儿,但她最关心为她们找到丈夫。五个女儿没有儿子,贝内特先生死后财产将归远房表亲,女孩们将留下很少。
"We must get them all married well," she would say to her husband. "Or what will become of them?"
"我们必须让她们都嫁得好,"她会告诉丈夫,"否则她们会变成什么样?"
Mr. Bennet would usually respond with a sarcastic comment that made his wife angry, but he secretly shared her concern. He knew that the future of his daughters depended on finding good husbands.
贝内特先生通常会回以讽刺的评论使妻子生气,但他私下分享她的担忧。他知道女儿们的未来取决于找到好丈夫。