Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 12
傲慢与偏见 - 第十二章
Winter passed quietly at Longbourn. The Bennet sisters saw little of the Bingleys, as they had returned to London for the season. Jane was disappointed but tried to be hopeful.
冬天在朗博恩安静地过去。贝内特姐妹很少看到宾利家,因为他们回伦敦度季。简失望但试图希望。
In January, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Mrs. Bennet's brother and his wife, came to visit. They were sensible, kind people, and they were fond of their nieces.
一月,加德纳夫妇,贝内特太太的兄弟和妻子,来访问。他们是明智、善良的人,他们喜欢侄女。
Mrs. Gardiner noticed that Jane was unhappy and invited her to come to London for a stay. Jane accepted eagerly, hoping that she might see Bingley there.
加德纳太太注意到简不快乐,邀请她来伦敦住。简急切接受,希望她在那里可能会看到宾利。
Elizabeth was invited as well, but she declined. She wanted to stay with her family, and she was not interested in pursuing a relationship with any man in London.
伊丽莎白也被邀请,但她拒绝。她想和家人在一起,她对追求与伦敦任何男人的关系不感兴趣。
"I am happy here," she told her aunt. "And I do not think London would agree with me."
"我在这里快乐,"她告诉阿姨,"我不认为伦敦会适合我。"
After Jane left for London, Elizabeth and her younger sisters continued their quiet life. They read books, visited neighbours, and waited for news from Jane.
简离开伦敦后,伊丽莎白和妹妹继续她们安静的生活。她们读书,拜访邻居,等待简的消息。
But the news from London was disappointing. Jane wrote that she had seen the Bingley sisters but not Bingley himself. She had called on Caroline Bingley, who had received her politely but had not invited her to return.
但伦敦的消息令人失望。简写她看到宾利姐妹但没有看到宾利自己。她拜访卡罗琳·宾利,卡罗琳礼貌地接待她但没有邀请她返回。
"She is being deliberately cruel," Elizabeth said when she read the letter. "She wants to separate you from Bingley."
"她故意残忍,"伊丽莎白读信时说,"她想要把你和宾利分开。"
But Jane refused to believe ill of Caroline. "She was just busy," she insisted. "I am sure she did not mean to be unkind."
但简拒绝相信卡罗琳坏。"她只是忙,"她坚持,"我确定她不是想不友善。"
Elizabeth disagreed. She was certain that the Bingley sisters were trying to prevent any relationship between Jane and Bingley. But she could do nothing about it from Longbourn.
伊丽莎白不同意。她确定宾利姐妹试图阻止简和宾利之间任何关系。但她从朗博恩对此什么也做不了。
Meanwhile, Mr. Wickham continued to be a frequent visitor at Longbourn. He was charming and friendly, and he seemed genuinely fond of Elizabeth.
与此同时,威克姆先生继续频繁访问朗博恩。他迷人友好,他似乎真正喜欢伊丽莎白。
"I wish I had more time to spend with you," he told her. "But my duties keep me busy."
"我希望我有更多时间和你一起,"他告诉她,"但我的职责让我忙。"
Elizabeth enjoyed his company and found herself growing more attracted to him. He was everything Darcy was not—friendly, open, without pride or pretension.
伊丽莎白喜欢他的陪伴,发现自己越来越多被他吸引。他是达西不是的一切——友好、开放,没有骄傲或假装。
But Elizabeth did not know that Wickham was not all he seemed. He had a past that would eventually come to light, and it would change everything.
但伊丽莎白不知道威克姆不是他看起来的一切。他有最终会暴露的过去,它将改变一切。