《傲慢与偏见》 第15章(2)

（单词翻译）

His plan did not vary on seeing them. -- Miss Bennet's lovely face confirmed his views, and established all his strictest notions of what was due to seniority; and for the first evening she was his settled choice. The next morning, however, made an alteration¹; for in a quarter of an hour's tête-a-tête with Mrs. Bennet before breakfast, a conversation beginning with his parsonage-house, and leading naturally to the avowal² of his hopes that a mistress for it might be found at Longbourn, produced from her, amid very complaisant³ smiles and general encouragement, a caution against the very Jane he had fixed⁴ on. -- "As to her younger daughters she could not take upon her to say -- she could not positively⁵ answer -- but she did not know of any prepossession; -- her eldest⁶ daughter, she must just mention -- she felt it incumbent⁷ on her to hint, was likely to be very soon engaged."

他看到这几位小姐之后，并没有变更本来的计划。一看到吉英那张可爱的脸蛋儿，他便拿定了主张，而且更加确定了他那些老式的想法，认为一切应当先娶最大的一位小姐。头一个晚上他就选中了她。不过第二天早上他又变更了主张，因为他和班纳特夫人亲亲密密地谈了一刻钟的话，开头谈谈他自己那幢牧师住宅，后来自然而然地把自己的心愿招供了出来，说是要在浪博恩找一位太太，而且要在她的令嫒们中间找一位。班纳特太太亲切地微笑着，而且一再鼓励他，不过谈到他选定了吉英，她就不免要提请他注意一下子了。“讲到我几个小女儿，我没有什么意见──当然也不能一口答应──不过我还没有听说她们有什么对象；至于我的大女儿，我可不得不提一提──我觉得有责任提醒你一下──大女儿可能很快就要订婚了。”

Mr. Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth -- and it was soon done -- done while Mrs. Bennet was stirring the fire. Elizabeth, equally next to Jane in birth and beauty, succeeded her of course.

柯林斯先生只得撇开吉英不谈，改选伊丽莎白，一下子就选定了──就在班纳特太太拨火的那一刹那之间选定的。伊丽莎白无论是年龄，美貌，比吉英都只差一步，当然第二个就要轮到她。

Mrs. Bennet treasured up the hint, and trusted that she might soon have two daughters married; and the man whom she could not bear to speak of the day before was now high in her good graces.

班纳特太太得到这个暗示，如获至宝，她相信很快就可以嫁出两个女儿了；昨天她提都不愿意提到的这个人，现在却叫她极为重视了。