第五章

WITHIN a short walk of Longbourn lived a family with whom the Bennets were particularly intimate. Sir William Lucas had been formerly in trade in Meryton, where he had made a tolerable fortune and risen to the honour of knighthood by an address to the King during his mayoralty. The distinction had perhaps been felt too strongly. It had given him a disgust to his business and to his residence in a small market town; and quitting them both, he had removed with his family to a house about a mile from Meryton, denominated from that period Lucas Lodge, where he could think with pleasure of his own importance, and, unshackled by business, occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world. For though elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the contrary, he was all attention to every body. By nature inoffensive, friendly and obliging, his presentation at St. James's had made him courteous. 

Lady Lucas was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a valuable neighbour to Mrs. Bennet. -- They had several children. The eldest of them, a sensible, intelligent young woman, about twenty-seven, was Elizabeth's intimate friend.

That the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a ball was absolutely necessary; and the morning after the assembly brought the former to Longbourn to hear and to communicate.

"You began the evening well, Charlotte," said Mrs. Bennet with civil self-command to Miss Lucas. "You were Mr. Bingley's first choice."

"Yes; -- but he seemed to like his second better."

"Oh! -- you mean Jane, I suppose -- because he danced with her twice. To be sure that did seem as if he admired her -- indeed I rather believe he did -- I heard something about it -- but I hardly know what -- something about Mr. Robinson."

"Perhaps you mean what I overheard between him and Mr. Robinson; did not I mention it to you? Mr. Robinson's asking him how he liked our Meryton assemblies, and whether he did not think there were a great many pretty women in the room, and which he thought the prettiest? and his answering immediately to the last question -- "Oh! the eldest Miss Bennet beyond a doubt, there cannot be two opinions on that point.""

"Upon my word! -- Well, that was very decided indeed -- that does seem as if -- but, however, it may all come to nothing, you know."

"My overhearings were more to the purpose than yours, Eliza," said Charlotte. "Mr. Darcy is not so well worth listening to as his friend, is he? -- Poor Eliza! -- to be only just tolerable."

"I beg you would not put it into Lizzy's head to be vexed by his ill-treatment; for he is such a disagreeable man that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by him. Mrs. Long told me last night that he sat close to her for half an hour without once opening his lips."

"Are you quite sure, Ma'am? -- is not there a little mistake?" said Jane. -- "I certainly saw Mr. Darcy speaking to her."

"Aye -- because she asked him at last how he liked Netherfield, and he could not help answering her; -- but she said he seemed very angry at being spoke to."

"Miss Bingley told me," said Jane, "that he never speaks much unless among his intimate acquaintance. With them he is remarkably agreeable."

"I do not believe a word of it, my dear. If he had been so very agreeable, he would have talked to Mrs. Long. But I can guess how it was; every body says that he is ate up with pride, and I dare say he had heard somehow that Mrs. Long does not keep a carriage, and had come to the ball in a hack chaise."

"I do not mind his not talking to Mrs. Long," said Miss Lucas, "but I wish he had danced with Eliza."

"Another time, Lizzy," said her mother, "I would not dance with him, if I were you."

"I believe, Ma'am, I may safely promise you never to dance with him."

"His pride," said Miss Lucas, "does not offend me so much as pride often does, because there is an excuse for it. One cannot wonder that so very fine a young man, with family, fortune, every thing in his favour, should think highly of himself. If I may so express it, he has a right to be proud."

"That is very true," replied Elizabeth, "and I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine."

"Pride," observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections, "is a very common failing I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonimously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."

"If I were as rich as Mr. Darcy," cried a young Lucas who came with his sisters, "I should not care how proud I was. I would keep a pack of foxhounds, and drink a bottle of wine every day."

"Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought," said Mrs. Bennet; "and if I were to see you at it, I should take away your bottle directly."

The boy protested that she should not; she continued to declare that she would, and the argument ended only with the visit.

--正文

蘑菇屯里不远住着一户人家，跟本内特家关系很亲近。威廉姆.卢卡斯爵士之前在麦瑞屯做生意，他在那挣了笔可观的钱，然后又在市长任上给国王上呈了份折子，而获封了爵士的头衔。他可能觉得这份荣耀实在是太过尊贵，以至于他开始讨厌手上的生意，讨厌住在小城镇。于是他把生意扔了，跟一家人搬到麦瑞屯一英里外的宅子里。从那之后这宅子就被叫做卢老汉小屋。在那屋里他每天自得其乐，以显要自居，再也没有生意上的事情来烦他，每天开心的过着小市民生活。虽然对自己的头衔十分自豪，但是爵士头衔并没有让他骄傲自大。恰恰相反，他对每个人都殷勤的很。卢卡斯爵士待人亲和有礼，又从来不得罪人，别人有啥难处他也热心帮忙，因此麦瑞屯的人都觉得他很谦和。

卢卡斯太太也是个热心人，她也并不嫌弃本内特太太，跟她做了对好邻居。卢卡斯夫妇又好几个孩子，最大的是个彬彬有礼的年轻人，大约27岁，跟伊丽莎白关系很亲密。卢卡斯家和本内特家的姑娘们聚在一起讨论舞会的事情是非常必要的。舞会的第二天早上，卢卡斯一家就来了蘑菇屯，跟本内特家聚在一起聊聊。

“你昨晚可是开了个好头啊，夏洛特，”本内特太太客气的对卢卡斯小姐说，“宾利第一个跟你跳了舞。”

“是啊，可是他好像更喜欢第二个舞伴”。卢卡斯小姐回复道。

“哦，你是说简么？因为你看到他们跳了两支舞。说起来是像这么回事，宾利好像喜欢我们家丫头。我也希望是，我听说了罗宾逊先生的事情，不过我也就随口乱说啊。。”

“你可能是说我无意间听到的宾利和罗宾逊两人聊的天。我没跟你说过吗？罗宾逊先生问宾利，问他觉得我们的舞会怎么样，今晚的漂亮姑娘们多不多，谁是最漂亮的。结果宾利一下就说出来了谁最漂亮——年纪最大的Bennett姐姐，他可是毫不犹豫。”

“我的天，听起来宾利可真是铁了心，好像是有点奥。但是你知道，这些都是说说而已，到头来怎么样，谁也说不准的。”

“不过小伊丽，我偷听到话可比你的还是要好听些。达西先生说的话可不像他朋友的，值得听，是吧？可怜的小伊利，他说你只是能看得下去。”夏洛特对伊丽莎白说。

“你可别跟我们家的小伊利说这些话烦她。达西那种惹人讨厌的男人，谁要被他喜欢上才算是倒霉。隆太太昨晚跟我说，达西跟他坐在一起快半个小时，嘴皮都没动过！”

“你确定吗，妈妈？你是不是搞错了啊，我可看到达西跟她说话来着。”善良的大姐简补充道。

“是这样，不过那是因为隆太太忍不住开了口，问他觉得我们这地界是不是还行，达西没办法才回答她的，隆太太可是说了，达西被她搭话的时候很生气。”

“宾利先生跟我说，达西除了跟熟人在一起熟络些，其余的时候都是很少说话的。跟宾利他们在一起的时候，达西可是很热情的。”善良美丽的大姐简又说道。

“这话我可一字都不信，我的丫头。如果他像你说的那样，那他早就该跟隆太太聊天了。不过我对他可看得门清！他这个人可是傲气的很，他肯定是看到隆太太没有四个轮子的马车，只能坐两个轮子的去，就瞧不起她。”

“我不介意他没跟隆太太聊天，但是我觉得他该跟小伊利跳舞的。”卢卡斯小姐补充道。

“下回吧，小伊利，”本内特太太说，“我要是你，可不会跟他跳舞。”

“你放心吧妈妈。我向你保证，达西不会和你跳舞的。”

“他的傲慢，不像别人的傲慢那么顶撞我，因为他的傲慢是有原因的。人们就是没法理解，一个小伙子，有钱有家室，应有尽有，有些傲慢。你要我说啊，我觉得他有权傲慢。”

“这可是真话。”伊丽莎白说，“不过要不是他伤害了我的自尊，我也可以原谅他的傲慢。”

“自负，我觉得是很多人的通病。”玛丽突然来了兴致，从沉默中开口说，”从我读过的书来看，这肯定是很常见的毛病，甚至可以说人性就是如此。我们很少有人能够，不因为自己身上的或真或假的一些优点，就沾沾自喜。尽管这两个词经常被混着用，虚荣和自负是两码事。一个人可能是自负，而不虚荣的。自负更多指的是我们对自己的看法，而虚荣指的是我们想让别人看我们。“

”我要是像达西先生这么有钱，我可不管我自己有多自负。“有个跟姐姐们一起来的卢卡斯男孩大声说道，”我就养一群猎狐犬，一天喝一瓶酒。“

”那你可不会就喝一瓶，“本内特太太说，”我要是看到你喝酒，立刻就把你瓶给夺了。“

男孩就说你不能夺，而本内特太太就一直说夺了咋地。他们俩就这样一直吵到了拜访结束。