THE whole party were in hopes of a letter from Mr. Bennet the next morning, but the post came in without bringing a single line from him. His family knew him to be, on all common occasions, a most negligent and dilatory correspondent, but at such a time they had hoped for exertion. They were forced to conclude that he had no pleasing intelligence to send, but even of that they would have been glad to be certain. Mr. Gardiner had waited only for the letters before he set off.
第二天早上，大家都指望班納特先生會寄信來，可是等到郵差來了，卻沒有帶來他的片紙只字。家里人本來知道他一向懶得寫信，能夠拖延總是拖延；但是在這樣的時候，她們都希望他能夠勉為其難一些。既是沒有信來，她們只得認為他沒有什么愉快的消息可以報道，即使如此，她們也希望把事情弄個清楚明白。嘉丁納先生也希望在動身以前能夠看到幾封信。

When he was gone, they were certain at least of receiving constant information of what was going on, and their uncle promised, at parting, to prevail on Mr. Bennet to return to Longbourn as soon as he could, to the great consolation of his sister, who considered it as the only security for her husband's not being killed in a duel.
嘉丁納先生去了以后，大家都認為，今后至少可以經(jīng)常聽到一些事情進行的經(jīng)過情形。他臨走的時候，答應(yīng)一定去勸告班納特先生盡可能馬上回來。她們的母親聽了這些話，很是安慰，她認為只有這樣，才能保證她丈夫不會在決斗中被人打死。

Mrs. Gardiner and the children were to remain in Hertfordshire a few days longer, as the former thought her presence might be serviceable to her nieces. She shared in their attendance on Mrs. Bennet, and was a great comfort to them in their hours of freedom. Their other aunt also visited them frequently, and always, as she said, with the design of cheering and heartening them up, though as she never came without reporting some fresh instance of Wickham's extravagance or irregularity, she seldom went away without leaving them more dispirited than she found them.
嘉丁納太太和她的孩子們還要在哈福德郡多待幾天，因為她覺得，待在這里可以讓外甥女們多一個幫手。她可以幫她們等候班納特太太，等她們空下來的時候，又大可以安慰安慰她們。姨媽也常常來看她們，而且據(jù)她自己說，她來的目的是為了讓她們高興高興，給她們打打氣，不過，她沒有哪一次來不談到韋翰的奢侈淫佚，每次都可以舉出新的事例。她每次走了以后，總是叫她們比她沒有來以前更加意氣消沉。

All Meryton seemed striving to blacken the man, who, but three months before, had been almost an angel of light. He was declared to be in debt to every tradesman in the place, and his intrigues, all honoured with the title of seduction, had been extended into every tradesman's family. Every body declared that he was the wickedest young man in the world; and every body began to find out that they had always distrusted the appearance of his goodness. Elizabeth, though she did not credit above half of what was said, believed enough to make her former assurance of her sister's ruin still more certain; and even Jane, who believed still less of it, became almost hopeless, more especially as the time was now come when, if they had gone to Scotland, which she had never before entirely despaired of, they must in all probability have gained some news of them.
三個月以前，差不多整個麥里屯的人們都把這個男人捧到天上；三個月以后，整個麥里屯的人都說他的壞話。他們說，他在當(dāng)?shù)孛恳粋€商人那里都欠下了一筆債；又給他加上了誘騙婦女的的頭銜，又說每個商人家里都受過他的糟蹋。每個人都說他是天下最壞的青年；每個人都開始發(fā)覺自己一向就不信任他那偽善的面貌。伊麗莎白雖然對這些話只是半信半疑，不過她早就認為妹妹會毀在他手里，這一來當(dāng)然更是深信無疑。吉英本來連半信半疑也談不上，這一來也幾乎感到失望──因為時間已經(jīng)過了這么久，如果他們兩人真到蘇格蘭去了，現(xiàn)在也應(yīng)該有消息了，這樣一想，縱使她從來沒有覺得完全失望，現(xiàn)在當(dāng)然也難免要感到失望。

Mr. Gardiner left Longbourn on Sunday; on Tuesday, his wife received a letter from him; it told them that on his arrival, he had immediately found out his brother, and persuaded him to come to Gracechurch street; that Mr. Bennet had been to Epsom and Clapham before his arrival, but without gaining any satisfactory information; and that he was now determined to enquire at all the principal hotels in town, as Mr. Bennet thought it possible they might have gone to one of them, on their first coming to London, before they procured lodgings. Mr. Gardiner himself did not expect any success from this measure, but as his brother was eager in it, he meant to assist him in pursuing it. He added that Mr. Bennet seemed wholly disinclined at present, to leave London, and promised to write again very soon. There was also a postscript to this effect:
嘉丁納先生是星期日離開浪搏恩的。星期二他太太接到他一封信。信上說，他一到那里就找到了姐夫，把他勸到天恩寺街去。又說，他沒有到達倫敦以前，班納特先生曾到艾普桑和克拉普汗去過，可惜沒有打聽到一點兒滿意的消息；又說他決定到城里各大旅館去打聽一下，因為班納特先生認為，韋翰和麗迪雅一到倫敦，可能先住旅館，然后再慢慢尋找房子。嘉丁納先生本人并沒有指望這種辦法會獲得什么成績；既是姐夫非要那樣做不可，也只有幫助他著手進行。信上還說，班納特先生暫時根本不想離開倫敦，他答應(yīng)不久就會再寫一封信來。這封信上還有這樣的一段附言：