Mr. Gardiner did not write again till he had received an answer from Colonel Forster; and then he had nothing of a pleasant nature to send. It was not known that Wickham had a single relation with whom he kept up any connection, and it was certain that he had no near one living. His former acquaintance had been numerous; but since he had been in the militia, it did not appear that he was on terms of particular friendship with any of them. There was no one therefore who could be pointed out as likely to give any news of him. And in the wretched state of his own finances there was a very powerful motive for secrecy, in addition to his fear of discovery by Lydia's relations, for it had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him, to a very considerable amount. Colonel Forster believed that more than a thousand pounds would be necessary to clear his expences at Brighton. He owed a good deal in the town, but his debts of honour were still more formidable. Mr. Gardiner did not attempt to conceal these particulars from the Longbourn family; Jane heard them with horror. "A gamester!" she cried. "This is wholly unexpected. I had not an idea of it."
嘉丁納先生一直挨到接得弗斯脫上校的回信以后，才寫第二封信到浪搏恩來。信上并沒有報道一點喜訊。大家都不知道韋翰是否還有什么親戚跟他來往，不過倒知道他確確實實已經(jīng)沒有一個至親在世。他以前交游頗廣，只是自從進了民兵團以后，看來跟他們都已疏遠(yuǎn)，因此找不出一個人來可以報道一些有關(guān)他的消息。他這次所以要保守秘密，據(jù)說是因為他臨走時拖欠了一大筆賭債，而他目前手頭又非常拮據(jù)，無法償還，再則是因為怕讓麗迪雅的親友發(fā)覺。弗斯脫上校認(rèn)為，要清償他在白利屯的債務(wù)，需要有一千多英鎊才夠。他在本鎮(zhèn)固然欠債很多，但賭債則更可觀。嘉丁納先生并打算把這些事情瞞住浪搏恩這家人家。吉英聽得心驚肉跳，不禁叫道：“好一個賭棍！這真是完全出人意料；我想也不曾想到?！?/div>

Mr. Gardiner added, in his letter, that they might expect to see their father at home on the following day, which was Saturday. Rendered spiritless by the ill-success of all their endeavours, he had yielded to his brother-in-law's intreaty that he would return to his family, and leave it to him to do whatever occasion might suggest to be advisable for continuing their pursuit. When Mrs. Bennet was told of this, she did not express so much satisfaction as her children expected, considering what her anxiety for his life had been before.
嘉丁納先生的信上又說，她們的父親明天（星期六）就可以回家來了。原來他們兩人再三努力，毫無成績，情緒十分低落，因此班納特先生答應(yīng)了他舅爺?shù)囊?，立刻回家，一切事情都留給嘉丁納相機而行。女兒們本以為母親既是那樣擔(dān)心父親會被人打死，聽到這個消息，一定會非常得意，誰知并不盡然。

"What, is he coming home, and without poor Lydia!" she cried. "Sure he will not leave London before he has found them. Who is to fight Wickham, and make him marry her, if he comes away?"
班納特太太嚷道：“什么！他沒有找到可憐的麗迪雅，就這樣一個人回來嗎？他既然沒有找到他們倆，當(dāng)然不應(yīng)該離開倫敦。他一走，還有誰去跟韋翰決斗，逼著他跟麗迪雅結(jié)婚？”

As Mrs. Gardiner began to wish to be at home, it was settled that she and her children should go to London at the same time that Mr. Bennet came from it. The coach, therefore, took them the first stage of their journey, and brought its master back to Longbourn.
嘉丁納太太也開始想要回家了，決定在班納特先生動身回浪搏恩的那一天，她就帶著孩子們回倫敦去。動身的那天可以由這里打發(fā)一部馬車把她送到第一站，然后趁便接主人回來。

Mrs. Gardiner went away in all the perplexity about Elizabeth and her Derbyshire friend that had attended her from that part of the world. His name had never been voluntarily mentioned before them by her niece; and the kind of half-expectation which Mrs. Gardiner had formed, of their being followed by a letter from him, had ended in nothing. Elizabeth had received none since her return, that could come from Pemberley.
嘉丁納太太走了以后，對伊麗莎白和德比郡她那位朋友的事，還是糊里糊涂，從當(dāng)初在德比郡的時候起，就一直弄不明白。外甥女兒從來沒有主動在舅父母面前提起過他的名字。她本以為回來以后，那位先生就會有信來，可是結(jié)果并沒有。伊麗莎白一直沒收到過從彭伯里寄來的信。

The present unhappy state of the family, rendered any other excuse for the lowness of her spirits unnecessary; nothing, therefore, could be fairly conjectured from that, though Elizabeth, who was by this time tolerably well acquainted with her own feelings, was perfectly aware that, had she known nothing of Darcy, she could have borne the dread of Lydia's infamy somewhat better. It would have spared her, she thought, one sleepless night out of two.
她看到外甥女兒情緒消沉；可是，家里既然出了這種不幸的事情，自然難免如此，不必把這種現(xiàn)象牽扯到別的原因上面去。因此她還是摸不著一點邊際。只有伊麗莎白自己明白自己的心思，她想，要是不認(rèn)識達西，那么麗迪雅這件丟臉的事也許會叫她多少好受些，也許可以使她減少幾個失眠之夜。