The evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole family. Mrs. Bennet had seen her eldest daughter much admired by the Netherfield party. Mr. Bingley had danced with her twice, and she had been distinguished by his sisters. Jane was as much gratified by this as her mother could be, though in a quieter way. Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure. Mary had heard herself mentioned to Miss Bingley as the most accomplished girl in the neighbourhood; and Catherine and Lydia had been fortunate enough to be never without partners, which was all that they had yet learnt to care for at a ball. They returned therefore, in good spirits to Longbourn, the village where they lived, and of which they were the principal inhabitants. They found Mr. Bennet still up. With a book, he was regardless of time; and on the present occasion he had a good deal of curiosity as to the event of an evening which had raised such splendid expectations. He had rather hoped that all his wife's views on the stranger would be disappointed; but he soon found that he had a very different story to hear.
班府上全家上這一個(gè)晚上大致都過(guò)得很高興。大小姐蒙彬格萊先生邀她跳了兩次舞,而且這位貴人的姐妹們都對(duì)她另眼相看。班太太看到尼日斐花園的一家人都這么喜愛(ài)她的大女兒,覺(jué)得非常得意。吉英跟她母親一樣得意,只不過(guò)沒(méi)有象她母親那樣聲張。伊麗莎白也為吉英快活。曼麗曾聽(tīng)到人們?cè)诒蚋袢R小姐面前提到她自己,說(shuō)她是鄰近一帶最有才干的姑娘;咖苔琳和麗迪雅運(yùn)氣最好,沒(méi)有那一場(chǎng)舞缺少舞伴,這是她們每逢開(kāi)舞會(huì)時(shí)唯一關(guān)心的一件事。母女們高高興興地回到她們所住的浪搏恩村(她們算是這個(gè)村子里的旺族),看見(jiàn)班納特先生還沒(méi)有睡覺(jué)。且說(shuō)這位先生平常只要捧上一本書(shū),就忘了時(shí)間,可是這次他沒(méi)有睡覺(jué),卻是因?yàn)樗麡O想知道大家朝思暮想的這一盛會(huì),經(jīng)過(guò)情形究竟如何。他滿(mǎn)以為他太太對(duì)那位貴客一定很失望,但是,他立刻就發(fā)覺(jué)事實(shí)并非如此。

"Oh! my dear Mr. Bennet," as she entered the room, "we have had a most delightful evening, a most excellent ball. I wish you had been there. Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it. Every body said how well she looked; and Mr. Bingley thought her quite beautiful, and danced with her twice. Only think of that my dear; he actually danced with her twice; and she was the only creature in the room that he asked a second time. First of all, he asked Miss Lucas. I was so vexed to see him stand up with her; but, however, he did not admire her at all: indeed, nobody can, you know; and he seemed quite struck with Jane as she was going down the dance. So, he enquired who she was, and got introduced, and asked her for the two next. Then, the two third he danced with Miss King, and the two fourth with Maria Lucas, and the two fifth with Jane again, and the two sixth with Lizzy, and the Boulanger --"
“噢!我的好老爺,”她一走進(jìn)房間就這么說(shuō),“我們這一個(gè)晚上過(guò)得太快活了,舞會(huì)太好了。你沒(méi)有去真可惜。吉英那么吃香,簡(jiǎn)直是無(wú)法形容。什么人都說(shuō)她長(zhǎng)得好;彬格萊先生認(rèn)為她很美,跟她跳了兩場(chǎng)舞!你光想想這一點(diǎn)看吧,親愛(ài)的;他確實(shí)跟她跳了兩場(chǎng)!全場(chǎng)那么多女賓,就只有她一個(gè)人蒙受了他兩次邀請(qǐng)。他頭一場(chǎng)舞是邀請(qǐng)盧卡斯小姐跳的。我看到他站到她身邊去,不禁有些氣惱!不過(guò),他對(duì)她根本沒(méi)意思,其實(shí),什么人也不會(huì)對(duì)她有意思;當(dāng)吉英走下舞池的時(shí)候,他可就顯得非常著迷了。他立刻打聽(tīng)她的姓名,請(qǐng)人介紹,然后邀她跳下一場(chǎng)舞。他第三場(chǎng)舞是跟金小姐跳的,第四場(chǎng)跟瑪麗雅·盧卡斯跳,第五場(chǎng)又跟吉英跳,第六場(chǎng)是跟麗萃跳,還有‘布朗謝’?!?/div>

"If he had had any compassion for me," cried her husband impatiently, "he would not have danced half so much! For God's sake, say no more of his partners. Oh! that he had sprained his ancle in the first dance!"
“要是他稍許體諒我一點(diǎn),”她的丈夫不耐煩地叫起來(lái)了,“他就不會(huì)跳這么多,一半也不會(huì)!天哪,不要提他那些舞伴了吧。噢!但愿他頭一場(chǎng)舞就跳得腳踝扭了筋!”

"Oh! my dear," continued Mrs. Bennet, "I am quite delighted with him. He is so excessively handsome! and his sisters are charming women. I never in my life saw any thing more elegant than their dresses. I dare say the lace upon Mrs. Hurst's gown --"
“噢!親愛(ài)的,”班納特太太接下去說(shuō),“我非常喜歡他。他真太漂亮啦!他的姐妹們也都很討人喜歡。我生平?jīng)]有看見(jiàn)過(guò)任何東西比她們的衣飾更講究。我敢說(shuō),赫斯脫太太衣服上的花邊--”

Here she was interrupted again. Mr. Bennet protested against any description of finery. She was therefore obliged to seek another branch of the subject, and related, with much bitterness of spirit and some exaggeration, the shocking rudeness of Mr. Darcy.
說(shuō)到這里又給岔斷了,班納特先生不愿意聽(tīng)人談到衣飾。她因此不得不另找話(huà)題,于是就談到達(dá)西先生那不可一世的傲慢無(wú)禮的態(tài)度,她的措辭辛辣刻薄,而又帶幾分夸張。

"But I can assure you," she added, "that Lizzy does not lose much by not suiting his fancy; for he is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing. So high and so conceited that there was no enduring him! He walked here, and he walked there, fancying himself so very great! Not handsome enough to dance with! I wish you had been there, my dear, to have given him one of your set downs. I quite detest the man."
“不過(guò)我可以告訴你,”她補(bǔ)充道,“麗萃不中他的意,這對(duì)麗萃并沒(méi)有什么可惜,因?yàn)樗莻€(gè)最討厭、最可惡的人不值得去奉承他。那么高傲,那么自大,叫人不可容忍!他一會(huì)兒走到這里,一會(huì)兒走到那里,把自己看得那么了不起!還要嫌人家不夠漂亮,配不上跟他跳舞呢!要是你在場(chǎng)的話(huà),你就可以好好地教訓(xùn)他一頓。我厭惡透了那個(gè)人。”