MR. COLLINS was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society; the greatest part of his life having been spent under the guidance of an illiterate and miserly father; and though he belonged to one of the universities, he had merely kept the necessary terms, without forming at it any useful acquaintance. The subjection in which his father had brought him up had given him originally great humility of manner, but it was now a good deal counteracted by the self-conceit of a weak head, living in retirement, and the consequential feelings of early and unexpected prosperity. A fortunate chance had recommended him to Lady Catherine de Bourgh when the living of Hunsford was vacant; and the respect which he felt for her high rank and his veneration for her as his patroness, mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his authority as a clergyman, and his rights as a rector, made him altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility.
柯林斯先生并不是個通情達理的人，他雖然也受過教育，也踏進了社會，但是先天的缺陷卻簡直沒有得到什么彌補。他大部分日子是在他那守財奴的文盲父親的教導(dǎo)下度過的。他也算進過大學(xué)，實際上不過照例住了幾個學(xué)期，并沒有結(jié)交一個有用的朋友。他的父親管束得他十分嚴(yán)厲，因此他的為人本來很是謙卑，不過他本是個蠢材，現(xiàn)在生活又過得很優(yōu)閑，當(dāng)然不免自高自大，何況年紀(jì)輕輕就發(fā)了意外之財，更其自視甚高，哪里還談得上謙卑。當(dāng)時漢斯福教區(qū)有個牧師空缺，他鴻運享通，得到了咖苔琳·德·包爾夫人的提拔。他看到他的女施主地位頗高，便悉心崇拜，備加尊敬；另方面又自命不凡，自以為當(dāng)上了教士，該有怎樣怎樣的權(quán)利，于是他一身兼有了驕傲自大和謙卑順從的兩重性格。

Having now a good house and very sufficient income, he intended to marry; and in seeking a reconciliation with the Longbourn family he had a wife in view, as he meant to chuse one of the daughters, if he found them as handsome and amiable as they were represented by common report. This was his plan of amends -- of atonement -- for inheriting their father's estate; and he thought it an excellent one, full of eligibility and suitableness, and excessively generous and disinterested on his own part.
他現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有了一幢好房子，一筆可觀的收入，想要結(jié)婚了。他所以要和浪博恩這家人家講和修好，原是想要在他們府上找個太太。要是這家人家的幾位小姐果真象大家所傳聞的那么美麗可愛，他一定要挑選一個。這就是他所謂補償?shù)挠媱潱H罪的計劃，為的是將來繼承她們父親的遺產(chǎn)時可以問心無愧。他認(rèn)為這真是個獨出心裁的辦法，既極其妥善得體，又來得慷慨豪爽。

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 alteration; 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 avowal of his hopes that a mistress for it might be found at Longbourn, produced from her, amid very complaisant smiles and general encouragement, a caution against the very Jane he had fixed on. -- "As to her younger daughters she could not take upon her to say -- she could not positively answer -- but she did not know of any prepossession; -- her eldest daughter, she must just mention -- she felt it incumbent on her to hint, was likely to be very soon engaged."
他看到這幾位小姐之后，并沒有變更本來的計劃。一看到吉英那張可愛的臉蛋兒，他便拿定了主張，而且更加確定了他那些老式的想法，認(rèn)為一切應(yīng)當(dāng)先娶最大的一位小姐。頭一個晚上他就選中了她。不過第二天早上他又變更了主張，因為他和班納特夫人親親密密地談了一刻鐘的話，開頭談?wù)勊约耗谴蹦翈熥≌?，后來自然而然地把自己的心愿招供了出來，說是要在浪博恩找一位太太，而且要在她的令嬡們中間找一位。班納特太太親切地微笑著，而且一再鼓勵他，不過談到他選定了吉英，她就不免要提請他注意一下子了?！爸v到我?guī)讉€小女兒，我沒有什么意見──當(dāng)然也不能一口答應(yīng)──不過我還沒有聽說她們有什么對象；至于我的大女兒，我可不得不提一提──我覺得有責(zé)任提醒你一下──大女兒可能很快就要訂婚了?！?/div>

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.
柯林斯先生只得撇開吉英不談，改選伊麗莎白，一下子就選定了──就在班納特太太撥火的那一剎那之間選定的。伊麗莎白無論是年齡，美貌，比吉英都只差一步，當(dāng)然第二個就要輪到她。

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.
班納特太太得到這個暗示，如獲至寶，她相信很快就可以嫁出兩個女兒了；昨天她提都不愿意提到的這個人，現(xiàn)在卻叫她極為重視了。

Lydia's intention of walking to Meryton was not forgotten; every sister except Mary agreed to go with her; and Mr. Collins was to attend them, at the request of Mr. Bennet, who was most anxious to get rid of him, and have his library to himself; for thither Mr. Collins had followed him after breakfast, and there he would continue, nominally engaged with one of the largest folios in the collection, but really talking to Mr. Bennet, with little cessation, of his house and garden at Hunsford. Such doings discomposed Mr. Bennet exceedingly. In his library he had been always sure of leisure and tranquillity; and though prepared, as he told Elizabeth, to meet with folly and conceit in every other room in the house, he was used to be free from them there; his civility, therefore, was most prompt in inviting Mr. Collins to join his daughters in their walk; and Mr. Collins, being in fact much better fitted for a walker than a reader, was extremely well pleased to close his large book, and go.
麗迪雅原說要到麥里屯支走走，她這個念頭到現(xiàn)在還沒有打消。除了曼麗之外，姐姐們都愿意跟她同去；班納特先生為了要把柯林斯先生攆走，好讓自己在書房里清凈一陣，便請他也跟著她們一起去。原來柯林斯先生吃過早飯以后，就跟著他到書房來了，一直待到那時候還不想走，名義上在看他所收藏的那本大型的對開本，事實上卻在滔滔不絕地跟班納特先生大談他自己在漢斯福的房產(chǎn)和花園，弄得班納特先生心煩意亂。他平常待在書房里就是為了要圖個悠閑清凈。他曾經(jīng)跟伊麗莎白說過，他愿意在任何一間房間里，接見愚蠢和自高自大的家伙，書房里可就不能讓那些人插足了。因此他立刻恭恭敬敬地請柯林斯先生伴著他女兒們一塊兒去走走，而柯林斯先生本來也只配做一個步行家，不配做一個讀書人，于是非常高興地合上書本走了。