第4章

When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister how very much she admired him.

“He is just what a young man ought to be,”said she,“sensible, good humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners! —so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!”

“He is also handsome,”replied Elizabeth,“which a young man ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete.”

“I was very much flattered by his asking me to dance a second time. I did not expect such a compliment.”

“Did not you? I did for you. But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never. What could be more natural than his asking you again? He could not help seeing that you were about five times as pretty as every other women in the room. No thanks to his gallantry for that. Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person.”

“Dear Lizzy!”

“Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in any body. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in my life.”

“I would wish not to be hasty in censuring any one; but I always speak what I think.”

“I know you do; and it is that which makes the wonder. With your good sense, to be honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others! Affectation of candour is common enough;-one meets it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design-to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad-belongs to you alone. And so, you like this man's sisters too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his.”

“Certainly not; at first. But they are very pleasing women when you converse with them. Miss Bingley is to live with her brother and keep his house; and I am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming neighbour in her.”

Elizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced. Their behaviour at the assembly had not been calculated to please in general; and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister, and with a judgment, too, unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very little disposed to approve them. They were in fact very fine ladies, not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of being agreeable where they chose it; but proud and conceited. They were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, were in the habit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people of rank; and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others. They were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade.

Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly an hundred thousand pounds from his father, who had intended to purchase an estate, but did not live to do it. —Mr. Bingley intended it likewise, and sometimes made choice of his county; but as he was now provided with a good house and the liberty of a manor, it was doubtful to many of those who best knew the easiness of his temper, whether he might not spend the remainder of his days at Netherfield, and leave the next generation to purchase.

His sisters were very anxious for his having an estate of his own; but though he was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table, nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had married a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house as her home when it suited her. Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at Netherfield House. He did look at it and into it for half an hour, was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms, satisfied with what the owner said in its praise, and took it immediately.

Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a great opposition of character. —Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied. On the strength of Darcy's regard Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highest opinion. In understanding, Darcy was the superior. Bingley was by no means deficient, but Darcy was clever. He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting. In that respect his friend had greatly the advantage. Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared; Darcy was continually giving offence.

The manner in which they spoke of the Meryton assembly was sufficiently characteristic. Bingley had never met with pleasanter people or prettier girls in his life; everybody had been most kind and attentive to him, there had been no formality, no stiffness; he had soon felt acquainted with all the room; and as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel more beautiful. Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure. Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much.

Mrs. Hurst and her sister allowed it to be so-but still they admired her and liked her, and pronounced her to be a sweet girl, and one whom they should not object to know more of. Miss Bennet was therefore established as a sweet girl, and their brother felt authorized by such commendation to think of her as he chose.

简对赞扬宾利先生持谨慎态度，只有当她和伊丽莎白独处的时候，她才对伊丽莎白表示，她是多么爱慕宾利先生。

“他真是一个理想的小伙子，”她说，“通情达理，活泼快乐；我从来没有见过他那种讨人喜欢的举止！——既轻松自如，又富有如此完美的教养！”

“他也非常英俊，”伊丽莎白答道，“只要可能，年轻人就应该同样英俊。因此，他的性格是完美的。”

“他两次邀请我跳舞，我真是万分荣幸。我没料到他这样高看我。”

“你没料到？我替你料到了。不过，这正是我们之间截然不同的一点。别人的赞扬总是让你惊讶，我却从来不会。他又请你跳一次，会有什么不自然吗？你比舞场里的任何其他女人都要漂亮不知多少倍，他不可能看不到。他献殷勤，你不用感谢。啊，他的确和蔼可亲，我允许你喜欢他。你曾经喜欢过好多更傻的人呢。”

“亲爱的丽齐！”

“唉！你知道，你通常太容易对人们产生好感。你从来看不到任何人的缺点。在你的眼里，天下都是好人，都和蔼可亲。我长这么大，从来没有听见你说过别人的坏话。”

“我不希望随便指责别人，但我一向都是想到什么就说什么。”

“我知道你就是这样；而这也是莫名其妙的一点。你判断力强，竟会对别人的愚蠢和无聊熟视无睹！假装直率司空见惯，哪里都会遇到。可是，坦坦荡荡，没有卖弄或图谋——你对每个人的品质只看好的一面，还要锦上添花，从来不说坏的一面——只有你会做到。因此，你也喜欢宾利先生的姐妹们，对吗？她们的风度可跟他的不一样。”

“起先，当然不一样。可是，你跟她们交谈时，会发现她们也很讨人喜欢。宾利小姐要跟她的哥哥同住一起，替他管家；要是我们发现她不是一个非常迷人的邻居，那我就大错特错了。”

伊丽莎白默默地听着，但并没有信服。她们在舞会上的举止目的不是想讨好众人；她比姐姐的观察更敏锐，性情没有姐姐柔顺，而且也有主见，不会因有人关心她自己而改弦易辙，不会对她们产生多少好感。事实上，她们都是非常出色的姑娘；她们高兴时并不是不会谈笑风生；她们乐意做时也不是不会和蔼可亲；但是，她们骄傲自负。她们都相当漂亮，曾经在一所一流私立学校受过教育，有两万英镑的财产，花钱习惯挥霍，习惯结交有身份的人，因此各方面都自我感觉良好，瞧不起别人。她们出生在英格兰北部的一个体面家庭；她们对此印象更深刻，而对她们兄弟的财产和她们自己的财产都是经商赚来的却印象不深。

宾利先生从父亲那里继承遗产的数额将近十万英镑。他的父亲本来打算购置田产，却没有做成就去世了。——宾利先生同样这样打算，有时选定了在哪个郡购置，但因为现在有了好房子和庄园供他随意使用，所以那些最了解他随遇而安性格的人大都怀疑，他下半辈子是不是在内瑟菲尔德庄园度过，是不是要把购置田产留给下一代。

他的姐妹都非常渴望他拥有自己的财产；不过，尽管他现在只是作为房客在这里住下，但宾利小姐还是心甘情愿为他掌管家务；赫斯特太太嫁了一个派头大、财富少的男人，只要房子适合她，她也不是不愿把它当成自己的家。宾利先生来看内瑟菲尔德庄园，是有人偶尔推荐，当时他成年还不到两年。他的确里里外外看了半个小时，喜欢上了房子的地段和几个主要房间，听信了房主的溢美之词，立马租了下来。

他和达西的性格大相径庭，却有非常牢固的友情。达西喜欢宾利脾气温和、坦率、柔顺；不过他的性情和宾利的反差较大，他好像对自己的性情也从来没有不满过。宾利完全信赖达西的关心，对他的见解评价极高。在悟性上，达西更占优势。宾利毫无缺陷，但达西聪明透顶。同时，达西目中无人、沉默寡言、吹毛求疵，尽管他受过良好教育，但他的举止并不动人。在这方面，他的朋友具有更大优势。无论宾利出现在哪里，肯定都会受到喜爱；达西却在不断得罪人。

他们谈论魅力屯聚会的方式足以表现各自的特点。宾利说他这辈子从来没有遇见过如此活泼的人们、如此漂亮的姑娘；人人都对他和蔼可亲，关心体贴，没有俗套，没有拘谨；他很快就跟全屋人混熟了；至于贝内特小姐，他无法想象还能有比她更美丽的天使。相反，达西见到的一群人既美不到哪里去，也并不时髦，他对她们一点也不感兴趣，也没有得到别人的关心和好感。他承认贝内特小姐漂亮，但她太爱笑了。

赫斯特太太和她的妹妹都同意这种看法——不过，她们仍然羡慕她、喜欢她，说她是一位可爱的姑娘，她们不应该反对跟她更多交往。因此，贝内特小姐就被认定是可爱的姑娘。弟弟听了她们这番称赞，觉得自己可以随心所欲地想她了。