Colonel Forster did own that he had often suspected some partiality, especially on Lydia's side, but nothing to give him any alarm. I am so grieved for him. His behaviour was attentive and kind to the utmost. He was coming to us, in order to assure us of his concern, before he had any idea of their not being gone to Scotland; when that apprehension first got abroad, it hastened his journey.
“弗斯脱上校说,他也曾怀疑过他们俩有情感,特别是怀疑丽迪雅,可是他并没有看出什么形迹,因此没有及时留意。我真为他难受。他为人极其殷勤善良。远在他想到他们两人并没有到苏格兰去的时候,他就打算上我们这儿来慰问我们。等到人心惶惶的时候,他连忙便赶来了。”
And was Denny convinced that Wickham would not marry? Did he know of their intending to go off? Had Colonel Forster seen Denny himself?
“丹尼认为韦翰不会跟她结婚吗?他是否知道他们存心私奔?弗斯脱上校有没有见到丹尼本人?”
Yes; but when questioned by him, Denny denied knowing any thing of their plan, and would not give his real opinion about it. He did not repeat his persuasion of their not marrying and from that, I am inclined to hope, he might have been misunderstood before.
“见到的,不过他回到丹尼的时候,丹尼绝口否认,说是根本不知道他们私奔的打算,也不肯说出他自己对这件事究竟怎样看法。丹尼以后便没有再提起他们俩不会结婚之类的话。照这样看来,但愿上一次是我听错了他的话。”
And till Colonel Forster came himself, not one of you entertained a doubt, I suppose, of their being really married?
“我想弗斯脱上校没有到这儿以前,你们谁都没有怀疑到他们不会正式结婚吧?”
How was it possible that such an idea should enter our brains! I felt a little uneasy a little fearful of my sister's happiness with him in marriage, because I knew that his conduct had not been always quite right. My father and mother knew nothing of that, they only felt how imprudent a match it must be. Kitty then owned, with a very natural triumph on knowing more than the rest of us, that in Lydia's last letter she had prepared her for such a step. She had known, it seems, of their being in love with each other many weeks.
“我们的脑子里怎么会有这种念头呢!我只是觉得有些不安心,有些顾虑,怕妹妹跟他结婚不会幸福,因为我早就知道他的品德不太端正。父亲和母亲完全不知道这种情形,他们只觉得这门亲事非常冒昧。吉蒂当时十分好胜地说,她比我们大家都熟悉内幕情形,丽迪雅给她的最后一封信上就已经隐隐约约透露也了一些口风,准备来这一着。看吉蒂那副神气,她好象远在她几个星期以前,就知道他们俩相爱了。”
But not before they went to Brighton?
“总不见得在他们俩去到白利屯以前就看出了吧?”
No, I believe not.
“不见得,我相信不见得。”
And did Colonel Forster appear to think ill of Wickham himself? Does he know his real character?
“弗斯脱上校是不是显出看不起韦翰的样子?他了解韦翰的真面目吗?”
I must confess that he did not speak so well of Wickham as he formerly did. He believed him to be imprudent and extravagant. And since this sad affair has taken place, it is said that he left Meryton greatly in debt; but I hope this may be false.
“这我得承认,他不象从前那样器重他了。他认为他行事荒唐,又爱奢华,这件伤心的事发生以后,人们都传说他离开麦里屯的时候,还欠下了好多债,我但愿这是谣言。”
Oh, Jane, had we been less secret, had we told what we knew of him, this could not have happened!
“哎哟,吉英,要是我们当初少替他保守一点秘密,把他的事情照直说出来,那也许就不会发生这件事了!”
Perhaps it would have been better, replied her sister. But to expose the former faults of any person, without knowing what their present feelings were, seemed unjustifiable. We acted with the best intentions.
吉英说:“说不定会好些,不过,光是揭露人家过去的错误,而不尊重人家目前的为人,未免亦有些说不过去。我们待人接物,应该完全好心好意。”