MR. BENNET’S property consisted almost entirely in an estate of two thousand a year, which, unfortunately for his daughters, was entailed, in default of heirs male, on a distant relation; and their mother’s fortune, though ample for her situation in life, could but ill supply the deficiency of his. Her father had been an attorney in Meryton, and had left her four thousand pounds.
贝内特先生的财产几乎完全靠每年两千英镑收入的庄园;对他的女儿们来说,不幸的是,因为贝内特先生没有儿子,所以按法律限定由一位远亲继承。尽管她们母亲的财产足够应付生活中的局面,但无法弥补父亲的亏空。贝内特太太的父亲原来是魅力屯的律师,留给了她四千英镑。
entail /ɪnˈteɪl/
v.使必要,需要;<旧>遗赠(财产),限定继承;
The castle is entailed on the eldest son.
这城堡限定由长子继承。
in default of 由于缺乏,因为没有
in default of sth 缺乏某物
in default of payment 不付款
heir /er/
n.继承人,子嗣;接班人
ample /ˈæmp(ə)l/
adj.充足的,充裕的;
deficiency /dɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi/
n.缺乏,不足;
attorney /əˈtɜːrni/
n.律师;代理人
She had a sister married to a Mr. Philips, who had been a clerk to their father and succeeded him in the business, and a brother settled in London in a respectable line of trade.
她有一个妹妹,嫁给了菲利普斯先生。菲利普斯先生原先是她父亲的秘书,后来接替她的父亲成了律师;她还有一个兄弟住在伦敦,从事一桩体面的生意。
clerk /klɜːrk/
n.办事员;售货员;(法庭、市政会等负责管理文书的)文书,书记员;
in a respectable line of trade
从事体面的行业
The village of Longbourn was only one mile from Meryton; a most convenient distance for the young ladies, who were usually tempted thither three or four times a week, to pay their duty to their aunt, and to a milliner’s shop just over the way. The two youngest of the family, Catherine and Lydia, were particularly frequent in these attentions: their minds were more vacant than their sisters’, and when nothing better offered, a walk to Meryton was necessary to amuse their morning hours and furnish conversation for the evening; and, however bare of news the country in general might be, they always contrived to learn some from their aunt.
朗伯恩村离魅力屯只有一英里,这是对小姐们极其便利的距离,常常情不自禁一星期去那里三四次,看看她们的姨妈,顺便逛逛街对面那家女帽店。家里两个最小的姐妹凯瑟琳和丽迪雅向那里跑得特别勤;她们没有姐姐们的心事多,当没有更好的事儿消遣时,就必定要去魅力屯,消遣一下清晨的时光,为晚上提供话题;尽管村子里通常没有什么新闻,但她们总是千方百计从她们姨妈那里打听到一些。
tempt /tempt/
v.引诱,诱惑;怂恿,利诱;
Nothing could tempt her to evil.
什么也不能引诱她做坏事。
thither /ˈðɪðər/
adv.向那方;到那边
I am just on my way thither, and want to try my luck.
我正要去那儿,想碰碰运气。
milliner /ˈmɪlɪnər/
n.女帽制造者(或销售者
furnish /ˈfɜːrnɪʃ/
v.为(房间或房屋)配备家具;提供,供应
contrive /kənˈtraɪv/
v.谋划,策划;设法做到
At present, indeed, they were well supplied both with news and happiness by the recent arrival of a militia regiment in the neighbourhood; it was to remain the whole winter, and Meryton was the head-quarters.
目前,附近新到了一个民兵团,她们的消息供应充分,皆大欢喜;这个团要驻扎一个冬天,魅力屯就是司令部所在地。
militia /məˈlɪʃə/
n.民兵队伍,国民自卫队;武装叛乱分子
regiment /ˈredʒɪmənt/
n.(军队的)团;(尤指有组织的)大批,大群(人或物);
head quarter
n.总部,总公司;
UN head-quarters
联合国总部
Their visits to Mrs. Philips were now productive of the most interesting intelligence. Every day added something to their knowledge of the officers’ names and connections. Their lodgings were not long a secret, and at length they began to know the officers themselves. Mr. Philips visited them all, and this opened to his nieces a source of felicity unknown before. They could talk of nothing but officers; and Mr. Bingley’s large fortune, the mention of which gave animation to their mother, was worthless in their eyes when opposed to the regimentals of an ensign.
现在她们拜访菲利普太太成了最有趣的消息来源。每天都会增加对那些军官的名字和关系的一些了解。军官们的住所早就不是秘密了,最后小姐们就开始了解军官本人了。菲利普先生一一拜访了那些军官,这给她的姨侄女们开辟了一个前所未有的幸福源泉;她们只会谈论那些军官。只要提到宾利先生的大笔财产,她们的母亲就会眉飞色舞;与军官们的制服相比,在她们的眼里大笔财产一文不值。
lodgings /ˈlɑːdʒɪŋz/
n.住所;出租的房舍
at length
最终;最后
felicity /fəˈlɪsəti/
n.极乐,幸福;恰当,贴切;
regimentals /redʒə'mentlz/
n.军服;特种部队的服装
ensign /ˈensən/
n.旗;海军少尉;徽章
After listening one morning to their effusions on this subject, Mr. Bennet coolly observed,—
“From all that I can collect by your manner of talking, you must be two of the silliest girls in the country. I have suspected it some time, but I am now convinced.”
一天上午,听过她们喋喋不休地讨论这个话题之后,贝内特先生冷静地评论道:“从你们说话的方式,我可以推断,你们俩一定是这一带最傻的姑娘。我曾经怀疑过这一点,现在却深信不疑。”
effusion /ɪˈfjuːʒ(ə)n/
n.渗出;泻出;渗漏物
silliest
蠢的(silly 的最高级)
Catherine was disconcerted, and made no answer; but Lydia, with perfect indifference, continued to express her admiration of Captain Carter, and her hope of seeing him in the course of the day, as he was going the next morning to London.
“I am astonished, my dear,” said Mrs. Bennet, “that you should be so ready to think your own children silly. If I wished to think slightingly of anybody’s children, it should not be of my own, however.”
凯瑟琳惊慌失措,没有回答,但丽迪雅完全无动于衷,接着表达她对卡特上尉的爱慕之情,希望当天见到他,因为他第二天上午要去伦敦。
“亲爱的,我感到惊讶,”贝内特太太说,“你动不动就这样认为自己的孩子们傻。然而,就是我想瞧不起什么人的孩子,也不应该是自己的孩子。”
disconcerted /ˌdɪskənˈsɜːrtɪd/
adj.不安的;惊慌的
think slightingly of sb
看不起某人
“If my children are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it.”
“Yes; but as it happens, they are all of them very clever.”
“This is the only point, I flatter myself, on which we do not agree. I had hoped that our sentiments coincided in every particular, but I must so far differ from you as to think our two youngest daughters uncommonly foolish.”
“要是我的孩子们傻,我就必须希望始终理智行事。”
“是的——但碰巧,她们都很聪明。”
“我个人认为,这是我们看法唯一不一致的地方。我本来希望我们的情绪在各个方面都一致,但我们的两个小女儿非常愚蠢,我在这一点上跟你的看法完全不一样。”
sentiment /ˈsentɪmənt/
n.观点,看法,情绪
coincide /ˌkoʊɪnˈsaɪd/
v.巧合,同时发生;一致,相符;
“My dear Mr. Bennet, you must not expect such girls to have the sense of their father and mother. When they get to our age, I dare say they will not think about officers any more than we do. I remember the time when I liked a red coat myself very well—and, indeed, so I do still at my heart; and if a smart young colonel, with five or six thousand a year, should want one of my girls, I shall not say nay to him; and I thought Colonel Forster looked very becoming the other night at Sir William’s in his regimentals.”
“亲爱的贝内特先生,你不能指望这些姑娘都跟她们的父母亲有一样的见识。——等她们到了我们这样的年龄时,我敢说她们就会跟我们一样,不会再想什么军官了。我还记得从前有一个时期,我非常喜欢红制服——事实上,我现在心里还喜欢红制服;要是有一位聪明潇洒的年轻上校,每年有五、六千磅的收入,想要我的哪个女儿,我就不会拒绝他;前两天晚上,在威廉爵士的家里,我认为福斯特上校一身军装,看上去一表人才。”
colonel /ˈkɜːrn(ə)l/
n.(陆军、空军或海军陆战队)上校
nay /neɪ/
n.否定的回答;反对(用于投票)
becoming /bɪˈkʌmɪŋ/
adj.相配的;合适的;得体的
n.(变化过程的)形成,发生
regimentals /redʒə'mentlz/
n.军服;特种部队的服装
“Mamma,” cried Lydia, “my aunt says that Colonel Forster and Captain Carter do not go so often to Miss Watson’s as they did when they first came; she sees them now very often standing in Clarke’s library.”
“妈妈,”丽迪雅嚷道,“姨妈说,福斯特上校和卡特尔上尉到沃森小姐家里去得没有像刚来时那样频繁了;她现在常常看见他们站在克拉克借书处。”
Mrs. Bennet was prevented replying by the entrance of the footman with a note for Miss Bennet; it came from Netherfield, and the servant waited for an answer. Mrs. Bennet’s eyes sparkled with pleasure, and she was eagerly calling out, while her daughter read,—
“Well, Jane, who is it from? What is it about? What does he say? Well, Jane, make haste and tell us; make haste, my love.”
还没等贝内特太太回答,一个仆人带着一封给贝内特小姐的短信走了进来;是内瑟菲尔德庄园的来信;仆人等着取回信。贝内特太太高兴得两眼发亮。简读信时,她急切地叫道:
“喂,简,是谁来的信?信上说什么?他是怎么说的?喂,简,赶紧告诉我们;赶紧,宝贝。”
footman /ˈfʊtmən/
n.男仆,侍从;步兵
sparkled with pleasure
闪烁着快乐的光芒
make haste /meɪk heɪst/
匆忙