第 61 章
班納特太太兩個最值得疼愛的女兒出嫁的那一天，正是她做母親的生平最高興的一天。她以後去拜訪彬格萊太太，在人家面前談起達西太太，是多麼得意，多麼驕傲，這是可想而知的。看她家庭面上，我想在這裏作一個說明，她所有的女兒後來都得到了歸宿，她生平最殷切的願望終於如願以償；說來可喜，她後半輩子竟因此變成了一個頭腦清楚、和藹可親、頗有見識的女人；不過她有時候還是神經衰弱，經常都是癡頭怪腦，這也許倒是她丈夫的幸運，否則他就無從享受這種稀奇古怪的家庭幸福了。
班納特先生非常捨不得第二個女兒；他因為疼愛她，便常常去看她，他生平從來不肯這樣經常出外作客。他喜歡到彭伯裏去，而且去起來大都是別人完全意料不到的時候。
彬格萊先生和吉英在尼日斐花園只住了一年。雖說他的脾氣非常隨和，她的性情亦極其溫柔，可是夫婦倆都不大願意和她母親以及麥裏屯的親友們住得太近。後來他在德比郡鄰近的一個郡裏買了一幢房子，於是他姐妹們的衷心願望總算如願以償；而吉英和伊莉莎白倆在萬重幸福上又添了一重幸福，那就是說，姐妹倆從此不過相隔三十英里了。
吉蒂最受實惠，大部分時間都消磨在兩位姐姐那兒。從此她所交的人物都比往常高尚，她本身當然也就大有長進。她本來不象麗迪雅那樣放縱，現在既沒有麗迪雅來影響她，又有人對她加以妥善的注意和照管，她便不象以前那樣輕狂無知和麻木不仁了。當然家裏少不了要小心地管教她，不讓她和麗迪雅來往，免得再受到她的壞影響；韋翰太太常常要接她去住，說是有多少跳舞會，有多少美少年，她父親總是不讓她去。
後來只剩下曼麗還沒有出嫁；班納特太太因為不甘寂寞，自然弄得她這個女兒無從探求學問。曼麗不得不多多和外界應酬，可是她仍然能夠用道德的眼光去看待每一次的出外作客。她現在再也不用為了和姐妹們爭妍比美而操心了，因此她父親不禁懷疑到，她這種改變是否出於心甘情願。
說到韋翰和麗迪雅，他們倆的性格並沒有因為她兩位姐姐結婚而有所變化。韋翰想起自己對達西種種忘恩負義、虛偽欺詐的事情，伊莉莎白雖然從前不知道，現在可完全明白了，不過他依舊處之泰然，他多少還指望達西給他一些錢。伊莉莎白結婚的時候，接到麗迪雅的一封祝賀信。她看得很明白，即使韋翰本人沒有存那種指望，至少他太太也有那種意思。那封信是這樣寫的：親愛的麗萃：
祝你愉快。要是你愛達西先生抵得上我愛韋翰的一半，那你一定會非常幸福了。你能這樣富有，真叫人十分快慰；當你閑來無事的時候，希望你會想到我們。我相信韋翰極其希望在宮廷裏找份差事做做。要是再沒有別人幫幫忙，我們便很難維持生計了。隨便什麼差使都行，只要每年有三四百鎊的收入。不過，要是你不願意跟達西講，那就不必提起。（下略）
伊莉莎白果然不願意講，因此在回信中盡力打消她這種希望，斷了她這一類的念頭。－－不過伊莉莎白還是儘量把自己平日的用途節省一些，積下錢來去接濟妹妹。她一向看得很明白，他們的收入那麼少，兩口子又揮霍無度，只顧眼前，不顧今後，這當然不夠維持生活；每逢他們搬家，伊莉莎白或是吉英總是接到他們的信，要求接濟他們一些錢去償付賬款。即使天下太平了，他們退伍回家，他們的生活終究難望安定。他們老是東遷西涉，尋找便宜房子住，結果總是多花了不少錢。韋翰對麗迪雅不久便情淡愛弛，麗迪雅對他比較持久一些，儘管她年輕荒唐，還是顧全了婚後應有的名譽。
雖然達西再三不肯讓韋翰到彭伯裏來，但是看在伊莉莎白面上，他依舊幫助他找職業。麗迪雅每當丈夫到倫敦去或是到巴思去尋歡作樂的時候，也不時到他們那兒去作客；到於彬格萊家裏，他們夫婦老是一住下來就不想走，弄得連彬格萊那樣性格溫和的人，也覺得不高興，甚至說，要暗示他們走。
達西結婚的時候，彬格萊小姐萬分傷心，可是她又要在彭伯裏保持作客的權利，因此便把多少怨氣都打消了；她比從前更喜愛喬治安娜，對達西好象依舊一往情深，又把以前對伊莉莎白失禮的地方加以彌補。
喬治安娜現在長住在彭伯裏了；姑嫂之間正如達西先生所料到的那麼情投意合，互尊互愛，甚至融洽得完全合乎她們自己的理想。喬治安娜非常推崇伊莉莎白，不過，開頭看到嫂嫂跟哥哥談起話來，那麼活潑調皮，她不禁大為驚訝，幾乎有些擔心，因為她一向尊敬哥哥，幾乎尊敬得超過了手足的情份，想不到現在他竟成為公開打趣的對象。她以前無論如何也弄不懂的事，現在才恍然大悟了。經過伊莉莎白的陶治，她開始懂得，妻子可以對丈夫放縱，做哥哥的卻不能允許一個比自己小十歲的妹妹調皮。
咖苔琳夫人對她姨侄這門婚姻極其氣憤。姨侄寫信給她報喜，她竟毫不留情，直言無諱，寫了封回信把他大罵一頓，對伊莉莎白尤其罵得厲害，於是雙方有一個短時期斷絕過往來。後來伊莉莎白說服了達西，達西才不再計較這次無禮的事，上門去求和；姨母稍許拒絕了一下便不計舊怨了，這可能是因為疼愛姨侄，也可能是因為她有好奇心，要看看侄媳婦怎樣做人。儘管彭伯裏因為添了這樣一位主婦，而且主婦在城裏的那兩位舅父母都到這兒來過，因此使門戶受到了玷污，但她老人家還是屈尊到彭伯裏來拜訪。
新夫婦跟嘉丁納夫婦一直保持著極其深厚的交情。達西和伊莉莎白都衷心喜愛他們，又一直感激他們，原來多虧他們把伊莉莎白帶到德比郡來，才成全了新夫婦這一段姻緣。
（完）
Chapter 61
HAPPY for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters. With what delighted pride she afterwards visited Mrs. Bingley, and talked of Mrs. Darcy, may be guessed. I wish I could say, for the sake of her family, that the accomplishment of her earnest desire in the establishment of so many of her children produced so happy an effect as to make her a sensible, amiable, well-informed woman for the rest of her life; though perhaps it was lucky for her husband, who might not have relished domestic felicity in so unusual a form, that she still was occasionally nervous and invariably silly.
Mr. Bennet missed his second daughter exceedingly; his affection for her drew him oftener from home than any thing else could do. He delighted in going to Pemberley, especially when he was least expected.
Mr. Bingley and Jane remained at Netherfield only a twelvemonth. So near a vicinity to her mother and Meryton relations was not desirable even to his easy temper, or her affectionate heart. The darling wish of his sisters was then gratified; he bought an estate in a neighbouring county to Derbyshire, and Jane and Elizabeth, in addition to every other source of happiness, were within thirty miles of each other.
Kitty, to her very material advantage, spent the chief of her time with her two elder sisters. In society so superior to what she had generally known, her improvement was great. She was not of so ungovernable a temper as Lydia; and, removed from the influence of Lydia’s example, she became, by proper attention and management, less irritable, less ignorant, and less insipid. From the farther disadvantage of Lydia’s society she was of course carefully kept, and though Mrs. Wickham frequently invited her to come and stay with her, with the promise of balls and young men, her father would never consent to her going.
Mary was the only daughter who remained at home; and she was necessarily drawn from the pursuit of accomplishments by Mrs. Bennet’s being quite unable to sit alone. Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but she could still moralize over every morning visit; and as she was no longer mortified by comparisons between her sisters’ beauty and her own, it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without much reluctance.
As for Wickham and Lydia, their characters suffered no revolution from the marriage of her sisters. He bore with philosophy the conviction that Elizabeth must now become acquainted with whatever of his ingratitude and falsehood had before been unknown to her; and in spite of every thing, was not wholly without hope that Darcy might yet be prevailed on to make his fortune. The congratulatory letter which Elizabeth received from Lydia on her marriage, explained to her that, by his wife at least, if not by himself, such a hope was cherished. The letter was to this effect:
“MY DEAR LlZZY,
I wish you joy. If you love Mr. Darcy half as well as I do my dear Wickham, you must be very happy. It is a great comfort to have you so rich, and when you have nothing else to do, I hope you will think of us. I am sure Wickham would like a place at court very much, and I do not think we shall have quite money enough to live upon without some help. Any place would do, of about three or four hundred a year; but however, do not speak to Mr. Darcy about it, if you had rather not.
Your’s, &c.”
As it happened that Elizabeth had much rather not, she endeavoured in her answer to put an end to every intreaty and expectation of the kind. Such relief, however, as it was in her power to afford, by the practice of what might be called economy in her own private expences, she frequently sent them. It had always been evident to her that such an income as theirs, under the direction of two persons so extravagant in their wants, and heedless of the future, must be very insufficient to their support; and whenever they changed their quarters, either Jane or herself were sure of being applied to for some little assistance towards discharging their bills. Their manner of living, even when the restoration of peace dismissed them to a home, was unsettled in the extreme. They were always moving from place to place in quest of a cheap situation, and always spending more than they ought. His affection for her soon sunk into indifference; her’s lasted a little longer; and in spite of her youth and her manners, she retained all the claims to reputation which her marriage had given her.
Though Darcy could never receive him at Pemberley, yet, for Elizabeth’s sake, he assisted him farther in his profession. Lydia was occasionally a visitor there, when her husband was gone to enjoy himself in London or Bath; and with the Bingleys they both of them frequently staid so long, that even Bingley’s good humour was overcome, and he proceeded so far as to talk of giving them a hint to be gone.
Miss Bingley was very deeply mortified by Darcy’s marriage; but as she thought it advisable to retain the right of visiting at Pemberley, she dropt all her resentment; was fonder than ever of Georgiana, almost as attentive to Darcy as heretofore, and paid off every arrear of civility to Elizabeth.
Pemberley was now Georgiana’s home; and the attachment of the sisters was exactly what Darcy had hoped to see. They were able to love each other even as well as they intended. Georgiana had the highest opinion in the world of Elizabeth; though at first she often listened with an astonishment bordering on alarm at her lively, sportive, manner of talking to her brother. He, who had always inspired in herself a respect which almost overcame her affection, she now saw the object of open pleasantry. Her mind received knowledge which had never before fallen in her way. By Elizabeth’s instructions, she began to comprehend that a woman may take liberties with her husband which a brother will not always allow in a sister more than ten years younger than himself.
Lady Catherine was extremely indignant on the marriage of her nephew; and as she gave way to all the genuine frankness of her character in her reply to the letter which announced its arrangement, she sent him language so very abusive, especially of Elizabeth, that for some time all intercourse was at an end. But at length, by Elizabeth’s persuasion, he was prevailed on to overlook the offence, and seek a reconciliation; and, after a little farther resistance on the part of his aunt, her resentment gave way, either to her affection for him, or her curiosity to see how his wife conducted herself; and she condescended to wait on them at Pemberley, in spite of that pollution which its woods had received, not merely from the presence of such a mistress, but the visits of her uncle and aunt from the city.
With the Gardiners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.
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