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  • CHAPTER 5

  • Within a short walk of Longbourn lived a family with whom the Bennets were

  • particularly intimate.

  • Sir William Lucas had been formerly in trade in Meryton, where he had made a

  • tolerable fortune, and risen to the honour of knighthood by an address to the king

  • during his mayoralty.

  • The distinction had perhaps been felt too strongly.

  • It had given him a disgust to his business, and to his residence in a small market

  • town; and, in quitting them both, he had removed with his family to a house about a

  • mile from Meryton, denominated from that

  • period Lucas Lodge, where he could think with pleasure of his own importance, and,

  • unshackled by business, occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world.

  • For, though elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the contrary,

  • he was all attention to everybody.

  • By nature inoffensive, friendly, and obliging, his presentation at St. James's

  • had made him courteous.

  • Lady Lucas was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a valuable neighbour

  • to Mrs. Bennet. They had several children.

  • The eldest of them, a sensible, intelligent young woman, about twenty-seven, was

  • Elizabeth's intimate friend.

  • That the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a ball was

  • absolutely necessary; and the morning after the assembly brought the former to

  • Longbourn to hear and to communicate.

  • "You began the evening well, Charlotte," said Mrs. Bennet with civil self-command to

  • Miss Lucas. "You were Mr. Bingley's first choice."

  • "Yes; but he seemed to like his second better."

  • "Oh! you mean Jane, I suppose, because he danced with her twice.

  • To be sure that did seem as if he admired her--indeed I rather believe he did--I

  • heard something about it--but I hardly know what--something about Mr. Robinson."

  • "Perhaps you mean what I overheard between him and Mr. Robinson; did not I mention it

  • to you?

  • Mr. Robinson's asking him how he liked our Meryton assemblies, and whether he did not

  • think there were a great many pretty women in the room, and which he thought the

  • prettiest? and his answering immediately to

  • the last question: 'Oh! the eldest Miss Bennet, beyond a doubt; there cannot be two

  • opinions on that point.'" "Upon my word!

  • Well, that is very decided indeed--that does seem as if--but, however, it may all

  • come to nothing, you know." "My overhearings were more to the purpose

  • than yours, Eliza," said Charlotte.

  • "Mr. Darcy is not so well worth listening to as his friend, is he?--poor Eliza!--to

  • be only just tolerable."

  • "I beg you would not put it into Lizzy's head to be vexed by his ill-treatment, for

  • he is such a disagreeable man, that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by

  • him.

  • Mrs. Long told me last night that he sat close to her for half-an-hour without once

  • opening his lips." "Are you quite sure, ma'am?--is not there a

  • little mistake?" said Jane.

  • "I certainly saw Mr. Darcy speaking to her."

  • "Aye--because she asked him at last how he liked Netherfield, and he could not help

  • answering her; but she said he seemed quite angry at being spoke to."

  • "Miss Bingley told me," said Jane, "that he never speaks much, unless among his

  • intimate acquaintances. With them he is remarkably agreeable."

  • "I do not believe a word of it, my dear.

  • If he had been so very agreeable, he would have talked to Mrs. Long.

  • But I can guess how it was; everybody says that he is eat up with pride, and I dare

  • say he had heard somehow that Mrs. Long does not keep a carriage, and had come to

  • the ball in a hack chaise."

  • "I do not mind his not talking to Mrs. Long," said Miss Lucas, "but I wish he had

  • danced with Eliza." "Another time, Lizzy," said her mother, "I

  • would not dance with him, if I were you."

  • "I believe, ma'am, I may safely promise you never to dance with him."

  • "His pride," said Miss Lucas, "does not offend me so much as pride often does,

  • because there is an excuse for it.

  • One cannot wonder that so very fine a young man, with family, fortune, everything in

  • his favour, should think highly of himself. If I may so express it, he has a right to

  • be proud."

  • "That is very true," replied Elizabeth, "and I could easily forgive his pride, if

  • he had not mortified mine."

  • "Pride," observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections, "is a

  • very common failing, I believe.

  • By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed;

  • that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who

  • do not cherish a feeling of self-

  • complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary.

  • Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used

  • synonymously.

  • A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of

  • ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."

  • "If I were as rich as Mr. Darcy," cried a young Lucas, who came with his sisters, "I

  • should not care how proud I was. I would keep a pack of foxhounds, and drink

  • a bottle of wine a day."

  • "Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought," said Mrs. Bennet; "and if

  • I were to see you at it, I should take away your bottle directly."

  • The boy protested that she should not; she continued to declare that she would, and

  • the argument ended only with the visit.

CHAPTER 5

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B1 中級

第05章--簡-奧斯汀的《傲慢與偏見》。 (Chapter 05 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

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