女主人公伊丽莎白大概是英国古典文学作品中最著名的几个女性角色之一——聪明漂亮，有胆识、有远见，又极具正义感。男主人公达西则是最令人着迷的单身汉：帅气多金，慧眼识珠，对伊丽莎白一往情深。两人的感情历经多重挫折和误解而最终圆满，也是近200年来各种爱情小说争相效仿的楷模。

　　今天我们就来欣赏结尾两人互相表露心迹的甜蜜部分。

　　New Words

　　playfulness n.活泼快乐，戏谑；童心；

　　account for 说明（原因、理由等）；导致，引起；

　　charmingly adv. 迷人地；愉悦地；

　　fix on 确定；把…固定住；把…集中在…上；；

　　liveliness n.活泼；

　　ELIZABETH'S spirits soon rising to playfulness again, she wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his having ever fallen in love with her. "How could you begin?" said she. "I can comprehend your going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning; but what could set you off in the first place?"

　　伊丽莎白马上又高兴得顽皮起来了，她要达西先生讲一讲爱上她的经过。她问：“你是怎么动心的？我能理解只要你开始动心了，就会沉迷下去；可是你最初怎么会转这个念头的？”

　　"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."

　　“我也说不准究竟是在什么时间，什么地点，看见了你什么样的风姿，听到了你什么样的谈吐，使我开始爱上了你。太久以前的事了。等我发觉我自己爱上你的时候，我已经陷在了半路。”

　　"My beauty you had early withstood, and as for my manners -- my behaviour to you was at least always bordering on the uncivil, and I never spoke to you without rather wishing to give you pain than not. Now be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence?"

　　“我的美貌并没有打动你的心；讲到我的态度方面，我对你至少不是怎么有礼貌，我没有哪一次同你说话不是想要叫你难过一下。请你老老实实说一声，你是不是爱我的唐突无礼？”

　　"For the liveliness of your mind, I did."

　　“我爱你的机智。”

　　"You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little less. The fact is, that you were sick of civility, of deference, of officious attention. You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking, and looking, and thinking for your approbation alone. I roused, and interested you, because I was so unlike them. Had you not been really amiable, you would have hated me for it; but in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself, your feelings were always noble and just; and in your heart, you thoroughly despised the persons who so assiduously courted you. There -- I have saved you the trouble of accounting for it; and really, all things considered, I begin to think it perfectly reasonable. To be sure, you knew no actual good of me -- but nobody thinks of that when they fall in love."

　　“你还不如说就是唐突，一点没错。事实上你对于殷勤多礼的客套已经感到腻烦，你厌恶那些无论是说话、思想、表情，都只是为了博得你一声的女人。我之所以会引起你的注目，打动你，就因为我不像她们。如果你不是一个真正温和的人，你一定会恨我这种性格；可是，尽管你想尽办法来遮掩你自己，你的情感毕竟是高尚且公正的，你心目中根本看不起那些拼命向你献媚的人。我这样一说，你就可以不必费神去解释了；我通盘考虑了一下，觉得你的爱完全合情合理。老实说，你完全没有想到我有什么实在的长处；不过也没有人在恋爱的时候会想这种事情。”

　　"Was there no good in your affectionate behaviour to Jane while she was ill at Netherfield?"

　　“当初简在尼日斐花园病了，你对她那样温柔体贴，不正是你的长处吗？”

　　"Dearest Jane! Who could have done less for her? But make a virtue of it by all means. My good qualities are under your protection, and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me to find occasions for teazing and quarrelling with you as often as may be; and I shall begin directly by asking you what made you so unwilling to come to the point at last. What made you so shy of me, when you first called, and afterwards dined here? Why, especially, when you called, did you look as if you did not care about me?"

　　“那是亲爱的简啊！谁能不好好地待她？姑且就把这个当做我的美德吧。你不仅保护我的所有好品质，还夸大了它们；可我却只知道找机会来嘲笑你，跟你争论；而且我马上就又要这样做了，听我问你：你为什么总是不愿意直捷爽快地谈到正题？你第一次上这儿来拜访，第二次在这儿吃饭，为什么见到我就害羞？尤其是你来拜访的那一次，你为什么显出那副神气，好象完全不把我摆在心上似的？”

　　"Because you were grave and silent, and gave me no encouragement."

　　“因为你板起了脸，一言不发，让我不敢和你攀谈。”

　　"But I was embarrassed."

　　“可是我觉得难为情呀。”

　　"And so was I."

　　“我也一样。”

　　"You might have talked to me more when you came to dinner."

　　“你来吃饭的那一次，也可以跟我多谈谈嘛。”

　　"A man who had felt less, might."

　　“爱你爱得少些的人才可以做到。”