第五章。
离朗伯恩不远的地方住着一户人家，贝内特一家和他们特别熟。威廉·卢卡斯爵士以前在梅里顿做生意，在那儿赚了笔不小的家业，还在当市长时因为向国王致辞而获封骑士。这份荣耀或许让他太当回事了。它让卢卡斯厌弃了自己的生意，也厌弃了住在这个小集市小镇；于是他两样都撇下，带着家眷搬到了离梅里顿约一英里的宅子里，从那时起那儿就叫卢卡斯 Lodge；在那儿他能乐滋滋地想着自己的身份地位，又不受生意牵绊，只管对世上所有人客客气气。因为，虽说封爵让他得意，却没让他变得目中无人；正相反，他对谁都殷勤周到。他生性无害、友善、肯帮忙，在圣詹姆斯宫觐见君王更让他变得彬彬有礼。
卢卡斯太太是位很好的女人，还不至于太聪明，倒成了贝内特太太宝贵的邻居。他们有几个孩子。最大的那个是个明白事理、聪慧的姑娘，约莫二十七岁，是伊丽莎白的密友。
卢卡斯家小姐们和贝内特家小姐们碰头来聊聊舞会，那是绝对免不了的；舞会第二天早上，前者就上朗伯恩来听消息也传消息。
“夏洛特，你昨晚开头开得不错，”贝内特太太对卢卡斯小姐客客气气地克制着说，“你是宾利先生第一个选的舞伴。”
“是啊；可他好像更喜欢第二个。”
“哦，我猜你说的是简，因为他跟她跳了两次。那当然像是他看上她了——说实话，我倒有点信他真是——我听见了点风声——可也说不清是什么——好像是跟鲁滨逊先生有关。”
“你说的莫不是我无意中听他和鲁滨逊先生说的那段：我不是跟你提过吗？鲁滨逊先生问他喜欢咱梅里顿的舞会不，是不是觉得满场好多漂亮姑娘，他觉得哪个最漂亮？他立马答了最后一个问题：‘哦，贝内特家大小姐，毫无疑问：这点上不会有第二种意见。’”
“说真的！哟，那可真干脆，确实——那像是他——不过呢，说不定全落空，你晓得。”
“伊莱扎，我听来的可比你听来的更中肯，”夏洛特说，“达西先生可没他朋友那么值得听，是不是？可怜的伊莱扎！只落个‘还凑合’。”
“我求你别往莉齐脑袋里塞话，为他的怠慢气恼，因为他这人太讨人嫌，被他看上才真叫倒霉。朗太太昨晚跟我说，他挨着她坐了半个钟头，嘴都没张一下。”
[插图：“嘴都没张一下”
[1894年乔治·艾伦版权所有。]]
“您十分确定吗，太太？会不会有点误会？”简说，“我明明看见达西先生跟她说话了。”
“哎，那是她最后问他喜不喜欢尼日斐，他才不得不答她；可她说他像挺恼火被人搭话。”
“宾利小姐跟我说，”简道，“他除非在熟人堆里，平时不大说话。跟他们在一块儿他特别讨喜。”
“我一个字也不信，亲爱的。他要真那么讨喜，早跟朗太太搭话了。可我猜得着怎么回事；人都说他傲气冲天，我敢说他不知怎么听说朗太太没自备马车，是雇辆双轮轿式马车来的舞会。”
“他没跟朗太太说话我不介意，”卢卡斯小姐说，“可我倒愿他跟伊莱扎跳了舞。”
“下回，莉齐，”她母亲说，“我要是你，就不跟他跳。”
“太太，我敢稳稳当当向您保证，绝不和跳。”
“他的傲气，”卢卡斯小姐说，“没像傲气常做的那样冒犯我，因为情有可原。这么出色的青年，家世、钱财、样样占优，把自己看重些，怪不得。若可以这么说，他‘有资格’骄傲。”
“很对，”伊丽莎白答，“若他没伤着我的傲气，我本容易原谅他的骄傲。”
“骄傲，”玛丽说——她素以见解扎实为傲——“据我所信，是极常见的毛病。凭我所读一切，我确信它确极常见；人性尤易如此，我们中极少有人不凭某样资质——真的假的——自满自得。虚荣与骄傲是两码事，虽常混用。人可以骄傲而不虚荣。骄傲关乎自视；虚荣关乎要人怎么看自己。”
“我要像达西先生那么有钱，”跟姐妹同来的小卢卡斯嚷道，“才不管多骄傲。我要养群猎狐犬，天天喝一瓶酒。”
“那你就喝过头了，”贝内特太太说，“我要瞧见你喝，立马把瓶子夺了。”
那男孩说她夺不走；她仍说夺得走；这争执直到客走才罢。
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, 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 was 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 will 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.”
[Illustration: “Without once opening his lips”
[_Copyright 1894 by George Allen._]]
“Are you quite sure, ma’am? Is not there a little mistake?” said Jane.
“I certainly saw Mr. Darcy speaking to her.”
“Ay, because she asked him at last how he liked Netherfield, and he
could not help answering her; but she said he seemed very angry at being
spoke to.”
“Miss Bingley told me,” said Jane, “that he never speaks much unless
among his intimate acquaintance. 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 to 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 every 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.
