THE day passed much as the day before had done. Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley had spent some hours of the morning with the invalid, who continued, though slowly, to mend; and in the evening Elizabeth joined their party in the drawing room. The loo table, however, did not appear. Mr. Darcy was writing, and Miss Bingley, seated near him, was watching the progress of his letter, and repeatedly calling off his attention by messages to his sister. Mr. Hurst and Mr. Bingley were at piquet, and Mrs. Hurst was observing their game.
Elizabeth took up some needlework, and was sufficiently amused in attending to what passed between Darcy and his companion. The perpetual commendations of the lady either on his hand-writing, or on the evenness of his lines, or on the length of his letter, with the perfect unconcern with which her praises were received, formed a curious dialogue, and was exactly in unison with her opinion of each.
"How delighted Miss Darcy will be to receive such a letter!"
He made no answer.
"You write uncommonly fast."
"You are mistaken. I write rather slowly."
"How many letters you must have occasion to write in the course of the year! Letters of business too! How odious I should think them!"
"It is fortunate, then, that they fall to my lot instead of to yours."
"Pray tell your sister that I long to see her."
"I have already told her so once, by your desire."
"I am afraid you do not like your pen. Let me mend it for you. I mend pens remarkably well."
"Thank you -- but I always mend my own."
"How can you contrive to write so even?"
He was silent.
"Tell your sister I am delighted to hear of her improvement on the harp, and pray let her know that I am quite in raptures with her beautiful little design for a table, and I think it infinitely superior to Miss Grantley's."
"Will you give me leave to defer your raptures till I write again? -- At present I have not room to do them justice."
"Oh! it is of no consequence. I shall see her in January. But do you always write such charming long letters to her, Mr. Darcy?"
"They are generally long; but whether always charming, it is not for me to determine."
"It is a rule with me, that a person who can write a long letter, with ease, cannot write ill."
"That will not do for a compliment to Darcy, Caroline," cried her brother -- "because he does not write with ease. He studies too much for words of four syllables. -- Do not you, Darcy?"
"My stile of writing is very different from yours."
"Oh!" cried Miss Bingley, "Charles writes in the most careless way imaginable. He leaves out half his words, and blots the rest."
"My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them -- by which means my letters sometimes convey no ideas at all to my correspondents."
"Your humility, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth, "must disarm reproof."
"Nothing is more deceitful," said Darcy, "than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast."
"And which of the two do you call my little recent piece of modesty?"
"The indirect boast; -- for you are really proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting. The power of doing any thing with quickness is always much prized by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance. When you told Mrs. Bennet this morning that if you ever resolved on quitting Netherfield you should be gone in five minutes, you meant it to be a sort of panegyric, of compliment to yourself -- and yet what is there so very laudable in a precipitance which must leave very necessary business undone, and can be of no real advantage to yourself or any one else?"
"Nay," cried Bingley, "this is too much, to remember at night all the foolish things that were said in the morning. And yet, upon my honour, I believed what I said of myself to be true, and I believe it at this moment. At least, therefore, I did not assume the character of needless precipitance merely to shew off before the ladies."
"I dare say you believed it; but I am by no means convinced that you would be gone with such celerity. Your conduct would be quite as dependant on chance as that of any man I know; and if, as you were mounting your horse, a friend were to say, "Bingley, you had better stay till next week," you would probably do it, you would probably not go -- and, at another word, might stay a month."
"You have only proved by this," cried Elizabeth, "that Mr. Bingley did not do justice to his own disposition. You have shewn him off now much more than he did himself."
"I am exceedingly gratified," said Bingley, "by your converting what my friend says into a compliment on the sweetness of my temper. But I am afraid you are giving it a turn which that gentleman did by no means intend; for he would certainly think the better of me, if under such a circumstance I were to give a flat denial, and ride off as fast as I could."
"Would Mr. Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intention as atoned for by your obstinacy in adhering to it?"
"Upon my word I cannot exactly explain the matter; Darcy must speak for himself."
"You expect me to account for opinions which you chuse to call mine, but which I have never acknowledged. Allowing the case, however, to stand according to your representation, you must remember, Miss Bennet, that the friend who is supposed to desire his return to the house, and the delay of his plan, has merely desired it, asked it without offering one argument in favour of its propriety."
"To yield readily -- easily -- to the persuasion of a friend is no merit with you."
"To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either."
"You appear to me, Mr. Darcy, to allow nothing for the influence of friendship and affection. A regard for the requester would often make one readily yield to a request without waiting for arguments to reason one into it. I am not particularly speaking of such a case as you have supposed about Mr. Bingley. We may as well wait, perhaps, till the circumstance occurs, before we discuss the discretion of his behaviour thereupon. But in general and ordinary cases between friend and friend, where one of them is desired by the other to change a resolution of no very great moment, should you think ill of that person for complying with the desire, without waiting to be argued into it?"
"Will it not be advisable, before we proceed on this subject, to arrange with rather more precision the degree of importance which is to appertain to this request, as well as the degree of intimacy subsisting between the parties?"
"By all means," cried Bingley; "Let us hear all the particulars, not forgetting their comparative height and size; for that will have more weight in the argument, Miss Bennet, than you may be aware of. I assure you that if Darcy were not such a great tall fellow, in comparison with myself, I should not pay him half so much deference. I declare I do not know a more aweful object than Darcy, on particular occasions, and in particular places; at his own house especially, and of a Sunday evening when he has nothing to do."
Mr. Darcy smiled; but Elizabeth thought she could perceive that he was rather offended; and therefore checked her laugh. Miss Bingley warmly resented the indignity he had received, in an expostulation with her brother for talking such nonsense.
"I see your design, Bingley," said his friend. -- "You dislike an argument, and want to silence this."
"Perhaps I do. Arguments are too much like disputes. If you and Miss Bennet will defer yours till I am out of the room, I shall be very thankful; and then you may say whatever you like of me."
"What you ask," said Elizabeth, "is no sacrifice on my side; and Mr. Darcy had much better finish his letter,"
Mr. Darcy took her advice, and did finish his letter.
When that business was over, he applied to Miss Bingley and Elizabeth for the indulgence of some music. Miss Bingley moved with alacrity to the piano-forte, and after a polite request that Elizabeth would lead the way, which the other as politely and more earnestly negatived, she seated herself.
Mrs. Hurst sang with her sister, and while they were thus employed, Elizabeth could not help observing, as she turned over some music books that lay on the instrument, how frequently Mr. Darcy's eyes were fixed on her. She hardly knew how to suppose that she could be an object of admiration to so great man; and yet that he should look at her because he disliked her was still more strange. She could only imagine however, at last, that she drew his notice because there was a something about her more wrong and reprehensible, according to his ideas of right, than in any other person present. The supposition did not pain her. She liked him too little to care for his approbation.
After playing some Italian songs, Miss Bingley varied the charm by a lively Scotch air; and soon afterwards Mr. Darcy, drawing near Elizabeth, said to her --
"Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?"
She smiled, but made no answer. He repeated the question, with some surprise at her silence.
"Oh!" said she, "I heard you before; but I could not immediately determine what to say in reply. You wanted me, I know, to say "Yes," that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste; but I always delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt. I have therefore made up my mind to tell you that I do not want to dance a reel at all -- and now despise me if you dare."
"Indeed I do not dare."
Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry; but there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront anybody; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger.
Miss Bingley saw, or suspected, enough to be jealous; and her great anxiety for the recovery of her dear friend Jane received some assistance from her desire of getting rid of Elizabeth.
She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest, by talking of their supposed marriage, and planning his happiness in such an alliance.
"I hope," said she, as they were walking together in the shrubbery the next day, "you will give your mother-in-law a few hints, when this desirable event takes place, as to the advantage of holding her tongue; and if you can compass it, do cure the younger girls of running after the officers. -- And, if I may mention so delicate a subject, endeavour to check that little something, bordering on conceit and impertinence, which your lady possesses."
"Have you any thing else to propose for my domestic felicity?"
"Oh! yes. -- Do let the portraits of your uncle and aunt Philips be placed in the gallery at Pemberley. Put them next to your great uncle, the judge. They are in the same profession, you know; only in different lines. As for your Elizabeth's picture, you must not attempt to have it taken, for what painter could do justice to those beautiful eyes?"
"It would not be easy, indeed, to catch their expression, but their colour and shape, and the eye-lashes, so remarkably fine, might be copied."
At that moment they were met from another walk, by Mrs. Hurst and Elizabeth herself.
"I did not know that you intended to walk," said Miss Bingley, in some confusion, lest they had been overheard.
"You used us abominably ill," answered Mrs. Hurst, "in running away without telling us that you were coming out." Then taking the disengaged arm of Mr. Darcy, she left Elizabeth to walk by herself. The path just admitted three.
Mr. Darcy felt their rudeness and immediately said, --
"This walk is not wide enough for our party. We had better go into the avenue."
But Elizabeth, who had not the least inclination to remain with them, laughingly answered,
"No, no; stay where you are. -- You are charmingly group'd, and appear to uncommon advantage. The picturesque would be spoilt by admitting a fourth. Good bye."
She then ran gaily off, rejoicing, as she rambled about, in the hope of being at home again in a day or two. Jane was already so much recovered as to intend leaving her room for a couple of hours that evening.
——正文
这一天过得跟之前的没什么两样。赫斯特太太和宾利小姐早上去跟简待了几小时，简虽然开始康复了，但是恢复的很缓慢。到了晚上，伊丽莎白也到客厅和大家坐到一起。之前打牌用的那张牌桌，却不见了。达西先生在写信，而宾利小姐坐在旁边看着，不停地打断他，让他替自己问候下达西小姐。赫斯特先生和宾利先生则在打牌，赫斯特太太在一旁观战。
伊丽莎白自己在旁边做了些针线活，她留神看着达西和宾利小姐在那边聊天，不禁觉得很好玩。宾利小姐不停的夸达西，要么始说他的字很好看，要么是说每行写得很工整，要么说他写的信篇幅惊人，但是达西对这些赞美完全不为所。这种导致了双方的对话比较尴尬，而这些行为跟之前伊丽莎白对两人的看法是吻合的。
“达西小姐要是收到这份信，该有多么开心啊。”
达西没有回答。
“你写信真快。”
“搞错了吧，我写得挺慢的。”
“你一年得写多少份信哦！还有很多公文！我可不喜欢写信！”
“那你是很走运啊，这些信是我来写，而不要你写。”
“请告诉你妹妹我很想见她。”
“我之前已经按你的要求，告诉过她了。”
“你的钢笔写着不顺手吧。来我给你修一修，我可擅长修钢笔了。”
“谢谢你，但是我一直都自己修的。”
“你怎么能写得那么平整？”
达西又没说话。
“告诉你妹妹我很想知道她的竖琴练的怎么样了，有没有什么长进。再跟她说，我特别喜欢她装饰的哪个桌子，绝对比格兰特蕾小姐的要好。”
“能否允许我下次写信的时候再转达你的喜悦？现在我实在没地方好好写这些话了。”
“噢，没关系，都是些无足轻重的小事。我二月份就能见到她了。达西先生，你经常像这样给你妹妹写漂亮的长信么？”
“一般都挺长的，但是漂不漂亮，就不是我说了算了。”
“在我看来，能轻松写出很长信的人，写得都不会太差。”
“卡洛琳，你这话可没夸到达西啊，”他兄弟激动的说，“因为达西的信可不是轻松写出来的，他总是在研究4音节的单词，是不是啊达西？”
“我跟你们写信的风格很不一样。”
“是啊，”宾利小姐大声说，“查尔斯写信可是懒散极了。他能给你省掉一半的字不写，剩余的一半还给墨渍弄脏了。”
“我写信时文思泉涌，根本没时间写出来。所以有时候收我信的人，根本看不出我想说什么。”
“宾利先生，你那么谦虚，不会受到指责的。”
“没有什么比谦虚还更会骗人了。谦虚通常只是无意发表意见，有时候还是隐晦的自夸。”
“那你觉得我的谦虚是这两个的哪一种？”宾利问道。
“隐晦的自夸。你很自豪自己的文章里有些缺点，因为你认为这是自己文思泉涌，只是下笔不慎导致的。如果猜的不对，你至少也会觉得这很有意思。很多人都以做事麻利为荣，却经常全然不顾完成的水平怎么样。你今早跟本内特太太说，如果你打算了离开耐热屯，那你5分钟内就会走人。你说这些，无非是想炫耀下自己。但是你这儿还有重要事情没做，离开对你或别人根本没有什么好处，你那么着急要离开有什么值得赞美的呢？”
“才没有，”宾利连忙辩解，“你做的有些过火了，大晚上了还翻早上的旧账，当时我只是信口胡说。而且，我以名誉担保，我当时说得可是真话，我说的时候可是完全相信的。因此，至少可以这么说，我当时着急可不是只为了在女士面前炫耀一番。”
“我敢打包票你相信自己的。但是我无论如何不会相信你当时会那么快就走人。你跟其他人一样，都是见机行事的。比方说，当时你刚骑上马，然后来了个朋友说：“宾利，你最好待到下周再走”，你应该就照做了。甚至，会再待上一个月。”
“你只是证明了宾利先生并没有使性子乱来，”伊丽莎白又大声说，“你这么一说，可让他脸上更加光彩了。”
“我真是太高兴了，你把我朋友的话换着一说，变成是对我的夸奖了——我有个好脾气。但恐怕你是曲解了那位先生的本意。因为在当时那种情况下，我肯定是当场拒绝，然后飞快的搬走，根本就不会听朋友的劝而留下来，达西自然会高看我一眼。”
“那照你这么说，不管你之前的决定有多少草率，只要你固执的坚持执行，达西先生就会认为这情有可原么？“
“我应该是说不清楚这个事了。达西必须得自己解释了。”
“宾利你这是替我把话说了，还让我来圆场，我自己都不知道我是这么想的。但是在这个情况下，本内特小姐，如果达西照你说的没有使性子乱来，请记住这一点：当时去劝达西留下来的，晚些再走的朋友，只是那么随口一提，并没有强烈的要求他留下来。”
”轻松愉快的接受朋友的劝说，可不是你的优点。“
”如果没有认同观点，就接受劝说，也不能说明双方互相理解吧。“
”达西先生，你给我的印象是那种不会让任何事情影响友情或者爱情的人。如果一个人真心关心别人的话，那么别人的请求自然是会被愉快接受的，而不需要先理论一番。我倒不是说你举的那个宾利先生的例子啊。除非那种情况真的出现，否则我们最好别讨论他处理得是否妥当。但是通常朋友之间，如果有一个被另一个请求改变下主意的话，如果这个人没有理论一番就接受的话，你会瞧不起他么？“
”我们在讨论这个话题之前，是不是应该先明确下这个请求的重要程度，以及这两个朋友的关系远近？“
”说得可太对了，“宾利又大喊道，”我们先把具体的条件明确了，别忘了把他们的身高体重也比较下。本内特小姐你可能没想到，这样理论起来才更有分量。我跟你说，达西要不是那么高的话，我没有现在的一半尊重他。在某些时候，某些场合，我确实不知道比达西还要烂的比较对象了，尤其周六晚上他在家里无事可做的时候。“
达西笑了起来，但是伊丽莎白以为他有些生气，所以忍住没笑。而宾利小姐因为不太喜欢弟弟对达西的调侃，所以告诫他别乱说话。
”我看传你的意图了，宾利，“达西说道，”你不喜欢理论，所以不想讨论这个话题。“
”说不定是呢。理论跟争吵很像，如果你跟本内特小姐能在我离开这屋里再交换意见，我真是再感激不过了，然后你们想怎么说我都行。“
”你说的对我没什么损失，伊丽莎白说，“达西先生也该接着去写信了。”
达西先生没有理论，就接受了伊丽莎白的意见，写完了信。
达西写完信后，请求宾利小姐和伊丽莎白给自己演奏些音乐。宾利小姐欣然走向了钢琴，客气了一番，请伊丽莎白带个头，但是伊丽莎白更客气、诚恳的推辞了，宾利小姐在钢琴前坐了下来。
赫斯特太太和宾利小姐一起唱了起来，当她们演奏的时候，伊丽莎白注意到，在她翻钢琴前的乐谱时，达西的眼睛频繁地在打量她。如果达西这么出色的男人是爱上她了，她不敢这么奢望，但是要是说讨厌她还这么看就更奇怪了。
最后她没办法了，只能这么想：相比其他人，达西肯定是觉得她做错了什么事情，所以一直盯着她作为谴责。这种想法并没有让她觉得难受。她可不喜欢达西，才不关心他是否喜欢自己。
演奏了几首意大利歌之后，宾利小姐又演奏了些苏格兰小调。没多久，达西就凑到伊丽莎白身边，对她说：“本内特小姐，此刻良辰美景，不知道是否有意跳一支苏格兰瑞尔舞？”她笑了下，但是没有回复。达西又问了一遍，对于伊丽莎白的沉默有些惊讶。
“额，你第一次说的时候我就听到了，但是我当时没想好怎么回复你。我知道你想让我说‘好’，这样你说不定就会嘲笑我的品味差。但我总是喜欢一眼看出别人的诡计，再戏耍一下要作弄人的人。所以我决定了，我不想跟你跳苏格兰舞。你现在不敢嘲笑我了吧”
“确实不敢”
伊丽莎白本来是想好好羞辱下达西的，但看到他这么体贴，倒是愣住了。其实伊丽莎白的性格是很甜美可爱的，她基本上不会羞辱人。从没有任何女人能让达西像对伊丽莎白这样着迷。达西正经的相信，要不是她的那些差劲的亲戚，他自己可就真的危险了。
宾利小姐看到了，或者说察觉到了这些，因而心里很嫉妒。她十分希望‘好朋友’简的病赶快好，她就能摆脱掉伊丽莎白了。
宾利小姐总是挑拨达西讨厌伊丽莎白，一会说伊丽莎白和达西要结婚啦，一会儿又说要是他们结婚达西该有多幸福啦。
第二天达西和宾利小姐在花园的灌木丛里散步时，她说道：“我希望你能跟你未来丈母娘聊聊，定下婚期，好堵住她的嘴。还有本内特家那几个小姑娘，要是可以的话也改改她们老是追着军官的坏毛病。还有你的那位姑娘，别怪我多嘴，她有些自视甚高，没有礼貌，你最好帮她看着点。”
“你对我的家庭幸福还有什么建议吗？”
“有的有的！一定要把你菲利普叔叔婶婶的画像挂到蓬勃屯的画廊里，就挂在你另一个法官叔叔的旁边。你知道他们可都是律师哦，只是种类不一样。至于伊丽莎白的画像，我建议你还是别画了，哪个画家能画出那么美丽的眼镜呢？”
“要抓住她的眼神确实不太容易。但是眼睛的颜色形状，眼睫毛，都十分漂亮，应该是可以画出来的。”
这时候他们撞到了迎面过来的赫斯特太太和伊丽莎白小姐。
“我刚才不知道你要出来散步的啊。”宾利小姐有些困惑地说，她害怕刚才的谈话被他们听到了。
“你招呼也不打一个，就这么跑了，可真是让太对不起我们了。”说着她挽住达西的另一条胳膊，留下伊丽莎白一个人走。小路上一下并排走了3个人。
达西先生感觉到了她们的无礼，立刻说：“人那么多，路不够走了，我们去大道上面吧。”
但是伊丽莎白却不想和他们待在一起了，笑着回答道：“别别别，就这么待着，你们几个走一起挺好，看起来很配。再加一个人画面就被破坏了。再见。”
然后她就高兴的跑开了，她边走边开心的想，再过个一两天就应该能回家了。简已经恢复了很多，晚上还想出去走走。
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