"Aye,nodoubt;butthatiswhatagovernesswillprevent,andifIhadknownyourmother,Ishouldhaveadvisedhermoststrenuouslytoengageone.Ialwayssaythatnothingistobedoneineducationwithoutsteadyandregularinstruction,andnobodybutagovernesscangiveit.ItiswonderfulhowmanyfamiliesIhavebeenthemeansofsupplyinginthatway.Iamalwaysgladtogetayoungpersonwellplacedout.FourniecesofMrs.Jenkinsonaremostdelightfullysituatedthroughmymeans;anditwasbuttheotherdaythatIrecommendedanotheryoungperson,whowasmerelyaccidentallymentionedtome,andthefamilyarequitedelightedwithher.Mrs.Collins,didItellyouofLadyMetcalfe'scallingyesterdaytothankme?ShefindsMissPopeatreasure. "LadyCatherine,"saidshe, "youhavegivenmeatreasure."Areanyofyouryoungersistersout,MissBennet?" "Yes,Ma'am,all." "All! --What,allfiveoutatonce?Veryodd! --Andyouonlythesecond. --Theyoungeronesoutbeforetheelderaremarried! --Youryoungersistersmustbeveryyoung?" "Yes,myyoungestisnotsixteen.Perhapssheisfullyoungtobemuchincompany.Butreally,Ma'am,Ithinkitwouldbeveryharduponyoungersisters,thattheyshouldnothavetheirshareofsocietyandamusementbecausetheeldermaynothavethemeansorinclinationtomarryearly. --Thelastbornhasasgoodarighttothepleasuresofyouth,asthefirst.Andtobekeptbackonsuchamotive! --Ithinkitwouldnotbeverylikelytopromotesisterlyaffectionordelicacyofmind." "Uponmyword,"saidherladyship, "yougiveyouropinionverydecidedlyforsoyoungaperson. --Pray,whatisyourage?" "Withthreeyoungersistersgrownup,"repliedElizabethsmiling, "yourLadyshipcanhardlyexpectmetoownit." LadyCatherineseemedquiteastonishedatnotreceivingadirectanswer;andElizabethsuspectedherselftobethefirstcreaturewhohadeverdaredtotriflewithsomuchdignifiedimpertinence! "Youcannotbemorethantwenty,Iamsure, --thereforeyouneednotconcealyourage." "Iamnotoneandtwenty." Whenthegentlemenhadjoinedthem,andteawasover,thecardtableswereplaced.LadyCatherine,SirWilliam,andMr.andMrs.Collinssatdowntoquadrille;andasMissDeBourghchosetoplayatcassino,thetwogirlshadthehonourofassistingMrs.Jenkinsontomakeupherparty.Theirtablewassuperlativelystupid.Scarcelyasyllablewasutteredthatdidnotrelatetothegame,exceptwhenMrs.JenkinsonexpressedherfearsofMissDeBourgh'sbeingtoohotortoocold,orhavingtoomuchortoolittlelight.Agreatdealmorepassedattheothertable,LadyCatherinewasgenerallyspeaking--statingthemistakesofthethreeothers,orrelatingsomeanecdoteofherself.Mr.CollinswasemployedinagreeingtoeverythingherLadyshipsaid,thankingherforeveryfishhewon,andapologisingifhethoughthewontoomany.SirWilliamdidnotsaymuch.Hewasstoringhismemorywithanecdotesandnoblenames. WhenLadyCatherineandherdaughterhadplayedaslongastheychose,thetableswerebrokeup,thecarriagewasofferedtoMrs.Collins,gratefullyaccepted,andimmediatelyordered.ThepartythengatheredroundthefiretohearLadyCatherinedeterminewhatweathertheyweretohaveonthemorrow.Fromtheseinstructionstheyweresummonedbythearrivalofthecoach,andwithmanyspeechesofthankfulnessonMr.Collins'sside,andasmanybowsonSirWilliam's,theydeparted.Assoonastheyhaddrivenfromthedoor,ElizabethwascalledonbyhercousintogiveheropinionofallthatshehadseenatRosings,which,forCharlotte'ssake,shemademorefavourablethanitreallywas.Buthercommendation,thoughcostinghersometrouble,couldbynomeanssatisfyMr.Collins,andhewasverysoonobligedtotakeherladyship'spraiseintohisownhands. “那是毫无疑问的；不过，女家庭教师的任务也就是为了防止这种事情；要是我认识你们的母亲，我一定要竭力劝她请一位。我总以为缺少了按部就班的指导，教育就不会有任何成绩，而按部就班的指导就只有女家庭教师办得到。说起来也怪有意思，多少人家都是由我介绍女家庭教师的。我一贯喜欢让一个年轻人得到很好的安插。姜金生太太的四个侄女儿都由我给她们介绍了称心如意的位置；就在前几天，我又推荐了一个姑娘，她不过是人家偶然在我面前提起的，那家人家对她非常满意。──柯林斯太太，我有没有告诉过你，麦特卡尔夫人昨天来谢我？她觉得蒲白小姐真是件珍宝呢。她跟我说：‘咖苔琳夫人，你给了我一件珍宝。’──你的妹妹们有没有哪一个已经出来交际了，班纳特小姐？” “有，太太，全都出来交际了。” “全都出来交际了！什么，五个姐妹同时出来交际？真奇怪！你不过是第二个！姐姐还没有嫁人，妹妹就出来交际了！你的妹妹们一定还很小吧？” “是的；最小的一个才十六岁。或许她还太小，不适宜多交朋友。不过，太太，要是因为姐姐们无法早嫁，或是不想早嫁，做妹妹的就不能有社交和娱乐，那实在太苦了她们。最小的和最大的同样有消受青春的权利。怎么能为了这样的原由，就叫她们死守在家里！我以为那样做就不可能促进姐妹之间的情感，也不可能养成温柔的性格。” “真想不到，”夫人说，“你这么小的一个人，倒这样有主见。请问你几岁啦？” “我已经有了三个成人的妹妹，”伊丽莎白笑着说。“你老人家总不会再要我招出年纪来了吧。” 咖苔琳夫人没有得到直截了当的回答，显得很惊奇；伊丽莎白觉得敢于和这种没有礼貌的富贵太太开玩笑，恐怕要推她自己为第一个人。 “你不会超过二十岁，所以你也不必瞒年纪。” “我不到二十一岁。” 等到喝过茶，男客们都到她们这边来了，便摆起牌桌来。咖苔琳夫人、威廉爵士和柯林斯夫妇坐下来打“夸锥”；德·包尔小姐要玩“卡西诺”，因此两位姑娘就很荣幸地帮着姜金生太太给她凑足了人数。她们这一桌真是枯燥无味，除了姜金生太太问问德·包尔小姐是否觉得太冷或太热，是否感到灯光太强或太弱以外，就没有一句话不是说到打牌方面的。另外一桌可就有声有色得多了。咖苔琳夫人差不多一直都在讲话，不是指出另外三个人的错处，就是讲些自己的趣闻轶事。她老人家说一句，柯林斯先生就附和一句，他赢一次要谢她一次，如果赢得太多，还得向她道歉。威廉爵士不大说话，只顾把一桩桩轶事和一个个高贵的名字装进脑子里去。 等到咖苔琳夫人母女俩玩得不想再玩的时候，两桌牌桌就散场了，打发马车送柯林斯太太回去，柯林斯太太很感激地接受了，于是马上叫人去套车。大家又围着火炉，听咖苔琳夫人断定明天的天气怎么样。等到马车来了，叫他们上车，他们方始停止受训。柯林斯先生说了多少感激的话，威廉爵士鞠了多少躬，大家方才告别。马车一走出门口，柯林斯就要求伊丽莎白发表她对于罗新斯的感想，她看在夏绿蒂面上，便勉强敷衍了他几句。她虽然勉为其难地说出了一大篇好话，却完全不能叫柯林斯先生满意，柯林斯没有办法，只得立刻亲自开口，把老夫人大大重新赞扬了一番。