Pride and Prejudice · chapter 9 of 25
Charlotte's Choice
夏洛特的决定
A sweet, cruel letter from Miss Bingley breaks Jane's heart, and Charlotte has news that Elizabeth can hardly believe.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天早上，简拿着信，在房间里坐了很久。
Nà tiān zǎoshang, Jiǎn ná zhe xìn, zài fángjiān li zuò le hěn jiǔ.
That morning, Jane sat in her room for a long time, holding the letter.
- Jane Bennet 丽兹，你听，宾利小姐是这样写的：
Lìzī, nǐ tīng, Bīnlì xiǎojie shì zhèyàng xiě de:
Lizzy, listen. This is what Miss Bingley writes:
- Miss Bingley 亲爱的简：我们都去伦敦了，这个冬天不回来了。
Qīn'ài de Jiǎn: wǒmen dōu qù Lúndūn le, zhège dōngtiān bù huílai le.
Dearest Jane: we have all gone to London, and we shan't be back this winter.
Chapter 9 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Pride and Prejudice (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and The Hound of the Baskervilles are free from start to finish.
- Miss Bingley 达西先生的妹妹，达西小姐，又漂亮又聪明。我们都希望，她以后能嫁到我们家来！
Dáxī xiānsheng de mèimei, Dáxī xiǎojie, yòu piàoliang yòu cōngming. Wǒmen dōu xīwàng, tā yǐhòu néng jià dào wǒmen jiā lái!
Mr. Darcy's sister, Miss Darcy, is so pretty and so clever. We all hope she will marry into our family one day!
- Jane Bennet 她说得很清楚了。宾利先生……不爱我。
Tā shuō de hěn qīngchu le. Bīnlì xiānsheng… bú ài wǒ.
She's made it quite plain. Mr. Bingley… doesn't love me.
- Elizabeth Bennet 不对！宾利小姐看出来了，宾利先生爱你。所以，她想让他娶达西小姐。
Bú duì! Bīnlì xiǎojie kàn chūlai le, Bīnlì xiānsheng ài nǐ. Suǒyǐ, tā xiǎng ràng tā qǔ Dáxī xiǎojie.
No! Miss Bingley can see that Mr. Bingley loves you. That's exactly why she wants him to marry Miss Darcy.
- Jane Bennet 宾利小姐不会骗我的。也许这里面有误会。
Bīnlì xiǎojie bú huì piàn wǒ de. Yěxǔ zhè lǐmiàn yǒu wùhuì.
Miss Bingley would never deceive me. Perhaps there's some misunderstanding.
- Elizabeth Bennet 好吧，你就这样想吧。不过，他一定会回来的。
Hǎo ba, nǐ jiù zhèyàng xiǎng ba. Búguò, tā yídìng huì huílai de.
All right, believe that if you like. But he will come back, I'm sure of it.
- Jane Bennet 可是他的家人都不希望他娶我……
Kěshì tā de jiārén dōu bù xīwàng tā qǔ wǒ…
But his family doesn't want him to marry me…
- Elizabeth Bennet 那你想一想：让宾利小姐不高兴，和不能嫁给他，哪个更难过？
Nà nǐ xiǎng yi xiǎng: ràng Bīnlì xiǎojie bù gāoxìng, hé bù néng jià gěi tā, nǎge gèng nánguò?
Then think it over: which would be worse, upsetting Miss Bingley, or not marrying him?
- Jane Bennet 丽兹！你真会开玩笑……放心，我没有失望。真的。
Lìzī! Nǐ zhēn huì kāi wánxiào… Fàngxīn, wǒ méiyǒu shīwàng. Zhēn de.
Lizzy! You're impossible… Don't worry, I'm not disappointed. Really.
- Narrator 三天以后，在夏洛特家的花园里。
Sān tiān yǐhòu, zài Xiàluòtè jiā de huāyuán li.
Three days later, in Charlotte's garden.
- Charlotte Lucas 伊丽莎白，我要告诉你一件事。柯林斯先生向我求婚了，我答应了。
Yīlìshābái, wǒ yào gàosu nǐ yí jiàn shì. Kēlínsī xiānsheng xiàng wǒ qiúhūn le, wǒ dāying le.
Elizabeth, I have something to tell you. Mr. Collins has asked me to marry him, and I've said yes.
- Elizabeth Bennet 柯林斯先生？夏洛特，这不可能！
Kēlínsī xiānsheng? Xiàluòtè, zhè bù kěnéng!
Mr. Collins? Charlotte, that's impossible!
- Charlotte Lucas 为什么不可能？你不要他，别的女人就不能要他吗？
Wèishénme bù kěnéng? Nǐ bú yào tā, bié de nǚrén jiù bù néng yào tā ma?
Why impossible? Just because you didn't want him, does that mean no other woman can?
- Charlotte Lucas 那天他在我家吃饭，我听他说了一晚上。第二天早上，他就跑来了。
Nà tiān tā zài wǒ jiā chīfàn, wǒ tīng tā shuō le yì wǎnshang. Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, tā jiù pǎo lái le.
That day he dined at our house, and I listened to him all evening. The very next morning, he came hurrying over.
- Charlotte Lucas 伊丽莎白，我不浪漫，我从来都不浪漫。我只想要一个舒服的家。
Yīlìshābái, wǒ bú làngmàn, wǒ cónglái dōu bú làngmàn. Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng yào yí gè shūfu de jiā.
Elizabeth, I'm not romantic. I never was. All I want is a comfortable home.
- Charlotte Lucas 说真的，他有房子，有教堂，还有凯瑟琳夫人。
Shuō zhēn de, tā yǒu fángzi, yǒu jiàotáng, hái yǒu Kǎisèlín fūrén.
Honestly, he has a house, a church, and Lady Catherine.
- Charlotte Lucas 他会是一个不错的丈夫。嫁给他，我的运气不会比别人差。
Tā huì shì yí gè búcuò de zhàngfu. Jià gěi tā, wǒ de yùnqi bú huì bǐ biérén chà.
He'll make a decent husband. Married to him, my luck will be no worse than most people's.
- Elizabeth Bennet 我还以为，你说幸福靠运气，只是说说……我希望你幸福，夏洛特。
Wǒ hái yǐwéi, nǐ shuō xìngfú kào yùnqi, zhǐshì shuōshuo… Wǒ xīwàng nǐ xìngfú, Xiàluòtè.
When you said happiness was all luck, I thought you were only talking… I hope you'll be happy, Charlotte.
- Elizabeth Bennet 我最好的朋友，要嫁给那个傻牧师了……
Wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyou, yào jià gěi nàge shǎ mùshi le…
My best friend is going to marry that silly clergyman…
- Mrs. Bennet 夏洛特？以后柯林斯先生继承了我们家，她就是这儿的女主人了！
Xiàluòtè? Yǐhòu Kēlínsī xiānsheng jìchéng le wǒmen jiā, tā jiù shì zhèr de nǚzhǔrén le!
Charlotte? When Mr. Collins inherits our house, she'll be mistress here!
- Mrs. Bennet 夏洛特都找到丈夫了！我五个女儿，一个丈夫也没有！
Xiàluòtè dōu zhǎodào zhàngfu le! Wǒ wǔ gè nǚ'ér, yí gè zhàngfu yě méiyǒu!
Even Charlotte has found a husband! Five daughters, and not one husband among them!
- Jane Bennet 妈妈，夏洛特没有做错什么。
Māma, Xiàluòtè méiyǒu zuò cuò shénme.
Mama, Charlotte hasn't done anything wrong.
- Mrs. Bennet 丽兹，现在你后悔了吧？你要是嫁给他，就不会这样了！
Lìzī, xiànzài nǐ hòuhuǐ le ba? Nǐ yàoshi jià gěi tā, jiù bú huì zhèyàng le!
Lizzy, are you sorry now? If you'd married him, none of this would have happened!
- Narrator 一个星期过去了，两个星期过去了。宾利先生没有回来。
Yí gè xīngqī guòqu le, liǎng gè xīngqī guòqu le. Bīnlì xiānsheng méiyǒu huílai.
One week went by, then two. Mr. Bingley did not come back.
- Jane Bennet 也许，他本来就没有那么喜欢我。
Yěxǔ, tā běnlái jiù méiyǒu nàme xǐhuan wǒ.
Perhaps he never cared for me as much as I thought.
- Elizabeth Bennet 宾利先生不会自己走的。一定是宾利小姐……还有达西先生！
Bīnlì xiānsheng bú huì zìjǐ zǒu de. Yídìng shì Bīnlì xiǎojie… hái yǒu Dáxī xiānsheng!
Mr. Bingley wouldn't leave on his own. It must be Miss Bingley… and Mr. Darcy!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Miss Bingley's letter say?
“我们都去伦敦了，这个冬天不回来了。”
- Why does Elizabeth think Miss Bingley wrote the letter?
“她想让他娶达西小姐。”
- Why does Charlotte say yes to Mr. Collins?
“我只想要一个舒服的家。”
- Why is Mrs. Bennet so angry about Charlotte's engagement?
“以后柯林斯先生继承了我们家，她就是这儿的女主人了！”
- Who does Elizabeth believe made Mr. Bingley leave?
“一定是宾利小姐……还有达西先生！”