Pride and Prejudice · chapter 7 of 25
The Ball at the Big House
大房子里的舞会
At the long-awaited ball, Mr. Wickham is missing, Mr. Collins keeps going the wrong way, Mr. Darcy asks Elizabeth to dance, and her family puts on quite a show.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 十一月二十六日，星期二，宾利家的舞会开始了。
Shíyīyuè èrshíliù rì, xīngqī'èr, Bīnlì jiā de wǔhuì kāishǐ le.
On Tuesday, the twenty-sixth of November, the ball at the Bingleys' began.
- Elizabeth Bennet 威克姆先生呢？我今天穿得这么漂亮，就是为了他！
Wēikèmǔ xiānsheng ne? Wǒ jīntiān chuān de zhème piàoliang, jiù shì wèile tā!
Where's Mr. Wickham? I dressed so carefully tonight, all for him!
- Narrator 可是威克姆先生没有来。军官们说，他去伦敦了，有别的事。
Kěshì Wēikèmǔ xiānsheng méiyǒu lái. Jūnguānmen shuō, tā qù Lúndūn le, yǒu bié de shì.
But Mr. Wickham hadn't come. The officers said he'd gone to London on other business.
Chapter 7 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.
- Elizabeth Bennet 别的事？他是不想见达西先生吧！
Bié de shì? Tā shì bù xiǎng jiàn Dáxī xiānsheng ba!
Other business? More likely he didn't want to see Mr. Darcy!
- Mr. Collins 对不起，表妹！我又走错了！凯瑟琳夫人家里，很少开舞会……
Duìbuqǐ, biǎomèi! Wǒ yòu zǒu cuò le! Kǎisèlín fūrén jiā li, hěn shǎo kāi wǔhuì…
I beg your pardon, cousin! I've gone the wrong way again! Lady Catherine so seldom gives a ball…
- Elizabeth Bennet 才跳了两次，我觉得跳了两个小时！
Cái tiào le liǎng cì, wǒ juéde tiào le liǎng gè xiǎoshí!
Only two dances, and it felt like two hours!
- Mr. Darcy 伊丽莎白小姐，下一支，可以请您跟我跳吗？
Yīlìshābái xiǎojie, xià yì zhī, kěyǐ qǐng nín gēn wǒ tiào ma?
Miss Elizabeth, may I have the next dance?
- Elizabeth Bennet 啊……好。
A… hǎo.
Oh… yes.
- Elizabeth Bennet 天哪，夏洛特！我答应他了！我保证过，永远不跟他跳舞的！
Tiān na, Xiàluòtè! Wǒ dāying tā le! Wǒ bǎozhèng guo, yǒngyuǎn bù gēn tā tiàowǔ de!
Good heavens, Charlotte! I said yes! I promised I would never dance with him!
- Charlotte Lucas 说真的，也许你会发现，他这个人还不错。
Shuō zhēn de, yěxǔ nǐ huì fāxiàn, tā zhège rén hái búcuò.
Honestly, you may find him quite pleasant.
- Elizabeth Bennet 那我的运气就太坏了！我已经决定不喜欢他了！
Nà wǒ de yùnqi jiù tài huài le! Wǒ yǐjīng juédìng bù xǐhuan tā le!
That would be the worst luck of all! I've made up my mind to dislike him!
- Elizabeth Bennet 达西先生，该您说点儿什么了。比如，这个房间有多大。
Dáxī xiānsheng, gāi nín shuō diǎnr shénme le. Bǐrú, zhège fángjiān yǒu duō dà.
Mr. Darcy, it's your turn to say something. The size of the room, perhaps.
- Mr. Darcy 您想听什么，我就说什么。
Nín xiǎng tīng shénme, wǒ jiù shuō shénme.
Whatever you wish me to say, I'll say.
- Elizabeth Bennet 那天在街上，我们刚认识了一位新朋友。
Nà tiān zài jiē shang, wǒmen gāng rènshi le yí wèi xīn péngyou.
That day in the street, we had just made a new friend.
- Mr. Darcy 威克姆先生交朋友很快。能不能一直做朋友，就不一定了。
Wēikèmǔ xiānsheng jiāo péngyou hěn kuài. Néng bu néng yìzhí zuò péngyou, jiù bù yídìng le.
Mr. Wickham makes friends easily. Whether he can keep them is less certain.
- Elizabeth Bennet 是啊。他没有了您这个朋友，现在很穷。
Shì a. Tā méiyǒu le nín zhège péngyou, xiànzài hěn qióng.
Yes. He lost your friendship, and now he's poor.
- Elizabeth Bennet 您说过，您脾气不好，对人的好印象没有了，就永远没有了。那您一定没有偏见吧？
Nín shuō guo, nín píqi bù hǎo, duì rén de hǎo yìnxiàng méiyǒu le, jiù yǒngyuǎn méiyǒu le. Nà nín yídìng méiyǒu piānjiàn ba?
You once told me you have a bad temper, and that your good opinion, once lost, is lost forever. Then you're never blinded by prejudice, I suppose?
- Mr. Darcy 我希望没有。
Wǒ xīwàng méiyǒu.
I hope not.
- Elizabeth Bennet 从来不改变想法的人，第一次就一定要看对，对不对？
Cónglái bù gǎibiàn xiǎngfǎ de rén, dì yī cì jiù yídìng yào kàn duì, duì bu duì?
People who never change their minds had better judge right the first time, don't you think?
- Mr. Darcy 伊丽莎白小姐，请您不要急着决定我是什么样的人。
Yīlìshābái xiǎojie, qǐng nín bú yào jí zhe juédìng wǒ shì shénmeyàng de rén.
Miss Elizabeth, I'd ask you not to rush to decide what kind of man I am.
- Miss Bingley 听说你很喜欢威克姆先生？他爸爸只是达西家的管家。他的话，你别都信。
Tīngshuō nǐ hěn xǐhuan Wēikèmǔ xiānsheng? Tā bàba zhǐshì Dáxī jiā de guǎnjiā. Tā de huà, nǐ bié dōu xìn.
I hear you're very fond of Mr. Wickham? His father was only the Darcys' steward. Don't believe everything he says.
- Elizabeth Bennet 宾利小姐，所以他的错，就是他爸爸是管家？
Bīnlì xiǎojie, suǒyǐ tā de cuò, jiù shì tā bàba shì guǎnjiā?
So, Miss Bingley, his great crime is that his father was a steward?
- Miss Bingley 对不起，我只是想帮你。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ zhǐshì xiǎng bāng nǐ.
Forgive me. I only meant to help.
- Mr. Collins 表妹！我刚知道，达西先生的姨妈就是凯瑟琳夫人！我一定要去问好！
Biǎomèi! Wǒ gāng zhīdào, Dáxī xiānsheng de yímā jiù shì Kǎisèlín fūrén! Wǒ yídìng yào qù wènhǎo!
Cousin! I've just learned that Mr. Darcy's aunt is Lady Catherine herself! I simply must go and pay my respects!
- Elizabeth Bennet 柯林斯先生，别去！他不认识您，这样没有礼貌！
Kēlínsī xiānsheng, bié qù! Tā bú rènshi nín, zhèyàng méiyǒu lǐmào!
Mr. Collins, don't! He doesn't know you. It isn't proper!
- Mr. Collins 达西先生！我是柯林斯，凯瑟琳夫人的牧师。夫人上个星期身体很好！
Dáxī xiānsheng! Wǒ shì Kēlínsī, Kǎisèlín fūrén de mùshi. Fūrén shàng gè xīngqī shēntǐ hěn hǎo!
Mr. Darcy! I am Collins, Lady Catherine's clergyman. I'm delighted to say her ladyship was in excellent health last week!
- Mr. Darcy ……是吗。
…Shì ma.
…Indeed.
- Mrs. Bennet 我们家简，很快就是宾利太太了！一年四五千镑呢！
Wǒmen jiā Jiǎn, hěn kuài jiù shì Bīnlì tàitai le! Yì nián sì wǔ qiān bàng ne!
Our Jane will soon be Mrs. Bingley! Four or five thousand a year!
- Elizabeth Bennet 妈妈，小声点儿！达西先生都听见了！
Māma, xiǎoshēng diǎnr! Dáxī xiānsheng dōu tīngjiàn le!
Mama, not so loud! Mr. Darcy can hear every word!
- Mrs. Bennet 那个骄傲的达西先生？我为什么要怕他！
Nàge jiāo'ào de Dáxī xiānsheng? Wǒ wèishénme yào pà tā!
That proud Mr. Darcy? Why should I be afraid of him!
- Mary Bennet 唱歌能让人变得更好。我再给大家唱一首。
Chànggē néng ràng rén biàn de gèng hǎo. Wǒ zài gěi dàjiā chàng yì shǒu.
Singing makes us better people. I shall sing you all another song.
- Mr. Bennet 好了，玛丽。你已经让我们开心很久了。
Hǎo le, Mǎlì. Nǐ yǐjīng ràng wǒmen kāixīn hěn jiǔ le.
That will do, Mary. You've delighted us long enough.
- Elizabeth Bennet 妈妈，玛丽，爸爸……我们家的人好像说好了，今天一起丢脸！
Māma, Mǎlì, bàba… wǒmen jiā de rén hǎoxiàng shuō hǎo le, jīntiān yìqǐ diūliǎn!
Mama, Mary, Papa… it's as if my whole family agreed to make fools of themselves tonight!
- Mrs. Bennet 两场婚礼！简嫁给宾利先生，丽兹嫁给柯林斯先生！
Liǎng chǎng hūnlǐ! Jiǎn jià gěi Bīnlì xiānsheng, Lìzī jià gěi Kēlínsī xiānsheng!
Two weddings! Jane will marry Mr. Bingley, and Lizzy will marry Mr. Collins!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Elizabeth think Mr. Wickham stayed away from the ball?
“他是不想见达西先生吧！”
- Why is Elizabeth upset after saying yes to Mr. Darcy?
“我保证过，永远不跟他跳舞的！”
- What does Mr. Darcy say about Mr. Wickham?
“威克姆先生交朋友很快。能不能一直做朋友，就不一定了。”
- What does Miss Bingley tell Elizabeth about Mr. Wickham?
“他爸爸只是达西家的管家”
- What does Mrs. Bennet say loudly at supper?
“我们家简，很快就是宾利太太了！”