Pride and Prejudice · chapter 6 of 8
The Letter
那封信
A thick letter from Mr. Darcy turns everything Elizabeth believed upside down. Months later, a summer trip with her aunt heads toward a very famous house.
Read what you hear
- Mr. Darcy 伊丽莎白小姐，请等一下。这是我写给你的信，请你一定要看一看。
Yīlìshābái xiǎojie, qǐng děng yíxià. Zhè shì wǒ xiě gěi nǐ de xìn, qǐng nǐ yídìng yào kàn yi kàn.
Miss Elizabeth, please wait a moment. This is a letter I wrote for you. Please do read it.
- Elizabeth Bennet 达西先生，我昨天已经说得很清楚了，我不想再听您解释。
Dáxī xiānsheng, wǒ zuótiān yǐjīng shuō de hěn qīngchu le, wǒ bù xiǎng zài tīng nín jiěshì.
Mr. Darcy, I made myself very clear yesterday. I don't want to hear any more explanations from you.
- Mr. Darcy 这不是求婚，也不是解释，我只想让你知道，事情真正的样子。
Zhè bú shì qiúhūn, yě bú shì jiěshì, wǒ zhǐ xiǎng ràng nǐ zhīdào, shìqing zhēnzhèng de yàngzi.
This is neither a proposal nor an excuse. I only want you to know how things truly were.
Chapter 6 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Pride and Prejudice is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Elizabeth Bennet 好吧，我收下。但是我不能保证会相信您。
Hǎo ba, wǒ shōuxià. Dànshì wǒ bù néng bǎozhèng huì xiāngxìn nín.
Fine, I'll take it. But I can't promise to believe you.
- Mr. Darcy 这就够了。再见，伊丽莎白小姐，祝你一路平安。
Zhè jiù gòu le. Zàijiàn, Yīlìshābái xiǎojie, zhù nǐ yílù píng'ān.
That is enough. Goodbye, Miss Elizabeth, and safe travels.
- Elizabeth Bennet 这么厚的一封信……他到底在里面写了什么？
Zhème hòu de yì fēng xìn… tā dàodǐ zài lǐmiàn xiě le shénme?
Such a thick letter… What on earth did he write in it?
- Elizabeth Bennet “我要说的第一件事，是关于你的姐姐和宾利先生。”
“Wǒ yào shuō de dì yī jiàn shì, shì guānyú nǐ de jiějie hé Bīnlì xiānsheng.”
"The first matter I must speak of is about your sister and Mr. Bingley."
- Mr. Darcy 我相信你姐姐很温柔，可是她从来没有让人看出，她也爱着他。我怕宾利先生会白白难过，所以劝他离开。
Wǒ xiāngxìn nǐ jiějie hěn wēnróu, kěshì tā cónglái méiyǒu ràng rén kànchū, tā yě ài zhe tā. Wǒ pà Bīnlì xiānsheng huì báibái nánguò, suǒyǐ quàn tā líkāi.
I believe your sister is gentle, but she never let anyone see that she loved him too. I feared Mr. Bingley would be hurt for nothing, so I urged him to leave.
- Elizabeth Bennet 简确实从来不大声说出自己的心事……也许他真的看错了。
Jiǎn quèshí cónglái bú dàshēng shuōchū zìjǐ de xīnshì… Yěxǔ tā zhēn de kàncuò le.
It's true Jane never says what is in her heart out loud… Maybe he truly misjudged her.
- Mr. Darcy 第二件事是关于威克姆。他是我父亲最好的管家的儿子，我父亲对他很好，还送他去读书。
Dì èr jiàn shì shì guānyú Wēikèmǔ. Tā shì wǒ fùqin zuì hǎo de guǎnjiā de érzi, wǒ fùqin duì tā hěn hǎo, hái sòng tā qù dúshū.
The second matter is Wickham. He was the son of my father's best steward. My father was good to him and even sent him to school.
- Mr. Darcy 父亲去世以后，威克姆说他不想做牧师，只想要钱。我给了他一大笔钱，他很快就花光了。
Fùqin qùshì yǐhòu, Wēikèmǔ shuō tā bù xiǎng zuò mùshi, zhǐ xiǎng yào qián. Wǒ gěi le tā yí dà bǐ qián, tā hěn kuài jiù huāguāng le.
After my father died, Wickham said he didn't want to be a clergyman, he only wanted money. I gave him a large sum and he soon spent it all.
- Elizabeth Bennet 花光了？可是他对我说，是达西不肯给他工作……难道他没有说真话吗？
Huāguāng le? Kěshì tā duì wǒ shuō, shì Dáxī bù kěn gěi tā gōngzuò… Nándào tā méiyǒu shuō zhēnhuà ma?
Spent it all? But he told me Darcy refused him a position… Wasn't he telling the truth?
- Mr. Darcy 去年夏天，威克姆去找我十五岁的妹妹乔治亚娜，想带她私奔，因为她有一大笔钱。
Qùnián xiàtiān, Wēikèmǔ qù zhǎo wǒ shíwǔ suì de mèimei Qiáozhìyànà, xiǎng dài tā sībēn, yīnwèi tā yǒu yí dà bǐ qián.
Last summer Wickham went to my fifteen-year-old sister Georgiana and tried to run away with her, because she has a large fortune.
- Mr. Darcy 幸好我及时赶到，她才没有做傻事。我一直没有告诉别人，因为我怕她受到伤害。
Xìnghǎo wǒ jíshí gǎndào, tā cái méiyǒu zuò shǎshì. Wǒ yìzhí méiyǒu gàosu biéren, yīnwèi wǒ pà tā shòudào shānghài.
Luckily I arrived in time, and she did nothing foolish. I never told anyone, because I feared for her.
- Mr. Darcy 信写到这里。不管你怎么想我，请相信我说的都是实话。伊丽莎白小姐，祝你幸福。
Xìn xiě dào zhèlǐ. Bùguǎn nǐ zěnme xiǎng wǒ, qǐng xiāngxìn wǒ shuō de dōu shì shíhuà. Yīlìshābái xiǎojie, zhù nǐ xìngfú.
That is the end of my letter. Whatever you think of me, please believe I have told the truth. Miss Elizabeth, I wish you happiness.
- Elizabeth Bennet 天哪……原来我一直被他骗了。我怎么会这么傻？
Tiān na… Yuánlái wǒ yìzhí bèi tā piàn le. Wǒ zěnme huì zhème shǎ?
Good heavens… so I was fooled all along. How could I be so foolish?
- Elizabeth Bennet 我以为自己最会看人，其实我只相信好听的话，也只看见我想看见的。
Wǒ yǐwéi zìjǐ zuì huì kàn rén, qíshí wǒ zhǐ xiāngxìn hǎotīng de huà, yě zhǐ kànjiàn wǒ xiǎng kànjiàn de.
I thought I was the best judge of people, but I only believed pretty words and saw only what I wanted to see.
- Elizabeth Bennet 傲慢的人是我，有偏见的人也是我。我从来没有这么后悔过。
Àomàn de rén shì wǒ, yǒu piānjiàn de rén yě shì wǒ. Wǒ cónglái méiyǒu zhème hòuhuǐ guo.
The proud one is me, and the prejudiced one is me too. I have never regretted anything so much.
- Elizabeth Bennet 我把信读了三遍，每一次，都觉得更加难过。
Wǒ bǎ xìn dú le sān biàn, měi yí cì, dōu juéde gèngjiā nánguò.
I read the letter three times, and each time I felt worse.
- Elizabeth Bennet 我还对他说了那么难听的话……他一定恨我。
Wǒ hái duì tā shuō le nàme nántīng de huà… Tā yídìng hèn wǒ.
And I said such terrible things to him… He must hate me.
- Narrator 几个月过去了。夏天到了，伊丽莎白回到家里，又和舅舅、舅妈一起坐上了去北方的马车。
Jǐ gè yuè guòqù le. Xiàtiān dào le, Yīlìshābái huídào jiāli, yòu hé jiùjiu, jiùmā yìqǐ zuò shàng le qù běifāng de mǎchē.
Months passed. Summer came, and Elizabeth, back at home, set off north in a carriage with her aunt and uncle.
- Mrs. Gardiner 伊丽莎白，你这几个月总是不开心，出去走走，一定会好起来的。
Yīlìshābái, nǐ zhè jǐ gè yuè zǒngshì bù kāixīn, chūqù zǒuzou, yídìng huì hǎo qǐlái de.
Elizabeth, you've been unhappy these past months. A trip will surely cheer you up.
- Elizabeth Bennet 舅妈，我没事。只是我想起了一些以前的事，觉得自己很傻。
Jiùmā, wǒ méishì. Zhǐshì wǒ xiǎngqǐ le yìxiē yǐqián de shì, juéde zìjǐ hěn shǎ.
Aunt, I'm fine. It's just that I've been thinking about old things and feeling very foolish.
- Mrs. Gardiner 每个人都有看错人的时候，重要的是，你后来看清楚了。
Měi gè rén dōu yǒu kàncuò rén de shíhou, zhòngyào de shì, nǐ hòulái kàn qīngchu le.
Everyone misjudges someone sometimes. What matters is that you saw clearly in the end.
- Mrs. Gardiner 对了，你舅舅早就想去钓鱼了，他天天都说，德比郡的鱼正在等着他呢！
Duì le, nǐ jiùjiu zǎo jiù xiǎng qù diàoyú le, tā tiāntiān dōu shuō, Débǐ Jùn de yú zhèngzài děngzhe tā ne!
By the way, your uncle has wanted to go fishing for ages. He says every day that the fish in Derbyshire are waiting for him!
- Elizabeth Bennet 哈哈，那我们一定要让舅舅钓到最大的鱼。
Hāhā, nà wǒmen yídìng yào ràng jiùjiu diào dào zuì dà de yú.
Ha ha, then we must make sure Uncle catches the biggest fish.
- Mrs. Gardiner 我们还会去参观一座很有名的大房子，你听说过彭伯利吗？
Wǒmen hái huì qù cānguān yí zuò hěn yǒumíng de dà fángzi, nǐ tīngshuō guo Péngbólì ma?
We'll also visit a very famous grand house. Have you heard of Pemberley?
- Elizabeth Bennet 彭伯利？……那不是达西先生的家吗？
Péngbólì?… Nà bú shì Dáxī xiānsheng de jiā ma?
Pemberley?… Isn't that Mr. Darcy's home?
- Mrs. Gardiner 对，可是别担心，听说他现在不在家。我们只是去看看花园和房子。
Duì, kěshì bié dānxīn, tīngshuō tā xiànzài bú zài jiā. Wǒmen zhǐshì qù kànkan huāyuán hé fángzi.
Yes, but don't worry, I hear he isn't at home now. We'll only look at the garden and the house.
- Elizabeth Bennet 好吧……可是舅妈，如果他突然回来了，那怎么办？
Hǎo ba… Kěshì jiùmā, rúguǒ tā tūrán huílái le, nà zěnmebàn?
All right… But Aunt, what if he suddenly comes back?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Darcy give Elizabeth a letter?
“我只想让你知道，事情真正的样子。”
- What does Darcy say about Jane in the letter?
“她从来没有让人看出，她也爱着他。”
- What did Wickham do with the money Darcy gave him?
“他很快就花光了。”
- What did Wickham try to do to Darcy's young sister?
“想带她私奔，因为她有一大笔钱。”
- How does Elizabeth feel after reading the letter?
“傲慢的人是我，有偏见的人也是我。”