曼斯菲尔德庄园 Chapter 33

CHAPTER XXXIII ,The conference was neither so short nor so conclusive ¹ as the lady had designed. The gentleman was not so easily satisfied. He had all the disposition ² to persevere ³ that Sir Thomas could wish him. He had vanity, which strongly inclined him in the first place to think she did love him, though she might not know it herself; and which, secondly ⁴, when constrained ⁵ at last to admit that she did know her own present feelings, convinced him that he should be able in time to make those feelings what he wished. ,He was in love, very much in love; and it was a love which, operating on an active, sanguine ⁶ spirit, of more warmth than delicacy ⁷, made her affection appear of greater consequence because it was withheld ⁸, and determined ⁹ him to have the glory, as well as the felicity, of forcing her to love him. ,He would not despair: he would not desist. He had every well-grounded reason for solid attachment ¹⁰; he knew her to have all the worth that could justify ¹¹ the warmest hopes of lasting ¹² happiness with her; her conduct at this very time, by speaking the disinterestedness ¹⁴ and delicacy of her character (qualities which he believed most rare indeed), was of a sort to heighten all his wishes, and confirm all his resolutions. He knew not that he had a pre-engaged heart to attack. Of _that_ he had no suspicion. He considered her rather as one who had never thought on the subject enough to be in danger; who had been guarded by youth, a youth of mind as lovely as of person; whose modesty ¹⁶ had prevented her from understanding his attentions, and who was still overpowered by the suddenness of addresses so wholly unexpected, and the novelty of a situation which her fancy had never taken into account. Must it not follow of course, that, when he was understood, he should succeed? He believed it fully ¹⁷. Love such as his, in a man like himself, must with perseverance ¹⁸ secure a return, and at no great distance; and he had so much delight in the idea of obliging her to love him in a very short time, that her not loving him now was scarcely regretted. A little difficulty to be overcome was no evil to Henry Crawford. He rather derived ¹⁹ spirits from it. He had been apt to gain hearts too easily. His situation was new and animating ²⁰. ,To Fanny, however, who had known too much opposition ²¹ all her life to find any charm in it, all this was unintelligible ²². She found that he did mean to persevere; but how he could, after such language from her as she felt herself obliged to use, was not to be understood. She told him that she did not love him, could not love him, was sure she never should love him; that such a change was quite impossible; that the subject was most painful to her; that she must entreat ²³ him never to mention it again, to allow her to leave him at once, and let it be considered as concluded for ever. And when farther pressed, had added, that in her opinion their dispositions ²⁴ were so totally dissimilar as to make mutual ²⁵ affection incompatible ²⁶; and that they were unfitted for each other by nature, education, and habit. All this she had said, and with the earnestness of sincerity ²⁷; yet this was not enough, for he immediately denied there being anything uncongenial in their characters, or anything unfriendly in their situations; and positively ²⁸ declared, that he would still love, and still hope! ,Fanny knew her own meaning, but was no judge of her own manner. Her manner was incurably ²⁹ gentle; and she was not aware how much it concealed ³⁰ the sternness of her purpose. Her diffidence, gratitude ³¹, and softness made every expression of indifference ³² seem almost an effort of self-denial; seem, at least, to be giving nearly as much pain to herself as to him. Mr. Crawford was no longer the Mr. Crawford who, as the clandestine ³³, insidious ³⁴, treacherous ³⁵ admirer of Maria Bertram, had been her abhorrence ³⁶, whom she had hated to see or to speak to, in whom she could believe no good quality to exist, and whose power, even of being agreeable, she had barely acknowledged. He was now the Mr. Crawford who was addressing herself with ardent ³⁷, disinterested ¹³ love; whose feelings were apparently ³⁸ become all that was honourable ³⁹ and upright, whose views of happiness were all fixed ⁴⁰ on a marriage of attachment; who was pouring out his sense of her merits, describing and describing again his affection, proving as far as words could prove it, and in the language, tone, and spirit of a man of talent too, that he sought her for her gentleness and her goodness; and to complete the whole, he was now the Mr. Crawford who had procured ⁴¹ William's promotion ⁴²! ,It was with reluctance ⁵² that he suffered her to go; but there was no look of despair in parting to belie ¹⁵ his words, or give her hopes of his being less unreasonable ⁵³ than he professed ⁵⁴ himself. ,Now she was angry. Some resentment ⁵⁵ did arise at a perseverance so selfish and ungenerous. Here was again a want of delicacy and regard for others which had formerly ⁵⁶ so struck and disgusted her. Here was again a something of the same Mr. Crawford whom she had so reprobated before. How evidently was there a gross want of feeling and humanity where his own pleasure was concerned; and alas ⁵⁷! how always known no principle to supply as a duty what the heart was deficient ⁵⁸ in! Had her own affections been as free as perhaps they ought to have been, he never could have engaged them. ,So thought Fanny, in good truth and sober sadness, as she sat musing ⁵⁹ over that too great indulgence and luxury of a fire upstairs: wondering at the past and present; wondering at what was yet to come, and in a nervous agitation ⁶⁰ which made nothing clear to her but the persuasion ⁶¹ of her being never under any circumstances able to love Mr. Crawford, and the felicity of having a fire to sit over and think of it. ,Sir Thomas was obliged, or obliged himself, to wait till the morrow for a knowledge of what had passed between the young people. He then saw Mr. Crawford, and received his account. The first feeling was disappointment: he had hoped better things; he had thought that an hour's entreaty ⁶² from a young man like Crawford could not have worked so little change on a gentle-tempered girl like Fanny; but there was speedy comfort in the determined views and sanguine perseverance of the lover; and when seeing such confidence of success in the principal, Sir Thomas was soon able to depend on it himself. ,Nothing was omitted, on his side, of civility, compliment, or kindness, that might assist the plan. Mr. Crawford's steadiness was honoured, and Fanny was praised, and the connexion was still the most desirable in the world. At Mansfield Park Mr. Crawford would always be welcome; he had only to consult his own judgment ⁶³ and feelings as to the frequency of his visits, at present or in future. In all his niece's family and friends, there could be but one opinion, one wish on the subject; the influence of all who loved her must incline one way. ,Franklin did not believe that the French tests were conclusive.富兰克林不相信这个法国人的实验是结论性的 。,He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理
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