"With respect to that other, moreweightyaccusation, of having injured Mr. Wickham, I can only refute it by laying before you the whole of his connection with my family. Of what he has PARTICULARLY accused me I am ignorant; but of the truth of what I shall relate, I can summon more than one witness of undoubted veracity.
现在再谈另一件更重的罪名：毁损了韦翰先生的前途。关于这件事，我唯一的驳斥办法 ，只有把他和我家的关系全部说给你听，请你评判一下其中的是非曲直。我不知道他特 别指责我的是哪一点；但是我要在这里陈述的事实真相，可以找出不少信誉卓著的人出 来做见证。
"Mr. Wickham is the son of a very respectable man, who had for many years the management of all the Pemberley estates, and whose good conduct in the discharge of his trust naturally inclined my father to be of service to him; and on George Wickham, who was his godson, his kindness was therefore liberally bestowed. My father supported him at school, and afterwards at Cambridge--most important assistance, as his own father, always poor from the extravagance of his wife, would have been unable to give him a gentleman's education. My father was not only fond of this young man's society, whose manner were alwaysengaging; he had also the highest opinion of him, and hoping the church would be his profession, intended to provide for him in it. As for myself, it is many, many years since I first began to think of him in a very different manner. The vicious propensities--the want of principle, which he was careful to guard from the knowledge of his best friend, could not escape the observation of a young man of nearly the same age with himself, and who had opportunities of seeing him in unguarded moments, which Mr. Darcy could not have. Here again shall give you pain--to what degree you only can tell. But whatever may be the sentiments which Mr. Wickham has created, asuspicionof their nature shall not prevent me from unfolding his real character--it adds even another motive.
韦翰先生是个值得尊敬的人的儿子。他父亲在彭伯里管了好几年产业，极其尽职，这自然使得先父愿意帮他的忙；因此先父对他这个教子乔治•韦翰恩宠有加。先父供给他上学，后来还供给他进剑桥大学……这是对他最重要的一项帮助，因为他自己的父亲被他母亲吃光用穷，无力供给他受高等教育。先父不仅因为这位年轻人风采翩翩而喜欢和他来往，而且非常器重他，希望他从事教会职业，并且一心要替他安插一个位 置。至于说到我自己所以对他印象转坏，那已经是好多好多年的事了。他为人放荡不羁 ，恶习重重，他虽然十分小心地把这些恶习遮掩起来，不让他最好的朋友觉察，可是究 竟逃不过一个和他年龄相仿佛的青年人的眼睛，他一个不提防就给我瞧见了漏洞，机会 多的是……当然老达西先生决不会有这种机会。这里我不免又要引起你的痛苦了，痛苦 到什么地步，只有你自己知道。不论韦翰先生已经引起了你何等样的感情，我却要怀疑 到这些感情的本质，因而我也就不得不对你说明他真正的品格。这里面甚至还难免别有 用心。
"My excellent father died about five years ago; and his attachment to Mr. Wickham was to the last so steady, that in his will he particularly recommended it to me, to promote his advancement in the best manner that his profession might allow--and if he took orders, desired that a valuable family living might be his as soon as it became vacant. There was also a legacy of one thousand pounds. His own father did not long survive mine, and within half a year from these events, Mr. Wickham wrote to inform me that, having finally resolved against taking orders, he hoped I should not think it unreasonable for him to expect some more immediatepecuniaryadvantage, in lieu of the preferment, by which he could not be benefited. He had some intention, he added, of studying law, and I must be aware that the interest of one thousand pounds would be a very insufficient support therein. I rather wished, than believed him to be sincere; but, at any rate, was perfectly ready to accede to his proposal. I knew that Mr. Wickham ought not to be a clergyman; the business was therefore soon settled--he resigned all claim to assistance in the church, were it possible that he could ever be in a situation to receive it, and accepted in return three thousand pounds. All connection between us seemed now dissolved. I thought too ill of him to invite him to Pemberley, or admit his society in town. In town I believe he chiefly lived, but his studying the law was a mere pretence, and being now free from all restraint, his life was a life of idleness and dissipation. For about three years I heard little of him; but on the decease of the incumbent of the living which had been designed for him, he applied to me again by letter for the presentation. His circumstances, he assured me, and I had no difficulty in believing it, were exceedingly bad. He had found the law a most unprofitable study, and was now absolutely resolved on beingordained, if I would present him to the living in question--of which he trusted there could be little doubt, as he was well assured that I had no other person to provide for, and I could not have forgotten my revered father's intentions. You will hardly blame me for refusing to comply with this entreaty, or for resisting every repetition to it.
德高望重的先父大约去世于五年前，他宠爱韦翰先生始终如一，连遗嘱上也特别向我提 到他，要我斟酌他的职业情况，极力提拔他，要是他受了圣职，俸禄优厚的位置一有空 缺，就让他替补上去。另外还给了他一千磅遗产。他自己的父亲不久也去世了；这几桩 大事发生以后，不出半年工夫，韦翰先生就写信跟我说，他已最后下定决心，不愿意去 受圣职；他既然不能获得那个职位的俸禄，便希望我给他一些直接的经济利益，不要以 为他这个要求不合理。他又说，他倒有意学法律，他叫我应该明白，要他靠一千磅的利 息去学法律，当然非常不够。我与其说，相信他这些话靠得住，不如说，我但愿他这些 话靠得住。不过，我无论如何还是愿意答应他的要求。我知道韦翰先生不适宜当牧师。 因此这件事立刻就谈妥条件，获得解决：我们拿出三千磅给他，他不再要求我们帮助他 获得圣职，算是自动放弃权利，即使将来他有资格担任圣职，也不再提出请求。从此我 和他之间的一切关系，便好象一刀两断。我非常看不起他，不再请他到彭伯里来玩，在 城里也不和他来往。我相信他大半都住在城里，但是他所谓学法律，只不过是一个借口 罢了，现在他既然摆脱了一切羁绊，便整天过着浪荡挥霍的生活。我大约接连三年简直 听不到他的消息，可是后来有个牧师逝世了，这份俸禄本来是可以由他接替的，于是他 又写信给我，要我荐举他。他说他境遇窘得不能再窘，这一点我当然不难相信。他又说 研究法律毫无出息，现在已下决心当牧师，只要我肯荐举他去接替这个位置就行了。他 自以为我一定会推荐他，因为他看准我没有别人可以补缺，况且我也不能疏忽先父生前 应承他的一片好意。我没有答应他的要求，他再三请求，我依然拒绝，这你总不见得会 责备我吧。
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