She examined into their employments, looked at their work, and advised them to do it differently; found fault with the arrangement of the furniture, or detected the housemaid in negligence; and if she accepted any refreshment, seemed to do it only for the sake of finding out that Mrs. Collins's joints of meat were too large for her family.
她查问他们的日常生活,察看他们的家务,劝他们换个方式处置;又吹毛求疵地说,他们的家具摆得不对,或者是他们的佣人在偷懒;要是她肯在这里吃点东西,那好象只是为了要看看柯林斯太太是否持家节俭,不滥吃滥用。
Elizabeth soon perceived that though this great lady was not in the commission of the peace for the county, she was a most active magistrate in her own parish, the minutest concerns of which were carried to her by Mr. Collins; and whenever any of the cottagers were disposed to be quarrelsome, discontented or too poor, she sallied forth into the village to settle their differences, silence their complaints, and scold them into harmony and plenty.
伊丽莎白立刻就发觉,这位贵妇人虽然没有担任郡里的司法职使,可是事实上她等于是她自己这个教区里最积极的法官,一点点芝麻大的事都由柯林斯先生报告给她;只要哪一个穷苦人在吵架,闹意气,或是穷得活不下去,她问题亲自到村里去调解处理,镇压制服,又骂得他们一个个相安无事,不再叫苦叹穷。
The entertainment of dining at Rosings was repeated about twice a week; and, allowing for the loss of Sir William, and there being only one card table in the evening, every such entertainment was the counterpart of the first. Their other engagements were few; as the style of living of the neighbourhood in general was beyond the Collins' reach. This, however, was no evil to Elizabeth, and upon the whole she spent her time comfortably enough; there were half hours of pleasant conversation with Charlotte, and the weather was so fine for the time of year, that she had often great enjoyment out of doors. Her favourite walk, and where she frequently went while the others were calling on Lady Catherine, was along the open grove which edged that side of the park, where there was a nice sheltered path, which no one seemed to value but herself, and where she felt beyond the reach of Lady Catherine's curiosity.
罗新斯大约每星期要请她们吃一两次饭;尽管缺少了威廉爵士,而且只有一桌牌,不过每有一次这样的宴会,都依照第一次如法炮制。他们简直没有别的宴会,因为附近一般人家的那种生活派头,柯林斯还高攀不上。不过伊丽莎白并不觉得遗憾,因为她在这里大体上是过得够舒服了:经常和夏绿蒂作半个钟点的交谈,加上这个季节里又是天气睛朗,可以常常到户外去舒畅一下。别人去拜访咖苔琳夫人的时候,她总是爱到花园旁边那座小林子里去散散步,那儿有一条很美的绿荫小径,她觉得那地方只有她一人懂得欣赏,而且到了那儿,也就可以免得惹起咖苔琳夫人的好奇心。