06-03-傲慢与偏见 [53]
His late father worked for mine for many years， helping to look after the Pemberley farms．His son， George Wickham， received much kindness from my father， who paid for him to go to school and to university．My father hoped the young man would enter the Church．If he became a priest， I was to give him the post of rector in a village near Pemberley， when it became vacant．But even before my father died， I had discovered Wickham's weakness of character and lack of morals．After my father's death，Wickham wrote to inform me that he did not intend to enter the Church， and asked for an amount of money instead of the post of rector．I knew that，with his character faults，he ought not to become a priest， and I therefore agreed at once．The business was soon arranged．He resigned all claim to the church post， and accepted three thousand pounds instead．I hoped that I would not see him or hear form him again．But three years later he wrote again，this time to ask for the rec－tor's post， informing me that his money had all gone and his situation was desperate．You will hardly blame me for refus－ing．Since then he has doubtless been violent in accusing me of injustice to all who will listen to him．
There is one more circumstance which I would like to for-get myself，but which I must now mention．I rely on your keep－ing this confidential．A year ago，I sent my sister，who is ten years younger than I am， on holiday to Ramsgate in Kent， in the care of a female companion．Unfortunately， there was an understanding between this woman and Mr Wickham，who also went to Ramsgate．With her help and encouragement， he spent a great deal of time with Georgiana， and flattered her so much that she believed she was in love， and agreed to elope with him．She was only fifteen at the time，and I am glad to say that she confessed everything to me immediately，when I arrived unexpectedly in Ramsgate just before their planned elopement Naturally，I dismissed the companion，and wrote to Wickham， who left the place at once．He was doubt-less most interested in my sister's fortune， which is thirty thousand pounds， but I cannot help supposing that he was also eager to revenge himself on me．I hope you will now clear me of all blame in this matter．
If，madam，you doubt the truthfulness of my description of these circumstances， I suggest you speak to Colonel Fitzwilliam． As my cousin and close friend， he knows every detail of these events，and will be happy to support what I say．
I will only add，may God be with you．
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Elizabeth experienced a variety of emotions as she read the let－ter．She was astonished to discover that Darcy was capable of any sort of apology．It was with a strong prejudice against any－thing he might say that she began reading his explanation of what had happened at Netherfield， and at first she was too an－gry with him to treat him with justice．But when she went on to read his description of his relationship with Wickham， she hesitated．It was so very different from Wickham's story，which she would have preferred to believe． But after a few mo-ments'thought she realized that Darcy's statement was much more likely to be true． She began to remember several things about Wickham which now appeared strange to her．On the first evening she had met him， he had told the whole story about his lost fortune and the Darcy family to her，a total stranger． Then he had boasted of having no fear of Darcy， but had avoided the Netherfield ball the very next week．In addi－tion， he had waited until the Bingleys and Darcy had left Netherfield before making his accusations public． She reminded herself that no one in Hertfordshire knew anything about Wickham's past，so it was quite possible that he lacked morals， as Darcy said． She had to admit that Darcy himself，though horribly proud， had always shown himself to be a gen-tleman． Finally， Darcy would certainly not have dared
There is one more circumstance which I would like to for-get myself，but which I must now mention．I rely on your keep－ing this confidential．A year ago，I sent my sister，who is ten years younger than I am， on holiday to Ramsgate in Kent， in the care of a female companion．Unfortunately， there was an understanding between this woman and Mr Wickham，who also went to Ramsgate．With her help and encouragement， he spent a great deal of time with Georgiana， and flattered her so much that she believed she was in love， and agreed to elope with him．She was only fifteen at the time，and I am glad to say that she confessed everything to me immediately，when I arrived unexpectedly in Ramsgate just before their planned elopement Naturally，I dismissed the companion，and wrote to Wickham， who left the place at once．He was doubt-less most interested in my sister's fortune， which is thirty thousand pounds， but I cannot help supposing that he was also eager to revenge himself on me．I hope you will now clear me of all blame in this matter．
If，madam，you doubt the truthfulness of my description of these circumstances， I suggest you speak to Colonel Fitzwilliam． As my cousin and close friend， he knows every detail of these events，and will be happy to support what I say．
I will only add，may God be with you．
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Elizabeth experienced a variety of emotions as she read the let－ter．She was astonished to discover that Darcy was capable of any sort of apology．It was with a strong prejudice against any－thing he might say that she began reading his explanation of what had happened at Netherfield， and at first she was too an－gry with him to treat him with justice．But when she went on to read his description of his relationship with Wickham， she hesitated．It was so very different from Wickham's story，which she would have preferred to believe． But after a few mo-ments'thought she realized that Darcy's statement was much more likely to be true． She began to remember several things about Wickham which now appeared strange to her．On the first evening she had met him， he had told the whole story about his lost fortune and the Darcy family to her，a total stranger． Then he had boasted of having no fear of Darcy， but had avoided the Netherfield ball the very next week．In addi－tion， he had waited until the Bingleys and Darcy had left Netherfield before making his accusations public． She reminded herself that no one in Hertfordshire knew anything about Wickham's past，so it was quite possible that he lacked morals， as Darcy said． She had to admit that Darcy himself，though horribly proud， had always shown himself to be a gen-tleman． Finally， Darcy would certainly not have dared