傲慢与偏见

女儿淋雨，母亲为什么反而喜出望外？｜精读 34

伊丽莎白一句话点破母亲的算盘——只要今天马匹腾不出来，简就得留宿；大雨如愿而至，全家只有母亲喜出望外。

女儿淋雨，母亲为什么反而喜出望外？

伊丽莎白一句话点破母亲的算盘——只要今天马匹腾不出来，简就得留宿；大雨如愿而至，全家只有母亲喜出望外。

第七章让坏天气成为贝内特太太等待的好消息。奥斯汀不替她下评语，只把目的、雨势、希望和喜悦按次序摆出来。

English Text: A Mother's Scheme and a Timely Rain

“That would be a good scheme,” said Elizabeth, “if you were sure that they would not offer to send her home.”

“Oh, but the gentlemen will have Mr. Bingley’s chaise to go to Meryton; and the Hursts have no horses to theirs.”

“I had much rather go in the coach.”

“But, my dear, your father cannot spare the horses, I am sure. They are wanted in the farm, Mr. Bennet, are not they?”

“They are wanted in the farm much oftener than I can get them.”

“But if you have got them to-day,” said Elizabeth, “my mother’s purpose will be answered.”

She did at last extort from her father an acknowledgment that the horses were engaged; Jane was therefore obliged to go on horseback, and her mother attended her to the door with many cheerful prognostics of a bad day. Her hopes were answered; Jane had not been gone long before it rained hard. Her sisters were uneasy for her, but her mother was delighted. The rain continued the whole evening without intermission; Jane certainly could not come back.

中文翻译：母亲的计谋与那场及时雨

“那倒是个好计策，”伊丽莎白说，“前提是你确定他们不会主动提出派车送她回家。”

“噢，可男士们要坐宾利先生的轻便马车去梅里屯；赫斯特夫妇的车又没有马可用。”

“我还是宁愿坐咱们家的马车去。”

“可是，亲爱的，你父亲腾不出马来，我敢肯定。农活正等着用马呢，贝内特先生，是不是？”

“农活等着用马的时候，可比我能牵到马的时候多多了。”

“不过，”伊丽莎白说，“只要今天这些马确实都派上了农活，妈妈的目的也就达到了。”

她终于逼着父亲承认马匹确实都派了用场；简因此只得骑马前往。母亲把她送到门口，一路兴高采烈地预言天要变坏。她的心愿实现了：简走了没多久，大雨就倾盆而下。姐妹们都替她担心，唯独母亲喜不自胜。这场雨整晚下个不停，简是断然回不来了。

从 purpose 到 delighted：讽刺藏在四个节点里

这一段是一个"计谋得逞"的喜剧节拍。坏天气看起来像天意，其实从头到尾是贝内特太太算好的。她先把简的马车堵死——男士们要用宾利先生的马车，赫斯特夫妇的车又没有马；再借"农活要用马"把自家马车也堵死。两头一堵，简就只剩骑马一条路，而骑马就有可能淋雨、淋了雨就得留下过夜。

奥斯汀让谁来点破这盘算计，很关键。她没有让叙述者出面拆穿，而是借伊丽莎白之口，当着全家说出那句"只要今天这些马确实都派上了农活，妈妈的目的也就达到了"。母亲的心思被女儿当面说破，却一点不觉得难堪——这份坦然，比任何评语都更说明她把女儿的婚事当成了一场需要经营的买卖。

再看结尾一句反讽：母亲"一路兴高采烈地预言天要变坏"（cheerful prognostics of a bad day）。"兴高采烈"配"坏天气"，本身就是矛盾修辞；紧接着叙述者冷冷补一句"她的心愿实现了"（Her hopes were answered）。别人盼好天，她盼坏天，因为坏天才对她有利。

重点词汇

scheme /skiːm/ noun — 计策，盘算（常带一点心机）
原文例句：“That would be a good scheme,” said Elizabeth.
这是全篇的钥匙词。伊丽莎白没有用中性的 plan，而是用 scheme——一个暗示"有心机、要算计"的词，等于当面把母亲的"安排"定性为"计谋"。

extort /ɪkˈstɔːrt/ verb — 硬逼出，逼问出（本义是"敲诈、勒索"）
原文例句：She did at last extort from her father an acknowledgment that the horses were engaged.
用 extort 而不是 get，语气重得多：承认不是父亲主动给的，而是被伊丽莎白一点点"逼"出来的。

prognostic /prɒɡˈnɒstɪk/ noun — 预兆，预言
原文例句：Her mother attended her to the door with many cheerful prognostics of a bad day.
"cheerful prognostics of a bad day"（兴高采烈地预言坏天气）是本段最锋利的反讽：只有算计得逞的母亲，会为坏天气而高兴。

intermission /ˌɪntəˈmɪʃən/ noun — 间断，中断
原文例句：The rain continued the whole evening without intermission.
without intermission（一刻不停）是母亲计谋成功的收尾：雨越下个不停，简越回不来，母亲的算盘就越圆满。

长难句解析

1. She did at last extort from her father an acknowledgment that the horses were engaged.

说明：这句用了强调句式和同位语从句。助动词 did 放在实义动词 extort 前，是对谓语的强调，可译作"到底还是逼出了……"。后面 that the horses were engaged 是 acknowledgment 的同位语从句，说明"承认的内容"。注意 from her father 这个状语被插在动词和宾语中间，读时先把主干 extort an acknowledgment 抓出来。

结构：主语(She) + 强调(did) + 谓语(extort) + 状语(from her father) + 宾语(an acknowledgment) + 同位语从句(that the horses were engaged)

2. They are wanted in the farm much oftener than I can get them.

说明：贝内特先生这句是全段最干的冷幽默。are wanted 是被动语态，字面是"（马）被需要"。much oftener than 是 often 的比较级加强，把"农活要用马的次数"和"我能牵到马的次数"一比——言下之意是：这些马名义上是我的，可我自己都难得使唤得上。

结构：主语(They) + 被动谓语(are wanted) + 地点状语(in the farm) + 比较级(much oftener than I can get them)

今日测验

Q1. Why was Mrs. Bennet delighted when it rained hard?

A. Because the farm needed rain.
B. Because she loves rainy weather.
C. Because it ensured Jane would have to stay at Netherfield.
D. Because Elizabeth predicted it would rain.