..me"..me/傲慢与偏见最新章节！
“My excellent father died about five years ago; and his attachment to Mr.Wickham was to the last so steady, that his will he particularly recommended it to me, to promote his advancement the best manner that his profession might allow—and if he took orders,desired that a valuable family livg 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 me, and with half a year from these events,Mr.Wickham wrote to form me that,havg fally resolved agast takg orders,he hoped I should not thk it unreasonable for him to expect some more immediate pecuniary advantage, lieu of the preferment, by which he could not be benefited.He had some tention,he added,of studyg the law,and I must be aware that the terest of one thousand pounds would be a very sufficient support there.I rather wished,than believed him to be scere;but,at any rate, was perfectly ready to accede to his proposal. I knew that Mr.Wickham ought not to be a clergyman; the busess was therefore soon settled—he resigned all claim to assistance the church,were it possible that he could ever be a situation to receive it,and accepted return three thousand pounds.All connection between us seemed now dissolved.I thought too ill of him to vite him to Pemberley,or admit his society town. In town I believe he chiefly lived,but his studyg the law was a mere pretence,and beg now free from all restrat,his life was a life of idleness and dissipation. For about three years I heard little of him;but on the decease of the cumbent of the livg which had been designed for him,he applied to me aga by letter for the presentation. His circumstances, he assured me, and I had no difficulty believg it, were exceedgly bad. He had found the law a most unprofitable study,and was now absolutely resolved on beg ordaed,if I would present him to the livg 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 tentions.You will hardly blame me for refusg to comply with this entreaty,or for resistg every repetition to it.His resentment was proportion to the distress of his circumstances—and he was doubtless as violent his abuse of me to others as his reproaches to myself. After this period every appearance of acquatance was dropped. How he lived I know not. But last summer he was aga most pafully obtruded on my notice.
“I must now mention a circumstance which I would wish to forget myself, and which no obligation less than the present should duce me to unfold to any human beg.Havg said thus much,I feel no doubt of your secrecy.My sister,who is more than ten years my junior,was left to the guardianship of my mother''s nephew, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and myself.About a year ago, she was taken from school, and an establishment formed for her London; and last summer she went with the lady who presided over it, to Ramsgate; and thither also went Mr. Wickham,undoubtedly by design; for there proved to have been a prior acquatance between him and Mrs.Younge, whose character we were most unhappily deceived;and by her connivance and aid, he so far recommended himself to Georgiana,whose affectionate heart retaed a strong impression of his kdness to her as a child, that she was persuaded to believe herself love, and to consent to an elopement.She was then but fifteen,which must be her excuse;and after statg her imprudence,I am happy to add, that I owed the knowledge of it to herself. I joed them unexpectedly a day or two before the tended elopement, and then Georgiana, unable to support the idea of grievg and offendg a brother whom she almost looked up to as a father, acknowledged the whole to me.You may image what I felt and how I acted.Regard for my sister''s credit and feelgs prevented any public exposure;but I wrote to Mr.Wickham,who left the place immediately,and Mrs.Younge was of course removed from her charge. Mr.Wickham''s chief object was unquestionably my sister''s fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds; but I cannot help supposg that the hope of revengg himself on me was a strong ducement. His revenge would have been complete deed.
“This, madam, is a faithful narrative of every event which we have been concerned together; and if you do not absolutely reject it as false,you will,I hope,acquit me henceforth of cruelty towards Mr.Wickham.I know not what manner,under what form of falsehood he had imposed on you;but his success is not perhaps to be wondered at. Ignorant as you previously were of everythg concerng either, detection could not be your power,and suspicion certaly not your clation.
“You may possibly wonder why all this was not told you last night; but I was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed.For the truth of everythg here related,I can appeal more particularly to the testimony of Colonel Fitzwilliam,who,from our near relationship and constant timacy, and, still more, as one of the executors of my father''s will, has been unavoidably acquated with every particular of these transactions. If your abhorrence of me should make my assertions valueless,you cannot be prevented by the same cause from confidg my cous;and that there may be the possibility of consultg him,I shall endeavour to fd some opportunity of puttg this letter your hands the course of the morng.I will only add,God bless you.
↑返回顶部↑