接下来再来看一封世界上最绝的分手信——也就是小说《sense and sensibility》中的 willoughby威罗比給女主角marianne玛丽安娜的那封冷血的分手信。
当扭伤了脚踝被威罗比送回家后，玛丽安娜立即爱上了这个年轻英俊的小伙子。于是两人陷入热恋。未曾想威罗比为人不正，根本没有把玛丽安娜的感情真正放在心上。玛丽安娜在伦敦遭遇了威罗比的冷淡后，一封无情的信破灭了她心中的最后一丝希望。威罗比由于金钱而背弃了和玛丽安娜之间的爱，而娶了富家小姐为妻。
那封绝情份额分手信是这样写的：
my dear madam,
i have just had the honour of receiving your letter, for which i beg to return my sincere acknowledgements. i am much concerned to find there was anything in my behaviour last night that did not meet your approbation; and though i am quite at a loss to discover in what point i could be so unfortunate as to offend you, i entreat your forgiveness [...]. my esteem for your whole family is very sincere; but if i have been so unfortunate as to give rise to a belief of more than i felt, or meant to express, i shall reproach myself for not having been more guarded in my professions of that esteem. [...] it is with great regret that i obey your commands of returning the letters, with which i have been honoured from you, and the lock of hair, which you so obligingly bestowed on me.
i am, dear madam, your most obedient humble servant,
john willoughby.
信的大意是：我跟你从来没有什么关系，是你自作多情了。最要命的是信中的措辞。信中用字极度谦卑有理，却同时冷酷得叫人不寒而栗。这些字句，好像是写给陌生人的公函，而非旧爱：
had the honour of receiving your letter
beg to return my sincere acknowledgements
anything in my behaviour... that did not meet your approbation
at a loss to discover in what point i could be so unfortunate as to offend you
负心男更把责任都推在了自作多情的女主角身上，这些仍通过委婉的言辞道出：
if i have been so unfortunate as to give rise to a belief of more than i felt, i shall reproach myself for not having been more guarded in my professions of that esteem.
（大意是：假如我对你表现得太有善而引起误会，我深感遗憾。）