名著·呼啸山庄 - 第11节


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  在吵闹时,辛德雷和凯蒂先是甘心情愿地又看又听,直到秩序恢复,两个人就开始搜他们父亲的口袋,找他答应过的他们的礼物。辛德雷是一个十四岁的男孩,可是当他从大衣里拉出那只本来是小提琴,却已经挤成碎片的时候,他就放声大哭。至于凯蒂,当她听说主人只顾照料这个陌生人而失落了她的鞭子时,就向那小笨东西呲牙咧嘴啐了一口以发泄她的脾气,然而,她这样费劲却换了他父亲一记很响亮的耳光,这是教训她以后要规矩些。他们完全拒绝和他同床,甚至在他们屋里睡也不行。我也不比他们清醒,因此我就把他放在楼梯口上,希望他明天会走掉。不知是凑巧呢,还是他听见了主人的声音,他爬到恩萧先生的门前,而他一出房门就发现了他。当然他追问他怎么到那儿去的,我不得不承认。 就因为我的卑怯和狠心,我得了报应,被主人撵出家门。

   This was Heathcliff's first introduction to the family. On coming back a few days afterwards (for I did not consider my banishment perpetual), I found they had christened him 'Heathcliff': it was the name of a son who died in childhood, and it has served him ever since, both for Christian and surname. Miss Cathy and he were now very thick; but Hindley hated him: and to say the truth I did the same; and we plagued and went on with him shamefully: for I wasn't reasonable enough to feel my injustice, and the mistress never put in a word on his behalf when she saw him wronged.

  这就是希刺克厉夫到这家来开头的情形。没过几天我回来了(因为我并不认为我的被撵是永远的),发现他们已经给他取了名,叫“希刺克厉夫”。那原是他们一个夭折了的儿子的名字,从此这就算他的名,也算他的姓。凯蒂小姐现在跟他很亲热,可是辛德雷恨他。说实话,我也恨他,于是我们就折磨他,可耻地欺负他,因为我还不能意识到我的不厚道,而女主人看见他受委屈时也从来没有替他说过一句话。

   He seemed a sullen, patient child; hardened, perhaps, to ill- treatment: he would stand Hindley's blows without winking or shedding a tear, and my pinches moved him only to draw in a breath and open his eyes, as if he had hurt himself by accident, and nobody was to blame. This endurance made old Earnshaw furious, when he discovered his son persecuting the poor fatherless child, as he called him. He took to Heathcliff strangely, believing all he said (for that matter, he said precious little, and generally the truth), and petting him up far above Cathy, who was too mischievous and wayward for a favourite.

  他看来是一个忧郁的、能忍耐的孩子,也许是由于受尽虐待而变得顽强了。他能忍受辛德雷的拳头,眼都不眨一下,也不掉一滴眼泪。我掐他,他也只是吸一口气,张大双眼,好像是他偶然伤害了自己,谁也不能怪似的。当老恩萧发现他的儿子这样虐待他所谓的可怜的孤儿时,这种逆来顺受使老恩萧冒火了。奇怪的是他特别喜欢希刺克厉夫,相信他所说的一切(关于说话,他其实难得开口,要说就总说实话),而爱他远胜过爱凯蒂,凯蒂可是太调皮、太不规矩,够不上充当宠儿。

   So, from the very beginning, he bred bad feeling in the house; and at Mrs. Earnshaw's death, which happened in less than two years after, the young master had learned to regard his father as an oppressor rather than a friend, and Heathcliff as a usurper of his parent's affections and his privileges; and he grew bitter with brooding over these injuries. I sympathised a while; but when the children fell ill of the measles, and I had to tend them, and take on me the cares of a woman at once, I changed my idea. Heathcliff was dangerously sick; and while he lay at the worst he would have me constantly by his pillow: I suppose he felt I did a good deal for him, and he hadn't wit to guess that I was compelled to do it. However, I will say this, he was the quietest child that ever nurse watched over. The difference between him and the others forced me to be less partial. Cathy and her brother harassed me terribly: he was as uncomplaining as a lamb; though hardness, not gentleness, made him give little trouble.

  所以,一开始,他就在这家里惹起了恶感。不到两年,恩萧夫人死去,这时小主人已经学会把他父亲当作一个压迫者而不是当作朋友,而把希刺克厉夫当作一个篡夺他父亲的情感和他的特权的人。他盘算着这些侮辱,心里越发气不过。有一阵我还同情他,但当孩子们都出麻疹时,我看护他们,担负起一个女人的责任,我就改变想法了。希刺克厉夫病得很危险。当他病得最厉害时,他总是要我常在他枕旁。我料想他是觉得我帮他不少忙,还猜不出我是不得已的。无论如何,我得说:他可是做保姆的所从未看护过的最安静的孩子。他与别的孩子不同,迫使我不得不少偏一点心。凯蒂和她哥哥把我磨得要命,他却像个羊羔似的毫不抱怨--虽然他不大麻烦人是出于顽强,而不是出于宽厚。

   He got through, and the doctor affirmed it was in a great measure owing to me, and praised me for my care. I was vain of his commendations, and softened towards the being by whose means I earned them, and thus Hindley lost his last ally: still I couldn't dote on Heathcliff, and I wondered often what my master saw to admire so much in the sullen boy; who never, to my recollection, repaid his indulgence by any sign of gratitude. He was not insolent to his benefactor, he was simply insensible; though knowing perfectly the hold he had on his heart, and conscious he had only to speak and all the house would be obliged to bend to his wishes. As an instance, I remember Mr. Earnshaw once bought a couple of colts at the parish fair, and gave the lads each one. Heathcliff took the handsomest, but it soon fell lame, and when he discovered it, he said to Hindley -

  他死里逃生,医生肯定说这多亏我,并且称赞我看护得好。我因为他的赞赏而得意。对于这个因他而使我受了称赞的孩子,也就软化了。就这样辛德雷失去了他最后一个同盟者。不过我还是不能疼爱希刺克厉夫,我常常奇怪我主人在这阴沉的孩子身上看出哪一点会让他这么喜欢。根据我的记忆,这孩子可从来没有过任何感激的表示以报答他的宠爱。他对他的恩人并非无礼,他只是漫不经心。虽然他完全知道他已经占有了他的心,而且很明白他只要一开口,全家就不得不服从他的愿望。举一个例子,我记得有一次恩萧先生在教区的市集上买来一对小马,给他们一人匹。希刺克厉夫挑了那最漂亮的一匹,可是不久它跛了,当他一发现,他就对辛德雷说:

  “你非跟我换马不可。我不喜欢我的了。你要是不肯,我就告诉你父亲,你这星期抽过我三次,还要把我的胳臂给他看,一直青到肩膀上呢。”辛德雷伸出舌头,又打他耳光。 “你最好马上换,“他坚持着,逃到门廊上(他们是在马厩里)又坚持说:“你非换不可,要是我说出来你打我,你可要连本带利挨一顿。” “滚开,狗!”辛德雷大叫,用一个称土豆和稻草的秤砣吓唬他。 “扔吧,”他回答,站着不动,“我要告诉他你怎么吹牛说等他一死你就要把我赴出门外,看他会不会马上把你赶出去。” 辛德雷真扔了,打在他的胸上,他倒下去,可又马上踉跄地站起来,气也喘不过来,脸也白了。要不是我去阻止,他真要到主人跟前,只要把他当时的情况说明白,说出是谁惹的,那就会完全报了这个仇。 “吉普赛,那就把我的马拿去吧,”小恩萧说,“我但愿这匹马会把你的脖子跌断。把它拿去,该死的,你这讨饭的碍事的人,把我父亲所有的东西都骗去吧。只是以后可别叫他看出你是什么东西,小魔鬼。记住:我希望它踢出你的脑浆!”

   Heathcliff had gone to loose the beast, and shift it to his own stall; he was passing behind it, when Hindley finished his speech by knocking him under its feet, and without stopping to examine whether his hopes were fulfilled, ran away as fast as he could. I was surprised to witness how coolly the child gathered himself up, and went on with his intention; exchanging saddles and all, and then sitting down on a bundle of hay to overcome the qualm which the violent blow occasioned, before he entered the house. I persuaded him easily to let me lay the blame of his bruises on the horse: he minded little what tale was told since he had what he wanted. He complained so seldom, indeed, of such stirs as these, that I really thought him not vindictive: I was deceived completely, as you will hear.

  希刺克厉夫去解马缰,把它领到自己的马厩里去。他正走过马的身后,辛德雷结束他的咒骂,把他打倒在马蹄下,也没有停下来查看一下他是否如愿了,就尽快地跑掉了。我非常惊奇地看见这孩子如何冷静地挣扎起来,继续做他要做的事:换马鞍子等等,然后在他进屋以前先坐在一堆稻草上来压制住这重重的一拳所引起的恶心。我很容易地劝他把他那些伤痕归罪于马:他既然已经得到他所要的,扯点瞎话他也不在乎。的确他很少拿这类风波去告状,我真的以为他是个没有报仇心的人。我是完全受骗了,以后你就会知道的。

   IN the course of time Mr. Earnshaw began to fail. He had been active and healthy, yet his strength left him suddenly; and when he was confined to the chimney-corner he grew grievously irritable. A nothing vexed him; and suspected slights of his authority nearly threw him into fits. This was especially to be remarked if any one attempted to impose upon, or domineer over, his favourite: he was painfully jealous lest a word should be spoken amiss to him; seeming to have got into his head the notion that, because he liked Heathcliff, all hated, and longed to do him an ill-turn. It was a disadvantage to the lad; for the kinder among us did not wish to fret the master, so we humoured his partiality; and that humouring was rich nourishment to the child's pride and black tempers. Still it became in a manner necessary; twice, or thrice, Hindley's manifestation of scorn, while his father was near, roused the old man to a fury: he seized his stick to strike him, and shook with rage that he could not do it.

  日子过下去,恩萧先生开始垮下来了。他本来是活跃健康的,但是他的精力突然从他身上消失。当他只能待在壁炉的角落里时,就变得暴躁得令人难过。一点点小事就会使他心烦,而且疑心人家损伤了他的威信,就简直要气得发疯。如果有人企图为难或欺压他的宠儿,恩萧就特别生气;他很痛苦地猜忌着,唯恐有人对他说错一句话。好像他的脑子里有这么个想法:即因为自己喜欢希刺克厉夫,所有的人就都恨他,并且想暗算他。这对那孩子可不利,因为我们中间比较心慈的人并不愿惹主人生气,所以我们就迎合他的偏爱。那种迁就可大大滋长了孩子的骄傲和乖僻。可也非这样不可。有两三回,辛德雷当着他父亲的面,表现出瞧不起那孩子的神气,使老人家大为光火,他抓住手杖要打辛德雷,却由于打不动,只能气得直抖。

   At last, our curate (we had a curate then who made the living answer by teaching the little Lintons and Earnshaws, and farming his bit of land himself) advised that the young man should be sent to college; and Mr. Earnshaw agreed, though with a heavy spirit, for he said - 'Hindley was nought, and would never thrive as where he wandered.'

  最后,我们的副牧师(那时候我们有两个副牧师,靠教林惇和恩萧两家的小孩子读书,以及自己种一块地为生)出主意说,该把这年轻人送到大学去了。恩萧先生同意了,虽然心情很不畅快,因为他说“辛德雷没出息,不管他荡到哪儿也永远不会发迹的”。

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名著·呼啸山庄 - 第11节