目 录 上一节 下一节 
一天下午，辛德雷先生出去了，希刺克厉夫借此想给自己放一天假。我想，那时他十六岁了，相貌不丑，智力也不差，他却偏要想法表现出里里外外都让人讨厌的印象，自然他现在的模样并没留下任何痕迹。首先，他早年所受的教育，到那时已不再对他起作用了，连续不断的苦工，早起晚睡，已经扑灭了他在追求知识方面所一度有过的好奇心，以及对书本或学问的喜爱。他童年时由于老恩萧先生的宠爱而注入到他心里的优越感，这时已经消失了。他长久努力想要跟凯瑟琳在她的求学上保持平等的地位，却带着沉默的而又痛切的遗憾，终于舍弃了；而且他是完全舍弃了。当他发觉他必须，而且必然难免，沉落在他以前的水平以下的时候，谁也没法劝他往上走一步。随后人的外表也跟内心的堕落互相呼应了：他学了一套萎靡不振的走路样子和一种不体面的神气；他天生的沉默寡言的性情扩大成为一种几乎是痴呆的、过分不通人情的坏脾气。而他在使他的极少数的几个熟人对他反感而不是对他尊敬时，却显然是得到了一种苦中作乐的乐趣呢。 Catherine and he were constant companions still at his seasons of respite from labour; but he had ceased to express his fondness for her in words, and recoiled with angry suspicion from her girlish caresses, as if conscious there could be no gratification in lavishing such marks of affection on him. On the before-named occasion he came into the house to announce his intention of doing nothing, while I was assisting Miss Cathy to arrange her dress: she had not reckoned on his taking it into his head to be idle; and imagining she would have the whole place to herself, she managed, by some means, to inform Mr. Edgar of her brother's absence, and was then preparing to receive him. 在他干活间休时，凯瑟琳还是经常跟他作伴；可是他不再用话来表示对她的喜爱了，而是愤愤地、猜疑地躲开她那女孩子气的抚爱，好像觉得人家对他滥用感情是不值得引以为乐的。在前面提到的那一天，他进屋来，宣布他什么也不打算干，这时我正帮凯蒂小姐整理她的衣服。她没有算计到他脑子里会生出闲散一下的念头；以为她可以占据这整个大厅，已经想法通知埃德加先生说她哥哥不在家，而且她准备接待他。 'Cathy, are you busy this afternoon?' asked Heathcliff. 'Are you going anywhere?' “凯蒂，今天下午你忙吗？”希刺克厉夫问，“你要到什么地方去吗？” 'No, it is raining,' she answered. “不，下着雨呢。”她回答。 'Why have you that silk frock on, then?' he said. 'Nobody coming here, I hope?' “那你干吗穿那件绸上衣？”他说，“我希望，没人来吧？” 
“我不知道有没有人来，”小姐结结巴巴地说道，“可你现在应该在地里才对，希刺克厉夫。吃过饭已经一个钟头啦，我以为你已经走了。” 'Hindley does not often free us from his accursed presence,' observed the boy. 'I'll not work any more to-day: I'll stay with you.' “辛德雷总是讨厌地妨碍我们，很少让我们自由自在一下，”这男孩子说，“今天我不再干活了，我要跟你待在一起。” 'Oh, but Joseph will tell,' she suggested; 'you'd better go!' “啊，可是约瑟夫会告状的，”她绕着弯儿说，“你最好还是去吧！” 'Joseph is loading lime on the further side of Penistone Crags; it will take him till dark, and he'll never know.' “约瑟夫在盘尼斯吞岩那边装石灰哩，他要忙到天黑，他决不会知道的。” So, saying, he lounged to the fire, and sat down. Catherine reflected an instant, with knitted brows - she found it needful to smooth the way for an intrusion. 'Isabella and Edgar Linton talked of calling this afternoon,' she said, at the conclusion of a minute's silence. 'As it rains, I hardly expect them; but they may come, and if they do, you run the risk of being scolded for no good.' 说着，他就磨磨蹭蹭到炉火边，坐下来了。凯瑟琳皱着眉想了片刻--她觉得需要为即将来访的客人排除障碍。 “伊莎贝拉和埃德加·林惇说过今天下午要来的，”沉默了一下之后，她说，“既然下雨了，我也不用等他们了。不过他们也许会来的，要是他们真来了，那你可不保险又会无辜挨骂了。” 
“叫艾伦去说你有事好了，凯蒂，”他坚持着，“别为了你那些可怜的愚蠢的朋友倒把我撵出去！有时候，我简直要抱怨他们--可是我不说吧--” 'That they what?' cried Catherine, gazing at him with a troubled countenance. 'Oh, Nelly!' she added petulantly, jerking her head away from my hands, 'you've combed my hair quite out of curl! That's enough; let me alone. What are you on the point of complaining about, Heathcliff?' “他们什么？”凯瑟琳叫起来，怏怏不乐地瞅着他。“啊，耐莉！”她性急地嚷道，把她的头从我手里挣出来，“你把我的卷发都要梳直啦！够啦，别管我啦。你简直想要抱怨什么，希刺克厉夫？” 'Nothing - only look at the almanack on that wall;' he pointed to a framed sheet hanging near the window, and continued, 'The crosses are for the evenings you have spent with the Lintons, the dots for those spent with me. Do you see? I've marked every day.' “没什么--就看看墙上的日历吧。”他指着靠窗挂着的一张配上框子的纸，接着说：“那些十字的就是你跟林惇他们一起消磨的傍晚，点子是跟我在一起度过的傍晚。你看见没有？我天天都打记号的。” 'Yes - very foolish: as if I took notice!' replied Catherine, in a peevish tone. 'And where is the sense of that?' “是的，很傻气，好像我会注意似的！”凯瑟琳回答，怨声怨气的。“那又有什么意思呢？” 'To show that I DO take notice,' said Heathcliff. “表示我是注意了的。”希刺克厉夫说。 
“我就应该总是陪你坐着吗？”她质问，更冒火了。“我得到什么好处啦？你说些什么呀？你到底跟我说过什么话--，或是作过什么事来引我开心，你简直是个哑巴，或是个婴儿呢！” 'You never told me before that I talked too little, or that you disliked my company, Cathy!' exclaimed Heathcliff, in much agitation. “你以前从来没告诉过我，嫌我说话太少，或是你不喜欢我作伴，凯蒂。”希刺克厉夫非常激动地叫起来。 'It's no company at all, when people know nothing and say nothing,' she muttered. “什么都不知道，什么话也不说的人根本谈不上作伴，”她咕噜着。 Her companion rose up, but he hadn't time to express his feelings further, for a horse's feet were heard on the flags, and having knocked gently, young Linton entered, his face brilliant with delight at the unexpected summon she had received. Doubtless Catherine marked the difference between her friends, as one came in and the other went out. The contrast resembled what you see in exchanging a bleak, hilly, coal country for a beautiful fertile valley; and his voice and greeting were as opposite as his aspect. He had a sweet, low manner of speaking, and pronounced his words as you do: that's less gruff than we talk here, and softer. 她的同伴站起来了，可他没有时间再进一步表白他的感觉了，因为石板路上传来马蹄声，而年轻的林惇，轻轻地敲了敲门之后便进来了，他的脸上由于他得到这意外的召唤而容光焕发。无疑的，凯瑟琳在这一个进来，另一个出去的当儿，看出来她这两个朋友气质的截然不同。犹如你刚看完一个荒凉的丘陵产煤地区，又换到一个美丽的肥沃山谷；而他的声音和彬彬有礼也和他的相貌同样的与之恰恰相反。他有一种悦耳的低声的说话口气，而且吐字也跟你一样。比起我们这儿讲话来，没有那么粗声粗气的，却更为柔和些。 'I'm not come too soon, am I?' he said, casting a look at me: I had begun to wipe the plate, and tidy some drawers at the far end in the dresser. “我没来得太早吧？”他问，看了我一眼。我已开始揩盘子，并且清理橱里顶那头的几个抽屉。 
“不早，”凯瑟琳回答，“你在那儿干吗，耐莉？” 'My work, Miss,' I replied. (Mr. Hindley had given me directions to make a third party in any private visits Linton chose to pay.) “干我的事，小姐，”我回答。（辛德雷先生曾吩咐过我，只要在林惇私自拜访时我就得作个第三者。） She stepped behind me and whispered crossly, 'Take yourself and your dusters off; when company are in the house, servants don't commence scouring and cleaning in the room where they are!' 她走到我背后，烦恼地低声说：“带着你的抹布走开，有客在家的时候，仆人不该在客人所在的房间里打扫！” 'It's a good opportunity, now that master is away,' I answered aloud: 'he hates me to be fidgeting over these things in his presence. I'm sure Mr. Edgar will excuse me.' “现在主人出去了，正是个好机会，”我高声回答，“他讨厌我在他面前收拾这些东西。我相信埃德加先生一定会谅解我的。” 'I hate you to be fidgeting in MY presence,' exclaimed the young lady imperiously, not allowing her guest time to speak: she had failed to recover her equanimity since the little dispute with Heathcliff. “可我讨厌你在我面前收拾，”小姐蛮横地嚷着，不容她的客人有机会说话--自从和希刺克厉夫小小争执之后，她还不能恢复她的平静。
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