名著·呼啸山庄 - 第2节


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  我在炉边的椅子上坐下,我的房东就去坐对面的一把。为了消磨这一刻的沉默,我想去摩弄那只母狗。它才离开那窝崽子,正在凶狠地偷偷溜到我的腿后面,呲牙咧嘴地,白牙上馋涎欲滴。我的爱抚却使它从喉头里发出一声长长的狺声。

   'You'd better let the dog alone,' growled Mr. Heathcliff in unison, checking fiercer demonstrations with a punch of his foot. 'She's not accustomed to be spoiled - not kept for a pet.' Then, striding to a side door, he shouted again, 'Joseph!'

  “你最好别理这只狗,”希刺克厉夫先生以同样的音调咆哮着,跺一下脚来警告它。“它是不习惯受人娇惯的--它不是当作玩意儿养的。”接着,他大步走到一个边门,又大叫: “约瑟夫!”

   Joseph mumbled indistinctly in the depths of the cellar, but gave no intimation of ascending; so his master dived down to him, leaving me VIS-A-VIS the ruffianly bitch and a pair of grim shaggy sheep-dogs, who shared with her a jealous guardianship over all my movements. Not anxious to come in contact with their fangs, I sat still; but, imagining they would scarcely understand tacit insults, I unfortunately indulged in winking and making faces at the trio, and some turn of my physiognomy so irritated madam, that she suddenly broke into a fury and leapt on my knees. I flung her back, and hastened to interpose the table between us. This proceeding aroused the whole hive: half-a-dozen four-footed fiends, of various sizes and ages, issued from hidden dens to the common centre. I felt my heels and coat-laps peculiar subjects of assault; and parrying off the larger combatants as effectually as I could with the poker, I was constrained to demand, aloud, assistance from some of the household in re-establishing peace.

  约瑟夫在地窖的深处咕哝着,可是并不打算上来。因此他的主人就下地窖去找他,留下我和那凶暴的母狗和一对狰狞的蓬毛守羊狗面面相觑。这对狗同那母狗一起对我的一举一动都提防着,监视着。我并不想和犬牙打交道,就静坐着不动;然而,我以为它们不会理解沉默的蔑视,不幸我又对这三只狗挤挤眼,作作鬼脸,我脸上的某种变化如此激怒了狗夫人,它忽然暴怒,跳上我的膝盖。我把它推开,赶忙拉过一张桌子作挡箭牌。这举动惹起了公愤;六只大小不同、年龄不一的四脚恶魔,从暗处一齐窜到屋中。我觉得我的脚跟和衣边尤其是攻击的目标,就一面尽可能有效地用火钳来挡开较大的斗士,一面又不得不大声求援,请这家里的什么人来重建和平。

   Mr. Heathcliff and his man climbed the cellar steps with vexatious phlegm: I don't think they moved one second faster than usual, though the hearth was an absolute tempest of worrying and yelping. Happily, an inhabitant of the kitchen made more despatch: a lusty dame, with tucked-up gown, bare arms, and fire-flushed cheeks, rushed into the midst of us flourishing a frying-pan: and used that weapon, and her tongue, to such purpose, that the storm subsided magically, and she only remained, heaving like a sea after a high wind, when her master entered on the scene.

  希刺克厉夫和他的仆人迈着烦躁的懒洋洋的脚步,爬上了地窖的梯阶:我认为他们走得并不比平常快一秒钟,虽然炉边已经给撕咬和狂吠闹得大乱。幸亏厨房里有人快步走来:一个健壮的女人,她卷着衣裙,光着胳臂,两颊火红,挥舞着一个煎锅冲到我们中间--而且运用那个武器和她的舌头颇为见效,很奇妙地平息了这场风暴。等她的主人上场时,她已如大风过后却还在起伏的海洋一般,喘息着。

   'What the devil is the matter?' he asked, eyeing me in a manner that I could ill endure, after this inhospitable treatment.

  “见鬼,到底是怎么回事?”他问。就在我刚才受到那样不礼貌的接待后,他还这样瞅着我,可真难以忍受。

  “是啊,真是见鬼!”我咕噜着。“先生,有鬼附体的猪群,还没有您那些畜生凶呢。您倒不如把一个生客丢给一群老虎的好!”

   'They won't meddle with persons who touch nothing,' he remarked, putting the bottle before me, and restoring the displaced table. 'The dogs do right to be vigilant. Take a glass of wine?'

  “对于不碰它们的人,它们不会多事的。”他说,把酒瓶放在我面前,又把搬开的桌子归回原位。 “狗是应该警觉的。喝杯酒吗?”

   'No, thank you.'

  “不,谢谢您。”

   'Not bitten, are you?'

  “没给咬着吧?”

   'If I had been, I would have set my signet on the biter.' Heathcliff's countenance relaxed into a grin.

  “我要是给咬着了,我可要在这咬人的东西上打上我的印记呢。” 希刺克厉夫的脸上现出笑容。

  “好啦,好啦,”他说,“你受惊啦,洛克乌德先生。喏,喝点酒。这所房子里客人极少,所以我愿意承认,我和我的狗都不大知道该怎么接待客人。先生,祝你健康!”

   I bowed and returned the pledge; beginning to perceive that it would be foolish to sit sulking for the misbehaviour of a pack of curs; besides, I felt loth to yield the fellow further amusement at my expense; since his humour took that turn. He - probably swayed by prudential consideration of the folly of offending a good tenant - relaxed a little in the laconic style of chipping off his pronouns and auxiliary verbs, and introduced what he supposed would be a subject of interest to me, - a discourse on the advantages and disadvantages of my present place of retirement. I found him very intelligent on the topics we touched; and before I went home, I was encouraged so far as to volunteer another visit to-morrow. He evidently wished no repetition of my intrusion. I shall go, notwithstanding. It is astonishing how sociable I feel myself compared with him.

  我鞠躬,也回敬了他;我开始觉得为了一群狗的失礼而坐在那儿生气,可有点傻。此外,我也讨厌让这个家伙再取笑我,因为他的兴致已经转到取乐上来了。也许他也已察觉到,得罪一个好房客是愚蠢的,语气便稍稍委婉些,提起了他以为我会有兴趣的话头--谈到我目前住处的优点与缺点。我发现他对我们所触及的话题,是非常有才智的;在我回家之前,我居然兴致勃勃,提出明天再来拜访。而他显然并不愿我再来打搅。但是,我还是要去。我感到我自己跟他比起来是多么擅长交际啊,这可真是惊人。

   YESTERDAY afternoon set in misty and cold. I had half a mind to spend it by my study fire, instead of wading through heath and mud to Wuthering Heights. On coming up from dinner, however, (N.B. - I dine between twelve and one o'clock; the housekeeper, a matronly lady, taken as a fixture along with the house, could not, or would not, comprehend my request that I might be served at five) - on mounting the stairs with this lazy intention, and stepping into the room, I saw a servant-girl on her knees surrounded by brushes and coal-scuttles, and raising an infernal dust as she extinguished the flames with heaps of cinders. This spectacle drove me back immediately; I took my hat, and, after a four-miles' walk, arrived at Heathcliff's garden-gate just in time to escape the first feathery flakes of a snow-shower.

  昨天下午又冷又有雾。我想就在书房炉边消磨一下午,不想踩着杂草污泥到呼啸山庄了。 但是,吃过午饭(注意--我在十二点与一点钟之间吃午饭,而可以当作这所房子的附属物的管家婆,一位慈祥的太太却不能,或者并不愿理解我请求在五点钟开饭的用意),在我怀着这个懒惰的想法上了楼,迈进屋子的时候,看见一个女仆跪在地上,身边是扫帚和煤斗。她正在用一堆堆煤渣封火,搞起一片弥漫的灰尘。这景象立刻把我赶回头了。我拿了帽子,走了四里路,到达了希刺克厉夫的花园口口,刚好躲过了一场今年初降的鹅毛大雪。

   On that bleak hill-top the earth was hard with a black frost, and the air made me shiver through every limb. Being unable to remove the chain, I jumped over, and, running up the flagged causeway bordered with straggling gooseberry-bushes, knocked vainly for admittance, till my knuckles tingled and the dogs howled.

  在那荒凉的山顶上,土地由于结了一层黑冰而冻得坚硬,冷空气使我四肢发抖。我弄不开门链,就跳进去,顺着两边种着蔓延的醋栗树丛的石路跑去。我白白地敲了半天门,一直敲到我的手指骨都痛了,狗也狂吠起来。

   'Wretched inmates!' I ejaculated, mentally, 'you deserve perpetual isolation from your species for your churlish inhospitality. At least, I would not keep my doors barred in the day-time. I don't care - I will get in!' So resolved, I grasped the latch and shook it vehemently. Vinegar-faced Joseph projected his head from a round window of the barn.

  “倒霉的人家!”我心里直叫,“只为你这样无礼待客,就该一辈子跟人群隔离。我至少还不会在白天把门闩住。我才不管呢--我要进去!”如此决定了。我就抓住门闩,使劲摇它。苦脸的约瑟夫从谷仓的一个圆窗里探出头来。

  “你干吗?”他大叫。“主人在牛栏里,你要是找他说话,就从这条路口绕过去。”

   'Is there nobody inside to open the door?' I hallooed, responsively.

  “屋里没人开门吗?”我也叫起来。

   'There's nobbut t' missis; and shoo'll not oppen 't an ye mak' yer flaysome dins till neeght.'

  “除了太太没有别人。你就是闹腾到夜里,她也不会开。”

   'Why? Cannot you tell her whom I am, eh, Joseph?'

  “为什么?你就不能告诉她我是谁吗,呃,约瑟夫?”

   'Nor-ne me! I'll hae no hend wi't,' muttered the head, vanishing.

  “别找我!我才不管这些闲事呢,”这个脑袋咕噜着,又不见了。

  雪开始下大了。我握住门柄又试一回。这时一个没穿外衣的年轻人,扛着一根草耙,在后面院子里出现了。他招呼我跟着他走,穿过了一个洗衣房和一片铺平的地,那儿有煤棚、抽水机和鸽笼,我们终于到了我上次被接待过的那间温暖的、热闹的大屋子。煤、炭和木材混合在一起燃起的熊熊炉火,使这屋子放着光彩。在准备摆上丰盛晚餐的桌旁,我很高兴地看到了那位“太太”,以前我从未料想到会有这么一个人存在的。我鞠躬等候,以为她会叫我坐下。她望望我,往她的椅背一靠,不动,也不出声。

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名著·呼啸山庄 - 第2节