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“我一直是容忍你的，先生。”他平静地说，“并不是我不晓得你那卑贱、堕落的性格，而是我觉得在那方面你也只应负部分的责任，而且凯瑟琳愿意和你来往，我默许了--很傻。你的到来是一种道德上的毒素，可以把最有德性的人都玷污了。为了这个缘故，而且为了防止更糟的后果，今后我不允许你到这家里来，现在就通知你，我要你马上离开。再耽搁三分钟，你的离开就要成为被迫的，而且是可耻的了。” Heathcliff measured the height and breadth of the speaker with an eye full of derision. 希刺克厉夫带着充满嘲笑的眼色从上到下地打量着说话的人。 'Cathy, this lamb of yours threatens like a bull!' he said. 'It is in danger of splitting its skull against my knuckles. By God! Mr. Linton, I'm mortally sorry that you are not worth knocking down!' “凯蒂，你这只羔羊吓唬起人来倒像只水牛哩！”他说， “他要是碰上我的拳头可有头骨破裂的危险。说实在的！林惇先生，我非常抱歉：一拳打倒你可不费事！” My master glanced towards the passage, and signed me to fetch the men: he had no intention of hazarding a personal encounter. I obeyed the hint; but Mrs. Linton, suspecting something, followed; and when I attempted to call them, she pulled me back, slammed the door to, and locked it. 我的主人向过道望了一眼，暗示我叫人来--他可没有冒险作单打的企图。我服从了这暗示。但是林惇夫人疑心有什么事，就跟过来，当我打算叫他们时，她把我拖回来，把门一关，上了锁。 'Fair means!' she said, in answer to her husband's look of angry surprise. 'If you have not courage to attack him, make an apology, or allow yourself to be beaten. It will correct you of feigning more valour than you possess. No, I'll swallow the key before you shall get it! I'm delightfully rewarded for my kindness to each! After constant indulgence of one's weak nature, and the other's bad one, I earn for thanks two samples of blind ingratitude, stupid to absurdity! Edgar, I was defending you and yours; and I wish Heathcliff may flog you sick, for daring to think an evil thought of me!' “好公平的办法！”她说，这是对她丈夫愤怒惊奇的神色的回答。“如果你没有勇气打他，就道歉，要么就让你自己挨打。这可以改正你那种装得比原来更英勇的气派。不行，你要拿这钥匙，我就把它吞下去！我对你们俩的好心却得到这样愉快的报答！在不断地纵容这一位的软弱天性，和那一位的恶劣本性之后，到头来，我得到的报答却是两种盲目的忘恩负义，愚蠢得荒谬！他们真糊涂到近于荒唐的地步。埃德加，我一直在保护你和你所有的，现在但愿希刺克厉夫把你鞭笞得病倒，因为你竟敢把我想得这么坏！” 
并不需要鞭笞，在主人身上就已经产生了挨打的效果。他试图从凯瑟琳手里夺来钥匙。为了安全起见，她把钥匙丢到炉火中烧得最炽热的地方去了。于是埃德加先生神经质地发着抖，他的脸变得死一样的苍白。他无论怎样也不能回避这种感情的泛滥，痛苦与耻辱混杂在一起，把他完全压倒了。他靠在一张椅背上，捂着脸。 'Oh, heavens! In old days this would win you knighthood!' exclaimed Mrs. Linton. 'We are vanquished! we are vanquished! Heathcliff would as soon lift a finger at you as the king would march his army against a colony of mice. Cheer up! you sha'n't be hurt! Your type is not a lamb, it's a sucking leveret.' “啊，天呀！在古时候，这会让你赢得骑士的封号哩！”林惇夫人喊着。“我们给打败啦！我们给打败啦！希刺克厉夫就要对你动手啦，就像一个国王把他的军队开去打一窝老鼠一样。打起精神来吧，你不会受伤的！你这样子不是一只绵羊，而是一只正在吃奶的小兔子！” 'I wish you joy of the milk-blooded coward, Cathy!' said her friend. 'I compliment you on your taste. And that is the slavering, shivering thing you preferred to me! I would not strike him with my fist, but I'd kick him with my foot, and experience considerable satisfaction. Is he weeping, or is he going to faint for fear?' “我祝你在这个乳臭小儿身上得到欢乐，凯蒂！”她的朋友说。“我为你的鉴赏力向你恭贺。你不要我而宁愿要的就是那流口水的，哆嗦着的东西！我不用我的拳头打他，我可要用我的脚踢他，那就会感到相当大的满足。他是在哭吗，还是他吓得要晕过去？” The fellow approached and gave the chair on which Linton rested a push. He'd better have kept his distance: my master quickly sprang erect, and struck him full on the throat a blow that would have levelled a slighter man. It took his breath for a minute; and while he choked, Mr. Linton walked out by the back door into the yard, and from thence to the front entrance. 这家伙走过去，把林惇靠着的椅子一推。他还不如站远些，因为我的主人很快地就站直了，结结实实地朝他喉头一击。这一击都可以把瘦弱一点的人打倒。这使希刺克厉夫有一分钟喘不过气来。在他噎住的当儿，林惇先生从后门走出，到院子里，从那儿又走到前面大门去了。 'There! you've done with coming here,' cried Catherine. 'Get away, now; he'll return with a brace of pistols and half-a-dozen assistants. If he did overhear us, of course he'd never forgive you. You've played me an ill turn, Heathcliff! But go - make haste! I'd rather see Edgar at bay than you.' “哪！你是不能再来这儿啦。”凯瑟琳叫，“现在，走吧--他要带着一对手枪，半打帮手回来。如果他真的听见了我们的话，当然他永远也不会原谅你的。你刚才的行为对我大大不利，希刺克厉夫！可是，走吧--赶快！我宁可看见埃德加倒霉，也不愿看你倒霉。” 
“你以为我喉头挨了那火辣辣的一拳，就一走了事？”他大发雷霆。“我指着地狱发誓：绝不！在我跨出门坎之前，我要把他的肋骨捣碎得像颗烂棒子！如果我现在不揍他，我总有一天要杀死他。所以，既然你珍惜他的生命，就让我打他一顿吧！” 'He is not coming,' I interposed, framing a bit of a lie. 'There's the coachman and the two gardeners; you'll surely not wait to be thrust into the road by them! Each has a bludgeon; and master will, very likely, be watching from the parlour-windows to see that they fulfil his orders.' “他不来了，”我插嘴说，撒了个谎。“有马夫和两个园丁在那儿，你当然不会等着被他们扔到路上去吧！他们个个都有根棍子。很可能，主人正站在客厅窗户前看他们执行他的命令。” The gardeners and coachman were there: but Linton was with them. They had already entered the court. Heathcliff, on the second thoughts, resolved to avoid a struggle against three underlings: he seized the poker, smashed the lock from the inner door, and made his escape as they tramped in. 园丁和马夫是在那儿，可是林惇也跟他们在一起。他们已经走进院子来了。希刺克厉夫一转念，决定避免和这三位仆人打斗一场。他抓了把火钳，敲开里门的锁，在他们踏着大步进来时，他已逃掉了。 Mrs. Linton, who was very much excited, bade me accompany her up- stairs. She did not know my share in contributing to the disturbance, and I was anxious to keep her in ignorance. 林惇夫人非常激动，叫我陪她上楼。她不知道我对于这场乱子也有一份贡献，我也一心不让她知道。 'I'm nearly distracted, Nelly!' she exclaimed, throwing herself on the sofa. 'A thousand smiths' hammers are beating in my head! Tell Isabella to shun me; this uproar is owing to her; and should she or any one else aggravate my anger at present, I shall get wild. And, Nelly, say to Edgar, if you see him again to-night, that I'm in danger of being seriously ill. I wish it may prove true. He has startled and distressed me shockingly! I want to frighten him. Besides, he might come and begin a string of abuse or complainings; I'm certain I should recriminate, and God knows where we should end! Will you do so, my good Nelly? You are aware that I am no way blamable in this matter. What possessed him to turn listener? Heathcliff's talk was outrageous, after you left us; but I could soon have diverted him from Isabella, and the rest meant nothing. Now all is dashed wrong; by the fool's craving to hear evil of self, that haunts some people like a demon! Had Edgar never gathered our conversation, he would never have been the worse for it. Really, when he opened on me in that unreasonable tone of displeasure after I had scolded Heathcliff till I was hoarse for him, I did not care hardly what they did to each other; especially as I felt that, however the scene closed, we should all be driven asunder for nobody knows how long! Well, if I cannot keep Heathcliff for my friend - if Edgar will be mean and jealous, I'll try to break their hearts by breaking my own. That will be a prompt way of finishing all, when I am pushed to extremity! But it's a deed to be reserved for a forlorn hope; I'd not take Linton by surprise with it. To this point he has been discreet in dreading to provoke me; you must represent the peril of quitting that policy, and remind him of my passionate temper, verging, when kindled, on frenzy. I wish you could dismiss that apathy out of that countenance, and look rather more anxious about me.' “我快神经错乱啦，耐莉！”她嚷道，扑到沙发上。“一千个铁匠的锤子在我的头里敲打！告诉伊莎贝拉躲开我，这场风波是因她而起的；这时候若是她或者任何人再惹我生气，我就要发疯啦。而且，耐莉，如果你今天晚上再看见埃德加的话，跟他说我有得重病的危险--但愿真会这样。他把我吓一跳，使我难过极了！我也要吓唬他。而且，他也许会来，又要乱骂乱抱怨一阵。我肯定我一定会回嘴，天晓得我们到哪儿才算有个完！你愿意这样做吗，我的好耐莉？你晓得在这件事上不能怪我。是什么鬼附了他叫他偷听呢？你离开我们之后，希刺克厉夫的话很荒唐，可是我马上把他的话岔开，不提伊莎贝拉，其余的话并没有什么关系。现在，一切都闹糟了，就因为这傻子拚命想听人家说他的坏话，这种想法往往像魔鬼似地缠着人！如果埃德加根本没听到我们的话，他也绝不会搞得这样糟。真的，我为了他而骂希刺克厉夫，为了他骂得声嘶力竭之后，他却用那种不快的无理的口气向我开口，这时候我简直不在乎他们彼此怎样对待了。特别是，我觉得，无论这一场戏怎样结束，我们一定要被迫分开，没有人知道分开多久！好吧，如果我不能保留希刺克厉夫作我的朋友--如果埃德加卑鄙而嫉妒，我就要断肠心碎，好让他们也断肠心碎。当我被迫走上极端时，倒是结束这一切的迅速方法！但是为了一个可怜的希望，还是值得活下来--我不愿突然打击林惇。关于这一点，他一直很谨慎，唯恐把我惹急了。你一定要说明白我若放弃这个策略的危险性，而且提醒他我的暴躁脾气，只要一闹起来，就会发狂的。我愿你能消除你脸上现出的那种冷漠无情的神气，对我稍微表示点关心吧！” 
我接受这些指示时所表现的泰然神气，无疑是令人冒火的。因为这些话确是说得十分诚恳的。但是我相信一个能够在事先就计划出怎样利用她的暴躁脾气的人，即使在爆发的时候，也可以行使她的意志，努力控制她自己；而且我也不愿如她所说去“吓唬”她的丈夫，只是为了满足她的自私而增加他的烦恼。因此当我遇见主人向客厅走来时，我也没说什么，我却径自转回，去听听他们是不是在一起重新开始争吵。 他开始先说话了。
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