目 录 上一节 下一节 
“可以,可以,爸爸,”凯瑟琳回答,“可是我真想看看他;他还没有向外望一下子呢!” The carriage stopped; and the sleeper being roused, was lifted to the ground by his uncle. 马车停了下来,睡着的人被唤醒了,被他舅舅抱出车外。 'This is your cousin Cathy, Linton,' he said, putting their little hands together. 'She's fond of you already; and mind you don't grieve her by crying to-night. Try to be cheerful now; the travelling is at an end, and you have nothing to do but rest and amuse yourself as you please.' “这是你的表姐凯蒂·林惇,”他说,把他们的小手放在一起。“她已经很喜欢你了;你今天晚上可别哭得让她难过。现在要极力高兴起来;旅行已经结束了,你没有什么事要做就歇着,爱怎么就怎么吧。” 'Let me go to bed, then,' answered the boy, shrinking from Catherine's salute; and he put his fingers to remove incipient tears. “那就让我上床睡觉,”那个男孩子回答,避开凯瑟琳的招呼,退缩着;又用他的手指抹掉开始流出的眼泪。 'Come, come, there's a good child,' I whispered, leading him in. 'You'll make her weep too - see how sorry she is for you!' “得了,得了,是个好孩子嘛,”我低声说着,把他带进去了。“你把她也要惹哭啦--瞧瞧她为了你多么难过呀!” 
我不知道是不是为他难过,可是他的表姐跟他一样地哭丧着脸,回到她父亲身边。三个人都进去,上楼到书房里,茶已经摆好在那里了。我就把林惇的帽子和斗篷都脱去,把他安置在桌旁一把椅子上,可是他刚坐定就又哭起来。我的主人问他怎么回事。 'I can't sit on a chair,' sobbed the boy. “我不能坐在椅子上。”那孩子抽泣着。 'Go to the sofa, then, and Ellen shall bring you some tea,' answered his uncle patiently.He had been greatly tried, during the journey, I felt convinced, by his fretful ailing charge. Linton slowly trailed himself off, and lay down. Cathy carried a footstool and her cup to his side. At first she sat silent; but that could not last: she had resolved to make a pet of her little cousin, as she would have him to be; and she commenced stroking his curls, and kissing his cheek, and offering him tea in her saucer, like a baby. This pleased him, for he was not much better: he dried his eyes, and lightened into a faint smile. “那么,到沙发上去吧,艾伦会给你端茶去的,”他的舅舅耐心地回答。我相信,一路上,他已被他所照顾的、这个易怒的、麻烦人的孩子搞得够受的了。林惇慢慢地拖着脚步走过去,躺下来。凯蒂搬来一个脚凳,拿着自己的茶杯,走到他身边去。起初她沉默地坐在那里;可是没有过很久,她已经决定把她的小表弟当作一个宠儿,她也满心希望他是这样一个宠儿;她就开始抚摸他的卷发,亲他的脸,用她的小茶碟给他端茶,像对待一个婴孩似的。这很讨他喜欢,因为他本来不比婴孩高明多少;他擦干了他的眼睛,现出淡淡的一笑。 'Oh, he'll do very well,' said the master to me, after watching them a minute. 'Very well, if we can keep him, Ellen. The company of a child of his own age will instil new spirit into him soon, and by wishing for strength he'll gain it.' “啊,他会过得很好的,”主人注视他们一会之后对我说。 “会过得很好的,只要我们能留住他,艾伦。有个跟他同年龄的孩子作伴,不久就会给他灌输新的精神,而且他要是愿意有力气,也就会得到它的。” 'Ay, if we can keep him!' I mused to myself; and sore misgivings came over me that there was slight hope of that. And then, I thought, how ever will that weakling live at Wuthering Heights? Between his father and Hareton, what playmates and instructors they'll be. Our doubts were presently decided - even earlier than I expected. I had just taken the children up-stairs, after tea was finished, and seen Linton asleep - he would not suffer me to leave him till that was the case - I had come down, and was standing by the table in the hall, lighting a bedroom candle for Mr. Edgar, when a maid stepped out of the kitchen and informed me that Mr. Heathcliff's servant Joseph was at the door, and wished to speak with the master. “唉,要是我们能留住他!”我暗自沉思着,一阵痛苦的疑惧涌进我心头,那是很少有希望的。后来,我又想,那个虚弱的东西生活在呼啸山庄,在他的父亲和哈里顿中间,怎么过法呢?他们将是什么样的游伴和教师呢!我们的疑虑马上就成为事实--甚至比我所意料的还来得早些。喝完了茶后,我刚把孩子们带上楼去,看着林惇睡着了--他不准我离开他,一直要等到他睡着--我下了楼,正站在大厅里的桌子旁边,给埃德加先生点上一支到寝室去的蜡烛,这时一个女仆从厨房里走出来,告诉我希刺克厉夫的仆人约瑟夫在门口,要跟主人说话。 
“我先问问他要干吗,”我惊慌失措地说。“这时来打扰人很不是时候,他们才经过长途旅行回到家来。我想主人不能见他。” Joseph had advanced through the kitchen as I uttered these words, and now presented himself in the hall. He was donned in his Sunday garments, with his most sanctimonious and sourest face, and, holding his hat in one hand, and his stick in the other, he proceeded to clean his shoes on the mat. 'Good-evening, Joseph,' I said, coldly. 'What business brings you here to-night?' 我说这些话的当儿,约瑟夫已经走过厨房,在大厅里出现了。他穿着他过礼拜日的衣服,绷着他那张伪善透顶的、阴沉的脸,一只手拿着帽子,一只手拿着手杖,他开始在垫子上擦他的皮鞋。 “晚上好,约瑟夫,”我冷冷地说,“你今天晚上来有什么事?” 'It's Maister Linton I mun spake to,' he answered, waving me disdainfully aside. “我一定要跟林惇少爷说话。”他回答,轻蔑地挥一下手,叫我别管。 'Mr. Linton is going to bed; unless you have something particular to say, I'm sure he won't hear it now,' I continued. 'You had better sit down in there, and entrust your message to me.' “林惇先生要睡了,除非你有特别的事要说,不然我担保他现在不会听的,”我接着说。“你最好先坐在那边,把你的使命告诉我。” 'Which is his rahm?' pursued the fellow, surveying the range of closed doors. “哪一间是他的屋子?”那个家伙追问着,打量着那一排关着的房门。 
我明白他是根本不理睬我的想法,因此我很勉强地走到书房,给这个不合时宜的来访者通报,劝主人让他走,明天再说。林惇先生没有来得及授与我这样作的权利,因为约瑟夫紧跟着我来了,而且,冲进了这屋子,稳稳地站在桌子那边,用两只拳头握住他的手杖顶,开始提高了嗓门讲话,好像是预测到要遭驳斥似的。 'Hathecliff has sent me for his lad, and I munn't goa back 'bout him.' “希刺克厉夫叫我来要他的孩子,不带他走,我就不回去。” Edgar Linton was silent a minute; an expression of exceeding sorrow overcast his features: he would have pitied the child on his own account; but, recalling Isabella's hopes and fears, and anxious wishes for her son, and her commendations of him to his care, he grieved bitterly at the prospect of yielding him up, and searched in his heart how it might be avoided. No plan offered itself: the very exhibition of any desire to keep him would have rendered the claimant more peremptory: there was nothing left but to resign him. However, he was not going to rouse him from his sleep. 埃德加·林惇沉默了一下;一种极度悲哀的表情笼罩了他的脸:为这孩子打算,他只会可怜他;可是,回想起伊莎贝拉的那些希望和恐惧,对于她儿子的热望,以及托孤时的嘱咐,再一想到竟要把他交出去,他难过极了,心中苦苦思索着怎么避免。无计可施:如果显出留住他的愿望,那反而会使索取人要得更坚决。没有别的办法,只能放弃他。然而,他不打算把他从睡梦中唤醒。 'Tell Mr. Heathcliff,' he answered calmly, 'that his son shall come to Wuthering Heights to-morrow. He is in bed, and too tired to go the distance now. You may also tell him that the mother of Linton desired him to remain under my guardianship; and, at present, his health is very precarious.' “告诉希刺克厉夫先生,”他平静地回答,“他的儿子明天就去呼啸山庄。现在他已经上床了,并且已累得不能再走这么远的路。你也可以告诉他,林惇的母亲希望他由我来照管; 在目前,他的健康情况是很使人担心的。” 'Noa!' said Joseph, giving a thud with his prop on the floor, and assuming an authoritative air. 'Noa! that means naught. Hathecliff maks noa 'count o' t' mother, nor ye norther; but he'll heu' his lad; und I mun tak' him - soa now ye knaw!' “不成!”约瑟夫说,用他的棍子在地板上砰地一戳,装出一种威风凛凛的神气。“不成!没用。希刺克厉夫根本不管那个母亲,也不管你;可是他要他的孩子;我一定得带他走--现在你明白了吧!” 
“你今晚不能带走!”林惇坚决地回答。“马上下楼去,把我说的话讲给你主人听,艾伦,把他带下楼去。去--” And, aiding the indignant elder with a lift by the arm, he rid the room of him and closed the door. 他把这愤怒的老头子的膀子一提,就把他拉出门外去,随手关上了门。 'Varrah weell!' shouted Joseph, as he slowly drew off. 'To-morn, he's come hisseln, and thrust HIM out, if ye darr!' “很好!”约瑟夫大叫,这时他慢慢地走出去。“明天他自己来,看你敢不敢把他推出去!” TO obviate the danger of this threat being fulfilled, Mr. Linton commissioned me to take the boy home early, on Catherine's pony; and, said he - 'As we shall now have no influence over his destiny, good or bad, you must say nothing of where he is gone to my daughter: she cannot associate with him hereafter, and it is better for her to remain in ignorance of his proximity; lest she should be restless, and anxious to visit the Heights. Merely tell her his father sent for him suddenly, and he has been obliged to leave us.' 为了避免这威吓实现的危险,林惇先生派我早早地送这孩子回家,让他骑着凯瑟琳的小马去。他说,--“既然我们现在不能对于他的命运有所影响,无论是好或坏,你就千万别对我女儿说他去哪里了,今后她不能同他有什么联系,最好别让她知道他就在邻近;不然她就安不下心来,急着去呼啸山庄。你就告诉她说他的父亲忽然差人来接他,他就只好离开我们走了。”
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