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“是些鬼字,”他回答。“我认不出。” 'Can't read it?' cried Catherine; 'I can read it: it's English. But I want to know why it is there.' “认不出?”凯瑟琳叫起来,“我能念:那是英文。可是我想知道干吗刻在那儿。” Linton giggled: the first appearance of mirth he had exhibited. 林惇吃吃地笑了:他第一次显出开心的神色。 'He does not know his letters,' he said to his cousin. 'Could you believe in the existence of such a colossal dunce?' “他不认识字,”他对他的表姐说。“你能相信会有这样的大笨蛋存在吗?” 'Is he all as he should be?' asked Miss Cathy, seriously; 'or is he simple: not right? I've questioned him twice now, and each time he looked so stupid I think he does not understand me. I can hardly understand him, I'm sure!' “他一直就这样吗?”凯蒂小姐严肃地问道。“或者他头脑简单--不对吗?我问过他两次话了,而每一次他都作出这种傻相,我还以为他不懂得我的话呢。我担保我也不大懂得他!” 
林惇又大笑起来,嘲弄地瞟着哈里顿;哈里顿在那会儿看来一定是还不大明白怎么回事。 'There's nothing the matter but laziness; is there, Earnshaw?' he said. 'My cousin fancies you are an idiot. There you experience the consequence of scorning "book-larning," as you would say. Have you noticed, Catherine, his frightful Yorkshire pronunciation?' “没有别的缘故,只是懒惰;是吧,恩萧?”他说。“我的表姐猜想你是个白痴哩。这下可让你尝到你嘲笑的所谓‘啃书本’所得的后果了。凯瑟琳,你注意到他那可怕的约克郡的口音没有?” 'Why, where the devil is the use on't?' growled Hareton, more ready in answering his daily companion. He was about to enlarge further, but the two youngsters broke into a noisy fit of merriment: my giddy miss being delighted to discover that she might turn his strange talk to matter of amusement. “哼,那有什么鬼用处?”哈里顿咕噜着,对他平时的同伴回嘴就方便多了。他还想再说下去,可是这两个年轻人忽然一齐大笑起来:我的轻浮的小姐很高兴地发现她可以把他的奇怪的话当作笑料了。 'Where is the use of the devil in that sentence?' tittered Linton. 'Papa told you not to say any bad words, and you can't open your mouth without one. Do try to behave like a gentleman, now do!' “那句话加个‘鬼’字有什么用呢?”林惇嗤笑着。“爸爸叫你不要说任何坏字眼,而你不说一个坏字眼就开不了口。努力像个绅士吧,现在试试看!” 'If thou weren't more a lass than a lad, I'd fell thee this minute, I would; pitiful lath of a crater!' retorted the angry boor, retreating, while his face burnt with mingled rage and mortification! for he was conscious of being insulted, and embarrassed how to resent it. “要不是因为您更像个女的,而不大像个男的的话,我马上就想把您打倒啦,我会的;可怜的瘦板条!”这大怒的乡下人回骂着,退却了,当时他的脸由于愤怒和羞耻烧得通红:因为他意识到被侮辱了,可又窘得不知道该怎么怨恨才是。 
希刺克厉夫和我一样,也听见了这番话,他看见他走开就微笑了;可是马上又用特别嫌恶的眼光向这轻薄的一对瞅了一眼,他们还呆在门口瞎扯着;这个男孩子一讨论到哈里顿的错误和缺点,并且叙述他的怪举动和趣闻时,他的精神可就来了;而这小姑娘也爱听他的无礼刻薄的话,并不想想这些话中所表现的恶意。我可是开始不喜欢林惇了,憎恶的程度比以前的怜悯程度还要重些,也开始多少原谅他父亲这样看不起他了。 We stayed till afternoon: I could not tear Miss Cathy away sooner; but happily my master had not quitted his apartment, and remained ignorant of our prolonged absence. As we walked home, I would fain have enlightened my charge on the characters of the people we had quitted: but she got it into her head that I was prejudiced against them. 我们一直待到下午:我不能把凯瑟琳早点拉走;但是幸亏我的主人没有离开过他的屋子,一直不知道我们久久不回。在我们走回来的时候,我真想谈谈我们刚离开的这些人的性格,以此来开导开导我所照顾的人;可是她已经有了成见,反倒说我对他们有偏见了。 'Aha!' she cried, 'you take papa's side, Ellen: you are partial I know; or else you wouldn't have cheated me so many years into the notion that Linton lived a long way from here. I'm really extremely angry; only I'm so pleased I can't show it! But you must hold your tongue about MY uncle; he's my uncle, remember; and I'll scold papa for quarrelling with him.' “啊哈,”她叫着,“你是站在爸爸这边的,艾伦。我知道你是有偏心的,不然你就不会骗我这么多年,说林惇住得离这儿很远。我真是非常生气,可我又是这么高兴,就发不出脾气来!但是你不许再说我姑夫;他是我的姑夫。记住,而且我还要骂爸爸,因为跟他吵过架。” And so she ran on, till I relinquished the endeavour to convince her of her mistake. She did not mention the visit that night, because she did not see Mr. Linton. Next day it all came out, sadly to my chagrin; and still I was not altogether sorry: I thought the burden of directing and warning would be more efficiently borne by him than me. But he was too timid in giving satisfactory reasons for his wish that she should shun connection with the household of the Heights, and Catherine liked good reasons for every restraint that harassed her petted will. 她就这样滔滔不绝地说着,到后来我只好放弃了使她觉悟到她的错误的努力。那天晚上她没有说起这次拜访,因为她没有看见林惇先生。第二天就都说出来了,使我懊恼之至;可我还不十分难过:我以为指导和警戒的担子由他担负比由我担负会有效多了。可是他懦弱得竟说不出如他所愿的令人满意的理由,好让她和山庄那个家绝交,凯瑟琳对于每一件压制她骄纵的意志的事却要有充分的理由才肯听从约束。 'Papa!' she exclaimed, after the morning's salutations, 'guess whom I saw yesterday, in my walk on the moors. Ah, papa, you started! you've not done right, have you, now? I saw - but listen, and you shall hear how I found you out; and Ellen, who is in league with you, and yet pretended to pity me so, when I kept hoping, and was always disappointed about Linton's coming back!' “爸爸,”她叫着,在请过早安之后,“猜猜我昨天在旷野上散步时看见了谁。啊,爸爸,你吃惊啦!现在你可知道你作得不对啦,是吧?我看见--可是听着,你要听听我怎么识破了你;还有艾伦,她跟你联盟,在我倒一直希望林惇回来,可又总是失望的时候还假装出可怜我的样子。” 
她把她的出游和结果如实地说了;我的主人,虽然不止一次地向我投来谴责的眼光,却一语不发,直等她说完。然后他把她拉到跟前,问她知不知道他为什么把林惇住在邻近的事瞒住她!难道她以为那只是不让她去享受那毫无害处的快乐吗? 'It was because you disliked Mr. Heathcliff,' she answered. “那是因为你不喜欢希刺克厉夫先生,”她回答。 'Then you believe I care more for my own feelings than yours, Cathy?' he said. 'No, it was not because I disliked Mr. Heathcliff, but because Mr. Heathcliff dislikes me; and is a most diabolical man, delighting to wrong and ruin those he hates, if they give him the slightest opportunity. I knew that you could not keep up an acquaintance with your cousin without being brought into contact with him; and I knew he would detest you on my account; so for your own good, and nothing else, I took precautions that you should not see Linton again. I meant to explain this some time as you grew older, and I'm sorry I delayed it.' “那么你相信我关心我自己胜过关心你啦,凯蒂?”他说。 “不,那不是因为我不喜欢希刺克厉夫先生,而是因为希刺克厉夫先生不喜欢我;他是一个最凶恶的人,喜欢陷害和毁掉他所恨的人,只要这些人给了他一点点机会。我知道你若跟你表弟来往,就不能不和他接触;我也知道他为了我的缘故就会痛恨你,所以就是为了你自己好,没有别的,我才提防着让你不再看见林惇。我原想等你长大点的时候再跟你解释这件事的,我懊悔我把它拖延下来了。” 'But Mr. Heathcliff was quite cordial, papa,' observed Catherine, not at all convinced; 'and he didn't object to our seeing each other: he said I might come to his house when I pleased; only I must not tell you, because you had quarrelled with him, and would not forgive him for marrying aunt Isabella. And you won't. YOU are the one to be blamed: he is willing to let us be friends, at least; Linton and I; and you are not.' “可是希刺克厉夫先生挺诚恳的,爸爸。”凯瑟琳说。一点也没有被说服。“而且他并不反对我们见面;他说什么时候我高兴,我就可以去他家,就是要我绝对不能告诉你,因为你跟他吵过,不能饶恕他娶了伊莎贝拉姑姑。你真的不肯。你才是该受责备的人哩;他是愿意让我们作朋友的,至少是林惇和我;而你就不。” My master, perceiving that she would not take his word for her uncle-in-law's evil disposition, gave a hasty sketch of his conduct to Isabella, and the manner in which Wuthering Heights became his property. He could not bear to discourse long upon the topic; for though he spoke little of it, he still felt the same horror and detestation of his ancient enemy that had occupied his heart ever since Mrs. Linton's death. 'She might have been living yet, if it had not been for him!' was his constant bitter reflection; and, in his eyes, Heathcliff seemed a murderer. Miss Cathy - conversant with no bad deeds except her own slight acts of disobedience, injustice, and passion, arising from hot temper and thoughtlessness, and repented of on the day they were committed - was amazed at the blackness of spirit that could brood on and cover revenge for years, and deliberately prosecute its plans without a visitation of remorse. She appeared so deeply impressed and shocked at this new view of human nature - excluded from all her studies and all her ideas till now - that Mr. Edgar deemed it unnecessary to pursue the subject. He merely added: 'You will know hereafter, darling, why I wish you to avoid his house and family; now return to your old employments and amusements, and think no more about them.' 我的主人看出来她不相信他所说的关于她姑夫的狠毒的话,便把希刺克厉夫对伊莎贝拉的行为,以及呼啸山庄如何变成他的产业,都草草地说了个梗概。他不能将这事说得太多;因为即使他说了一点点,却仍然感到自林惇夫人死后所占据在他心上的那种对过去的仇人的恐怖与痛恨之感。‘要不是因为他,她也许还会活着!’这是他经常有的痛苦的念头;在他眼中,希刺克厉夫就仿佛是一个杀人犯。凯蒂小姐--完全没接触过任何罪恶的行径,只有她自己因暴躁脾气或轻率而引起的不听话,误解,或发发脾气而已。而总是当天犯了,当天就会改过--因此对于人的心灵深处能够盘算和隐藏报复心达好多年,而且一心要实现他的计划却毫无悔恨之念,这点使凯瑟琳大为惊奇。这种对人性的新看法,仿佛给她很深的印象,并且使她震动--直到现在为止,这看法一向是在她所有的学习与思考范围之外的--因此埃德加先生认为没有必要再谈这题目了。他只是又说了一句:“今后你就会知道,亲爱的,为什么我希望你躲开他的房子和他的家了;现在你去作你往常的事,照旧去玩吧,别再想这些了!”
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