12 凱茜長大了
1797 During the next twelve years I was happier than I had ever been before.All my time was spent looking after little Cathy,who brought sunshine into our lives.She was a real beauty,with the Earnshaws’ dark eyes and the Lintons’fair skin.She wasn’t as proud and quick-tempered as her mother,but she was used to getting what she wanted. Her father loved her so much that he gave her everything,and never scolded her.
1797年。在以后的12年里,我比以前任何時候都過得舒心。我所有的時間都花在照看小凱茜身上,她給我們的生活帶來了陽光。她是一個不折不扣的小美人,長著歐肖家的黑眼睛,林頓家的白皮膚。她不像她母親那樣孤傲和脾氣暴躁,但也是習(xí)慣了要什么有什么。她的父親對她非常寵愛,什么都給她,也從不責(zé)罵。
Until she was thirteen she had never been outside the Grange garden alone.She knew nothing of Wuthering Heights or Heathcliff.She often asked me about the hills in the distance,beyond the moors,and wanted to ride her pony there.I knew the master would not let her leave the safety of the Grange to go so far,especially as the road to the hills passed close to Wuthering Heights.So I always told her she would be able to go there when she was older.I did not know what she was planning.
她13歲之前從未單獨出過畫眉山莊的門。她對呼嘯山莊和希斯克利夫的事一無所知。她常問我遠(yuǎn)處荒原那邊的山丘是什么樣的,想騎著她的小馬到那兒去。我知道主人不會讓她離開畫眉山莊的庇護(hù),跑到那么遠(yuǎn)的地方,尤其是通向山丘的路離呼嘯山莊很近。所以我總是告訴她等她長大些才能去。我不知道她是怎么打算的。
Mr Edgar received a letter from his sister Isabella.She wrote that she was dying of a fever,and asked him to visit her for the first and last time.She also wanted him to take care of her son Linton after her death.Although my master hated travelling,he did not hesitate to do as she requested.He told me to look after Cathy carefully,and left at once.
艾加先生收到一封她妹妹伊莎貝拉來的信。她在信中說她患了熱病,將不久于人世,頭一次、也是最后一次請求他去看望她。她還想托付他在她死后照顧她的兒子林頓。盡管我的主人實在不愿出門,可他還是毫不猶豫地依了她。他囑咐我小心看管凱茜,然后就上路了。
He was away for three weeks.Cathy did not cause me any trouble at first.She spent her days walking her dogs and riding her pony in the large garden.But one day she asked if she could stay out the whole day,and away she went on her little pony,with her two dogs running behind.
他走了三個星期。開始凱茜沒給我添什么麻煩。她整天在大花園里溜狗,騎她的小馬。但有一天她問能不能到外面呆一整天,然后騎上她的小馬,后面跟著兩條狗就走了。
There was no sign of her at tea-time,and I began to be seriously worried.I went outside to look for her.At the gate I found a workman,who had seen-her jump the low wall separating the garden from the road,and then ride on towards the hills and Wuthering Heights.
到了吃茶點的時候還沒見她的人影,我開始真的擔(dān)心起來。我到外面找她。我在大門前碰到一個傭工,他曾看見她跳過花園和路之間的矮墻,騎著馬朝山丘和呼嘯山莊的方向去了。
I was very frightened now.She could be lost on the moors! She could have tried to climb the hills,and fallen!I walked across the moors as fast as I could,and arrived breathless at Wuthering Heights.How glad I was to see one of her dogs lying outside the kitchen door!I knocked loudly,and Zillah let me in.I knew she had been the housekeeper there since Hindley’s death. ‘Ah,’she said,‘you’ve come for your little mistress!She’s here,quite safe!The master,Mr Heathcliff,isn’t here.He won’t be back for a while.’
這時我嚇壞了。她可能在荒原里迷了路!她可能試圖爬山時摔了下來!我以最快的速度走過荒原,上氣不接下氣地趕到呼嘯山莊。當(dāng)看到廚房的門前躺著凱茜的一條狗,我真是如釋重負(fù)!我大聲敲門,齊拉把我讓了進(jìn)去。我知道亨德雷死后她就成了這兒的女管家。“哦,”她說,“你是來找你家小姐的!她在這兒,平安無事!主人希斯克利夫先生不在家。他一時還回不來。”
Cathy was sitting comfortably in the kitchen,talking eagerly to Hareton.He was now a big,strong young man of eighteen,who was staring rather stupidly at her.I was delighted to find her again,but I pretended to be angry to punish her. ‘Well,miss!You are wicked,going such a long way all alone!I’ve been all over the moors looking for you!looking father will be angry!’
凱茜舒舒服服地坐在廚房里,跟哈里頓興致勃勃地說著話。他已是個18歲的小伙子,長得高大強(qiáng)壯,正傻呆呆地盯著她看。我很高興找到了她,但我還是作出生氣要懲戒她的樣子。“好啊,小姐!你真是夠野的,一個人跑了這么遠(yuǎn)!我到荒原找遍了你!你父親會生氣的!”
‘What have I done?’she sobbed,suddenly frightened. ‘Father didn’t forbid me to leave the Grange garden!He won’t scold me,Ellen.He’s never cross,like you!And I’ve been to the hills,Ellen!This-man-showed me,because I didn’t know the way.’
“我怎么啦?”她嗚咽起來,忽然覺得有點害怕。“父親并不禁止我離開畫眉山莊!他不會罵我的,艾倫。他從不發(fā)怒,像你!我去了山上,艾倫!是這個——人——給我指的路,因為我不認(rèn)識。”
I made her put on her hat and prepare to leave. ‘Whose house is this?’she asked suddenly.‘It’s your father’s,isn’t it?’she added,turming to Hareton. ‘No,’he replied,looking down.His face went very red.
我叫她戴上帽子,準(zhǔn)備告辭。“這是誰的房子?”她冷不丁地問道。“是你父親的,是嗎?”她轉(zhuǎn)向哈里頓,加了一句。“不,”他回答,眼睛看著下面,臉變得通紅。
‘Whose then-your master’s?’she asked.
“那是誰的——你主人的?”她問。
He swore,and turned away. “Ellen,he didn’t say miss to me.Servants should always say ‘miss’,shouldn’t they?”
他罵了一句,轉(zhuǎn)過身去。“艾倫,他沒叫我‘小姐’。仆人該永遠(yuǎn)稱‘小姐’,對么?”
Hareton frowned and looked very angry,but said nothing. ‘You,get my horse,’she ordered him ‘Hurry!’ ‘What the devil do you mean?I’m not your servant!’he growled.
哈里頓眉頭一皺,看上去很惱怒,但沒說話。“你,給我備馬,”她命令道。“快點!”“你他媽的什么意思?我不是你的仆人!”他怒吼道。
‘You see,Miss Cathy?Nice words to be used to a young lady!Now come along,let’s fetch the pony and leave,’I said. ‘But Ellen,’she cried,staring horrified at him,‘how dare he speak to me like that!He must do as I tell him!’
“你知道了,凱茜小姐,對一個年輕的小姐就用這種文雅的語言!跟我走吧,我們牽上小馬離開吧,”我說。“可艾倫,”她嚷道,反感地瞪著他,“他怎敢那樣對我說話!他得照我吩咐的去做!”
He’s not your servant,miss,’said Zillah,who had been listening to the conversation.‘He’s your cousin.’ ‘He can’t be my cousin!’cried Cathy,with a scornful laugh.‘Father has gone to fetch my cousin from London.He’s a gentleman’s son,not-not a farm worker like him!’She pointed at poor Hareton,whose clothes were old and dirty.
“他不是你的仆人,小姐,”齊拉說道,她一直在聽著他們的對話,“他是你表哥。”“他不可能是我的表哥!”凱茜譏笑著喊道。“父親到倫敦去接我表弟去了。他是個有教養(yǎng)人家的公子,不是——不是像他這樣一個農(nóng)莊里干活兒的!”她指著衣衫破舊邋遢、可憐巴巴的哈里頓。
I was very annoyed with her and Zillah.Now Heathcliff would hear about his son’s arrival,which we had hoped to keep secret from him.And Cathy would certainly ask her father whether she had a cousin at Wuthering Heights.On our way home I explained to her that if her father discovered she had visited Wuthering Heights,he would perhaps be so angry with me that he would send me away.She could not bear to think of that,so she promised to keep her visit a secret from him.
她和齊拉讓我很氣惱。這樣希斯克利夫就會聽到他兒子回來的消息,我們本打算不讓他知道的。而且凱茜也肯定會問父親她是不是有個表哥在呼嘯山莊。在回去的路上,我對她解釋說要是她父親得知她去了呼肅山莊,會對我很生氣,有可能會把我趕走。她不愿想像這種結(jié)果,所以答應(yīng)不讓父親知道她來呼嘯山莊的事。
We heard from Mr Edgar that his sister had died,and that he was returning soon with his young nephew.Cathy was wild with excitement.She would see her dear father again,and have a cousin of the same age to play with.
我們收到艾加先生信說他妹妹已經(jīng)去世了,他很快就帶著他的小侄子回來。凱茜欣喜若狂。她又能見到父親了,而且還將有一個同齡的表弟和她一起玩。
But when the coach arrived,young Linton had to be carried into the house.He was a pale,thin boy,who looked very like Mr Edgar.He seemed so weak that I wondered how long he would live.I thought he would have no chance of life if his father Heathcliff took him to live at Wuthering Heights.
可當(dāng)馬車到來的時候,小林頓是被抱著進(jìn)的房子。他是個皮膚蒼白、身體瘦弱的少年,樣子很像艾加先生。他看上去很虛弱,我不禁懷疑他還能活多久。我想如果他父親希斯克利夫把他帶到呼嘯山莊去住的話,他就根本沒有活下去的機(jī)會。
In fact Linton only stayed one night with us.Later that evening Heathcliff’s servant Joseph arrived and asked to speak to the master.Although it was late and Mr Edgar was tired after his journey,Joseph insisted,so I took him to the master’s room. ‘Heathcliff has sent me for his son,and I can’t go back without him,’he said.
其實林頓只同我們一起住了一夜。當(dāng)天晚上希斯克利夫的仆人約瑟夫來了,想求見主人,有話要說。雖然已經(jīng)很晚,艾加先生長途跋涉也很疲憊,可約瑟夫執(zhí)意要見,于是我就把他領(lǐng)到主人的房間。“希斯克利夫派我來接他的兒子,不帶上他我不能回去,”他說。
Mr Edgar was silent for a moment.On his face was an expression of deep sadness.He had hoped to keep Linton with him,as Isabella had wished.But he could not refuse the boy’s father. ‘Tell Mr Heathcliff,’he said calmly,‘that Ellen will take his son to Wuthering Heights tomorrow.He‘s asleep at the moment,and I won’t disturb him.’
艾加先生好一會兒沒做聲。滿面愁容。他本來希望按伊莎貝拉的遺愿把林頓留在他身邊??伤麩o法擋得住他父親。“轉(zhuǎn)告希斯克利夫先生,”他平靜地說,“艾倫明天會把他兒子送到呼嘯山莊。他現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)睡了,我不愿叫醒他。”
‘No!’said Joseph,banging the table with his hand.‘I must take him back now!’
“不行!”約瑟夫手拍著桌子說道,“我現(xiàn)在必須把他帶回去!”
‘Not tonight!’answered Mr Edgar.‘Leave the house now,and tell your master what I said!’ ‘Very well!’shouted Joseph,as he walked out.‘If he doesn’t arrive early in the morning,Heathcliff will come for him!’
“今天晚上不行!”艾加先生回答,“馬上離開這座房子,把我的話告訴你的主人!”“好極了!”約瑟夫往外走的時候叫嚷道。“要是他明天一大早沒到,希斯克利夫會來接他的!”