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 servantgirl 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 gardengate just in time to escape the first feathery flakes of a snowshower.

On that bleak hilltop 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 gooseberrybushes, knocked vainly for admittance, till my knuckles tingled and the dogs howled.

‘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 daytime. 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.

‘What are ye for?’he shouted.‘T’maister's down i 't' fowld. Go round by th 'end o 't' laith,if ye went to spake to him.’

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

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

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

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

The snow began to drive thickly. I seized the handle to essay another trial; when a young man without coat, and shouldering a pitchfork, appeared in the yard behind. He hailed me to follow him, and, after marching through a wash-house, and a paved area containing a coalshed, pump, and pigeon-cot, we at length arrived in the huge, warm, cheerful apartment where I was formerly received. It glowed delightfully in the radiance of an immense fire, compounded of coal, peat, and wood; and near the table, laid for a plentiful evening meal, I was pleased to observe the‘missis,’an individual whose existence I had never previously suspected. I bowed and waited, thinking she would bid me take a seat. She looked at me, leaning back in her chair, and remained motionless and mute.

‘Rough weather!’I remarked.‘I'm afraid, Mrs. Heathcliff, the door must bear the consequence of your servants’leisure attendance: I had hard work to make them hear me.’

She never opened her mouth. I stared-she stared also: at any rate, she kept her eyes on me in a cool, regardless manner, exceedingly embarrassing and disagreeable.

‘Sit down,’said the young man, gruffly.‘He'll be in soon.’

I obeyed; and hemmed, and called the villain Juno, who deigned, at this second interview, to move the extreme tip of her tail, in token of owning my acquaintance.

‘A beautiful animal!’I commenced again.‘Do you intend parting with the little ones, madam?’

‘They are not mine,’said the amiable hostess, more repellingly than Heathcliff himself could have replied.

‘Ah, your favourites are among these?’I continued, turning to an obscure cushion full of something like cats.

‘A strange choice of favourites!’she observed scornfully.

Unluckily, it was a heap of dead rabbits. I hemmed once more, and drew closer to the hearth, repeating my comment on the wildness of the evening.

‘You should not have come out,’she said, rising and reaching from the chimney-piece two of the painted canisters.

Her position before was sheltered from the light; now, I had a distinct view of her whole figure and countenance. She was slender, and apparently scarcely past girlhood: an admirable form, and the most exquisite little face that I have ever had the pleasure of beholding; small features, very fair; flaxen ringlets, or rather golden, hanging loose on her delicate neck; and eyes, had they been agreeable in expression, that would have been irresistible: fortunately for my susceptible heart, the only sentiment they evinced hovered between scorn and a kind of desperation, singularly unnatural to be detected there. The canisters were almost out of her reach; I made a motion to aid her; she turned upon me as a miser might turn if any one attempted to assist him in counting his gold.

‘I don't want your help,’she snapped;‘I can get them for myself.’

‘I beg your pardon!’I hastened to reply.

‘Were you asked to tea?’she demanded, tying an apron over her neat black frock, and standing with a spoonful of the leaf poised over the pot.

‘I shall be glad to have a cup,’I answered.

‘Were you asked?’she repeated.

‘No,’I said, half smiling.‘You are the proper person to ask me.’

She flung the tea back, spoon and all, and resumed her chair in a pet; her forehead corrugated, and her red under-lip pushed out, like a child's ready to cry.

Meanwhile, the young man had slung on to his person a decidedly shabby upper garment, and, erecting himself before the blaze, looked down on me from the corner of his eyes, for all the world as if there were some mortal feud unavenged between us. I began to doubt whether he were a servant or not: his dress and speech were both rude, entirely devoid of the superiority observable in Mr. and Mrs. Heathcliff; his thick brown curls were rough and uncultivated, his whiskers encroached bearishly over his cheeks, and his hands were embrowned like those of a common labourer: still his bearing was free, almost haughty, and he showed none of a domestic's assiduity in attending on the lady of the house. In the absence of clear proofs of his condition, I deemed it best to abstain from noticing his curious conduct; and, five minutes afterwards, the entrance of Heathcliff relieved me, in some measure, from my uncomfortable state.

‘You see, sir, I am come, according to promise!’I exclaimed, assuming the cheerful;‘and I fear I shall be weather-bound for half an hour, if you can afford me shelter during that space.’

‘Half an hour?’he said, shaking the white flakes from his clothes;‘I wonder you should select the thick of a snow-storm to ramble about in. Do you know that you run a risk of being lost in the marshes? People familiar with these moors often miss their road on such evenings;and I can tell you there is no chance of a change at present.’

‘Perhaps I can get a guide among your lads, and he might stay at the Grange till morning-could you spare me one?’

‘No, I could not.’

‘Oh, indeed! Well, then, I must trust to my own sagacity.’

‘Umph!’

‘Are you going to mak’the tea?’demanded he of the shabby coat, shifting his ferocious gaze from me to the young lady.

‘Is he to have any?’she asked, appealing to Heathcliff.

‘Get it ready, will you?’was the answer, uttered so savagely that I started. The tone in which the words were said revealed a genuine bad nature. I no longer felt inclined to call Heathcliff a capital fellow. When the preparations were finished, he invited me with—‘Now, sir, bring forward your chair.’And we all, including the rustic youth, drew round the table: an austere silence prevailing while we discussed our meal.

I thought, if I had caused the cloud, it was my duty to make an effort to dispel it. They could not every day sit so grim and taciturn; and it was impossible, however ill-tempered they might be, that the universal scowl they wore was their every-day countenance.

‘It is strange,’I began, in the interval of swallowing one cup of tea and receiving another-‘it is strange how custom can mould our tastes and ideas: many could not imagine the existence of happiness in a life of such complete exile from the world as you spend, Mr. Heathcliff; yet, I'll venture to say, that, surrounded by your family, and with your amiable lady as the presiding genius over your home and heart-’

‘My amiable lady!’he interrupted, with an almost diabolical sneer on his face.‘Where is she-my amiable lady?’

‘Mrs. Heathcliff, your wife, I mean.’

‘Well, yes-oh, you would intimate that her spirit has taken the post of ministering angel, and guards the fortunes of Wuthering Heights, even when her body is gone. Is that it?’

Perceiving myself in a blunder, I attempted to correct it. I might have seen there was too great a disparity between the ages of the parties to make it likely that they were man and wife. One was about forty: a period of mental vigour at which men seldom cherish the delusion of being married for love by girls: that dream is reserved for the solace of our declining years. The other did not look seventeen.

Then it flashed upon me—‘The clown at my elbow, who is drinking his tea out of a basin and eating his bread with unwashed hands, may be her husband: Heathcliff junior, of course. Here is the consequence of being buried alive: she has thrown herself away upon that boor from sheer ignorance that better individuals existed! A sad pity—I must beware how I cause her to regret her choice.’The last reflection may seem conceited; it was not. My neighbour struck me as bordering on repulsive; I knew, through experience, that I was tolerably attractive.

‘Mrs. Heathcliff is my daughter-in-law,’said Heathcliff, corroborating my surmise. He turned, as he spoke, a peculiar look in her direction: a look of hatred; unless he has a most perverse set of facial muscles that will not, like those of other people, interpret the language of his soul.

‘Ah, certainly—I see now: you are the favoured possessor of the beneficent fairy,’I remarked, turning to my neighbour.

This was worse than before: the youth grew crimson, and clenched his fist, with every appearance of a meditated assault. But he seemed to recollect himself presently, and smothered the storm in a brutal curse, muttered on my behalf: which, however, I took care not to notice.

‘Unhappy in your conjectures, sir,’observed my host;‘we neither of us have the privilege of owning your good fairy; her mate is dead. I said she was my daughter-in-law: therefore, she must have married my son.’

‘And this young man is-’

‘Not my son, assuredly.’

Heathcliff smiled again, as if it were rather too bold a jest to attribute the paternity of that bear to him.

‘My name is Hareton Earnshaw,’growled the other;‘and I'd counsel you to respect it!’

‘I've shown no disrespect,’was my reply, laughing internally at the dignity with which he announced himself.

He fixed his eye on me longer than I cared to return the stare, for fear I might be tempted either to box his ears or render my hilarity audible. I began to feel unmistakably out of place in that pleasant family circle. The dismal spiritual atmosphere overcame, and more than neutralised, the glowing physical comforts round me; and I resolved to be cautious how I ventured under those rafters a third time.

The business of eating being concluded, and no one uttering a word of sociable conversation, I approached a window to examine the weather. A sorrowful sight I saw: dark night coming down prematurely, and sky and hills mingled in one bitter whirl of wind and suffocating snow.

‘I don't think it possible for me to get home now without a guide,’I could not help exclaiming.‘The roads will be buried already; and, if they were bare, I could scarcely distinguish a foot in advance.’

‘Hareton, drive those dozen sheep into the barn porch. They'll be covered if left in the fold all night: and put a plank before them,’said Heathcliff.

‘How must I do?’I continued, with rising irritation.

There was no reply to my question; and on looking round I saw only Joseph bringing in a pail of porridge for the dogs, and Mrs. Heathcliff leaning over the fire, diverting herself with burning a bundle of matches which had fallen from the chimney-piece as she restored the teacanister to its place. The former, when he had deposited his burden, took a critical survey of the room, and in cracked tones grated out-‘Aw wonder how yah can faishion to stand thear i’idleness un war, when all on 'ems goan out! Bud yah're a nowt, and it's no use talking-yah'll niver mend o'yer ill ways, but goa raight to t’divil, like yer mother afore ye!’

I imagined, for a moment, that this piece of eloquence was addressed to me; and, sufficiently enraged, stepped towards the aged rascal with an intention of kicking him out of the door. Mrs. Heathcliff, however, checked me by her answer.

‘You scandalous old hypocrite!’she replied.‘Are you not afraid of being carried away bodily, whenever you mention the devil's name? I warn you to refrain from provoking me, or I'll ask your abduction as a special favour! Stop! look here, Joseph,’she continued, taking a long, dark book from a shelf;‘I'll show you how far I've progressed in the Black Art: I shall soon be competent to make a clear house of it. The red cow didn't die by chance; and your rheumatism can hardly be reckoned among providential visitations!’

‘Oh, wicked, wicked!’gasped the elder;‘may the Lord deliver us from evil!’

‘No, reprobate! you are a castaway-be off, or I'll hurt you seriously! I'll have you all modelled in wax and clay! and the first who passes the limits I fix shall-I'll not say what he shall be done to-but, you'll see! Go, I'm looking at you!’

The little witch put a mock malignity into her beautiful eyes, and Joseph, trembling with sincere horror, hurried out, praying, and ejaculating‘wicked’as he went. I thought her conduct must be prompted by a species of dreary fun; and, now that we were alone, I endeavoured to interest her in my distress.

‘Mrs. Heathcliff,’I said earnestly,‘you must excuse me for troubling you. I presume,because, with that face, I'm sure you cannot help being good-hearted. Do point out some landmarks by which I may know my way home: I have no more idea how to get there than you would have how to get to London!’

‘Take the road you came,’she answered, ensconcing herself in a chair, with a candle, and the long book open before her.‘It is brief advice, but as sound as I can give.’

‘Then, if you hear of me being discovered dead in a bog or a pit full of snow, your conscience won't whisper that it is partly your fault?’

‘How so? I cannot escort you. They wouldn't let me go to the end of the garden wall.’

‘You! I should be sorry to ask you to cross the threshold, for my convenience, on such a night,’I cried.‘I want you to tell me my way, not to show it: or else to persuade Mr. Heathcliff to give me a guide.’

‘Who? There is himself, Earnshaw, Zillah, Joseph and I. Which would you have?’

‘Are there no boys at the farm?’

‘No; those are all.’

‘Then, it follows that I am compelled to stay.’

‘That you may settle with your host. I have nothing to do with it.’

‘I hope it will be a lesson to you to make no more rash journeys on these hills,’cried Heathcliff's stern voice from the kitchen entrance.‘As to staying here, I don't keep accommodations for visitors: you must share a bed with Hareton or Joseph, if you do.’

‘I can sleep on a chair in this room,’I replied.

‘No, no! A stranger is a stranger, be he rich or poor: it will not suit me to permit any one the range of the place while I am off guard!’said the unmannerly wretch.

With this insult my patience was at an end. I uttered an expression of disgust, and pushed past him into the yard, running against Earnshaw in my haste. It was so dark that I could not see the means of exit; and, as I wandered round, I heard another specimen of their civil behaviour amongst each other. At first the young man appeared about to befriend me.

‘I'll go with him as far as the park,’he said.

‘You'll go with him to hell!’exclaimed his master, or whatever relation he bore.‘And who is to look after the horses, eh?’

‘A man's life is of more consequence than one evening's neglect of the horses: somebody must go,’murmured Mrs. Heathcliff, more kindly than I expected.

‘Not at your command!’retorted Hareton.‘If you set store on him, you'd better be quiet.’

‘Then I hope his ghost will haunt you; and I hope Mr. Heathcliff will never get another tenant till the Grange is a ruin,’she answered, sharply.

‘Hearken, hearken, shoo's cursing on 'em!’muttered Joseph, towards whom I had been steering.

He sat within earshot, milking the cows by the light of a lantern, which I seized unceremoniously, and, calling out that I would send it back on the morrow, rushed to the nearest postern.

‘Maister, maister, he's staling t’lanthern!’shouted the ancient, pursuing my retreat.‘Hey, Gnasher! Hey, dog! Hey Wolf, holld him, holld him!’

On opening the little door, two hairy monsters flew at my throat, bearing me down, and extinguishing the light; while a mingled guffaw from Heathcliff and Hareton put the copestone on my rage and humiliation. Fortunately, the beasts seemed more bent on stretching their paws, and yawning, and flourishing their tails, than devouring me alive; but they would suffer no resurrection, and I was forced to lie till their malignant masters pleased to deliver me: then,hatless and trembling with wrath, I ordered the miscreants to let me out-on their peril to keep me one minute longer-with several incoherent threats of retaliation that, in their indefinite depth of virulency, smacked of King Lear.

The vehemence of my agitation brought on a copious bleeding at the nose, and still Heathcliff laughed, and still I scolded. I don't know what would have concluded the scene, had there not been one person at hand rather more rational than myself, and more benevolent than my entertainer. This was Zillah, the stout housewife; who at length issued forth to inquire into the nature of the uproar. She thought that some of them had been laying violent hands on me; and, not daring to attack her master, she turned her vocal artillery against the younger scoundrel.

‘Well, Mr. Earnshaw,’she cried,‘I wonder what you'll have agait next? Are we going to murder folk on our very door-stones? I see this house will never do for me-look at t’poor lad, he's fair choking! Wisht, wisht; you mun'n't go on so. Come in, and I'll cure that: there now, hold ye still.’

With these words she suddenly splashed a pint of icy water down my neck, and pulled me into the kitchen. Mr. Heathcliff followed, his accidental merriment expiring quickly in his habitual moroseness.

I was sick exceedingly, and dizzy, and faint; and thus compelled perforce to accept lodgings under his roof. He told Zillah to give me a glass of brandy, and then passed on to the inner room; while she condoled with me on my sorry predicament, and having obeyed his orders, whereby I was somewhat revived, ushered me to bed.

昨天下午寒冷有霧。我坐在書房壁爐邊，三心二意地過了一個下午，沒有費力去穿過石南樹叢和泥濘前往呼嘯山莊。但是，吃過午飯（注意——我十二點鐘到一點鐘之間吃飯；我租房時那位隨同一起受雇的女管家無法理解，也不愿去理解我五點鐘開飯的要求），我?guī)е@個懶惰的想法爬上樓梯，走進餐廳時，只見一個女傭跪在一堆刷子和煤斗之間，正用一堆堆爐渣封火，一堆堆爐渣揚起了一片能嗆死人的煙塵。這個景象馬上又把我逼了回去。我拿起帽子，步行四英里，來到了希斯克利夫的花園門口，剛好躲過了這第一場漫天飛雪。

在那個荒涼的山頂上，地面因嚴霜而凍得硬梆梆的，寒氣使我渾身哆嗦。我解不開門鏈，就跳了過去，然后順著兩邊長有稀稀拉拉醋栗叢的石板鋪道跑去敲門，敲得我指關節(jié)生疼，群狗狂吠，也沒有人開門。

“這家人真可惱！”我心里突然嚷道，“你們這樣粗俗無禮，就應該永遠與世隔絕。至少，我不會白天就閂住門。我才不管呢——我要進去！”于是，我下定決心，抓住門栓，一陣猛晃。一臉尖酸乖戾的約瑟夫從谷倉的圓窗里探出頭來。

“你干嘛？”他大聲喊道，“東家在下面的羊圈里。你想跟他說話，就繞到房子那頭去。”

“屋里沒有人開門嗎？”我也應聲喊道。

“屋里只有太太。你就是嚷嚷到夜里，她也不會開門的。”

“為什么？喂，約瑟夫，你就不能告訴她，我是誰嗎？”

“別煩我！我才不管呢！”他咕噥了一句，就不見了蹤影。

雪越下越大了。我抓住門柄，想再試一次；這時，一個沒有穿外套、扛著草耙的年輕人出現(xiàn)在了后院里。他招呼我跟著他走，經過一間洗衣房和一片有煤棚、水泵和鴿籠鋪得平展的區(qū)域，最后我們來到了那個寬大、溫暖、舒適的房間，他們先前就是在這里接待我的。混合著煤塊、泥煤和劈柴的爐火燒得很旺，熊熊火光照得整個屋子都亮堂堂的；我在擺著豐盛晚飯的餐桌邊高興地見到了那位“太太”，以前從來沒有察覺到這樣一個人的存在。我鞠躬，等待，心想她會請我坐下來。她瞧了我一眼，又靠回了椅背，坐在那里，一聲不吭。

“天氣真糟啊！”我說，“希斯克利夫太太，你的仆人優(yōu)哉游哉，我怕那扇門可要遭罪嘍。我用了好大勁兒，才使他們聽到。”

她始終沒有開口。我目不轉睛——她也目不轉睛。至少，她以一種毫不在意的冷漠神情盯著我，讓人極其尷尬和不快。

“坐下吧，”那個年輕人粗聲說道，“他馬上就到。”

我應聲坐下，清了清嗓子，喊了朱諾那條惡狗一聲。第二次相見，它總算賞臉，搖了搖尾巴尖，表示認識我了。

“這狗真漂亮！”我又開口說道，“你想賣掉這些小狗嗎？”

“這些狗不是我的。”模樣出色的女主人說，比希斯克利夫本人回答時口氣更沖。

“啊，你最喜歡的是在這些狗當中嗎？”我接著說道，轉向放在暗處的一個坐墊，上面好像臥滿了貓。

“選這些東西才怪呢！”她不屑一顧地說。

偏巧，那是一堆死兔子。我又清了清嗓子，向壁爐移近了些，再次評論起了今晚的糟糕天氣。

“你就不應該出來！”說著，她站起身，伸手去拿壁爐架上的兩只描漆茶罐。

她先前坐的地方被遮住了光線；現(xiàn)在，我清晰地看到了她的臉龐和整個身體。只見她身材苗條，妙齡期顯然還沒有過去，身段姣好，小臉蛋精美極了，我從來不曾見過；五官小巧，非常秀氣；淡黃色或金黃色的長卷發(fā)散垂在玉頸上面；還有那雙眼睛，如果神情愉悅的話，肯定就會讓人難以抗拒。我是一個容易動情的人；幸運的是，她的眼睛流露出的僅僅是輕蔑絕望的情緒，在她的眼睛里看到這種神情，真是匪夷所思。茶葉罐高得她幾乎夠不著；我舉手示意幫她；她轉向我，就像守財奴碰到有人想幫他數(shù)金子似的。

“我不要你幫，”她厲聲說道，“我自己夠得著。”

“請你原諒！”我趕忙答道。

“是請你來喝茶的嗎？”她問，只見她一條圍裙系在整潔的黑衣服上，站在那里，手握一匙茶葉，懸在茶壺上面。

“我很高興能喝上一杯。”我答道。

“是請你來的嗎？”她又問。

“不是，”我似笑非笑地說，“你請我正合適。”

她把那匙茶葉連同茶匙扔了回去，一氣之下坐回了椅子，額頭蹙起，紅紅的下嘴唇突出，活像要哭的孩子。

其間，那個年輕人早已向自己的身上披了一件明顯破舊的上衣，然后站在爐火前，斜睨著我，好像我們之間有什么深仇大恨一般。我開始懷疑他是不是一個仆人；他的穿著和言談都很粗俗，完全沒有希斯克利夫兩口身上體現(xiàn)出來的那種優(yōu)越氣勢；濃密的棕色鬈發(fā)沒有梳理，亂蓬蓬的；臉頰上像熊一樣長滿了腮須；兩手呈褐色，酷似普通勞動者的手。盡管如此，但他舉止隨便，近乎傲慢，沒有露出一點家仆服侍女主人的殷勤。因為缺乏對他的情況的明證，所以我認為最好不去注意他的古怪行為。五分鐘過后，希斯克利夫的到來，多少使我從尷尬境地中解脫了出來。

“先生，你瞧，我如約而至！”我顯得興高采烈，大聲說道，“我恐怕自己會被這天氣困上半小時，擔心這期間你能不能讓我避避風雪。”

“半小時？”說著，他抖落衣服上的一片片白雪，“我納悶，你怎么會挑這種暴雪天出來閑逛。你知道你是在冒著迷路掉進沼澤的危險嗎？熟悉這一帶荒野的人，這樣的夜晚也常常迷路；我可以告訴你，眼下是不可能變天的。”

“也許我可以從你的仆人中找一個向導，他可以在田莊呆到第二天早上——你能給我派一位嗎？”

“不，我不能。”

“噢，真是的！那好吧，我必須靠自己的聰明才智了。”

“哼！”

“你是準備沏茶嗎？”他一邊問那個破舊衣服的人，一邊將惡狠狠的目光從我的身上移向了那位年輕女士。

“他也喝嗎？”她反問希斯克利夫。

“去備茶，好嗎？”這就是答復，說得如此蠻橫，把我嚇了一跳。他說這些話的口氣露出了一種真正的性惡。我再也不想把希斯克利夫稱為大好人了。茶泡好之后，他邀請我說：“好了，先生，把你的椅子向前移一下。”于是，我們所有人——包括那個粗俗的年輕人——都圍攏到了桌邊。當談到吃飯時，我們都神情嚴肅，一聲不吭。

我想，如果是我招來了這片烏云，我就有責任努力驅散它。他們不可能每天都這樣冷酷沉默地坐在那里；無論脾氣有多壞，他們都不可能整天愁容滿面。

“奇怪，”喝完一杯茶后，續(xù)茶時，我開口說道——“真奇怪，風俗居然能影響我們的情趣和觀念。希斯克利夫先生，許多人難以想象，你這樣完全離群索居的生活居然也有幸福快樂；不過，我敢說，有你的家人圍著你，還有和藹可親的太太作為天使守護你的家園和心靈——”

“和藹可親的太太！”他臉上露出近乎惡魔般的獰笑打斷說，“她在哪里——和藹可親的太太？”

“我是說，希斯克利夫太太——你的妻子。”

“啊，是的——噢，你是要暗示，即使她尸骨不存，她的鬼魂也已經承擔起了救死扶傷的天使的職責，守護呼嘯山莊的產業(yè)。是這樣嗎？”

我認識到自己犯了大錯，就試圖加以糾正。我本可以看出來，這兩個人年齡差距太大了，不可能是夫妻。一個四十來歲，正是精力旺盛的時期，男人到了這個時期，很少會抱著女孩為愛情嫁給自己的幻想，那種夢想是留給風燭殘年的人聊以安慰的。另一個人，看上去還不到十七歲。

隨后，這讓我立刻心領神會——“我旁邊這個用水罐喝茶、手也不洗就吃面包的粗人說不定是她的丈夫，自然是小希斯克利夫了。這就是自我葬送的后果：她完全是因為不知道世界上還有更好的男人，就嫁給了那個粗人！可悲又可憐——我必須當心，不要讓她因為我而對自己的選擇后悔。”這最后一個想法似乎有些自負；事實并非如此。在我看來，旁邊這個人讓人厭惡；憑借經驗，我知道自己還算有魅力。

“希斯克利夫太太是我的兒媳婦。”希斯克利夫說，確證了我的猜測。他一邊說，一邊神情奇特地轉向她，是一種憎恨的神情；除非他的面部肌肉長得極其反常，不像別人的那樣能體現(xiàn)心靈的語言。

“啊，當然——我現(xiàn)在明白了：這位慈善仙女是屬于你的啊！”我轉向鄰座說道。

這比先前更糟：這個年輕人滿臉通紅，攥緊拳頭，露出了一副想動手打架的姿勢。不過，他好像馬上又鎮(zhèn)定下來，粗魯?shù)亓R了一聲，忍住了，沒有雷霆大怒了。那罵聲是沖我來的，我卻故意裝作沒有聽見。

“先生，不巧你沒有說中，”東家說，“我們倆誰都沒有福分擁有你這位好心的仙女；她的對象死了。我說過，她是我的兒媳婦：所以，她一定是嫁給了我的兒子。”

“那么，這個年輕人是——”

“肯定不是我的兒子。”

希斯克利夫又微微一笑，好像把那個粗人認作他的兒子是荒唐的笑話。

“我的名字叫哈里頓·恩肖，”另一個人粗聲說道，“我勸你放尊重點兒！”

“我沒有表示任何不敬啊！”我這樣回答說，他自報家門時高人一等的勁兒讓我心里發(fā)笑。

他一直盯著我，盯得我都不敢回視他，唯恐自己忍不住扇他耳光或笑出聲來。我開始感覺自己與這個快樂的家庭明顯格格不入。這種沉悶的精神氛圍不僅壓倒了，而且大大中和了我周圍光彩奪目、生活舒適的物質條件；我下定決心，如果我敢第三次走進這座房子，我就一定要謹慎行事。

吃完飯后，誰也沒有說一句客套話。我走近窗邊查看天氣。我看到的是一片凄慘的景象：黑夜提前降臨了，天空和群山被凜冽的旋風和令人窒息的大雪混在了一起。

“我想，現(xiàn)在沒有人帶路，我可能回不了家了，”我禁不住大聲嚷道，“路都已被蓋住了；即便沒有蓋住，我也連一步遠的地方都看不清楚。”

“哈里頓，把那十幾只羊趕進谷倉門廊。它們要是整夜留在羊圈里，就會被雪埋住。拿一塊木板擋在它們的前面，”希斯克利夫說。

“我該怎么辦？”我越來越惱火，接著說道。

沒有人回答我的問題；我環(huán)顧四周，只見約瑟夫給那些狗提來了一桶粥，希斯克利夫太太俯身烤火，燃著一包火柴自得其樂，這包火柴是她剛才把茶罐放回原處時從壁爐架上掉下來的。約瑟夫放下粥桶之后，用挑剔的目光掃視了一下屋里，接著用嘶啞的聲音刺耳地喊道——“真奇怪，大家都出去了，你怎么還閑站在那里！不過，你就是一個廢人，說也沒有用——你從來改不了自己的壞毛病，只有見鬼去吧，就像以前你的媽媽一樣！”

一時間，我還以為這番話是沖我說的，就大為惱怒，向這個老混蛋走去，想把他踢出門外。然而，希斯克利夫太太的回答攔住了我。

“你這個搬弄是非、裝模作樣的老家伙，”她答道，“你每次提到魔鬼的名字，也不怕魔鬼把你親手抓住？我警告你不要招惹我，否則我就讓鬼特別關照把你抓去。站住！聽著，約瑟夫，”她一邊接著說，一邊從書架上拿著一本厚黑書，“我要讓你瞧瞧我的巫術進展到了什么地步。我馬上就會把家里清除干凈。那頭紅母牛不是偶爾死去的；你的風濕病還不能算是上天的懲罰！”

“噢，惡毒，真惡毒！”老家伙氣喘吁吁地說，“愿上帝把我們從邪惡中拯救出來！”

“不，無恥之徒！你是一個被上帝拋棄的人——滾吧，否則我就狠狠地傷害你！我要用蠟和泥把你們統(tǒng)統(tǒng)捏成模型！誰先越過那些界限，我就會收拾——我不說他會倒什么霉——可是，你會看到的！走啊，我在看著你呢！”

小女巫瞪著那雙漂亮的眼睛，裝出一副惡狠狠的樣子；約瑟夫真的嚇壞了，渾身哆嗦著匆匆跑了出去，一邊跑一邊禱告，脫口說著“惡毒”。我想，她這樣做，一定是覺得無聊尋開心的；那么，既然剩下我們倆了，我就想盡力讓她關心一下我的苦惱。

“希斯克利夫太太，”我誠懇地說，“你一定要原諒我來打攪你。我之所以敢這樣說，是因為憑你這張臉，我就確信你肯定能有好心腸。請指出一些路標，我可以由此知道回家的路。我真不知道該怎么到家，就像你不知道怎么到達倫敦一樣！”

“走你來時的路，”她安坐在椅子上回答說，面前點著一支蠟燭，那本厚書攤開放在那里，“盡管這是簡短的建議，但這是我能給出的最可靠的建議。”

“那么，要是你聽說我被人發(fā)現(xiàn)死在沼澤或雪坑里，難道你的良心就不會悄聲說也有你的一部分過錯嗎？”

“怎么會呢？我又不能送你。他們不讓我走到園墻盡頭。”

“你送我？這樣的一個夜晚，為了我的方便，請你邁過門檻，我也會難受的，”我大聲說道，“我是想讓你給我指指路，不是讓你帶路，否則就說服希斯克利夫先生給我派一個向導。”

“派誰呢？這里有他本人、恩肖、齊拉、約瑟夫和我。你想讓哪個去呢？”

“農場沒有男仆了嗎？”

“沒有，就這幾個人。”

“那就是說，我只好留下來了。”

“你可以跟東家商談。這不關我的事兒。”

“我希望這對你是一個教訓，以后不要在這山里亂跑了，”廚房門口傳來了希斯克利夫嚴厲的叫嚷聲，“要說留在這里，我可沒有準備客房。你要是留的話，就必須跟哈里頓或約瑟夫合睡一張床。”

“我可以睡在這間屋里的椅子上。”我答道。

“不，不！無論窮富，生人就是生人，我不允許任何人呆在我防范不到的任何地方！”這個沒有禮貌的壞蛋說。

我受到這種侮辱，忍無可忍，反感地罵了一句，一把推開了他，走進了院子，情急之下，跟恩肖撞了個滿懷。外面一片漆黑，我看不清出路，正在四處亂轉時，又聽到了他們相互間文明舉止的又一范例。起先，那個年輕人似乎對我還算友好。

“我陪他去莊園那邊吧。”他說。

“你陪他下地獄去吧！”他的東家（或者不管他是什么人）大聲叫道，“那誰又去照看馬呢？”

“一個人的生命要比一晚上沒有人照看馬重要：必須得有一個人去。”希斯克利夫太太咕噥道，要比我料想的善良。

“不要你命令！”哈里頓反駁道，“你要是重視他，那就最好安靜。”

“那我就希望他的鬼魂纏住你；我希望希斯克利夫先生再也找不到一個房客，直到田莊毀滅。”她尖刻地回應道。

“聽，聽啊，她在詛咒他們！”約瑟夫咕噥道，這時我一直在朝他那邊走去。

他坐在可以聽到聲音的地方，借著一盞馬燈的光亮正在給那些奶牛擠奶。我唐突地一把搶過馬燈，一邊大聲喊著我明天把它送回來，一邊奔向距離最近的側門。

“東家，東家，他把馬燈偷跑了！”老家伙一邊大叫，一邊追我，“嘿，咬人的！嘿，狗！嘿，狼，截住他！截住他！”

側門一打開，兩條毛茸茸的巨獸就向我的喉部飛撲而來，把我撲倒在地，燈也滅了；此時，希斯克利夫和哈里頓哈哈大笑，這使我憤怒和羞辱到了極點。幸運的是，這兩條畜生好像更喜歡伸爪、張嘴和搖尾，不喜歡活吃了我；然而，它們又不準我再起來，所以我只好躺在地上，直到它們可惡的東家樂意放了我。這時，帽子沒了，我氣得渾身哆嗦，命令這些惡人放我出去——再留我一分鐘，他們就要倒大霉——我語無倫次地說了好幾句揚言要報仇的話，咬牙切齒，惡聲惡氣，有點兒像李爾王。

怒火中燒，使我流了好多鼻血，希斯克利夫還在大笑，我也還在責罵。要不是旁邊有個人比我理智，比款待我的人慈善，我不知道這件事該如何收場。這個人就是齊拉，就是那個身體健壯的女管家；她終于走上前，詢問喧鬧是怎么回事。她還以為他們有人一直對我動粗；她不敢攻擊東家，就向那個年輕點的壞蛋開起火來。

“好啊，恩肖先生，”她嚷道，“我不知道你下面還會干什么？我們要在自己的家門口殺人嗎？我看我再也不能在這個家呆下去了——看看那個可憐的小伙子，他快要憋死了！噓，噓！你不能再那樣下去了。進來，我給治一下。好了，你不要動。”

說完這些話，她突然把一桶冰冷的水順著我的脖子澆了下來，然后把我拉進了廚房。希斯克利夫先生跟在后面，他偶爾的快樂很快就消失在了慣常的郁悶之中。

我難受極了，頭暈目眩，軟弱無力，因此不得不在他的家里借宿。希斯克利夫吩咐齊拉給我倒一杯白蘭地，隨后就徑直進了里屋；齊拉對我的可憐困境表示慰問，并遵照東家的吩咐，給我喝了一杯白蘭地；等我稍微恢復之后，她就領我上床就寢。