一八○一年。我剛剛拜訪過我的房東回來——就是那個將要給我惹麻煩的孤獨的鄰居。這兒可真是一個美麗的鄉間！在整個英格蘭境內，我不相信我竟能找到這樣一個能與塵世的喧囂完全隔絶的地方，一個厭世者的理想的天堂。而希刺剋厲夫和我正是分享這兒荒涼景色的如此合適的一對。一個絶妙的人！在我騎着馬走上前去時，看見他的黑眼睛縮在眉毛下猜忌地瞅着我。而在我通報自己姓名時．他把手指更深地藏到背心袋裏，完全是一副不信任我的神氣。剎那間，我對他産生了親切之感，而他卻根本未察覺到。
“希刺剋厲夫先生嗎？”我說。
回答是點一下頭。
“先生，我是洛剋烏德，您的新房客。我一到這兒就盡可能馬上來嚮您表示敬意，希望我堅持要租畫眉田莊沒什麽使您不方便。昨天我聽說您想——”。
“畫眉田莊是我自己的，先生。”他打斷了我的話，閃避着。“衹要是我能夠阻止，我總是不允許任何人給我什麽不方便的。進來吧！”
這一聲“進來”是咬着牙說出來的，表示了這樣一種情緒，“見鬼！”甚至他靠着的那扇大門也沒有對這句許諾表現出同情而移動；我想情況决定我接受這樣的邀請：我對一個仿佛比我還更怪僻的人頗感興趣。
他看見我的馬的胸部簡直要碰上柵欄了，竟也伸手解開了門鏈，然後陰鬱地領我走上石路，在我們到了院子裏的時候，就叫着： “約瑟夫，把洛剋烏德先生的馬牽走。拿點酒來。”
“我想他全家衹有這一個人吧，”那句雙重命令引起了這種想法。“怪不得石板縫間長滿了草，而且衹有牛替他們修剪籬笆哩。”
約瑟夫是個上年紀的人，不，簡直是個老頭——也許很老了，雖然還很健壯結實。“求主保佑我們！”他接過我的馬時，別彆扭扭地不高興地低聲自言自語着，同時又那麽憤怒地盯着我的臉，使我善意地揣度他一定需要神來幫助才能消化他的飯食，而他那虔誠的突然喊叫跟我這突然來訪是毫無關係的。
呼嘯山莊是希刺剋厲夫先生的住宅名稱。“呼嘯”是一個意味深長的內地形容詞，形容這地方在風暴的天氣裏所受的氣壓騷動。的確，他們這兒一定是隨時都流通着振奮精神的純潔空氣。從房屋那頭有幾棵矮小的樅樹過度傾斜，還有那一排瘦削的荊棘都嚮着一個方向伸展枝條，仿佛在嚮太陽乞討溫暖，就可以猜想到北風吹過的威力了。幸虧建築師有先見把房子蓋得很結實：窄小的窗子深深地嵌在墻裏，墻角有大塊的凸出的石頭防護着。
在跨進門檻之前，我停步觀賞房屋前面大量的稀奇古怪的雕刻，特別是正門附近，那上面除了許多殘破的怪獸和不知羞的小男孩外，我還發現“一五○○”年代和“哈裏頓·恩蕭”的名字。我本想說一兩句話，嚮這倨傲無禮的主人請教這地方的簡短歷史，但是從他站在門口的姿勢看來，是要我趕快進去，要不就幹脆離開，而我在參觀內部之前也並不想增加他的不耐煩。
不用經過任何穿堂過道，我們徑直進了這傢的起坐間：他們頗有見地索性把這裏叫作“屋子”。一般所謂屋子是把廚房和大廳都包括在內的；但是我認為在呼嘯山莊裏，廚房是撤退到另一個角落裏去了；至少我辨別出在頂裏面有喋喋的說話聲和廚房用具的磕碰聲；而且在大壁爐裏我並沒看出燒煮或烘烤食物的痕跡，墻上也沒有銅鍋和錫濾鍋之類在閃閃發光。倒是在屋子的一頭，在一個大橡木櫥櫃上擺着一疊疊的白鑞盤子；以及一些銀壺和銀杯散置着，一排排，壘得高高的直到屋頂，的確它們射出的光綫和熱氣映照得燦爛奪目。櫥櫃從未上過漆；它的整個構造任憑人去研究。衹是有一處，被擺滿了麥餅、牛羊腿和火腿之類的木架遮蓋住了。壁爐臺上有雜七雜八的老式難看的槍，還有一對馬槍；並且，為了裝飾起見，還有三個畫得俗氣的茶葉罐靠邊排列着。地是平滑的白石鋪砌的；椅子是高背的，老式的結構，塗着緑色；一兩把笨重的黑椅子藏在暗處。櫥櫃下面的圓拱裏，躺着一條好大的、豬肝色的母獵狗，一窩唧唧叫着的小狗圍着它，還有些狗在別的空地走動。
要是這屋子和傢具屬於一個質樸的北方農民，他有着頑強的面貌，以及穿短褲和綁腿套挺方便的粗壯的腿，那倒沒有什麽稀奇。這樣的人，坐在他的扶手椅上，一大杯啤酒在面前的圓桌上冒着白沫，衹要你在飯後適當的時間，在這山中方圓五六英裏區域內走一趟，總可以看得到的。但是希刺剋厲夫先生和他的住宅，以及生活方式，卻形成一種古怪的對比。在外貌上他像一個黑皮膚的吉普賽人，在衣着和風度上他又像個紳士——也就是，像鄉紳那樣的紳士：也許有點邋遢，可是懶拖拖的並不難看，因為他有一個挺拔、漂亮的身材；而且有點鬱鬱不樂的樣子。可能有人會懷疑，他因某種程度的缺乏教養而傲慢無禮；我內心深處卻産生了同情之感，認為他並不是這類人。我直覺地知道他的冷淡是由於對矯揉造作——對互相表示親熱感到厭惡。他把愛和恨都掩蓋起來，至於被人愛或恨，他又認為是一種魯莽的事。不，我這樣下判斷可太早了：我把自己的特性慷慨地施與他了。希刺剋厲夫先生遇見一個算是熟人時，便把手藏起來，也許另有和我所想的完全不同的原因。但願我這天性可稱得上是特別的吧。我親愛的母親總說我永遠不會有個舒服的傢。直到去年夏天我自己纔證實了真是完全不配有那樣一個傢。
我正在海邊享受着一個月的好天氣的當兒，一下子認識了一個迷人的人兒——在她還沒註意到我的時候，在我眼中她就是一個真正的女神。我從來沒有把我的愛情說出口；可是，如果神色可以傳情的話，連傻子也猜得出我在沒命地愛她。後來她懂得我的意思了，就回送我一個秋波——一切可以想象得到的顧盼中最甜蜜的秋波。我怎麽辦呢？我羞愧地懺悔了——冷冰冰地退縮，像個蝸牛似的；她越看我，我就縮得越冷越遠。直到最後這可憐的天真的孩子不得不懷疑她自己的感覺，她自以為猜錯了，感到非常惶惑，便說服她母親撤營而去。由於我古怪的舉止，我得了個冷酷無情的名聲；
多麽冤枉啊，那衹有我自己才能體會。
我在爐邊的椅子上坐下，我的房東就去坐對面的一把。為了消磨這一刻的沉默，我想去摩弄那衹。它纔離開那窩崽子，正在兇狠地偷偷溜到我的腿後面，呲牙咧嘴地，白牙上饞涎欲滴。我的愛撫卻使它從喉頭裏發出一聲長長的狺聲。
“你最好別理這衹狗，”希刺剋厲夫先生以同樣的音調咆哮着，跺一下腳來警告它。“它是不習慣受人嬌慣的——它不是當作玩意兒養的。”接着，他大步走到一個邊門，又大叫：
“約瑟夫！”
約瑟夫在地窖的深處咕噥着，可是並不打算上來。因此他的主人就下地窖去找他，留下我和那兇暴的和一對猙獰的蓬毛守羊狗面面相覷。這對狗同那一起對我的一舉一動都提防着，監視着。我並不想和犬牙打交道，就靜坐着不動；然而，我以為它們不會理解沉默的蔑視，不幸我又對這三衹狗擠擠眼，作作鬼臉，我臉上的某種變化如此激怒了狗夫人，它忽然暴怒，跳上我的膝蓋。我把它推開，趕忙拉過一張桌子作擋箭牌。這舉動惹起了公憤；六衹大小不同、年齡不一的四腳惡魔，從暗處一齊竄到屋中。我覺得我的腳跟和衣邊尤其是攻擊的目標，就一面盡可能有效地用火鉗來擋開較大的鬥士，一面又不得不大聲求援，請這傢裏的什麽人來重建和平。
希刺剋厲夫和他的僕人邁着煩躁的懶洋洋的腳步，爬上了地窖的梯階：我認為他們走得並不比平常快一秒鐘，雖然爐邊已經給撕咬和狂吠鬧得大亂。幸虧廚房裏有人快步走來：一個健壯的女人，她捲着衣裙，光着胳臂，兩頰火紅，揮舞着一個煎鍋衝到我們中間——而且運用那個武器和她的舌頭頗為見效，很奇妙地平息了這場風暴。等她的主人上場時，她已如大風過後卻還在起伏的海洋一般，喘息着。
“見鬼，到底是怎麽回事？”他問。就在我剛纔受到那樣不禮貌的接待後，他還這樣瞅着我，可真難以忍受。
“是啊，真是見鬼！”我咕嚕着。“先生，有鬼附體的豬群，①還沒有您那些畜生兇呢。您倒不如把一個生客丟給一群老虎的好！”
①有鬼附體的豬群——見《聖經·新約·路加福音》第八章第三十一節到第三十三節：“鬼就央求耶穌，不要吩咐他們到無底坑裏去。那裏有一大群豬，在山上吃食。鬼央求耶穌，準他們進入豬裏去。耶穌準了他們。鬼就從那人身上出來，進入豬裏去。於是那群豬闖下山崖，投在湖裏淹死了。”
“對於不碰它們的人，它們不會多事的。”他說，把酒瓶放在我面前，又把搬開的桌子歸回原位。
“狗是應該警覺的。喝杯酒嗎？”
“不，謝謝您。”
“沒給咬着吧？”
“我要是給咬着了，我可要在這咬人的東西上打上我的印記呢。”
希刺剋厲夫的臉上現出笑容。
“好啦，好啦，”他說，“你受驚啦，洛剋烏德先生。喏，喝點酒。這所房子裏客人極少，所以我願意承認，我和我的狗都不大知道該怎麽接待客人。先生，祝你健康！”
我鞠躬，也回敬了他；我開始覺得為了一群狗的失禮而坐在那兒生氣，可有點傻。此外，我也討厭讓這個傢夥再取笑我，因為他的興致已經轉到取樂上來了。也許他也已察覺到，得罪一個好房客是愚蠢的，語氣便稍稍委婉些，提起了他以為我會有興趣的話頭——談到我目前住處的優點與缺點。我發現他對我們所觸及的話題，是非常有才智的；在我回傢之前，我居然興致勃勃，提出明天再來拜訪。而他顯然並不願我再來打攪。但是，我還是要去。我感到我自己跟他比起來是多麽擅長交際啊，這可真是驚人。
'Mr. Heathcliff?' I said.
A nod was the answer.
'Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant, sir. I do myself the honour of calling as soon as possible after my arrival, to express the hope that I have not inconvenienced you by my perseverance in soliciting the occupation of Thrushcross Grange: I heard yesterday you had had some thoughts - '
'Thrushcross Grange is my own, sir,' he interrupted, wincing. 'I should not allow any one to inconvenience me, if I could hinder it - walk in!'
The 'walk in' was uttered with closed teeth, and expressed the sentiment, 'Go to the Deuce:' even the gate over which he leant manifested no sympathising movement to the words; and I think that circumstance determined me to accept the invitation: I felt interested in a man who seemed more exaggeratedly reserved than myself.
When he saw my horse's breast fairly pushing the barrier, he did put out his hand to unchain it, and then sullenly preceded me up the causeway, calling, as we entered the court, - 'Joseph, take Mr. Lockwood's horse; and bring up some wine.'
'Here we have the whole establishment of domestics, I suppose,' was the reflection suggested by this compound order. 'No wonder the grass grows up between the flags, and cattle are the only hedge- cutters.'
Joseph was an elderly, nay, an old man: very old, perhaps, though hale and sinewy. 'The Lord help us!' he soliloquised in an undertone of peevish displeasure, while relieving me of my horse: looking, meantime, in my face so sourly that I charitably conjectured he must have need of divine aid to digest his dinner, and his pious ejaculation had no reference to my unexpected advent.
Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. Heathcliff's dwelling. 'Wuthering' being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun. Happily, the architect had foresight to build it strong: the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones.
Before passing the threshold, I paused to admire a quantity of grotesque carving lavished over the front, and especially about the principal door; above which, among a wilderness of crumbling griffins and shameless little boys, I detected the date '1500,' and the name 'Hareton Earnshaw.' I would have made a few comments, and requested a short history of the place from the surly owner; but his attitude at the door appeared to demand my speedy entrance, or complete departure, and I had no desire to aggravate his impatience previous to inspecting the penetralium.
One stop brought us into the family sitting-room, without any introductory lobby or passage: they call it here 'the house' pre- eminently. It includes kitchen and parlour, generally; but I believe at Wuthering Heights the kitchen is forced to retreat altogether into another quarter: at least I distinguished a chatter of tongues, and a clatter of culinary utensils, deep within; and I observed no signs of roasting, boiling, or baking, about the huge fireplace; nor any glitter of copper saucepans and tin cullenders on the walls. One end, indeed, reflected splendidly both light and heat from ranks of immense pewter dishes, interspersed with silver jugs and tankards, towering row after row, on a vast oak dresser, to the very roof. The latter had never been under-drawn: its entire anatomy lay bare to an inquiring eye, except where a frame of wood laden with oatcakes and clusters of legs of beef, mutton, and ham, concealed it. Above the chimney were sundry villainous old guns, and a couple of horse-pistols: and, by way of ornament, three gaudily-painted canisters disposed along its ledge. The floor was of smooth, white stone; the chairs, high-backed, primitive structures, painted green: one or two heavy black ones lurking in the shade. In an arch under the dresser reposed a huge, liver-coloured bitch pointer, surrounded by a swarm of squealing puppies; and other dogs haunted other recesses.
The apartment and furniture would have been nothing extraordinary as belonging to a homely, northern farmer, with a stubborn countenance, and stalwart limbs set out to advantage in knee- breeches and gaiters. Such an individual seated in his arm-chair, his mug of ale frothing on the round table before him, is to be seen in any circuit of five or six miles among these hills, if you go at the right time after dinner. But Mr. Heathcliff forms a singular contrast to his abode and style of living. He is a dark- skinned gipsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman: that is, as much a gentleman as many a country squire: rather slovenly, perhaps, yet not looking amiss with his negligence, because he has an erect and handsome figure; and rather morose. Possibly, some people might suspect him of a degree of under-bred pride; I have a sympathetic chord within that tells me it is nothing of the sort: I know, by instinct, his reserve springs from an aversion to showy displays of feeling - to manifestations of mutual kindliness. He'll love and hate equally under cover, and esteem it a species of impertinence to be loved or hated again. No, I'm running on too fast: I bestow my own attributes over-liberally on him. Mr. Heathcliff may have entirely dissimilar reasons for keeping his hand out of the way when he meets a would-be acquaintance, to those which actuate me. Let me hope my constitution is almost peculiar: my dear mother used to say I should never have a comfortable home; and only last summer I proved myself perfectly unworthy of one.
While enjoying a month of fine weather at the sea-coast, I was thrown into the company of a most fascinating creature: a real goddess in my eyes, as long as she took no notice of me. I 'never told my love' vocally; still, if looks have language, the merest idiot might have guessed I was over head and ears: she understood me at last, and looked a return - the sweetest of all imaginable looks. And what did I do? I confess it with shame - shrunk icily into myself, like a snail; at every glance retired colder and farther; till finally the poor innocent was led to doubt her own senses, and, overwhelmed with confusion at her supposed mistake, persuaded her mamma to decamp. By this curious turn of disposition I have gained the reputation of deliberate heartlessness; how undeserved, I alone can appreciate.
I took a seat at the end of the hearthstone opposite that towards which my landlord advanced, and filled up an interval of silence by attempting to caress the canine mother, who had left her nursery, and was sneaking wolfishly to the back of my legs, her lip curled up, and her white teeth watering for a snatch. My caress provoked a long, guttural gnarl.
'You'd better let the dog alone,' growled Mr. Heathcliff in unison, checking fiercer demonstrations with a punch of his foot. 'She's not accustomed to be spoiled - not kept for a pet.' Then, striding to a side door, he shouted again, 'Joseph!'
Joseph mumbled indistinctly in the depths of the cellar, but gave no intimation of ascending; so his master dived down to him, leaving me VIS-A-VIS the ruffianly bitch and a pair of grim shaggy sheep-dogs, who shared with her a jealous guardianship over all my movements. Not anxious to come in contact with their fangs, I sat still; but, imagining they would scarcely understand tacit insults, I unfortunately indulged in winking and making faces at the trio, and some turn of my physiognomy so irritated madam, that she suddenly broke into a fury and leapt on my knees. I flung her back, and hastened to interpose the table between us. This proceeding aroused the whole hive: half-a-dozen four-footed fiends, of various sizes and ages, issued from hidden dens to the common centre. I felt my heels and coat-laps peculiar subjects of assault; and parrying off the larger combatants as effectually as I could with the poker, I was constrained to demand, aloud, assistance from some of the household in re-establishing peace.
Mr. Heathcliff and his man climbed the cellar steps with vexatious phlegm: I don't think they moved one second faster than usual, though the hearth was an absolute tempest of worrying and yelping. Happily, an inhabitant of the kitchen made more despatch: a lusty dame, with tucked-up gown, bare arms, and fire-flushed cheeks, rushed into the midst of us flourishing a frying-pan: and used that weapon, and her tongue, to such purpose, that the storm subsided magically, and she only remained, heaving like a sea after a high wind, when her master entered on the scene.
'What the devil is the matter?' he asked, eyeing me in a manner that I could ill endure, after this inhospitable treatment.
'What the devil, indeed!' I muttered. 'The herd of possessed swine could have had no worse spirits in them than those animals of yours, sir. You might as well leave a stranger with a brood of tigers!'
'They won't meddle with persons who touch nothing,' he remarked, putting the bottle before me, and restoring the displaced table. 'The dogs do right to be vigilant. Take a glass of wine?'
'No, thank you.'
'Not bitten, are you?'
'If I had been, I would have set my signet on the biter.' Heathcliff's countenance relaxed into a grin.
'Come, come,' he said, 'you are flurried, Mr. Lockwood. Here, take a little wine. Guests are so exceedingly rare in this house that I and my dogs, I am willing to own, hardly know how to receive them. Your health, sir?'
I bowed and returned the pledge; beginning to perceive that it would be foolish to sit sulking for the misbehaviour of a pack of curs; besides, I felt loth to yield the fellow further amusement at my expense; since his humour took that turn. He - probably swayed by prudential consideration of the folly of offending a good tenant - relaxed a little in the laconic style of chipping off his pronouns and auxiliary verbs, and introduced what he supposed would be a subject of interest to me, - a discourse on the advantages and disadvantages of my present place of retirement. I found him very intelligent on the topics we touched; and before I went home, I was encouraged so far as to volunteer another visit to-morrow. He evidently wished no repetition of my intrusion. I shall go, notwithstanding. It is astonishing how sociable I feel myself compared with him.
“希刺剋厲夫先生嗎？”我說。
回答是點一下頭。
“先生，我是洛剋烏德，您的新房客。我一到這兒就盡可能馬上來嚮您表示敬意，希望我堅持要租畫眉田莊沒什麽使您不方便。昨天我聽說您想——”。
“畫眉田莊是我自己的，先生。”他打斷了我的話，閃避着。“衹要是我能夠阻止，我總是不允許任何人給我什麽不方便的。進來吧！”
這一聲“進來”是咬着牙說出來的，表示了這樣一種情緒，“見鬼！”甚至他靠着的那扇大門也沒有對這句許諾表現出同情而移動；我想情況决定我接受這樣的邀請：我對一個仿佛比我還更怪僻的人頗感興趣。
他看見我的馬的胸部簡直要碰上柵欄了，竟也伸手解開了門鏈，然後陰鬱地領我走上石路，在我們到了院子裏的時候，就叫着： “約瑟夫，把洛剋烏德先生的馬牽走。拿點酒來。”
“我想他全家衹有這一個人吧，”那句雙重命令引起了這種想法。“怪不得石板縫間長滿了草，而且衹有牛替他們修剪籬笆哩。”
約瑟夫是個上年紀的人，不，簡直是個老頭——也許很老了，雖然還很健壯結實。“求主保佑我們！”他接過我的馬時，別彆扭扭地不高興地低聲自言自語着，同時又那麽憤怒地盯着我的臉，使我善意地揣度他一定需要神來幫助才能消化他的飯食，而他那虔誠的突然喊叫跟我這突然來訪是毫無關係的。
呼嘯山莊是希刺剋厲夫先生的住宅名稱。“呼嘯”是一個意味深長的內地形容詞，形容這地方在風暴的天氣裏所受的氣壓騷動。的確，他們這兒一定是隨時都流通着振奮精神的純潔空氣。從房屋那頭有幾棵矮小的樅樹過度傾斜，還有那一排瘦削的荊棘都嚮着一個方向伸展枝條，仿佛在嚮太陽乞討溫暖，就可以猜想到北風吹過的威力了。幸虧建築師有先見把房子蓋得很結實：窄小的窗子深深地嵌在墻裏，墻角有大塊的凸出的石頭防護着。
在跨進門檻之前，我停步觀賞房屋前面大量的稀奇古怪的雕刻，特別是正門附近，那上面除了許多殘破的怪獸和不知羞的小男孩外，我還發現“一五○○”年代和“哈裏頓·恩蕭”的名字。我本想說一兩句話，嚮這倨傲無禮的主人請教這地方的簡短歷史，但是從他站在門口的姿勢看來，是要我趕快進去，要不就幹脆離開，而我在參觀內部之前也並不想增加他的不耐煩。
不用經過任何穿堂過道，我們徑直進了這傢的起坐間：他們頗有見地索性把這裏叫作“屋子”。一般所謂屋子是把廚房和大廳都包括在內的；但是我認為在呼嘯山莊裏，廚房是撤退到另一個角落裏去了；至少我辨別出在頂裏面有喋喋的說話聲和廚房用具的磕碰聲；而且在大壁爐裏我並沒看出燒煮或烘烤食物的痕跡，墻上也沒有銅鍋和錫濾鍋之類在閃閃發光。倒是在屋子的一頭，在一個大橡木櫥櫃上擺着一疊疊的白鑞盤子；以及一些銀壺和銀杯散置着，一排排，壘得高高的直到屋頂，的確它們射出的光綫和熱氣映照得燦爛奪目。櫥櫃從未上過漆；它的整個構造任憑人去研究。衹是有一處，被擺滿了麥餅、牛羊腿和火腿之類的木架遮蓋住了。壁爐臺上有雜七雜八的老式難看的槍，還有一對馬槍；並且，為了裝飾起見，還有三個畫得俗氣的茶葉罐靠邊排列着。地是平滑的白石鋪砌的；椅子是高背的，老式的結構，塗着緑色；一兩把笨重的黑椅子藏在暗處。櫥櫃下面的圓拱裏，躺着一條好大的、豬肝色的母獵狗，一窩唧唧叫着的小狗圍着它，還有些狗在別的空地走動。
要是這屋子和傢具屬於一個質樸的北方農民，他有着頑強的面貌，以及穿短褲和綁腿套挺方便的粗壯的腿，那倒沒有什麽稀奇。這樣的人，坐在他的扶手椅上，一大杯啤酒在面前的圓桌上冒着白沫，衹要你在飯後適當的時間，在這山中方圓五六英裏區域內走一趟，總可以看得到的。但是希刺剋厲夫先生和他的住宅，以及生活方式，卻形成一種古怪的對比。在外貌上他像一個黑皮膚的吉普賽人，在衣着和風度上他又像個紳士——也就是，像鄉紳那樣的紳士：也許有點邋遢，可是懶拖拖的並不難看，因為他有一個挺拔、漂亮的身材；而且有點鬱鬱不樂的樣子。可能有人會懷疑，他因某種程度的缺乏教養而傲慢無禮；我內心深處卻産生了同情之感，認為他並不是這類人。我直覺地知道他的冷淡是由於對矯揉造作——對互相表示親熱感到厭惡。他把愛和恨都掩蓋起來，至於被人愛或恨，他又認為是一種魯莽的事。不，我這樣下判斷可太早了：我把自己的特性慷慨地施與他了。希刺剋厲夫先生遇見一個算是熟人時，便把手藏起來，也許另有和我所想的完全不同的原因。但願我這天性可稱得上是特別的吧。我親愛的母親總說我永遠不會有個舒服的傢。直到去年夏天我自己纔證實了真是完全不配有那樣一個傢。
我正在海邊享受着一個月的好天氣的當兒，一下子認識了一個迷人的人兒——在她還沒註意到我的時候，在我眼中她就是一個真正的女神。我從來沒有把我的愛情說出口；可是，如果神色可以傳情的話，連傻子也猜得出我在沒命地愛她。後來她懂得我的意思了，就回送我一個秋波——一切可以想象得到的顧盼中最甜蜜的秋波。我怎麽辦呢？我羞愧地懺悔了——冷冰冰地退縮，像個蝸牛似的；她越看我，我就縮得越冷越遠。直到最後這可憐的天真的孩子不得不懷疑她自己的感覺，她自以為猜錯了，感到非常惶惑，便說服她母親撤營而去。由於我古怪的舉止，我得了個冷酷無情的名聲；
多麽冤枉啊，那衹有我自己才能體會。
我在爐邊的椅子上坐下，我的房東就去坐對面的一把。為了消磨這一刻的沉默，我想去摩弄那衹。它纔離開那窩崽子，正在兇狠地偷偷溜到我的腿後面，呲牙咧嘴地，白牙上饞涎欲滴。我的愛撫卻使它從喉頭裏發出一聲長長的狺聲。
“你最好別理這衹狗，”希刺剋厲夫先生以同樣的音調咆哮着，跺一下腳來警告它。“它是不習慣受人嬌慣的——它不是當作玩意兒養的。”接着，他大步走到一個邊門，又大叫：
“約瑟夫！”
約瑟夫在地窖的深處咕噥着，可是並不打算上來。因此他的主人就下地窖去找他，留下我和那兇暴的和一對猙獰的蓬毛守羊狗面面相覷。這對狗同那一起對我的一舉一動都提防着，監視着。我並不想和犬牙打交道，就靜坐着不動；然而，我以為它們不會理解沉默的蔑視，不幸我又對這三衹狗擠擠眼，作作鬼臉，我臉上的某種變化如此激怒了狗夫人，它忽然暴怒，跳上我的膝蓋。我把它推開，趕忙拉過一張桌子作擋箭牌。這舉動惹起了公憤；六衹大小不同、年齡不一的四腳惡魔，從暗處一齊竄到屋中。我覺得我的腳跟和衣邊尤其是攻擊的目標，就一面盡可能有效地用火鉗來擋開較大的鬥士，一面又不得不大聲求援，請這傢裏的什麽人來重建和平。
希刺剋厲夫和他的僕人邁着煩躁的懶洋洋的腳步，爬上了地窖的梯階：我認為他們走得並不比平常快一秒鐘，雖然爐邊已經給撕咬和狂吠鬧得大亂。幸虧廚房裏有人快步走來：一個健壯的女人，她捲着衣裙，光着胳臂，兩頰火紅，揮舞着一個煎鍋衝到我們中間——而且運用那個武器和她的舌頭頗為見效，很奇妙地平息了這場風暴。等她的主人上場時，她已如大風過後卻還在起伏的海洋一般，喘息着。
“見鬼，到底是怎麽回事？”他問。就在我剛纔受到那樣不禮貌的接待後，他還這樣瞅着我，可真難以忍受。
“是啊，真是見鬼！”我咕嚕着。“先生，有鬼附體的豬群，①還沒有您那些畜生兇呢。您倒不如把一個生客丟給一群老虎的好！”
①有鬼附體的豬群——見《聖經·新約·路加福音》第八章第三十一節到第三十三節：“鬼就央求耶穌，不要吩咐他們到無底坑裏去。那裏有一大群豬，在山上吃食。鬼央求耶穌，準他們進入豬裏去。耶穌準了他們。鬼就從那人身上出來，進入豬裏去。於是那群豬闖下山崖，投在湖裏淹死了。”
“對於不碰它們的人，它們不會多事的。”他說，把酒瓶放在我面前，又把搬開的桌子歸回原位。
“狗是應該警覺的。喝杯酒嗎？”
“不，謝謝您。”
“沒給咬着吧？”
“我要是給咬着了，我可要在這咬人的東西上打上我的印記呢。”
希刺剋厲夫的臉上現出笑容。
“好啦，好啦，”他說，“你受驚啦，洛剋烏德先生。喏，喝點酒。這所房子裏客人極少，所以我願意承認，我和我的狗都不大知道該怎麽接待客人。先生，祝你健康！”
我鞠躬，也回敬了他；我開始覺得為了一群狗的失禮而坐在那兒生氣，可有點傻。此外，我也討厭讓這個傢夥再取笑我，因為他的興致已經轉到取樂上來了。也許他也已察覺到，得罪一個好房客是愚蠢的，語氣便稍稍委婉些，提起了他以為我會有興趣的話頭——談到我目前住處的優點與缺點。我發現他對我們所觸及的話題，是非常有才智的；在我回傢之前，我居然興致勃勃，提出明天再來拜訪。而他顯然並不願我再來打攪。但是，我還是要去。我感到我自己跟他比起來是多麽擅長交際啊，這可真是驚人。
'Mr. Heathcliff?' I said.
A nod was the answer.
'Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant, sir. I do myself the honour of calling as soon as possible after my arrival, to express the hope that I have not inconvenienced you by my perseverance in soliciting the occupation of Thrushcross Grange: I heard yesterday you had had some thoughts - '
'Thrushcross Grange is my own, sir,' he interrupted, wincing. 'I should not allow any one to inconvenience me, if I could hinder it - walk in!'
The 'walk in' was uttered with closed teeth, and expressed the sentiment, 'Go to the Deuce:' even the gate over which he leant manifested no sympathising movement to the words; and I think that circumstance determined me to accept the invitation: I felt interested in a man who seemed more exaggeratedly reserved than myself.
When he saw my horse's breast fairly pushing the barrier, he did put out his hand to unchain it, and then sullenly preceded me up the causeway, calling, as we entered the court, - 'Joseph, take Mr. Lockwood's horse; and bring up some wine.'
'Here we have the whole establishment of domestics, I suppose,' was the reflection suggested by this compound order. 'No wonder the grass grows up between the flags, and cattle are the only hedge- cutters.'
Joseph was an elderly, nay, an old man: very old, perhaps, though hale and sinewy. 'The Lord help us!' he soliloquised in an undertone of peevish displeasure, while relieving me of my horse: looking, meantime, in my face so sourly that I charitably conjectured he must have need of divine aid to digest his dinner, and his pious ejaculation had no reference to my unexpected advent.
Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. Heathcliff's dwelling. 'Wuthering' being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun. Happily, the architect had foresight to build it strong: the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones.
Before passing the threshold, I paused to admire a quantity of grotesque carving lavished over the front, and especially about the principal door; above which, among a wilderness of crumbling griffins and shameless little boys, I detected the date '1500,' and the name 'Hareton Earnshaw.' I would have made a few comments, and requested a short history of the place from the surly owner; but his attitude at the door appeared to demand my speedy entrance, or complete departure, and I had no desire to aggravate his impatience previous to inspecting the penetralium.
One stop brought us into the family sitting-room, without any introductory lobby or passage: they call it here 'the house' pre- eminently. It includes kitchen and parlour, generally; but I believe at Wuthering Heights the kitchen is forced to retreat altogether into another quarter: at least I distinguished a chatter of tongues, and a clatter of culinary utensils, deep within; and I observed no signs of roasting, boiling, or baking, about the huge fireplace; nor any glitter of copper saucepans and tin cullenders on the walls. One end, indeed, reflected splendidly both light and heat from ranks of immense pewter dishes, interspersed with silver jugs and tankards, towering row after row, on a vast oak dresser, to the very roof. The latter had never been under-drawn: its entire anatomy lay bare to an inquiring eye, except where a frame of wood laden with oatcakes and clusters of legs of beef, mutton, and ham, concealed it. Above the chimney were sundry villainous old guns, and a couple of horse-pistols: and, by way of ornament, three gaudily-painted canisters disposed along its ledge. The floor was of smooth, white stone; the chairs, high-backed, primitive structures, painted green: one or two heavy black ones lurking in the shade. In an arch under the dresser reposed a huge, liver-coloured bitch pointer, surrounded by a swarm of squealing puppies; and other dogs haunted other recesses.
The apartment and furniture would have been nothing extraordinary as belonging to a homely, northern farmer, with a stubborn countenance, and stalwart limbs set out to advantage in knee- breeches and gaiters. Such an individual seated in his arm-chair, his mug of ale frothing on the round table before him, is to be seen in any circuit of five or six miles among these hills, if you go at the right time after dinner. But Mr. Heathcliff forms a singular contrast to his abode and style of living. He is a dark- skinned gipsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman: that is, as much a gentleman as many a country squire: rather slovenly, perhaps, yet not looking amiss with his negligence, because he has an erect and handsome figure; and rather morose. Possibly, some people might suspect him of a degree of under-bred pride; I have a sympathetic chord within that tells me it is nothing of the sort: I know, by instinct, his reserve springs from an aversion to showy displays of feeling - to manifestations of mutual kindliness. He'll love and hate equally under cover, and esteem it a species of impertinence to be loved or hated again. No, I'm running on too fast: I bestow my own attributes over-liberally on him. Mr. Heathcliff may have entirely dissimilar reasons for keeping his hand out of the way when he meets a would-be acquaintance, to those which actuate me. Let me hope my constitution is almost peculiar: my dear mother used to say I should never have a comfortable home; and only last summer I proved myself perfectly unworthy of one.
While enjoying a month of fine weather at the sea-coast, I was thrown into the company of a most fascinating creature: a real goddess in my eyes, as long as she took no notice of me. I 'never told my love' vocally; still, if looks have language, the merest idiot might have guessed I was over head and ears: she understood me at last, and looked a return - the sweetest of all imaginable looks. And what did I do? I confess it with shame - shrunk icily into myself, like a snail; at every glance retired colder and farther; till finally the poor innocent was led to doubt her own senses, and, overwhelmed with confusion at her supposed mistake, persuaded her mamma to decamp. By this curious turn of disposition I have gained the reputation of deliberate heartlessness; how undeserved, I alone can appreciate.
I took a seat at the end of the hearthstone opposite that towards which my landlord advanced, and filled up an interval of silence by attempting to caress the canine mother, who had left her nursery, and was sneaking wolfishly to the back of my legs, her lip curled up, and her white teeth watering for a snatch. My caress provoked a long, guttural gnarl.
'You'd better let the dog alone,' growled Mr. Heathcliff in unison, checking fiercer demonstrations with a punch of his foot. 'She's not accustomed to be spoiled - not kept for a pet.' Then, striding to a side door, he shouted again, 'Joseph!'
Joseph mumbled indistinctly in the depths of the cellar, but gave no intimation of ascending; so his master dived down to him, leaving me VIS-A-VIS the ruffianly bitch and a pair of grim shaggy sheep-dogs, who shared with her a jealous guardianship over all my movements. Not anxious to come in contact with their fangs, I sat still; but, imagining they would scarcely understand tacit insults, I unfortunately indulged in winking and making faces at the trio, and some turn of my physiognomy so irritated madam, that she suddenly broke into a fury and leapt on my knees. I flung her back, and hastened to interpose the table between us. This proceeding aroused the whole hive: half-a-dozen four-footed fiends, of various sizes and ages, issued from hidden dens to the common centre. I felt my heels and coat-laps peculiar subjects of assault; and parrying off the larger combatants as effectually as I could with the poker, I was constrained to demand, aloud, assistance from some of the household in re-establishing peace.
Mr. Heathcliff and his man climbed the cellar steps with vexatious phlegm: I don't think they moved one second faster than usual, though the hearth was an absolute tempest of worrying and yelping. Happily, an inhabitant of the kitchen made more despatch: a lusty dame, with tucked-up gown, bare arms, and fire-flushed cheeks, rushed into the midst of us flourishing a frying-pan: and used that weapon, and her tongue, to such purpose, that the storm subsided magically, and she only remained, heaving like a sea after a high wind, when her master entered on the scene.
'What the devil is the matter?' he asked, eyeing me in a manner that I could ill endure, after this inhospitable treatment.
'What the devil, indeed!' I muttered. 'The herd of possessed swine could have had no worse spirits in them than those animals of yours, sir. You might as well leave a stranger with a brood of tigers!'
'They won't meddle with persons who touch nothing,' he remarked, putting the bottle before me, and restoring the displaced table. 'The dogs do right to be vigilant. Take a glass of wine?'
'No, thank you.'
'Not bitten, are you?'
'If I had been, I would have set my signet on the biter.' Heathcliff's countenance relaxed into a grin.
'Come, come,' he said, 'you are flurried, Mr. Lockwood. Here, take a little wine. Guests are so exceedingly rare in this house that I and my dogs, I am willing to own, hardly know how to receive them. Your health, sir?'
I bowed and returned the pledge; beginning to perceive that it would be foolish to sit sulking for the misbehaviour of a pack of curs; besides, I felt loth to yield the fellow further amusement at my expense; since his humour took that turn. He - probably swayed by prudential consideration of the folly of offending a good tenant - relaxed a little in the laconic style of chipping off his pronouns and auxiliary verbs, and introduced what he supposed would be a subject of interest to me, - a discourse on the advantages and disadvantages of my present place of retirement. I found him very intelligent on the topics we touched; and before I went home, I was encouraged so far as to volunteer another visit to-morrow. He evidently wished no repetition of my intrusion. I shall go, notwithstanding. It is astonishing how sociable I feel myself compared with him.
昨天下午又冷又有霧。我想就在書房爐邊消磨一下午，不想踩着雜草污泥到呼嘯山莊了。
但是，吃過午飯（註意——我在十二點與一點鐘之間吃午飯，而可以當作這所房子的附屬物的管傢婆，一位慈祥的太太卻不能，或者並不願理解我請求在五點鐘開飯的用意），在我懷着這個懶惰的想法上了樓，邁進屋子的時候，看見一個女僕跪在地上，身邊是掃帚和煤鬥。她正在用一堆堆煤渣封火，搞起一片彌漫的灰塵。這景象立刻把我趕回頭了。我拿了帽子，走了四裏路，到達了希刺剋厲夫的花園口口，剛好躲過了一場今年初降的鵝毛大雪。
在那荒涼的山頂上，土地由於結了一層黑冰而凍得堅硬，冷空氣使我四肢發抖。我弄不開門鏈，就跳進去，順着兩邊種着蔓延的醋慄樹叢的石路跑去。我白白地敲了半天門，一直敲到我的手指骨都痛了，狗也狂吠起來。
“倒黴的人傢！”我心裏直叫，“衹為你這樣無禮待客，就該一輩子跟人群隔離。我至少還不會在白天把門閂住。我纔不管呢——我要進去！”如此决定了。我就抓住門閂，使勁搖它。苦臉的約瑟夫從𠔌倉的一個圓窗裏探出頭來。
“你幹嗎？”他大叫。“主人在牛欄裏，你要是找他說話，就從這條路口繞過去。”
“屋裏沒人開門嗎？”我也叫起來。
“除了太太沒有別人。你就是鬧騰到夜裏，她也不會開。”
“為什麽？你就不能告訴她我是誰嗎，呃，約瑟夫？”
“別找我！我纔不管這些閑事呢，”這個腦袋咕嚕着，又不見了。
雪開始下大了。我握住門柄又試一回。這時一個沒穿外衣的年輕人，扛着一根草耙，在後面院子裏出現了。他招呼我跟着他走，穿過了一個洗衣房和一片鋪平的地，那兒有煤棚、抽水機和鴿籠，我們終於到了我上次被接待過的那間溫暖的、熱鬧的大屋子。煤、炭和木材混合在一起燃起的熊熊爐火，使這屋子放着光彩。在準備擺上豐盛晚餐的桌旁，我很高興地看到了那位“太太”，以前我從未料想到會有這麽一個人存在的。我鞠躬等候，以為她會叫我坐下。她望望我，往她的椅背一靠，不動，也不出聲。
“天氣真壞！”我說，“希刺剋厲夫太太，恐怕大門因為您的僕人偷懶而大吃苦頭，我費了好大勁纔使他們聽見我敲門！”
她死不開口。我瞪眼——她也瞪眼。反正她總是以一種冷冷的、漠不關心的神氣盯住我，使人十分窘，而且不愉快。
“坐下吧，”那年輕人粗聲粗氣地說，“他就要來了。”
我服從了；輕輕咳了一下，叫喚那惡狗朱諾。臨到第二次會面，它總算賞臉，搖起尾巴尖，表示認我是熟人了。
“好漂亮的狗！”我又開始說話。“您是不是打算不要這些小的呢，夫人？”
“那些不是我的，”這可愛可親的女主人說，比希刺剋厲夫本人所能回答的腔調還要更冷淡些。
“啊，您所心愛的是在這一堆裏啦！”我轉身指着一個看不清楚的靠墊上那一堆像貓似的東西，接着說下去。
“誰會愛這些東西那纔怪呢！”她輕衊地說。
倒黴，原來那是堆死兔子。我又輕咳一聲，嚮火爐湊近些，又把今晚天氣不好的話評論一通。
“你本來就不該出來。”她說，站起來去拿壁爐臺上的兩個彩色茶葉罐。
她原先坐在光綫被遮住的地方，現在我把她的全身和面貌都看得清清楚楚。她苗條，顯然還沒有過青春期。挺好看的體態，還有一張我生平從未有幸見過的絶妙的小臉蛋。五官纖麗，非常漂亮。淡黃色的捲發，或者不如說是金黃色的，鬆鬆地垂在她那細嫩的頸上。至於眼睛，要是眼神能顯得和悅些，就要使人無法抗拒了。對我這容易動情的心說來倒是常事，因為它們所表現的衹是在輕衊與近似絶望之間的一種情緒，而在那張臉上看見那樣的眼神是特別不自然的。
她簡直夠不到茶葉罐。我動了一動，想幫她一下。她猛地扭轉身嚮我，像守財奴看見別人打算幫他數他的金子一樣。
“我不要你幫忙，”她怒氣衝衝地說，“我自己拿得到。”
“對不起！”我連忙回答。
“是請你來吃茶的嗎？”她問，把一條圍裙係在她那幹淨的黑衣服上，就這樣站着，拿一匙茶葉正要往茶壺裏倒。
“我很想喝杯茶。”我回答。
“是請你來的嗎？”她又問。
“沒有，”我說，勉強笑一笑。“您正好請我喝茶。”
她把茶葉丟回去，連匙帶茶葉，一起收起來，使性地又坐在椅子上。她的前額蹙起，紅紅的下嘴唇撅起，像一個小孩要哭似的。
同時，那年輕人已經穿上了一件相當破舊的上衣，站在爐火前面，用眼角瞅着我，簡直好像我們之間有什麽未了的死仇似的。我開始懷疑他到底是不是一個僕人了。他的衣着和言語都顯得沒有教養，完全沒有在希刺剋厲夫先生和他太太身上所能看到的那種優越感。他那厚厚的棕色捲發亂七八糟，他的鬍子像頭熊似的布滿面頰，而他的手就像普通工人的手那樣變成褐色；可是，他的態度很隨便，幾乎有點傲慢，而且一點沒有傢僕伺候女主人那謹慎殷勤的樣子。既然缺乏關於他的地位的明白證據，我認為最好還是不去註意他那古怪的舉止。五分鐘以後，希刺剋厲夫進來了，多少算是把我從那不舒服的境況中解救出來了。
“您瞧，先生，說話算數，我是來啦！”我叫道，裝着高興的樣子，“我擔心要給這天氣睏住半個鐘頭呢，您能不能讓我在這會兒避一下。”
“半個鐘頭？”他說，抖落他衣服上的雪片，“我奇怪你為什麽要挑這麽個大雪天出來逛蕩。你知道你是在冒着迷路和掉在沼澤地裏的危險嗎？熟悉這些荒野的人，往往還會在這樣的晚上迷路的。而且我可以告訴你，目前天氣是不會轉好的。”
“或許我可以在您的僕人中間找一位帶路人吧，他可以在田莊住到明天早上——您能給我一位嗎？”
“不，我不能。”
“啊呀！真的！那我衹得靠我自己的本事啦。”
“哼！”
“你是不是該準備茶啦？”穿着破衣服的人問，他那惡狠狠的眼光從我身上轉到那年輕的太太那邊。
“請他喝嗎？”她問希刺剋厲夫。
“準備好，行嗎？”這就是回答，他說得這麽蠻橫，竟把我嚇了一跳。這句話的腔調露出他真正的壞性子。我再也不想稱希刺剋厲夫為一個絶妙的人了。茶預備好了之後，他就這樣請我，“現在，先生，把你的椅子挪過來。”於是我們全體，包括那粗野的年輕人在內，都拉過椅子來圍桌而坐。在我們品嚐食物時，四下裏一片嚴峻的沉默。
我想，如果是我引起了這塊烏雲，那我就該負責努力驅散它。他們不能每天都這麽陰沉緘默地坐着吧。無論他們有多壞的脾氣，也不可能每天臉上都帶着怒容吧。
“奇怪的是，”我在喝完一杯茶，接過第二杯的當兒開始說，“奇怪的是習慣如何形成我們的趣味和思想，很多人就不能想象，像您，希刺剋厲夫先生，所過的這麽一種與世完全隔絶的生活裏也會有幸福存在。可是我敢說，有您一傢人圍着您，還有您可愛的夫人作為您的家庭與您的心靈上的主宰——”
“我可愛的夫人！”他插嘴，臉上帶着幾乎是惡魔似的譏笑。“她在哪兒——我可愛的夫人？”
“我的意思是說希刺剋厲夫夫人，您的太太。”
“哦，是啦——啊！你是說甚至在她的肉體死去了以後，她的靈魂還站在傢神的崗位上，而且守護着呼嘯山莊的産業。
是不是這樣？”
我察覺我搞錯了，便企圖改正它。我本來該看出雙方的年齡相差太大，不像是夫妻。一個大概四十了，正是精力健壯的時期，男人在這時期很少會懷着女孩子們是由於愛情而嫁給他的妄想。那種夢是留給我們到老年聊以的。另一個人呢，望上去卻還不到十七歲。
於是一個念頭在我心上一閃，“在我胳臂肘旁邊的那個傻瓜，用盆喝茶，用沒洗過的手拿面包吃，也許就是她的丈夫：希刺剋厲夫少爺，當然是羅。這就是合理的後果：衹因為她全然不知道天下還有更好的人，她就嫁給了那個鄉下佬！憾事——我必須當心，我可別引起她悔恨她的選擇。”最後的念頭仿佛有點自負，其實倒也不是。我旁邊的人在我看來近乎令人生厭。根據經驗，我知道我多少還有點吸引力。
“希刺剋厲夫太太是我的兒媳婦，”希刺剋厲夫說，證實了我的猜測。他說着，掉過頭以一種特別的眼光嚮她望着：一種憎恨的眼光，除非是他臉上的肌肉生得極反常，不會像別人一樣地表現出他心靈的語言。
“啊，當然——我現在看出來啦：您纔是這慈善的天仙的有福氣的占有者哩。”我轉過頭來對我旁邊那個人說。
比剛纔更糟：這年輕人臉上通紅，握緊拳頭，簡直想要擺出動武的架勢。可是他仿佛馬上又鎮定了，衹衝着我咕嚕了一句粗野的駡人的話，壓下了這場風波，這句話，我假裝沒註意。
“不幸你猜得不對，先生！”我的主人說，“我們兩個都沒那種福分占有你的好天仙，她的男人死啦。我說過她是我的兒媳婦，因此，她當然是嫁給我的兒子的了。”
“這位年輕人是——”
“當然不是我的兒子！”
希刺剋厲夫又微笑了，好像把那個粗人算作他的兒子，簡直是把玩笑開得太莽撞了。
“我的姓名是哈裏頓·恩蕭，”另一個人吼着，“而且我勸你尊敬它！”
“我沒有表示不尊敬呀。”這是我的回答，心裏暗笑他報出自己的姓名時的莊嚴神氣。
他死盯着我，盯得我都不願意再回瞪他了，唯恐我會耐不住給他個耳光或是笑出聲來。我開始感到在這個愉快的一傢人中間，我的確是礙事。那種精神上的陰鬱氣氛不止是抵銷，而且是壓倒了我四周明亮的物質上的舒適。我决心在第三次敢於再來到這屋裏時可要小心謹慎。
吃喝完畢，誰也沒說句應酬話，我就走到一扇窗子跟前去看看天氣。我見到一片悲慘的景象：黑夜提前降臨，天空和群山混雜在一團寒冽的旋風和使人窒息的大雪中。
“現在沒有帶路人，我恐怕不可能回傢了，”我不禁叫起來。
“道路已經埋上了，就是還露出來的話，我也看不清往哪兒邁步啦。”
“哈裏頓，把那十幾衹羊趕到𠔌倉的走廊上去，要是整夜留在羊圈就得給它們蓋點東西，前面也要擋塊木板。”希刺剋厲夫說。
“我該怎麽辦呢？”我又說，更焦急了。
沒有人搭理我。我回頭望望，衹見約瑟夫給狗送進一桶粥，希刺剋厲夫太太俯身嚮着火，燒着火柴玩；這堆火柴是她剛纔把茶葉罐放回爐臺時碰下來的。約瑟夫放下了他的粥桶之後，找碴似地把這屋子瀏覽一通，扯着沙啞的喉嚨喊起來：
“我真奇怪別人都出去了，你怎麽能就閑在那兒站着！可你就是沒出息，說也沒用——你一輩子也改不了，就等死後見魔鬼，跟你媽一樣！”
我一時還以為這一番滔滔不絶是對我而發的。我大為憤怒，便嚮着這老流氓走去，打算把他踢出門外。但是，希刺剋厲夫夫人的回答止住了我。
“你這鬍扯八道的假正經的老東西！”她回答，“你提到魔鬼的名字時，你就不怕給活捉嗎？我警告你不要惹我，不然我就要特別請它把你勾去。站住！瞧瞧這兒，約瑟夫，”她接着說，並從書架上拿出一本大黑書，“我要給你看看我學魔術已經進步了多少，不久我就可以完全精通。那條紅牛不是偶然死掉的，而你的風濕病還不能算作天賜的懲罰！”
“啊，惡毒，惡毒！”老頭喘息着，“求主拯救我們脫離吧！”
“不，混蛋！你是個上帝拋棄的人——滾開，不然我要狠狠地傷害你啦！我要把你們全用蠟和泥捏成模型；誰先越過我定的界限，我就要——我不說他要倒什麽樣的黴——可是，瞧着吧！去，我可在瞅着你呢。”
這個小女巫那雙美麗的眼睛裏添上一種嘲弄的惡毒神氣。約瑟夫真的嚇得直抖，趕緊跑出去，一邊跑一邊禱告，還嚷着“惡毒！”我想她的行為一定是由於無聊鬧着玩玩的。現在衹有我們倆了，我想對她訴訴苦。
“希刺剋厲夫太太，”我懇切地說，“您一定得原諒我麻煩您。我敢於這樣是因為，您既有這麽一張臉，我敢說您一定也心好。請指出幾個路標，我也好知道回傢的路。我一點也不知道該怎麽走，就跟您不知道怎麽去倫敦一樣！”
“順你來的路走回去好啦，”她回答，仍然安坐在椅子上，面前一支蠟燭，還有那本攤開的大書。“很簡單的辦法，可也是我所能提的頂穩當的辦法。”
“那麽，要是您以後聽說我給人發現已經死在泥沼或雪坑裏，您的良心就不會低聲說您也有部分的過錯嗎？”
“怎麽會呢？我又不能送你走。他們不許我走到花園墻那頭的。”
“您送我！在這樣一個晚上，為了我的方便就是請您邁出這個門檻，那我也於心不忍啊！”我叫道，“我要您告訴我怎麽走，不是領我走。要不然就勸勸希刺剋厲夫先生給我派一位帶路人吧。”
“派誰呢？衹有他自己，恩蕭，齊拉，約瑟夫，我。你要哪一個呢？”
“莊上沒有男孩子嗎？”
“沒有，就這些人。”
“那就是說我不得不住在這兒啦！”
“那你可以跟你的主人商量。我不管。”
“我希望這是對你的一個教訓，以後別再在這山間瞎逛蕩。”從廚房門口傳來希刺剋厲夫的嚴厲的喊聲：“至於住在這兒，我可沒有招待客人的設備。你要住，就跟哈裏頓或者約瑟夫睡一張床吧！”
“我可以睡在這間屋子裏的一把椅子上。”我回答。
“不行，不行！生人總是生人，不論他是窮是富。我不習慣允許任何人進入我防不到的地方！”這沒有禮貌的壞蛋說。
受了這個侮辱，我的忍耐到頭了。我十分憤慨地駡了一聲，在他的身邊擦過，衝到院子裏，匆忙中正撞着恩蕭。那時是這麽漆黑，以至我竟找不到出口；我正在亂轉，又聽見他們之間有教養的舉止的另一例證：起初那年輕人好像對我還友好。
“我陪他走到公園那兒去吧，”他說。
“你陪他下地獄好了！”他的主人或是他的什麽親屬叫道。
“那麽誰看馬呢，呃？”
“一個人的性命總比一晚上沒有人照應馬重要些。總得有個人去的。”希刺剋厲夫夫人輕輕地說，比我所想的和善多了。
“不要你命令我！”哈裏頓了。“你要是重視他，頂好別吭聲。”
“那麽我希望他的鬼魂纏住你，我也希望希刺剋厲夫先生再也找不到一個房客，直等田莊全毀掉！”她尖刻地回答。
“聽吧，聽吧，她在咒他們啦！”約瑟夫咕嚕着，我正嚮他走去。
他坐在說話聽得見的近處，藉着一盞提燈的光在擠牛奶，我就毫無禮貌地把提燈搶過來，大喊着我明天把它送回來，便奔嚮最近的一個邊門。
“主人，主人，他把提燈偷跑啦！”這老頭一面大喊，一面追我。“喂，咬人的！喂，狗！喂，狼！逮住他，逮住他！”
一開小門，兩個一身毛的妖怪便撲到我的喉頭上，把我弄倒了，把燈也弄滅了。同時希刺剋厲夫與哈裏頓一起放聲大笑，這大大地激怒着我，也使我感到羞辱。幸而，這些畜生倒好像衹想伸伸爪子，打呵欠，搖尾巴，並不想把我活活吞下去。但是它們也不容我再起來，我就不得不躺着等它們的惡毒的主人高興在什麽時候來解救我。我帽子也丟了，氣得直抖。我命令這些土匪放我出去——再多留我一分鐘，就要讓他們遭殃——我說了好多不連貫的、恐嚇的、要報復的話，措詞之惡毒，頗有李爾王①之風。
①李爾王——“Kinglear”莎士比亞的名劇之一，劇名即以主人公李爾王為名。
我這劇烈的激動使我流了大量的鼻血，可是希刺剋厲夫還在笑，我也還在駡，要不是旁邊有個人比我有理性些，比我的款待者仁慈些，我真不知道怎麽下臺。這人是齊拉，健壯的管傢婆。她終於挺身而出探問這場戰鬥的。她以為他們當中必是有人對我下了毒手。她不敢攻擊她的主人，就嚮那年輕的惡棍開火了。
“好啊，恩蕭先生，”她叫道，“我不知道你下次還要幹出什麽好事！我們是要在我們傢門口謀害人嗎？我瞧在這傢裏我可再也住不下去啦——瞧瞧這可憐的小子，他都要噎死啦！喂，喂！你可不能這樣走。進來，我給你治治。好啦，別動。”
她說着這些話，就猛然把一桶冰冷的水順着我的脖子上一倒，又把我拉進廚房裏。希刺剋厲夫先生跟在後面，他的偶爾的歡樂很快地消散，又恢復他的習慣的陰鬱了。
我難過極了，而且頭昏腦脹，因此不得不在他的傢裏藉宿一宵。他叫齊拉給我一杯白蘭地，隨後就進屋去了。她呢，對我不幸的遭遇安慰一番，而且遵主人之命，給了我一杯白蘭地，看見我略略恢復了一些，便引我去睡了。
On that bleak hill-top 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 gooseberry-bushes, 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 day-time. 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 coal-shed, 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 on me - 'The clown at my elbow, who is drinking his tea out of a basin and eating his broad 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 tea-canister 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.
但是，吃過午飯（註意——我在十二點與一點鐘之間吃午飯，而可以當作這所房子的附屬物的管傢婆，一位慈祥的太太卻不能，或者並不願理解我請求在五點鐘開飯的用意），在我懷着這個懶惰的想法上了樓，邁進屋子的時候，看見一個女僕跪在地上，身邊是掃帚和煤鬥。她正在用一堆堆煤渣封火，搞起一片彌漫的灰塵。這景象立刻把我趕回頭了。我拿了帽子，走了四裏路，到達了希刺剋厲夫的花園口口，剛好躲過了一場今年初降的鵝毛大雪。
在那荒涼的山頂上，土地由於結了一層黑冰而凍得堅硬，冷空氣使我四肢發抖。我弄不開門鏈，就跳進去，順着兩邊種着蔓延的醋慄樹叢的石路跑去。我白白地敲了半天門，一直敲到我的手指骨都痛了，狗也狂吠起來。
“倒黴的人傢！”我心裏直叫，“衹為你這樣無禮待客，就該一輩子跟人群隔離。我至少還不會在白天把門閂住。我纔不管呢——我要進去！”如此决定了。我就抓住門閂，使勁搖它。苦臉的約瑟夫從𠔌倉的一個圓窗裏探出頭來。
“你幹嗎？”他大叫。“主人在牛欄裏，你要是找他說話，就從這條路口繞過去。”
“屋裏沒人開門嗎？”我也叫起來。
“除了太太沒有別人。你就是鬧騰到夜裏，她也不會開。”
“為什麽？你就不能告訴她我是誰嗎，呃，約瑟夫？”
“別找我！我纔不管這些閑事呢，”這個腦袋咕嚕着，又不見了。
雪開始下大了。我握住門柄又試一回。這時一個沒穿外衣的年輕人，扛着一根草耙，在後面院子裏出現了。他招呼我跟着他走，穿過了一個洗衣房和一片鋪平的地，那兒有煤棚、抽水機和鴿籠，我們終於到了我上次被接待過的那間溫暖的、熱鬧的大屋子。煤、炭和木材混合在一起燃起的熊熊爐火，使這屋子放着光彩。在準備擺上豐盛晚餐的桌旁，我很高興地看到了那位“太太”，以前我從未料想到會有這麽一個人存在的。我鞠躬等候，以為她會叫我坐下。她望望我，往她的椅背一靠，不動，也不出聲。
“天氣真壞！”我說，“希刺剋厲夫太太，恐怕大門因為您的僕人偷懶而大吃苦頭，我費了好大勁纔使他們聽見我敲門！”
她死不開口。我瞪眼——她也瞪眼。反正她總是以一種冷冷的、漠不關心的神氣盯住我，使人十分窘，而且不愉快。
“坐下吧，”那年輕人粗聲粗氣地說，“他就要來了。”
我服從了；輕輕咳了一下，叫喚那惡狗朱諾。臨到第二次會面，它總算賞臉，搖起尾巴尖，表示認我是熟人了。
“好漂亮的狗！”我又開始說話。“您是不是打算不要這些小的呢，夫人？”
“那些不是我的，”這可愛可親的女主人說，比希刺剋厲夫本人所能回答的腔調還要更冷淡些。
“啊，您所心愛的是在這一堆裏啦！”我轉身指着一個看不清楚的靠墊上那一堆像貓似的東西，接着說下去。
“誰會愛這些東西那纔怪呢！”她輕衊地說。
倒黴，原來那是堆死兔子。我又輕咳一聲，嚮火爐湊近些，又把今晚天氣不好的話評論一通。
“你本來就不該出來。”她說，站起來去拿壁爐臺上的兩個彩色茶葉罐。
她原先坐在光綫被遮住的地方，現在我把她的全身和面貌都看得清清楚楚。她苗條，顯然還沒有過青春期。挺好看的體態，還有一張我生平從未有幸見過的絶妙的小臉蛋。五官纖麗，非常漂亮。淡黃色的捲發，或者不如說是金黃色的，鬆鬆地垂在她那細嫩的頸上。至於眼睛，要是眼神能顯得和悅些，就要使人無法抗拒了。對我這容易動情的心說來倒是常事，因為它們所表現的衹是在輕衊與近似絶望之間的一種情緒，而在那張臉上看見那樣的眼神是特別不自然的。
她簡直夠不到茶葉罐。我動了一動，想幫她一下。她猛地扭轉身嚮我，像守財奴看見別人打算幫他數他的金子一樣。
“我不要你幫忙，”她怒氣衝衝地說，“我自己拿得到。”
“對不起！”我連忙回答。
“是請你來吃茶的嗎？”她問，把一條圍裙係在她那幹淨的黑衣服上，就這樣站着，拿一匙茶葉正要往茶壺裏倒。
“我很想喝杯茶。”我回答。
“是請你來的嗎？”她又問。
“沒有，”我說，勉強笑一笑。“您正好請我喝茶。”
她把茶葉丟回去，連匙帶茶葉，一起收起來，使性地又坐在椅子上。她的前額蹙起，紅紅的下嘴唇撅起，像一個小孩要哭似的。
同時，那年輕人已經穿上了一件相當破舊的上衣，站在爐火前面，用眼角瞅着我，簡直好像我們之間有什麽未了的死仇似的。我開始懷疑他到底是不是一個僕人了。他的衣着和言語都顯得沒有教養，完全沒有在希刺剋厲夫先生和他太太身上所能看到的那種優越感。他那厚厚的棕色捲發亂七八糟，他的鬍子像頭熊似的布滿面頰，而他的手就像普通工人的手那樣變成褐色；可是，他的態度很隨便，幾乎有點傲慢，而且一點沒有傢僕伺候女主人那謹慎殷勤的樣子。既然缺乏關於他的地位的明白證據，我認為最好還是不去註意他那古怪的舉止。五分鐘以後，希刺剋厲夫進來了，多少算是把我從那不舒服的境況中解救出來了。
“您瞧，先生，說話算數，我是來啦！”我叫道，裝着高興的樣子，“我擔心要給這天氣睏住半個鐘頭呢，您能不能讓我在這會兒避一下。”
“半個鐘頭？”他說，抖落他衣服上的雪片，“我奇怪你為什麽要挑這麽個大雪天出來逛蕩。你知道你是在冒着迷路和掉在沼澤地裏的危險嗎？熟悉這些荒野的人，往往還會在這樣的晚上迷路的。而且我可以告訴你，目前天氣是不會轉好的。”
“或許我可以在您的僕人中間找一位帶路人吧，他可以在田莊住到明天早上——您能給我一位嗎？”
“不，我不能。”
“啊呀！真的！那我衹得靠我自己的本事啦。”
“哼！”
“你是不是該準備茶啦？”穿着破衣服的人問，他那惡狠狠的眼光從我身上轉到那年輕的太太那邊。
“請他喝嗎？”她問希刺剋厲夫。
“準備好，行嗎？”這就是回答，他說得這麽蠻橫，竟把我嚇了一跳。這句話的腔調露出他真正的壞性子。我再也不想稱希刺剋厲夫為一個絶妙的人了。茶預備好了之後，他就這樣請我，“現在，先生，把你的椅子挪過來。”於是我們全體，包括那粗野的年輕人在內，都拉過椅子來圍桌而坐。在我們品嚐食物時，四下裏一片嚴峻的沉默。
我想，如果是我引起了這塊烏雲，那我就該負責努力驅散它。他們不能每天都這麽陰沉緘默地坐着吧。無論他們有多壞的脾氣，也不可能每天臉上都帶着怒容吧。
“奇怪的是，”我在喝完一杯茶，接過第二杯的當兒開始說，“奇怪的是習慣如何形成我們的趣味和思想，很多人就不能想象，像您，希刺剋厲夫先生，所過的這麽一種與世完全隔絶的生活裏也會有幸福存在。可是我敢說，有您一傢人圍着您，還有您可愛的夫人作為您的家庭與您的心靈上的主宰——”
“我可愛的夫人！”他插嘴，臉上帶着幾乎是惡魔似的譏笑。“她在哪兒——我可愛的夫人？”
“我的意思是說希刺剋厲夫夫人，您的太太。”
“哦，是啦——啊！你是說甚至在她的肉體死去了以後，她的靈魂還站在傢神的崗位上，而且守護着呼嘯山莊的産業。
是不是這樣？”
我察覺我搞錯了，便企圖改正它。我本來該看出雙方的年齡相差太大，不像是夫妻。一個大概四十了，正是精力健壯的時期，男人在這時期很少會懷着女孩子們是由於愛情而嫁給他的妄想。那種夢是留給我們到老年聊以的。另一個人呢，望上去卻還不到十七歲。
於是一個念頭在我心上一閃，“在我胳臂肘旁邊的那個傻瓜，用盆喝茶，用沒洗過的手拿面包吃，也許就是她的丈夫：希刺剋厲夫少爺，當然是羅。這就是合理的後果：衹因為她全然不知道天下還有更好的人，她就嫁給了那個鄉下佬！憾事——我必須當心，我可別引起她悔恨她的選擇。”最後的念頭仿佛有點自負，其實倒也不是。我旁邊的人在我看來近乎令人生厭。根據經驗，我知道我多少還有點吸引力。
“希刺剋厲夫太太是我的兒媳婦，”希刺剋厲夫說，證實了我的猜測。他說着，掉過頭以一種特別的眼光嚮她望着：一種憎恨的眼光，除非是他臉上的肌肉生得極反常，不會像別人一樣地表現出他心靈的語言。
“啊，當然——我現在看出來啦：您纔是這慈善的天仙的有福氣的占有者哩。”我轉過頭來對我旁邊那個人說。
比剛纔更糟：這年輕人臉上通紅，握緊拳頭，簡直想要擺出動武的架勢。可是他仿佛馬上又鎮定了，衹衝着我咕嚕了一句粗野的駡人的話，壓下了這場風波，這句話，我假裝沒註意。
“不幸你猜得不對，先生！”我的主人說，“我們兩個都沒那種福分占有你的好天仙，她的男人死啦。我說過她是我的兒媳婦，因此，她當然是嫁給我的兒子的了。”
“這位年輕人是——”
“當然不是我的兒子！”
希刺剋厲夫又微笑了，好像把那個粗人算作他的兒子，簡直是把玩笑開得太莽撞了。
“我的姓名是哈裏頓·恩蕭，”另一個人吼着，“而且我勸你尊敬它！”
“我沒有表示不尊敬呀。”這是我的回答，心裏暗笑他報出自己的姓名時的莊嚴神氣。
他死盯着我，盯得我都不願意再回瞪他了，唯恐我會耐不住給他個耳光或是笑出聲來。我開始感到在這個愉快的一傢人中間，我的確是礙事。那種精神上的陰鬱氣氛不止是抵銷，而且是壓倒了我四周明亮的物質上的舒適。我决心在第三次敢於再來到這屋裏時可要小心謹慎。
吃喝完畢，誰也沒說句應酬話，我就走到一扇窗子跟前去看看天氣。我見到一片悲慘的景象：黑夜提前降臨，天空和群山混雜在一團寒冽的旋風和使人窒息的大雪中。
“現在沒有帶路人，我恐怕不可能回傢了，”我不禁叫起來。
“道路已經埋上了，就是還露出來的話，我也看不清往哪兒邁步啦。”
“哈裏頓，把那十幾衹羊趕到𠔌倉的走廊上去，要是整夜留在羊圈就得給它們蓋點東西，前面也要擋塊木板。”希刺剋厲夫說。
“我該怎麽辦呢？”我又說，更焦急了。
沒有人搭理我。我回頭望望，衹見約瑟夫給狗送進一桶粥，希刺剋厲夫太太俯身嚮着火，燒着火柴玩；這堆火柴是她剛纔把茶葉罐放回爐臺時碰下來的。約瑟夫放下了他的粥桶之後，找碴似地把這屋子瀏覽一通，扯着沙啞的喉嚨喊起來：
“我真奇怪別人都出去了，你怎麽能就閑在那兒站着！可你就是沒出息，說也沒用——你一輩子也改不了，就等死後見魔鬼，跟你媽一樣！”
我一時還以為這一番滔滔不絶是對我而發的。我大為憤怒，便嚮着這老流氓走去，打算把他踢出門外。但是，希刺剋厲夫夫人的回答止住了我。
“你這鬍扯八道的假正經的老東西！”她回答，“你提到魔鬼的名字時，你就不怕給活捉嗎？我警告你不要惹我，不然我就要特別請它把你勾去。站住！瞧瞧這兒，約瑟夫，”她接着說，並從書架上拿出一本大黑書，“我要給你看看我學魔術已經進步了多少，不久我就可以完全精通。那條紅牛不是偶然死掉的，而你的風濕病還不能算作天賜的懲罰！”
“啊，惡毒，惡毒！”老頭喘息着，“求主拯救我們脫離吧！”
“不，混蛋！你是個上帝拋棄的人——滾開，不然我要狠狠地傷害你啦！我要把你們全用蠟和泥捏成模型；誰先越過我定的界限，我就要——我不說他要倒什麽樣的黴——可是，瞧着吧！去，我可在瞅着你呢。”
這個小女巫那雙美麗的眼睛裏添上一種嘲弄的惡毒神氣。約瑟夫真的嚇得直抖，趕緊跑出去，一邊跑一邊禱告，還嚷着“惡毒！”我想她的行為一定是由於無聊鬧着玩玩的。現在衹有我們倆了，我想對她訴訴苦。
“希刺剋厲夫太太，”我懇切地說，“您一定得原諒我麻煩您。我敢於這樣是因為，您既有這麽一張臉，我敢說您一定也心好。請指出幾個路標，我也好知道回傢的路。我一點也不知道該怎麽走，就跟您不知道怎麽去倫敦一樣！”
“順你來的路走回去好啦，”她回答，仍然安坐在椅子上，面前一支蠟燭，還有那本攤開的大書。“很簡單的辦法，可也是我所能提的頂穩當的辦法。”
“那麽，要是您以後聽說我給人發現已經死在泥沼或雪坑裏，您的良心就不會低聲說您也有部分的過錯嗎？”
“怎麽會呢？我又不能送你走。他們不許我走到花園墻那頭的。”
“您送我！在這樣一個晚上，為了我的方便就是請您邁出這個門檻，那我也於心不忍啊！”我叫道，“我要您告訴我怎麽走，不是領我走。要不然就勸勸希刺剋厲夫先生給我派一位帶路人吧。”
“派誰呢？衹有他自己，恩蕭，齊拉，約瑟夫，我。你要哪一個呢？”
“莊上沒有男孩子嗎？”
“沒有，就這些人。”
“那就是說我不得不住在這兒啦！”
“那你可以跟你的主人商量。我不管。”
“我希望這是對你的一個教訓，以後別再在這山間瞎逛蕩。”從廚房門口傳來希刺剋厲夫的嚴厲的喊聲：“至於住在這兒，我可沒有招待客人的設備。你要住，就跟哈裏頓或者約瑟夫睡一張床吧！”
“我可以睡在這間屋子裏的一把椅子上。”我回答。
“不行，不行！生人總是生人，不論他是窮是富。我不習慣允許任何人進入我防不到的地方！”這沒有禮貌的壞蛋說。
受了這個侮辱，我的忍耐到頭了。我十分憤慨地駡了一聲，在他的身邊擦過，衝到院子裏，匆忙中正撞着恩蕭。那時是這麽漆黑，以至我竟找不到出口；我正在亂轉，又聽見他們之間有教養的舉止的另一例證：起初那年輕人好像對我還友好。
“我陪他走到公園那兒去吧，”他說。
“你陪他下地獄好了！”他的主人或是他的什麽親屬叫道。
“那麽誰看馬呢，呃？”
“一個人的性命總比一晚上沒有人照應馬重要些。總得有個人去的。”希刺剋厲夫夫人輕輕地說，比我所想的和善多了。
“不要你命令我！”哈裏頓了。“你要是重視他，頂好別吭聲。”
“那麽我希望他的鬼魂纏住你，我也希望希刺剋厲夫先生再也找不到一個房客，直等田莊全毀掉！”她尖刻地回答。
“聽吧，聽吧，她在咒他們啦！”約瑟夫咕嚕着，我正嚮他走去。
他坐在說話聽得見的近處，藉着一盞提燈的光在擠牛奶，我就毫無禮貌地把提燈搶過來，大喊着我明天把它送回來，便奔嚮最近的一個邊門。
“主人，主人，他把提燈偷跑啦！”這老頭一面大喊，一面追我。“喂，咬人的！喂，狗！喂，狼！逮住他，逮住他！”
一開小門，兩個一身毛的妖怪便撲到我的喉頭上，把我弄倒了，把燈也弄滅了。同時希刺剋厲夫與哈裏頓一起放聲大笑，這大大地激怒着我，也使我感到羞辱。幸而，這些畜生倒好像衹想伸伸爪子，打呵欠，搖尾巴，並不想把我活活吞下去。但是它們也不容我再起來，我就不得不躺着等它們的惡毒的主人高興在什麽時候來解救我。我帽子也丟了，氣得直抖。我命令這些土匪放我出去——再多留我一分鐘，就要讓他們遭殃——我說了好多不連貫的、恐嚇的、要報復的話，措詞之惡毒，頗有李爾王①之風。
①李爾王——“Kinglear”莎士比亞的名劇之一，劇名即以主人公李爾王為名。
我這劇烈的激動使我流了大量的鼻血，可是希刺剋厲夫還在笑，我也還在駡，要不是旁邊有個人比我有理性些，比我的款待者仁慈些，我真不知道怎麽下臺。這人是齊拉，健壯的管傢婆。她終於挺身而出探問這場戰鬥的。她以為他們當中必是有人對我下了毒手。她不敢攻擊她的主人，就嚮那年輕的惡棍開火了。
“好啊，恩蕭先生，”她叫道，“我不知道你下次還要幹出什麽好事！我們是要在我們傢門口謀害人嗎？我瞧在這傢裏我可再也住不下去啦——瞧瞧這可憐的小子，他都要噎死啦！喂，喂！你可不能這樣走。進來，我給你治治。好啦，別動。”
她說着這些話，就猛然把一桶冰冷的水順着我的脖子上一倒，又把我拉進廚房裏。希刺剋厲夫先生跟在後面，他的偶爾的歡樂很快地消散，又恢復他的習慣的陰鬱了。
我難過極了，而且頭昏腦脹，因此不得不在他的傢裏藉宿一宵。他叫齊拉給我一杯白蘭地，隨後就進屋去了。她呢，對我不幸的遭遇安慰一番，而且遵主人之命，給了我一杯白蘭地，看見我略略恢復了一些，便引我去睡了。
On that bleak hill-top 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 gooseberry-bushes, 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 day-time. 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 coal-shed, 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 on me - 'The clown at my elbow, who is drinking his tea out of a basin and eating his broad 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 tea-canister 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.