牛津書蟲系列 呼嘯山莊 18 中英雙語

18 Heathcliff’s end

1801—2 I was delighted to come back to the Heights，and hoped I could make Cathy’s life more comfortable.But she was restless，and complained of loneliness.At first she continued to annoy Hareton，by laughing at him，but after a while she decided she really wanted him as a friend.She apologized for being rude to him，and offered to teach him ev erything she knew.From that moment on，the two cousins have always been together，studying.Hareton has a lot to learn，and Cathy is not the most patient of teachers.But what they have in common is their love for each other.You see，Mr Lockwood，it was easy enough to win Cathy’s heart.But now I’m glad you didn’t try.I’ll be the happiest woman in England when those two marry!

Heathcliff noticed little of what was happening around him，and would never have been aware of the cousins’feelings，if it hadn’t been for Joseph.In the middle of our lunch one day，the old man rushed into the room，shaking with anger.

‘I’ll have to leave!I wanted to die here，where I’ve been a servant for sixty years!But now she’s taken my garden from me!She’s stolen the boy’s soul，master!I can’t bear it!’

‘Is the fool drunk?’asked Heathcliff.‘Can you explain this，Hareton?’

‘I’ve pulled up two or three of his fruit-trees，’confessed Hareton，‘but I’ll put them back again.’

‘It was my fault，’added Cathy bravely.‘I asked him to do it.We wanted to plant some flowers there.’

‘Who the devil gave you permission?’growled Heathcliff.

‘You should let me have a bit of garden，as you’ve taken all my land!’replied Cathy sharply.‘And you’ve taken Hareton’s land too!He and I are friends now!I’ll tell him about you!’

The master stood up，staring at her fiercely.

‘Out of the room，wicked girl!’he shouted.‘I’ll kill you if I get near you!’

‘If you hit me，Hareton will hit you.He won’t obey you any more，and soon he’ll hate you as much as I do!’

‘You’d better leave，Cathy，’whispered Hareton urgently.‘I won’t quarrel with Mr Heathcliff.’

But it was too late.I was sure Heathcliff was going to hit her.He took hold of her，one strong hand in her hair and the other raised over her head.But when he looked into her face，his anger suddenly disappeared，and he let his arm fall to his side.He sat heavily down in his chair and put his hand over his eyes for a moment.We all stared at him.

‘You must learn not to make me angry，’he said，trying to be calm.‘Go away，all of you!Leave me alone!’A little later he went out，saying he would return in the evening.

As darkness fell，Cathy and Hareton were busy at their studies in the kitchen.I was sitting with them，happy to see them helping each other so well.I feel they’re almost my children，Mr Lockwood，and I’m very proud of them.As the master entered the house，he had a full view of us three.They lifted their eyes to meet his.Perhaps you haven’t noticed it，but their eyes are very similar，and they are exactly like those of Catherine Earnshaw.Mr Heathcliff stopped and stared，then looked away.At a sign from me，Cathy and Hareton went quietly out into the garden，leaving me alone with Mr Heathcliff.

‘It’s silly，isn’t it，Ellen，’he muttered，‘that I have worked all my life to destroy these two families，the Earn shaws and the Lintons.I’ve got their money and their land.Now I can take my final revenge on the last Earnshaw and the last Linton，I no longer want to!There’s a strange change coming in my life.I’m in its shadow.I’m so little interested in daily events that I even forget to eat and drink.I don’t want to see those two，that’s why I don’t care if they spend time together.She only makes me angry.And he looks so like Catherine!But everything reminds me of Catherine!In every cloud，in every tree I see her face!The whole world reminds me that she was here once，and I have lost her!’

‘You don’t feel ill，sir，do you?Are you afraid of death?’

‘I’m not ill，Ellen，and I’m not afraid to die.But I can’t continue like this!I have to remind myself to breathe—almost to remind my heart to beat!I have a single wish，for some thing my whole body and heart and brain have wanted for so long!Oh God!It’s a long fight!I wish it were finished!’

For some days after that，Mr Heathcliff avoided meeting us at meals.He ate less and less.Late one night I heard him leave the house.He did not return until the morning.When he came in，I noticed a change in his expression.There was a strange，wild happiness in his face，although he was pale and trembling.

‘Will you have some breakfast，sir?’I asked.

‘No，I’m not hungry，’he answered.

‘I don’t think you should stay outside at night，sir.You’ll catch a bad cold or a fever!’

‘Leave me alone，Ellen，’he replied.

I began to worry about him.He was strong and healthy，but a man must eat in order to live.For the next three days he ate nothing.At every meal the food lay untouched on the plate in front of him.He did not look at the food，or at us.He seemed to be looking at something quite close to him，some thing we could not see.His fierce black eyes followed it with such eager interest that he sometimes stopped breathing for as much as half a minute.

He did not sleep either.For three days he had spent the night in Catherine Earnshaw’s old bedroom，and I could hear him walking up and down，and talking，calling，crying all night.

One morning I managed to speak to him，and make him listen to me.‘Mr Heathcliff，you must have some food and sleep.Look at yourself in the mirror!You look ill and tired.’

‘It’s not my fault that I can’t eat or rest.You wouldn’t tell a drowning man to rest when he can see the shore!I’m close to what I’ve wanted for eighteen years，very close!But my soul’s happiness is killing my body!’

‘It’s a strange kind of happiness，master.Take my advice，and pray to God to forgive you for what you’ve done wrong in the past，if you think you’re going to die.’

‘Thank you，Ellen，you’ve reminded me of something.It’s the way I want to be buried.My coffin will be carried to the churchyard in the evening.You and Hareton will be present，nobody else.And make sure my orders about the two coffins are obeyed!I want no ceremony，or words from the Bible—I don’t believe in any of that.’

He spent the next night，and the next day，in Catherine’s room，muttering and sobbing all the time.I sent for Dr Kenneth，but the door was locked，so the doctor could not see him.The following night was very wet，and in the morning as I walked in the garden，I noticed that the bedroom window was wide open.

‘He must be very wet if he’s in bed，’I thought，‘the bed is so close to the window.I’ll go and look.’I found another key which fitted the lock，and opened the door.Mr Heathcliff was there in bed，lying on his back.His eyes were staring at me，so eagerly and fiercely，and he seemed to be smiling!His face and clothes were wet from the rain，and he did not move.I realized he was dead!

I closed the window.I combed his long，black hair from his forehead.I tried to close his eyes，but they would not shut.Suddenly frightened，I called for Joseph.The old servant came at once，but refused to touch the body.

‘Ah，the devil’s taken his soul!I warned him that would happen!’he cried.‘You see how wicked he is，smiling at death!But thank God Hareton Earnshaw will have the house and land now，that he should have inherited from his father!’And he went down on his knees to pray.

Hareton was，in fact，the only one who was sad at Heathcliff’s death.He and I were present at the burial.Heathcliff was buried next to Catherine’s grave，as he had wished.As we were not sure of his age or anything else about him，there is only one word on his gravestone—Heathcliff.The villagers are very frightened of his ghost.They say he often haunts the churchyard and the moors.

Hareton and Cathy will be married on New Year’s Day，and they’ll move to the Grange.I’ll be their housekeeper.Joseph will take care of Wuthering Heights，but most of the rooms here won’t be used again.

You’ll pass the churchyard，Mr Lockwood，on your way back to the Grange，and you’ll see the three gravestones close to the moor.Catherine’s，the middle one，is old now，and half buried in plants which have grown over it.On one side is Edgar Linton’s，and on the other is Heathcliff’s new one.If you stay there a moment，and watch the insects flying in the warm summer air，and listen to the soft wind breathing through the grass，you’ll understand how quietly they rest，the sleepers in that quiet earth.

18 希斯克利夫的結(jié)局

1801—1802年?；氐胶魢[山莊我很高興，我希望能使凱茜的生活過的更舒心些?？伤軣┰?，抱怨說孤獨。開始她還招惹哈里頓，嘲笑他，但過了一段時間她覺得自己真的想要他做朋友。她為自己對他的無禮道了歉，并提出要把她會的一切都教給他。從此，這兩個表兄妹就形影不離，在一起學(xué)習(xí)。哈里頓有好些要學(xué)的，而凱茜又不是個很耐心的老師。但他們的共同點是他們彼此相愛。你看，洛克伍德先生，要贏得凱茜小姐的心不難?？涩F(xiàn)在我慶幸您沒有試。他們倆結(jié)婚時我就是英格蘭最幸福的女人了!

希斯克利夫?qū)λ磉叞l(fā)生的事幾乎沒有注意到，如果要不是約瑟夫，他也決不會察覺這對表兄妹的感情。一天，我們正吃著午飯，那個老頭沖進屋里，氣得渾身發(fā)抖。

“我得離開!我本想死在這兒，我在這兒做了60年的仆人!可她現(xiàn)在把我花園搶走了!她偷走了這孩子的魂兒，主人!我無法忍受了!”

“這傻瓜喝醉了?”希斯克利夫問。“你能解釋一下嗎，哈里頓?”

“我拔了他兩三棵果樹，”哈里頓坦白道，“但我會把它們種回去的。”

“是我的鍺，”凱茜大膽地插話道，“是我讓他拔的。我們想在那兒種些花兒。”

“誰他媽的批準(zhǔn)的?”希斯克利夫咆哮道。

“你把我全部土地都拿走了，總該讓我有一片花園吧!”凱茜不饒地反駁道。“而且你還奪走了哈里頓的土地!他和我現(xiàn)在是朋友!我要把你的事告訴他!”

主人站了起來，兩眼惡狠狠地盯著她。

“滾出這房間，壞丫頭!”他嚷道。“要是讓我走近你，我會殺了你!”

“如果你打我，哈里頓會打你的。他不會再聽你的話，過不了多久，他也會像我一樣恨你!”

“你最好離開這兒，凱茜，”哈里頓小聲催促道。“我不會同希斯克利夫先生爭吵。”

但太晚了。我肯定希斯克利夫要打她了。他抓住她，一只大手揪住她的頭發(fā)，另一只手舉過了她頭頂?？僧?dāng)他看到她的臉的時候，怒氣突然消失了，把手臂放了下來。他重重地坐回椅子上，雙手捂住眼睛呆了一會兒。我們都目不轉(zhuǎn)睛地看著他。

“你要學(xué)著別惹我生氣，”他說道，想鎮(zhèn)靜下來，“滾開，都滾!別煩我!”不一會兒他出去了，說晚上回來。

夜幕降臨，凱茜和哈里頓在廚房忙著學(xué)習(xí)。我在旁邊坐著，看到他們互幫互助處得那樣融洽我很高興。我覺得他們是我自己的孩子似的，洛克伍德先生，我為他們感到非常自豪。主人進到房子時，一眼就看見了我們?nèi)齻€。他們抬起眼，與希斯克利夫相對而視?？赡苣鷽]留意，他們倆的眼睛很相像，而且跟凱瑟琳·歐肖的眼睛幾乎一模一樣。希斯克利夫先生站住凝視了一會兒，然后眼光轉(zhuǎn)向了別處。我嘆了口氣，凱茜和哈里頓悄悄溜進了花園，只剩下我和希斯克利夫先生。

“真傻，是吧，艾倫，”他喃喃道，“我傾盡一生精力要摧毀這兩個家庭，歐肖和林頓家。我得到了他們的錢財和土地。如今我可以對最后一個姓歐肖的和最后一個姓林頓的施加最后的報復(fù)，我卻不想干了!我的生命里發(fā)生著奇怪的變化，我正處在這變化的陰影之中。我對日常的事務(wù)提不起興趣，甚至想不起吃喝。我不想見到他們倆，所以我不管他們是不是在一起。她只會惹我生氣，而他長得真象凱瑟琳!可什么東西都能讓我想起凱瑟琳來!在每一朵云團、每一棵樹上我都能看到她的臉!整個世界都在提醒我她曾經(jīng)在這兒，而我卻失去了她!”

“您沒感到不舒服吧，先生，是嗎?您懼怕死么?”

“我沒病，艾倫，我也不怕死?？晌也荒芾^續(xù)這樣下去了!我得提醒自己要喘氣——幾乎得提醒自己的心去跳!我只有一個愿望，那是我許久以來殫精竭力、挖空心思想得到的東西!噢，上帝!這是一場漫長的搏斗!我希望它結(jié)束吧!”

在以后的幾天里，希斯克利夫先生吃飯的時候躲著我們。他吃得越來越少。有一天深夜我聽見他出了宅子，第二天上午才回來。他進來時，我注意到他神情有些異樣。盡管氣色蒼白、全身顫抖，可臉上洋溢著詭秘、瘋狂的喜悅。

“您用點早餐嗎，先生?”我問。

“不，我不餓，”他回答。

“我覺得您不該在外面過夜，先生。您會感冒發(fā)燒的!”

“別管我，艾倫，”他回答。

我開始為他擔(dān)心。他身體強健，但要活著總要吃飯呀。此后三天他什么也沒吃，每頓飯放到他面前他都沒動。他根本不看飯菜，也不看我們。他似乎在看著就在他身邊的什么東西，我們卻看不見。他熾烈的黑眼睛聚精會神地緊盯著它，有時甚至半分鐘也不喘氣。

他也不睡覺。他在凱瑟琳·歐肖從前住的臥室里連續(xù)呆了三個晚上，我能聽到他走來走去，整夜地說話、嗥叫、痛哭。

一天早晨我跟他搭話，讓他聽我的。“希斯克利夫先生，你一定得吃得睡。用鏡子看看您自己!您看上去疲病交加的。”

“我吃不下、睡不著不是我的錯。當(dāng)一個快淹死的人看見岸邊時，你不會讓他歇息吧!我就要得到18年來夢寐以求的東西，快了!可我靈魂的歡樂扼殺著我的肉體!”

“那是一種怪誕的歡樂，主人。聽我的，如果您認(rèn)為自己將不久于人世，就祈求上帝寬恕您以往的過錯吧。”

“謝謝，艾倫，你提醒了我一件事，是關(guān)于我下葬的方式。我的棺材要在晚上抬到教堂墓地。你和哈里頓要在場，不要別人。要保證按我放置兩口棺材的命令去做!我不要葬禮，也不要讀《圣經(jīng)》——我一概不信。”

他當(dāng)天晚上和第二天白天都呆在凱瑟琳的房間，一直在喃喃自語和嗚咽抽泣。我叫人去找肯尼士大夫，但臥室的門上了鎖，大夫沒法看他。那天晚上很潮濕，早晨我在花園里走，注意到那臥室的窗戶是大開著的。

“如果他在床上一定會被打得很濕，”我想，“床離窗戶很近。我要去看看。”我找到了能開那把鎖的另一把鑰匙，打開門。希斯克利夫先生在床上仰面躺著，他的雙眼瞪著我，熱切而激動，似乎是在微笑!他的臉和衣裳被雨打濕了，他沒有動彈。我意識到他是死了!

我關(guān)上窗，為他梳理了額頭長長的黑發(fā)。我試著幫他閉上眼睛，可它們不肯闔上。突然間我很害怕，喊叫起約瑟夫來。那老仆人馬上就來了，但不肯動遺體。

“啊，魔鬼取走了他的靈魂!我警告過他會這樣的!”他叫道，“你看他有多邪惡，死的時候還笑!謝天謝地，哈里頓·歐肖現(xiàn)在將擁有這房子和土地，他本應(yīng)從他父親那兒就繼承到的!”他跪下開始祈禱。

實際上只有哈里頓對希斯克利夫的死感到難過。他和我參加了下葬。如他自己所愿，希斯克利夫被埋在凱瑟琳的墓旁。因為我們不知道他確切年齡或其他情況，所以墓碑上只有一個字——希斯克利夫。村里人很害怕他的鬼魂，他們說他經(jīng)常在教堂墓地和荒原上游蕩。

哈里頓和凱茜將在元旦那天結(jié)婚，然后他們搬到畫眉山莊去。我將給他們做管家。約瑟夫看管呼嘯山莊，但大多數(shù)房間都不會再使用了。

您回畫眉山莊的路上會經(jīng)過教堂墓地，洛克伍德先生，您可以看見靠近荒原的三個墓碑。中間凱瑟琳的已經(jīng)舊了，被周圍生長的雜草掩住了一半。一邊是艾加·林頓的，另一邊是希斯克利夫的新墓碑。如果您在那兒呆一會兒，看著在溫暖夏日的空氣里紛飛的昆蟲，聽著在草叢中喘息的柔風(fēng)，您就會知道在靜謐的泥土下，長眠的人在多么平靜地安息。