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‘While they examined me, Cathy came round; she heard the last speech, and laughed. Edgar Linton, after an inquisitive stare, collected sufficient wit to recognise her. They see us at church, you know, though we seldom meet them elsewhere. “That’s Miss Earnshaw?” he whispered to his mother, “and look how Skulker has bitten her—how her foot bleeds!”
‘“Miss Earnshaw? Nonsense!” cried the dame; “Miss Earnshaw scouring the country with a gipsy! And yet, my dear, the child is in mourning—surely it is—and she may be lamed for life!”
‘“What culpable carelessness in her brother!” exclaimed Mr. Linton, turning from me to Catherine. “I’ve understood from Shielders”’ (that was the curate, sir) ‘“that he lets her grow up in absolute heathenism. But who is this? Where did she pick up this companion? Oho! I declare he is that strange acquisition my late neighbour made, in his journey to Liverpool—a little Lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway.”
‘“A wicked boy, at all events,” remarked the old lady, “and quite unfit for a decent house! Did you notice his language, Linton? I’m shocked that my children should have heard it.”
‘I recommenced cursing—don’t be angry, Nelly—and so Robert was ordered to take me off. I refused to go without Cathy; he dragged me into the garden, pushed the lantern into my hand, assured me that Mr. Earnshaw should be informed of my behaviour, and, bidding me march directly, secured the door again. The curtains were still looped up at one corner, and I resumed my station as spy; because, if Catherine had wished to return, I intended shattering their great glass panes to a million of fragments, unless they let her out. She sat on the sofa quietly. Mrs. Linton took off the grey cloak of the dairy-maid which we had borrowed for our excursion, shaking her head and expostulating with her, I suppose: she was a young lady, and they made a distinction between her treatment and mine. Then the woman-servant brought a basin of warm water, and washed her feet; and Mr. Linton mixed a tumbler of negus, and Isabella emptied a plateful of cakes into her lap, and Edgar stood gaping at a distance. Afterwards, they dried and combed her beautiful hair, and gave her a pair of enormous slippers, and wheeled her to the fire; and I left her, as merry as she could be, dividing her food between the little dog and Skulker, whose nose she pinched as he ate; and kindling a spark of spirit in the vacant blue eyes of the Lintons—a dim reflection from her own enchanting face. I saw they were full of stupid admiration; she is so immeasurably superior to them—to everybody on earth, is she not, Nelly?’
‘There will more come of this business than you reckon on,’ I answered, covering him up and extinguishing the light. ‘You are incurable, Heathcliff; and Mr. Hindley will have to proceed to extremities, see if he won’t.’
My words came truer than I desired. The luckless adventure made Earnshaw furious. And then Mr. Linton, to mend matters, paid us a visit himself on the morrow, and read the young master such a lecture on the road he guided his family, that he was stirred to look about him, in earnest. Heathcliff received no flogging, but he was told that the first word he spoke to Miss Catherine should ensure a dismissal; and Mrs. Earnshaw undertook to keep her sister-in-law in due restraint when she returned home; employing art, not force: with force she would have found it impossible.
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“他们审查我时，阚思走过来了。她听到最后这句话，就笑了起来。爱德嘉•林腾好奇地直盯着她看，他总算恢复理智，认出她来了。你知道的，他们在教堂做礼拜时见过我们，尽管我们很少在别的地方碰见过他们。‘那是俄韶小姐！’他低声对他母亲说，‘瞧瞧狐儿把她咬得，她的脚正流着血呢！’
“‘俄韶小姐？别胡说！’那位夫人嚷着，‘俄韶小姐跟个吉普赛人在田野里瞎逛！可是，宝贝，这孩子还带着孝呢——肯定是她了——她可能这辈子都要跛着脚走路了！’
“‘她哥哥够粗心的，真该罚！’林腾老爷叹口气道，从我这儿又转过身去看阚思睿。‘我从申修德（先生，那就是副牧师）那儿得知，她哥哥就让她在绝对无神论的环境中长大。可这位是谁呢？她是从哪儿捡来的这么个伴？哦嗬！我断定这就是那个奇怪的所获之物，是我那已亡故的邻人在去利物浦旅行期间带回来的——一个东印度小水手，或是一个被抛弃的美国小子或西班牙小子。’
“‘无论怎样，他是个坏孩子，’那个老夫人说，‘而且对于一个体面人家这实在是不合适！你听到他刚才说的话没有，林腾！要是我的孩子们听到这些话，我真要吓破胆子了。’
“我又开始咒骂了——别生气，耐莉——这样罗伯特就奉命把我带走。阚思不走我也不肯走。罗伯特把我拖到花园里，把马灯硬塞到我手上，并告诉我说，一定要把我的所作所为通知俄韶少爷，而且要我直接上路，接着就又把门关紧了。窗帘还是拉开一角，我就再侦察一下，因为如果阚思睿愿意回来的话，我就打算把他们家的大玻璃窗敲得粉碎，除非他们让她出来。她安静地坐在沙发上。林腾夫人把灰色外套给她身上脱下来，这是我们为了此次出游而借来的牛奶女工的外套。林腾夫人一边摇着她的头，一边在规劝她，我在想——她是个年轻的小姐，他们把我和她区别对待。然后女仆端来一盆温水，帮她洗脚，林腾老爷调了一大杯柠檬热甜酒，伊飒拜菈把满满一盘饼子倒在她的怀里，而爱德嘉站得远远的，大张个嘴呆呆地看着。后来他们把她的秀发擦干梳好，给了她一双硕大的拖鞋，用轮椅把她推到火炉边，我就离开了。因为她正高高兴兴地在把她的食物分给小狗和狐儿吃。狐儿吃的时候，她还捏了它的鼻子，这使得林腾一家人那些空洞的蓝眼睛里燃起了一点生机勃勃的火花——这是她自身迷人脸蛋的模糊映像。我看他们一个个傻不拉唧，面带十足的爱慕神情，他们和她一比就相形见绌了，任何东西都无法衡量——他比世上每个人都要优秀，不是吗，耐莉？”
“这件事的后果要比你所料想的严重得多。”我回答，给他掖好被子，灭了灯。“你是没救啦，黑思克里夫，亨得利先生一定会采取过激行为的，瞧他会不会吧。”
我的话比我所预料的还要灵验。这次倒霉的冒失行动使俄韶少爷大发雷霆。随后林腾老爷为了补救这件事，第二天早上亲自在登门来拜访，而且还给少爷上了一堂课，关于他引导他的家庭走什么样的道路，说得少爷真地动了心。这次黑思克里夫没有挨鞭子，可是他被告诫——只要一开口跟阚思睿小姐说一个字，他就会被扫地出门。俄韶太太承担她小姑回家时给她适当约束的任务，通过耍手腕，而不用武力：用武力她会发现根本行不通。
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(1)狐儿——狗名。
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