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With this intention, I turned and opened the panels. I shall not soon forget the effect my action produced. Heathcliff stood near the entrance, in his shirt and trousers; with a candle dripping over his fingers, and his face as white as the wall behind him. The first creak of the oak startled him like an electric shock: the light leaped from his hold to a distance of some feet, and his agitation was so extreme, that he could hardly pick it up. “It is only your guest, sir,” I called out, desirous to spare him the humiliation of exposing his cowardice further. “I had the misfortune to scream in my sleep, owing to a frightful nightmare. I’m sorry I disturbed you.” “Oh, God confound you, Mr. Lockwood! I wish you were at the—” commenced my host, setting the candle on a chair, because he found it impossible to hold it steady. “And who showed you up into this room?” he continued, crushing his nails into his palms, and grinding his teeth to subdue the maxillary convulsions. “Who was it? I’ve a good mind to turn them out of the house this moment!” “It was your servant Zillah,” I replied, flinging myself on to the floor, and rapidly resuming my garments. “I should not care if you did, Mr. Heathcliff; she richly deserves it. I suppose that she wanted to get another proof that the place was haunted, at my expense. Well, it is—swarming with ghosts and goblins! You have reason in shutting it up, I assure you. No one will thank you for a doze in such a den!” “What do you mean?” asked Heathcliff, “and what are you doing? Lie down and finish out the night, since you are here; but, for Heaven’s sake! don’t repeat that horrid noise: nothing could excuse it, unless you were having your throat cut!” “If the little fiend had got in at the window, she probably would have strangled me!” I returned. “I’m not going to endure the persecutions of your hospitable ancestors again. Was not the Reverend Jabez Branderham akin to you on the mother’s side? And that minx, Catherine Linton, or Earnshaw, or however she was called—she must have been a changeling—wicked little soul! She told me she had been walking the earth these twenty years: a just punishment for her mortal transgressions, I’ve no doubt!” Scarcely were these words uttered when I recollected the association of Heathcliff’s with Catherine’s name in the book, which had completely slipped from my memory, till thus awakened. I blushed at my inconsideration: but, without showing further consciousness of the offence, I hastened to add—“The truth is, sir, I passed the first part of the night in—” Here I stopped afresh—I was about to say “perusing those old volumes,” then it would have revealed my knowledge of their written, as well as their printed, contents; so, correcting myself, I went on—“in spelling over the name scratched on that window-ledge. A monotonous occupation, calculated to set me asleep, like counting, or—” “What can you mean by talking in this way to me!” thundered Heathcliff with savage vehemence. “How—how dare you, under my roof?—God! he’s mad to speak so!” And he struck his forehead with rage. I did not know whether to resent this language or pursue my explanation; but he seemed so powerfully affected that I took pity and proceeded with my dreams; affirming I had never heard the appellation of “Catherine Linton” before, but reading it often over produced an impression which personified itself when I had no longer my imagination under control. Heathcliff gradually fell back into the shelter of the bed, as I spoke; finally sitting down almost concealed behind it. I guessed, however, by his irregular and intercepted breathing, that he struggled to vanquish an excess of violent emotion. Not liking to show him that I had heard the conflict, I continued my toilette rather noisily, looked at my watch, and soliloquised on the length of the night: “Not three o’clock yet! I could have taken oath it had been six. Time stagnates here: we must surely have retired to rest at eight!” “Always at nine in winter, and rise at four,” said my host, suppressing a groan: and, as I fancied, by the motion of his arm’s shadow, dashing a tear from his eyes. “Mr. Lockwood,” he added, “you may go into my room: you’ll only be in the way, coming downstairs so early: and your childish outcry has sent sleep to the devil for me.” “And for me, too,” I replied. “I’ll walk in the yard till daylight, and then I’ll be off; and you need not dread a repetition of my intrusion. I’m now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself.” “Delightful company!” muttered Heathcliff. “Take the candle, and go where you please. I shall join you directly. Keep out of the yard, though, the dogs are unchained; and the house—Juno mounts sentinel there, and—nay, you can only ramble about the steps and passages. But, away with you! I’ll come in two minutes!” I obeyed, so far as to quit the chamber; when, ignorant where the narrow lobbies led, I stood still, and was witness, involuntarily, to a piece of superstition on the part of my landlord which belied, oddly, his apparent sense. He got on to the bed, and wrenched open the lattice, bursting, as he pulled at it, into an uncontrollable passion of tears. “Come in! come in!” he sobbed. “Cathy, do come. Oh, do—once more! Oh! my heart’s darling! hear me this time, Catherine, at last!” The spectre showed a spectre’s ordinary caprice: it gave no sign of being; but the snow and wind whirled wildly through, even reaching my station, and blowing out the light. There was such anguish in the gush of grief that accompanied this raving, that my compassion made me overlook its folly, and I drew off, half angry to have listened at all, and vexed at having related my ridiculous nightmare, since it produced that agony; though why was beyond my comprehension. I descended cautiously to the lower regions, and landed in the back-kitchen, where a gleam of fire, raked compactly together, enabled me to rekindle my candle. Nothing was stirring except a brindled, grey cat, which crept from the ashes, and saluted me with a querulous mew. |
這樣想著，我就翻身推開嵌板。我的這個動作造成的後果使我久久無法忘懷。 黑思克裏夫站在門口，穿著襯衣襯褲，手舉一支蠟燭，燭淚正一滴滴流到他的手指頭上，臉色蒼白得像他身後牆的顏色一樣。橡木門嘎吱的第一聲響嚇得他像是被電擊了一樣——手裏握著的蠟燭跳出去有好幾尺遠，這令他太局促不安了，以至於他幾乎無法把蠟燭撿起來。 “這兒隻不過是您的房客，先生。”我叫出聲來，盡力使他挽回麵子，而不至於因為暴露出膽怯的樣子而更丟麵子。“剛才我作了一個可怕的噩夢，很不湊巧在睡著時大叫起來。我很抱歉打攪到您了。” “啊，上帝會懲罰你的，勞克伍德先生！但願你是在——”我的房東開始說，把蠟燭放在一把椅子上，因為他發現要他舉著蠟燭穩穩不晃，他辦不到。“是誰帶你到這間屋子裏來的？”他接著說，並把指甲掐進他的手心，咬牙切齒以便防止齶骨的抽搐。“是誰？此時此刻我真想把他們攆出門去！” “您的仆人，琦臘，”我回答道，我跳到地板上，急急忙忙穿好衣服。“您要是真攆她，我也不在乎，黑思克裏夫先生。她活該，我猜想她是想犧牲我來再證明一下這房間鬧鬼罷了。嗨，是鬧鬼——滿屋都是鬼怪精靈！我給你說，你完全有理由把這個房間關起來。隻要是在這麽個窩裏睡上一小會兒覺的人，沒一個會感謝你！” “你這是什麽意思？”黑思克裏夫問道，“你在幹嗎？既來之，則安之。就在這兒躺著睡一晚！可是，看在老天爺的份上！別再發出那種可怕的叫聲啦。我實在沒借口來替你那叫聲開脫，除非有人在割你的喉嚨！” “要是那個小妖精真地從窗子進來，恐怕她早已經把我給掐死了！”我回嘴說。“我準備不再受你那些熱情好客先人們的迫害了。詹伯茲•布然德罕牧師不是你母親娘家親戚嗎？還有那個瘋丫頭，闞思睿•林騰，或者叫闞思睿•俄韶，不管她姓什麽——她一定是個性格多變——惡毒的小鬼頭！她告訴我說這二十年來她就在這地麵上流浪——我毫不懷疑，這是對她在塵世犯下的罪行合理懲罰啊！” 這些話還沒有說完，我立刻想起那本書上黑思克裏夫與闞思睿這兩個人之間的聯係，這點我完全忘了，此時才醒過來。我為我考慮不周而感到臉紅，可是為了表示我並沒有進一步意識到我的冒失，我趕緊加一句，“事實是，先生，前半夜我在——”說到這兒我又頓時停住了——我差點說出“翻閱那些舊書”，那就表明我不但知道書中印刷的內容，也知道那些用筆寫出的內容了。因此，我改過來接著往下說——“在拚讀刻在窗台上的名字。一種很無聊的遊戲，算計著可以使我睡著，像數數一樣，或是——” “你對我說這些，到底是什麽意思？”黑思克裏夫野蠻地大吼一聲。“怎麽——你膽敢在我的屋簷下？——天呀！他說這些一定是瘋啦！”他憤怒地敲著自己的額頭。 我不知道該和他抬杠，還是繼續向他解釋。可是他仿佛大受震動，我都開始可憐他了，於是繼續給他講我的夢，我肯定我以前絕沒有聽過“闞思睿•林騰”這個名字，可能念得多了才產生了一個印象，當我不能控製我的想象時，想象就變成真人了。黑思克裏夫在我說話的時候，慢慢地往床後靠，最後坐下來差不多是在後麵隱藏起來了。但是，聽他上氣不接下氣並非均勻的呼吸，我猜想他是拚命克製著過分強烈的情感。我不想讓他看出我已覺察出他所處的矛盾中，就繼續洗涮，並且發出很大的聲響，又看了看表，自言自語地抱怨說夜晚太長。“現在還不到三點鍾哪！我本想斷言說已經六點了，時間在這兒停滯不動啦——我們昨晚上一定是八點鍾就睡了！” “冬天總是九點睡，早上四點起床。”我的房東說，克製住了一聲呻吟。從他胳臂動作的影子看，我猜想他正在擦眼睛裏的一滴淚水。“勞克伍德先生，”他又說，“你可以到我屋裏去。你這麽早下樓隻會礙手礙腳，你這小孩子般的大叫已經把我的睡意趕到魔鬼那裏去了。” “我也一樣。”我答道，“我要到院子裏走走，等天一亮就離開。您不必害怕我再來打攪。不管是在鄉下還是在城裏，我想尋歡作樂的毛病現在已經治好了。神誌清楚的人應該學會跟自己做伴就夠了。” “你可真是個令人愉快的伴兒！”黑思克裏夫嘟囔著，“拿上蠟燭，你愛上哪兒就上哪兒。我會直接找你。不過別到院子裏去，狗都沒拴。正屋裏——朱諾在那兒守夜，還有——不，你隻能在樓梯和過道溜達。不過，你去吧！兩分鍾後我就來。” 我聽從了他的建議，離開這間臥室。我當時不知道那狹窄的小屋通向何方，就隻好站在原地不動，不料卻無意親眼看見我的房東做出一種匪夷所思的迷信動作，與他表現出來的理智背道而馳。他上了床，扭開窗格，一邊拉開窗子，一邊湧出壓抑不住的熱淚。“進來吧！進來吧！”他抽泣著。“闞思，來吧！啊，來呀——再來一次！啊！我心愛的人兒！這回聽到我的話了吧，闞思，最後一次！”鬼魂表現出一貫的反複無常——沒有任何跡象！隻有風卷著雪花狂野般地呼嘯而入，甚至吹到我站的地方，並吹滅了蠟燭。 在這突然湧出的悲哀中，竟有這樣的痛苦伴隨著這段發狂的話，以致我對他的憐憫之情令我不在意他的愚蠢行徑了。我避開了，一方麵由於自己聽到了他這番話而氣消了一半，另一方麵又因自己訴說了我那荒唐可笑的噩夢而煩躁不安，因為就是那個噩夢令我悲慟不已。至於是什麽原因，我就不得而知了。我小心地下了樓，到了後廚，那兒有一星火苗，我把火苗撥攏在一起，點著了蠟燭。沒有驚擾到任何人，隻有一隻渾身斑紋的灰貓從灰燼裏爬出來，怨聲怨氣地喵了一聲，算是向我行了個禮。 |
