11 Isabella escapes

11 Isabella escapes
　　1784 That Friday evening the wind changed，and brought first rain，then snow．Next morning the spring flowers were all hidden under deep snow．Mr Edgar stayed in his room．I was in the sitting-room with the baby，when I was surprised to hear a girl's voice behind me．I turned round，and saw it was Isabella Heathcliff．I was quite shocked by her appearance．Her hair was loose，and wet with snow and rain． She wore a light silk dress and thin shoes，which did not seem at all suitable for a long walk in the snow．Under her ear was a deep wound，which was bleeding．Her face was scratched and bruised，and she looked very tired．I could see that she was expecting a baby．
　　‘I've run all the way here from Wuthering Heights，'she said，gasping for breath．‘I couldn't count how many times I've fallen down！Ellen，please ask a maid to find some dry clothes for me，and then I'll go on to the village．I'm not stay- ing here．’ ‘First，my dear young lady，’I told her，‘you'll get warm and dry，and I'll put a bandage on that wound．Then we'll have some tea．’She was so exhausted that she let me help her without protesting，and finally we sat down together near the fire with our cups of tea．
　　‘Oh，Ellen，'she said，‘I cried bitterly when I heard of Catherine's death，you know And Heathcliff is desperately sad！But I can't feel sorry for him．This is the last thing of his I've got，’and she took off her gold wedding-ring and threw it in the fire．‘I'll never go back to him．But I can't stay here， in case he comes to find me．And anyway I don't want to beg for Edgar's help，or make trouble for him．To escape from Heathcliff I must go a long way away．How could Catherine have liked him，Ellen？I wish he would die，and then I could forget him completely！’ ‘Don't say that，’I protested，‘he's a human being．There are worse men than him in the world！’ ‘He isn't human，'she replied．‘I gave him my heart，and he destroyed it，so I can't feel pity for him．But I must tell you how I managed to escape．Hindley Earnshaw should have been at Catherine's burial yesterday，but he had been drinking so much that he couldn't go．Last night he and I were sitting silently in the kitchen at about midnight，when Heathcliff came home．Hindley decided to lock the doors so that Heath- cliff could not get in．He told me his plan was to murder his hated guest that night，with the weapon he had shown me．I hate Heathcliff too，but I could not agree to murder，so I called out a warning from the kitchen window．Heathcliff swore horribly at me and broke one of the windows．Hindley put his right arm out through the hole，with the gun in it，and aimed it at his enemy．But before he could fire，Heathcliff caught hold of the gun and pulled it away from Hindley．The knife cut into Hindley's wrist，and blood poured out．Heath- cliff jumped into the kitchen through the window，and started kicking and hitting Hindley．who was lying unconscious on the kitchen floor． ‘I ran off to find Joseph．When we came back，Heathcliff was putting a bandage on Hindley's wrist．Joseph was shocked at the sight of his master，and would have gone to the police， if Heathcliff hadn't forced me to describe what happened．I had to agree that Hindley had certainly attacked Heathcliff first． ‘The next day，I decided to have my revenge on Heathcliff， by telling Hindley that‘that devil’had hit and kicked him when he was unconscious．And I told Heathcliff to his face that he could never have made Catherine happy，if she had been his wife．This made him so angry that he threw a knife at me，which cut my neck，and then he rushed towards me， swearing violently．I knew I had to get away quickly，and as I ran out of the kitchen，I saw Hindley attack Heathcliff Both of them were rolling on the floor，fighting．I came over the moors through the snow to the Grange．At last I'm free！And I shall never，never spend another night at Wuthering Heights．’
　　After drinking her tea，Isabella left the Grange From our village she travelled by coach to the south，where she made her new home near London．There，a few months later，she had a son．She called him Linton．
　　Heathcliff must have discovered this from the servants．One day when I saw him in the village，he said，‘I hear I've got a son，Ellen，whose name's Linton！I suppose Isabella wants me to hate him！She can keep him for the moment．But tell Edgar Linton I'll have the boy one day！He's mine！’
　　After Catherine's death my poor master，Mr Edgar，was a changed man．He no longer went to church，or saw any friends．He occasionally went for lonely walks on the moors， and regularly visited his wife's grave．But fortunately Catherine had left him something of herself，her daughter Cathy．This tiny child soon won his heart．
　　It's strange，Mr Lockwood，to compare Hindley and Edgar．They both lost their wives，and were left with a child． Hindley did not believe in God，and showed no interest in his son Hareton．But Edgar believed，and loved his daughter Cathy deeply．
　　Hindley himself died six months after his sister Catherine． We never discovered exactly what happened，but Heathcliff said he had drunk himself to death．It appeared that Heathcliff had won Hindley's house，land and money from him when playing cards，so he was now the master of Wuthering Heights．Hareton inherited nothing from his father，and could only stay on at Wuthering Heights as a servant，working for the man who had been his father's enemy．




■ 11 伊莎贝拉跑了
　　1784年
　　那个礼拜五的晚上风向变了，先来了一阵雨，接着是雪。第二天早晨春天的花儿都被厚厚的雪掩埋了。艾加先生呆在自己的房间里。我正在起居室里和婴儿在一起，这时出乎意料地听到身后有一个姑娘的声音，我回过身，看到是伊莎贝拉·希斯克利夫。她的样子让我吓了一大跳。她散乱的头发湿漉漉地沾满雨雪。她穿着一件薄薄的丝绸外衣和一双单鞋，这装束看着根本不适合在雪地里走远路。她的耳根有一处很深的伤口，淌着血。脸上伤痕累累，看上去疲惫不堪。我能看出她怀孕了。
　　“我是从呼啸山庄一路跑到这儿的，”她上气不接下气说道。“我也数不清跌了多少跤！艾伦，请叫一个女仆给我找些干衣裳，然后我接着到村里去。我不呆在这儿。”
　　“首先，我的好小姐，”我对她说，“你先暖和暖和，等身子干了，然后我把伤口给你包扎一下。最后我们再喝点茶。”她累极了，所以乖乖地由着我拾掇她，最后我们端着茶在炉火旁一起坐了下来。
　　“哦，艾伦，”她说，“听到凯瑟琳的死讯，我大哭了一场，你知道。希斯克利夫也是悲痛欲绝！但对他我可怜不起来。这是我身上最后一件他的东西，”说着摘下她的结婚金戒指扔进火里。“我再也不回到他那儿去了。可我不能留在这儿，以防他来找我。况且反正我不想求艾加帮忙，说不定还会给他添麻烦。要躲开希斯克利夫，我得走得远远的。凯瑟琳怎么会喜欢他，艾伦？我盼着他死，这样才能把他忘得一干二净！”
　　“别那么说，”我分辩道，“他是一个人。世上还有比他更坏的人！”
　　“他不是人，”她回答。“我把心交给了他，他却把它毁了，所以我不能可怜他。我得告诉你我是怎么逃出来的。亨德雷·欧肖昨天本来是要参加凯瑟琳的葬礼的，但他喝多了，没去成。昨晚约摸半夜的时候，他和我坐在厨房里，默默无言，这时希斯克利夫回来了。亨德雷想锁上门不让希斯克利夫进来。他对我说他准备当天晚上用他给我看过的武器去杀他这个恨之入骨的房客。我也恨希斯克利夫，可我不能同意去杀人，所以我就朝厨房的窗户外大声警告。希斯克利夫对我破口大骂，砸坏了一个窗户。亨德雷右手拿着枪，从破洞里伸出去瞄准他的仇人。可他还没来得及开枪，希斯克利夫一把把枪抓住，夺了过去。刀子割进了亨德雷的手腕，血顿时涌了出来。希斯克利夫从窗户跳进厨房，开始对躺在地板上已人事不知的亨德雷拳打脚踢。
　　“我跑出去找约瑟夫。我们回来时，希斯克利夫正给亨德雷包扎手腕。约瑟夫一见他主人的样子惊恐万分，要不是希斯克利夫逼着我说出怎么回事，他就去报警察了。我不能不同意说的确是亨德雷先攻击希斯克利夫的。
　　“第二天，我决定报复希斯克利夫，于是告诉亨德雷在他昏迷不醒时那‘恶棍’曾对他拳打脚踢。而且我还当着希斯克利夫的面说，如果凯瑟琳当了他妻子，他也决不能让她幸福。这话让他勃然大怒，一把刀就朝我扔过来，砍在我脖子上，接着他又大骂着向我冲来。我明白我必须马上逃走，就在我跑出厨房的当儿，我看见亨德雷攻向希斯克利未，他们俩在地板上厮打着滚作一团。我在雪地里越过荒原朝画眉山庄而来。我终于自由啦！我坚决不会再在呼啸山庄多过一个晚上。”
　　喝完茶，伊莎贝拉离开了画眉山庄。她从我们的村子出发，乘马车去了南方，并在伦敦附近建立了一个新家。几个月后，她在那儿生了个儿子，给他起名叫林顿。
　　希斯克利夫一定是从仆人们那儿听说了这个消息。一天，我在村里看见他，他说，“我听说我有了个儿子，艾伦，他叫林顿！我猜伊莎贝拉是想让我恨他！她可以暂时养着他。但要告诉艾加·林顿，这孩子总有一天是我的！他是我的！”
　　凯瑟琳死后，我那可怜的主人艾加先生似乎成了另一个人。他不再上教堂，也不看朋友。他偶尔会上荒原独自走走，定期去看看妻子的墓。但好在凯瑟琳给他留下了她的血肉，女儿凯茜。这个小孩子很快赢得了他的欢心。
　　洛克伍德先生，要比较亨德雷和艾加就会令人不解。他们都失去了妻子，都留下了一个孩子。亨德雷不信上帝，对哈里顿毫不关心。而艾加信上帝，并且非常爱他的女儿凯茜。
　　亨德雷在他妹妹死后六个月也死了。我们一直没弄清楚到底是怎么回事，尽管希斯克利夫说他是喝酒醉死的。好像希斯克利夫是玩牌赢走了亨德雷的宅子、土地和钱财，所以现在他成了呼啸山庄的主人。哈里顿从他父亲那儿一个子儿也没继承到，只能呆在呼啸山庄当仆人，为他父亲原来的仇人干活儿。