简 介

爱情未必总是幸福的历程，相爱的人也未必总是彼此善待。我们都熟知很多恋人因外来压力不能相聚的故事——有时是因为他们的家庭，有时是迫于他们所处社会的世俗习惯。

在《呼啸山庄》中，使恋人隔开的主要原因来自他们自身。这个故事中的人物，像现实世界的人们一样，有弱点——正是这些弱点导致了他们的不幸。他们高傲、自私；他们经常陷于感情纠葛之中，又不能决定自己的命运。爱情经常由于这些原因而失败，但现实生活中很少有像这个故事中所描述的这样动人心魄。

艾米莉·勃朗特（1818—1848）出生和生活于英格兰北部的约克郡，也是《呼啸山庄》这个故事发生的地方。她与她的姐姐夏洛蒂和妹妹安妮都属当时英格兰最伟大的小说家之列。

1 Mr Lockwood visits Wuthering Heights

1801 I have just returned from a visit to my landlord，Mr Heathcliff．I am delighted with the house I am renting from him．Thrushcross Grange is miles away from any town or village．That suits me perfectly．And the scenery here in Yorkshire is so beautiful！

Mr Heathcliff，in fact，is my only neighbour，and I think his character is similar to mine．He does not like people either．

‘My name is Lockwood，’I said，when I met him at the gate to his house．‘I'm renting Thrushcross Grange from you． I just wanted to come and introduce myself．’

He said nothing，but frowned，and did not encourage me to enter．After a while，however，he decided to invite me in．

‘Joseph，take Mr Lock wood's horse！’he called．‘And bring up some wine from the cellar！’Joseph was a very old servant，with a sour expression on his face．He looked crossly up at me as he took my horse．

‘God help us！A visitor！’he muttered to himself．Perhaps there were no other servants，I thought．And it seemed that Mr Heathcliff hardly ever received guests．

His house is called Wuthering Heights．The name means‘a windswept house on a hill’，and it is a very good description．The trees around the house do not grow straight，but are bent by the north wind，which blows over the moors every day of the year．Fortunately，the house is strongly built，and is not damaged even by the worst winter storms．The name‘Earn－shaw’is cut into a stone over the front door.

Mr Heathcliff and I entered the huge main room．It could have been any Yorkshire farmhouse kitchen，except that there was no sign of cooking，and no farmer sitting at the table. Mr Heathcliff certainly does not look like a farmer．His hair and skin are dark，like a gipsy's，but he has the manners of a gentleman．He could perhaps take more care with his appearance，but he is handsome. I think he is proud，and also unhappy.

We sat down by the fire，in silence.

‘Joseph！'shouted Mr Heathcliff．No answer came from the cellar，so he dived down there，leaving me alone with several rather fierce－looking dogs. Suddenly one of them jumped angrily up at me，and in a moment all the others were attacking me．From every shadowy corner in the great room appeared a growling animal，ready to kill me，it seemed.

‘Help！Mr Heathcliff！Help！’I shouted，trying to keep the dogs back．My landlord and his servant were in no hurry to help，and could not have climbed the cellar steps more slowly，but luckily a woman，who I supposed was the housekeeper，rushed into the room to calm the dogs.

‘What the devil is the matter？’Mr Heathcliff asked me rudely，when he finally entered the room.

‘Your dogs，sir！’I replied.‘You shouldn't leave a stranger with them．They're dangerous．’

‘Come，come，Mr Lockwood．Have some wine．We don't often have strangers here，and I'm afraid neither I nor my dogs are used to receiving them．’

I could not feel offended after this，and accepted the wine．We sat drinking and talking together for a while．I suggested visiting him tomorrow．He did not seem eager to see me again，but I shall go anyway.I am interested in him，even if he isn't interested in me.

* * *

Two days later Yesterday afternoon was misty and bitterly cold，but I walked the four miles to Wuthering Heights and arrived just as it was beginning to snow. I banged on the front door for ten minutes，getting colder and colder.Finally Joseph's head appeared at a window of one of the farm buildings．

‘What do you want？’he growled．

‘Could you let me in？’I asked desperately．

He shook his head．‘There's only Mrs Heathcliff indoors，and she won't open the door to you．’

Just then a young man appeared and called me to follow him．We went through the back door and into the big room where I had been before．I was delighted to see a warm fire and a table full of food．And this time there was a woman sitting by the fire．She must be Mrs Heathcliff，I thought．I had not imagined my landlord was married. She looked at me coldly without saying anything．

‘Terrible weather！’I remarked．There was silence．

‘What a beautiful animal！’I tried again，pointing to one of the dogs that had attacked me．She still said nothing，but got up to make the tea．She was only about seventeen，with the most beautiful little face I had ever seen．Her golden wavy hair fell around her shoulders．

‘Have you been invited to tea？'she asked me crossly．

‘No，but you are the proper person to invite me，’I smiled．

For some reason this really annoyed her．She stopped making the tea，and threw herself angrily back in her chair. Meanwhile the young man was staring aggressively at me．He looked like a farm worker，but seemed to be part of the family．I did not feel at all comfortable．At last Heathcliff came in.

‘Here I am，sir，as I promised！’I said cheerfully．

‘You shouldn't have come，’he answered，shaking the snow off his clothes．‘You'll never find your way back in the dark.’

‘Perhaps you could lend me a servant to guide me back to the Grange？’I asked．

‘No，I couldn't．There aren't any servants here except Joseph and the housekeeper．Get the tea ready，will you？’he added fiercely to the young woman．I was shocked by his unpleasantness．

We sat down to eat．I tried to make conversation with the three silent people round the table．

‘How happy you must be，Mr Heathcliff，’I began，‘in this quiet place，with your wife and—’

‘My wife！My wife's ghost，you mean？’

I suddenly realized I had made a serious mistake.So his wife was dead！Of course he was too old to be married to that young girl. She must be married to the young man next to me，who was drinking his tea out of a bowl and eating his bread with unwashed hands．Perhaps the poor girl had found no one better to marry in this uninhabited area．I turned politely to the young man.

‘Ah，so you are this lady's husband！’This was worse than before. His face went red，and he seemed only just able to stop himself hitting me．He muttered something I could not hear．

‘Wrong again，Mr Lockwood，'said Mr Heathcliff.‘No，her husband，my son，is dead．This，’he added，looking scornfully at the young man，‘is certainly not my son.’

‘My name is Hareton Earnshaw，’growled the young man.

We finished our meal in silence，and when I looked out of the window，all I could see was darkness and snow.

‘I don't think I can get home without a guide，’I said politely．No one answered me．I turned to the woman．

‘Mrs Heathcliff，’I begged，‘What can I do？Please help me！’

‘Take the road you came on，'she replied without interest，opening a book．‘That's the best advice I can give．’

‘Mr Heathcliff，I'll have to stay here for the night！’ I told him．

‘I hope that will teach you not to walk over the moors in bad weather，’he answered．‘I don't keep guest bedrooms．You can share a bed with Hareton or Joseph．’

I was so angry with them all that I could not stay there a moment longer，and rushed out into the darkness. I saw Joseph by the back door，caught hold of the lamp he was carrying，and ran with it to the gate．But the dogs chased after me and attacked me，and I was soon knocked to the ground．Heathcliff and Hareton stood at the door，laughing，as I shouted at the dogs and tried to get up．In the end I was again rescued by the housekeeper，Zillah，who ordered away the dogs and helped me to my feet．

I was so bruised and exhausted that I did not feel strong enough to walk home，and although I did not want to，I had to spend the night at Wuthering Heights．Nobody wished me goodnight，as Zillah took me upstairs to find a bed for me．

1 洛克伍德先生造访呼啸山庄

1801年

我刚刚拜访我的房东希斯克利夫先生回来。我喜欢从他那儿租来的那座房子。画眉山庄无论离哪个村镇都有数英里之遥，正合我的心意。约克郡这儿的风景太美了！

希斯克利夫先生实际上是我唯一的邻居，并且我觉得他的性情与我相仿。他也不喜欢人群。

在通向他房子的院门前我见到了他。“我姓洛克伍德，”我说道，“我租用着您的画眉山庄。我是来同您打个招呼的。”

他没说话，却皱了一下眉头，不太愿意让我进去。但呆了一会儿又决定请我进屋。

“约瑟夫，牵走洛克伍德先生的马！”他喊道，“到地窖里拿些酒上来！”约瑟夫是个很老的仆人，脸上表情乖戾。牵马时气鼓鼓地看了我一眼。

“上帝保佑！来了客人！”他自言自语地嘟囔着。我想可能再没有别的仆人了。看来希斯克利夫先生几乎从不接待客人。

他的房子叫呼啸山庄。意思是“狂风肆虐的山丘上的房子”，名字起得恰如其分。房子周围的树不是直着长，而是被常年累月里从荒原过来的北风吹弯的。好在房子造得结实，即使是冬天最烈的风暴也毁不了。房子正门的一块石头上刻着“欧肖”这个名字。

希斯克利夫先生和我进到极大的正房。它很像是约克郡一个普通农家的厨房，只是没有做饭的迹象，桌旁也没坐着农夫。希斯克利夫先生看上去显然不像个农夫，他的头发和皮肤是深色的，像吉卜赛人，但有绅士的派头。他还能对自己的外表再多上点儿心，但已经算得上英俊了。我觉得他很高傲，而且郁郁寡欢。

我们在火旁坐下，都没说话。

“约瑟夫！”希斯克利夫先生高声喊道。地窖里没有回答，于是他钻了下去，只剩下我单独和几条恶狗在一起。突然有一条气势汹汹地跳起来扑向我，随即其他的几条也都攻向我。这大屋子的每个阴暗角落都蹿出一条嗥叫的恶兽，似乎有要杀了我的架势。

“救命呀！希斯克利夫先生！救命！”我一边竭力不让狗近身，一边高声喊道。我的房东和他的仆人根本不急于来解救我，从地窖的楼梯往上爬，慢得不能再慢了。但幸运的是有个女人，我猜她是这儿的女管家，冲进屋里把狗制服了。

“搞什么鬼？”希斯克利夫先生无礼地问我道，这时他终于进了屋。

“是您的狗，先生！”我回答。“您不应该把一个生人和它们撇在一起。它们很危险。”

“好了，好了，洛克伍德先生，喝点酒。我们这儿不常来生人，恐怕我和我这些狗都不知道怎么接待客人。”

这么一来我倒没了被冒犯的感觉，接过了酒。我们坐在一起边喝边聊了一会儿。我提议明天再来拜访他。他对再见我似乎并没有热情，但无论如何我也得去。我对他很有兴趣，虽然他对我没有。

两天后

昨天下午有雾，天气阴冷，但我走了四英里去呼啸山庄，刚到就开始下雪了。我在前门使劲儿敲了10分钟，觉得越来越冷。最后约瑟夫终于从一间农舍的窗子里探出头来。

“你想干什么？”他吼道。

“你能让我进去吗？”我绝望地问。

他摇了摇头。“只有希斯克利夫夫人在家，她不会给你开门的。”

就在这时出现了一个年轻人，叫我跟他走。我们从后门进了我曾去过的那间大屋。看到暖暖的一炉火和一张摆满饭菜的桌子，我精神一振。这次有一个女人坐在火旁。我猜她一定就是希斯克利夫夫人了。我没料到我的房东已有家室。她冷冰冰地看着我，一声没吭。

“这坏天气！”我说。还是沉默。

“真是条好狗！”我指着攻击过我的一条狗，又试探了一次。她还是没说话，却起身沏茶。她只有十七岁上下，一张脸蛋儿是我所见过的最美的。她金色、波浪般的头发披在肩上。

“是请你来喝茶的吗？”她别扭地问了我一句。

“不，但您应该请我，”我微笑着说。

这话不知为何让她真的有些不悦。茶也不沏了，怒气十足地一屁股坐回她的椅子。同时，那个年轻人也挑衅似地盯着我。他看起来像个农场做工的，但又似乎是这个家庭的成员。我觉得很不自在。最后希斯克利夫终于进来了。

“我来了，先生，我说过我要来的！”我高高兴兴地说。

“你不该来，”他回答，一边抖落衣服上的雪，“天黑了你别想找到回去的路。”

“也许您能派个仆人领我回画眉山庄？”我问道。

“不，我做不到。这儿除了约瑟夫和女管家就没有仆人了。把茶沏好，行吗？”他蛮横地对那个年轻女人加了一句。他的不悦让我大吃一惊。

我们坐下开始进餐。我试着同桌边这三个默不作声的人搭话。

“您该有多幸福啊，希斯克利夫先生，”我发话道，“在这个宁静的地方，与您的夫人和……”

“我的夫人！你指的是我夫人的灵魂吗？”

突然间我意识到我犯了个严重的错误。原来他的夫人已经死了！他这个年龄当然不会娶那么年轻的姑娘。她嫁的一定是我旁边的这个年轻人，他正从碗里喝茶，用来吃面包的手也没有洗。也许这可怜的姑娘在这人烟稀少的地方也找不到更好的人可嫁了。我恭敬地转向那年轻人。

“啊，原来您是这位夫人的先生！”这一下比刚才更糟。他的脸红了，似乎差点儿就忍不住要揍我。他嘟囔了些什么，但我没听清。

“又错了，洛克伍德先生，”希斯克利夫先生说，“不，她的丈夫，我儿子，已经死了。这位，”他边讥讽地看着那年轻人，边补充道，“当然不是我的儿子。”

“我叫哈里敦·欧肖，”年轻人吼道。

我们在沉默中吃完了饭，这时我往窗外望去，能看到的只是一片黑暗和雪花。

“我想，没有向导我回不了家的，”我礼貌地说。没人理睬我的话。我转向那女人。

“希斯克利夫夫人，”我恳求道，“我能怎么办？请帮帮我！”

“顺着你来的原路回去，”她毫不关心地回答，同时打开了一本书，“这是我能给你的最好的建议。”

“希斯克利夫先生，我不得不在这儿过夜了！”我告诉他。

“我希望你能接受这个教训，天气不好时别到荒原上走，”他回答，“我没为客人准备卧室。你可以同哈里敦或约瑟夫睡一张床。”

我对他们几个简直是怒不可遏，在这儿我一会儿也呆不下去了，当即冲出门，到了黑暗之中。我看见约瑟夫在后门那儿站着，于是一把抓过他手里的那盏灯，拿着奔大门跑去。但那些狗追着攻向我，我很快就被击倒在地上。在我对着狗高声呵斥，试图站起来那当儿，希斯克利夫和哈里敦却站在门前笑着。最后，又是女管家齐拉救了我，她叱退了狗，扶我站起来。

我浑身是伤，精疲力竭，感觉没力气走回家，虽然我不想留下，但不得不在呼啸山庄过夜了。齐拉带我上楼要为我找张床的时候，谁也没对我说晚安。

2 Catherine Earnshaw's room

1801‘Quietly，sir！’whispered the housekeeper，as we climbed up the dark stairs．‘My master will be angry if he discovers which bedroom you're sleeping in.For some rea-son he doesn't want anyone to sleep there，I don't know why．They're strange people in this house，you know．Here's the room，sir.

But I was too tired to listen．‘Thank you，Zillah，’I said，and，taking the candle，I entered the room and closed the door.

The only piece of furniture in the large，dusty bedroom was a bed，placed next to the window. There were heavy curtains which could be pulled around it，to hide the sleeper from anyone else in the room．Looking inside the curtains I saw a little shelf full of books，just under the window.I put my can-dle down on the shelf，and dropped thankfully on to the bed．I closed the curtains around the bed，and felt safe from Heathcliff and everyone else at Wuthering Heights．

I noticed that there were names written on the wall in childish handwriting—Catherine Earnshaw，Catherine Heathcliff and Catherine Linton．Then I fell asleep，but I was woken very suddenly by a smell of burning. My candle had fallen on to a Bible on the shelf and was burning it．When I opened the Bible to see if it was damaged，I found that wherever there was an empty page，or half a page，someone had written on it，and on the first page was written ‘Catherine Earnshaw's diary，1776’．Who was the girl who had slept in this bed，written her name on the wall，and then written her diary in the Bible，twenty-five years ago？I read it with interest．

‘How I hate my brother Hindley！’it began．‘He is so cruel to poor Heathcliff．If only my father hadn't died！While he was alive，Heathcliff was like a brother to Hindley and me．But now Hindley and his wife Frances have inherited the house and the money，and they hate Heathcliff.That horrible old servant Joseph is always angry with Heathcliff and me because we don't pray or study the Bible，and when he tells his master，Hindley always punishes us．I can't stop crying. Poor Heathcliff！Hindley says he is wicked，and can't play with me or eat with me any more.’

My eyes were beginning to close again and I fell asleep．Never before had I passed such a terrible night，disturbed by the most frightening dreams．Suddenly I was woken by a gentle knocking on the window. It must be the branch of a tree，I thought，and tried to sleep again．Outside I could hear the wind driving the snow against the window．

But I could not sleep．The knocking annoyed me so much that I tried to open the window. When it did not open， I broke the glass angrily and stretched out my hand towards the branch．But instead，my fingers closed around a small，ice－cold hand！It held my hand tightly，and a voice cried sadly，‘Let me in！Let me in！’

‘Who are you？’I asked，trying to pull my hand away．

‘Catherine Linton，’it replied．‘I've come home．I lost my way！’There seemed to be a child's face looking in at the window.

Terror made me cruel. I rubbed the creature's tiny wrist against the broken glass so that blood poured down on to the bed．As soon as the cold fingers let go for a moment，I pulled my hand quickly back，put a pile of books in front of the broken window，and tried not to listen to the desperate cries outside.

‘Go away！’I called．‘I'll never let you in，not if you go on crying for twenty years！’

‘It is almost twenty years！'replied the sad little voice．‘I've been out here in the dark for nearly twenty years！’The hand started pushing through the window at the pile of books，and I knew it would find me and catch hold of me again．Unable to move，I stared in horror at the shape behind the glass，and screamed.

There were rapid footsteps outside my bedroom door，and then I saw the light of a candle in the room．

‘Is anyone here？’whispered Heathcliff．He could not see me behind the curtains，and clearly did not expect an answer.I knew I could not hide from him，so I opened the curtains wide.

I was surprised by the effect of my action．Heathcliff dropped his candle and stood without moving，his face as white as the wall behind him．He did not seem to recognize me.

‘It's only your guest，Lockwood，’I said．‘I'm sorry，I must have had a bad dream and screamed in my sleep．’

‘To the devil with you，Mr Lockwood！’growled my landlord．‘Who allowed you to sleep in this room？Who was it？’

‘It was your housekeeper，Mr Heathcliff，’I said，quickly putting my clothes on．‘And I'm angry with her myself！ No one can sleep in a room full of ghosts！’

‘What do you mean？’asked Heathcliff，looking suddenly very interested.‘Ghosts，you say？’

‘That little girl，Catherine Linton，or Earnshaw，or whatever her name was，must have been wicked！She told me she had been a ghost for nearly twenty years．It was probably a punishment for her wickedness！’

‘How dare you speak of her to me？’cried Heathcliff wildly．But as I described my dream，he became calmer，and sat down on the bed，trembling as he tried to control his feelings.

‘Mr Lockwood，’he said finally，brushing a tear from his eye，‘you can go into my bedroom to sleep for the rest of the night．I'll stay here for a while．’

‘No more sleep for me tonight，’I replied．‘I'll wait in the kitchen until it's daylight，and then I'll leave．You needn't worry about my visiting you again either．I've had enough company for a long time．’

But as I turned to go downstairs，my landlord，thinking he was alone，threw himself on the bed，pushed open the window and called into the darkness．‘Come in！Come in！’he cried，tears rolling down his face．‘Catherine，do come！My darling，hear me this time！’

But only the snow and wind blew into the room.

How could my dream have produced such madness？I could not watch his suffering any more，and went downstairs.

I waited in the kitchen until it was light enough outside for me to find my way through the deep snow back to Thrushcross Grange. The housekeeper there，Ellen Dean，rushed out to welcome me home. She thought I must have died in the previous night's snowstorm．With a warm fire，and a hot meal，I began to recover from my unpleasant experiences．

After my stay at Wuthering Heights，I thought I would never want to speak to any human being again，but by the end of the next day I was beginning to feel lonely．I decided to ask Mrs Dean to sit with me after supper.

‘How long have you lived in this house？’I asked her．

‘Eighteen years，sir. I came here early in 1783 when my mistress was married，to look after her. And when she died，I stayed here as housekeeper.’

‘Who was your mistress？’I asked.

‘Her name was Catherine Earnshaw，'she replied.

‘Ah，my ghostly Catherine，’I muttered quietly to myself.

‘She married Mr Edgar Linton，a neighbour，’added Mrs Dean，‘and they had a daughter，Cathy，who married Mr Heathcliff's son.’

‘Ah，so that must be the widow，young Mrs Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights！’

‘That's right，sir．Did you see her？I looked after her as a baby，you know. How is she？I do want to know.’

‘She looked very well，and very beautiful．But I don't think she's happy．’

‘Oh，poor thing！And what did you think of Mr Heathcliff？’

‘He's a rough，hard man，Mrs Dean．But I'm very interested in him．Tell me more about him.’

‘Well，he's very rich，of course，and mean at the same time．He could live here at Thrushcross Grange，which is a finer house than Wuthering Heights，but he would rather receive rent than live comfortably．But I'll tell you the whole story of his life，as much as I know，that is，and then you can judge for yourself.’

2 凯瑟琳·欧肖的房间

1801年

“别出声，先生！”我们爬上黑暗的楼梯时女管家轻声对我说。“如果我的主人发现你睡在那间卧室，他会生气的。因为某些原因，他不愿任何人睡在那儿，我不知为什么。这座房子里尽是怪人，这你知道。就是这个房间，先生。”

但我太累了，也没顾得上听。“谢谢，齐拉，”我说，然后拿着蜡烛，进了房间，关上门。

这是一间很大的卧室，积满灰尘，唯一的家具就是那张靠窗放着的床。有几重厚厚的帘子，拉起来可以把床围住，这样房里的其他人就看不见睡觉的人了。我往帘子里头看了一眼，看到窗子的正下方有一个装满了书的架子。我把蜡烛放到架子上，心满意足地躺上了床。我把床的围帘拉上，有一种与希斯克利夫和呼啸山庄所有其他人隔开的安稳感觉。

我注意到墙上写着些名字，笔迹很幼稚——凯瑟琳·欧肖，凯瑟琳·希斯克利夫和凯瑟琳·林顿。然后我就睡着了，但突然我被一阵着火的味儿呛醒了。是蜡烛倒在了架子上的一本《圣经》上，正烧着呢。当我打开那本《圣经》看有没有烧坏时，发现凡是有空白页，或半页空白的地方都写满了字，而第一页上就写着“凯瑟琳·欧肖的日记，1776年”。25年前在这床上睡过、在墙上写上自己的名字，然后又在《圣经》上写日记的姑娘是谁？我饶有兴致地读了下去。

“我恨死我哥哥亨德雷了！”日记开始写道，“他对可怜的希斯克利夫太凶了。如果我爸爸还没过世该多好！他活着的时候，希斯克利夫先生就像是我和亨德雷的兄弟一般。但现在亨德雷和他老婆弗朗西丝继承了房子和财产，而他们恨希斯克利夫。约瑟夫那可恶的老仆人又总是因为希斯克利夫和我不祈祷或不读《圣经》而对我们吹胡子瞪眼，当他状告到主人那儿，亨德雷肯定要惩罚我们。我止不住要哭。可怜的希斯克利夫！亨德雷说他邪性，再也不让他跟我一起玩儿，不让他跟我一起吃饭。”

我的眼睛又慢慢合上，睡着了。在这以前我从来没有经历过那么可怕的一夜，被最令人恐惧的梦魇烦扰着。突然间我被窗子上轻轻的敲击声弄醒了，一定是树枝的缘故，我想，打算接着再睡。我能听到外面风卷着雪花打在窗子上的声音。

但我无法入睡。敲击声太让人心烦，我试图打开窗户。窗子打不开，于是我恼怒地砸碎了玻璃向外伸手去够那根树枝。但树枝没够着，却抓住了一只冰凉的小手！小手紧紧抓着我的手，一个声音哭诉道，“让我进去！让我进去！”

“你是谁？”我问道，想把手抽回来。

“凯瑟琳·林顿，”它回答，“我回家了！我迷路了！”似乎有一张孩子的脸由窗外探望进来。

恐惧使我心狠起来。我把那小东西的细小的手腕儿在破玻璃上拉来拉去，直到血淌到了床上。那冰冷的手指一放松，我就赶紧把手抽了回来，在窗子缺口前堆了一摞书，尽量不去听外面那苦苦哀求的声音。

“滚开！”我嚷道，“我决不会让你进来的，再叫20年也没用！”

“已经快有二十年啦！”那凄楚孱弱的声音回答道。“我流落在外面这黑暗里已经将近20年啦！”那只手开始伸过窗子的破口来推那摞书，我知道它会找到我而且又会抓住我的。我一动不能动，惊恐地盯着玻璃后面的影子，放声尖叫起来。

我的卧室门外很快就传来了急促的脚步声，然后就看到房间里有了烛光。

“有人吗？”希斯克利夫低声问。我在帘子后面，他看不见，因而显然不指望会有人回答。我知道我躲不过他了，就把帘子拉开了一大块。

我这个动作的后果让我吃了一惊。希斯克利夫手里的蜡烛掉了，呆呆地站在那儿，他的脸煞白得像他身后的墙。他好像没认出我来。

“我不过是您的客人，洛克伍德啊，”我说。“对不起，想必我做了个恶梦，在睡梦中尖叫出来了。”

“见鬼去吧，洛克伍德先生！”我的房东咆哮道。“谁允许你睡在这房间的？是谁？”

“是您的女管家，希斯克利夫先生，”我说，同时很快地穿上了衣服。“我也很生她的气！没人能睡在这挤满鬼魂的房间！”

“你什么意思？”希斯克利夫问，突然露出很感兴趣的样子。“鬼魂，你说？”

“那个小姑娘，凯瑟琳·林顿，或欧肖，或不管她叫什么，一定是个邪种！她告诉我她已经做了将近二十年的鬼了。这可能就是对她邪恶的惩罚！”

“你怎么竟敢对我说起她来？”希斯克利夫狂怒地高声叫道。但随着我描述着梦境，他开始平静下来，在床边坐下，颤抖着，试图控制他的情绪。

“洛克伍德先生，”最后他开腔了，一边抹去他眼里的一滴泪，“后半夜你可以去我的卧室睡。我要在这儿呆一会儿。”

“今晚我没法再睡了，”我回答。“我要到厨房坐到天亮，然后就走。您也不必担心我会再来拜访您了。就这伴儿已够折腾我好一阵子了。”

当我转身下楼时，我的房东以为就他自己了，一头倒在床上，推开窗户，对着黑暗喊叫起来。“进来吧！进来吧！”他哭喊着，眼泪顺着他的脸淌下来。“凯瑟琳，来吧！我的爱人，这次你听到我了吧！”

但只有雪花和着风吹进房来。

我的梦怎么会让他如此疯狂？我不忍再看他凄苦的样子，下楼去了。

我在厨房等着，直到外面的天光能使我在深深的雪地里找到回画眉山庄的路。画眉山庄的女管家，艾伦·迪恩，赶出来迎我回家。她以为我一定在头夜的暴风雪中死了呢。抱着暖暖的一炉火，吃了一顿热乎乎的饭菜，我开始从我不快的经历中恢复了过来。

打我在呼啸山庄过了一夜之后，我想我再也不会同任何人说话了，但到了第二天后半晌我又开始觉得孤单。我决定让迪恩夫人在晚饭后陪我坐一会儿。

“你在这房子里住了多久啦？”我问她。

“18年啦，先生。我是在1783年初我的女主人结婚时来这儿的，来照顾她。她死后，我就做了这儿的女管家。”

“你的女主人是谁？”我问。

“她名叫凯瑟琳·欧肖，”她回答。

“啊，我的鬼魂凯瑟琳，”我喃喃地自语道。

“她嫁给了艾加·林顿先生，一个邻居，”迪恩夫人补充说，“后来他们生了个女儿，凯茜，嫁给了希斯克利夫先生的儿子。”

“哦，一定就是那个寡妇，呼啸山庄里年轻的希斯克利夫夫人！”

“对，先生。您见到她了吗？她小时候是我看的，您知道。她怎么样？我真的很想知道。”

“她看上去很好，非常漂亮。但我觉得她并不开心。”

“噢，可怜的人儿！那您觉得希斯克利夫先生怎么样？”

“他是个粗暴、苛刻的人，迪恩夫人。但我对他挺有兴趣。给我再说些他的事。”

“嗯，他很富，当然，同时吝啬。他本可以住在画眉山庄这儿，房子要比呼啸山庄好，但他宁愿收租金也不愿住得舒坦。我会给您讲所有有关他的事儿，就是尽我所知的，然后您就可以自己判断了。”

3 Ellen Dean's story—Catherine and Heathcliff as children

1770 When I was a child，I was always at Wuthering Heights，because my mother was a servant with the Earnshaw family．They are a very old family who have lived in that house for centuries，as you can see from their name on the stone over the front door. I grew up with Catherine and Hindley Earnshaw，and we three played together as children.

One day，their father Mr Earnshaw came back from a long journey. He had travelled sixty miles to Liverpool and back on business，and was very tired.

‘Look what I've brought you！’he told us all，unwrapping something he was holding carefully in his arms．Catherine and Hindley were expecting presents，and they rushed eagerly to see what it was. They were very disappointed to see only a dirty，black-haired gipsy child.

‘I found him all alone in the busy streets of Liverpool，’Mr Earnshaw explained to them，‘and I couldn't leave him to die． He can sleep in your room．’But Hindley and Catherine were angry because they had not received any presents，and refused to let the strange child share their room．However Mr Earn－shaw insisted，and little by little the boy became accepted by the family．He was called Heathcliff，as a first and last name．No one ever discovered who his parents had been．

Catnerine and he became great friends，but Hindley hated him，and was often cruel to him．Old Mr Earnshaw was strangely fond of this gipsy child，and frequently punished his son for behaving badly to Heathcliff．Hindley began to be jealous of his father's feelings for Heathcliff，and saw them both as enemies．

This situation could not last．As Mr Earnshaw grew old and ill，Heathcliff became even more his favourite，and Hindley often quarrelled with his father．When Hindley was sent away to study，I hoped that we would have peace in the house．But then it was that old servant Joseph who caused trouble．He tried to persuade his master to be stricter with the children，and was always complaining that Heathcliff and Catherine did not spend enough time studying the Bible or attending church services．

Catherine was a wild，wicked girl in those days．We had to watch her every moment of the day，to stop her playing her tricks on us．She was proud，and liked giving orders．But she had the prettiest face and the sweetest smile you've ever seen．I could forgive her anything when she came to say she was sorry.

She was much too fond of Heathcliff，and the worst punishment we could invent was to keep her separate from him．Her father could no longer understand her or her behaviour，and Catherine did not realize that his illness made him less patient with her．

At last Mr Earnshaw found peace．He died quietly in his chair by the fire one October evening in 1775．The night was wild and stormy，and we were all sitting together in the big kitchen．Joseph was reading his Bible at the table，while Catherine had her head on her father's knee．He was pleased to see her so gentle for once，and she was singing him to sleep．I was glad the old gentleman was sleeping so well．But when it was time to go to bed，Catherine put her arms round her father's neck to say goodnight，and immediately screamed，‘Oh，he's dead，Heathcliff！He's dead！’

Heathcliff and I started crying loudly and bitterly too．Joseph told me to fetch the doctor，so I ran to the village，although I knew it was too late．When I came back，I went to the children's room，to see if they needed me，and I listened for a moment at their door. They were imagining the dead man in a beautiful distant place，far from the troubles of this world．And as I listened，crying silently，I could not help wishing we were all there safe together.

3 艾伦·迪恩讲述的故事

——凯瑟琳和希斯克利夫的童年

1770年

我小时候一直在呼啸山庄，因为我母亲在欧肖家做用人。欧肖家是一个很古老的家族，在那幢宅子住了好几百年，你能从门前石头上刻着的名字看出来。我是同凯瑟琳和亨德雷·欧肖一起长大的，小时候我们仨都在一起玩儿。

一天，他们的父亲欧肖先生出远门回来。他步行了六十英里去利物浦办事后又赶回来，非常疲倦。

“看我给你们带来了什么！”他对我们大家说，一边打开了怀里小心抱着的东西。凯瑟琳和亨德雷正指望着是礼物呢，兴冲冲地围上来看到底是什么东西。当他们只看到一个脏兮兮、黑头发的吉卜赛孩子时，大失所望。

“我看到他孤零零地呆在利物浦繁忙的街头，”欧肖先生对他们解释说，“我总不能让他就那么死了吧。他可以睡在你们的房里。”但亨德雷和凯瑟琳气恼没有得到礼物，不肯让这个野孩子睡在他们的房间。在欧肖先生的坚持下，一家人还是渐渐地接受了这个孩子。给他起了个名字叫希斯克利夫，既是名，也是姓。始终没人搞清楚他的父母是谁。

凯瑟琳和他成了好朋友，但亨德雷不喜欢他，对他常常很粗暴。老欧肖先生异乎寻常地喜欢这个吉卜赛孩子，时常因为自己的儿子对希斯克利夫不友善而惩罚他。亨德雷开始嫉妒他父亲对希斯克利夫的感情，视他俩为敌。

这种情况不可能持续下去。随着欧肖先生变得年迈多病，他越发地偏爱希斯克利夫了，而亨德雷则常同他父亲吵架。当亨德雷被送到外头上学后，我本指望我们能在家里过上安稳日子。但又轮到老仆人约瑟夫招惹是非。他试图怂恿他的主人对孩子们再严厉些，总是抱怨希斯克利夫和凯瑟琳不下功夫研读《圣经》和参加教堂的礼拜。

凯瑟琳当时是个任性、淘气的姑娘。我们一天到晚都得盯着她，一不留意就做我们的恶作剧。她自大，好发号施令。但您从没看到过她那可爱的小脸和甜甜的微笑。只要她过来说抱歉时，我就什么都原谅她了。

她太喜欢希斯克利夫了，不让她和希斯克利夫在一起是我们所能采取的最严厉的惩罚。她的父亲已无法理解她和她的所作所为，而凯瑟琳也没有意识到父亲的病情已使他对自己不像以前那样惯着了。

欧肖先生最终安息了。1775年10月的一个晚上，他安祥地死在火炉旁他的椅子上。那天晚上狂风肆虐，我们都一起坐在大厨房里。约瑟夫伏案读着他的《圣经》，凯瑟琳把头枕在她父亲的膝头。好不容易看到她这么乖，欧肖先生很高兴，她唱着歌儿催他入眠。老先生睡得这么好，我很欣慰。但该上床睡觉，凯瑟琳用胳膊搂着她父亲的脖子道晚安时，她突然尖叫起来，“啊，他死了，希斯克利夫！他死了！”

希斯克利夫和我也都开始嚎啕痛哭。约瑟夫叫我去喊大夫，虽然我知道太晚了，但还是跑去了村子。回来后，我到孩子们的房间去看看他们是否需要我，我在门前站着听了一会儿。他们正在那儿想像死去的人如何在一个遥远、美丽的地方远离凡世的烦恼。我边听边默默地哭着，不禁开始祈望我们都能在天堂相安无事地相处。

4 Catherine Earnshaw gets to know the Lintons

1775 Hindley came home for his father's burial．What was more surprising was that he brought a wife with him．She was called Frances，a thin，pale woman with a frequent cough．Now that Hindley was the master of the house，he ordered Joseph and me to spend our evenings in the small back-kitchen，as we were only servants，while he，his wife and Catherine sat in the main room．Catherine and Heathcliff were treated very differently．Catherine received presents，and could continue her lessons，but Heathcliff was made to work on the farm with the men，and，as a farm worker，was only allowed to eat with us in the backkitchen．They grew up like two wild animals．Hindley did not care what they did，as long as they kept out of his way，and they did not care even if he punished them．They often ran away on to the moors in the morning and stayed out all day，just to make Hindley angry．I was the only one who cared what happened to the two poor creatures，and I was afraid for them．

One Sunday evening they were missing at bedtime，and Hindley ordered me angrily to lock the front door．But I did not want them to stay out in the cold all night，so I kept my window open to look out for them．In a while I saw Heathcliff walking through the gate．I was shocked to see him alone．

‘Where's Catherine？’I cried sharply．

‘At Thrushcross Grange，with our neighbours the Lintons，’he replied．‘Let me in，Ellen，and I'll explain what happened．’I went down to unlock the door，and we came upstairs very quietly．

‘Don't wake the master up！’I whispered．‘Now tell me！’

‘Well，Catherine and I thought we’d just walk to the Lintons’house．We wanted to see if Isabella and Edgar Linton are punished all the time by their parents，as we are．’

‘Probably not，’I answered．‘I expect they are good children and don't need to be punished．’

‘Nonsense，Ellen！Guess what we saw when we looked in at their sittingroom window？A very pretty room，with soft carpets and white walls．Catherine and I would love to have a room like that！But in the middle of this beautiful room，Isabella and Edgar Linton were screaming and fighting over a little dog！How stupid they are，Ellen！If Catherine wanted something，I would give it to her，and she would do the same for me．I would rather be here at Wuthering Heights with her，even if I'm punished by Joseph and that wicked Hindley，that at Thrushcross Grange with those two fools！’

‘Not so loud，Heathcliff！But you still haven't told me why Catherine isn't with you？’

‘Well，as we were looking in，we started laughing at them so loudly that they heard us，and sent the dogs after us．We were about to run away，when a great fierce dog caught Catherine's leg in its teeth．I attacked it，and made it let go of her leg，but the Lintons' servants appeared and caught hold of me. They must have thought we were robbers．Catherine was carried unconscious into the house，and they pulled me inside too．All the time I was shouting and swearing at them．

‘“What a wicked pair of thieves！”said old Mr Linton．“The boy must be a gipsy，he's as dark as the devil！”Mrs Linton raised her hands in horror at the sight of me．Catherine opened her eyes，and Edgar looked closely at her．

‘“Mother，”he whispered，“the young lady is Miss Earn-shaw，of Wuthering Heights. I've seen her in church occasionally．And look what our dog has done to her leg！It's bleeding badly！”

‘“Miss Earnshaw with a gipsy！”cried Mrs Linton．“Surely not！But I think you must be right，Edgar．This girl is wearing black，and Mr Earnshaw died recently．It must be her．I’d better put a bandage on her leg at once.”

‘“Why does her brother Hindley let her run around with such a companion？”wondered Mr Linton．“I remember now，he's the gipsy child Mr Earnshaw brought home from Liverpool a few years ago.”

‘“He's a wicked boy，you can see that，”said Mrs Linton．“And did you hear the bad language he used just now？I'm shocked that my children heard it.”’

‘I was pushed out into the garden，but I stayed to watch through the window．They put Catherine on a comfortable sofa，cleaned her wound and fed her with cakes and wine．I only left the house when I was sure she was well taken care of．She's a breath of fresh air for those stupid Lintons．I'm not surprised they like her．Everybody who sees her must love her，mustn't they，Ellen？’

‘I'm afraid you'll be punished for this，Heathcliff，’I said sadly．

And I was right．Hindley warned Heathcliff that he must never speak to Catherine again，or he would be sent away from Wuthering Heights，and it was decided that Catherine would be taught to behave like a young lady．

She stayed with the Linton family at Thrushcross Grange for five weeks，until Christmas．By that time her leg was fine，and her manners were much better than before．Frances Earn-shaw visited her often，bringing her pretty dresses to wear，and persuading her to take care of her appearance，so that when she finally came home after her long absence，she almost seemed a different person．Instead of a wild，hatless girl，we saw a beautiful，carefully dressed young lady．

When she had greeted all of us，she asked for Heathcliff．

‘Come forward，Heathcliff！’called Hindley．‘You may welcome Miss Catherine home，like the other servants．’

Heathcliff was used to being outside all day，and had not bothered to wash or change his clothes．His face and hands were black with dirt．In spite of this，Catherine was very glad to see him and rushed up to kiss him．Then she laughed．

‘How funny and black and cross you look！But that's because I'm used to Edgar and Isabella，who are always so clean and tidy. Well，Heathcliff，have you forgotten me？’

But，ashamed and proud，the boy said nothing，until suddenly his feelings were too much for him．

‘I won't stay to be laughed at！’he cried，and was about to run away，when Catherine caught hold of his hand.

‘Why are you angry，Heathcliff？You…you just look a bit strange，that's all．You're so dirty！’

She looked worriedly at her hands，and her new dress．

‘You needn't have touched me！’he said，pulling away his hand．‘I like being dirty，and I'm going to be dirty！’

As he ran miserably out of the room，Hindley and his wife laughed loudly，delighted that their plan to separate the two young people seemed to be succeeding.

The next day was Christmas Day．Edgar and Isabella Linton had been invited to lunch，and their mother had agreed，on condition that her darlings were kept carefully apart from‘that wicked boy’．I felt sorry for poor Heathcliff，and while the Earnshaws were at church， I helped him wash and dress in clean clothes．

‘You're too proud，’I scolded him as I brushed his black hair．‘You should think how sad Catherine is when you can't be together．And don't be jealous of Edgar Linton！’

‘I wish I had blue eyes and fair hair like him！I wish I behaved well，and was going to inherit a fortune！’

‘He has none of your intelligence or character！And if you have a good heart，you'll have a handsome face. Who knows who your parents were？Perhaps a king and queen，far more important than the Lintons！’

In this way I encouraged Heathcliff to have more confidence in himself. But when the Earnshaws and the Lintons arrived back from church，the first thing Hindley did was shout at Heathcliff.

‘Get out of my sight，until we've finished eating！ I'll pull that long hair of yours if you don't obey me at once！’

‘It is long，'said Edgar.‘I'm surprised he can see anything．’

This was too much for Heathcliff． He looked desperately around for a weapon，picked up a bowl of hot soup and threw it at Edgar，who started screaming. Hindley immediately took hold of Heathcliff and pushed him upstairs.

‘I'm sure Hindley's going to hit him！’cried Catherine.‘I hate it when Heathcliff is punished！ It's your fault， Edgar， you annoyed him！Why did you speak to him？’

‘I didn't，’ replied Edgar，tears in his eyes．‘I promised Mother I wouldn't．I spoke about him， not to him．’

‘Well，don't cry，'said Catherine with scorn．‘You've made enough trouble already. Here comes my brother.’

Hindley returned，hot and breathless．

‘That'll teach him！’he said．‘And now let's have lunch！’

The others seemed to forget Heathcliff，but I noticed Catherine could not eat much，and I knew she was sorry for her friend．In the evening there was music from a travelling band，and dancing in the main room. Catherine said the music sounded sweeter from high up，and so she went to sit in the dark on the stairs．When I went to find her，however，I discovered she had gone right to the top of the house to talk to Heathcliff through his locked bedroom door，and had then climbed out on to the roof and in through his window．I persuaded them both to come out of the room the same way， as I had no key to the door，and took Heathcliff down into the warm servants’kitchen with me，while Catherine returned to her guests and the dancing．

‘You must be hungry，Heathcliff，’I said.‘You haven't eaten all day. Have some Christmas cake，do.’

‘I can't eat anything，’he growled，putting his head in his hands．‘I've got to think how I can have my revenge on Hindley．I only hope he doesn't die first！He'll be sorry he's treated me like this，Ellen！’

4 凯瑟琳·欧肖认识了林顿一家

1775年

亨德雷回家参加他父亲的葬礼。更令人惊奇的是他带回来个妻子。她叫弗朗西丝，是个瘦瘦的白白的女人，咳嗽个不停。这会儿亨德雷成了这宅子的主人，他责令约瑟夫和我晚上呆在后面的小厨房里，因为我们是下人，而他、他妻子和凯瑟琳则坐在正屋里。凯瑟琳和希斯克利夫的境遇大不相同。凯瑟琳收到了礼物，可以继续学习，但希斯克利夫被遣去与男人们一起在农庄干活，一个干农活的，只能被允许和我们在后面厨房里一起吃饭。他们俩像两个小野人似地长大了，亨德雷对他们的所作所为不闻不问，只要他们别碍着他的事；而他们就算被亨德雷惩罚也不吃他那一套。他们常常一大早就跑到荒原上，一整天都呆在外面，就是为了气气亨德雷。只有我才关心这两个可怜的小东西，替他们担惊受怕。

一个星斯天的晚上，该睡觉的时候还没见他们人影，亨德雷怒冲冲地命令我锁上前门。但我不想他们大冷天整夜呆在外头，所以我就没关我的窗户，留意着他们。过了一会儿，我看到希斯克利夫走进了大门。见到只有他一个人，我大吃一惊。

“凯瑟琳哪儿去了？”我尖声叫道。

“在画眉山庄，在我们的邻居林顿家，”他回答。“让我进去，艾伦，我会跟你解释是怎么回事。”我下去开了门，我们一声不响地走上楼。

“别吵醒了主人！”我小声说。“现在说吧！”

“呃，凯瑟琳和我本打算走到林顿家，我们想看看伊莎贝拉和艾加·林顿是不是也像我们这样天天受他们父母的罚。”

“八成不会，”我答道。“我想他们都是好孩子，没必要惩罚。”

“不是那么回事儿，艾伦！猜猜我们从他们起居室的窗子望进去时看到了什么？那是一个很漂亮的房间，铺着软软的地毯，四壁洁白。凯瑟琳和我要是有那么一间该多好！但就在这漂亮房间的中间，伊莎贝拉和艾加·林顿正围着一条小狗又吵又闹！他们多傻啊，艾伦！如果凯瑟琳想要什么东西，我就会给她，她对我也一样。就算约瑟夫和那个坏亨德雷惩罚我，我也宁愿跟凯瑟琳在呼啸山庄，而不愿在画眉山庄与那两个傻瓜在一起！”

“小声点儿，希斯克利夫！但你还没告诉我凯瑟琳为什么没和你在一起？”

“呃，我们往里看的时候开始笑出声来，声音太大被听见了，他们就放狗追我们。就在我们要跑开的当儿，一条凶猛的大狗咬住了凯瑟琳的腿。我打了狗，让它放开她的腿，但林顿家的仆人出来抓住了我。他们肯定是把我们当贼了。凯瑟琳人事不醒，被抬进了房里，他们把我也拽了进去。我一直在不停地大叫大骂他们。

‘“这两个小恶贼！”老林顿夫人说。“这小子一定是个吉卜赛人，看他黑得像鬼一样！”林顿夫人一看到我，双手惊恐地举了起来。凯瑟琳睁开眼，艾加紧盯着她。

‘“妈妈，”他低声说，“这小姑娘是呼啸山庄的欧肖小姐。我在教堂碰见过她一两次。看我们的狗把她腿咬的！出了这么多血！”

‘“欧肖小姐和一个吉卜赛人在一起！”林顿夫人叫道。“绝对不可能！但我想你说得没错，艾加。欧肖小姐穿黑带孝，欧肖先生是最近刚过世的。一定是她。我得马上把她的腿包扎一下。”

‘“她哥哥亨德雷怎么能让她和这么个伴儿到处跑？”林顿先生问。“我想起来了，他是几年前欧肖先生从利物浦带回家的那个吉卜赛孩子。”

‘“他是个坏小子，你一眼就能看出来，”林顿夫人说。“你没听见刚才他骂的粗话？我的孩子们听到了这些话，真让人害怕。”’

“我被推到院子里，但我呆着没走，从窗子往里看。他们把凯瑟琳放到一个舒适的沙发上，为她清洗伤口，喂她蛋糕，给她葡萄酒喝。看到她的确受到善待我才离开他们家。她给林顿家那些笨蛋带去了些新鲜空气。他们对她好，我不奇怪。谁见到她都会喜欢她，你说是吗，艾伦？”

“恐怕你会招来惩罚的，希斯克利夫，”我黯然说道。

我说的不错。亨德雷警告希斯克利夫再也不许和凯瑟琳说话，要不就把他撵出呼啸山庄，还决定要管教凯瑟琳，让她言谈举止像个年轻淑女的样子。

她在画眉山庄林顿家里住了五个礼拜，直到圣诞节。她腿好了以后，举止比以前规矩多了。弗朗西丝·欧肖常去看她，给她带去漂亮衣服穿，劝说她要注意打扮，所以当久别的凯瑟琳终于回到家时，好像完全变了个人。我们看到的是一个漂漂亮亮、穿戴留意的淑女，不再是那个毛手毛脚、帽子也不戴的小姑娘了。

跟我们大家打完招呼，她问起希斯克利夫。

“过来，希斯克利夫！”亨德雷叫道。“你可以像其他仆人一样欢迎凯瑟琳小姐回家。”

希斯克利夫成天在外面呆惯了，也不上心换洗自己的衣服。他的脸和双手黑黑的，沾满尘土。即使这样，凯瑟琳见了他还是很高兴，冲上去吻了他。然后开怀笑了起来。

“你看上去真好笑，那么黑，还闷闷不乐的！但那是因为我看惯了艾加和伊莎贝拉的缘故，他们总是干干净净、整整齐齐的。唉，希斯克利夫，你把我忘了吗？”

但这孩子既觉得羞愧，又很自尊，什么都没说，直到最后他突然受不了了。

“我不在这儿让你们嘲笑我！”他叫道，正准备跑出去，凯瑟琳一把抓住了他。

“怎么生气啦，希斯克利夫？你……你只不过看上去有点怪怪的，仅此而已。你真脏！”

她不大放心地看了看自己的手和新衣服。

“你不必来碰我！”他说着，把手抽了回来。“我喜欢脏，以后还是脏！”

当他窘迫地跑出房间时，亨德雷和他妻子大笑起来，看到拆开这两个年轻人的计划似乎就要得逞，他们很开心。

第二天是圣诞节。已经邀请了艾加和伊莎贝拉·林顿来吃午饭，他们的母亲答应了，条件是要保证她的宝贝儿要离那个“坏小子”远远的。我为可怜的希斯克利夫感到难过，趁欧肖一家去教堂的功夫，我帮他洗换了干净衣裳。

“你太要强了，”替他梳那头黑发时我埋怨他。“你应该想想你们不能在一块儿凯瑟琳该多难过啊。别去嫉妒艾加·林顿！”

“我多想自己像他那样长着蓝蓝的眼睛，浅色的头发！我但愿自己能举止得体，将来还可以继承一大笔财产！”

“你的聪明和优点他可一点儿也没有！如果你心地善良，你就会变得英俊。谁又知道你父母是什么人物？说不定是国王和王后呢，比林顿家显赫多了！”

我就是这样鼓励希斯克利夫，让他对自己有更多自信。但当欧肖一家和林顿一家从教堂回来时，亨德雷二话没说就冲着希斯克利夫吼叫起来。

“我们吃完饭之前别让我看见你！你要是不马上照办我就扯掉你的长头发！”

“头发真长，”艾加说。“想不到他还能看见东西。”

希斯克利夫忍无可忍。他孤注一掷地往周围看了看，想找个家伙，接着抄起一盆热汤朝艾加泼了过去。艾加尖叫起来。亨德雷当即抓住希斯克利夫，把他推上了楼。

“亨德雷肯定是要打他！”凯瑟琳哭道。“我不愿希斯克利夫挨罚！都是你，艾加，你惹怒了他！你为什么要跟他说话？”

“我没有，”艾加答道，眼里含着泪。“我答应妈妈不跟他讲话。我只是说到他，没对他说话。”

“哎，别哭了，”凯瑟琳奚落道。“你惹的事儿够多了。我哥来了。”

亨德雷身上燥热、气喘吁吁地回来了。

“这下他就会学乖了！”他说。“我们现在吃午饭吧！”

其他人好像把希斯克利夫抛到了脑后，但我看出凯瑟琳吃不下东西，我知道她是为她的朋友感到难过。那天晚上有一个巡回乐队来演奏音乐，在正屋里跳起了舞。凯瑟琳说音乐从高处听更柔美，就去坐到了黑黑的楼梯上。但我去找她时，发现她已经直接跑到房子的顶层，隔着上了锁的门跟希斯克利夫说话。然后她又爬到房顶上，从他的窗户钻了进去。我劝说他们俩照原样从房间里出来，因为我没有那扇门的钥匙。我把希斯克利夫领到下面仆人的厨房，那儿暧和，而凯瑟琳则回到客人们中间跳舞去了。

“你一定饿了，希斯克利夫，”我说。“你一整天没吃东西了。吃些圣诞蛋糕吧，吃吧。”

“我什么也吃不下，”他吼道，把头埋在双手里。“我要想个法子报复亨德雷。我只盼着他别先死了！他这样对我会后悔的，艾伦！”

5 Catherine and Edgar

1778 In the summer of this year Hindley's wife Frances had her first，and last，baby．They called the boy Hareton．But the poor woman had been ill for a long time， although we had not realized it，and died soon after Hareton was born．

Hindley only had room in his heart for two people，himself and his wife，so when she died，he was in despair. He neither cried nor prayed. Instead he swore at God and man，and drank himself to sleep every night．The servants all left him，except for Joseph and me．Joseph enjoyed being able to scold his wicked employer，with warnings from the Bible，and I could not leave Miss Catherine. After all，I had grown up with her and Hindley.

But the master's behaviour was a bad example for Catherine and Heathcliff.At fifteen，Catherine was the most beautiful girl for miles around，but she was proud and quick－tempered. She led what was almost a double life. At Wuthering Heights，under Heathcliff's influence，she annoyed Hindley，laughed at Joseph，and was rude to me．But at Thrushcross Grange，which she often visited，she showed a different，calmer side of her character，and was polite，intelligent and amusing. The Lintons all liked her，and poor Edgar had fallen in love with her.

Heathcliff was sixteen at this time. He did not have time to study any more，and the long hours of work on the farm made him tired and dull. There was always an angry expression on his face，and he did not even try to keep himself clean and tidy．He seemed to want people to dislike him．Catherine and he still spent time together，when he was not working in the fields，but he no longer expressed his fondness for her in words，and he looked angry if she touched or kissed him．

One afternoon，when Hindley had gone into town，Heath－ cliff came into the main room after lunch. I was helping Catherine to arrange her hair，as she had invited Edgar Linton to visit her while Hindley was absent．

‘Catherine，are you going anywhere this afternoon？’asked Heathcliff．‘Why have you got that silk dress on？Nobody's visiting you，I hope．’

‘No-o，I don't think so，'replied Catherine，looking quickly at me．‘But you should be at work by now，Heathcliff．’

‘That devil Hindley isn't away very often．I'm taking a holiday．I won't work any more today． I'm staying with you this afternoon．He'll never know．’

Catherine thought for a moment. Somehow she had to prepare him for Edgar's visit ‘Isabella and Edgar said they might call here this afternoon．If they come，you'll be scolded for not working．’

‘Tell Ellen to say you're busy and can't see them，’he said．‘Those friends of yours take up all your time．You spend most of your evenings with them，not with me．’

‘Well，why should I always spend my time with you？'she asked crossly．‘What can you talk about？How can you amuse me？’

‘You never told me before that you didn't like my company，Catherine！’cried Heathcliff．

Just then we heard a horse outside， and there was a light knock on the door．Edgar Linton entered，his handsome face full of delight at receiving Catherine's unexpected invitation． I wondered if Catherine was comparing her two friends， as Edgar came in and Heathcliff ran out．

‘I haven't come too soon，have I？’asked Edgar politely．

‘No，’answered Catherine．‘Leave us alone，Ellen．’

‘I'm just doing my work，miss，’I replied，pretending to dust the furniture．Hindley had told me to be present if Edgar Linton came to visit Catherine．

She came up to me，and whispered crossly，‘Go away，Ellen！’Keeping her back to Edgar，she cruelly scratched my arm．

‘Oh！’ I screamed，to show Edgar what had happened．‘What a wicked thing to do，miss！You have no right to hurt me！’

‘I didn't touch you，you lying creature！'she cried angrily，and，unable to control herself，hit me hard on the face．

‘Catherine，love！Catherine！’cried Edgar，shocked．

The baby，Hareton，who followed me everywhere，immediately started sobbing and saying，‘Wicked aunt Catherine！’

She picked him up and shook the poor child until he screamed．Edgar rushed up to her and tried to stop her．At once she turned and hit him over the ear as hard as she could．

The young man looked very pale and went straight to the door．

‘Where are you going，Edgar Linton？'she asked．‘Don't leave me！I shall be miserable all night！’

‘Can I stay after you have hit me？’he replied．‘You've made me afraid and ashamed of you．I won't come here again！’

‘Well，go then，if you want to！'she cried．‘I'm going to cry until I'm ill！’and she dropped on to the floor，her shoulders shaking and the tears rolling down her face． Edgar managed to get as far as the door．But here he hesitated，and I called out to him to encourage him to leave．

‘Miss is just a selfish child，sir！You’d better ride home and forget her！’

But as he could not stop looking at her，I knew there was no hopeKfor him．Nothing would keep him away from her now．And sure enough，he came back into the room and shut the door．This time I left them alone，and stayed in the kitchen with little Hareton，but when I came to warn them that Hindley had returned，I realized that their quarrel had only brought them closer together．

5 凯瑟琳与艾加

1778年

这年夏天，亨德雷的妻子弗朗西丝生下她的第一个，也是最后一个孩子。他们给这个男孩起名叫哈里顿。尽管我们没有意识到，其实那个可怜的女人已是病了不短时间，在生下哈里顿后不久就死了。

亨德雷的心里只容得下两个人，他和他妻子，她这么一死，亨德雷万念俱灰。他既没哭，也没祈祷。反而怨天尤人，一天到晚地喝酒。仆人们都离开了他，只剩下约瑟夫和我。约瑟夫很高兴能有机会引用《圣经》中的警句来斥责他那恶毒的主人几句，我也离不开凯瑟琳。不管怎么说，我是与她和亨德雷一块儿长大的。

但主人的所作所为对凯瑟琳和希斯克利夫起了坏影响。凯瑟琳15岁时，出落成方圆数英里最漂亮的姑娘，但她傲气十足，性情暴躁。她几乎是过着一种双重生活。在呼啸山庄，受希斯克利夫的影响，她惹亨德雷生气，拿约瑟夫取笑，对我也无礼。但在她常去的画眉山庄，就表现出她性格中恬静的另一面，她彬彬有礼，聪明风趣。林顿一家都喜欢她，可怜的艾加已经爱上了她。

希斯克利夫当时16岁。他再也没有时间去学习，终日在农庄里长时间劳作使他身心疲惫、无精打采。他的脸上总是有一种愤愤然的表情，也不上心保持自己的整洁。他好像是想让人讨厌他。他不下地干活儿时，凯瑟琳还时常和他呆在一起，但他不再开口表达对她的深情，凯瑟琳碰他或吻他时，他甚至看上去很恼怒。

一天下午，亨德雷进城去了，希斯克利夫吃完午饭后进了正屋。我正在帮凯瑟琳梳理头发，因为她请了艾加·林顿在亨德雷不在家的时候来看她。

“凯瑟琳，你下午要去哪儿吗？”希斯克利夫问道。“为什么穿上了丝绸礼服？我希望不是有人要来看你吧。”

“没，没有，我没这么想，”凯瑟琳回答，说着瞥了我一眼。“但你现在应该上工了，希斯克利夫。”

“亨德雷那恶棍不常出去。我今天休假。我今天不干活儿了，我今天下午和你在一起。他不会知道的。”

凯瑟琳寻思了一会儿。她反正要让他对艾加的造访有个准备。“伊莎贝拉和艾加说今天下午要来这儿。如果他们来了，你不干活儿会受责骂的。”

“告诉艾伦说你没空儿，不能见他们，”他说。“你的这帮朋友占用了你全部时间，你多数晚上都和他们在一起，没和我。”

“那，为什么我要总和你在一起呢？”她愠怒地问道。“我们能谈些什么？你能怎样逗我开心？”

“你以前从没告诉我你不喜欢和我在一起，凯瑟琳！”希斯克利夫大声道。

就在此时我们听到外面传来马声，然后是轻轻的敲门声。艾加·林顿走进来，出乎意料地受到凯瑟琳的邀请，他那英俊的脸上满面春风。我搞不清凯瑟琳是不是在对她的两个朋友做比较，艾加进来时，希斯克利夫跑了出去。

“我没来得太早吧，是么？”艾加彬彬有礼地问。

“没有，”凯瑟琳回答。“别管我们了，艾伦。”

“我还在干活儿呢，小姐，”我回答，假装掸家具上的灰尘。亨德雷吩咐我如果艾加·林顿来看凯瑟琳，我要在场。

她朝我走过来，懊恼地小声说，“走吧，艾伦！”她背对着艾加，恶狠狠地抓着我的胳膊。

“噢！”我尖叫起来，要让艾加看看到底是怎么回事。“这么做太恶毒了，小姐！你没权伤害我！”

“我没动你，你这个嚼舌头的东西！”她恼怒地喊道，失去了自控，重重地打在我的脸上。

“凯瑟琳，亲爱的！凯瑟琳！”艾加叫道，大吃一惊。

哈里顿那孩子一向是我去哪儿他去哪儿，他马上开始哭出声来，叫着，“坏姑姑凯瑟琳！”

她提起他，摇着这惨兮兮的孩子，直到他尖叫起来。艾加冲上去想制止她。她当即转过身，用尽全身力气打在他的耳部。

这年轻人面色惨白，直奔门而去。

“你去哪儿，艾加·林顿？”她问道。“别离开我！我整夜都会难受的！”

“你打了我，我还能呆下去么？”他回答。“你让我怕了你，为你感到羞耻。我不会再来了！”

“好，走罢，随你便！”她哭喊道。“我要哭出病来！”说着倒在地板上，肩膀战栗着，眼泪顺着脸庞淌下来。

艾加已走到门口。但在那儿犹豫着，我向他喊着，催他离开。

“小姐只是个自私的孩子，先生！你最好骑马回家，忘了她吧！”

但他忍不住看着她，我就知道他没指望了。现在什么都没法使他离开她。自然而然，他回到房里关上门。这次我不管他们了，到厨房和小哈里顿呆着，但当我去提醒他们亨德雷回来了时，我看得出他们这一吵不过是让他们走得更近了。

6 Heathcliff disappears

1778—9 Hindley came into the kitchen，swearing terribly，just as I was about to hide little Hareton，in a cupboard．I was always afraid that Hindley would hurt his small son，either by accident or on purpose，when he was drunk，so I tried to keep Hareton out of the way．But this time Hindley discovered my plan．

‘Ah，you keep my son in a cupboard，do you！’he cried angrily，picking up a sharp kitchen knife．‘With the devil's help I'll make you swallow this，Ellen！’And he pushed the knife between my teeth．

I was never afraid he would hurt me，and calmly took the knife out of my mouth．

‘But that can't be my son，can it？’he continued aggressively，staring at the frightened littlebboy．‘If it is，he should be punished for not running to greet his father．Perhaps I'll cut his ears off！’And then suddenly his manner changed．‘No，Hareton，darling，don't cry！Kiss me，kiss your father！What？You won't？Then I'll break your neck！’

Poor Hareton，screaming wildly，was carried upstairs by his father．Suddenly Hindley stopped on the stairs to listen，almost forgetting what he was holding．Heathcliff had come into the house and stood at the bottom of the stairs，looking up．Just then the child jumped out of Hindley's arms and fell．I onlyhhad time to gasp inkhorror，before I saw that Heathcliff had caught him．

Heathcliff stared down at the child he was holding．He must have felt sorry he had saved the life of his enemy's son．I rushed to take the poor little boy in my arms，and Hindley came slowly downstairs．

‘Look what you've done，Mr Hindley！’I cried．‘You nearly killed your own son！What would his mother say if she were alive？’

‘Take him away，Ellen And you，Heathcliff，go away too．I won't murder you tonight，unless perhaps I set the house on fire．But that depends how I feel．’And he poured himself a drink．

‘Don't drink any more，Mr Hindley！’I begged．

‘What difference does it make？’he growled．‘Get out，both of you！To the devil with you！’

We left him swearing at us，and went back into the kitchen．

‘It's a pity he can't kill himself with drink，'muttered Heathcliff．‘Dr Kenneth says he'll live longer than any of us，he's so strong．’

He walked out of the door and，I thought，into the fields In fact I discovered later that he was sitting just under the window，and could hear everything that was said in the kitchen．

I was singing little Hareton to sleep when Catherine came in．

‘Are you alone，Ellen？'she whispered．‘Where's Heath cliff？’

‘He's out on the farm，’I answered．

She looked sad and worried，and I even saw a tear or two on her face．But I had not forgotten how she had lied，and behaved so badly to me as well as to Edgar Linton，so I did not feel sorry for her，or encourage her to talk．

‘Ellen，will you keep a secret for me？'she asked in the end，giving me her sweetest smile．‘I must tell you！I need your advice．Today Edgar Linton has asked me to marry him，and I gave him an answer．Now，before I tell you if it was yes or no，you tell me which I should have said．’

‘Really，Miss Catherine，how can I know？Perhaps you should have refused him．He must be a fool to ask you，after you were so rude and violent this afternoon．’

‘Well，I accepted him，Ellen！'she said crossly．‘But should I have done so？Should I？What do you think？’

‘First，do you love him？’I asked．

‘Of course I do，'she replied．

‘Why do you love him，Miss Catherine？’

‘Well，I do，that's enough．Well，because he's handsome，and a pleasant companion．’

‘Oh，that's bad，’I said，shaking my head．

‘And because he loves me．’

‘That's worse．’

‘Andhbecause he'll be rich，and I shall be the most important woman for miles around．’

‘Worst of all．But there are several other handsome，rich young men in the world．Why don't you marry one of them？’

‘I don't know any of them．I only know Edgar．’

‘Well，I don't know why you're unhappy，Miss Catherine．Your brother will be pleased，and Mr Edgar's parents will，too．You love Edgar，and Edgar loves you．What's the problem？’

‘here！And here！'replied Catherine，beating her head and her chest．‘In my heart and soul I know I'm wrong！Ellen，I can't live apart from Heathcliff！He is more myself than I am．Our souls are the same！I have nothing in common with Edgar．But I can't marry Heathcliff now！Hindley has made him become a poor，dull farm worker．He'll never know how I love him．’

I suddenly heard a movement outside the window，and saw Heathcliff stand up and walk away．I realized he had been listening until he heard Catherine say she could not marry him．Then he stayed to hear no more．

‘Quiet，Miss Q Catherine！’I said．‘Just imagine how hard it will be for Heathcliff when you marry Mr Edgar！He'll have no friends at all when you leave him．’

‘Leave him？Why should we be separated？'she asked angrily．‘Who will separate us？Nobody will dare！Edgar must learn to accept him as my friend．Didn't you ever think，Ellen，that if Heathcliff and I married，we would be very poor？But if I marry Edgar，I can help Heathcliff with my husband's money．’

‘That's the worst reason you've given so far for marrying Mr Edgar，’I replied，shocked.

‘It isn't！Heathcliff is more important to me than myself．My love for Edgar is like the leaves on the trees—I'm sure time will change it．But my love for Heathcliff is like the rocks in the ground—not beautiful，but necessary and unchanging．He's always，always in my heart—’

Just then Joseph entered the kitchen．I whispered to Catherine that I was sure Heathcliff had heard some of what she said．She jumped up，frightened，and rushed outside．But although we all looked everywhere for Heathcliff，there was no sign of him that night，or for many nights in the future．

At about midnight，while we were still waiting for him to come home，we noticed the wind was getting stronger．We could hear it whistling down the chimney，and howling all around the house．Suddenly there was a terrible crash of thunder，and the branch of a tree fell on to the roof．We were not hurt，but Joseph immediately dropped on to his knees to pray．The rain was beating down on the windows，but Catherine stayed outside，although by now her hair and clothes were completely wet．

In the end we all went to bed．I managed to persuade Catherine to come in，but she insisted on sleeping in the kitchen，in case Heathcliff returned during the night．In the morning we discovered that she had caught a fever，as a result of getting wet．She became seriously ill，and it was several weekshbefore Dr Kenneth would allow her out of bed．

When she recovered，she was invited to stay for a while at Thrushcross Grange．Unfortunately old Mr and Mrs Linton caught the fever too，and died within a few days of each other Catherine returned to us，prouder and quicker-tempered than ever，but not as strong as before．

‘If she gets ill again，it could be fatal，’Dr Kenneth warned us．‘My advice to you is to do whatever she wants，and don't make her angry！’So we had to obey all her orders，and Joseph and I were not allowed to scold her any more．

Edgar Linton was still in love with her，and thought himself the happiest man on earth when he married her three years after his parents’death She insisted on having me with her，so we moved together to Thrushcross Grange，although I was very sad to leave little Hareton with his father．

It's very late，Mr Lockwood．I think you should go to bed，or you'll be ill tomorrow．I can tell you the rest of the story another time．

Four weeks later In fact I was ill the next day，and have been ill since then．The terrible night I spent at Wuthering Height was the cause of my illness，and I blame Mr Heathcliff for it．Dr Kenneth has warned me I won't be able to go out until the spring．All I can do is lie in bed，listening to the howling wind and staring at the grey northern sky．

So I've decided to ask Mrs Dean to come upstairs and finish telling me her story．She tells me she's happy to continue．

6 希斯克利夫失踪了

1778—1779年

我正想把小哈里顿藏进饭橱里，亨德雷就骂骂咧咧地进到厨房。我一直怕亨德雷会在喝醉了酒后有意无意地伤害他的小儿子，所以我想法儿让哈里顿别碍事。但这次亨德雷看出了我的心思。

“啊，你把我儿子放在饭橱里，是吗！”他火气冲冲地嚷道，拿起一把锋利的菜刀。“看在魔鬼的份儿上，我要让你把它吞下去，艾伦！”说着把刀塞进我的牙缝。

我从没怕过他会伤害我，很镇静地把刀从我口里拿出来。

“但这不可能是我儿子，对吗？”他又挑衅似地接着说道，瞪着被吓坏了的小男孩。“如果这是，他应该受到惩罚，因为他没跑出来问他父亲好。或许我会割掉他的耳朵！”然后他的态度突然变了，“不，哈里顿，亲爱的，别哭！亲亲我，亲亲你父亲！怎么？你不？那我就拧断你的脖子！”

可怜的哈里顿狂呼乱叫着被他父亲抱向楼上。亨德雷突然在楼梯上停下听着什么，几乎忘了他抱的是什么。希斯克利夫来到屋里，站在楼梯下面往上看。就在这时那孩子跳出亨德雷的手臂，掉落下来。就在我吓得倒吸冷气的时候，只见希斯克利夫一把接住了他。

希斯克利夫紧盯着他手中抱着的孩子。他一定后悔救了他仇人儿子的命。我赶上去把那可怜的小男孩接到我怀里，亨德雷慢条斯理地朝楼下走来。

“看您做了些什么，亨德雷先生！”我叫道。“您差点弄死自己的儿子！如果他妈还活着会怎么说？”

“把他带走，艾伦。还有你，希斯克利夫，也走开。我今晚不会杀你，除非可能我把这房子烧了。但那得看我心情如何。”他给自己倒了杯酒。

“别再喝啦，亨德雷先生！”我乞求道。

“那又怎么样？”他咆哮道。“滚，你们两个都滚！你们见鬼去吧！”

我们没理会他对我们的咒骂，回到厨房。

“可惜没喝死他，”希斯克利夫低声说。“肯尼士大夫说他会比我们命长，他那么壮。”

他走出门，我想是到田里去了。其实到后来我得知他当时坐在窗户下面，厨房里说什么他都能听见。

我哼着曲儿催小哈里顿入睡时凯瑟琳进来了。

“你一个人吗，艾伦？”她小声说。“希斯克利夫哪儿去啦？”

“他去农庄了，”我回答。

她模样忧郁，心事重重，我甚至看到她脸上有一两滴泪珠。但我没忘她是如何说瞎话的，还有对我和艾加·林顿那样粗暴，所以我不同情她，也不想听她说什么。

“艾伦，你肯为我保密吗？”她最后问道，露出了她最甜美的微笑。“我必须告诉你！我需要你的意见。今天艾加·林顿向我求婚了，我给了他个答覆。现在我先不说是‘是’还是‘不是’，你告诉我应该怎么说。”

“说真的，凯瑟琳，我怎么知道？也许你应该回绝他。今天下午你对他那么粗暴无礼他还向你求婚，一定是个傻瓜。”

“哼，我接受了他，艾伦！”她愠怒地说道。“可我该这么做么？我应该么？你怎么想？”

“首先是，你爱他吗？”我问。

“我当然爱他，”她回答。

“你爱他什么，凯瑟琳小姐？”

“这，我爱他，这就够了。嗯，因为他英俊，跟他在一起很快活。”

“哦，不妙，”我摇摇头说。

“还因为他爱我。”

“更糟糕。”

“还因为他会很富有，我会成为方圆数英里最尊贵的女人。”

“糟得不能再糟了。那这世上还有其他一些英俊富有的年轻人。你怎么不挑一个嫁？”

“我不认识他们，我只认识艾加。”

“那，我就不知道你为何闷闷不乐了，凯瑟琳小姐。你哥哥会高兴的，艾加先生的父母也会高兴的。你爱艾加，艾加也爱你。有什么问题？”

“这儿！还有这儿！”凯瑟琳答道，边说边敲着自己的头和心口。“在我心灵深处我知道我错了！艾伦，我生命里不能没有希斯克利夫！他比我还是我自己！我们心心相印！而我与艾加毫无共同之处。但我现在不能嫁给希斯克利夫！亨德雷把他变成了一个穷困、枯燥乏味的干农活的。他永远不会知道我有多爱他。”

我突然听见窗外有动静，然后看见希斯克利夫站起来走开了。我意识到他一直在听，直到凯瑟琳说她不会嫁给他。之后他就没留下来听了。

“静一静，凯瑟琳小姐！”我说。“只要想一想你嫁给艾加时对希斯克利夫有多残酷啊！你离开他，他就一个朋友也没有了。”

“离开他？我们为什么要分开？”她怒问道。“谁会拆散我们？没人敢！艾加要学着把他作为我的朋友来接受他。你难道没想过，艾伦，如果希斯克利夫和我结婚，我们就会一贫如洗吗？可如果我嫁了艾加，我可以用我丈夫的钱帮助希斯克利夫。”

“到目前为止，这是你说的要嫁给艾加先生的最糟糕的一个理由，”我答道，感到很吃惊。

“不是！对我来说，希斯克利夫比我还重要。我对艾加的爱就像树叶——肯定会随着时间而变化。但我对希斯克利夫的爱如地上的磐石——虽不华丽，却必不可少，一成不变。他永远、永远在我心里——”

就在这时约瑟夫进了厨房。我轻声告诉凯瑟琳我肯定希斯克利夫听到了她说的一些话。她神色惊恐地跳将起来，冲了出去。那天晚上，虽然我们哪儿都找遍了，也没见到希斯克利夫的影子，此后很多天他都没露面。

那天午夜，我们还坐着等他回家，注意到风越刮越大。我们能听见风呼啸着从烟囱里灌下来，房子周围一片怒号声。突然一声骇人的霹雷，一根树枝落到房顶上。我们没伤着，可约瑟夫当时就扑通跪在地上开始祈祷。雨敲打着窗户，但凯瑟琳呆在外面，尽管她的头发和衣裳此时都已经湿透了。

最后我们都上床睡觉去了。我把凯瑟琳劝进屋来，可她坚持要睡在厨房，怕希斯克利夫夜里回来。第二天早晨我们发现她发烧了，因为淋湿的缘故。她病得很厉害，过了好几个礼拜肯尼士大夫才允许她下床。

她病好后，被请去画眉山庄去住一段。不幸的是年迈的林顿夫妇也患了热病，几天之内相继去世。凯瑟琳回到我们这儿，比以前更骄横，脾气也更暴躁了，但身体不如以前健壮了。

“要是她再得病，可能会致命，”肯尼士大夫告诫我们，“我劝你们顺着她，别让她生气！”因此我们得对她言听计从，不许约瑟夫和我再责备她。

艾加·林顿依然爱着凯瑟琳，他在父母过世三年后娶了她，自以为是世上最幸福的人。她执意要我陪她，所以我们一起搬到画眉山庄，尽管把小哈里顿留给他父亲让我很难过。

天很晚了，洛克伍德先生。我觉得您该睡觉了，否则明天会生病的。我再找时间给您讲剩下的事。

四周后事实上第二天我是病了，一直卧床不起。病因就是我在呼啸山庄度过的那可怕的一夜，这我归咎于希斯克利夫先生。肯尼士大夫告诫我春天之前不能出门。我只好躺在床上，听着风的怒号，盯着北方灰暗的天际。

于是我决定请迪恩夫人上楼来给我讲完她的故事。她说她乐意讲下去。

7 Heathcliff returns

1783 Well，sir，when Miss Catherine became Mrs Linton，and we went to live at Thrushcross Grange，I must say I was surprised and pleased by her behaviour．She showed great fondness for her husband，and for his sister，Isabella．He，of course，was very anxious that no one should disobey her，or make her angry．If she was depressed for a time，he blamed it on the illness she had had，and was sympathetic．But for most of the time，I believe they shared a deep and growing love for each other．

Unfortunately this happiness did not last．One evening I was bringing in a basket of apples from the garden，when a voice behind me said，‘Ellen，is that you？’

It was a deep，rather unusual voice．I turned，to see a tall，dark man in the shadow near the kitchen door．

‘Don't you know me？’he asked．‘Look，I'm not a stranger！’

‘What！’I cried in surprise，for it had been four years since he dusappeared．‘Heathcliff！Is it really you？’

‘Yes，’he replied，looking up at the windows of the house．‘Are they at home？Where is she？Tell me，Ellen！I must speak to her！’

‘I'm not sure if you should see her，’I hesitated．‘Will the shock be too much for her？

‘Go and tell her I'm here，Ellen！’he said impatiently．‘Don't make me suffer like this！’

I left him at the door，and went upstairs to find Mr and Mrs Linton．They were sitting quietly together，looking out over the peaceful valley．The room，and the view，and the two people，seemed so calm that I did not want to disturb them．But I had to deliver my message．

‘A man wants to see you，madam，’I muttered．

‘I'll go downstairs and see him then，'replied Catherine．‘Bring the tea up，Ellen，while I'm away．’She left the room．

‘Who is it，Ellen？’asked Mr Edgar．

‘It's that Heathcliff，sir．You remember，he used to live at Wuthering Heights．’

‘What！The gipsy，who worked on the farm？’he cried．

‘Mrs Linton would be angry if she heardpyou talking about him like that，sir．She was very upset when he ran away．She's very fond of him，you know．’

Mr Edgar put his head out of the window and called to his wife，‘Don't stand there in the cold，love！Bring the person in，if it's anyone special．’

Catherine rushed upstairs and into the room，wild and breathless．She threw her arms round her husband's neck．

‘Oh Edgar darling！Heathcliff's come back！’

‘Well，well，'said Mr Edgar crossly，‘there's no need to get excited．’

‘I know you didn't like him，'she said，‘but please，I beg you tobbe friends with him now．Shall I ask him to come up？’

‘You're suggesting inviting him up here，into our siting room？Don't you think the kitchen is more suitable for him？’

Catherine looked at her husband，half angry and half laughing．‘No，'she said，‘I can't sit in the kitchen．Ellen，bring two tables，one for your master and Miss Isabella，the other for Heathcliff and myself．We'll sit apart from them，as we're of a lower class！Will that please you，Edgar darling？Decide quickly！I must have him near me！’

‘Ellen，you go and bring him up，'said Mr Edgar．‘And Catherine，try not to behave foolishly．Remember，he's only a servant！’

When Heathcliff entered the sitting-room，I was surprised to see how much he had changed．He wore a confident，intelligent expression on his face，and his manner was no longer rough．Although I recognized the same black fire in his eyes，the farm boy had become a gentleman．

Mr Edgar was as surprised as I was，but welcomed Heath cliff as politely as he could．However，he grew more and more annoyed as he watched his wife's delighted face．She could not take her eyes off Heathcliff．

‘Tomorrow I won't be able tohbelieve that I've seen and touched you，Heathcliff！'she cried，catching hold of his hands．‘But how cruel of you to run away and keep silent for four years，and never think of me！’

‘I've thought of you more than you've thought of me，’he replied quietly．‘I heard you had married，Catherine，and I came，just to see you once，and then take my revenge on your brother Hindley．Your welcome may change my plans．You know，I've had a bitter，hard life since I last heard your voice，and If I've survived，it's all because of you！’

‘Catherine，'said Mr Edgar，trying to remain polite，‘please pour out the tea，or it will be cold．Mr Heathcliff will have a long walk to wherever he's staying tonight，and I'm thirsty．’

But Catherine was too excited，and Mr Edgar too angry，to drink any tea．After a while their guest left．We discovered that he had been invited to stay at Wuthering Heights，by Hindley．I could not understand why Hindley，who hated him，would want his company，and I felt sure it would have been better for all of us if Heathcliff had never come back．

Catherine could not keep her happiness to herself．In the middle of the night she woke me to talk about Heathcliff．

‘I just can't sleep，Ellen！'she said．‘And Edgar won't lis ten when I tell him how happy I am！He's so selfish！’

‘He never liked Heathcliff，’I replied，‘and he'll be angry if you go on talking about him．You think he's weak，but he could be as determined as you，about something he thinks is important．’

‘No！'she laughed．‘I have such confidence in Edgar's love that I think I could kill him，and he wouldn't blame me for it．He will have to learn to accept Heathcliff as my friend．’

‘Do you know why Heathcliff is staying at Wuthering Heights？’

‘Oh，yes．He explained that he went there to look for me．Hindley asked him to play cards，and when he discovered Heathcliff had a lot of money，invited him to stay there．You know how greedy my brother is．He'll make Heathcliff pay rent，and hope to win money from him at cards．Heathcliff wants to stay there to be near me．I'm so happy，Ellen！And I want everyone around me to be happy too！’

Catherine behaved so sweetly to her husband in the next few days that Thrushcross Grange seemed full of sunshine，and in spite of his doubts，Mr Edgar allowed Heathcliff to visit her regularly．However，Heathcliff's visits produced a result which none of us had expected．Isabella，Mr Edgar's sister，a pretty girl of eighteen，suddenly declared that she was in love with Heathcliff．Mr Edgar，who loved her dearly，was shocked．He knew that if he and Catherine had no sons，Isabella would inherit the considerable Linton fortune．He did not like the idea of the fortune passing to Heathcliff，as Isabella's husband．But more importantly，he suspected that Heathcliff was hiding his ture wickedness under his gentleman ly appearance．

Catherine tried hard to persuade Isabella that Heathcliff was not worth loving，but poor Isabella was jealous of Catherine's relationship with Heathcliff and would not listen．Finally，Catherine told Heathcliff himself that Isabella was in love with him．She thought she knew what his answer would be．

‘How could I ever love that stupid girl？’he asked．‘She has a miserable pale face，and weak blue eyes，just like your husband！But…she will inherit the family wealth from him，won't she？’

‘That's true，'replied Catherine．‘But don't think about that，Heathcliff．I hope Edgar and I will have several sons，and then they will inherit it．’

Catherine did not speak of this matter again，but I am sure Heathcliff often thought about it．I watched him carefully in the next few days．I hoped he would do nothing to hurt Mr Edgar，who was a kind master to me．I was worried，too，about what was happening at Wuthering Heights．Hindley and his son Hareton seemed like lost sheep to me，and I knew there was a wicked wolf just waiting for the chance to attack them．

7 希斯克利夫回来了

1783年

好的，先生。凯瑟琳小姐成了林顿夫人，我们就去住到画眉山庄，我得说她的表现让我又惊又喜。她看上去对丈夫非常疼爱，对他妹妹伊莎贝拉也不错。自然，他很上心不叫人逆她的愿或给她气生。在她心情郁闷时，他就归咎于她得的那场病，大加同情。但在大部分时间里，我相信他们相互之间的深情不断增长着。

遗憾的是这种幸福没有持续下去。一天晚上，我正拎着一篮子苹果从花园往家里去，这时我身后有一个声音说道，“艾伦，是你么？”

这声音低沉，不大熟悉。我转过身，看到在厨房门旁的阴暗处有一个又高又黑的人。

“你不认识我了？”他问道，“瞧，我不是个生人！”

“什么！”我惊叫道，因为他已经失踪四年了，“希斯克利夫！真是你吗？”

“是的，”他回答，抬头看着房子的窗户。“他们在家吗？她在哪儿？告诉我，艾伦！我得和她说话！”

“我说不好你是不是应该见她，”我犹豫道。“这会不会对她太突然了？”

“去通报她我在这儿，艾伦！”他不耐烦地说。“别让我这样受苦！”

我把他留在门口，上楼去找林顿夫妇。他们静静地坐在一起，眺望着宁静的山谷。这房间、这景致，还有那两个人，看上去那么平和安宁，我真不愿打搅他们。可我不得不通报讯息。

“有个人想见您，夫人，”我低声说。

“那我就下楼去见他，”凯瑟琳答应。“艾伦，我不在这会儿你把茶端上来。”她离开了房间。

“是谁，艾伦？”艾加先生问。

“是那个希斯克利夫，先生。您记得，他以前住在呼啸山庄。”

“什么！那个吉卜赛人，在农庄干活儿的那个？”他叫喊道。

“先生，如果林顿夫人听见您这么说他，会生气的。他出走时她很难过。她非常喜欢他，这您知道。”

艾加先生把头探出窗子，高声对他妻子说，“别站在凉地里，亲爱的！要是贵客，就把他带进来。”

凯瑟琳冲上楼进了房间，兴奋若狂，气喘吁吁。她张开双臂，一下搂住了丈夫的脖子。

“哦，亲爱的艾加！希斯克利夫回来啦！”

“好，好，”艾加先生不痛快地说道，“没有必要激动。”

“我知道你不喜欢他，”她说，“但求求你，我乞求你现在跟他做朋友。我能让他上来么？”

“你想请他上到这儿，到我们的起居室？你难道不觉得他去厨房更妥当吗？”

凯瑟琳似怒似笑地看着她的丈夫。“不，”她说，“我不能坐到厨房里。艾伦，搬两张桌子，一张给你的主人和伊莎贝拉，另一张给希斯克利夫和我。我们不跟他们一起坐，因为我们层次低！这样你高兴了罢，亲爱的艾加？快拿主意！我必须让他离我近点！”

“艾伦，你去把他领上来，”艾加先生说，“还有，凯瑟琳，你别做傻事。记住，他只是个下人！”

当希斯克利夫进到起居室，我惊讶地看到他变化太大了。他脸上带着自信、睿智的表情，举止也不再粗野。虽然我还能看出他的眼中依然有一团黑色的火焰，但这个干农活的小伙子已经变成了一个绅士。

艾加先生同我一样感到惊讶，但他还是尽可能礼貌地对他表示欢迎。可当看到妻子满脸喜色，他越来越气恼。她的目光无法离开希斯克利夫。

“到明天我都不能相信我已经见到了你，摸到了你，希斯克利夫！”她抓住他的手，兴奋地说，“可你多忍心啊！出走之后杳无音讯都四年了，也从不想我！”

“我想你要比你想我多，”他平静地说，“我听说你结婚了，凯瑟琳，我是来见你一面，然后去报复你哥哥亨德雷的。你对我的欢迎也许会改变我的计划。从最后一次听到你声音到现在，我一直过着辛酸艰苦的生活，如果说我还能幸存下来，那都是为了你！”

“凯瑟琳，”艾加先生说道，尽量保持着礼节，“请倒茶吧，否则就凉了。希斯克利夫先生还要走一段长路到他今晚住的地方，我也渴了。”

但凯瑟琳兴奋异常，而艾加先生怒气很盛，茶都喝不下。过了一会儿，他们的客人走了。我们发现他被请去住在呼啸山庄，是亨德雷先生邀请的。我无法理解亨德雷那么恨他，为何还想和他在一起，我也肯定如果希斯克利夫压根儿没回来对我们大家都会更好些。

凯瑟琳无法独享她的快乐。大半夜叫醒我聊希斯克利夫的事。

“我就是睡不着，艾伦！”她说，“我要跟艾加讲我有多高兴，他又不肯听！他真自私！”

“他向来不喜欢希斯克利夫，”我回答，“如果你再谈他，他会生气的。你认为他软弱，但只要是他认为重要的事。他可能像你一样执著。”

“不！”她笑道，“我对艾加的爱太有信心了，我想我就是杀了他，他也不会怪我的。他要学会把希斯克利夫当我的朋友来接受。”

“你知道希斯克利夫为什么住在呼啸山庄吗？”

“噢，是的。他解释说他去那儿找我。亨德雷请他玩牌，当他看出希斯克利夫很有钱，就请他住在那儿了。你知道我哥哥有多贪财。他会收希斯克利夫的租金，而且指望玩牌赢他的钱。希斯克利夫住在那儿是想离我近点儿。我真高兴，艾伦！我希望我身边的每个人也都高兴！”

在接下去的日子里凯瑟琳对她丈夫表现得非常亲热，画眉山庄似乎阳光明媚，因此尽管艾加先生心存疑窦，他还是允许希斯克利夫常来看她。然而希斯克利夫的来访却导致了一个我们都未曾料想的结果。艾加先生的妹妹伊莎贝拉，一个18岁的可爱姑娘，突如其来地公开说她爱上了希斯克利夫。艾加先生对妹妹十分钟爱，对此感到震惊。他明白如果他与凯瑟琳没有儿子的话，伊莎贝拉将继承林顿家族相当可观的财产。他不想让财产落入成了伊莎贝拉丈夫的希斯克利夫手中。而更非同小可的是，他怀疑在希斯克利夫绅士般的外表下隐藏着真实的险恶居心。

凯瑟琳竭力劝伊莎贝拉说希斯克利夫不值得她爱，但可怜的伊莎贝拉妒嫉凯瑟琳与希斯克利夫的关系，对此听不进去。最后，凯瑟琳告诉希斯克利夫本人说伊莎贝拉爱上了他。她以为自己知道他会怎么回答。

“我怎么能爱那个傻姑娘？”他反问道，“她那张脸凄惨苍白，一双蓝眼睛也毫无神采，像你丈夫似的！可……她将从他那儿继承家族的财产，对吧？”

“对，”凯瑟琳答道，“但别惦记那个，希斯克利夫。我希望艾加和我会生几个儿子，然后他们来继承财产。”

凯瑟琳没再提起这件事，可我肯定希斯克利夫经常在盘算着它。在过后的几天里我留心观察他。我希望他别做什么伤害艾加先生的事，艾加先生对我是个仁慈的主人。我也在担心呼啸山庄的事态如何。在我看来，亨德雷和他儿子哈里顿像是迷途的绵羊，而我知道有一只恶狼正在伺机对他们发起进攻。

8 Catherine is ill

1783 The next time Heathcliff came to Thrushcross Grange，he met Isabella by chance in front of the house．I was watching from the kitchen window，as he went up to her，and，supposing that no one else could see him，kissed her．

‘Look，madam！’I cried to Catherine，who was passing through the kitchen．‘That devil Heathcliff told you he could never love Miss Isabella！And now he's kissing her！’

Sohwhen Heathcliff entered the house，Catherine was ready to scold him．

‘Leave Isabella alone，Heathcliff！'she ordered．‘You'll make Edgar angry！’

‘You think I'm afraid of that weak little creature？’he growled．‘Anyway，what difference does it make to you？I can kiss her if she likes it．I'm not your husband，you needn't be jealous of me！’

‘I'm not jealous of you！'replied Catherine．‘If you like Isabella，you can marry her．But do you like her？’

‘It's you I want to talk about，Catherine．You know you've treated me badly．And I'm going to have my revenge！Thank you for telling me Isabella's secret．I swear I'll make good use of it！’

At this point I went to look for my master，and told him that Catherine and Heathcliff were quarrelling in the kitchen．

‘How can my wife call that man a friend？’he cried angrily．‘I've been too weak with her．I can't allow him to visit her any more．Call two servants，Ellen．’He went to the kitchen．I followed him，telling the servants to wait in the hall．

‘Catherine！'said Mr Edgar to his wife as he entered．‘Do you think it's right to listen to this wicked man's talk？’

‘Have you been listening at the door，Edgar？’asked Catherine coldly．Heathcliff laughed，which made Mr Edgar even angrier．

‘You，sir’，he said to Heathcliff，‘are poisoning our family life．I should never have accepted you as Catherine's friend．I must inform you that you will never be allowed to enter this house again，and that if you don't leave within three minutes，you will be thrown out．’

‘Well，well！'replied Heathcliff，looking scornfully at Mr Edgar's small figure．．‘So，you're going to throw me out your self，are you？’

My master looked towards the door．I realized he wanted to call the servants，as he knew he was not strong enough to fight Heathcliff alone．But Catherine must have guessed his plan．She hurried to the door and locked it．Mr Edgar looked at her in angry surprise．

‘You must fight him like a gentleman，without anyone to help you！'she told her husband．‘That'll teach you to scold me！’

Mr Edgar tried to get hold of the key，but she threw it quickly into the hottest part of the fire．He went very pale，and could not stop his whole body trembling．

‘Oh Edgar！’cried his wife．‘You've lost the fight already！You aren't a man，you're a mouse！’

‘So that，'said Heathcliff，pointing at MrLEdgar，‘is the thing you preferred to me，Catherine．Is he crying，or is he goingIto die of fear？’

He went up to look more closely at Mr Edgar，who suddenly recovered and hit Heathcliff hard on the neck．While Heath cliff was getting his breath back，Mr Edgar walked out of the other kitchen door into the garden．

‘Now you'll never be able to come here again，'said Cather ine to Heathcliff．‘Go away quickly！He'll return with men and guns．’

Heathcliff was sensible enough to take her advice．He broke down the locked door and escaped，just as the master and his men returned．

Catherine，who was over-excited，ordered me to go upstairs with her．I hoped she would not discover that I had told Mr Edgar about her quarrel with Heathcliff．

‘I'm wild with anger，Ellen！'she said，when we reached the sittingroom．‘All this trouble is because of Isabella！Tell Edgar I'm in danger ofhbecoming seriously ill．I hope it's true，I want to frighten him．He's upset me badly．Why did he lis ten to us talking in the kitchen？Heathcliff says wicked things，but I know I can control him．Well，if I can't have Heathcliff as my friend，if Edgar is going to be mean and jealous，I'll try to break both their hearts by breaking my own．You must re mind Edgar how quick-tempered I am，and What Dr Kenneth said about my health．Edgar must let me do what I want！’

I did not feel sympathetic towards Catherine，and certainly did not want to frighten my poor master by telling him she was ill．As I was leaving the room，however，he entered．

‘Catherine，’he said，‘you must tell me one thing．You must choose between me and Heathcliff．Which do you intend to have？’

‘Leave me alone！'she cried wildly．‘I'm ill，can't you see，I can't even stand！Edgar，leave me！’

She fell，stiff and pale，on to the floor．Mr Edgar looked very frightened．

‘Don't worry，sir，’I whispered to him．‘She told me she would try to make you afraid by pretending to be ill．’

Unfortunately she heard me．She jumped up，her hair loose and her eyes staring，and rushed to her bedroom．We heard the key turn in the lock．

For the next few days she refused to speak to anyone，even me．I took her food up to her room，but she would not eat．Mr Edgar spent his time in the library，and did not ask about his wife．He hoped，I suppose，that she would come and ask him to forgive her．But I knew she was too proud to do that．

On the third day she unlocked her door and called me．She ate and drank eagerly，then lay down again．

‘Oh，why don't I die，since no one cares about me！'she muttered．‘Edgar doesn't love me at all！What is he doing all this time，Ellen？’

‘He's reading Mbooks in the library，madam，’I answered．

‘Reading books！'she cried，shocked．‘And I'm dying up here！My God！Does he know how I've changed，how ill I am？Can't you tell him I'm seriously ill，Ellen？’

‘You forget，Mrs Linton，that you've eaten tonight．I'm sure you'll feel better tomorrow morning．’I still wanted to make her realize how selfish she was being，although I was a little worried by her pale，almost ghostly face．

‘I begin to see that you don't like me，Ellen．How strange！I always thought everybody loved me！Now they are all my enemies—Isabella and Edgar and you！I'll die with cold faces around me！I've had terrible dreams these past few nights，you know．Open the window，Ellen！I'm so hot！’

I refused，as it was the middle of winter．She was feverish．

‘Who is that over there？'she asked，staring at her own face in a mirror opposite her bed．I could not make her under stand it was herself，and I began to be afraid that her illness was real．

‘Stay with me，Ellen，'she cried，holding my hand．‘I'm frightened of that face！I'm frightened of being alone！I wish I were in my bed at Wuthering Heights，with the wind howling through the trees．Do let me feel a breath of air from the moors，just one breath！’

I opened the window for a moment，then closed it．The cold air seemed to calm her．‘I wish I were a young girl again，wild and free，out on the moors with Heathcliff！Open the window again，wider this time！Why won't you？’

‘Because I don't want you to die of cold，’I replied．

‘But it's my only chance of life！'she cried，jumping out of bed and going to the window．I tried to force her back to bed，but her fever made her surprisingly strong．We looked out together into the icy darkness．There was no moon，and no lights were visible anywhere．But Catherine was sure she could see Wuthering Heights．

‘Look！'she said．‘There's my old home，and the church yard near it．I won't lie there alone，Heathcilff！I won't rest until you're in the grave with me！’

I was still holding her back from the window，and wondering what to do next，when Mr Edgar entered．

‘Please help，sir，’I called，‘Mrs Linton is ill．’

‘Catherine's ill？’he gasped．‘Shut the window，Ellen！Catherine！Why—’

When he saw his wife's face，he was so shocked that he stopped speaking and stared at her in horror．She was almost unconscious and did not recognize him at first．

‘Ah，it's you，is it，Edgar Linton？'she said after a few moments．‘You don't come when you're wanted，and now you come when you're not wanted！But whatever you say，nothing can keep me from my home，my place of rest，out there in the open air，with a gravestone at my head！’

‘She's feverish，sir，and doesn't know what she's saying，’I whispered．‘If she has food and rest，she'll recover．’

‘I want no further advice from you，Ellen Dean，'said Mr Edgar coldly．‘You knew how ill she was，and you didn't tell me！’

I ran downstairs and out of the kitchen door to fetch the doctor．I thought I heard the sound of horses in the distance，which seemed strange at two o’clock in the morning．And when I found Dr Kenneth，he told me someone had seen Isabella and Heathcliff meeting secretly in the garden earlier that evening．

That night none of us slept．We all sat together and waited，while the doctor stayed with his patient．He told us he hoped that Catherine would recover，if we kept her very quiet．

In the morning we discovered that Isabella's room was empty．She had run away with Heathcliff！When Mr Edgar heard the news，he just said，‘She chose to go with him．Don't speak to me of her again．I no longer think of her as my sister．’

8 凯瑟琳病了

1783年

希斯克利夫再次来画眉山庄时碰巧在宅子前面见到了伊莎贝拉。他朝她走过去的时候，我正从厨房的窗户里看着，他以为没人能看见他，就吻了她。

“看哪，夫人！”我喊着凯瑟琳，她正从厨房走过。“希斯克利夫那恶棍告诉你他决不会爱伊莎贝拉小姐！这会儿正吻她呢！”

所以希斯克利夫一进房子，凯瑟琳已经打定主意责备他了。

“别碰伊莎贝拉，希斯克利夫！”她用命令的口吻说道。“你会惹怒艾加的！”

“你以为我怕那个弱不禁风的小东西？”他吼叫道。“再说，这跟你有什么关系？只要她愿意，我就可以吻她。我不是你的丈夫，你不必嫉妒我！”

“我没嫉妒你！”凯瑟琳回答。“如果你喜欢伊莎贝拉，你可以娶她。可你真的喜欢她吗？”

“我想谈论的是你，凯瑟琳。你明白你们都怎么虐待我。我要报复！谢谢你告诉我伊莎贝拉的秘密。我立誓要好好利用这一点！”

到了这地步我就去找了我的主人，告诉他凯瑟琳和希斯克利夫正在厨房里争吵。

“我妻子怎么会称这个人为朋友？”他怒吼道。“我对她一直太纵容了。我不能允许他再来看她。叫两个仆人，艾伦。”他朝厨房而去。我跟着他，叫仆人在厅里等着。

“凯瑟琳！”艾加先生一进门便对妻子说道。“你觉得听这恶棍说话合适吗？”

“你在门口听着的吗，艾加？”凯瑟琳冷冷地问道。希斯克利夫笑了起来，艾加先生火气更大了。

“你，先生，”他对希斯克利夫说，“在破坏我的家庭生活。我本来就不应该把你当凯瑟琳的朋友看待。我必须奉告你决不许你再进这房子，如果你三分钟内不离开，你就会被扔出去。”

“好，好！”希斯克利夫回答，满脸讥讽地看着艾加先生瘦小的身躯。“这么说，你要亲自把我扔出去喽，是吗？”

我的主人往门那儿看了一眼。我意识到他想叫仆人，因为他明白他自个儿无力与希斯克利夫斗。但凯瑟琳想必猜出了他的心思。她赶到门前，锁上了门。艾加先生又气又惊地盯着她。

“你必须像个绅士一样跟他打，别叫人帮忙！”她告诉丈夫。“对你责骂我会是个教训！”

艾加先生试图去抢钥匙，可她当即把钥匙扔进炉火的中央。他的脸色变得煞白，无法控制全身的颤抖。

“噢艾加！”他妻子叫道。“你已经输了！你不是个男人，你是只老鼠！”

“你就喜欢这么个东西，”希斯克利夫指着艾加先生说，“而不喜欢我，凯瑟琳。他是要哭出来，还是会吓死？”

他凑上前去更接近地看着艾加先生，艾加先生冷不防地缓过劲来重重打在希斯克利夫的脖子上。趁希斯克利夫正往回喘气的当儿，艾加先生从厨房的旁门走出去，到了花园。

“哎，你再也不能来这儿了，”凯瑟琳对希斯克利夫说。“快走罢！他就要带着人、带着枪来了。”

希斯克利夫明智地听从了她的劝告。就在主人和他的手下回来的当儿，他砸坏锁着的门逃走了。

凯瑟琳十分激动，吩咐我陪她上楼。我希望她别发现我告诉艾加先生她和希斯克利夫吵架的事。

“我气疯了，艾伦！”我们刚进起居室她就说，“麻烦都是伊莎贝拉惹起的！跟艾加说我快病得不行了。我盼着真生病，我想吓唬吓唬他。他让我狼狈坏了。他为什么要偷听我们在厨房的谈话？希斯克利夫说了些难听的，可我有把握能控制他。好，如果我不能有希斯克利夫这个朋友，要是艾加开始小器、嫉妒，我就让自己伤心来使他们俩都心碎。你千万要提醒艾加我脾气如果暴躁，肯尼士大夫是怎么说我的健康情况的。艾加得让我做我想做的事！”

我对凯瑟琳不感觉同情，当然也不想去吓唬我那悲惨的主人，告诉他她病了。但我正要离开房间的时候，他进来了。

“凯瑟琳，”他说，“你必须给我说清楚一件事，你必须在我和希斯克利夫之间做出选择。你想要哪一个？”

“别烦我！”她狂怒地喊道。“我病了，你看不见吗，我站都站不住了！艾加，别烦我！”

她脸色煞白，直挺挺地倒在地板上。艾加先生惊恐万分。

“别担心，先生，”我轻声对他说。“她告诉我她要装病来吓唬您。”

不巧被她听见。她跳起来，披头散发、双目圆瞪，跑向她的卧室。我们听到锁被拧上了。

此后好几天她对谁都一言不发，连我在内。我把饭端到她房间，可她不肯吃。艾加先生呆在书房，也不过问他妻子。我想，他是指望她会来请求他原谅。但我清楚她那么傲慢，是不会那样做的。

到第三天她打开房门把我叫去。她狼吞虎咽地又吃又喝，接着又躺倒了。

“噢，我怎么不死，反正没人关心我！”她咕哝道。“艾加根本就不爱我！这段时间他在干吗，艾伦？”

“他在书房看书，夫人，”我回答。

“看书！”她惊异地嚷道。“我在上面都快死了！上帝！他知道我变化有多大，病得有多重吗？你就不能告诉他我病得不行了，艾伦？”

“您忘了，林顿夫人，您今晚吃了东西。我肯定您明天早上会感觉好些的。”我还是希望能使她认识到她有多自私，尽管她苍白、如幽灵般的脸色令我有点儿担心。

“我开始觉察到你不喜欢我了，艾伦。真想不到！我总以为人人都喜欢我！而如今他们都成了我的对头——伊莎贝拉和艾加，还有你！周围都是冷冰冰的面孔，我要死了！前几个晚上我一直在做恶梦，你清楚。打开窗户，艾伦！我太热啦！”

因为正值隆冬，我不肯。她有点发烧。

“那是谁？”她盯着床对面镜子中她自己的脸问道。我无法使她明白那就是她自己，所以我开始担心她是真病了。

“陪着我，艾伦，”她抓着我的手叫道。“那张脸让我害怕！我害怕一个人呆着！我希望我是躺在呼啸山庄我的床上，风在树林间呼啸。就让我感受一下荒原上吹来的空气吧，就一下！”

我把窗打开了一会儿，接着又关上。冰冷的空气似乎使她安静了些。“我希望我又成了小姑娘，疯疯癫癫、自由自在，同希斯克利夫一起到荒原去！再把窗子打开，这次开大点！你为什么不肯？”

“因为我不想你冻死，”我回答。

“可只有这样我才有活下去的可能！”她叫着，从床上跳下来奔窗户而去。我试图拉她回床上去，可她高度兴奋，力气大得出奇。我们一起望着外面旱冰般的黑暗。没有月亮，也看不见灯光。但凯瑟琳一口咬定她能看到呼啸山庄。

“看！”她说。“那是我原来的家，还有附近的教堂墓地。我不要独眠在那儿，希斯克利夫！除非你和我同穴而葬，否则我不会安息的！”

我仍然抱着她，不让她靠近窗户，搞不清下面该怎么办，这时艾加先生进来了。

“请帮帮忙，先生，”我叫道，“林顿夫人病了。”

“凯瑟琳病了？”他吃了一惊。“关上窗户，艾伦！凯瑟琳！为什么——”

一看到妻子的脸，他吓坏了，话也不说了，只顾惊恐地盯着她。她几乎人事不省，开始没认出他来。

“噢，是你，是吗，艾加·林顿？”她过了好一会儿才说道。“需要你的时候你不来，不需要的时候你倒来了！无论你怎么说，什么也别想阻止我回家，我安息的地方，在外面的旷野里，头顶上立着一块墓碑！”

“她有些发烧，先生，在说胡话，”我低声说。“如果她吃了东西，再休息一下就会好的。”

“我不想再听你的意见，艾伦·迪恩，”艾加先生冷冷地说道。“你本来知道她病得有多重，却不通报我！”

我跑到楼下，出了厨房门去找大夫。我觉得好像听到远处有马嘶声，此刻是凌晨两点钟，似乎有点儿蹊跷。我找到肯尼士大夫时，他告诉我有人看见伊莎贝拉和希斯克利夫当天晚上早些时候在花园里幽会。

那天晚上我们谁都没睡。大夫陪病人呆着，我们则坐在一起等。他对我们说如果我们能让她心平气和，凯瑟琳有望痊愈。

到了早晨我们发现伊莎贝拉的房间空着。她跟希斯克利夫跑了！艾加先生听了这个消息，他只说，“是她自找的要跟他走。别再对我提起她。我不再认她这个妹妹。”

9 Isabella's story

1784 For two months we heard nothing of Isabella or Heathcliff．During that time Catherine was dangerously ill with brain fever，andhDr Kenneth warned us that even if she recovered，her brain would never return to normal．How ever she did seem to get better，and no one could have been happier than my master，when he saw her sitting up in bed for the first time，and beginning to take an interest in the people and things around her．He loved her so much，and took such good care of her，that I really thought she would recover．There was another reason for her to live．She was expecting a baby，and we all hoped she would have a son，who would inherit the Linton fortune．

Then Mr Edgar received a letter from Isabella，telling him that she and Heathcliff were married．With it was a long letter for me，which said：

Wuthering Heights

Dear Ellen，

I arrived here last night and heard that Catherine brother refuses to write to me，so you are the only one I can write to．Tell Edgar I still love him and Catherine，and want to return to Thrushcross Grange，but I can't！

The rest of this letter is for you alone，Ellen．Two questions—how did you manage to get on with the people in this house？Thay don't seem human！And（this interests me very much）what is Mr Heathcliff？A man？A madman？A devil？When you come to visit me，you must explain to me what sort of creature I've married．And you must come very soon，with a message from Edgar．

Heathcliff brought me here last night．This house is going to be my home，he says．He disappeared as soon as we arrived，so I entered the kitchen alone．What a miserable，depressing place it is now，Ellen！By the fire stood a dirty child．I realized he must be Catherine's nephew，Hareton，and tried to shake his hand．But he greeted me by swearing at me，so I went into the hall to find somebody else．When I knocked at another door，it was opened by a tall，thin man，with long，dirty hair hanging down to his shoulders．I knew this must be Hindley Earnshaw，Catherine's brother and Hareton's father．His eyes，and Hareton's，reminded me of Catherine．

‘What do you want？’he asked roughly．

‘My name was Isabella Linton，’I replied．‘Now I'm married to Mr Heathcliff．’

‘Ah，so that devil has returned！Good！’he growled．

You can imagine，Ellen，how unhappy I felt in that unpleasant house．I knew that only four miles away was my real home，Thrushcross Grange，containing the only people I loved in the world．But those four miles were like an ocean，which I could not cross！Don't tell Edgar or Catherine this，but I had hoped to find a friend at Wuthering Heights，some one to support me against Heathcliff．Now I realized that no one here would help me．

After a long silence I said，‘Please ask a maid to show me my bedroom．I'm tired after my journey．’

‘We have no maids here，’he answered．‘Joseph will show you Heathcliff's room，if you like．And—and—you’d better lock the bedroom door tonight！’

‘Why，Mr Earnshaw？’I asked．I did not want to lock myself in with Heathcliff．

He brought out a gun，which had a knife attached to it．

‘Look at this，’he said．‘Every night I try to open his bed room door．Up to now he's locked it．But one night he'll forget，and Then I'll kill him！’

‘Why do you hate him so much？’I asked．

‘Because he's taken everything from me！’he shouted angrily．‘There's nothing left for Hareton to inherit！But I'm going to get it all back！and his money too，and then his blood．Then the devil can have his soul！’

He seemed mad to me，Ellen．I left him，and went to find the old servant，Joseph．It seemed that Heathcliff's room was locked，and there were no guest bedrooms，so in the end I slept on a chair in the child's room．What a welcome to my new home！

I know Heathcliff blames Edgar forQCatherine's illness．He has warned me he'll make me suffer for it．Oh，I do hate him—I'm so miserable—I've been such a fool！Don't tell any one at Thrushcross Grange about this，Ellen．Come quickly—don't disappoint me！

Isabella

As soon as I had read this，I asked Mr Edgar if I could take a message from him to his sister．

‘You may visit her this afternoon，Ellen，if you like．Tell her I'm not angry，just sorry to have lost her．I can't imagine she will ever be happy．I shall never visit her or write to her．’

When I arrived at Wuthering Heights that afternoon，I was shocked to see how much worse the house looked than when I used to live there．I realized that Hindley did not care what conditions he lived in，and Joseph clearly spent more time praying than cleaning．Heathcliff and Isabella were both in the main room．Heathcliff looked more like a gentleman than I had ever seen him，but his wife had not bothered to brush her hair or change her dress．I had to explain to poor Isabella that Mr Edgar had refused to write to her．She cried a little when she heard that．Then Heathcliff asked me question after question about Catherine's illness．

‘If you really love her，’I told him，‘you'll keep away from her now．She mustn't be over-excited Her health will always be weak．And her loving husband is a very good nurse to her！’

‘Her loving husband！'repeated Heathcliff scornfully．‘Don't compare my feeling for her with his！No，Ellen，before you leave this house，I'll make you promise to arrange a meet- ing for me with Catherine．I must see her！’

‘I'll never agree to that，’I said．‘She's just beginning to recover．She's almost forgotten you，and now you want to upset her again！’ ‘Ellen，you know as well as I do that she can never forget me！If she thinks once of Edgar Linton，she thinks a thousand times of me！He can't love her as I can！And Catherine has a heart as deep as mine！’

‘Catherine and Edgar are very fond of each other！'said Isabella suddenly．‘Don't speak of my brother like that！’

‘Your dear brother doesn't care enough abut you to write to you，'replied Heathcliff，smiling sourly．

‘That's because be doesn't know how much I've suffered，'she answered quietly，turning away to hide the tears on her face．

‘Sir，’I said，‘it seems to me that Miss Isabella，Mrs Heathcliff，I should say，is unhappy．You must treat her kindly．Try to look after her．Let her have a maid，for example．’

‘I'm not going to be soft with her，’he repliedd with a laugh．‘She was stupid enough to run away with me．I never pretended to love her．Now I think she's beginning to realize that I scorn her．She's an even weaker fool than her brother， but she's going to be useful to me．That's why I'm keeping her with me．’ ‘Ellen，he says he married me to have his revenge on Edgar！But I won't let him carry out his plan，whatever it is． I'll die，or I'll see him dead first！’

‘You're getting violent，Isabella！'said Heathcliff．‘Go up- stairs now．I want to speak to Ellen Dean in private．Go on！’ And he pushed her roughly out of the door． ‘Don't you feel pity for her？’I asked，when we were alone．‘Have you ever felt pity for anybody in your life？’ ‘Why should I？She's just like an insect under my foot．The more she cries，the more I enjoy hurting her．Now，Ellen，lis-ten．I'll wait every day and every evening in the Grange gar- den，until I find a chance to see Catherine．If I meet Edgar Linton or his servants，I'll shoot them．But don't you think it’d be better to avoid a fight？You could tell me when she'll be alone．Then there'll be no violence．’

I argued and complained，and refused fifty times，but in the end he forced me to agree．I promised to let him know when Edgar Linton was away from home．I suppose it was wrong of me，but I hoped it would be Heathcliff's last meeting with Catherine．

9 伊莎贝拉的故事

1784年

两个月来伊莎贝拉和希斯克利夫音讯全无。在这期间凯瑟琳的脑膜炎很重，肯尼士大夫提醒我们就算她病好了，她的脑子也无法完全复原。尽管如此她看上去还是好了起来，当我的主人看到她第一次在床上坐起来并开始注意她周围的人和事时，他比谁都高兴。他对她爱意无限，关心无微不至，于是我真的相信她一定会好起来。她要活下去还有另一个原因。她怀了孩子，我们都希望她能生个儿子来继承林顿家族的财产。

后来艾加先生收到了伊莎贝拉来的一封信，告诉他她已同希斯克利夫结婚了。同来的还有一封给我的长信，写道：

亲爱的艾伦：

我昨晚到了呼啸山庄，听说凯瑟琳病了。我哥哥不肯给我写信，所以我只能给你写。告诉艾加我还爱着他和凯瑟琳，还想回到画眉山庄，可我不能！

下面的内容是写给你一个人的，艾伦。有两个问题——你是怎么跟这宅子里的人相处的？他们好像没有人性！还有（我很想知道）希斯克利夫先生是什么东西？是人么？是个疯子？还是个魔鬼？你来看我的时候，你一定得跟我说说我到底嫁给了个什么东西。你一定要尽快来，带一个艾加的口信来。

希斯克利夫昨晚把我带到这儿。这宅子将是我的家，他说。一到这儿他就不见了，所以我一个人进了厨房。现在那儿真是个乱七八糟、令人难受的地方，艾伦！火炉旁站着一个邋遢的孩子，我琢磨他一定就是凯瑟琳的侄子哈里顿了，于是想握握手。可他用咒骂的方式来欢迎我，所以我到厅里去找其他人。我去敲另一扇门，开门的是一个瘦高挑儿的男人，头发又长又脏，披到肩上。我知道这一定就是亨德雷·欧肖，凯瑟琳的哥哥，哈里顿的父亲。他的眼睛，还有哈里顿的眼睛，让我想起凯瑟琳。

“你想干什么？”他粗鲁地问。

“我叫伊莎贝拉·林顿，”我回答。“我已嫁给了希斯克利夫先生。”

“哦，这么说那个恶棍回来啦！好！”他咆哮道。

你可以想像得到，艾伦，我在那讨厌的宅子里会多难过。我清楚这儿离我真正的家画眉山庄只有四英里，那儿有我在这世上唯一爱着的人。但那四英里像一片汪洋，我过不去！别把这个告诉艾加或凯瑟琳，我原指望能在呼啸山庄找到一个朋友，一个能帮助我对付希斯克利夫的人。如今我明白这儿没人能帮我。

沉默了许久之后我说，“请让个女仆带我去我的卧室。我走了那么远的路，累了。”

“我们这儿没有女仆，”他回答。“约瑟夫会带你去希斯克利夫的房间，如果你愿意。还有——还有——今晚你最好锁上卧室的门！”

“为什么，欧肖先生？”我问。我不想把自己和希斯克利夫锁在房间里。

他拿出一枝枪，上面还带着一把刀子。

“看看这个，”他说。“我每天晚上都想橇开他卧室的门。到目前为止他都上锁。可要是哪天晚上他忘了，我就会杀了他！”

“你为什么这么恨他？”我问。

“因为他抢走了我的一切！”他嚎道。“什么也没剩下让哈里顿去继承！但我会把它全夺回来的！还有他的钱，还有他的血。然后魔鬼就能收去他的灵魂！”

我看他好像疯了，艾伦。我离开了他，去找那个老仆约瑟夫。希斯克利夫的房间似乎是锁着的，也没有给客人住的卧室，所以最后我在孩子的房里睡下了。到了我的新家，他们就这么欢迎我！

我明白希斯克利夫把凯瑟琳的病归咎于艾加。他威胁过我，要我为此吃苦头。啊，我真恨他——我真命苦——我真是个傻瓜！别对画眉山庄的任何人讲，艾伦。快来吧——别让我失望！

伊莎贝拉

于呼啸山庄

一读完信，我就问艾加先生我能否替他给他妹妹带个口信。

“你今天下午可以去看她，艾伦，如果你愿意。告诉她我不是生气，只是为失去她而难过。我无法想像她会幸福。我不会再看她，也不会给她写信。”

那天下午我到呼啸山庄时，看到房子比我以前住的时候脏乱得多，我很吃惊。我想到亨德雷不在乎他住的环境，约瑟夫花在祈祷上的时间无疑比打扫卫生多。希斯克利夫和伊莎贝拉都在正房里。希斯克利夫比我以前任何时候看到他时都更像个绅士，可他的妻子却懒得梳理头发、更换衣服。我不得不向可怜的伊莎贝拉解释说艾加先生不肯给她写信。她听到这个哭了一会儿。然后希斯克利夫就一遍一遍地问我凯瑟琳的病情。

“要是你真的爱她，”我对他说，“你现在就离她远点。她不能太激动。她的身体一直都会很弱。她那深情的丈夫把她护理得非常好！”

“她那深情的丈夫！”希斯克利夫讥讽地重复了一句。“别把我对她的感情与他的相比！不，艾伦，你离开这房子之前，我要让你答应安排我与凯瑟琳见一面。我一定要见她！”

“我决不会答应的，”我说。“她刚刚开始恢复。她差不多把你忘了，而你现在又要再去惹她！”

“艾伦，你我都知道她决不会忘了我！如果她想起艾加·林顿一次，她就会想我一千次！他不会像我那样爱她！凯瑟琳有一颗如我一般深情的心！”

“凯瑟琳和艾加彼此非常相亲相爱！”伊莎贝拉突然说道。“别那样说我哥哥！”

“你那亲爱的哥哥对你的关心还不足以让他给你写信，”希斯克利夫回道，悻悻地一笑。

“那是因为他不知道我有多苦，”她静静地回答道，她转过身去不让人看见她脸上的泪水。

“先生，”我说，“伊莎贝拉小姐，我应该说是希斯克利夫夫人，好像不高兴。你得对她好点。尽量照顾她。比如说，给她找个女仆。”

“我不会对她来软的，”他笑着答道。“她太傻了，跟我私奔。我从没假装爱她。此刻我想她开始明白我看不起她。她甚至比他哥哥还软弱愚蠢，但她对我会有用。所以我才留她在我这儿。”

“艾伦，他说他娶我是为了报复艾加！不管他打什么鬼主意，我不会让他得逞的。要么我死，要么我要看着他先死！”

“你开始过激了，伊莎贝拉！”希斯克利夫说道。“现在上楼去。我想同艾伦·迪恩单独谈谈。快去！”他粗野地把她推出门外。

“难道你不怜悯她吗？”只剩我们两个时我问。“你这一生可曾怜悯过什么人吗？”

“我为什么要怜悯？她就像我脚下的一只虫子。她越叫唤，我就越喜欢折磨她。好了，艾伦，听着。我每天从早到晚都会在画眉山庄的花园里等着，直到我有机会看到凯瑟琳为止。要是让我遇上艾加·林顿或他的家仆，我就开枪打死他们。可你不觉得最好能避免一场争斗吗？你可以告诉我什么时候她单独在。这样就不会有伤害了。”

尽管我同他争执、抱怨，无数次地拒绝，但最终他还是强迫我答应下来。我应允艾加·林顿出门的时候通知他。我觉得我做得不对，但我希望着这是希斯克利夫最后一次见凯瑟琳。

10 Heathcliff visits Catherine for the last time

1784 Heathcliff had given me a letter for Catherine，but I decided not to show it to her until Mr Edgar was out of the house．My chance came four days after my visit to Wuthering Heights．As it was a Sunday，Mr Edgar and all the servants went to church，leaving me alone to look after Catherine．

She was sitting downstairs，by an open window，enjoying the spring sunshine．Her appearance had changed since her illness，but there was a strange beauty in her pale face．She did not read or sew any more，but used to sit there silently， staring into the distance．Her eyes seemed fixed on something far away，something beyond normal sight．

I showed her the letter，but she looked confused and could not seem to understand it，so I had to explain ‘It's from Mr Heathcliff，’I said gently．‘He's in the garden，and wants to see you．What shall I tell him？’

She said nothing，but bent forward in her chair to listen． We both heard someone coming through the hall．Heathcliff had realized the house was almost empty，and had found an open door Catherine looked eagerly towards the entrance to the room． He appeared，and in two steps was by her side．For five whole minutes he held her in his arms and kissed her again and again it gave him great pain to look at her face．He could see，as I could，that she would never recover，that she was certain to die．

‘Oh，Catherine！Oh，my life！How can I bear It！’he cried．‘You and Edgar have broken my heart，'said Catherine， ‘And you both want me to pity yoy！How strong you are， Heathcliff！You'll live for years after my death！Will you forget me，and be happy with others，when I'm in my grave？’‘It's wicked of you to say that，Catherine．You know your words will burn for ever in my memory after you've left me． You know I could never forget you！’

‘I don't want you to suffer more than I do，Heathcliff．I only want us to be together，always ．’

Heathcliff turned away，his shoulders shaking． ‘That isn't my Heathcliff，’Catherine said to me．‘I'll always love my Heathcliff，and take him with me．He's in my soul，you see．Oh，Ellen，I do want to escape from this prison．There's a beautiful world waiting for me out there．You feel sorry for me now because I'm ill．Well，very soon I'll feel sorry for you，because I'll be beyond you all！’

Heathcliff turned towards her，his fierce eyes wet．For a moment they looked at each other，and then they were in each other's arms again． No one could have separated them．

‘How cruel you've been to me，Catherine！’he cried wildly． ‘You loved me，so why did you marry Edgar Linton？It's all your fault！I haven't broken your heart，you've broken it！ 108 And you've broken mine too！Do you think I want to live after you are dead？’ ‘If I've done wrong，I'm dying for it！'sobbed Catherine． ‘It's your fault too，Heathcliff！You left me，remember？But I forgive you．Now forgive me！’

It's hard to forgive，when I look at your sad eyes，and feel your thin hands．Kiss me again，Catherine！I forgive you for making me suffer，but how can I forgive you for dying？’

Catherine sobbed quietly，hiding her face in his shoulder， and tears rolled down Heathcliff's dark face．

Suddenly I noticed，through the window，the servants coming back from church．I was afraid Mr Edgar would find Heathcliff with Catherine．

‘My master will be here in a moment，’I warned them． ‘I must go，Catherine，'said Heathcliff． ‘No，no！'she screamed．Den't go！It's the last time！ Edgar won't hurt us！Heathcliff，I'll die if you go！’‘All right，my darling，I'll stay．If he shot me in your arms，I’d die happy．’

At that moment my master appeared at the door．When he saw Heathcliff holding his wife，he went pale with anger．

‘Here，take care of her first，'said Heathcliff，putting Catherine in her husband's arms，‘then speak to me later if you wish．’ He walked out of the house．

Catherine seemed to be unconscious，and Mr Edgar was so worried about her that he forgot about Heathcliff for the moment．She recovered a little，but did not recognize any of us，and was clearly very ill．We put her to bed immediately， and at twelve o’clock that night her daughter，Cathy，was born，two months early．That's the young lady you saw at Wuthering Heights，Mr Lockwood．Two hours later， Catherine died，without calling for Heathcliff，or recognizing Edgar．My poor master was in the depths of despair．I thought it was very unfortunate that Catherine had only given him a daughter，not a son．Now the Linton fortune would pass to Isabella and her husband after Mr Edgar's death．

Catherine's dead body lay peacefully on her bed．In death she looked more beautiful that in life．I wondered if she was now beyond us all，’as she had said，and hoped that her soul had found a home with God．

In the morning I went to look for Heathcliff．I found him in the Grange garden，where he had been waiting for news all night． ‘She's dead，I know！’he caned to me as I came closer．

‘Don't cry，she doesn't need your tears！Tell me-tell me， how did-？’He tried to say her name，but could not manage it．‘How did she die？’he said at last，staring fiercely at me． ‘Don't be sorry for me，I don't want your pity！’ ‘Poor creature！’I thought．‘You have a heart just like other men，but you are too proud to show it！’

Aloud I said，‘She died quietly，in her sleep．Her life finished in a gentle dream．I hope she wakes as calmly in the other world！’ ‘Where are you，Catherine？’he cried in despair．‘Don't leave me here，where I can't find you！I pray that you will never rest while I'm alive．You said I killed you-haunt me then！Murdered people do haunt their murderers，I believe． Come back as a ghost-drive me mad-I don't care！Oh， God！I can't bear it！I cannot live without you，my soul！’

He howled like a wild animal，and hit his forehead several times against a tree，until the wood．was covered in blood．I knew I could no longer help him，so I left him．

Catherine was buried the following Friday．Her brother Hindley，although invited，did not come，and Isabella was not invited，so it was only Mr Edgar and the servants who attended the ceremony． To our surprise，she was not buried in the church with the Lintons，nor with the Earnshaws．She lies in an open corner of the churchyard，where she can breather the air from the moors．Her husband's grave is next to hers．

10 希斯克利夫最后一次看望凯瑟琳

1784年

希斯克利夫给了我一封致凯瑟琳的信，但我决定在艾加先生不在家时再给她看。我从呼啸山庄回来后过了四天时找到了一个机会。那是个礼拜天，艾加先生和所有家仆都到教堂去了，留我一个人照看凯瑟琳。

她在楼下一个开着的窗户旁坐着，享受着春天的阳光。她得病之后容貌变了，但她惨白的面庞有一种莫名的美。她不再读书，也不再做针线活儿，但常静静地坐在那儿，呆呆地望着远方。她的目光好像盯着远处的什么东西，正常视线以外的东西。

我把信给她看，可她显得有些茫然，似乎无法理解，所以我不得不解释一下。

“是希斯克利夫来的，”我轻声说。“他在花园里，想见你。我该怎么跟他说？”

她什么也没说，但从椅子里欠起身在听着。我们俩都听到有人从厅里走过来。希斯克利夫意识到房子里没有什么人了，就找了扇敞开的门。凯瑟琳急切地望着房门。他出现了，两步就走到她的身边。他把她抱在怀里，一遍遍地吻她，足足有五分钟。他看着她的脸，十分痛苦。他和我都能看出来，凯瑟琳永远不会复原了，她肯定是要死了。

“噢，凯瑟琳！噢，我的命根子！我如何能忍受得了！”他痛苦地叫道。

“你和艾加伤透了我的心，”凯瑟琳说。“你们都想让我怜悯你们！你多健壮啊，希斯克利夫！我死后你还能活好多年！等我入土之后，你会忘了我，和别的人幸福地生活吗？”

“你这么说一定是中了邪，凯瑟琳。你明白在你离开我之后，你的话仍将会烙印在我记忆中。你知道我永远都不会忘记你的！”

“我不想你比我多受罪，希斯克利夫。我只想我们俩在一起，永远。”

希斯克利夫转开身，他的双肩在颤抖。

“这不是我的希斯克利夫，”凯瑟琳对我说道。“我将永远爱我的希斯克利夫，把他带在身边。他在我的灵魂里，你知道。哦，艾伦，我真想逃离这牢狱。那儿有一个美丽的世界在等着我。你为我难过是因为我病了。可很快我就会为你们感到难过，因为我将会在你们所有人之上！”

希斯克利夫转过来面对着她，炽烈的双眼里含着泪。他们先是相对而视，然后又拥抱在一起。没人能把他们分开。

“你对我多无情啊，凯瑟琳！”他发疯似地说道。“你爱我，那为什么却嫁给了艾加·林顿？都是你的错！我没有伤你的心，是你自己伤了自己的心！而且你还伤了我的心！你以为你死了我还想活下去吗？”

“如果是我错了，那我该死！”凯瑟琳抽泣道。“也有你的错，希斯克利夫！你离开了我，还记得吗？但我原谅你。你也原谅我吧！”

“我一看到你忧郁的双眼，摸着你瘦弱的双手，我就很难原谅。再吻吻我吧，凯瑟琳！我原谅你给我的痛苦，可我怎能原谅你要死？”

凯瑟琳无声地啜泣着，把脸埋在他的肩上，泪水顺着希斯克利夫黝黑的面庞淌落下来。

我突然从窗子看到仆人们正从教堂往回走。我怕艾加先生会看到希斯克利夫和凯瑟琳在一起。

“我的主人马上就到了，”我提醒他们。

“我得走了，凯瑟琳，”希斯克利夫说。

“不，不！”她高声叫起来，“别走！这是最后一面了！艾加不会伤害我们的！希斯克利夫，你要走我会死的！”

“好，我亲爱的，我不走。如果他把我杀死在你的怀里，我会幸福地死去。”

这时，我的主人在门口出现了。看到希斯克利夫正抱着自己的妻子，他的脸气得煞白。

“哎，先照看她，”希斯克利夫说，把凯瑟琳交到她丈夫的怀里，“要是你想跟我说话，呆一会儿再说。”他走出了房子。

凯瑟琳好像是晕过去了，艾加先生非常担心，一时间竟忘了希斯克利夫的事。她的知觉恢复了一点，可认不出我们，显然是病得很重。我们当即把她放到床上，就在当天晚上12点她的女儿凯茜出世了，早产了两个月。她就是你在呼啸山庄看见的那年轻女士，洛克伍德先生。两个小时后，凯瑟琳死了，既没有喊希斯克利夫，也没认出艾加。我那可怜的主人陷入了深深的绝望。我想，凯瑟琳只给他生了个女儿却没有儿子，真是太不幸了。这样在艾加先生死后林顿家的财产就会传给伊莎贝拉和她的丈夫。

凯瑟琳的遗体宁静地躺在她的床上。她死后的样子比生前更美。我不知道是否现在她“在我们之上”，像她曾说过的那样，我祈望她的灵魂已在上帝那儿找到了归宿。

早晨我去找希斯克利夫。在画眉山庄的花园里我找到了他，他一整夜都在那儿等着消息。

“她死了，我知道！”我走近时他对我叫道。“别哭，她不稀罕你的眼泪！告诉我——告诉我，是怎么——？”他想说她的名字，但说不出来。“她是怎么死的？”他最后说道，凶神恶煞般地盯着我。“别为我难过，我不需要你的怜悯！”

“可怜的家伙！”我想。“你的心跟别的男人也都一样，但你的自尊心太强，不肯表现出来而已！”

我大声说，“她是在睡梦中平静地死去的。她的生命在安祥的梦中结束了。我希望她能在另一个世界同样平静地醒来！”

“你在哪儿，凯瑟琳？”他绝望地喊着。“别把我留在这儿，我找不到你！我祈求在我还活着的时候你永远不要安息。你说是我害死了你——那就来索我的命吧！我相信被害死的人会找害他们的人索命的。变作鬼魂回来吧——把我逼疯——我不在乎！噢，上帝！我受不了啦！我活着不能没有你，我的爱人！”

他像一头野兽般地嗥叫着，好几次把前额撞到一棵树上，直到树干上沾满了鲜血。我明白我也帮不了他，就离开了。

凯瑟琳是那个礼拜五安葬的。虽然请了他的哥哥亨德雷，可他没来，又没有请伊莎贝拉，所以只有艾加先生和仆人们参加了葬礼。我们感到奇怪的是她没被葬在教堂林顿家人下葬的地方，也没同欧肖家的人葬在一起。她躺在教堂墓地开阔的一角，她在那儿能呼吸到荒原吹来的空气。她丈夫的墓和她的相邻。

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。

12 Bringing up Cathy

1797 During the next twelve years I was happier than I had ever been before．All my time was spent looking after little Cathy，who brought sunshine into our lives．She was a real beauty，with the Earnshaws’ dark eyes and the Lintons’fair skin．She wasn't as proud and quick-tempered as her mother，but she was used to getting what she wanted． Her father loved her so much that he gave her everything，and never scolded her．

Until she was thirteen she had never been outside the Grange garden alone．She knew nothing of Wuthering Heights or Heathcliff．She often asked me about the hills in the distance，beyond the moors，and wanted to ride her pony there．I knew the master would not let her leave the safety of the Grange to go so far，especially as the road to the hills passed close to Wuthering Heights．So I always told her she would be able to go there when she was older．I did not know what she was planning．

Mr Edgar received a letter from his sister Isabella．She wrote that she was dying of a fever，and asked him to visit her for the first and last time．She also wanted him to take care of her son Linton after her death．Although my master hated travelling，he did not hesitate to do as she requested．He told me to look after Cathy carefully，and left at once．

He was away for three weeks．Cathy did not cause me any trouble at first．She spent her days walking her dogs and riding her pony in the large garden．But one day she asked if she could stay out the whole day，and away she went on her little pony，with her two dogs running behind．

There was no sign of her at tea-time，and I began to be seriously worried．I went outside to look for her．At the gate I found a workman，who had seen-her jump the low wall separating the garden from the road，and then ride on towards the hills and Wuthering Heights．

I was very frightened now．She could be lost on the moors！ She could have tried to climb the hills，and fallen！I walked across the moors as fast as I could，and arrived breathless at Wuthering Heights．How glad I was to see one of her dogs lying outside the kitchen door！I knocked loudly，and Zillah let me in．I knew she had been the housekeeper there since Hindley's death． ‘Ah，'she said，‘you've come for your little mistress！She's here，quite safe！The master，Mr Heathcliff，isn't here．He won't be back for a while．’

Cathy was sitting comfortably in the kitchen，talking eagerly to Hareton．He was now a big，strong young man of eighteen，who was staring rather stupidly at her．I was delighted to find her again，but I pretended to be angry to punish her． ‘Well，miss！You are wicked，going such a long way all alone！I've been all over the moors looking for you！looking father will be angry！’ ‘What have I done？'she sobbed，suddenly frightened． ‘Father didn't forbid me to leave the Grange garden！He won't scold me，Ellen．He's never cross，like you！And I've been to the hills，Ellen！This-man-showed me，because I didn't know the way．’

I made her put on her hat and prepare to leave． ‘Whose house is this？'she asked suddenly．‘It's your father's，isn't it？'she added，turming to Hareton． ‘No，’he replied，looking down．His face went very red．

‘Whose then-your master's？'she asked．

He swore，and turned away． “Ellen，he didn't say miss to me．Servants should always say ‘miss’，shouldn't they？”

Hareton frowned and looked very angry，but said nothing． ‘You，get my horse，'she ordered him ‘Hurry！’ ‘What the devil do you mean？I'm not your servant！’he growled． ‘You see，Miss Cathy？Nice words to be used to a young lady！Now come along，let's fetch the pony and leave，’I said． ‘But Ellen，'she cried，staring horrified at him，‘how dare he speak to me like that！He must do as I tell him！’

He's not your servant，miss，'said Zillah，who had been listening to the conversation．‘He's your cousin．’ ‘He can't be my cousin！’cried Cathy，with a scornful laugh．‘Father has gone to fetch my cousin from London．He's a gentleman's son，not-not a farm worker like him！’She pointed at poor Hareton，whose clothes were old and dirty．

I was very annoyed with her and Zillah．Now Heathcliff would hear about his son's arrival，which we had hoped to keep secret from him．And Cathy would certainly ask her father whether she had a cousin at Wuthering Heights．On our way home I explained to her that if her father discovered she had visited Wuthering Heights，he would perhaps be so angry with me that he would send me away．She could not bear to think of that，so she promised to keep her visit a secret from him．

We heard from Mr Edgar that his sister had died，and that he was returning soon with his young nephew．Cathy was wild with excitement．She would see her dear father again，and have a cousin of the same age to play with．

But when the coach arrived，young Linton had to be carried into the house．He was a pale，thin boy，who looked very like Mr Edgar．He seemed so weak that I wondered how long he would live．I thought he would have no chance of life if his father Heathcliff took him to live at Wuthering Heights．

In fact Linton only stayed one night with us．Later that evening Heathcliff's servant Joseph arrived and asked to speak to the master．Although it was late and Mr Edgar was tired after his journey，Joseph insisted，so I took him to the master's room． ‘Heathcliff has sent me for his son，and I can't go back without him，’he said．

Mr Edgar was silent for a moment．On his face was an expression of deep sadness．He had hoped to keep Linton with him，as Isabella had wished．But he could not refuse the boy's father． ‘Tell Mr Heathcliff，’he said calmly，‘that Ellen will take his son to Wuthering Heights tomorrow．He‘s asleep at the moment，and I won't disturb him．’

‘No！'said Joseph，banging the table with his hand．‘I must take him back now！’

‘Not tonight！’answered Mr Edgar．‘Leave the house now，and tell your master what I said！’ ‘Very well！'shouted Joseph，as he walked out．‘If he doesn't arrive early in the morning，Heathcliff will come for him！’

12 凯茜长大了

1797年

在以后的12年里，我比以前任何时候都过得舒心。我所有的时间都花在照看小凯茜身上，她给我们的生活带来了阳光。她是一个不折不扣的小美人，长着欧肖家的黑眼睛，林顿家的白皮肤。她不像她母亲那样孤傲和脾气暴躁，但也是习惯了要什么有什么。她的父亲对她非常宠爱，什么都给她，也从不责骂。

她13岁之前从未单独出过画眉山庄的门。她对呼啸山庄和希斯克利夫的事一无所知。她常问我远处荒原那边的山丘是什么样的，想骑着她的小马到那儿去。我知道主人不会让她离开画眉山庄的庇护，跑到那么远的地方，尤其是通向山丘的路离呼啸山庄很近。所以我总是告诉她等她长大些才能去。我不知道她是怎么打算的。

艾加先生收到一封她妹妹伊莎贝拉来的信。她在信中说她患了热病，将不久于人世，头一次、也是最后一次请求他去看望她。她还想托付他在她死后照顾她的儿子林顿。尽管我的主人实在不愿出门，可他还是毫不犹豫地依了她。他嘱咐我小心看管凯茜，然后就上路了。

他走了三个星期。开始凯茜没给我添什么麻烦。她整天在大花园里溜狗，骑她的小马。但有一天她问能不能到外面呆一整天，然后骑上她的小马，后面跟着两条狗就走了。

到了吃茶点的时候还没见她的人影，我开始真的担心起来。我到外面找她。我在大门前碰到一个佣工，他曾看见她跳过花园和路之间的矮墙，骑着马朝山丘和呼啸山庄的方向去了。

这时我吓坏了。她可能在荒原里迷了路！她可能试图爬山时摔了下来！我以最快的速度走过荒原，上气不接下气地赶到呼啸山庄。当看到厨房的门前躺着凯茜的一条狗，我真是如释重负！我大声敲门，齐拉把我让了进去。我知道亨德雷死后她就成了这儿的女管家。

“哦，”她说，“你是来找你家小姐的！她在这儿，平安无事！主人希斯克利夫先生不在家。他一时还回不来。”

凯茜舒舒服服地坐在厨房里，跟哈里顿兴致勃勃地说着话。他已是个18岁的小伙子，长得高大强壮，正傻呆呆地盯着她看。我很高兴找到了她，但我还是作出生气要惩戒她的样子。

“好啊，小姐！你真是够野的，一个人跑了这么远！我到荒原找遍了你！你父亲会生气的！”

“我怎么啦？”她呜咽起来，忽然觉得有点害怕。“父亲并不禁止我离开画眉山庄！他不会骂我的，艾伦。他从不发怒，像你！我去了山上，艾伦！是这个——人——给我指的路，因为我不认识。”

我叫她戴上帽子，准备告辞。

“这是谁的房子？”她冷不丁地问道。“是你父亲的，是吗？”她转向哈里顿，加了一句。

“不，”他回答，眼睛看着下面，脸变得通红。

“那是谁的——你主人的？”她问。

他骂了一句，转过身去。

“艾伦，他没叫我‘小姐’。仆人该永远称‘小姐’，对么？”

哈里顿眉头一皱，看上去很恼怒，但没说话。

“你，给我备马，”她命令道。“快点！”

“你他妈的什么意思？我不是你的仆人！”他怒吼道。

“你知道了，凯茜小姐，对一个年轻的小姐就用这种文雅的语言！跟我走吧，我们牵上小马离开吧，”我说。

“可艾伦，”她嚷道，反感地瞪着他，“他怎敢那样对我说话！他得照我吩咐的去做！”

“他不是你的仆人，小姐，”齐拉说道，她一直在听着他们的对话，“他是你表哥。”

“他不可能是我的表哥！”凯茜讥笑着喊道。“父亲到伦敦去接我表弟去了。他是个有教养人家的公子，不是——不是像他这样一个农庄里干活儿的！”她指着衣衫破旧邋遢、可怜巴巴的哈里顿。

她和齐拉让我很气恼。这样希斯克利夫就会听到他儿子回来的消息，我们本打算不让他知道的。而且凯茜也肯定会问父亲她是不是有个表哥在呼啸山庄。在回去的路上，我对她解释说要是她父亲得知她去了呼肃山庄，会对我很生气，有可能会把我赶走。她不愿想像这种结果，所以答应不让父亲知道她来呼啸山庄的事。

我们收到艾加先生信说他妹妹已经去世了，他很快就带着他的小侄子回来。凯茜欣喜若狂。她又能见到父亲了，而且还将有一个同龄的表弟和她一起玩。

可当马车到来的时候，小林顿是被抱着进的房子。他是个皮肤苍白、身体瘦弱的少年，样子很像艾加先生。他看上去很虚弱，我不禁怀疑他还能活多久。我想如果他父亲希斯克利夫把他带到呼啸山庄去住的话，他就根本没有活下去的机会。

其实林顿只同我们一起住了一夜。当天晚上希斯克利夫的仆人约瑟夫来了，想求见主人，有话要说。虽然已经很晚，艾加先生长途跋涉也很疲惫，可约瑟夫执意要见，于是我就把他领到主人的房间。

“希斯克利夫派我来接他的儿子，不带上他我不能回去，”他说。

艾加先生好一会儿没做声。满面愁容。他本来希望按伊莎贝拉的遗愿把林顿留在他身边。可他无法挡得住他父亲。

“转告希斯克利夫先生，”他平静地说，“艾伦明天会把他儿子送到呼啸山庄。他现在已经睡了，我不愿叫醒他。”

“不行！”约瑟夫手拍着桌子说道，“我现在必须把他带回去！”

“今天晚上不行！”艾加先生回答，“马上离开这座房子，把我的话告诉你的主人！”

“好极了！”约瑟夫往外走的时候叫嚷道。“要是他明天一大早没到，希斯克利夫会来接他的！”

13 Heathcliff's son at Wuthering Heights

1797 Linton was very surprised to be woken so early，and told that he had another journey to make，before break fast．As we rode the four miles to Wuthering Heights，he kept asking me questions abut his new home，and the father he had never seen．When we arrived，Heathcliff，Hareton，and Joseph all came out of the house to inspect the child．

‘Master，that's not a boy，'said Joseph after a while ． ‘Look at that white skin and fair hair！Mr Edgar's sent you his daughter instead！’ ‘God！What a beautiful creature！’laughed Heathcliff scornfully．‘That's worse than I expected！’

I helped the trembling child off the horse and into the house．Heathcliff took him roughly by the arm．

‘I hope you'll be kind to him，Mr Heathcliff，’I said．‘He's weak，and ill．And he's all the family you've go！’

‘Don't worry，’Ellen，'replied Heathcliff with a smile．‘As Isabella's son he'll inherit Thrushcross Grange one day，and I don't want him to die before that He'll be educated as a gentleman．But I'm bitterly disappointed at having such a weak，crying baby for a son！’

So poor Linton was left in his father's care．At first Cathy was miserable，because she would not now have anyone to play with，but she soon forgot him．Whenever I met Zillah，the housekeeper，in the village，I used to ask her abut Linton． ‘He's often ill，'she told me．‘And so selfish！He has to have a fire even in summer！He calls for cakes and hot drinks all the time．He only ever thinks of himself．Mr Heathcliff can't bear being in the same room as him！’

Several years passed without any more news of Linton．In 1800 Cathy reached the age of sixteen．We never celebrated her birthday，because it was also the day her mother died．On this particular day she came downstairs，dressed for going out，and suggested a walk on the moors with me．Her father gave permission．

It was a lovely spring morning，and I was very happy walking in the sunshine，watching Cathy running ahead of me．But we had walked further than I had realized，and I called to her to come back．She did not seem to hear me． We were on the moors，close to Wuthering Heights，when I caught sight of two men talking to her．I recognized Heathcliff and Hareton at once．I hurried to catch up with her． ‘Miss Cathy，’I said breathlessly，‘we must go home． Your father will be getting worried． ‘No，he won't，Ellen．This gentleman wants me to go to his house and meet his son．He says we've already met，but I don't remember，do you？Let's go，Ellen！’

Although I protested，she and Hareton were already halfway to Wuthering Heights．Heathcliff and I followed behind． ‘It's very bad of you，Mr Heathcliff，’I scolded him．‘Mr Edgar will blame me for letting her go to your house．’ ‘I want her to see Linton，Ellke， he re…led．‘Listen to my plan．It's really a very generous one．I want the two cousins to fall in love and marry．You know Cathy won't inherit anything from her father．My son Linton will inherit all the Linton fortune when Edgar dies．If she marries Linton， she'll be wealthy．Of course，if Linton dies，then the money comes to me，as his only other relation．’

I was still angry with Heathcliff，but it was too late to stop Cathy entering Wuthering Heights．She was delighted to rediscover her cousin Linton，who was keeping warm by the fire． ‘If he is my cousin，and you are his father，'she said to Heathcliff，smiling，‘then you must be my uncle！Why don't you ever visit us at the Grange？’ ‘I visited it once or twice too often before you were born，’ he said．‘I must tell you that I quarrelled violently with your father once．He hates me，and if you tell him you want to come here，he'll forbid it．’

‘Well， if I can't come here， Linton can come to visit me at the Grange， suggested Cathy happily．

‘It'll be too far for me，’ said her cousin weakly．‘It would kill me to walk four miles．’

Heathcliff looked scornfully at his son．

‘I don't think my plan will ever succeed， Ellen！’he whispered to me．‘Who would fall in love with a selfish baby 138like that？’ He went to the kitchen door and called，‘Hareton！Come and take Miss Cathy round the farm ．’Cathy was eager to see the animals， and she and Hareton went out．

As we watched them through the kitchen window，Heathcliff seemed to be thinking aloud．

‘I've taken my revenge on his father， by making Hareton work for me． I treat him badly， as they used to do to me， and he suffers， as I used to． He's intelligent， and strong， and handsome， but I've taught him to scorn those qualities ．So now he's just an uneducated farm worker，and knows nothing of the world．That's how he'll always be．And my son？He's stupid，and weak，and ill．But he's gentleman，and he'll mar- ry Cathy，and he'll be rich！’

Meanwhile Linton had got up from his armchair and gone out to join Cathy and Hareton．Through the open window I could hear the two younger ones laughing at Hareton's coarse way of speaking．I began to disliker Linton rather than pity him．

When we arrived back at the Grange，Cathy told her fathter about the visit．He did not want to frighten her，and，in my opinion，did not explain clearly enough why she should never communicate with Linton again．At the time she seemed to accept her father's wish．

During the next few weeks，however，I noticed Cathy's behaviour change．She was always writing on little pieces of paper，which she kept in a locked drawer in her room，and every morning she got up surprisingly early to go down to the kitchen．I suspected something，and day I decided to break open her drawer．In it I was horrified to find a whole pile of love letters from Linton．The two cousins had been writing to each other in secret for several weeks，and Cathy had used the milkman as a messenger．I told her at once that I knew her secret，and made her promise not to send or receive any more letters．We burnt Linton's letters together．

13 希斯克利夫的儿子在呼啸山庄

1797年

林顿很奇怪自己为什么那么早就被叫醒，而且还要接着走，连早餐都没吃。在我们骑马去呼啸山庄的四英里路途中，他一直在问我有关他的新家和他那从未见过面的父亲的事。我们一到，希斯克利夫、哈里顿和约瑟夫都走出房子来审视这孩子。

“主人，那不是个男孩子，”过了一会儿约瑟夫说。“看那白皙的皮肤和浅浅的头发！艾加先生把他的女儿给你送来充数！”

“上帝！多漂亮的小家伙！”希斯克利夫轻蔑地笑起来。“比我预想的还不如！”

我把战战惊惊的孩子扶下马，陪他进了房子。希斯克利夫粗野地抓着他的胳膊。

“我希望你对他好一点，希斯克利夫先生，”我说。“他体弱多病，况且他也是你唯一的家人！”

“别担心，艾伦，”希斯克利夫笑着答道，“他是伊莎贝拉的儿子，总有一天会把画眉山庄继承下来，在此之前我可不希望他死。他会被调教成个绅士。但要这么个弱不禁风、哭哭啼啼的孩子作儿子，让我大失所望！”

这样可怜的林顿就被留下来由他父亲照顾。开始凯茜很难过，因为这样一来她没有人陪她玩了，但不久她就把他忘了。无论什么时候我在村子里碰到女管家齐拉，我就向她打听林顿的情况。

“他常生病，”她告诉我。“还特别自私！夏天他都得要点上炉火！他一刻不停地要点心和热茶。他只想着自己。希斯克利夫先生跟他在一个房间里根本呆不下去！”

又是几年过去了，没再听到林顿的消息。1880年凯茜满16岁了。我们从未庆祝过她的生日，因为她母亲也是那一天去世的。就在这个不寻常的日子她一身出门的装束走下楼来，提议和我到荒原上去走走。她父亲同意了。

那是个可爱的春天的上午，走在阳光下，看着凯茜在前面蹦蹦跳跳，我心情很愉快。但在我不经意之间，我们已走出了很远，我喊她回来。她好像没听见我的话。我们在荒原上，离呼啸山庄不远，这时我看见有两个男人在跟她说话。当时我就认出是希斯克利夫和哈里顿。我赶紧追上她。

“凯茜小姐，”我喘着粗气说道，“我们得回家了。你父亲会开始担心了。”

“不，他不会，艾伦。这位先生想让我到他家去见见他儿子。他说我们曾见过面，可我不记得了，你记得吗？我们去吧，艾伦！”

尽管我不同意，可她和哈里顿已经走到去呼啸山庄的半路上了。希斯克利夫和我在后面跟着。

“你没安好心，希斯克利夫先生，”我指责他。“艾加先生会怪我让她去你家的。”

“我想让她见见林顿，艾伦，”他答道。“听听我的打算。这的确是个很大度的计划。我想让这两个表姐弟相爱结婚。你清楚凯茜继承不到他父亲的任何东西。我儿子林顿在艾加死后会继承林顿家所有家产。如果她嫁给林顿，她就会很富有。当然，如果林顿死了，财产就归我了，因为我是他唯一的家人。”

我还在生着希斯克利夫的气，但已经来不及制止凯茜进呼啸山庄去了。她很高兴又见到表弟林顿，他正在炉火旁取暖。

“他是我表弟，而你是他父亲，”她微笑着对希斯克利夫说，“那你肯定就是我姑父啦！你为什么从不到画眉山庄去看我们？”

“我在你出世之前多去了那儿一两次，”他说。“我必须告诉你有一次我同你父亲吵得很凶。他恨我，要是你告诉他你要到这儿来，他会坚决不许的。”

“那好，要是我不能来这儿，林顿可以去画眉山庄去看我，”凯茜满心欢喜地出主意道。

“对我来说太远了，”她的表弟细声细气地说。“走四英里我会累死的。”

希斯克利夫轻蔑地看着自己的儿子。

“我想我的计划是不可能成功了，艾伦！”他小声对我说。“谁会爱上像他那么个自私的小东西？”他走到厨房门口叫道，“哈里顿！来带凯茜小姐到农庄看看。”凯茜很想看看牲畜，于是她同哈里顿出去了。

我们从厨房的窗户看着他们，希斯克利夫好像是在自言自语。

“让哈里顿替我干活，我已经报复了他父亲。我对他百般虐待，他们以前对我也是那样；他很痛苦，我以前也一样。他聪明、健壮、英俊，但我教他看不起这些优点。所以他如今成了个没教养的干农活的，对这个世界一无所知。他将来永远就是这个样子啦。而我的儿子呢？他愚蠢、孱弱多病。可他是个绅士，他会娶凯茜，还会很富有！”

这时林顿从躺椅中站起来，出去找凯茜和哈里顿。我由开着的窗户听到那两个年纪较小的年轻人正在奚落哈里顿的说话口音粗俗。我开始有些不喜欢林顿，不那么同情他了。

我们回到画眉山庄后，凯茜把去呼啸山庄的事告诉了父亲。在我看来，他可能是不想吓着她，没有跟她解释清楚她为什么不能再和林顿交往。当时她似乎是接受了父亲的告诫。

可在过后的几个星期里，我注意到凯茜的举动有些异样。她老是在小纸条上写字，把纸条锁在她房间的抽屉里，每天早晨起床出奇地早，然后下到厨房。我怀疑她在搞什么鬼，于是一天我决定橇开她的抽屉。我震惊地发现里面是一大撂林顿写来的情书。这两个表姐弟偷偷地相互通信已有好几个星期了，凯茜是让送牛奶的替他们捎信。我马上告诉她我知道了她的秘密，逼着她答应不再写信和收信。我们一起把林顿的信烧了。

14 Secret visits

1800 The months passed，and soon it was autumn．Mr Edgar caught a bad cold，which seemed to get worse and worse．He stayed indoors the whole winter，so Cathy only had me as a companion on her walks．She had become very quiet and sad since her relationship with Linton had ended，and was very worried about her father's illness．One day when we were walking in the Grange garden，I noticed her crying． ‘Cathy，what's the matter，love？’I ashed． “Oh，Ellen，'she sobbed，‘what shall I do if Father dies？ And if you die？I'll be left alone！’ ‘I hope he and I have years more of life ahead of us．All you need do is look after your father，and let him see you're cheerful．But I think he would be really ill if he thought you loved Linton，whose father would like to see Mr Edgar dead．’

I'll never，never do anything to worry or annoy Father，'she promised．‘I only want him to recover．I love him more than anyone else in the world，more than myself！’

Just then we reached the gate，and I saw a gentleman on a horse looking over it．It was Heathcliff． ‘Miss Linton！’he called．There's something I must tell you！’

‘I won't listen，answered Cathy．‘Father and Ellen both say you're a wicked man．’

‘But this is about my son Linton，not me．What a trick you played on him！You wrote him all those love letters，and then I suppose you got tired of it，and stopped！well，you've broken poor Linton's heart．I swear，he's dying of love for you，and he'll be in the grave by next summer unless you help him！Be generous，come and visit him．I'll be away all next week，so your father won't be angry if you come．’

He rode away．Although I tried to persuade Cathy that Heathcliff could not be telling the truth，my young mistress was very upset，and determined to discover how Linton was．

The next morning we rode to Wuthering Heights．We found Linton alone，lying on a sofa．He looked feverish and ill，and had a bad cough． ‘Will you shut the door？’he said crossly，as we entered． ‘It's so cold！No，Cathy，I can't breathe if you kiss me！I want a drink．’

Cathy poured him a glass of water．

And are you glad to see me，Linton？'she asked hopefully． ‘Yes，I am，’he replied．‘But you should have come before！My father swore at me，and said it was my fault you didn't come．Will you come and visit me again？’ ‘Yes，Linton，’Cathy said gently，holding his hand．‘If Father agreed，I’d spend half my time with you．I wish you were my brother，then we could spend all our time together！’ ‘But my father says you would love me best if you were my wife，so that would be better．’

‘I’d never love anybody more than Father，'she replied seriously．‘Sometimes men hate their wives，like your father． He hated your mother，my aunt Isabella．That's why she left him．’ ‘That's not true！’cried the boy．‘Anyway，your mother hated your father！And she loved mine！’ ‘You're lying！I hate you！'she shouted angrily，and gave the sofa a violent push．He fell back，and started coughing so badly that even I was frightened．At last he recovered．Cathy was crying in a comer，afraid that she had really hurt him．

‘How do you feel now，Linton？'she asked after a while． ‘I'm sorry，I didn't mean to hurt you．’ ‘I wish you felt as ill as I do，you cruel thing！And I was better today，before you came！’His voice was full of pity for himself．

‘We must go，’I said．‘You can soe，Miss Cathy，that he isn't dying of love for you！It's not your fault that he's ill． Come along！’But I could not stop Cathy whispering some- thing in Linton's ear，before we left the room．

On the way home I told her I would not allow her to visit him again． ‘He's a selfish child，Miss Cathy，and I don't think he'll live till he's twenty．I'm glad you're not going to marry him．’

Cathy looked sad．‘I'm sure he’d recover if I looked after him．And I don't think we’d quarrel if we knew each other better．’ 148 ‘Well，miss，if you try to go there again，with or without me，I'll tell your father．’

But the next day I fell ill，and had to stay in bed for three weeks，which was very unusual for me．My little mistress went from her father's bedroom to mine，and back again，and looked after us both with the greatest care．But I never wondered what she did in the evenings，when Mr Edgar had gone to bed，and I no longer needed her．

I only discovered the truth on the first day I was able to get up．In the evening I asked her to read to me，and was surprised how sleepy she seemed．She went to bed early．I felt rather worried about her health，and went to her room an hour later to see if she needed anything．Her bedroom was empty．I sat there in the dark，waiting for her to return．

when she arrived，shaking the snow off her shoes，she was shocked to find me there．I guessed where she had been，but I made her tell me the whole story．Every night since I had been ill，she had ridden to Wuthering Heights and spent the evening with her cousin．Sometimes she was happy with Linton，when he was cheerful and less selfish，but most of the time she was miserable．However，she insisted that the visits should continue，because Linton needed her，and she wanted to see him．

Although she begged me to say nothing to her father，I went straight to the master and told him．He forbade her to visit Wuthering Heights again．She had to obey her father， although it made her very sad．

Well，Mr Lockwood，all this happened only about a year ago．I never thought I would be telling a stranger this story！But who knows how long you'll be a stranger？You're too，young to live alone for long，and no one could see Cathy and not love her．Anyway，I'll continue my story．

14 密 访

1800年

过了几个月，很快就到秋天了。艾加先生得了重感冒，似乎病情日渐严重。他整个冬天都呆在屋里，所以凯茜散步时只有我来陪她。自从她同林顿的关系结束后，她变得很沉默、忧郁，也非常担心父亲的病情。有一天我们在山庄花园散步时我看到她哭了。

“凯茜，怎么啦，亲爱的？”我询问道。

“哦，艾伦，”她抽泣道，“要是父亲去世了我该怎么办？要是你再去世了呢？我就会被孤零零地撇下！”

“我倒希望他和我都能多活些年。你只需要照顾好你父亲，让他看到你快乐。但我想如果他认为你爱上了林顿，他会真的很痛苦，林顿的父亲盼着艾加先生死呢。”

“我永远、永远不会做让我父亲担心或不快的事，”她许诺道。“我只希望他能痊愈。他是世上我最爱的人，我爱他胜过我自己！”

就在我们刚到大门的时候，我看见一个绅士打扮的人骑在马上往里张望。是希斯克利夫。

“林顿小姐！”他喊道。“我有话得跟你说！”

“我不听，”凯茜回答。“父亲和艾伦都说你是个坏人。”

“可要说的是我儿子林顿的事，不是我。你对他施了什么鬼花招！你给他写了这么多情书，然后我想你是厌倦了，不写了！好了，你伤透了可怜的林顿的心。我肯定他会因为爱你而被折磨死的，要是你不帮帮他，到不了明年夏天他就要入土了！仁慈点儿罢，来看看他。我下个星期都不在家，所以你来的话你父亲不会生气的。”

他骑着马走了。尽管我百般劝说凯茜希斯克利夫一定没讲真话，可我家小姐还是很放心不下，执意要去看看林顿的情况。

第二天上午我们骑马去了呼啸山庄。我们发现林顿孤单地躺在沙发上，他像是得了病，在发烧，咳嗽得也很厉害。

“你们关上门行吗？”我们进屋时他不快地说，“太冷了！不，凯茜，别吻我，我会喘不上气来的！我想喝水。”

凯茜给他倒了杯水。

“你见到我高兴么，林顿？”她满怀期望地说。

“是的，我高兴，”他答道。“但你早就该来的！我父亲骂我，说你不来是我的过错。你还会来看我吗？”

“是的，林顿，”凯茜抓着他的手轻声说。“要是父亲同意，我可以抽一半时间来陪你。你是我弟弟该多好，那样我们就总能在一起了！”

“但我父亲说你要是成了我妻子的话，你就会最爱我，那样就更好了。”

“我不会爱任何人胜过我父亲，”她认真地说道。“有时候男人恨他们的妻子，像你父亲。他恨你母亲、我姑姑伊莎贝拉。所以她离开了他。”

“一派胡言！”小伙子嚷道。“不管怎么说，你母亲恨你父亲！她爱我父亲！”

“你撒谎！我恨你！”她喊道，使劲地推了一下沙发。他倒向后面，开始拼命地咳嗽，连我都吓坏了。最终他缓了过来。凯茜在一个角落里哭着，害怕自己真的伤着了他。

“你现在感觉怎么样，林顿？”呆了一会儿她问道。“对不起，我不是故意要伤害你。”

“但愿你也得我这么重的病，你这个无情的东西！你来之前，今天我本来好些了！”他腔调里对自己充满了怜悯。

“我们得走了，”我说。“你看得出来，凯茜小姐，他不是因为对你的爱而要死的！他生病不是你的过错。走罢！”我们离开房间之前，我拦不住她在林顿的耳边悄悄说着什么。

在回家的路上我告诉她我不会允许她再去看他。

“他是个自私的孩子，凯茜小姐，我看他活不过20岁。我庆幸你不会嫁给他。”

凯茜满脸愁容。“如果我去照顾他，他肯定能好起来。如果我们能更了解对方，我想我们不会吵架的。”

“好，小姐，要是你还想再去那儿，不管要不要我去，我都会告诉你父亲。”

可第二天我病了，只好在床上躺了三个星期，这于我是很不常有的事。我家小姐从她父亲的卧室跑到我的卧室，又跑回去，精心照顾我们两个人。但我从没想到过她在晚上艾加先生入睡后，我也不需要她照顾的时候，她都干了些什么。

到我头一天能下床的时候我才察觉真相。那天晚上我请她给我读点东西，没想到她显得很瞌睡。她早早地上了床。我有些担心她的身体，过了一个小时我去她房间看她是不是需要点什么，她的卧室空无一人。我坐在黑暗中等她回来。

她一进门，抖落鞋上的雪时看到我在那儿，她吓了一大跳。我猜到她去了哪儿，可我还是让她自己向我交代了整个来龙去脉。我生病后，她每天晚上都骑马去呼啸山庄去陪她表弟。在林顿心情愉快、不那么自私的时候，她有时也会高兴，可大多数时间里她都很难过。但她坚持继续去呼啸山庄，因为林顿需要她，她也想见他。

虽然她央求我不要对她父亲吐露任何风声，我还是径直到主人哪儿告诉了他。他严禁凯茜再去呼啸山庄。这让她很伤心，可她不得不听父亲的话。

好了，洛克伍德先生，这都不过是一年以前发生的事情。我从没想到会跟一个生人说这件事！可很难说您将来还算不算生人？您很年轻，不能总单独生活，谁见了凯茜都会喜欢上她的。不提这些了，我接着讲我的故事。

15 A trap

1800 A few days after the master had forbidden Cathy to visit Linton，he asked my opinion of the boy．

‘Tell me honestly，Ellen，what do you think of his character？’

‘Well，sir，I don't think he's wicked，like his father．But you'll have plenty of time to get to know him，sir．He's too young to marry yet．’

Mr Edgar walked to the window and looked out．It was a misty February evening，but the churchyard was just visible．

‘I've often prayed for death，Ellen．I've been very happy with my little Cathy．But I've been just as happy lying，through the long June evenings，on her mother's grave，and looking forward to the moment when I can join Catherine there！I haven't got much time left，Ellen．What can I do for Cathy before I die？Should she marry Linton？I wouldn't mind him being Heathcliff's son，if only he loved her and could be a good husband to her．’

‘God will show us what to do，sir，’I replied．

In the spring Mr Edgar was still ill，and he continued to worry about Cathy's future．One day he wrote to Linton inviting him to visit the Grange．Linton wrote a long letter back，explaining that his father would not allow him to do that．He begged his uncle to let him meet Cathy for a walk or a ride on the moors between the Grange and Wuthering Heights，as they could not meet in either house．Mr Edgar refused at first，and Linton sent him several more letters．I am sure they had all been carefully checked by Heathcliff before they were posted．

Finally Mr Edgar agreed．He hoped that，if Cathy married Linton，who would inherit the Linton fortune，she would at least be able to remain in her family home．He had no idea that Linton was seriously ill．Neither did I．I never imagined that a father could treat a dying child as cruelly and wickedly as we later discovered Heathcliff had done．

It was a hot，sunny day in summer when Cathy and I rode out to meet her cousin．We were both shocked to discover that he could neither ride nor walk，and was lying on the grass，waiting for us．He looked even paler and weaker than the last time I had seen him．During our meeting he did not seem interested in Cathy or her news．Cathy noticed this immediately．

‘Well，Linton，'she said after a while，‘you don't want to talk to me，so I think I'll go home．’

‘No，no！’he cried，getting quite excited．‘Not yet！Stay—at least another half-hour！My father will be angry with me if you leave early！’

‘I suppose we can stay a few minutes longer，'said Cathy．

We waited，talking to each other quietly while Linton slept a little．Sometimes he cried out in pain． ‘Do you think his health is better now than before？’whispered Cathy．

‘I'm sorry，Miss Cathy，I think it's much worse，’I answered．

Cathy called her pony，and the sound woke Linton up．

‘If you see my father，’he said，hesitating，‘could you tell him I've been cheerful？He'll be here soon！’And he looked round in terror．

‘I'll be here next Thursday！’cried Cathy，as she jumped on her pony．‘Come on，Ellen！’

In the week that followed，Mr Edgar's illness grew worse every day．Cathy could not avoid realizing how serious it was，and sat by his bedside day and night，looking sad and pale．Her father's room had become her whole world．On Thursday I thought a ride in the fresh air would be good for her，and Mr Edgar gladly gave her permission to see Linton．He was hoping that she would not be left alone after his death．I did not want to worry him in his last moments，so I did not tell him that Linton was also dying．

We rode on to the moors and found Linton lying in the same place as before．He was looking very frightened．

‘I thought you weren't going to come！’he said．

‘Why won't you be honest？’cried Cathy at once．‘Why have you brought me here again，if you don't want to see me？My father's very ill and I should be with him．’

Tears rolled down Linton's face．He seemed terrified．

‘Oh，I can't bear it！’he sobbed．‘Cathy，I daren't explain！But if you leave me，he'll kill me！Dear Cathy，my life is in your hands！Kind，sweet Cathy，perhaps you will agree，and then he won't hurt me！’

Cathy was no longer impatient．‘Agree to what，Linton？'she asked gently．‘Tell me everything！You wouldn't do anything to hurt me，would you，Linton？I'm your best friend．’

‘I daren't tell you！My father—'the boy gasped．Just then Heathcliff appeared．He did not look at Cathy and Linton，who continued talking to each other，but he spoke quietly to me．

‘Ellen，how is Edgar？Is he dying，as the villagers say？’

‘It's true，the master is dying，’I answered．

‘That boy over there is dying too．I only hope Edgar dies before him．If Linton dies first，my plan will fail．’He shouted angrily to his son，‘Get up，Linton！’and then said politely to Cathy，‘Miss Cathy，would you help him back to the house．He can't walk far alone．’

‘Father has forbidden me to enter your house，'said Cathy．

‘Well，come along，Linton．I'll have to take you home then，'said Heathcliff．

‘No！No！No！Please，Cathy！You must come with me！'screamed Linton wildly．He held desperately on to her arm．

Cathy could not refuse the boy，who seemed almost mad with fear．So we all walked the few steps to Wuthering Heights．When we had entered the house，however，I was horrified to see Heathcliff lock the front door．The key was in his hand．

‘Hareton，Joseph and Zillah are all out of the house，’he said calmly，‘so we are quite alone．’

‘Give me that key！’cried Cathy angrily．‘I'm not afraid of you！’She took hold of his closed hand and bit it．He hit her violently several times，on both sides of the head，and she fell into a chair，trembling．I rushed at him，but he pushed me away．

‘Cry as much as you like，Miss Cathy，’he said．‘In a few days I'll be your father，and I'll punish you just like that，as often as necessary！’

When Heathcliff went out to look for our horses，Cathy and I hurried round the kitchen looking for a way to escape．But all the doors and windows were locked．Linton was sitting calmly in a chair near the fire，happy that he was not being punished this time．We persuaded him to explain his father's plan to us．

‘Father is afraid I'll die soon，you see，so he wants us to be married tomorrow morning．You'll have to stay here all night，Cathy．Then perhaps he'll let you go home in the morning．’

‘You marry this beautiful，healthy young lady？’I cried．‘You must be mad！And wicked too！You and your father have tricked us into coming here！’And I shook him until he started coughing．

‘I must go home now．Father will be worried already，'said Cathy．‘I love Father better than you，Linton！’

Heathcliff returned and sent his son upstairs to bed．

‘Mr Heathcliff，’begged Cathy，‘Father will be miserable if I don't go home．Please let me go．I promise to marry Linton．Father would like it，and I love him．Why do you force me to do something I want to do？’

‘He can't force you！’I cried．‘I'll go to the police！’

‘To the devil with you，Ellen！Miss Cathy，I'm delighted that your father will be miserable．In that case you will certainly stay here for twenty-four hours．You won't leave here until you've kept your promise to marry Linton．’

‘Please send Ellen to let Father know I'm safe！'sobbed Cathy bitterly．‘Poor Father！He'll think we're lost！’

‘Your father must have hated you when you came into the world（I did，at least），and he'll hate you as he leaves it．Go on crying．That's what you'll be doing when you're Linton's wife．He'll make a cruel，selfish husband，I think．’

Heathcliff took us upstairs to Zillah's room，where we spent the night，locked in．Neither of us could sleep．At seven the following morning he came to fetch Cathy，and took her away．From that moment I saw nobody except Hareton，who brought me food，for four whole days and nights．

On the fifth morning Zillah came into the room．She was surprised and pleased to see me，and told me the villagers all thought Cathy and I had got lost on the moors，and died，four days ago．I ran out of the room to look for Cathy．

The big kitchen was full of sunshine，and the door was open，but the only person there was Linton．

‘Where is she？Where is Miss Cathy？’I cried wildly．

‘Upstairs，in a locked room，’he replied calmly，eating a piece of sugar．‘We won't let her go yet．Father says I shouldn't he soft with Cathy．We've had the wedding ceremony，so she's my wife now，and must stay with me．I don't care if she cries，or is ill！’

‘Have you forgotten her kindness to you last winter，when you wrote that you loved her，and she used to come through wind and snow to see you？Now you believe your father's lies about her！And you leave her alone，ill and crying in a strange house！You pity yourself，but you won't pity her！What a heartless，selfish boy you are！’

‘I can't stay with her！She cries so much I can't bear it！I can't sleep with all that noise．She promised that if I gave her the key to our room，she’d give me all her nice books，and her pony，but I told her she had nothing to give．They're all mine，or they'll belong to me very soon．And then she cried，and took a little gold case from around her neck．Inside were two pictures，one of her mother and one of her father．I wanted to take them both from her，but she wouldn't let me，so I screamed for help．My father came，and ordered her to give him the pictures and the case．When she refused，he—he hit her on the face and knocked her down，and broke the gold case under his foot．He took away the picture of her mother．’

‘And were you pleased to see Miss Cathy hurt？’I asked．

‘My father was right to punish her．But I didn't like seeing her mouth full of blood．She can't speak because of the pain．Now you've made me tired with all this talking！You won't find the key to the room！Go away！’

As there seemed to be no chance of persuading him to help her escape，I decided to go back to the Grange as quickly as possible，and rescue her later．

What a welcome I received from the servants at the Grange，who thought I was dead！But I did not have time to tell them my story．I went straight to my master's room．He was lying in bed，very weak and close to death．I told him how Heathcliff had trapped us，and that Cathy was probably mar ried to Linton by now．Mr Edgar realized that his enemy wanted to get hold of the Linton fortune，through his son．He asked me to send for his lawyer，to make arrangements so that Cathy would not lose all her inheritance．

I did as he asked，but the lawyer sent a message，saying that he could not come until the next day．I also sent four strong men with weapons to Wuthering Heights，to demand my young lady's freedom．I was very angry when they returned without her，because Heathcliff had sent them away．

But I needn't have worried．In the middle of the night，as I was taking some water to the master，I heard a knock on the front door，and went to open it．It was my little mistress！

‘Ellen，Ellen！'she sobbed．‘Is Father still alive？’

‘Yes，’I cried，‘and thank God you're safe with us again！’

‘I managed to make Linton help me escape from the room！Now I must see Father！’

I could not bear to be present at their meeting．I waited outside the bedroom door．But they were both calm．Cathy's despair was as silent as her father's happiness．He died in perfect peace，Mr Lockwood．Kissing her，he whispered，‘I'm going to join her，and you，dear child，will join us！’He did not move or speak again．

Cathy did not cry，but sat silently by his dead body all morning．At lunch-time the lawyer arrived，too late to help Cathy．Heathcliff had bribed him to stay away．He gave us Heathcliff's orders．All the servants except me had to leave．Cathy，Mrs Heathcliff now，was only allowed to stay at the Grange until her father was buried．

15 圈 套

1800年

就在主人不准凯茜去看林顿过后几天，他问我对那个小伙子有什么看法。

“跟我说实话，艾伦，你觉得他品行怎么样？”

“嗯，先生，我觉得他不恶毒，不像他父亲。可是要了解他，您得花很多功夫，先生。他太小，还不能结婚。”

艾加先生走到窗前，朝外望去。那是一个雾濛濛的2月的夜晚，刚刚能看到教堂墓地。

“我常盼着死去，艾伦。有我的小凯茜，我非常幸福。但在那6月的漫漫长夜里我躺在她母亲的坟冢上，期望着能在另一个世界与她重逢的时候，我也同样欣慰！我剩下的时间不多了，艾伦。我死之前能为凯茜做些什么呢？她该嫁给林顿吗？只要他爱她，能做个好丈夫，我不会在乎他是希斯克利夫的儿子。”

“上帝会教我们怎么做的，先生，”我回答。

到了春天艾加先生的病情依旧，他还在为凯茜的前程担忧。有一天，他写信给林顿请他来画眉山庄作客。林顿回了一封长信，解释说他父亲不许他来。他恳求舅舅让他见凯茜一面，到画眉山庄和呼啸山庄之间的荒原上去散步或者骑马，因为他们在哪个家里都不能会面。艾加先生开始不同意，接着林顿又给他写了几封信。我肯定那些信在寄出前都经希斯克利夫仔细审查过。

最终艾加先生同意了。他希望如果凯茜嫁给林顿（他将继承林顿家的财产），那她至少还能住在她自己家的房子里。他不知道林顿已重病缠身，我也不知道。我怎么也想不到一个父亲能那么无情、狠毒地对待一个垂死的孩子，这是我们后来才发现的。

在一个炎热、阳光明媚的夏日，凯茜和我策马去见她表弟。看见他既不能骑马又不能走路，而是躺在草地上等着我们，我们都大吃一惊。他比上次我见到他时脸色更苍白、身体更虚弱。我们在一起的时候他好像对凯茜和凯茜说的事都不感兴趣。凯茜当时就看出来了。

“那好，林顿，”她停了一会儿说道，“你不想和我说话，那我想我还是回家吧。”

“不，别走！”他叫起来，有些激动。“先别走！留在这儿——至少再呆半个钟头！如果你早走了，我父亲会对我发火的！”

“我想我们还能再呆几分钟，”凯茜说。

林顿小睡了一会儿，我们边等边小声说着话。有时他疼得叫出声。

“你觉得他的身体比以前好些了吗？”凯茜低声说。

“对不起，凯茜小姐，我觉得大不如从前，”我回答。

凯茜唤了一声她的小马，声音把林顿弄醒了。

“如果你见到我父亲，”他犹犹豫豫地说道，“你能不能跟他说我挺高兴的？他马上就会来了！”说罢惊恐地往四下看了看。

“我下礼拜四来！”凯茜大声说，一边跳上马。“走罢，艾伦！”

在此后的一周里，艾加先生的病日渐恶化。尽管很不情愿，凯茜还是意识到了病情严重性，于是不分昼夜地守在他的床前，她愁眉不展，气色很差。她成天只在父亲的房间呆着。到了礼拜四，我琢磨骑马透透新鲜空气会对她有好处，而且艾加先生很高兴地允许她去看林顿。他希望死后不至于把她孤孤单单地撇下。我不想让他在最后的日子有什么放心不下的，所以没告诉他林顿也在撒谎。

我们骑着马上了荒原，看到林顿还像上次一样躺在同一个地方，面带惊惧之色。

“我以为你不来了呢！”他说。

“你为什么不说实话？”凯茜顿时哭了，“要是你不愿见我，为什么还要把我叫来？我父亲的病很重，我应该陪着他。”

眼泪顺着林顿的面庞往下淌，像是很害怕的样子。

“噢，我受不了啦！”他呜咽道。“凯茜，我不敢说！可要是你离开我，他会杀了我的！亲爱的凯茜，我的命攥在你的手里！善良、可爱的凯茜，你或许会答应，这样他就不会折磨我了！”

凯茜不再那么不耐烦。“答应什么，林顿？”她轻声问，“全都告诉我！你不会做伤害我的事，对么，林顿？我是你最好的朋友。”

“我不敢告诉你！我父亲——”这孩子喘了口气。就在这时希斯克利夫出现了。他没看凯茜和林顿，他们还在接着说话，他悄悄地对我说。

“艾伦，艾加怎么样啦？他是快死了吗？村里的人是这么讲的。”

“是的，老爷将不久于人世了，”我回答。

“那孩子也快要死了。我只希望艾加死在他前面。要是林顿先死，我的计划就落空了。”他向儿子怒斥道，“起来，林顿！”然后又彬彬有礼地对凯茜说，“凯茜小姐，你能扶他回家去吗。他一个人走不了太远的路。”

“父亲不让我进你们家的宅子，”凯茜说。

“好罢，走，林顿。那我来带你回家。”希斯克利夫说。

“不！不！不！求你啦，凯茜！你一定要跟我来！”林顿大叫起来。他没命地抱着凯茜的胳膊。

凯茜无法拒绝他，他好像是吓得快发疯了。于是我们一起走这几步到了呼啸山庄。可当我们一进屋，我吃惊地看到希斯克利夫把前门锁上了。钥匙在他手里。

‘哈里顿约瑟夫，齐拉都不在屋，’他平静地说，‘所以只有我们自己。’

“把钥匙给我！”凯茜愤怒地喊道。“我不怕你！”她抓住他攥着的手咬了一口。他使劲打了她头两侧几下，她倒在了椅子里，浑身颤抖着。我朝他冲过去，但他把我推开了。

“你愿意怎么哭就怎么哭，凯茜小姐。”他说，“过不了几天我就是你父亲啦，只要需要，我会就这样教训你！”

希斯克利夫出去找我们的马的时候，凯茜和我忙在在厨房里找逃路。但所有的门和窗户都上了锁。林顿在炉火旁的椅子里安然地坐着，很高兴他这次没受到惩罚。我们劝说他把他父亲的计划告诉我们。

“父亲怕我很快就要死了，你知道，所以他想让我们明天上午结婚。你一整夜都要在这儿呆着了，凯茜。上午他可能就让你回家。”

“你和这个漂亮、健康的年轻小姐结婚？”我叫道。“你一定疯了！而且恶毒！你和你父亲用计把我们骗到这儿！”我晃着他，直到他开始咳嗽为止。

“我现在必须回家。父亲肯定已经担心了，”凯茜说。“我爱我父亲胜过爱你，林顿！”

希斯克利夫回来后把儿子送到楼上的床上。

“希斯克利夫先生，”凯茜哀求道，“要是我不回家，父亲会很难过的。求您让我走吧。我答应嫁给林顿。父亲会喜欢这样的，我爱他。你为什么要逼着我做我原本愿意的事？”

“他不能强迫你！”我叫道。“我要去找警察！”

“见你的鬼去罢，艾伦！凯茜小姐，你父亲难过我很开心。要是这样，你自然要在这儿呆24小时。你得实现要嫁给林顿的诺言，否则别想离开这儿。”

“请让艾伦去给我父亲报个平安！”凯茜泣不成声。“可怜的父亲！他会以为我们迷路了！”

“你来到这世上时你父亲一定恨你（至少我是这样），而在他离开这世上时他还会恨你。接着哭吧。你当了林顿的妻子就只能以泪洗面了。我想必他会是个无情、自私的丈夫。”

希斯克利夫把我们弄到楼上齐拉的房间里，被锁在里面过了一夜。我们俩都睡不着。第二天早晨7点他来找凯茜，把她带走了。在此之后整整四个昼夜里，除了哈里顿来给我送吃的，我就谁的面也没见到了。

第五天的早晨齐拉来到了房间。她见到我很吃惊，也很高兴，告诉我村里人都以为凯茜和我四天前就在荒原上迷路死了。我跑出房间去找凯茜。

大厨房里洒满了阳光，门是开着的，但只有林顿一个人在。

“她在哪儿？凯茜小姐在哪儿？”我厉声问道。

“楼上，锁在房间里，”他不动声色地答道，正吃着一块糖。“我们还不能放她走。父亲说我对凯茜不能手软。我们已经举行了婚礼，所以她现在是我妻子，得和我在一起。我不在乎她哭不哭、病不病！”

“你忘了她去年冬天对你多好，你写信给她说你爱她，她顶风冒雪来看你？如今你听信了你父亲说她的鬼话！你把她孤独地撇在一旁，任她在一个陌生的房子里生病、痛苦！你可怜自己，却不肯可怜她！你真是个没心没肺、自私的小子！”

“我无法和她呆在一起！她没命地哭，我受不了！吵得我睡不着。她答应要是我把我们房间的钥匙给她，她就把她所有的书还有小马给我，但我告诉她说她没有什么东西可给我的啦。它们已经是我的了，或者说很快就会属于我。然后她哭了起来，从脖子上拿下一个小金框。里面有两张肖像，一张是她母亲，另一张是她父亲。我想把它们都从她手里拿过来，可她不肯，所以我就大叫起来。我父亲来了，命令她把画像和金框都交给他。她不肯，他——他就扇了她一记耳光，把她打倒在地，用脚踩坏了金框。他把她母亲的肖像拿走了。”

“看到凯茜小姐受虐待你挺开心吧？”我问。

“我父亲惩罚她没错。但我不喜欢看她满嘴是血的样子。她疼得说不出话来。你让我说了这么多话我都累了！你找不到房间钥匙的！走开！”

看来要劝说他帮凯茜逃走是没什么指望了，我决定尽快赶回画眉山庄，过后再救她。

回到画眉山庄，我受到仆人们的热情迎接，他们都以为我死了！但我没时间跟他们讲原委。我径直去了主人的房间。他躺在床上，极度虚弱，快要不行了。我告诉他希斯克利夫是如何骗我们入了圈套，还有凯茜很可能已嫁给了林顿。艾加先生明白过来他的仇敌是想通过他的儿子来抢夺自己的财产。他叫我去找他的律师，做好安排使凯茜不至于失去全部的继承权。

我照他说的做了，可律师捎信来说第二天才能来。我还派了四个壮汉带着武器到呼啸山庄去解救我家小姐。他们空手而归，我很生气，因为希斯克利夫把他们赶了回来。

可不该我担心。当天深夜，我正去给主人送水，听见前门有敲门声就去开门。正是我家宝贝小姐！

“艾伦，艾伦！”她呜咽着。“父亲还活着吗？”

“是的，”我哭了，“感谢上帝你又平平安安地回到了我们身边！”

“我想法儿让林顿帮我逃出了那房间！现在我得见父亲！”

他们会面时我不忍在场。我在卧室门外等着。但他们俩都很平静。凯茜的绝望和她父亲的欣慰都在沉默中表达了。他是非常安祥地死去的，洛克伍德先生。他亲着她，微弱地说，“我要去见她了，而你，亲爱的孩子，也会和我们团聚的！”他再也没有动、没有说话。

凯茜没哭，但整个上午都在他的遗体旁默默地坐着。午饭时律师来了，太晚了，已帮不了凯茜。希斯克利夫贿赂了他要他别管这事，他传达了希斯克利夫的指令。除我之外，所有的仆人都被遣走了。只允许凯茜，现在是希斯克利夫夫人，在她父亲下葬前住在画眉山庄。

16 Cathy becomes a widow

1800—1 On the evening after the burial，Heathcliff came to fetch Cathy．

‘Why not let her stay here with me？’I begged．

‘I'm looking for someone to rent the Grange from me，’he answered．‘You'll stay on here as housekeeper，Ellen，but Cathy must come to Wuthering Heights．From now on she'll have to work for her food．’

‘I shall work，'replied Cathy．‘And I'll look after Linton．He's all I've got to love in the world．I'm just sorry for you，Mr Heathcliff．You have nobody to love you！You are as lonely and miserable as the devil！Nobody will cry for you when you die！I'm glad I'm not you！’

‘Go and get your clothes，you wicked girl，’he said．‘We'll be leaving in a few minutes．’When she had gone，he walked across the room to look at the picture of Cathy's mother，Catherine，which was hanging on the wall．

‘Do you know what I did yesterday，Ellen？’he said，turning quickly away from the picture．‘I went to the churchyard，and asked the man who was digging Edgar's grave to open the lid of Catherine's coffin for me．Her face looked just the same！I could not stop looking at her．When the man closed the lid，I broke open one side of her coffin，the side away from Edgar's grave，and covered it up with earth．And I bribed the man to bury me there when I die，next to her，and to take the side of my coffin away too，so that I shall have her in my arms，not Edgar！’

‘You were very wicked，Mr Heathcliff，to disturb the dead！’

‘I disturbed nobody，Ellen，and I feel much happier now．She is the one who has disturbed me．For eighteen years she has haunted me．You know I was wild，almost mad，after she died．For days I prayed for her ghost to return to me．On the day of her burial，I went to her grave in the evening．There was a bitter wind，and snow on the ground．I wanted so much to have her in my arms again！So I dug down through the loose earth to her coffin，and was about to pull the lid off，when I felt a warm breath on my face．She seemed to be with me，not in the earth，but close to me．I was so happy that she was with me again！I filled in the grave，and ran eagerly home to the Heights．I looked impatiently round for her．I could feel her but I could not see her！And since then，she has played plenty of tricks on me like that．When I sleep in her bedroom，I can hear her outside the window，or entering the room，or even breathing close to me，but when I open my eyes，I'm always disappointed．Slowly，slowly，she's killing me，with the ghost of a hope that's lasted eighteen years！’

He was talking almost to himself，so I did not answer．When Cathy came in，he stood up，ready to go．

‘Goodbye，Ellen！’whispered my dear little mistress．‘Come and visit me！’As she kissed me，her face felt as cold as ice．

‘Oh，no you won't，Ellen！'said Heathcliff．‘I'll send for you if I want you！’and together they left the Grange．

I haven't seen Cathy since then．Once I went to the Heights to visit her，but I was not allowed to see her．About six weeks ago I had a long conversation with Zillah，the housekeeper，who gave me news of Cathy．It appeared that，when she ar rived at the Heights，she did her best to look after her sick husband．He was obviously dying，although Heathcliff refused to call the doctor．Only a few weeks after her arrival，Linton died in the night，with only Cathy by his bedside．Heathcliff inherited all of Linton's，and what had been Cathy's，fortune，so Cathy is now very poor．

She must be very miserable，and very lonely，in that dark，unpleasant house．Heathcliff hates her，and Joseph and Zillah don't speak to her，because they think she's too proud．Poor Hareton would like to be friendly with her，but she scorns him because he's uneducated．I would like to leave my job here，rent a little cottage and ask Cathy to come and live with me，but Mr Heathcliff will never permit that．Of course，if she married again，she could leave that house，but I can't arrange that．

16 凯茜成了寡妇

1880—1881年

葬礼后的当天晚上，希斯克利夫来领凯茜。

“你就不能让凯茜和我在一起吗？”我乞求道。

“我在找人来租我的画眉山庄，”他回答，“你住在这儿做管家，艾伦，但凯茜必须来呼啸山庄。从现在起她要干活才有饭吃。”

“我会干活的，”凯茜回答。“我来照顾林顿，他是这世上我唯一需要去爱的人。我只是为你感到难过，希斯克利夫先生。没有人爱你！你就像个鬼一样孤独痛苦！你死的时候没人会为你掉眼泪！我庆幸我不是你！”

“去取你的衣服，你这个混账丫头，”他说。“我们几分钟后就走。”她出去后，他走到房间的另一头，看着挂在墙上凯茜母亲凯瑟琳的画像。

“你知道昨天我干了什么，艾伦？”他很快把视线从画像上转回来说道，“我去了教堂墓地，让给艾加掘墓的人替我打开了凯瑟琳的棺材盖。她的面容看上去跟以前完全一样！我禁不住地盯着她看。那人盖上棺材后，我把她棺材不靠艾加墓的一面砸开了，然后用土埋上。我还收买了那个人，等我死后把我埋在那儿，埋在她旁边，我也要把我棺材的一面去掉，这样我就可以搂着她了，艾加不能！”

“你真恶毒，希斯克利夫先生，去惊动死去的人！”

“我谁也没惊动，艾伦，我现在感觉高兴多了。她才是惊动了我的人。18年来她在索我的命。你知道，她死后我变得粗野，几乎发了疯。好几天我都在祈求她的鬼魂能回到我身边。在她下葬的那天，我晚上去了她的墓前。当时凄风阵阵，地上积着雪。我太想再把她抱在怀里啦！所以我挖开盖在她棺材上疏松的泥土，正想掀开盖子，突然觉得我的脸上有一股温暖的气息。她好像就在我身边，不在泥土里，而在紧靠着我。她又和我在一起了，我欣喜不已！我覆盖好坟墓，急冲冲地跑回呼啸山庄家里。我焦急地四下里找她。我能感觉到她，但看不见她！打那以后她如法炮制地屡次捉弄我。我睡在她房间的时候，我能听到她在窗外，或进了屋，或就在我身边呼吸，可当我一睁开眼，我总是失望。慢慢地、慢慢地，她用持续了18年之久的幽灵般飘渺的希望试图弄死我！”

他几乎是在自言自语，所以我也没有回答。凯茜进来了，他站起来，准备走。

“再见，艾伦！”我亲爱的小女主人小声说。“来看我！”她亲我的时候，我觉得她脸上冰凉。

“噢，你不能，艾伦！”希斯克利夫说。“如果我需要你，我会派人来叫你的！”他们一起离开了画眉山庄。

此后我就没有见过凯茜。有一次我去呼啸山庄看她，但没让我见她。大概六个星期以前我和女管家齐拉长谈了一次，她跟我讲了凯茜的消息。看来在凯茜到呼啸山庄后一直尽心尽力照顾她生病的丈夫。很明显他快要死了，尽管如此，希斯克利夫还是不让找大夫。在她到呼啸山庄仅几个星期之后，林顿在夜里死了，当时只有凯茜陪在他床边。希斯克利夫继承了林顿的（原本是凯茜的）所有财产，所以现在凯茜一贫如洗。

在那栋阴暗、压抑的宅子里，她一定过得很痛苦、很孤独。希斯克利夫恨她，约瑟夫和齐拉也因为觉得她孤傲而不跟她说话。可怜的哈里顿想对她友善一点，可她又看不起他没教养。我愿意辞了这儿的工作，租上一间小农舍让凯茜来和我一起住，但希斯克利夫决不会答应的。当然，要是她再嫁人的话她就能离开那宅子，可要我安排我又无能为力。

17 Mr Lockwood visits Wuthering Heights again

1802 After hearing the end of Mrs Dean's story，I made my plans for the future．I decided I did not want to spend another winter at the Grange，and told her I would ride to the Heights to inform my landlord．She handed me a letter to give to Cathy Heathcliff．

When I arrived at the gate，Hareton met me and took me into the house．Cathy was there，preparing vegetables for lunch．She did not bother to greet me．

‘She may be beautiful，’I thought，‘but she's not very polite．’I passed by her chair，and cleverly dropped Mrs Dean's note in front of her，so that Hareton wouldn't see it．She，however，just said aloud，‘What's that？’

‘A letter from the housekeeper at the Grange，’I said，annoyed with her．She gasped，and tried to pick it up，but Hareton got there first．

‘Mr Heathcliff will want to look at this，’he said，putting it in his pocket．But when Cathy pretended to cry，Hareton could not bear to make her sad，and he threw the letter down on the table．She eagerly read every word，and asked me several questions about the people at the Grange．

‘Mrs Dean will want an answer to her letter，’I reminded her．

‘You must tell her that I have no paper or pens to write with．I haven't even any books！'she answered sadly．

‘No books！’I cried．‘How can you manage without them in this lonely place？’

‘I always used to read so much that Mr Heathcliff decided to take away my only pleasure and destroy my books．I've looked all over the house for them．Joseph only reads the Bible，but some of my books are in Hareton's room！Why did you take them，Hareton？Just because you enjoy stealing？They can't be any use to you！’

‘I think Mr Hareton wants to learn，’I said，hoping to prevent a quarrel between them．‘No doubt he took them away to study them．’

‘Yes，'replied Cathy，laughing．‘I hear him trying to read to himself sometimes and it's extremely funny！He makes some terrible mistakes！’

After a moment's shocked silence Hareton left the room．He returned almost immediately with his arms full of books，and threw them angrily down at Cathy's feet．

‘Take them！’he shouted．‘I never want to see them again！’

‘I won't have them now，'she said．‘I'll hate them because they'll make me think of you．’

Hareton picked up the books and threw them on the fire，then walked quickly out of the house．

Mr Heathcliff came in as Hareton went out．He had a restless，anxious expression on his face．

‘Mr Heathcliff，’I said，‘I must tell you I'm leaving for London next week，for six months，and I shan't want to rent the Grange any more after October．’

‘So，Mr Lockwood，you've got tired of the moors already，have you？Well，have your lunch with Hareton and me，anyway．Cathy，take your lunch in the kitchen with Joseph and Zillah．’

I did not enjoy lunch with my two silent companions，and left the Heights straight afterwards．

‘What a pity，’I thought，‘that Cathy Heathcliff and I didn't fall in love，as Mrs Dean would have liked！Then I could have taken her away from this miserable place for ever！’

Several months later，in September，I was travelling to visit friends in Yorkshire．I found myself near Thrushcross Grange，and decided to spend a night there．After all，I was still paying rent for it．When I arrived，I was surprised to find a different housekeeper，who told me Mrs Dean had become housekeeper at the Heights．I wanted to have a walk after travelling all day，so I left orders for the woman to cook my supper and prepare bedroom for me，and I walked the four miles to Wuthering Heights．

As I came close to the old house，I noticed that there were flowers in the garden，and the doors and windows stood open．I could see two people inside，and I stopped for a moment，curious to hear a little of their conversation．

‘Read it again，stupid！'said a voice as sweet as a silver bell．‘Read it correctly this time，or I'll pull your hair！’

‘You must kiss me if I get it right，’answered a deep voice．The man was sitting at a table，reading from a book．His handsome face shone with pleasure，and his eyes often left the book to look at the small white hand that lay on his shoulder．The girl stood behind him，bending over to help him．Her face—it was fortunate he could not see her face，or he would never have been able to concentrate on his studies．I could see it，and I was bitterly sorry that I had thrown away my chance of seeing that beauty every day of my life．

I did not want to disturb their happiness，so I went round to the back door，where I discovered my old friend Ellen Dean．

‘Oh，Mr Lockwood，welcome back！'she cried．‘Are you staying at the Grange again？’

‘Yes，Mrs Dean，just for one night．But tell me，why are you housekeeper here now and not at the Grange？’

‘Zillah left，you see，and Mr Heathcliff wanted me here．’

‘I have a little business with him，about the rent．’

‘Oh！Mr Heathcliff is dead，sir．He died three months ago．I manage all Mrs Heathcliff's business for her．She hasn't learnt to do it herself yet，you see．’

‘Heathcliff is dead！’I repeated，surprised．‘Well！Tell me how it happened，Mrs Dean！’

‘Sit down，sir，and drink some beer．I'll gladly tell you．His life ended very strangely．’

17 洛克伍德先生再访呼啸山庄

1802年

听完了迪恩夫人的故事，我为自己的将来做好了计划。我拿定主意不想在画眉山庄过第二个冬天了，我告诉她我要骑马到呼啸山庄去通知我的房东。她交给我一封信要我带给凯茜·希斯克利夫。

我到大门口时，哈里顿迎我进了房子。凯茜在，正准备午餐用的蔬菜。她懒得和我打招呼。

“她也许漂亮，”我想，“可她太无礼了。”走过她的椅子时我巧妙地把迪恩夫人的便条丢在她面前，这样哈里顿就看不见了。可她却大声说道，“那是什么？”

“画眉山庄女管家的信，”我说，有些生她的气。她愣了一下，刚想要拣起来，但哈里顿先拿到了。

“希斯克利夫先生会想看看的，”他说，把信揣进了口袋里。可当凯茜假装哭的时候，哈里顿不忍让她伤心，把信扔到桌子上。她急切地读着每一个字，还问了我几个关于画眉山庄里的人的问题。

“迪恩夫人想有回信，”我提醒她。

“你一定要告诉她我没有可用来写信的纸和笔。我连书都没有！”她难过地说。

“没有书！”我叫道。“在这么孤寂的地方没有书你是怎么过的？”

“我过去总是很喜欢读书，所以希斯克利夫先生决定剥夺我唯一的乐趣，把我的书毁掉。我整个屋子都找遍了。约瑟夫只读《圣经》，可我的一些书却在哈里顿的房间里！你为什么要拿那些书，哈里顿？只是因为你喜欢偷东西吗？它们对你没什么用！”

“我想哈里顿先生是想学习，”我说，希望他们别吵起来。“无疑他拿走书是去研读的。”

“是的，”凯茜笑着答道。“我听到他有时自己试着读书，可笑极了！有时犯严重的错误。”

哈里顿很吃惊，呆呆地说不出话来，过了一会儿离开了房间。他随后即抱着一怀抱书回来，怒气冲冲地将书扔在凯茜的脚边。

“拿走吧！”他嚷道。“我再也不想看了！”

“我现在也不想要它们了。”她说。“我会恨它们的，因为会让我想起你。”

哈里顿拣起书扔进了火里，然后快步走出了房子。

哈里顿一出去希斯克利夫先生就进来了。满脸焦虑不安的表情。

“希斯克利夫先生，”我说，“我得告诉您我下周要去伦敦，要走六个月，所以10月份以后我就不想再租用画眉山庄了。”

“这么说，洛克伍德先生，您已经厌倦荒原了，是吗？好，不管怎么样，您跟哈里顿和我一起用午餐吧。凯茜，你在厨房同约瑟夫和齐拉吃午餐。”

跟两位默不作声的人一起用午餐真不是件乐事，之后我就直接离开了呼啸山庄。

“真遗憾，”我想，“凯茜·希斯克利夫和我没有像迪恩夫人希望的那样彼此相爱！果真如此的话我就带她永远离开这个伤心的地方。”

几个月之后，正值9月，我去看望在约克郡的朋友，途中我发现自己离画眉山庄不远，于是决定去那儿过一夜。没想到到了那儿却发现管家已换了个人，新的管家告诉我迪恩夫人已到呼啸山庄去做管家了。经过一整天的旅行我想散散步，于是吩咐女管家为我做好晚餐，准备一间卧室，然后我步行四英里去呼啸山庄。

当我走近那栋老宅子，我注意到花园里开着花，门和窗也都是开着的。我能看见里面有两个人，我驻足站了一会儿，好奇地听到他们之间的一点谈话。

“再读一遍，笨蛋！”一个银铃般甜美的声音说道。“这次别读错了，否则我就拽你的头发！”

“我要是读对了你一定要吻我，”一个低沉的声音回答。这个人坐在桌旁，正读一本书。他英俊的面庞洋溢着喜悦的光彩，他的双眼不时离开书本看着搭在他肩上的白皙的小手。那姑娘站在他身后，弯着腰辅导他。她的面庞——幸亏他看不到她的面庞，否则他决不能集中精神学习。可我能看到这面庞，我真是懊悔自己丢掉了此生终日与这个美人相见的机会。

我不想打搅他们的快乐，所以绕到了后门，在那儿看到了我的老朋友艾伦·迪恩。

“噢，洛克伍德先生，欢迎回来！”她叫道。“您又在画眉山庄住了？”

“是的，迪恩夫人，只住一夜。先告诉我，你为什么在这儿做管家而不在画眉山庄了？”

“齐拉走了，你知道，希斯克利夫先生想要我到这儿来。”

“我和他还有一些事务，租房子的事。”

“噢！希斯克利夫先生死了，先生。他三个月以前死的。我替希斯克利夫夫人处理一切事务。她还没学会自己来干，你知道。”

“希斯克利夫死了！”我惊异地重复道。“那么，告诉我是怎么回事，迪恩夫人！”

“请坐，先生，喝点啤酒。我很乐意告诉您。他的生命结束得很奇特。”

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 希斯克利夫的结局

1801—1802年

回到呼啸山庄我很高兴，我希望能使凯茜的生活过的更舒心些。可她很烦躁，抱怨说孤独。开始她还招惹哈里顿，嘲笑他，但过了一段时间她觉得自己真的想要他做朋友。她为自己对他的无礼道了歉，并提出要把她会的一切都教给他。从此，这两个表兄妹就形影不离，在一起学习。哈里顿有好些要学的，而凯茜又不是个很耐心的老师。但他们的共同点是他们彼此相爱。你看，洛克伍德先生，要赢得凯茜小姐的心不难。可现在我庆幸您没有试。他们俩结婚时我就是英格兰最幸福的女人了！

希斯克利夫对他身边发生的事几乎没有注意到，如果要不是约瑟夫，他也决不会察觉这对表兄妹的感情。一天，我们正吃着午饭，那个老头冲进屋里，气得浑身发抖。

“我得离开！我本想死在这儿，我在这儿做了60年的仆人！可她现在把我花园抢走了！她偷走了这孩子的魂儿，主人！我无法忍受了！”

“这傻瓜喝醉了？”希斯克利夫问。“你能解释一下吗，哈里顿？”

“我拔了他两三棵果树，”哈里顿坦白道，“但我会把它们种回去的。”

“是我的锗，”凯茜大胆地插话道，“是我让他拔的。我们想在那儿种些花儿。”

“谁他妈的批准的？”希斯克利夫咆哮道。

“你把我全部土地都拿走了，总该让我有一片花园吧！”凯茜不饶地反驳道。“而且你还夺走了哈里顿的土地！他和我现在是朋友！我要把你的事告诉他！”

主人站了起来，两眼恶狠狠地盯着她。

“滚出这房间，坏丫头！”他嚷道。“要是让我走近你，我会杀了你！”

“如果你打我，哈里顿会打你的。他不会再听你的话，过不了多久，他也会像我一样恨你！”

“你最好离开这儿，凯茜，”哈里顿小声催促道。“我不会同希斯克利夫先生争吵。”

但太晚了。我肯定希斯克利夫要打她了。他抓住她，一只大手揪住她的头发，另一只手举过了她头顶。可当他看到她的脸的时候，怒气突然消失了，把手臂放了下来。他重重地坐回椅子上，双手捂住眼睛呆了一会儿。我们都目不转睛地看着他。

“你要学着别惹我生气，”他说道，想镇静下来，“滚开，都滚！别烦我！”不一会儿他出去了，说晚上回来。

夜幕降临，凯茜和哈里顿在厨房忙着学习。我在旁边坐着，看到他们互帮互助处得那样融洽我很高兴。我觉得他们是我自己的孩子似的，洛克伍德先生，我为他们感到非常自豪。主人进到房子时，一眼就看见了我们三个。他们抬起眼，与希斯克利夫相对而视。可能您没留意，他们俩的眼睛很相像，而且跟凯瑟琳·欧肖的眼睛几乎一模一样。希斯克利夫先生站住凝视了一会儿，然后眼光转向了别处。我叹了口气，凯茜和哈里顿悄悄溜进了花园，只剩下我和希斯克利夫先生。

“真傻，是吧，艾伦，”他喃喃道，“我倾尽一生精力要摧毁这两个家庭，欧肖和林顿家。我得到了他们的钱财和土地。如今我可以对最后一个姓欧肖的和最后一个姓林顿的施加最后的报复，我却不想干了！我的生命里发生着奇怪的变化，我正处在这变化的阴影之中。我对日常的事务提不起兴趣，甚至想不起吃喝。我不想见到他们俩，所以我不管他们是不是在一起。她只会惹我生气，而他长得真象凯瑟琳！可什么东西都能让我想起凯瑟琳来！在每一朵云团、每一棵树上我都能看到她的脸！整个世界都在提醒我她曾经在这儿，而我却失去了她！”

“您没感到不舒服吧，先生，是吗？您惧怕死么？”

“我没病，艾伦，我也不怕死。可我不能继续这样下去了！我得提醒自己要喘气——几乎得提醒自己的心去跳！我只有一个愿望，那是我许久以来殚精竭力、挖空心思想得到的东西！噢，上帝！这是一场漫长的搏斗！我希望它结束吧！”

在以后的几天里，希斯克利夫先生吃饭的时候躲着我们。他吃得越来越少。有一天深夜我听见他出了宅子，第二天上午才回来。他进来时，我注意到他神情有些异样。尽管气色苍白、全身颤抖，可脸上洋溢着诡秘、疯狂的喜悦。

“您用点早餐吗，先生？”我问。

“不，我不饿，”他回答。

“我觉得您不该在外面过夜，先生。您会感冒发烧的！”

“别管我，艾伦，”他回答。

我开始为他担心。他身体强健，但要活着总要吃饭呀。此后三天他什么也没吃，每顿饭放到他面前他都没动。他根本不看饭菜，也不看我们。他似乎在看着就在他身边的什么东西，我们却看不见。他炽烈的黑眼睛聚精会神地紧盯着它，有时甚至半分钟也不喘气。

他也不睡觉。他在凯瑟琳·欧肖从前住的卧室里连续呆了三个晚上，我能听到他走来走去，整夜地说话、嗥叫、痛哭。

一天早晨我跟他搭话，让他听我的。“希斯克利夫先生，你一定得吃得睡。用镜子看看您自己！您看上去疲病交加的。”

“我吃不下、睡不着不是我的错。当一个快淹死的人看见岸边时，你不会让他歇息吧！我就要得到18年来梦寐以求的东西，快了！可我灵魂的欢乐扼杀着我的肉体！”

“那是一种怪诞的欢乐，主人。听我的，如果您认为自己将不久于人世，就祈求上帝宽恕您以往的过错吧。”

“谢谢，艾伦，你提醒了我一件事，是关于我下葬的方式。我的棺材要在晚上抬到教堂墓地。你和哈里顿要在场，不要别人。要保证按我放置两口棺材的命令去做！我不要葬礼，也不要读《圣经》——我一概不信。”

他当天晚上和第二天白天都呆在凯瑟琳的房间，一直在喃喃自语和呜咽抽泣。我叫人去找肯尼士大夫，但卧室的门上了锁，大夫没法看他。那天晚上很潮湿，早晨我在花园里走，注意到那卧室的窗户是大开着的。

“如果他在床上一定会被打得很湿，”我想，“床离窗户很近。我要去看看。”我找到了能开那把锁的另一把钥匙，打开门。希斯克利夫先生在床上仰面躺着，他的双眼瞪着我，热切而激动，似乎是在微笑！他的脸和衣裳被雨打湿了，他没有动弹。我意识到他是死了！

我关上窗，为他梳理了额头长长的黑发。我试着帮他闭上眼睛，可它们不肯阖上。突然间我很害怕，喊叫起约瑟夫来。那老仆人马上就来了，但不肯动遗体。

“啊，魔鬼取走了他的灵魂！我警告过他会这样的！”他叫道，“你看他有多邪恶，死的时候还笑！谢天谢地，哈里顿·欧肖现在将拥有这房子和土地，他本应从他父亲那儿就继承到的！”他跪下开始祈祷。

实际上只有哈里顿对希斯克利夫的死感到难过。他和我参加了下葬。如他自己所愿，希斯克利夫被埋在凯瑟琳的墓旁。因为我们不知道他确切年龄或其他情况，所以墓碑上只有一个字——希斯克利夫。村里人很害怕他的鬼魂，他们说他经常在教堂墓地和荒原上游荡。

哈里顿和凯茜将在元旦那天结婚，然后他们搬到画眉山庄去。我将给他们做管家。约瑟夫看管呼啸山庄，但大多数房间都不会再使用了。

您回画眉山庄的路上会经过教堂墓地，洛克伍德先生，您可以看见靠近荒原的三个墓碑。中间凯瑟琳的已经旧了，被周围生长的杂草掩住了一半。一边是艾加·林顿的，另一边是希斯克利夫的新墓碑。如果您在那儿呆一会儿，看着在温暖夏日的空气里纷飞的昆虫，听着在草丛中喘息的柔风，您就会知道在静谧的泥土下，长眠的人在多么平静地安息。

简 介

时间是1775年，在巴黎的一家酒馆的楼上的一间屋子里坐着一位白发男人，他正忙着做鞋。他曾在巴士底狱当了18年的囚徒。现在他已是一个自由人了，然而他却不知道自己的名字，也认不出他的朋友。他所知道的就是他必须继续做鞋。

在一辆去巴黎的车上坐着路茜，这是他从未见过面的女儿。路茜把她父亲带回了伦敦，在女儿的爱心和照料之下，他忘掉了过去并学会了重像一个自由人那样去生活。

然而在法国大革命的暴风雨年代，过去既没有消失也没有被忘掉。于是不久过去的危险秘密地把路茜和她所爱的人们带回了巴黎……那儿恐怖的死亡机器——断头台正饥饿地等候着法兰西的敌人们。

查尔斯·狄更斯是英国最伟大的作家之一，他1812年出生于普茨茅斯，1870年去世。他出身贫寒，但在不幸的童年过后，他很快便变得富有和成功。在他众多的著名小说中有《雾都孤儿》、《远大前程》及《圣诞欢歌》。

1 The road to Paris—1775

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of sadness. It was the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy－five.

In France there was a King and a Queen, and in England there was a King and a Queen. They believed that nothing would ever change. But in France things were bad, and getting worse. The people were poor, hungry and unhappy. The King made paper money and spent it, and the people had nothing to eat. Behind closed doors in the homes of the people, voices spoke in whispers against the King and his noblemen；they were only whispers, but they were the angry whispers of desperate people.

Late one November night, in that same year 1775, a coach going from London to Dover, stopped at the top of a long hill. The horses were tired, but as they rested, the driver heard an other horse coming fast up the hill behind them. The rider stopped his horse beside the coach and shouted：

'I want a passenger, Mr Jarvis Lorry, from Tellson's Bank in London.'

'I am Mr Jarvis Lorry, ' said one of the passengers, putting his head out of the window.'What do you want?'

'It's me！Jerry, Jerry Cruncher, from Tellson's Bank, sir, ' cried the man on the horse.

'What's the matter, Jerry?' called Mr Lorry.

A message for you, Mr Lorry. You've got to wait at Dover for a young lady.'

'Very well, Jerry, ' said Mr Lorry.'Tell them my answer is CAME BACK TO LIFE'.

It was a strange message, and a stranger answer. No one in the coach understood what they meant.

The next day Mr Lorry was sitting in his hotel in Dover when a young lady arrived. She was pretty, with golden hair and blue eyes, and Mr Lorry remembered a small child, almost a baby. He had carried her in his arms when he came from Calais to Dover, from France to England, many years ago. Mr Lorry asked the young lady to sit down.

'Miss Manette, ' he said.'I have a strange story to tell you, about one of the customers of Tellson's Bank. That's where I work.'

'Yes, but I don't quite understand, Mr Lorry, ' said the young lady.'I received a message from Tellson's Bank, asking me to come here to meet you. I understood there was some news about my poor father's money. He died so long ago—before I was born. What is this story you want to tell me?'

'About twenty years ago, Miss Manette, a French doctor married an English lady. They had a daughter, but just before she was born, her father disappeared. Nobody knew what had happened to him. Not long afterwards his unhappy wife died, and their daughter was brought back to England.'

'But this is like my father's story, Mr Lorry. And wasn't it you who brought me back to England?'

'Yes, that's true, Miss Manette. Many years ago I brought you from France to England, and Tellson's Bank has taken care of you since then. You were told that your father had died. But think, Miss Manette. Perhaps your father wasn't dead. Perhaps he was in prison. Not because he had done something wrong！ But just because he had a powerful enemy—an enemy with the power to send him to prison and to keep him there, hidden and forgotten, for eighteen years！'

'Can it be true? Is it possible that my father is still alive?' Lucie Manette stared at Mr Lorry. Her face was white and her hands trembled.'It will be his ghost—not him！'

'No, Miss Manette, ' said Mr Lorry gently.'He is alive, but he has changed very much. Even his name had been forgotten！And we must ask no questions about the past, no questions at all. It would be too dangerous. He has been taken to the house of an old servant in Paris, and we are going there to bring him back to life.'

1 去巴黎的路—1775年

那是最好的年代，也是最糟的年代。那是光明的时节，也是黑暗的时节。那是希望的春季，也是悲伤的冬日。那是公元1775年。

那时的法国有国王和王后，英国也有国王和王后，他们相信什么事情都不会改变。但是法国的境况很糟糕，而且是每况愈下。人民在贫艇、饥饿和不幸中生活。国王发行纸币进行挥霍，而百姓却要忍饥挨饿。在门户紧闭的家中，人们悄声地谈论着反对国王和他的贵族们的话题。它们只是低声的密谈，但却是绝望中的人们愤怒的声音。

就在那1775年11月的一个深夜，一辆从伦敦赶往多佛的马车停在了一条绵延的山丘的顶部。马匹都已经很累了，但在它们休息时，赶车人听到后面有另一匹马正急速地朝他们赶来。骑马人把马停在马车的旁边并喊道：

“我要找伦敦台尔森银行来的贾维斯·劳里先生。”

“我就是贾维斯·劳里先生，”车内的一位乘客从车窗探出头来说道。“有什么事吗?”

“是我！杰里，杰里·克拉彻，从台尔森银行来的，先生，”马上的人喊道。

“什么事，杰里?”劳里先生问道。

“捎个信儿给您，劳里先生，您得在多佛等候一位年轻女士。”

“好吧，杰里，”劳里先生说。“告诉他们，就说我的答复是'活过来'”。

口信儿是奇特的，而答复就更奇特了。马车上的人都不明白他们在说什么。

第二天，劳里先生在多佛的旅馆里坐着时，来了一位年轻的女士。她很美，有一头金黄的头发和蓝色的眼睛，这让劳里先生想起了一个小孩儿，几乎是个婴儿。那是在很多年前，在从法国加莱去英国多佛的路上，他曾把她抱在怀里。劳里先生让这位年轻女士坐下来。

“马内特小姐，”他说道。“我有个离奇的故事要告诉你，是关于台尔森银行的一位顾客的。台尔森银行是我工作的地方。”

“好吧，但是我不太明白，劳里先生，”年轻的女士说。“我从台尔森银行接到口信，要我到这儿来见您。我知道一些有关我可怜的父亲的钱的事。他很早就已死了——还在我出生之前。您要告诉我的是什么故事呢?”

“大约20年前，马内特小姐，有位法国医生娶了一位英国女士。他们有了一个女儿，但是还在他们的女儿出生之前，这位父亲却失踪了。没有人知道他出了什么事。不久，他那位伤心的妻子也死了，他们的女儿被带回了英国。”

“但这像是我父亲的故事呀，劳里先生。况且不正是您把我带回英国的吗?”

“是的，是这样的，马内特小姐。很多年前我把你从法国带到了英国，并且自那以后台尔森银行就开始照料你。人家告诉你说你的父亲已经死了。但是设想一下，马内特小姐，或许你的父亲那时并没有死，或许他在监狱里呢。那并不是因为他犯了什么罪！而只是因为他有一个强大的敌人——这个敌人拥有权势将他投进监狱，而且让他在那里与世隔绝、被人遗忘地关了18年！”

“这是真的吗?我父亲可能还活着吗?”路茜·马内特紧盯着劳里先生。她的脸色苍白，双手颤抖着。“那会是他的灵魂，而不是他本人！”

“不，马内特小姐，”劳里先生温和地说。“他还活着，只是有了很大的变化，就连他自己的名字也记不得了！我们绝对不可以问起从前的事，一点都不能问。那样的话就太危险了。他已经被带到巴黎的一个旧日的仆人的家里，我们就是要去那里让他回到日常生活中来。”

2 A wine－shop in Paris

In the part of Paris called Saint Antoine everyone was poor. The streets were narrow and dirty, the food－shops were almost empty. The faces of the children looked old already, because they were so hungry. In the wine－shop of Monsieur Defarge there were not many customers and Defarge was outside, talking to a man in the street. His wife, Madame Defarge, sat inside the shop, knitting and watching. Defarge came in and his wife looked at him, then turned her eyes to look at two new customers, a man of about sixty and a young lady. Defarge went over to speak to them, suddenly kissed the young lady's hand, and led them out of the back of the shop. They followed him upstairs, many stairs, until they reached the top. Defarge took a key out of his pocket.

'Why is the door locked?' asked Mr Lorry in surprise.'He is a free man now.'

'Because he has lived too long behind a locked door, ' replied Defarge angrily.'He is afraid if the door is not locked！That is one of the things they have done to him.'

'I'm afraid, too, ' whispered Miss Manette. Her blue eyes looked worriedly at Mr Lorry.'I am afraid of him—of my father.'

Defarge made a lot of noise as he opened the door. Mr Lorry and Lucie went into the room behind him. A thin, white－haired man was sitting on a wooden seat. He was very busy, making shoes.

'Good day, ' said Defarge.'You are still working hard, I see.'

After a while they heard a whisper.'Yes, I am still working.'

'Come, ' said Defarge.'You have a visitor. Tell him your name.'

'My name?' came the whisper.'One Hundred and Five, North Tower.'

Mr Lorry moved closer to the old man.'Dr Manette, don't you remember me, Jarvis Lorry?' he asked gently.

The old prisoner looked up at Mr Lorry, but there was no surprise, no understanding in his tired face, and he went back to work making shoes.

Slowly Lucie came near to the old man. After a while he noticed her.

'Who are you?' he asked.

Lucie put her arms around the old man and held him, tears of happiness and sadness running down her face. From a little bag the old man took some golden hair. He looked at it, and then he looked at Lucie's hair.'It is the same. How can it be?' He stared into Lucie's face.'No, no, you are too young, too young.'

Through her tears Lucie tried to explain that she was the daughter he had never seen. The old man still did not understand, but he seemed to like the sound of Lucie's voice and the touch of her warm young hand on his.

Then Lucie said to Mr Lorry, 'I think we should leave Paris at once. Can you arrange it?'

'Yes, of course, ' said Mr Lorry.'But do you think he is able to travel?'

'He will be better far away from this city where he has lost so much of his life, ' said Lucie.

'You are right, ' said Defarge.'And there are many other reasons why Dr Manette should leave France now.'

While Mr Lorry and Defarge went to arrange for a coach to take them out of Paris, Lucie sat with her father. Exhausted by the meeting, he fell asleep on the floor, and his daughter watched him quietly and patiently until it was time to go.

When Mr Lorry returned, he and Defarge brought food and clothes for Dr Manette. The Doctor did everything they told him to do；he had been used to obeying orders for so many years. As he came down the stairs, Mr Lorry heard him say again and again, 'One Hundred and Five, North Tower.'

When they went to the coach, only one person saw them go：Madame Defarge. She stood in the doorway, and knitted and watched, seeing everything… and seeing nothing.

2 巴黎的一家酒店

在巴黎的一个名叫圣安东尼的地方，所有的人都很穷。街道狭窄肮脏，食品店几乎都是空的。孩子们的脸已显出老态，因为他们太饥饿了。在得法热先生的酒店里没有多少顾客，得法热则在门外与街上的一个男人交谈着。他的妻子得法热夫人正坐在店里一边织毛衣一边观察着周围。得法热走进店来，他的妻子看着他，然后就把眼光转过去盯着两位新来的顾客，他们是一位大约60岁的男人和一位年轻的女士。得法热走过去同他们说话，他突然吻起了那位小姐的手，接着领着他们从店铺后面走出去。他们跟着他上楼，爬了很多级楼梯才到达楼顶。得法热从兜里掏出一把钥匙来。

“为什么锁着门?”劳里先生惊讶地问。“他现在是个自由人了。”

“因为他在上了锁的房子里生活的时间太长了，”得法热气愤地回答说。“门要是不锁上他就会害怕！这是他们给他造成的恶果之一。”

“我也害怕，”马内特小姐低声地说。她那蓝蓝的眼睛忧心地看着劳里先生。“我害怕他——我的父亲。”

得法热开门时弄出了很多响声，劳里先生和路茜跟在他后面进了屋子。一个瘦削而头发全白的人正坐在一个木头凳子上。他在忙着做鞋子。

“您好，”得法热说。“您还在忙着哪?”

过了一会儿他们才听到一声嘟哝：“是的，我还在干着活。”

“瞧，”得法热说。“有人来看您了。告诉他们您的名字。”

“我的名字?”嘟哝声传过来道。“一百零五，北塔。”

劳里先生走近了老人。“马内特医生，您不记得我了吗，贾维斯·劳里?”他轻声地问道。

这个老犯人抬起头看着劳里先生，但是没有表现出惊奇，疲惫的脸上没有显示出他明白了什么的表情，然后他又重新做起鞋来。

路茜慢慢地走近了老人。过了片刻他才注意到了她。

“你是谁?”他问道。

路茜伸出胳膊抱住了老人并搂紧他，悲喜交加的泪水滚下了脸颊。老人从一个小包里拿出几缕金发。他看看它们，然后又看看路茜的头发。“是一样的，这怎么可能呢?”他凝视着路茜的睑。“不，不，你太年轻了，太年轻了。”

路茜含着泪竭力地要说明她是他从未曾见过的女儿。老人仍旧不明白，但却似乎很喜欢路茜的声音以及她年轻温暖的手触摸他的手。

后来路茜对劳里先生说：“我看我们得马上离开巴黎。您能安排一下吗?”

“是的，当然能，”劳里先生说。“但你认为他能够旅行吗?”

“远离这个让他失去生命中如此之多的城市，他就会好些的。”路茜说道。

“你说得对，”得法热说。“况且让马内特医生马上离开法国还有很多其他的原因。”

在劳里先生和得法热去安排载他们出巴黎的马车时，路茜陪坐在她父亲的身旁。他被这次相会弄得疲倦极了，便在地板上睡着了，他的女儿则安静而耐心地看顾着他，直到该走的时候。

劳里先生回来时，他和得法热给马内特医生带回来些食物和衣服。医生完全照着他们的要求行事，这么多年来他已经习惯了服从命令。在他下楼时，劳里先生听见他一遍又一遍地说着“105，北塔。”

在他们朝马车走去时，只有一个人看到了他们，那就是得法热夫人。她站在门口，边织着毛衣边观察着。她看到了所有的事情……但没有发现任何的问题。

3 A trial in London—1780

Tellson's Bank in the City of London was an old, dark, and ugly building. It smelt of dust and old papers, and the people who worked there all seemed old and dusty, too. Outside the building sat Jerry Cruncher, who carried messages for people in the bank.

One morning in March 1780, Jerry had to go to the Old Bailey to collect an important message from Mr Lorry. Trials at the Old Bailey were usually for very dangerous criminals, and the prisoner that morning was a young man of about twenty—five, well dressed and quite calm.

'What's he done?' Jerry asked the doorman quietly.

'He's a spy！A French spy！'the doorman told him.' He travels from England to France and tells the French King secret information about our English army.'

'What'll happen if he's guilty?' asked Jerry.

'oh, he'll have to die, no question of that, ' replied the doorman enthusiastically.'They'll hang him.'

'What's his name?'

'Darnay, Charles Darnay. Not an English name, is it?'

While Jerry waited, he looked around at the crowd inside the Old Bailey and noticed a young lady of about twenty years, and her father, a gentleman with very white hair. The young lady seemed very sad when she looked at the prisoner, and held herself close to her father.

Then the trial began, and the first person who spoke against Charles Darnay was called John Barsad.

He was an honest man, he said, and proud to be an Englishman. Yes, he was, or had been, a friend of the prisoner's. And in the prisoner's pockets he had seen important plans and lists about the English armies. No, of course he had not put the lists there himself. And no, he was not a spy himself, he was not someone paid to make traps for innocent people.

Next the young lady spoke. She said that she had met the prisoner on the boat which had carried her and her father from France to England.'He was very good and kind to my father and to me, 'she said.

'Was he travelling alone on the ship?'

'No, he was with two French gentlemen.'

'Now, Miss Manette, did you see him show them any papers, or anything that looked like a list?'

'No, I didn't see anything like that.'

Questions, questions, questions！The trial went on, and finally, a small, red－haired man spoke. He told the judge that he had seen Mr Darnay at a hotel in a town where there were many soldiers and ships. Then one of the lawyers, a man called Sydney Carton, wrote some words on a piece of paper, and gave it to Mr Stryver, the lawyer who was speaking for Mr Darnay.

'Are you quite sure that the prisoner is the man you saw?' Mr Stryver asked the red－haired man.

'Quite sure, ' said the man.

Have you ever seen anyone like the prisoner?' asked Mr Stryver.

'I'd always be able to recognize him.' The red－haired man was very confident.

'Then I must ask you to look at the gentleman over there, ' said Mr Stryver, pointing to Sydney Carton.'Don't you think that he is very like the prisoner?'

Everyone in the court could see that Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay were indeed very similar.

'Well then, ' said Mr Stryver, 'it is so easy to find a man like the prisoner that we can even find one in this room. So how can you be so sure that it was the prisoner you saw in that hotel?'

And the red－haired man said not another word.

The lawyers talked and argued, and when at last the trial came to an end, Jerry Cruncher had fallen asleep.

But Mr Lorry woke him up and gave him a piece of paper. 'NOT GUILTY' were the words written on it, and Jerry hurried back to Tellson's Bank with the message.

Sydney Carton seemed to be a man who did not care about anyone or anything. He was Mr Stryver's assistant. In fact, he did most of the real work for Mr Stryver. Stryver was good at speaking at a trial, but he was not good at discovering important facts and details, especially when these details were hidden in a lot of papers. Every night Carton studied the many papers that lawyers have to read, and he wrote down the questions which Stryver should ask at the next day's trial. And every day Stryver asked these questions, and people thought how clever he was.

Outside the Old Bailey Mr Darnay, now a free man, met his friends： Dr Manette and his daughter Lucie, Mr Jarvis Lorry, Mr Stryver, and Mr Carton.

Dr Manette no longer looked like the man in the room above Defarge's wine－shop five years ago. His hair was white, but his eyes were bright and he stood straight and strong. Sometimes his face became dark and sad when he remembered the years in the Bastille prison；at these times only his daughter Lucie, whom he loved so much, could help him.

As they stood there talking, a strange expression came over Dr Manette's face. He was staring at Charles Darnay, but he did not seem to see him. For a few moments there was dislike, even fear in his eyes.'My father, ' said Lucie softly, putting her hand on his arm, 'shall we go home now?'

'Yes, ' he answered slowly.

Soon they drove off in a coach, and then Mr Stryver and Mr Lorry walked away, leaving Mr Darnay and Mr Carton alone.

'It must be strange for you, ' said Carton, 'to be a free man again, and to be standing here, talking to a man who looks just like you. Let us go out and eat together.'

After they had eaten, Carton said softly, 'How sad and worried Miss Manette was for you today！ She's a very beautiful young woman, don't you think?'

Darnay did not reply to what Carton had said, but he thanked him for his help at the trial.

'I don't want your thanks, ' replied Carton.'I have done nothing. And I don't think I like you.'

'Well, ' said Darnay, 'you have no reason to like me. But I hope that you will allow me to pay the bill for both of us.'

'Of course. And as you are paying for me, I'll have another bottle of wine.'

After Darnay had left, Carton drank some more wine and looked at himself in the mirror. He was angry because Darnay looked so much like him, but was so different. Carton knew that he was a clever lawyer, and that he was a good and honest man, but he had never been successful for himself. He drank too much, and his life was unhappy and friendless. His cleverness and his hard work in the law only made others, like Mr Stryver, successful and rich. He remembered Lucie Manette's worried face when she watched Darnay in court.

'If I changed places with Darnay, ' he whispered to himself, 'would those blue eyes of Miss Manette look at me, in the same way? No, no, it's too late now.'

He drank another bottle of wine and fell asleep.

In a quiet street not far away was the house where Dr Manette and Lucie lived. They had one servant, Miss Pross, who had taken care of Lucie since she was a child. Miss Pross had red hair and a quick, sharp voice, and seemed at first sight a very alarming person. But everybody knew that she was in fact a warm－hearted and unselfish friend, who would do anything to guard her darling Lucie from trouble or danger.

Dr Manette was now well enough to work as a doctor, and he, Lucie, and Miss Pross led a quiet, comfortable life. Mr Lorry, who had become a close family friend, came regularly to the house, and in the months after the trial, Mr Darnay and Mr Carton were also frequent visitors. This did not please Miss Pross at all, who always looked very cross when they came.

'Nobody is good enough for my darling Lucie, ' she told Mr Lorry one day, 'and I don't like all these hundreds of visitors.'

Mr Lorry had a very high opinion of Miss Pross, but he wasn't brave enough to argue that two visitors were not'hundreds'. Nobody argued with Miss Pross if they could avoid it.

3 伦敦的一次审判—1780年

伦敦城里的台尔森银行是一座古老、灰暗而且丑陋的建筑。这里充斥着灰尘和废纸的气味，就连在里面工作的人似乎也都古旧而灰头灰脑的。负责为银行里的人传书送信的杰里·克拉彻坐在银行的外面。

1780年3月的一天早晨，杰里要去旧巴勒从劳里先生那儿获取一条重要信息。在旧巴勒的审判往往都是对那些非常危险的犯人进行的，而那天早上的罪犯是一个大约25岁左右的年轻人。他穿着体面，人也很沉着。

“他犯了什么罪?”杰里轻声地问看门人。

“他是一个间谍！一个法国间谍！”看门人告诉他。“他从英国赶到法国，然后把英国军队的动向秘报给了法国国王。”

“如果判他有罪的话他会受什么样的惩罚?”杰里问。

“哦，得判死刑，这是无疑的。”看门人情绪高昂地回答说。“他们会绞死他的。”

“他叫什么名字?”

“代尔那，查尔斯·代尔那。不是一个英国名字，是吧?”

杰里一边等着，一边朝旧巴勒里的人群巡视。他注意到了一位20岁左右的年轻女子和她的父亲——一位白发苍苍的绅士。当年轻女子看着罪犯时显得很悲伤，并紧紧地搂住她的父亲。

审判开始了。第一个起诉查尔斯·代尔那的人名叫约翰·巴萨德。他自称是一个诚实的人，并以自己是英国人而自豪。他承认自己是或曾经是罪犯的一个朋友，而且他曾见过罪犯的衣袋里有一些关于英国军队的重要计划和图表。他否认是他本人把图表放进去的，也否认自己是间谍，他也不是受人收买而去陷害无辜的那种人。

接下来是那个年轻子发言。她说在她和父亲从法国来英国的船上曾遇到过这个犯人。“他对我父亲和我都很友善。”她说。

“他当时是只身一人乘船旅行的吗?”

“不，他和两个法国人在一起。”

“那么，马内特小姐，你看到他给他们看了什么文件或任何类似表格一样的东西吗?”

“没有，我没有看见过任何这类的东西。”

问题一个接着一个地提出来！审判继续进行着。最后，一位矮小，红头发的男人说话了。他告诉法官说他曾在一个小镇的一家旅馆见到过代尔那先生，那儿有很多的士兵和船只。接下来一位名叫西得尼·卡登的律师在一张纸上写了几个字并把它递给代尔那先生的辩护律师史太弗先生。

“你能肯定这个犯人就是你见过的那个人吗?”史太弗先生问那个红头发男人。

“非常肯定。”他说。

“你曾见过和这个罪犯长得相像的人吗?”史太弗先生问。

“无论如何我都能把他认出来的。”红头发男人非常自信。

“那么我得请您看看那边的那位先生，”史太弗先生指着西得尼·卡登说。“您不认为他长得非常像这位犯人吗?”

法庭上的每一个人都能看出西得尼·卡登和查尔斯·代尔那长得的确很相像。

“那么说，”史太弗先生说道。“很容易就能找到一个与罪犯相像的人乃至在这间屋子里我们就能找出一个和罪犯长得酷似的人，那你又怎么能确信你在旅馆里看到的就是罪犯呢?”

红头发男人再也说不出话来了。

律师们开始争辩讨论。当审判最后结束时，杰里·克拉彻都已睡着了。

但是劳里先生叫醒他并且给了他一张纸条，上面写着“无罪”的字样，杰里便急急忙忙地带着这条消息回了银行。

西得尼·卡登似乎对任何人或任何事都不在乎。他是史太弗先生的助手，实际上，多数实际工作是他代劳的。史太弗先生在法庭上能言善辩，但却不擅长于发现重要的事实和细节，尤其是当这些细节隐藏在一大堆文件中的时候。每天晚上卡登都要研读那些律师必读的文件，然后写下史太弗在第二天的审判中所要问的问题。每天史太弗问到这些问题时，人们都会赞叹他的机智。

在旧巴勒的外面，现在已是自由人的代尔那先生和他的朋友们在一起：有马内特医生和他的女儿路茜、贾维斯·劳里先生、史太弗先生和卡登先生。

马内特医生看上去已不再是5年前在得法热酒店楼上房间里的那个样子了。他的头发白了，但眼睛炯炯有神。他站姿笔直，显得很矍铄。有时当他想起在巴士底狱的日子，脸上就会显出阴沉和悲伤。这时只有他所钟爱的女儿路茜能让他快活起来。

在他们站着谈话时，一种奇怪的表情掠过医生的脸。他盯着查尔那·代尔那，但又似乎并没有看他。有好一阵儿他的眼中都显出反感甚至是恐惧的神情。

“爸爸，”路茜柔声地说着并把手放在了他的胳膊上。“我们回家好吗?”

“好吧。”他慢慢地答道。

很快他们就坐上马车走了。然后，史太弗先生和劳里先生也走开了，剩下代尔那和卡登先生单独在一起。

“你一定感到奇怪。”卡登说。“你又自由了、而且站在这儿和一个长得酷似你的人谈话。我们一起出去吃一顿吧。”

饭后，卡登轻声地说，“瞧，今天马内特小姐为你多么伤心着急呀！她可是个漂亮的姑娘，你不这么认为吗?”

代尔那没有回应卡登的话，而是对他在法庭上的帮助表示感谢。

“我不要你的感谢。”卡登说。“我没做什么。我想我也并不喜欢你。”

“好吧，”代尔那说。“你没有理由要喜欢我，但是我希望你要允许我为我们两个人付账。”

“当然。而且既然你要为我付账，那么我就再来一瓶葡萄酒吧。”

代尔那走后，卡登又喝了些酒，并照了照镜子。让他恼火的是代尔那长得和他如此相像，但是他们又如此不同。卡登明白自己是一个精明的律师，又是一个诚实的好人，但他自己却从未成功过。他酗酒，生活不幸且没有朋友。他在法律方面的聪明才智和辛勤工作仅仅使得他人，比如史太弗先生，名利双收。路茜·马内特在法庭上看着代尔那时的焦急面容仍在他的脑海中。

“如果我和代尔那换个位置，”他悄声对自己说，“马内特小姐的那双蓝眼睛也会那样看着我吗?不，不，现在已经太晚了。”

他又喝了一瓶酒，然后就睡着了。

马内特医生和路茜所住的房子就在不远处的一条宁静的街上。他们有一个仆人普罗斯小姐。路茜从小时候起就是由她带大的。普罗斯小姐有一头红发，说话急促而尖利。第一眼看上去她会让人感到害怕。但每个人都知道她实际上是个热心而无私的朋友。她会不惜一切地保护她亲爱的路茜免遭麻烦和危险。

马内特医生现在已恢复得很好，已经可以胜任医生的工作了。他、路茜和普罗斯小姐过着宁静而舒适的生活。劳里先生已成为这个家的亲密朋友，经常来这里作客。同时在那个审判会过后几个月，代尔那先生和卡登先生也成了这里的常客，这让普罗斯小姐一点儿都不高兴。每次他们来时她都显得很生气。

“没有人能配得上我亲爱的路茜。”她有一天对劳里先生说，“而且我也不喜欢这成百个的客人。”

劳里先生很看重普罗斯小姐，可他却没有足够的勇气去和她争论说两个客人够不上“成百个”。只要能避免就没人愿意去和普罗斯小姐争吵。

4 The Marquis of Evremonde

The Marquis of Evremonde was a disappointed man. He had waited for hours at the palace of the King of France, but the King had not spoken to him. Angrily, the Marquis got into his coach and told the driver to take him home. Very soon the coach was driving fast out of Paris, and the people in the narrow streets had to run to get out of the way—if they could. At the corner of a street in Saint Antoine, one of the coach wheels hit something, and the people in the street screamed loudly. The horses were frightened and stopped.

'What has gone wrong?' asked the Marquis calmly, looking out of the window of the coach. A tall man had picked something up from under the feet of the horses and was crying loudly over it.

'Why is that man making that terrible noise?' asked the Marquis impatiently.

'I'm sorry, Monsieur the Marquis. It is his child, ' said one of the people.

'Dead！Killea！'screamed the man.

The people in the street came close to the coach and looked to the coach and looked at the Marquis with stony, silent faces. The Marquis looked back at them in bored dislike. To him, they were no more than animals.

'I can't understand, ' he said coldly, 'why you people cannot take care of yourselves and your children. I hope my horses are not hurt.' And he threw a gold coin to his driver.'Give this to that man！'

'Dead！'shouted the father of the child again.

Another man came forward.'Be brave, Gaspard. Your child has died quickly, and without pain. It is better to die like that than to go on living in these terrible times.'

'You are a sensible man, ' said the Marquis from his coach.

'What is your name?'

'They call me Defarge.'

'This is for you, ' said the Marquis, and he threw Defarge another gold coin.'Drive on, ' he called to his driver.

Just as the coach was leaving, a coin was thrown back in through the window. The Marquis looked angrily at the corner where Defarge had been standing. Defarge had gone. At the corner there now stood a large, dark－haired woman, knitting. She stared long and hard at the face of the Marquis, but he did not look at her, and drove on.

Later that day, as the sun was going down, the same coach stopped in a village near the Marquis's castle. Several villagers, in poor thin clothes, with thin hungry faces, were standing in the village square. The Marquis looked at their faces and then pointed to one of them.

'Bring that man to me, ' he said to his driver.

The man came up to the coach, hat in hand, and the other villagers moved closer to listen.

'I passed you on the road just outside the village, ' said the Marquis.'You were looking at my coach in a very strange way. Why was that?'

'Monsieur, I was looking at the man, ' came the reply.

'What man?' asked the Marquis angrily.

'The man who was holding on under your coach, ' said the poor man, trembling with fear.

'What was he like?'

'Oh, Monsieur, he was white from head to foot. All covered with dust. Just like a ghost.'

'Where is he now? What happened to him?'

'Oh, he ran away down the hill outside the village.'

The Marquis turned to speak to another man. This was Monsieur Gabelle, the Marquis's official in the village.

'Gabelle, ' the Marquis said, 'watch out for this man. If he comes here, put him in prison.'

When the Marquis arrived at his castle, he asked if his nephew, Monsieur Charles, had arrived from England.

'Not yet, sir, ' replied the servant, but as the Marquis was eating his dinner, he heard the sound of a coach outside. Soon his nephew entered the room. In England he was known as Charles Darnay.

'You've been away for a long time, ' said the Marquis, with his cold, polite smile.

'I've had many problems in England. Perhaps because of you, ' Darnay said to his uncle.'I was in great danger.'

'No, no, I had nothing to do with your problems, ' replied the Marquis coldly.'Unfortunately, our family no longer has the power that it once had.'

'If it still had that power, one word from you would doubtless send me to prison, ' said Darnay.

'Possibly. For the good of our family.'

'The name of our family is hated everywhere in France. We are hard, cruel landowners. Our miserable people own nothing. They work for us night and day, but they don't even have enough food for themselves and their children. If this land became mine, I would give it away, and go and live somewhere else.'

'You seem to be very fond of England, although you are not a rich man there, ' said the Marquis.'I believe you know another Frenchman who has found a safe home there. A Doctor, I believe?'

'Yes.'

'With a daughter?'

'Yes.'

'Yes, ' said the Marquis with a secret smile on his face. 'So, a new way of life begins. But you are tired. Goodnight, Charles sleep well. I shall see you in the morning.'

After his nephew had gone to bed, the Marquis went to his room. The castle was surrounded with darkness. In the villages nearby the hungry people dreamt of a better life, with enough good food to eat, and time to rest from their work.

Early in the morning the dreamers awoke and started their day's hard work. The people in the castle did not get up until later, but when they did, why did the great bell start ringing? Why did people ride out of the castle to the village as fast as they could?

The answer lay in the bed of the Marquis. He lay there, like stone, with a knife pushed into his heart. On his chest lay a piece of paper with the words：

'Drive him fast to his grave. This is from JACQUES.'

4 埃弗蒙侯爵

埃弗蒙侯爵很失望。他在法国王宫里等了好几个小时了，可是国王一直没和他说话。侯爵怒气冲冲地上了马车并告诉车夫送他回家。很快马车就快速地驶出巴黎，人们不得不在狭窄的街道上跑着给它让路——如果他们能做到的话。在圣安东尼的一个街道的拐角处，马车的一个车轮撞上了什么东西，街上的人们都尖叫起来。马匹受了惊吓，停了下来。

“出了什么事?”侯爵从车窗探出头来沉着地问。一个高个子男人已从马蹄底下捡起了什么东西并朝它大哭起来。

“那个男人干嘛弄出那么可怕的声音?”侯爵不耐烦地问。

“对不起，侯爵先生，那是他的孩子。”其中一个人说。

“死了！被撞死了！”那个男人哭喊道。

街上的人们走近马车，带着冰冷、无言的表情看着侯爵。侯爵不耐烦又厌恶地回头看着他们。对他来说，他们不过是些动物而已。

“我真不明白，”他冷冷地说，“你们这帮人为什么不能照顾好自己和你们的孩子。但愿我的马没有受伤。”接着他把一个金币扔给车夫。“把它给那个男人！”

“死了呀！”孩子的父亲又一次嚷道。

另外一个男人走上前来。“勇敢些，加斯珀，你的孩子很快地就死了，而且没有痛苦，这样死掉总比活在这个可怕的年月里要好些。”

“你是一个通情达理的人，”侯爵在马车上说。

“你叫什么名字?”

“他们叫我得法热。”

“这是给你的。”侯爵说着，将另一枚金币扔给得法热。“继续走。”他对他的车夫喊道。

就在马车离开时，一枚金币从车窗扔进了车里。侯爵愤怒地看着得法热一直站着的那个拐角处。得法热已经走了。那个拐角处现在站着一个身材高大、黑头发的女人在织着毛线活儿。她长久地死死盯着侯爵的脸，但他并没有看她而是接着赶路。

那天的晚些时候，太阳落山时，那同一辆马车停在了侯爵的城堡附近的一个村子里。几个衣衫褴褛、面黄饥瘦的村民正站在村里的场地上。侯爵看着他们的脸庞然后指着其中的一个人。

“把那个男人带过来。”他对他的车夫说道。

那个人朝马车走过来，手里拿着帽子，其余的村民都走近前来聆听。

“我在村外的那条路上从你旁边经过，”侯爵说。“你当时正用一种奇特的眼光看着我的马车。为什么要这样?”

“先生，我那时正看着那个男人。”回答说。

“什么男人?”侯爵生气地问。

“就是那个扒在您马车底下的男人。”这个可怜人说道，身子因为害怕而发抖。

“他长得什么样?”

“他现在在哪儿?他怎么啦?”

“哦，他朝村外的山脚下跑去了。”

侯爵转过身去和另外一个人说话。那是加贝尔先生，是侯爵在村子里的官员。

“加贝尔，”侯爵说。“留神这个人。如果他来这儿，就把他送进监狱。”

当侯爵到了他的城堡后，他便问起他侄儿查尔斯先生是否从英格兰回来了。

“还没有，先生。”仆人回答说。但是在侯爵吃晚饭时，他听到外面有马车的声音。不久他的侄子便走进屋来。在英国他的名字是查尔斯·代尔那。

“你离开很长时间了，”侯爵带着冷冷的、有礼貌的微笑说道。

“我在英国遇到了很多麻烦，也许是因为你。”代尔那对他的叔叔说。“我的处境曾经非常危险。”

“不，不，我和你遇到的麻烦没有关系。”侯爵冷漠地说。“很不幸，我们的家族不再有它以往的权势了。”

“如果还有那样的权势，你的一句话就可以毫无疑问地把我送进监狱了。”

“也许吧。为了家族的利益嘛。”

“我们家族的名字在法国所有的地方都令人痛恨。我们是心狠手辣的地主。我们苦难的人民一无所有。他们日夜为我们工作，可他们和他们的孩子却食不果腹。如果把这些土地给我，我就把它们分给人，然后离开这儿去别处生活。”

“你似乎很喜欢英国，尽管你在那儿算不上一个有钱人，”侯爵说。“我想你知道另外一个法国人，他已在那儿找到了安身之所。他是个医生，对吗?”

“是的。”

“还有一个女儿?”

“是的。”

“啊，”侯爵说，脸上露出神秘的笑容。“那么，一种新的生活方式开始啦。但是你已经累了。晚安，查尔斯，祝你睡个好觉，我明天早上再见你。”

在他侄儿上床后，侯爵进了自己的房间。城堡被夜色包围。附近村子里饥饿的人们在梦想着过上好一点的生活，以便有足够的好食物吃。还可以工作后有时间休息。

一大早人们便从睡梦中醒来开始他们一天的辛勤劳作。城堡里的人很晚才会起床的。可等到他们起床时，为什么那个大钟开始响了起来呢?人们为什么骑着马拼命地从城堡往村子里跑呢?

答案就在侯爵的床上。侯爵像一块石头僵躺在床上。一把尖刀插进了他的心脏，在他的胸前放着一张纸条。上面写着：

“快把他送进他的坟墓。这是雅克干的。”

5 Two men speak of love

Twelve months after the death of the Marquis in France, Charles Darnay had become a successful teacher of French in London. He had known, when he came to London, that he would have to work hard to earn his living, and he was successful. He was also in love. He had loved Lucie Manette from the time when his life was in danger in the Old Bailey. He had never heard a sound so sweet as her gentle voice；he had never seen a face so beautiful as hers. But he had never spoken to her about his love. The death of his uncle in France had become, over the twelve months, like a dream to him, but he had said nothing to Lucie of his feelings, nor of what had happened. He had good reason for this.

But one day in the summer he came to Dr Manette's home in London. He knew that Lucie was out with Miss Pross, and he had decided to speak to her father. Dr Manette was now strong in body and mind, and sad memories of his long years in prison did not come back to him often. When Darnay arrived, the Doctor welcomed him warmly.

'Dr Manette, ' said Darnay, 'I know that Lucie is out. But I have come here today to speak to you.'

There was a silence.'Do you want to speak to me about Lucie?' asked the Doctor, slowly.

'Yes. Dear Dr Manette, I love your daughter dearly. If there was ever love in the world, I love Lucie.'

'I believe you, ' said Dr Manette sadly.' It's very hard for me to speak of her at any time, but I believe you, Charles Darnay. Have you spoken to Lucie about your love?'

'No, never. I know how much your daughter means to you, Dr Manette. Her love for you, and your love for her, these are the greatest things in your life, and in hers. I love Lucie. With all my heart I love her. But I do not want to come between you and her. The two of you will never be separated because of me.'

For a moment Dr Manette turned his head away, and his eyes were full of fear, and pain. Then he looked back at Darnay, and tried to smile.

'You have spoken very honestly, Charles, ' he said.'Have you any reason to believe that Lucie loves you?'

'None！'

'Then what do you want from me?'

'A promise. A promise that if Lucie ever tells you that she loves me, you will not speak against me, and will tell her what I have said. I know that she would never accept me if she believed that it would make you unhappy.'

'I can promise you more than that, Charles. If Lucie ever tells me that she loves you, I shall give her to you.'

'Thank you, Dr Manette, 'said Darnay, gratefully.'There is one thing more. My name in England is not my real name. I want to tell you what my real name is, and why I am in England.'

'Stop！'said the Doctor. He had even put his hands over his ears.'I don't want to know. Tell me when I ask you. If Lucie agrees to marry you, you shall tell me on the morning of your marriage.'

It was dark when Darnay left Dr Manette, and it was some time later when Lucie and Miss Pross came home.

'Father, ' Lucie called, 'where are you?' She heard no answer, but there were strange sounds coming from her father's bedroom Frightened, she ran upstairs and found her father, pale and silent, busy at his old prison work of making shoes. The shadow of the Bastille had fallen on him again. She took his arm and spoke gently to him, and together they walked up and down for a long time until at last Dr Manette went quietly to bed.

Although Mr Carton visited Dr Manette's house quite often, he usually said very little when he was there. One day in August he arrived when Dr Manette was out and he was received by Lucie. She had always been a little shy with him, but on that day she noticed something different in his face.

'Aren't you well, Mr Carton?' she asked.

'No, probably not, Miss Manette, but my way of life is not good for my health.'

'That seems sad, ' said Lucie gently.'Why do you not change your way of life?'

'It's too late for that. I shall never be better than I am. But, Miss Manette, there is something that I want to say to you, but I find it so difficult. Will you listen to me?'

'If it will help you, Mr Carton, I will be happy to listen to you, ' said Lucie, but she was pale and trembling.

'Miss Manette, I know that you could never have feelings of love for me, a man who has spent his life so badly.'

'Even without my love, Mr Carton, can I not save you? Can I not help you?'

'No, Miss Manette, ' said Carton.'Even if it was possible for you to love me, it is too late for me. I would only make you sad, and destroy your life. But it has been a last dream of my heart. To see you and your father together, to see the home that you have made for him—this has brought back old and happier memories for me.'

'Can I do nothing to help you?' asked Lucie sadly.

'Only this, Miss Manette. Let me remember that I spoke to you of the feelings of my heart, and that you were kind and gentle towards me.'

'Oh, Mr Carton. Try again to change.'

'No, Miss Manette, it is too late. My bad habits will never change now. But tell me that you will never speak of what I have said today, not to anyone, not even to the person dearest to you.'

'Mr Carton, ' said Lucie.'This is your secret. No one will ever know of it from me.'

'Thank you, Miss Manette. I shall never speak of this again. But in the hour of my death, it will be a happy memory for me that my last words of love were to you.'

Lucie had never heard Mr Carton speak like this before. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of his hopeless, miserable life.

'Don't cry, ' said Sydney Carton.'I am not worth your love. But you should know that for you, or for anyone close to you, I would do anything. Please remember always, that there is a man who would give his life to keep someone you love alive and close to you. Goodbye, Miss Manette.'

On the day of Lucie's marriage to Charles Darnay, Mr Lorry and Miss Pross stood, with Lucie, outside the door of Dr Manette's room. Inside, the Doctor and Mr Darnay had been talking together for a long time.

Soon it would be time to leave for the church. Lucie looked very beautiful, and Mr Lorry watched her proudly. He talked about the day, So long ago, when he had brought Lucie, as a baby in his arms, from France to England. Miss Pross, too, had her memories and thought fondly of her brother Solomon. He had stolen money from her many years ago and she had never seen him since then, but she still loved him.

The door of the Doctor's room opened and he came out with Charles Darnay. The Doctor's face was white, but he was calm. He took his daughter's arm and they went out to the waiting coach. The others followed in a second coach and soon, in a nearby church, Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay were marrined.

After the marriage Lucie and Charles came back to the house for breakfast, and then Lucie had to say goodbye to her father for two weeks—the first time they had not been together since his return from Paris.

When Lucie and Charles had left, Mr Lorry noticed a change in the Doctor. A little sadness was natural, but there was a lost, frightened look in the Doctor's eyes, which worried Mr Lorry very much. When he left to go to Tellson's Bank, he whispered to Miss Pross that he would return as quickly as he could.

Two hours later he hurried back to the house, and Miss Pross met him at the door.

'Oh, what shall we do, Mr Lorry?' she cried.'He doesn't know me, and is making shoes again！'

Mr Lorry went up to the Doctor's room.'Dr Manette, my dear friend. Look at me. Don't you remember me?'

But Dr Manette said nothing and worked on in silence. Once again, he was a prisoner in the Bastille, without friends or family, without even a name of his own.

For nine days and nine nights the shoemaker worked on, leaving his table only to sleep, eat, or walk up and down his room. Mr Lorry sat with him night and day, talking gently to him from time to time, trying to bring his friend's mind back to the present.

Then at last, on the tenth morning, the shoemaking work was put away, and Dr Alexandre Manette, pale but calm, was his old self again. Lucie was never told, and in the quiet and happy years that followed her marriage, Dr Manette remained strong in mind and body.

5 两个男人谈论爱情

法国侯爵死了12个月之后，查尔斯·代尔那已经在伦敦成了一名成功的法语教师。在他前往伦敦时他就知道自己将不得不靠勤奋的工作谋生。他现在成功了。同时他还陷入了爱河之中。还在他的生命在旧巴勒处于危险的境地时，他就已经爱上了路茜·马内特。他从未听到过像她那么甜蜜的声音，他也从未见过她那么美丽的脸庞。可他从未向她表白过爱慕之情。他在法国的叔叔的死在12个月之后，对他来说已经成了一个梦。但他没有对路茜说过他的感受，也从未提起过所发生的事情。对此他自有理由。

但是夏季的一天他去到伦敦马内特医生家。他知道路茜和普罗斯小姐出去了。他已决定要和她的父亲谈一谈。马内特医生的身心现在都已很强壮，过去漫长的监狱生活的悲伤记忆已不常浮现在他眼前了。代尔那来时，医生热情地欢迎了他。

“马内特医生，”代尔那说，“我知道路茜出去了。但我今天到这儿来是想和您谈谈的。”

一阵沉默。“你是想和我谈谈路茜的吧?”医生慢慢地问道。

“是的，亲爱的马内特医生，我深深地爱着您的女儿。如果这世界上有爱情的话，那么我就爱路茜。”

“我相信你，”马内特医生忧伤地说。“任何时候谈起她对我来说都很困难，但我相信你，查尔斯·代尔那。你对路茜表白过你对她的爱了吗?”

“没有，从来没有过。我知道您女儿对您来说多么重要，马内特医生。她对您的爱和您对她的爱都是您的及她的生命中最重要的东西。我爱路茜，全心全意地爱她。但是我不想打破你们的关系。你们两个人将永不会因为我而分开。”

有一阵儿马内特医生把头侧转过去，眼中充满了恐惧和痛苦。后来他转过头来看着代尔那，尽力装出一副笑脸。

“你说得很诚恳，查尔斯，”他说。“你有什么理由相信路茜爱你吗?”

“没有！”

“那么你想从我这儿得到什么呢?”

“承诺。这个承诺就是一旦路茜告诉您她爱我，那么您就不要说反对的话，并且告诉她我所说的这些话。我知道如果她认为您会痛苦，那就绝不会接受我的爱。”

“我可以承诺更多的东西，查尔斯。如果路茜告诉我说她爱你，我就会把她交给你。”

“谢谢您，马内特医生。”代尔那感激地说。“还有一件事，我在英国的名字不是我的真实姓名，我想告诉您我的真实姓名，还有我来英国的原因。”

“打住！”医生说。他甚至已经用手捂住了耳朵。“我不想知道。我问你时你再告诉我吧。如果路茜同意嫁给你，你就要在你们结婚的那天早晨告诉我。”

代尔那离开马内特医生时天已经黑了。路茜和普罗斯小姐晚些时候才回家。

“爸爸，”路茜喊道，“您在哪儿?”她没有听到回答，可是从她父亲的卧室里传来了些奇怪的声音。路茜吓坏了，她跑上楼去见到了父亲，脸色苍白，正在悄无声息地忙着做在监狱里干的老活计——做鞋子。巴士底狱的阴影又一次降临到了他身上。她抓住了父亲的手，温柔地对他说着话，并且和他一起来来回回走了很长时间，直到最后马内特医生安静地上了床睡觉。

尽管卡登先生经常拜访马内特医生家，但他来时总是很少说话。8月的一天他来时马内特医生出去了，路茜接待了他。她在他面前总是有点害羞，但在那天她注意到了他的脸上有种不同以往的神情。

“您不舒服吗，卡登先生?”她问。

“不，大概不是吧，马内特小姐。只是我的生活方式对健康不好。”

“那可太不幸了，”路茜柔声说，“您为什么不改变一下您的生活方式呢?”

“那太晚了。我永远不会比现在有什么起色了。但是，马内特小姐，我有一件事想对您说，但又发现这太难了。您会听我说吗?”

“如果那对您有帮助的话，卡登先生，我会乐意听您说的。”路茜说。然而她的脸色苍白，浑身发抖。

“马内恃小姐，我知道您是永远不会对我有爱情的。我这个人生活得这么糟糕。”

“即便没有爱情，卡登先生，难道我就不能挽救您吗?我不能帮您吗?”

“不，马内特小姐，”卡登说。“即使您可能爱我，那对我来说也已经太晚了。我只会让您伤心，从而毁了您的生活。但那也是我心中最后的一个梦想。能看到您和您的父亲在一起，看到您为他建起的这个家——这已经为我带回了那古老而幸福的回忆。”

“我就不能为您做点儿什么吗?”路茜悲伤地问。

“仅此而已，马内特小姐，就让我记住我曾对您说过我心中的感情，而您对我又关怀又体贴。”

“哦，卡登先生，再试着去改变一下吧。”

“不，马内特小姐，这太晚了。我的坏毛病永远也不会改掉了。但是请您告诉我您以后绝不会提起我今天对您说过的话，不要告诉任何人，甚至您最亲爱的人。”

“卡登先生，”路茜说。“这是您的隐私，不会有人从我这儿知道这些的。”

“谢谢您，马内特小姐。我不会再说这些了，但在我死的时候，我会因为我最后的爱情表白是对您说的而留下幸福的回忆。”

路茜以前从未听过卡登先生这么说过，一想到他绝望、不幸的生活，她的眼里就充满了泪水。

“不要哭，”西得尼·卡登说。“我不值得您爱，但是您要知道我会乐意对您或任何您亲近的人做任何事情的。请永远记住，这里有一个男人，他将不惜自己的生命去保护您所爱的人的生命，并为了让他和您永远在一起而不惜一切。再见，马内特小姐。”

在路茜嫁给查尔斯·代尔那的这天，劳里先生和普罗斯小姐陪路茜站在马内特医生的房门外。屋子里，医生和代尔那先生已经在一起谈了很长时间。

很快就将是去教堂的时间了。路茜显得非常漂亮。劳里先生骄傲地看着她。他说起了多年前他把路茜抱在怀里从法国去英国那天的事。普罗斯小姐也回忆起往事并深情地想起了她的弟弟所罗门。好多年前他偷了她的钱，从那以后她就再没见过他，但她仍旧爱他。

医生的房门打开了。他和查尔斯·代尔那走了出来。医生的脸色苍白但仍很镇静。他挽起女儿的胳膊走向已在等候的马车。其他人则乘坐第二辆马车跟随其后。很快路茜·马内特和查尔斯·代尔那就在附近的一个教堂里举行了婚礼。

婚礼结束后路茜和查尔斯回到家里吃早餐，然后路茜不得不和父亲告别两个星期——这是他从巴黎回来后他们第一次分开。

路茜和查尔斯走后，劳里先生注意到医生的变化。有一些伤感是自然的，但是在他的眼睛里有一种失落、恐惧的神情，这使劳里先生非常担忧。在他要去台尔森银行时，他小声对普罗斯小姐说了他将尽快回来。

两个小时之后他匆忙返回时，普罗斯小姐在门口迎住了他。

而且又开始做起鞋子来了。”

劳里先生上楼来到医生的房间。“马内特医生，我亲爱的朋友，看着我，你不记得我了吗?”

可马内特医生什么话也没说，只是默默地做着他的活儿。他又成了巴士底狱里的囚犯了，没有朋友，没有家，甚至连名字都没有。

连着9天9夜鞋匠一直在做他的活儿，只是在睡觉，吃饭或在屋子里走来走去时才离开工作台。劳里先生日夜陪着他，时不时地轻声和他说着话，竭力想把他朋友的思绪带回到现实中来。

最后，在第10天的早晨，做鞋的工作被抛到了一边。亚历山大·马内特医生——脸色苍白却很平静，这时又恢复了他应有的神情。路茜没有被告知这些，而且在她婚后宁静而幸福的日子里，马内特医生始终保持着强健的心理和身体状态。

6 Stormy years in France

In Monsieur Defarge's wine－shop in Saint Antoine customers came and went all the time. They came to drink the thin, rough wine, but more often they came to listen and to talk, and to wait for news.

One day there were more customers than usual. Defarge had been away for three days, and when he returned that morning, he brought a stranger with him, a man who repaired roads.

'Madame, ' Defarge said to his wife, 'this man, who is called Jacques, has walked a long way with me.' One customer got up and went out.'This mender of roads, ' continued Defarge, 'who is called Jacques, is a good man. Give him something to drink.' A second man got up and went out. The man who repaired roads sat down and drank. A third man got up and went out.

'Have you finished, my friend?' said Defarge.'Then come and see the room I promised you.'

They went upstairs, to the room where Dr Manette had sat making shoes. The three men who had left the wine－shop were waiting. Defarge spoke to them.

'No names. You are Jacques One, Jacques Two and Jacques Three. I am Jacques Four. This is Jacques Five. He brings us news of our poor friend Gaspard, whose child was killed by the Marquis's coach a year ago.'

'I first saw Gaspard, ' said Jacques Five, 'holding on under the Marquis's coach as it drove into our village. He ran away, but that night the Marquis was murdered. Gaspard disappeared and was only caught a few weeks ago. The soldiers brought him into the village and hanged him. And they have left his body hanging in the village square, where the women go to fetch water, and our children play.'

When Jacques Five had left them, Jacques One said to his friends, 'What do you say? Shall we put their names on the list?'

'Yes, all of them. The castle and all of the family of Evrémonde.'

'Is the list safe?' asked Jacques Two.

'Yes, my friend, ' said Defarge.'My wife remembers everything. But more than that, every name is carefully knitted into her work. Nothing can be forgotten.'

A few days later Defarge reported to his wife some news from his friend'Jacques' in the police.

'A new spy has been sent to Saint Antoine. His name is Barsad, John Barsad. He's English.'

'What does he look like? Do we know?'

'He's about forty years old, quite tall, black hair, thin face, ' said Defarge.

'Good, ' said his wife.'I'll put him on the list tomorrow. But you seem tired tonight. And sad.'

'Well, ' said Defarge, 'it is a long time.'

'It takes time to prepare for change. The crimes against the people of France cannot be revenged in a day.'

'But we may not live to see the end.'

'Even if that happens, ' replied Madame Defarge, 'we shall help it to come. But I believe that we shall see the day of our revenge against these hated noblemen.'

The next day a stranger came into the wine－shop. At once, Madame Defarge picked up a rose from the table and put it in her hair. As soon as they saw this, the customers stopped talking and, one by one, without hurrying, left the wine－shop.

'Good day, Madame, ' said the stranger.

'Good day, Monsieur, 'said Madame Defarge, but to herself she said, 'About forty years old, tall, black hair, thin face. Yes, I know who you are, Mr John Barsad.'

'Is business good?' asked the stranger.

'Business is bad, The people are so poor.' Madame Defarge looked over to the door.'Ah, here is my husband.'

'Good day, Jacques, 'said the spy.

'You're wrong, ' said Defarge, staring at him.'That's not my name. I am Ernest Defarge.'

'It's all the same, ' said the spy easily.'I remember something about you, Monsieur Defarge. You took care of Dr Manette when he came out of the Bastille.'

'That's true, ' said Defarge.

'Have you heard much from Dr Manette and his daughter? They're in England now.'

'No, not for a long time.'

She was married recently. Not to an Englishman, but to a Frenchman. It's quite interesting when you remember poor Gaspard. Miss Manette has married the nephew of the Marquis that Gaspard killed. Her new husband is really the new Marquis, but he prefers to live unknown in England. He's not a Marquis there, just Mr Charles Darnay.'

Monsieur Defarge was not happy at this news. When the spy had gone, he said to his wife, 'Can it be true? If it is, I hope that Miss Manette keeps her husband away from France.'

'Who knows what will happen?' replied Madame Defarge. 'I only know that the name of Evrémonde is in my list, and for good reason.' She went on calmly knitting, adding name after name to her list of the enemies of the people.

Time passed, and Madame Defarge still knitted. The women of Saint Antoine also knitted, and the thin hungry faces of Jacques and his brothers became darker and angrier. The noise of the coming storm in Paris was growing louder.

It began one summer day in the streets of Saint Antoine, around Defarge's wine－shop, with a great crowd of people. A crowd who carried guns, knives, sticks, even stones－anything that could be a weapon. An angry crowd who shouted and screamed, who were ready to fight and to die in battle.

'Friends and citizens！'shouted Defarge.'We are ready！To the Bastille！'The crowd began to move, like the waves of the sea.

'Follow me, women！'cried Madame Defarge. A long sharp knife shone brightly in her hand.'We can kill as well as any man！'

The living sea of angry people ran through Saint Antoine to the Bastille, and soon the hated prison was ringing with the noise of battle. Fire and smoke climbed up the high stone walls and the thunder of the guns echoed through the city.

Four terrible and violent hours. Then a white flag appeared above the walls and the gates were opened. The Bastille had been taken by the people of Paris！Soon the crowds were inside the building itself, and shouting'Free the prisoners！'But Defarge put his strong hand on the shoulder of one of the soldiers.

'Show me the North Tower. Take me to One Hundred and Five, North Tower！Quickly！'

'Follow me' said the frightened man, and Defarge and Jacques Three went with him through the dark prison, past heavy closed doors, up stone stairs, until they came to a low door. It was a small room, with dark stone walls and only one very small window, too high for anyone to look out. Defarge looked carefully along the walls.

'There, look there, Jacques Three, ' he cried.

'A.M.！'whispered Jacques.

'A.M. Alexandre Manette, ' said Defarge softly.'Let us go now.' But before they left, they searched the room and the furniture very carefully, looking for small hiding－places.

Then they returned to the crowds below. The Bastille and its officers were now in the hands of the people, and the people wanted revenge, and blood.

'At last, it has begun, my dear, ' said Defarge to his wife. It was the fourteenth of July, 1789.

In the village where the Marquis had lived, and where Gaspard had died, life was hard. Everything was old and tired and broken down－the people, the land, the houses, the animals. In the past everything and everybody had had to work for the Marquis, and he had given nothing in return.

But now, strangers were travelling about the country, strangers who were poor, like the people, but who talked about new ideas—ideas which had started in Paris and were now running like fire across the country.

The road－mender, who had brought the news of Gaspard to Paris, still worked repairing the roads. One day a stranger came to him as he worked on the road outside the village.

'Jacques, ' said the stranger. He shook the road－mender's hand, and turned to look at the Marquis's castle on the hill.

'It's tonight, Jacques, ' he went on quietly.'The others will meet me here.'

It was very dark that night and the wind was strong. No one saw the four men who came quietly to the castle and said nothing. But soon the castle itself could be seen in the dark sky. The windows became bright；smoke and yellow flames climbed into the sky. Monsieur Gabelle called loudly for help, but the people in the village watched and did nothing to save the castle where the Marquis had lived.

6 法国的暴风雨年代

在圣安东尼得法热先生的酒店里，顾客们来来往往络绎不绝。他们来这儿喝点清淡的粗制葡萄酒，但他们更多的是来这儿聆听和交谈的，还有等候消息的。

一天，店里的顾客比平常要多。得法热已经出去3天了。当他那天早上回来时，他带回来了一个陌生人，一个修路工。

“夫人，”得法热对他的妻子说。“这个人叫雅克，他已经和我一起走了很长一段路。”有一个顾客这时起身走了出去。“这个修路工，”得法热接着说，“叫雅克，是个好人。给他来点喝的吧。”第二个人起身走了出去。那个修路的人坐了下来喝酒。第三个人起身走了出去。

“喝完了吗，我的朋友?”得法热说。“那就过来看看我答应给你的房间吧。”

他们上了楼，来到马内特医生曾坐着做鞋子的房间。那三个刚才离开酒店的男人正在等着他们。得法热对他们说：

“没有名字。你们是雅克一，雅克二和雅克三。我是雅克四，这是雅克五。他给我们带来了我们可怜的朋友加斯珀的消息，一年前他的孩子被侯爵的马车压死了。”

“我第一次看到加斯珀，”雅克五说，“是在侯爵的马车进村时，他扒在车底下。他跑掉了，但是那天晚上侯爵就被暗杀了。加斯珀失踪了，几星期前才被抓到。士兵们把他带到村子里绞死了他，而且他们把他的尸体吊在了村里的场地上。那是妇女们打水以及我们的孩子们玩耍的地方。

雅克五走后，雅克一对他的朋友们说：“你们有什么说的呢?我们是不是该把他们的名字列在名单上?”

“是的，他们所有的名字。那个城堡里及所有埃弗蒙家族的人。”

“名单安全吗?”雅克二问。

“是的，我的朋友。”得法热说。“我老婆记得所有的事，不仅如此，每一个名字她都织到了毛线活儿里，绝不会被忘掉的。”

几天后，得法热把一些从他在警察局里的雅克朋友那儿得到的消息告诉了他妻子。

“一个新的间谍已被派到了圣安东尼，他叫巴萨德，约翰·巴萨德，是英国人。”

“他长得什么样?我们知道吗?”

“他大约40岁，个儿很高，黑头发，瘦脸庞。”得法热说。

“好的，”他老婆说。“我明天就把他记入名单中。只是你今晚上好像累了，而且有些伤心。”

“唉，”得法热说，“时间太长了。”

“准备变革就得花费时间。”

“但我们也许不会活着看到结果了。”

“即使是这样，”得法热夫人说，”“我们也要尽力让它到来。但是我相信我们会看到我们对那些可恨的贵族们复仇的那一天。”

第二天一个陌生人来到了酒店。立刻，得法热夫人便从桌上拿起一支玫瑰花插在了头发上。顾客们一看到这个动作便立刻停止了交谈，并一个接着一个从容地离开了酒店。

“你好，夫人。”陌生人说。

“你好，先生。”得法热夫人说。但她心里说：“大约40多岁，高个儿，黑头发，瘦脸庞。对了，我知道你是谁，约翰·巴萨德先生。”

“生意好吗?”陌生人问。

“生意不好，人们太穷了。”得法热夫人抬起头看着门。“啊，这是我丈夫。”

“你好，雅克。”间谍说道。

“你错了，”得法热盯着他说。“那不是我的名字，我叫恩斯特·得法热。”

“那都一样，”间谍随口说道。“我记得你的一些事，得法热先生。马内特医生从巴士底狱出来后是你照顾他的。”

“是那样的。”得法热说。

“你常有马内特医生和他女儿的消息吗?他们现在在英国。”

“没有，很长时间都没有了。”

“她最近结婚了。不是嫁给一个英国人，而是一个法国人。如果你联想起可怜的加斯珀，这件事真是有趣。马内特小姐嫁给了被加斯珀杀死的侯爵的侄子，她的新婚丈夫实际上是新的侯爵。可他宁愿不为人知地住在英国。他在那里可不是侯爵，而只不过是查尔斯·代尔那。”

得法热先生听到这个消息后心里不高兴。在间谍走后，他对妻子说：“这会是真的吗?如果是，我希望马内特小姐让她的丈夫远离法国。”

“谁知道会发生什么?”得法热夫人回答说，“我只知道埃弗蒙这个名字在我的名单上，而且有充分的理由。”她继续平静地织着毛线活儿，把一个又一个的名字织进人民公敌名单中。

时间流逝着，得法热夫人仍旧在编织着。圣安东尼的妇女们也都在织着。雅克和他的兄弟们饥饿削瘦的脸变得越来越灰暗也越来越愤怒。巴黎即将到来的暴风雨的隆隆雷声已愈来愈响了。

事情开始于夏季的一天，在圣安东尼得法热酒店四周的街道上聚集了大队的人群。他们拿着枪、刀、棍子，甚至石头，即一切可以作为武器的东西。他们狂呼怒吼着，准备着去战斗、战死也在所不惜。

“朋友们、公民们！”得法热喊道，“我们做好了准备！向巴士底狱进军！”人群开始移动，像海浪般汹涌向前。

“跟着我，妇女们！”得法热夫人说道。一把明晃晃的长尖刀在她手中挥舞着。“我们也能像任何男人一样去杀人！”

愤怒的人海穿过圣安东尼冲向了巴士底狱。很快，这让人痛恨的监狱便响起了战斗的声音。烈火和浓烟窜上了高大的石头墙，雷鸣般的炮声在城市中回响。

恐怖而暴烈的4个小时之后，城墙上出现了一面白旗，城门被打开了。巴士底狱已经被巴黎人民攻占了！很快人群便拥入其中，他们呐喊着“释放犯人！”但是得法热把他结实的手放在了一个士兵肩上。

“指给我'北塔'，带我去北塔105！快！”

“跟我来。”那个吓坏了的家伙说道。得法热和雅克三随他走过黑暗的监狱，路过了沉重紧锁的门，上了石头台阶，来到一个低矮的门前。这是一个狭小的房间，黑暗的石墙上只有一个很小的窗户，它很高，没人能够着它往外看。得法热顺着墙仔细地查看着。

“这儿，看这儿，雅克三。”他嚷道。

“A.M.！”雅克小声念道。

“A.M.，亚历山大·马内特。”得法热轻声说。“我们现在走吧。”但在他们离开之前，他们细心地搜索了一遍房间和家具，寻找着细小的隐藏之处。

然后他又返回到下面的人群中。巴士底狱及其官员们都在人民的手中了，他们要报仇雪恨，要以血还血。

“最终，它总算开始了，亲爱的。”得法热对他的妻子说。这天是1789年的7月14日。

在侯爵生活和加斯珀死去的那个村庄，生活很艰难。一切东西都是衰老、疲惫和残缺的，包括村民、土地、房屋、牲畜。过去，所有的人力和物力都得为侯爵效劳，而且得不到任何回报。

但是现在，陌生的人们在全国巡游。这些陌生人像当地人一样穷，但是他们谈论着新思想——那些源于巴黎的思想现在正像烈火一样燃遍全国。

那个把加斯珀的消息带到巴黎的修路人，仍旧在修着道路。一天，当他在村子外面的路上干着活儿时，一个陌生人朝他走来。

“雅克，”那个陌生人说。他握着修路人的手，并转身看着山上侯爵的城堡。

“就是今晚，雅克，”他接着平静地说道。“另外的人将要在这儿和我见面。”

那天晚上天很黑，而且风刮得很猛。没有人看见有4个人悄无声息地走向城堡。但是很快城堡就显露在黑暗的夜幕中。窗户明亮，烟雾和黄色的火焰直冲云天。加贝尔先生大声地喊着救命，但村子里的人们只是袖手旁观，没有采取任何行动去营救这座侯爵住过的城堡。

7 A call for help

The troubles in France continued. The citizens of France had fought to win power, and now they used it. Castles were burned, laws were changed, and the rich and powerful nobles died—their heads cut off by that terrible new machine of death, the Guillotine. In Paris the King was put in prison, and in 1792 the people of France sent him to the Guillotine as well. The French Revolution was now three years old, but there were more years of terror to come.

Not all the rich nobles had died. Some had escaped to England；some had even sent or brought their money to London before the Revolution began. And Tellson's Bank, which the French emigrants used, had become a meeting－place where they could hear and talk about the latest news from France.

One wet August day Mr Lorry sat at his desk in the bank, talking to Charles Darnay. The years since Charles's marriage had seen the arrival of a daughter, little Lucie, who was now nine years old. Dr Manette had continued in good health, and at the centre of that warm family circle was always Lucie—a loving daughter, wife, mother, and a kind－hearted friend. Even Sydney Carton, though his old, bad ways were unchanged, was a family friend—and very much a favourite with little Lucie.

But at this moment Charles Darnay was trying very hard to persuade his old friend Mr Lorry not to go to France.'It's too dangerous. The weather is not good, the roads are bad, think of your age, ' he said.

'My dear Charles, ' said the banker.'You think that, at nearly eighty years of age, I'm too old. But that's exactly why I must go. I have the experience, I know the business. My work is to find and hide papers that might be dangerous to our customers. And anyway, Jerry Cruncher goes with me. He'll take good care of my old bones.'

'I wish I could go, ' said Charles restlessly.'I feel sorry for the people in France, and perhaps I could help them. Only last night, when I was talking to Lucie－'

'Talking to Lucie, ' repeated Mr Lorry.'You talk about your lovely wife at the same time as you talk about going to France. You must not go. Your life is here, with your family.'

'Well, I'm not going to France. But you are, and I'm worried about you.'

Just at that moment a bank clerk put an old, unopened letter on Mr Lorry's desk, and Darnay happened to see the name on it：The Marquis of Evrémonde, at Tellson's Bank,

London. Since his uncle's death, this was Darnay's real name. On the morning of his wedding to Lucie he had told Dr Manette, but the Doctor had made him promise to keep his name secret. Not even Lucie or Mr Lorry knew.

'We can't find this Marquis, ' said the clerk.

'I know where to find him, ' said Darnay.'Shall I take the letter?'

'That would be very kind, ' said Mr Lorry.

As soon as he had left the bank, Darnay opened the letter. It was from Monsieur Gabelle, who had been arrested and taken to Paris. Monsieur, once the Marquis

I am in prison, and I may lose my life, because I worked for a landowner who has left France. You told me to work for the people and not against them, and I have done this. But no one believes me. They say only that I worked for an emigrant, and where is that emigrant? Oh Monsieur,

please help me, I beg you！

This cry for help made Darnay very unhappy. After the death of the Marquis, he had told Gabelle to do his best for the people. But now Gabelle was in prison, just because he was employed by a nobleman. It was clear to Darnay that he must go to Paris. He did not think that he would be in danger, as he had done everything he could to help the people of his village. He hoped that he would be able to save his old servant.

That night Charles Darnay sat up late, writing two letters. One was to his wife, Lucie；the other was to her father, Dr Manette. He told them where he had gone and why, and he promised that he would write to them from France. He had left secretly, he wrote, to save them from worrying.

The next day he went out, without saying anything to them of his plans. He kissed his wife and his daughter, and said that he would be back soon. And then he began his journey to Paris.

When he arrived in France, Darnay found that he could travel only very, very slowly towards Paris. The roads were bad and every town, every village had its citizens with guns who stopped all travellers, asked them questions, looked at their papers, made them wait or threw them in prison, turned them back or sent them on their way. And it was all done in the name of freedom—the new Freedom of France.

Darnay soon realized that he could not turn back until he had reached Paris and proved himself to be a good citizen, not an enemy of the people.

On his third night in France he was woken by an official and three other men with guns.

'Emigrant,' said the official.'These three soldiers will take you to Paris, and you must pay them.'

Darnay could only obey and at three o'clock in the morning he left with three soldiers to guard him. Even with them he was sometimes in danger；the people in the towns and villages all seemed to be very angry with emigrants, but finally they arrived safely at the gates of Paris. Darnay had to wait a long time while officials carefully read his papers, which explained the reasons for his journey. One official, seeing Gabelle's letter, looked up at Darnay in great surprise, but said nothing. Another official asked roughly：

'Are you Evrémonde?'

'Yes,' replied Darnay.

'You will go to the prison of La Force！'

'But why?' asked Darnay.'Under what law?'

'We have new laws, Evrémonde,' said the official sharply, 'and emigrants have no rights. You will be held in secret. Take him away.'

As Darnay left, the first official said quietly to him,'Are you the man who married the daughter of Dr Manette?'

'Yes,' replied Darnay in surprise.

'My name is Defarge and I have a wine－shop in Saint Antoine. Perhaps you have heard of me.'

'Yes. My wife came to your house to find her father.'

'Why did you come back to France? It will be very bad for you.'

Darnay was taken to the prison of La Force and put in a cold empty room with a locked door and bars across the windows. He thought of Dr Manette and his many years alone, forgotten, in the Bastille.

'Now I, too, have been buried alive,' he thought.

7 求救

法国的风暴在继续着。法国的公民们曾为争得权力而战斗，现在他们可以使用权力了。城堡被烧掉，法律被改换，那些有钱有势的贵族死了：他们的脑袋被那可怕的新死亡机器——断头台给砍掉了。在巴黎，国王被投进了监狱。1792年，法国人民把他也送上了断头台。法国大革命到现在已3年了，但是恐怖还要持续更长的岁月。

并非所有的有钱贵族都已死了，他们有一些逃到了英国；有一些在大革命开始之前就已把他们的钱财带到或寄到了伦敦。台尔森银行为法国移民所利用，现在它已经成了他们聚集在一起打听和谈论从法国来的最新消息的场所。

8月里一个潮湿的日子，劳里先生坐在他银行里的办公桌旁和查尔斯·代尔那交谈。查尔斯婚后已有了一个女儿小路茜来到世上。现在她已经9岁了。马内特医生的身体一直很健康。这个温馨的家庭的中心始终是路茜——一个让人喜欢的女儿、妻子、母亲和善良的朋友。甚至西得尼·卡登，虽然他原先那些不好的生活方式并未改变，也是这个家庭的朋友——而且是小路茜最喜爱的人。

但在此刻，查尔斯·代尔那正竭力说服他的老朋友劳里先生不要去法国。“那太危险了，天气也不好，路也难走，还有您的年纪。”他说。

“我亲爱的查尔斯，”银行家说。“你认为我快80岁了，所以太老了，但这正是我必须去的原因。我有经验，也懂业务。我的工作是去找到并收藏有可能对我们的客户有危险的文件。况且还有杰里·克拉彻和我一起去，他会照顾好我这把老骨头的。”

“我希望我能去。”查尔斯不安地说。“我为法国人民难过，也许我能帮助他们。只是昨天夜里，我和路茜谈起的时候——”

“和路茜谈，”劳里先生重复道。“你谈起去法国一事的同时还谈起你可爱的妻子。你不能去，你的生活在这儿，和你的家人在一起。”

“好吧，我不去法国了。但是你却要去，我是为你担心。”

就在这时一个银行职员把一封旧的，没有打开的信放在了劳里先生的桌子上。代尔那正巧看见了信封上的名字，上面写着：伦敦，台尔森银行·埃弗蒙侯爵。在他叔叔死后，这就成了代尔那真正的名字。在他和路茜举行婚礼的那天早晨他就告诉了马内特医生，但是医生自己答应将他的名字保密。所以，甚至路茜和劳里先生都不知道。

“我们找不到这个侯爵。”那个职员说。

“我知道上哪儿去找他。”代尔那说。“可以把这封信给我吗?”

“那真是太好了。”劳里先生说。

一离开银行，代尔那就打开了信。信是加贝尔先生写来的，他已经被抓了起来而且被送到了巴黎。

先生，前侯爵：

我在监狱里，而且也许会丧命，罪名是我曾为一个离开了法国的地主效劳。您曾告诉我要为人民效力而且不要反对他们，我这样做了，但是没有人相信我。他们只说我是为一个流亡者效力。还有就是那个流亡者在哪儿?啊，先生，请帮帮我吧，求求您了！

这个求救的哭诉使代尔那十分难受。侯爵死后，他就告诉过加贝尔要尽自己最大的努力去帮助人民，但是现在加贝尔进了监狱，仅仅因为他受雇于一个贵族。代尔那清楚自己必须去一趟巴黎。他认为自己不会有危险，因为他已尽力去帮助过他的村民们。他希望他能搭救老仆人。

那天晚上查尔斯·代尔那熬夜熬到很晚，写了两封信，一封给他的妻子路茜，另一封给他的岳父马内特医生。他告诉了他们他要去哪儿以及为什么要去，并许诺他会从法国写信给他们。他之所以不辞而别，他写道，是为了不让他们担心。

第二天他走时，投有提起任何有关他计划的事。他吻了妻子和女儿，而且说了他很快就会回来，然后他就开始了他的巴黎之旅。

到了法国以后，代尔那发现他的巴黎之行只能异常缓慢地进行。路况很糟，而且每个城镇、每个村庄都有拿枪的公民拦截任何过往的行人。他们盘问，查看他们的证件，让他们等候着或把他们送进监狱，让他们返回或押送他们上路。

这一切都是在自由的名义下干出来的——新式的法兰西自由。

代尔那很快意识到在他去巴黎并证明自己是个好公民而不是人民的敌人之前，他是回不去的了。

在他到法国的第三天晚上，他被一个官员和另外三个荷枪的人弄醒了。

“流亡者，”那个官员说。“这三个士兵将把你带到巴黎，你必须付给他们钱。”

代尔那只得从命，早上三点时他就和三个保护他的士兵离开了。即使跟他们在一起，他也不时地陷入危险，城里和村子里的人们似乎全都非常痛恨流亡者，但最后他们总算安全到达了巴黎的城门。在官员们仔细地看他的证件时，代尔那不得不等了很长时间。这些证件是用来说明他为什么来法国的。当一个官员看了加贝尔的信后，大为吃惊地抬头看着代尔那，但是没说什么。另一个官员粗暴地问道：

“你是埃弗蒙吗?”

“是的。”代尔那回答。

“你要进拉弗尔斯监狱。”

“可是为什么?”代尔那问。“依据什么法律?”

“我们有了新的法律，埃弗蒙，”那个官员厉声说。“流亡者没有权利；你将被秘密关押起来。把他带走！”

代尔那正要走，第一位官员悄声问他：“你是和马内特医生的女儿结婚的那个人吗?”

“是呀。”代尔那惊讶地口答。

“我叫得法热，我在圣安东尼有一家酒店，也许你听说过我。”

“是的，我妻子曾去你家里找回了他父亲。”

“你为什么要回法国呢?这对你太糟糕了。”

代尔那被送进了拉弗尔斯监狱，而且被关进一个寒冷而空荡的房间。门上了锁，窗户封了铁条。他想起了马内特医生在巴士底狱里多年孤独和被人遗忘的日子。

“现在，我也被活埋了。”他想着。

8 In the hands of the citizens

Tellson's Bank in Paris was in a large building south of the river, close to the heart of the city. Mr Lorry had arrived in Paris some days before Charles Darnay, and was now living in some rooms above the bank. One evening, looking out of the window, he saw that a large grindstone had been brought into the square below. There was a wild, shouting crowd around it, busy sharpening their knives and swords and axes, which were already red with blood. With shaking hands, Mr Lorry closed the window.

He had decided to go downstairs and talk to the bank guards, when suddenly the door of his room opened, and Lucie and her father ran in.

'Lucie！Manette！What has happened? Why are you here? ' cried Mr Lorry.

'Charles is in Paris, 'cried Lucie. 'He came to help an old family servant. But he's been taken to prison. '

At that moment the shouts of the crowd outside grew louder.

'What is that noise? 'asked the Doctor.

'Don't look out！'cried Mr Lorry.

'My friend, 'said the Doctor. 'I am safe in Paris. I was a prisoner in the Bastille. Every body knows about me and how I suffered. Already people want to help me；they gave us news of Charles. '

'Even so, don't look outside. Where is Charles? '

'In the prison of La Force. '

'La Force！Dear Lucie, you can do nothing tonight. You must go to one of the rooms here and wait. I must told with your father at once. '

Lucie kissed him and left the room.

'Quick, Manette, 'said Mr Lorry. 'These people outside, with their bloody knives, are murdering the prisoners. If you are so well known, if you have this power, talk to them. Tell them who you are, and go to La Force. Quick, before it is too late！'

Dr Manette hurried outside. Mr Lorry watched from the window as the Doctor talked to the crowd. He heard shouts of 'Long live the Bastille prisoner！Help his friend in La Force！'

Mr Lorry went to Lucie and found her with her daughter and Miss Pross. Together they waited all night for news, but none came.

In the morning Mr Lorry found rooms for Lucie and her family in a quiet street near the bank. He left Jerry Cruncher with them as a guard, and returned worriedly to Tellson's. At the end of the day a strong, serious man came to see him.

'My name is Defarge. I come from Dr Manette；he gave me this. 'Defarge gave him a piece of paper.

The Doctor had written, Charles is safe, but I cannot leave this place yet. Take Defarge to Lucie.

'Come with me, 'said Mr Lorry happily. They went downstairs and at the front door found Madame Defarge, knitting. Without a word, she joined them, and Mr Lorry led them to Lucie's rooms.

There, Defarge gave Lucie a note from her husband.

Dearest—be brave. I am well, and your father has some power here. You cannot answer this, but kiss our child for me.

Only a short letter, but it meant so much to Lucie. Gratefully, she kissed the hands of Defarge and his wife. Madame Defarge said nothing；her hand was cold and heavy, and Lucie felt frightened of her.

Miss Pross came in with little Lucie.

'Is that his child? 'asked Madame Defarge, stopping her knitting to stare.

'Yes, Madame, 'said Mr Lorry. 'That is our poor prisoner's little daughter. '

'It is enough, my husband, 'said Madame Defarge. 'We can go now. 'Her voice was as cold as her hand.

'You will be good to my husband? 'asked Lucie, afraid. 'I beg you, as a wife and mother. '

'We have known many wives and mothers, 'said Madame Defarge. 'And we have seen many husbands and fathers put in prison, for many years. What is one more, among so many? '

As the Defarges left, Lucie turned to Mr Lorry. 'I am more afraid of her than of any other person in Paris, 'she whispered. Mr Lorry held her hands；he did not say anything, but he was also very worried.

The Doctor did not come back from La Force for several days. During that time eleven hundred prisoners were killed by the people. Inside the prison Dr Manette had come before a Tribunal, which was a group of judges appointed by the people. These judges made their own laws and threw prisoners out into the streets to be murdered by the crowds. Dr Manette told the Tribunal that he had been a prisoner in the Bastille for eighteen years, and that his son－in－law was now a prisoner in La Force. The Tribunal had agreed to keep Charles Darnay safe from the murdering crowds, but they would not let him leave the prison.

Dr Manette seemed to become stronger as he lived through these terrible days, doing everything he could to save his daughter's husband. He was able to see Darnay regularly, but noblemen and emigrants were hated by the citizens of new France, and the Doctor could not set Darnay free. The Guillotine, that new machine of death, cut off the heads of many, many people—the powerful and the cruel, but also the beautiful, the innocent, and the good. Each day Lucie did not know if her husband would live or die. She lived every moment in great fear, but her father was sure that he could save his son－ in－law.

One year and three months passed and Darnay was still in prison. Dr Manette now had an official job as doctor to three prisons and was able to visit Darnay regularly. He became more and more loved by the rough people of the Revolution. But the Guillotine continued to kill.

'Try not to worry, 'he told Lucie. 'Nothing can happen to Charles. I know that I can save him. 'But Lucie could not see him or visit him；she could not even write to him.

On the day when Charles Darnay was at last called for his trial, Lucie and Dr Manette hurried to Tellson's Bank to tell Mr Lorry. As they arrived, a man got up and disappeared into another room. They did not see who it was, but in fact it was Sydney Carton, just arrived from London.

There were five judges in the Tribunal, and the trials were short and simple. The voices of truth, honesty, and calm reason were never heard at these trials, and most of the prisoners were sent to the Guillotine, which pleased the noisy crowds. Fifteen prisoners were called before Darnay that day, and in no more than an hour and a half, all of them had been condemned to death.

'Charles Evrémonde, who is called Darnay. '

As Darnay walked in front of the judges, he tried to remember the careful advice that Dr Manette had given him.

'Charles Evrémonde, you are an emigrant. All emigrants must die. That is the new law of France. '

'Kill him！'shouted the people. 'Cut off his head！He's an enemy of the people！'

The President of the judges asked Darnay, 'Is it true that you lived many years in England? '

'Yes, that is true, 'replied Darnay.

So you are an emigrant, surely. '

'No, not in the meaning of the law, 'replied Darnay. 'I earn my own living in England. I have never wanted or used the name of Marquis, and I did not want to live by the work of the poor people of France. So I went to live and work in England, long before the Revolution. '

'And did you marry in England? '

'Yes, I married a Frenchwoman. The daughter of Dr Manette, a prisoner of the Bastille and a well－known friend of all good citizens！'

These words had a happy effect on the crowd. Those who had shouted for his death now shouted for his life. Then Monsieur Gabelle and Dr Manette spoke for Charles Darnay. The Doctor spoke well and clearly, and was very popular with the crowd. When he had finished, the judges decided that the prisoner should be set free, and the crowd shouted their agreement loudly. Soon they were carrying Darnay in a chair through the streets of Paris to Dr Manette's house. Lucie was waiting there, and when she ran out and fell into the arms of her husband, the men and women in the crowd kissed one another and danced for happiness Darnay and Lucie were together again, safe and happy.

'I told you that I would save him, 'said Lucie's father proudly. 'Well, I have saved him, and you must not worry now. '

But Lucie was still worried. So many innocent men and women had died, for no reason, and every day brought more deaths. A shadow of fear and hate lay over France, and no one knew what dangers the next day would bring.

* * *

It was not possible to leave Paris at once, as Charles did not have the necessary papers. They must live quietly, and hope to leave as soon as they could.

But that night, when Dr Manette, Charles and Lucie were sitting together, they heard a loud knock at the door.

'What can this be? 'said Lucie, trembling. 'Hide Charles！ Save him！'

'My child, 'said the Doctor, 'I have saved him. He is a free man！'

But when he opened the door, four rough men pushed their way into the room.

'The Citizen Evrémonde, where is he? He is again the prisoner of the people. '

'I am here, 'said Darnay. 'But why am I again a prisoner? '

'You are accused by citizens of Saint Antoine. '

Dr Manette had said nothing. He seemed to be made of stone, but suddenly he spoke.

'Will you tell me who has accused my son－in－law? '

'I shouldn't tell you this, 'said one of the men, 'but Citizen Evrémonde, called Darnay, is accused by Monsieur and Madame Defarge, and by one other person. '

'What other? '

'You will hear that tomorrow, 'replied the man.

8 在公民们的手里

巴黎的台尔森银行在河南岸的一个大楼里，接近市中心。劳里先生已先于查尔斯·代尔那几天到达巴黎，现在正住在银行楼上的几间房里。一天傍晚，他朝窗外看时，见到一块巨大的磨石被人扛到了楼下的场地上。一群疯狂、呼叫着的人正围着它。他们忙着磨刀、剑和斧子，这些利刃已经被血染红了。劳里先生颤抖着双手关上了窗户。

他本来决定下楼去和银行卫兵谈谈的，却见房门被突然打开，路茜和他父亲跑了进来。

“路茜！马内特！发生了什么事? 你们怎么来了? ”劳里先生喊道。

“查尔斯现在在巴黎，”路茜嚷道。“他来这儿是要营救一位老仆人的，可他现在已被关进了监狱。”

这时候外面人群的喊声更大了。

“那些声音是怎么回事? ”医生问。

“别往外看！”劳里先生大声说。

“我的朋友，”医生说。“在巴黎我是安全的。我曾是巴士底狱的一个囚徒，所有的人都知道我以及我是怎么受苦的。人们愿意帮助我，他们给了我们有关查尔斯的消息。”

“即便这样，也别往外看。查尔斯在哪儿? ”

“在拉弗尔斯监狱。”

“拉弗尔斯监狱！亲爱的路茜，你今天晚上是无能为力的了，你得待在这儿的一间房子里等着，我必须马上和你父亲谈谈。”

路茜吻了他后便离开了房间。

“快，马内特，”劳里先生说。“外面的这些人正拿着血淋淋的刀子要去杀囚犯。如果你这么有名气，如果你有这个力量，就去和他们谈谈，告诉他们你是谁，然后去拉弗尔斯。快，趁现在还不晚！”

马内特医生赶紧出去了。劳里先生从窗户看见医生对着人群讲话。他听到人们高喊“巴士底狱的囚犯万岁！要帮助他在拉弗尔斯里的朋友！”

劳里先生去见路茜，发现她和她的女儿及普罗丝小姐在一起。他们在一起等了整整一夜的消息，可是什么也没有等到。

早上劳里先生在银行附近一条安静的大街上为路茜和她的家人找到了房子。他留下杰里·克拉彻做保卫，然后焦急地回到了台尔森银行。白天快要过去时，来了一位强壮而严肃的人要见他。

“我叫得法热，我从马内特医生那儿来，他给了我这个。”得法热给他一张纸条。

医生写的是：查尔斯安全，但我还不能离开这儿。带得法热见路茜。

“跟我来，”劳里先生高兴地说。他们下了楼并在前门见到了得法热夫人，正在织着毛线活儿。她没说什么便跟上他们。劳里先生便领他们来到路茜的房间。

得法热在这儿给了路茜一张她丈夫写的纸条。

“亲爱的——勇敢些。我很好，你父亲在这儿有一些影响。你不能回信，但要替我亲亲我们的孩子。”

只是一封短信，但对路茜来说则意味着太多的东西。路茜感激地吻了得法热和他妻子的手。得法热夫人什么话也没说，她的手冰冷而沉重，路茜对她感到害怕。

普罗丝小姐和小路茜一起走了进来。

“那是他的孩子吗? ”得法热夫人问，同时停下了编织的活儿，拿眼盯着小路茜。

“是的，夫人，”劳里先生说，“那是我们可怜的囚犯的小女儿。”

“这就够了，我的丈夫，”得法热夫人说。“我们现在可以走了。”她的声音像她的手一样冰冷。

“您会善待我的丈夫吗? ”路茜害怕地问，“我恳求您，以一个妻子和母亲的名义。”

“我们知道很多的妻子和母亲，”得法热夫人说，“并且我们也见过很多的丈夫和父亲被送进监狱关押了好多年。有这么多的人，再多一个又算得了什么呢? ”

当得法热夫妇走后，路茜冲劳里先生转过身去。“在巴黎，没有比她更使我害怕的人了，”她小声说。劳里先生抓住她的手，什么也没说，但是也很担心。

已有好几天了医生还没从拉弗尔斯回来。就在那段时间里有1100名囚犯被人杀死了。在监狱里马内特医生曾前去见一个审判团，是一组由人民指定的法官。这些法官们制定了自己的法律，并把罪犯们扔到大街上让人们处死。马内特医生告诉审判团他曾经在巴士底狱当了18年的囚徒，而现在他的女婿在拉弗尔斯蹲监狱。审判团同意保护查尔斯·代尔那不受街上人群的伤害。但他们不准他离开监狱。

在这些恐怖的日子里生活，马内特医生似乎变得更强健了，竭尽全力地去救他的女婿。他经常能看到代尔那，但贵族和流亡者是遭到新法兰西公民的痛恨的，这样医生便不能救代尔那出来。那座断头台——那新的死亡机器，砍掉了许许多多权贵和暴虐者的人头。但也有美丽、无辜且善良的人被斩首。每天路茜都不知道她丈夫会活下来还是会死去，她每一刻钟都生活在恐惧中，可她的父亲相信他能救出女婿。

一年零三个月过去了，代尔那仍然在监81狱里。马内特医生现在有了一个官方工作，那就是做三个监狱的医生，于是他可以经常去看代尔那。他越来越被那些粗鲁的革命者所喜爱了，但是断头台仍旧在杀人。

“尽量别去担心，”他告诉路茜说。“查尔斯不会有什么事的。我知道我能救他。”可路茜不能见他或去探望他，甚至不能给他写信。

在查尔斯·代尔那最终被审讯的那天，路茜和马内特医生匆忙到台尔森银行告诉了劳里先生。他们到达时，有一个人站起身来消失在另一个房间里。他们没有看清那是谁，但实际上他是西得尼·卡登，他刚从伦敦来。

审判团由5名法官组成，审判很简短。在这些审判中，真实、诚实、合理的申辩根本不被听取，因而大多数罪犯都被送上了断头台，以取悦那些吵吵嚷嚷的人们。那天在代尔那之前已有15个人被审讯，在不到一个半小时的时间中，他们便都被判处了死刑。

“查尔斯·埃弗蒙，那个称作代尔那的人。”

在走到法官面前时，代尔那尽力去回想马内特医生给他的周详的忠告。

“查尔斯·埃弗蒙，你是个流亡者。所有的流亡者都得死，这是法兰西的新法律。”

“杀了他！”人们喊着。“砍下他的头！他是人民的敌人！”

首席法官问代尔那：“你在英国住了很多年，这属实吗? ”

“是的，属实。”代尔那答道。

“那么你肯定是个流亡者啰。”

“不，按法律规定不是的，”代尔那回答。“我在英国自谋生计，从来没有要过或用过侯爵的称号，我也不曾想过要靠可怜的法国人民的劳作而生活，所以我才去英国生活和工作的，这是革命之前很久的事了。”

“那么你在英国结婚了吗? ”

“是的，我娶了一个法国女人，是马内特医生的女儿。他是巴士底狱的囚犯，是所有好公民的知名朋友！”

这些话在人群中产生了好的影响，那些刚才还嚷着要他死的人现在又嚷着要他活下来。后来加贝尔先生和马内特医生也都为查尔斯·代尔那说话。医生说得很好又很清楚，而且他很受人们的欢迎。在他结束了讲话后，法官们决定释放囚犯。人们也大声喊着同意，很快他们便用椅子抬着代尔那穿过巴黎的街道去了马内特医生住的屋子。路茜正在那儿等着，当她冲出来投入她丈夫的怀抱时，人群中的男男女女互相亲吻并为他们的幸福而起舞。代尔那和路茜又安全幸福地待在了一起。

“我告诉过你我会把他救出来的，”路茜的父亲骄傲地说。“好了，我已经救出了他，你就不用再担心了。”

但是路茜仍旧担心。已有那么多无辜的男男女女毫无道理地死了，并且每天都有更多的人死亡。恐惧和仇恨的阴影笼罩着法国，没有人知道明天会带来什么危险。

查尔斯不能马上离开法国，因为没有拿到必须的证件。他们必须静悄悄地生活，并寄希望于能尽快离开。

但是那天晚上，当马内特医生，查尔斯和路茜正在一起坐着时，他们听到了很响的敲门声。

“会是什么人呢? ”路茜颤抖着说。“把查尔斯藏起来，救救他！”

“我的孩子，”医生说，“我已经救回了他。他现在是个自由人！”

但是当他打开门时，四个粗壮的人闯进了房间。

“公民埃弗蒙，他在哪儿? 他又成了人民的囚徒了。”

“我在这儿，”代尔那说。“可是我为什么又成了犯人呢? ”

“圣安东尼的公民们指控你了。”

马内特医生没有说什么。他仿佛成了一个木头人；但他突然说道：

“你能告诉我谁指控我的女婿吗? ”

“我本不该告诉你的，”其中一个人说，“可是公民埃弗蒙，即所谓的代尔那是被得法热先生及夫人还有另外一个人指控的。”

“另外那个人是谁? ”

“你明天就会听到了。”那个人说。

9 The spy

While this was happening, Miss Pross was out shopping for the family. Jerry Cruncher was with her, and they had just gone into a wine－shop when Miss Pross suddenly stopped, looked at one of the customers, and cried out in a loud voice,

'Oh Solomon, dear Solomon！I've found you at last, dear brother！But whatever are you doing here in Paris? '

'Don't call me Solomon. You'll get me killed. Pay for your wine, and come outside, 'said the man in a low, frightened voice.

They went outside. 'You mustn't recognize me here, 'said the man. 'It's not safe. Go your way, and let me go mine. '

Miss Pross began to cry at these unbrotherly words, and Jerry Cruncher stepped forward to stare in the man's face.

'Wait a minute, 'said Jerry. 'Is your name John Solomon, or Solomon John? Your sister calls you Solomon. I know that your name's John；I remember that. But your other name wasn't Pross at that Old Bailey trial. What was your name then? '

'Barsad！'said another voice.

'Yes, Barsad, that's it, 'cried Jerry. He turned round and saw Sydney Carton standing behind him.

'Don't be alarmed, my dear Miss Pross, 'said Carton, smiling at her. 'But I'm afraid I have to tell you that your brother is a spy, a spy for the French prisons. '

Solomon Pross, also Barsad, went pale. 'That's not true！'

'I saw you come out of the Conciergerie today. I followed you, 'said Carton, 'and I found out what you do. And I've decided that you may be able to help me. Come with me to the office of Mr Lorry. '

After a short argument, which Carton won, Barsad followed him to Mr Lorry's office.

'I boring bad news, Carton said to Mr Lorry. 'Darnay has been arrested again. '

'But I was with him only two hours ago, 'cried Mr Lorry.

'He was safe and free！'

'Even so, he has been arrested and taken to the Conciergerie. And I'm not sure that Dr Manette's good name can save him this time. So we must have Mr Barsad's help. '

'I will not help you, 'said Solomon Pross, called John Barsad.

'Oh, I think you will, 'said Sydney Carton, 'when you hear what I could say about you. Let's think. Mr Barsad is a spy, and a prison guard, but he used to be a spy in England. Is he still paid by the English? '

'No one will listen to you, 'said Barsad.

'But I can say more, Mr Barsad, 'replied Carton.

Barsad had more problems than Carton knew. He could not return to England because he was wanted by the police there. And in France, before he became a prison guard for the citizens'revolution, he had been a spy for the King's officers. He knew that Madame Defarge, that terrible woman, had knitted his name into her list of enemies of the people. Most of those on her list had already been killed by the Guillotine, and Barsad did not want to be next.

'You seem worried, Mr Barsad, 'said Carton calmly.

The spy turned to Mr Lorry. 'Miss Pross is my sister, sir. Would you send her brother to his death, sir? '

'The best thing for your sister, Mr Barsad, 'said Carton smoothly, 'is not to have a brother like you. I think I will inform the Tribunal that I suspect you of spying for England. You will be condemned at once, I am sure. '

'All right, 'Barsad said slowly, 'I'll help you. But don't ask me to do anything that will put my life in danger, because I won't do it. '

'You're a guard at the Conciergerie prison, where Darnay is, aren't you? 'said Carton. 'Come, let us talk privately in the next room. '

When Mr Carton returned alone, Mr Lorry asked what he hsd done.

'Not much, 'replied Carton, 'but if it goes badly for Darnay tomorrow, I can visit him once. It's all I could do. '

'But that will not save him, 'cried Mr Lorry sadly.

'I never said it would. '

Mr Lorry was an old man now, with a life of hard work behind him. Tears filled his eyes as he realized he could do nothing to help Lucie and her father now.

Sydney Carton felt very sorry for Mr Lorry. 'You're a good friend of Dr Manette and his daughter, but don't tell them about me or this meeting. It can't help Lucie. 'He paused. 'Will you go back to London soon? '

'Yes, my work for Tellson's Bank here is finished. I have the necessary papers to leave Paris. I was ready to go tomorrow. '

'Then don't change your plans, 'said Carton, very seriously.

Later that night Sydney Carton visited a shop in a quiet corner of Paris. He wrote on a piece of paper the names of several powders and gave it to the shopkeeper.

'For you, citizen? 'asked the shopkeeper.

'Yes, for me. '

'You must be careful, citizen Keep these things separate. You know what happens if you put them together. '

'Perfectly, 'replied Carton.

He spent the rest of that night walking the streets of Paris. He watched the moon rise in the sky, he listened to the sounds of the River Seine flowing through the heart of the city, and he thought calmly about the past, and the future. He thought about all the deaths that the city had already seen…and he thought about Lucie's gentle, loving face and her sad, sad eyes.

9 间碟

发生这件事的时候，普罗斯小姐正出去为全家采购东西去了。杰里·克拉彻和她在一起，他们刚好进了一家酒店。普罗斯小姐突然站住，看着一位顾客大声喊道：

怎么会在巴黎呢? ”

“别叫我所罗门，你会让我丧命的。把酒钱付了，然后出来。”那个男人因害怕而低声地说道。

他们来到了外面。“你在这儿千万不要同我相认，”那个男人说。“这不安全。你走你的路，我也走我的路。”

面对这毫无姐弟之情的话，普罗斯小姐哭了起来。杰里·克拉彻走上前来盯着这个男人的脸。

“等一等，”杰里说，“你是叫约翰·所罗门，还是叫所罗门·约翰? 你姐姐叫你所罗门，我知道你的名字是约翰。我还记得这一点。但你在旧巴勒的审判会上只有名宇，不是普罗斯，你那时叫什么来着? ”

“巴萨德！”另一个声音说道。

“是的，巴萨德，就是这个。”杰里喊道。他转过身去看见西得尼·卡登正站在他身后。

“别惊慌，亲爱的普罗斯小姐，”卡登对她微笑着说。“只是我得告诉你你弟弟是个间谍，是为法国监狱工作的间谍。”

所罗门·普罗斯，也就是巴萨德的脸变得苍白。“那不是真的！”

“我今天看见你从贡赛杰里那儿出来。我跟踪你来着，”卡登说。“而且我发现了你是干什么的，我肯定你或许能帮我。跟我去劳里先生的办公室吧。”

经过短暂的争执，卡登先生胜了，巴萨德便跟着他到了劳里先生的办公室。

“我带来了一个坏消息”卡登对劳里先生说。“代尔那又被抓起来了。”

“可两小时前我还和他在一起的。”劳里先生嚷道。“他当时既安全又自由。”

“尽管这样，他还是已经被抓了起来并被带到了贡赛杰里。我也不知道这次马内特医生的好名声是否能救他。所以我必须得到巴萨德先生的帮助。”

“我不会帮你们的。”所罗门·普罗斯，即所谓的约翰·巴萨德说。

“哦，我想你会的。”西得尼·卡登说。“当你听我说了关于你的事后。让我们想一想，巴萨德先生是个间谍，也是一个监狱看守，但他在英国曾做过间谍。他现在是否还被英国人雇佣呢? ”

“没人会听你的。”巴萨德说。

“但我还可以说更多的东西，巴萨德先生。”卡登回答。

巴萨德的麻烦事比卡登知道的还多。他之所以回不了英国是因为他被那里的警察所追捕，而且在法国，在他成为公民们的监狱看守之前，他曾为国王的官员们做过间谍。他知道得法热夫人，那个可怕的女人，已把他的名字织进了人民敌人的名单上了。她名单上的大多数人都已经死在了断头台上，而他可不想成为下一个。

“你似乎很担心，巴萨德先生。”卡登镇静地说。

间谍转向劳里先生说道：“普罗斯小姐是我的姐姐，先生。您难道会送她弟弟去死吗，先生? ”

“对你姐姐来说最好的事情，巴萨德先生，”卡登平静地说，“就是没有了像你这样的弟弟。我想我得告知审判团，就说我怀疑你是英国的间谍。我相信你会被马上处决的。”

“好吧。”巴萨德慢慢地说道，“我会帮助你们，可是别想让我做任何有生命危险的事，因为我不会做的。”

“你是贡赛杰里监狱的看守，代尔那就在那里，是不是? ”卡登说。“来，让我们在旁边的屋子里私下谈谈。”

当卡登先生一个人回来时，劳里先生问他都干了些什么。

“没干什么，”卡登回答，“只是如果明天代尔那的处境不妙的话，我就能再去看他一次。这就是我所能做的一切了。”

“但是那也救不了他。”劳里先生伤心地哭道。

“我从来没说那能救他。”

劳里先生现已年迈，他一生工作勤勤恳恳，当他意识到他现在无论如何也帮不了路茜和她父亲时，眼中溢满了泪水。

西得尼·卡登为劳里先生感到很难过。“您是马内特医生和他女儿的好朋友，但是别告诉他们有关我或这次会面的事。那帮不了路茜。”他停了停，说道：“你不久就要回伦敦吗? ”

“是的，我在这儿的台尔森银行的工作已经结束了，我有离开巴黎所必须的证件，我准备明天就动身。”

“那么别改变计划。”卡登非常严肃地说。

那天晚上西得尼·卡登去了巴黎的一个寂静角落处的商店。他在一张纸上写下了几个药粉的名字并把它给了店主。

“是你用吗，公民? ”店主问。

“是的，是我用。”

“你得小心，公民。把这些东西分开着放。你清楚如果把它们放在一起会发生什么事情的。”

“非常清楚。”卡登说道。

那天晚上剩下的时间他都用于漫步巴黎的街道。他看见月亮升起在天空中，听见塞纳河流经这个城市中心时的声响，他平静地想到了过去，还有未来。他想到了这个城市所经历过的死亡……他也想到了路茜那温柔、可爱的脸庞以及她悲伤、忧郁的眼睛。

10 The secret paper

When Charles Darnay was led before the Tribunal the next morning, Dr Manette, Lucie and Mr Lorry were all there. The love in Lucie's eyes as she looked at her husband warmed Darnay's heart. It had the same effect on Sydney Carton, though no one saw him standing at the back of the room.

It was the same Tribunal who had let Darnay go free on the day before. But Revolution Laws were not as powerful as the anger of the people.

The President of the Tribunal asked, 'Who has accused Charles Evrémonde again? '

'Three voices, 'he was told. 'He is accused by Ernest Defarge, by Teresa Defarge his wife, and by Alexandre Manette, Doctor. '

There was a great noise in the room when Dr Manette's name was heard. When the shouting stopped, Dr Manette stood, pale and trembling.

'President, this cannot be true. You know that the man who is accused, Charles Darnay, is my daughter's husband. My daughter and those who are dear to her are far more important to me than my life. Where is the liar who says that I accuse my daughter's husband? '

'Citizen Manette, 'said the President, 'be calm. Nothing can be more important to a good citizen than the freedom of France. '

Defarge came forward to answer questions. He told how he had been at the Bastille at the beginning of the Revolution, when that. hated prison had been taken by the citizens.

'I knew that Dr Manette had been kept in a room known as One Hundred and Five, North Tower. It was the only name he had when he came to me in 1775. I went to the room and, hid-den in a hole, I found a written paper. It is in Dr Manette's writing. '

'Read it to us, 'said the President, and the crowd fell silent and listened.

I, Alexandre Manette, write this in the Bastille in 1767. I have been here for ten long years and I write this in my secret moments, when I can.

One evening in December, 1757, I was walking by the River Seine and a coach stopped beside me. Two men got out and one asked me if I was Dr Manette. When I replied that I was, they asked me to go with them, and made it clear that I could not refuse.

The coach left Paris and stopped at a lonely house. I could hear cries coming from a room upstairs. When I went in, I saw a young woman lying on a bed. She was young and very beautiful. She was also very ill. She kept crying out, ' My husband, my father, and my brother！'Then she listened for a moment, and began once again, 'My husband, my father, and my brother…'

I gave the girl something to make her calmer, but her feverish screams continued. Then I turned to question the two men. They were clearly brothers, and their clothes and voices suggested that they were noblemen. But they took care to prevent me from learning their name.

Before I could speak, the older brother said carelessly, 'There is another patient. 'In a different room, they showed me a boy of about seventeen. There was a sword wound in his chest and I could see at once that he was dying.

'How did this happen? 'I asked.

'He's just a crazy young peasant. He came here shouting about revenge, and made my brother fight him. 'The older brother's voice was cold and hard；he seemed to think the boy was less important than a horse or a dog.

The boy's eyes looked at me. 'Have you seen her…my sister? 'It was hard for him to speak.

'I have seen her, 'I replied.

'These rich nobles are cruel to us, Doctor. They destroy our land, they take our food, they steal our sisters. My sister loved a man in our village；he was sick, but she married him to take care of him But my sister is beautiful, and that nobleman's brother saw her and wanted her. They made her husband work night and day without stopping, until he dropped dead where he stood. Then they took my sister away. When my father heard what had happened, the news was too much for his poor heart and he died suddenly. I took my younger sister to a place where she is safe, and came here to find this man. He threw some money at me, tried to buy me like a dog, but I made him pull his sword and fight me to save his life. '

The boy's life was going fast, but he cried, ' Lift me, Doctor. 'He turned his face towards the older brother. 'Marquis, 'he said loudly, 'I call for you and your brother, and all your family, now and in the future, to pay for what you have done. 'Then he fell back, dead.

The young woman's fever continued, but I could not save her. She lived for several more days, and once the Marquis said to me, 'How long these peasants take to die！'

When she was dead, the brothers warned me to keep silent. They offered me money, but I refused it and was taken back to my home.

The next day I decided to write to the King's officials. I knew that nobles who did unlawful things were usually not punished, and expected that nothing would happen. But I did not realize the danger for myself. Just as I had finished writing my letter, a lady came to see me. She said she was the wife of the Marquis of Evrémonde and she had discovered what her husband and his brother had done. She wanted to help the younger sister of the girl who had died, and asked me where she could find her. Sadly, I did not know and so could not tell her. But that was how I learnt the brothers' name.

The wife of the Marquis was a good, kind woman, deeply unhappy in her marriage. She had brought her son with her, a boy about three years old. 'If I cannot find this poor girl, 'she said, 'I shall tell my son to continue the search after my death. You will remember that, little Charles, won't you? '

The child answered, 'yes！'

Later that day I sent my letter to the King's officials and that night there was a knock at my door. My servant, a boy called Ernest Defarge, brought in a stranger, who asked me to come at once to visit a sick man in the next street.

As soon as I was outside the house, several men took hold of me violently The Evrémonde brothers came out of the darkness and the Marquis took my letter out of his pocket, showed it to me, and burned it. Not a word was spoken. Then I was brought here to this prison, my living grave.

I have been here for ten long years. I do not know if my dear wife is alive or dead；these brothers have sent me no news of my family. There is no goodness in their cruel hearts. I, Alexandre Manette, in my pain and sadness, I condemn them in the face of God.

When Defarge had finished reading, a terrible sound rose from the crowd, a long wild cry of anger and revenge. Death for the hated Marquis of Evrémonde, enemy of the people！The trial was over, and in less than twenty-four hours Charles Darnay would go to the Guillotine.

10 秘密纸条

在第二天早晨查尔斯·代尔那被带到审判团面前时，马内特医生、路茜和劳里先生都在那儿。路茜看着她丈夫，眼中充满了爱，这使代尔那心中充满了温暖。它对西得尼·卡登产生了同样的影响，虽然没有人看见他站在屋子的后面。

这就是前一天释放代尔那的那同一个审判团，但是革命的法律的威力毕竟没有人民的愤怒那样强大。

审判团首席法官问：“是谁又一次指控查尔斯·埃弗蒙? ”

“有3个人指控，”他被人告知说。“他被恩斯特·得法热、他的妻子特丽莎·得法热以及医生亚历山大·马内特所指控。”

当马内特医生的名字被提到后，屋子里响起了一阵巨大的哄闹声。当这些声音停下来时，马内特医生站起身来，脸色煞白浑身发抖。

“首席法官，这不可能是真的。你知道被指控的人查尔斯·代尔那是我女儿的丈夫。而我的女儿以及那些爱她的人对我来说远比我的生命都重要。那个说我指控我女儿丈夫的骗子在哪儿? ”

“马内特公民，”首席法官说，“冷静点。对一个好公民来说没有什么比法兰西的自由更重要的。”

得法热走上前来回答问题。他告诉人们在革命开始时当那令人憎恶的巴士底监狱被公民们攻占时，他是如何到里面去的。

“我那时知道马内特医生曾被关在北塔105号牢房，这是他在1775年见到我时的唯一的名字。我去了那个牢房，并在一个隐蔽的小洞里找到了一张写着字的纸，那是马内特医生的手迹。

“给我们念念。”首席法官说完，人们便坐下来静听。

我，亚历山大·马内特，在1767年巴士底狱中写下这篇记录。我已经在这儿待了漫长的10年了，我是在我能够写作的秘密时刻写这封信的。

在1757年12月的一个晚上，我正沿着塞纳河散步，一辆马车停在了我身边。车上走下两个男人，其中一个问我是不是马内特医生。当我回答说是后，他们便要我跟他们一起走，而且明确告诉我，不能拒绝。

马车离开巴黎，在一座孤零零的房子前停了下来。我听到从楼上房间里传来了哭喊声。在我走进去时，我看见一个年轻女子躺在一张床上。她年轻而且很漂亮。她病得也很厉害，一直在哭喊着：“我丈夫、我父亲，还有我弟弟！”然后她倾听了一会儿，又开始哭喊起来，“我丈夫、我父亲，还有我弟弟……。”

我给那女孩服了一些可以使她平静下来的药。但她狂躁的叫声还是继续着。后来我转身去询问那两个男人，他们显然是兄弟俩，并且他们的穿着和说话腔调表明他们是贵族，可他们提防着不让我知道他们的名字。

我还没来得及说话，那个哥哥便不在乎地说：“这儿还有一个病人。”在另一个房间里，他们指给我看一个17岁左右的男孩。他的前胸有一道剑伤，我一眼就看出他快要死了。

“这是怎么回事? ”我问道。

“他只是一个发了疯的小农民，他来这儿大喊大叫着报仇。于是迫使我弟弟和他打了起来。”那位哥哥的声音冷酷而生硬；他似乎觉得这个男孩还不如一匹马或一条狗。

那个男孩的眼睛看着我。“您见到她了吗……我姐姐? ”他说话很吃力。

“我已经见到她了。”我答道。

“这些有钱的贵族们对我们很残忍，医生。他们毁坏我们的土地，拿走我们的食物，他们抢走了我的姐姐。我姐姐爱上了我们村子里的一个人；他生了病，但是她还是嫁给了他以便照料他。可因为我姐姐长得漂亮，那个贵族的弟弟见到了她便想占有她。他们强迫她的丈夫日夜工作，不得休息，直到在他站着的地方倒下去死了，然后他们就把我姐姐抢走了。在我父亲听到所发生的这些事后，他虚弱的心脏承受不住这一打击，也猝然死去了。我把我的小妹妹带到了一个安全的地方，然后来这儿找这个人。他扔给我一些钱，企图像买一只狗那样收买我，可我迫使他抽出了他的剑，他要活命，就要同我决斗。”

这个男孩的生命很快就要完结了，但他却喊道：“扶我起来，医生。”他把脸转向那个哥哥：“侯爵，”他大声说，“我诅咒你和你的弟弟以及你所有的家人，无论现在还是将来，都得为你们的所做所为受到惩罚。”然后他便倒地而死。

那个年轻女子还持续地发着烧，但我救不了她。她又活了几天，于是有一次侯爵对我说：“这些农民真难死啊！”

在她死后，这兄弟俩警告我要保持缄默。他们给了我钱但我没有要，于是我被送回了家。

第二天我决定给国王的官员们写信。我知道贵族们做了违法的事情常常得不到惩罚，而且我料到不会有什么结果的。但我没意识到自身的危险。就在我写完信后，一位女士来见我，她说她是埃弗蒙侯爵的妻子，并且已经发现了她丈夫和他弟弟所干的事情。她想要帮助那个已死的女孩子的小妹妹，于是问我她在哪儿能找到她。不幸的是，我不知道，因而也无法告诉她。但我却因此知道了那两个兄弟的名字。

侯爵的妻子是一个好心善良的女人，她对婚姻深感不幸。她还带来了她的儿子，一个大约3岁的男孩。“如果我找不到这个可怜的女孩儿，”她说，“我会告诉我的儿子在我死后继续找她。你要记住，小查尔斯，好吗? ”

那个小孩回答说：“好的！”

那天的晚些时候我把我的信寄给了国王的官员们；当晚就有人敲我家的门。我的仆人，一个叫恩斯特·得法热的男子带进来一个陌生人，叫我立刻去邻街看一个病人。

我刚走出房子，便有好几个人猛地抓住了我，埃弗蒙兄弟从黑暗中走出来，侯爵从他兜里拿出了我写的信，给我看了一眼便烧了。什么话也没说，然后我就被带到了这个监狱，我的活坟墓。

我已经在这里待了漫长的10年了。我不知道我心爱的妻子是死是活。这对兄弟没有给过我任何有关我家里的消息。他们残酷的心中没有一点仁慈。我，亚历山大·马内特在痛苦和悲伤之中，在上帝面前谴责他们。

当得法热念完之后，一阵可怕的声音从人群中响起，那是愤怒和复仇的狂呼。人民痛恨的敌人埃弗蒙侯爵该死！审判结束了，在不到24小时之后，查尔斯·代尔那就要走上断头台了。

11 Madame Defarge's revenge

Lucie held out her arms to her husband. 'Let me kiss him, one last time. '

Most of the citizens had gone out into the streets to shout how they hated the prisoners, but Barsad was still there.

'Let her kiss her husband, 'he said. 'It's just for a minute. '

Lucie went over to her husband and he took her in his arms. Dr Manette followed his daughter and fell on his knees before them, but Darnay pulled him to his feet, saying,

'No, no. Now we know how much you suffered, especially when you knew whose son I was. But you kept your feelings secret, because of your love for Lucie. We thank you, with all our hearts, for what you did. I tried so hard to do what my mother had wished, but I never found that poor girl. And how could that terrible story ever have a happy ending? '

He turned to his wife. 'My dearest love, we shall meet again, in the place where there are no worries. God be with you both. '

As Darnay was taken away, Lucie fell to the floor, unconscious. Sydney Carton came quickly forward to help Mr Lorry and Dr Manette He carried Lucie to her coach and she was taken home. Then he carried her into the house where her daughter and Miss Pross waited, tears falling from their eyes.

'Before I go, 'said Sydney Carton, 'may I kiss her? 'He touched Lucie's face lightly with his lips, whispered a few words, and went into the next room.

'You are still very popular with the citizens, Doctor. You must try again to talk to the judges. '

'I'll do everything I can. Everything, 'Dr Manette said.

Mr Lorry went with Carton to the door.

'I have no hope, whispered Mr Lorry sadly.

'Nor have I, 'replied Carton. 'After today, no judge in Paris would even try to save him. The people would be too angry. I will return here later, to see if there is any news, but there is no real hope. '

He left the house and began to walk quickly towards Saint Antoine. His face was calm and serious；he looked like a man who had decided to do something. 'I must show myself to the people here, 'he thought. 'They should know that there is a man like me in the city. '

In Defarge's wine－shop the only customer was Jacques Three, who had been on the Tribunal that had decided Darnay should die. When Carton sat down and asked for a glass of wine, Madame Defarge looked at him carelessly at first. Then much more carefully. She went back to her husband and

Jacques Three, who were talking. 'He is very much like Evrémonde, 'she said softly.

Defarge himself looked at Carton and said, 'Yes, but only a little, 'and the three continued their conversation. Carton listened carefully, while pretending to read a newspaper.

'Madame is right, 'said Jacques Three. 'Why should we stop at Evrémonde? '

'We must stop somewhere, said Defarge.

'Not until they are all dead, every one of that family, 'said his wife.

'You're right, but think how much the Doctor has suffered. Perhaps he has suffered enough. '

'Listen, 'said Madame Defarge coldly. 'Don't forget that I was that younger sister. And it was my family that suffered so much from the Evrémonde brothers. It was my sister who died, and my sister's husband, and my father；it was my brother who was killed. Tell others to stop；don't tell me！'

Carton paid for his wine and went out quickly on his way. He went back to Dr Manette's house, where more bad news was waiting for him. The Doctor's mind had returned to the past once again. He did not recognize his friends, and wanted only to find his old table and to make shoes.

'Listen to me carefully, 'Carton said to Mr Lorry. 'I believe that Lucie, her daughter, and perhaps even her father are in great danger. I heard Madame Defange talking about them tonight. They must leave Paris tomorrow. They have the necessary papers, and so do you. Here are mine－take them and keep them safe with your own. You must leave by coach at two o'clock tomorrow. Keep a place for me in the coach, and don't leave without me. Promise that you will do exactly what I have said. Many lives will depend on it. '

'I promise, 'said Mr Lorry.

11 得法热夫人的报复

路茜向他的丈夫伸出双臂。“让我吻吻他，最后一次。”

大多数公民已经走上街头，喊着他们是多么痛恨这个罪犯，可巴萨德仍旧留在那儿。

“让她吻一下她丈夫吧，”他说，“只须一分钟。”

路茜走向她丈夫，他便把她搂在怀里。马内特医生跟着女儿并在他们面前跪了下来，但代尔那把他拉了起来，说道：

“不，不，现在我们知道您受了多少苦，尤其是当您知道我是谁的儿子的时候。可您隐藏着您的感情，是为着您对路茜的爱。我们谢谢您所做的事情，由衷地谢谢您。我尽力去做了我母亲希望我做的事，可我一直没有找到那个可怜的女孩。况且那么一个可怕的故事怎么会有一个幸福的结局呢? ”

他转向他的妻子：“我最亲爱的，我们会再相见的。在无忧无虑的地方，上帝与你们两个人同在。”

当代尔那被带走后，路茜倒在地上，不醒人事。西得尼·卡登快步走过来帮劳里先生和马内特医生的忙。他把路茜抱上了马车送她回家，然后他把她抱进了她女儿和普罗斯小姐等候着的房子，泪水从她们的眼中落下来。

“我走之前，”西得尼·卡登说，“我能吻吻她吗? ”他的嘴唇轻轻地吻了路茜的脸颊，小声地说了几句话，然后走进了旁边的一个房间。

“您在公民中仍旧很受欢迎，医生。您必须尽力再同法官们谈谈。”

“我会去做我所能做的一切事情的。一切事情。”马内特医生说。劳里先生和卡登一起走到了门口。

“我不抱希望了。”劳里先生悲哀地低声说道。

“我也不抱希望了。”卡登回答。“过了今天，巴黎甚至将不会有法官去救他了，人们会过于愤怒的。我过一会儿再来，看看是否有什么消息，但是不会有真正的指望了。”

他离开了房子便快步向圣安东尼走去，他的脸平静而严肃，看上去像一个已下定决心要去做件大事的人。“我得向这里的人展示一下我自己。”他想：“他们得知道在这个城市里有一个像我这样的男人。”

得法热的酒店里唯一的一名顾客是雅克三，他刚去参加了判处代尔那死刑的那个审判会。在卡登坐下要一杯酒时，得法热夫人起初不在意地看着他，接着便非常仔细地看起他来。她回到正在谈话的她丈夫和雅克三身边，轻声地说：“他可真像埃弗蒙。”

得法热自己看着卡登说：“是的，可只有一点儿像。”然后他们三人接着聊天。卡登一边装着看报纸一边仔细听着。

“夫人是对的，”雅克第三说。“我们为什么要在埃弗蒙这儿就打住呢? ”

“我们必须适可而止。”得法热说。

“在他们，包括那个家族里的每一个人都死掉之前，我们不能就这样打住。”他妻子说。

“你是对的，但是想一想医生受了多少苦，也许他已经受够了。”

“听着，”得法热夫人冷酷地说。“别忘了我就是那个小妹妹，并且是我的家庭受了埃弗蒙兄弟那么多的苦难。是我的姐姐死去了，还有我姐姐的丈夫，以及我的父亲；是我的哥哥被杀死了。去让别人打住吧，别让我这么做！”

卡登付了酒钱便匆匆出门上了路。他回到了马内特医生的住处。那里有更多的坏消息在等着他。医生的思维又一次回到了从前。他不认识他的朋友了，而只想着要找他的老桌子做鞋。

“仔细听我说，”卡登对劳里先生说。“我确信路茜、她的女儿，也许还有她的父亲都处在极大的危险中。我今晚听到得法热夫人在谈论他们。他们明天必须离开巴黎。他们有必需的证件，你也有。这是我的证件——把它们拿去同你的放在一起妥善保管。你们必须在明天两点钟乘马车离开。在马车上给我留个位置，要等我来了再走。你一定要完全照我说的去做；保全许多人的生命就在此一举了。”

“我答应你。”劳里先生说道。

12 A change of clothes

Charles Darnay passed his last night alone in the prison.

He had no hope. He knew he must die, not for anything he had done wrong, but for the crimes of his father and his uncle. He sat down to write to his wife：

I knew nothing about the time your father spent in prison until he told me. Even then I did not know that it was my family that had been so cruel to him. I told your father that my real name was Evrémonde, and he made me promise not to tell you. I am sure that he had forgotten the paper he had written, but what has happened now is not his fault. Take care of him and our child, and one day we shall all meet again in the happier world that comes after death.

Darnay did not sleep peacefully that night and in the morning he walked up and down his prison, waiting. He counted the hours—nine, gone for ever, ten, eleven, twelve gone for ever. At one o'clock he heard someone outside the door. The door opened and closed and there stood Sydney Carton, holding a warning finger to his lips.

'Be quiet！I come from your wife. She begs you to do exactly what I say, and to ask no questions. There is no time. Take off your boots and put on mine. '

'Carton, my dear friend, 'said Darnay, 'it is impossible to escape from this place. You will only die with me. '

'I'm not asking you to escape. Put on my shirt, and my coat. 'He did not allow Darnay time to argue or refuse. 'Now sit down and write what I say, 'he said. 'Quickly, my friend, quickly！'

'If you remember, 'he said, and Darnay wrote, 'the words we spoke so long ago, you will understand this when you see it. 'As he said this, Carton took his hand from his pocket.

'What is that in your hand? 'asked Darnay.

'Nothing. Have you written“see it”? Good, now go on writing, 'said Carton quietly. 'I am happy that I can prove them now. This is not a reason for sadness. 'Carton's hand was close to Darnay's face, and he gently pressed a cloth against Darnay's nose and mouth. A minute later Darnay lay unconscious on the ground. Carton quickly dressed himself in Darnay's clothes, and pushed the note that Darnay had written inside Darnay's pocket. Then he went to the door and called softly, 'Come in now. '

The spy Barsad came in.

'Quick, help me, 'said Carton. 'You must help me to the coach. '

'You? 'asked the spy.

'Him, man, I've changed places with him. You can say that it was too much for him, saying his last goodbye to his friend. That happens quite often, I believe. '

'Yes, often, 'replied Barsad. 'But do you promise to keep me out of danger, and go on with this plan to the end? The number must be right. Fifty－two prisoners must die today. '

'Have I not already promised to be true to the death? Hurry, man！Take him to Mr Lorry, put him in the coach

yourself, and tell Mr Lorry to leave at once！'

Barsad called two men into the room, and told them to lift the unconscious man and carry him out.

'The time is short, Evrémonde, 'said Barsad, in a warning voice.

'I know it well, 'replied Carton. 'Be careful with my friend, and leave me. '

The door closed and Carton was left alone. He listened care－fully but there were only normal prison sounds. No shouts, no alarm bells. He waited calmly.

Soon he heard the sound of doors opening. The door of his prison cell opened and a man said, 'Follow me, Evrémonde！'and Carton followed him into a large, dark room.

There were many people there, some standing, some sitting, some walking about, some crying. Most of them stood, silent, looking at the ground. A young woman came up to him；she was thin and pale.

'Citizen, Evrémonde, 'she said. ' I was with you in La Force. '

'True, 'he said softly, 'but I forget what you were accused of. '

'I am innocent. What could a poor little thing like me do? I am not afraid to die, Citizen Evrémonde, but I have done nothing.

Her sad smile as she said this touched Carton's heart.

'They say that the Revolution will do so much good for the poor people, 'said the girl. 'How can my death help the poor? If it is true, I am willing to die, but I do not know how that can be. I heard that you were set free, Citizen Evrémonde, 'she went on. 'I hoped it was true. '

'It was, but I was taken again, and condemned. '

'When we go from here, Citizen Evrémonde, will you let me hold your hand? I am not afraid but I am little and weak, and it will help to make me brave. 'The young girl looked into his face and he saw a sudden doubt come into her eyes, followed by surprise. He touched his lips with his finger.

'Are you dying for him? 'she whispered.

'And his wife and child. Yes. '

'Oh, will you let me hold your brave hand, stranger? '

'Yes, my poor sister, to the last. '

12 互换衣服

查尔斯·代尔那独自一人在监狱里过着他最后的一个夜晚。他不抱什么希望了。他知道他必须得死，不是因为他做错了什么事，而是因为他父亲和叔叔所犯下的罪行。他坐下来给他的妻子写信：

在你父亲告诉我以前，我对他在监狱中度过的岁月一无所知。即便那时我也不知道是我的家庭曾那样残忍地对待过他。我当时告诉你父亲我的真实姓氏是埃弗蒙，但他让我发誓不要告诉你。我相信他那时已经忘了他曾在监狱里写的那份记录。但是现在发生的事不是他的过错。你要好好照顾他和我们的孩子。会有一天我们将重逢在一个更幸福的世界里的，人们死后就会到来的那个世界。

代尔那那天晚上没有安睡过，凌晨他在囚室里走来走去地等待着。他数着时间——9点，永远过去了，10点、11点、12点，都永远消逝了。一点钟时他听见有人在门外。门开了又关上。西得尼·卡登走了进来。他伸出一只手指按在嘴上告诉他别出声。

“我从你妻子那儿来；她求你完全按照我说的去做。什么也别问，没时间了。脱掉你的靴子换上我的。”

“卡登，我亲爱的朋友，”代尔那说道，“从这个地方逃跑是不可能的，你只会和我一起去死的。”

“我没让你逃跑。穿上我的衬衫。还有我的大衣。”

他没有给代尔那争辩或拒绝的时间。“现在坐下写下我说的话。”他说。“快点儿，我的朋友，快一点儿。”

“如果你还记得，”他说着，代尔那写着。“我们很久以前说过的话，那么在你看到它时就会明白这一点了。”当他说着这些话时，卡登从兜儿里伸出手来。“你手里是什么东西? ”代尔那问。

“没什么。你写完'看到它'了吗? 好的，现在接着写。”卡登平静地说。“我很高兴现在能够验证那些话了。没有理由伤心。”卡登的手靠近了代尔那的脸并轻轻地把一块布按在了代尔那的鼻子和嘴上。一分钟过后，代尔那便失去了知觉，躺在了地上。卡登迅速穿上了代尔那的衣服，并把代尔那刚写的纸条塞进了代尔那的口袋里，然后他走到门边轻声喊道：“现在进来吧。”

那个间谍巴萨德走了进来。

“快，帮帮我。”卡登说。“你必须帮助我上马车。”

“你? ”间谍问。

“他，伙计。我已经和他换了位置。你可以声言说他承受不住和他的朋友诀别。这样的事经常发生，我相信。”

“是的，经常发生。”巴萨德答道。“但你许诺过不让我有危险，并把计划坚持到底的呀? 数字必须是对的，今天必须死52名囚犯的。”

“我难道还没保证要真的去死吗? 快点，伙计！带他去劳里先生那儿，你自己把他抬到马车里去，告诉他们马上就走。”

巴萨德叫了两个人进了牢房；并让他们把那个失去知觉的人抬起来扛出去。

“时间不多了，埃弗蒙。”巴萨德以警告的语气说。

“我很清楚。”卡登回答说。“小心照顾我的朋友，留我一个人在这儿好了。”

门关上了，卡登独自留了下来。他仔细地听着，只有正常的监狱里的声响。没有喊叫，没有警铃。他平静地等待着。

不久他听到了开门的声音。他的囚室的门开了，一个人说道：“跟我走，埃弗蒙！”于是卡登便跟着他来到一个大而暗的房间里。

那里面有很多人，有站着的，有坐着的，有来来回回走着的，有哭喊着的。他们大多数都默默地站着，看着地面。一个年轻女子向他走来，她又瘦又苍白。

“埃弗蒙公民，”她说。“我曾在拉弗尔斯和你在一起待过。”

“是的，”他柔声说，“只是我忘了你是为什么被指控的。”

“我是无辜的。像我这么个可怜的小人物能干什么呢? 我不怕死，埃弗蒙公民，只是我什么也没有做。”

她说这话时悲伤的笑容触动了卡登的心。

“他们说革命会给穷人们带来很多好处。”女孩说道。“我的死能帮穷人什么忙呢? 如果能，那么我乐意去死。但我不明白这怎么可能呢? 我曾听说你被释放了的，埃弗蒙公民。”她接着说。“我当时希望这是真的。”

“是真的，但又被抓起来了，而且宣判了死刑。”

“在我们从这儿走时，埃弗蒙公民，你能让我抓住你的手吗? 我不怕死，可是我又小又弱，所以那样会让我勇敢起来的。”年轻的姑娘看着他的脸，于是他发现她眼中忽然露出一丝怀疑，跟着便是惊讶。他用手指碰了碰嘴唇。

“你为他去死吗? ”她低声问。

“还有他的妻子和孩子。是的。”

“是的，我可怜的小妹妹，直到最后。”

13 The last goodbyes

At that same hour in the early afternoon a coach going out of Paris drives up to the gates of the city.

'Who goes there? Show us your papers！'The guard looks at the papers. 'Alexandre Manette, Doctor. Which is he? '

This is Dr Manette；this helpless old man, whispering crazily to himself.

'The last few days of the Revolution have been too much for him, 'said the guard with a cruel laugh. 'Lucie his daughter. The wife of Evrémonde. Which is she? '

This is she. With her child, little Lucie, beside her.

'Hah, your husband has another meeting today. Sydney Carton. Lawyer, English. Which is he? '

He is here, in the corner. He is not well.

'And Jarvis Lorry. Banker, English. Which is he? '

'I am he, and the last, 'says Jarvis Lorry.

'Here are your papers, Jarvis Lorry. You may go. '

There are wildly beating hearts in the coach, and trembling hands；there is the heavy breathing of the unconscious traveller. But onwards the coach goes；the horses are fast, and there are no shouts behind them on the road.

Also that afternoon Madame Defarge was talking with her friends.

'My husband is a good citizen, but he is not strong enough. He feels sorry for the Doctor. I say that all the Evrémonde people must go to the Guillotine. The wife and the child must follow the husband. '

'They're both fine heads for the Guillotine, 'said Jacques Three. 'Their heads will be a pretty sight when they are shown to the people. Yes, they too, must die. '

'But I'm afraid that my husband may warn them and let them escape, 'Madame Defarge went on, 'and I must do something myself. After the death of Evrémonde at three this afternoon we'll go to the Tribunal and accuse them. '

The others agreed willingly. 'No one must escape. More heads must fall. '

'Lucie Manette will be at home now, waiting for the moment of her husband's death, 'said Madame Defarge. ' I will go to her. She will say things against the Revolution, and condemn herself. Here, take my knitting and keep my usual seat near the Guillotine. '

'Don't be late, 'said her friend.

'To see the death of Evrémonde, I shall not be late, 'replid the cruel voice of Madame Defarge.

There were many women in Paris at that time who hated the nobles and wanted to see them die. But of all these women, Madame Defarge was the one most feared. All her life she had been filled with hate. It was nothing to her that an innocent man was going to die because of his father's and his uncle's crimes. She wanted more. Hidden in her clothes were a gun and a sharp knife, and with her usual confident step, she began to walk to Dr Manette's house.

The house was not yet empty. Miss Pross and Jerry Cruncher were there, preparing to follow Mr Lorry's coach. Mr Lorry had decided that two coaches were better than one；with fewer passengers, each coach would travel faster. But Miss Pross was still worried. A second coach leaving from the house might suggest an escape.

'Mr Cruncher, 'she said, 'you must go and stop our coach coming here. Drive to the church instead, and I'll meet you there at three o'clock. '

Jerry hurried away. It was twenty past two, and at once Miss Pross began to get herself ready to leave. She was washing her face when she suddenly looked up and saw a figure standing in the room.

Madame Defarge looked at her coldly. 'The wife of Evrémonde；where is she? '

Miss Pross quickly stood in front of the door to Lucie's room. 'You're a cruel, dangerous woman, but you won't frighten me, 'she said, breathing hard.

Each woman spoke in her own language, and neither understood the other's words. But Madame Defarge knew that Miss Pross was a true friend of the Doctor's family, and Miss Pross knew that Madame Defarge was the family's enemy.

'I wish to see the wife of Evrémonde. Go and tell her. Do you hear me? 'said Madame Defarge. She stared angrily at Miss Pross, but Miss Pross stared back just as angrily.

'I am desperate, 'said Miss Pross. 'I know that the longer I can keep you here, the greater hope there is for my darling girl. If you fight me, I'll fight back！'

Madame Defarge stepped forward and called loudly, 'Citizen Doctor！Wife of Evrémonde！Answer me！'

There was no answer and Madame Defarge quickly opened three of the doors and saw that the rooms were empty. One door was still closed.

'If they are not in that room, they are gone. But they can be followed and brought back. 'She went towards the door, but Miss Pross jumped forward and held her round the waist. Madame Defarge was used to the fighting in the streets and was strong, but love is stronger than hate and Miss Pross did not let go. Madame Defarge tried to pull out her knife.

'No, 'said Miss Pross, 'it's under my arm. You shall not have it. '

Madame Defarge put her hand to the front of her dress and began to pull out the gun. Miss Pross looked down, saw what it was, and hit out at it wildly. There was a loud bang, and a cloud of smoke, and Miss Pross stood alone, trembling with terror.

All this in a second. As the smoke cleared, Miss Pross saw the lifeless body of Madame Defarge on the ground. In horror, she opened her mouth to call for help, but then she thought of the dangers this would bring for her dear Lucie. With shaking hands, she got her hat and coat, locked the door of the room, and went downstairs. As she crossed the bridge on the way to the church, she dropped the key of the locked room in the river and hurried on to meet Jerry Cruncher.

* * *

As the death－carts carry the condemned prisoners through the streets of Paris, crowds watch to see the faces of those who are to die. In the chairs around the Guillotine, the friends of Madame Defarge are waiting for her. 'Teresa, Teresa Defarge！Who has seen her? She's never missed before！'

But the death－carts have arrived, and the Guillotine has already begun its work. Crash！—A head is held up, and the women who sit knitting count One.

The supposed Evrémode helps the young girl down from the cart. He carefully places her with her back to the Guillotine, and she looks up gratefully into his face.

Because of you, dear stranger, I am calm. I think you were sent to me by God, 'she whispers.

'Or perhaps He sent you to me, 'says Sydney Carton. 'Keep your eyes on me, dear child, and do not think of anything else. '

'I do not mind while I hold your hand. I shall not mind when I let it go, if they are quick. '

'They are quick. Fear not！'

She kisses his lips；he kisses hers. Now the Guillotine is waiting. The young girl goes next, before him. The women count Twenty－Two, and Carton walks forward.

Twenty-Three.

They said of him that it was the most peaceful face ever seen there What passed through Sydney Carton's mind as he walked those last steps to his death? Perhaps he saw into the future…

'I see Barsad, Defarge, the judges, all dying under this terrible machine. I see a beautiful city being built in this terrible place. I see that new people will live here, in real freedom. I see the lives for whom I give my life, happy and peaceful in that England which I shall never see again. I see Lucie when she is old, crying for me on this day every year, and I know that she and her husband remember me until their deaths. I see their son, who has my name, now a man. I see him become a famous lawyer and make my name famous by his work. I hear him tell his son my story.

'It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done；it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known. '

13 最后的道别

在那天午后不久的同一时刻，一辆出巴黎的马车正驶向城门。

“谁在那儿? 请出示你们的证件！”卫兵看着证件说：“亚历山大·马内特医生。哪个是他? ”

这是马内特医生，这个无助的老人，正发疯地对自己嘀咕着。

“最近几天的革命让他受不了啦。”卫兵残忍地大笑着说。“路茜是他的女儿，埃弗蒙的妻子。哪个是她? ”

这就是她，还有她的孩子，小路茜在她身边。

“哈，你丈夫今天可有另外一个聚会哟。西得尼·卡登律师，英国人。哪一位是他? ”

他在这儿，在角落里。他身体不舒服。

“还有贾维斯·劳里，银行家，英国人。是哪一位? ”

“我就是，也是最后一位。”贾维斯·劳里说。

“这是你们的证件，贾维斯·劳里，你们可以走了。”

车里的人的心都狂跳着，手也在发抖，还有那个失去知觉的旅行者发出的沉重的呼吸声，但马车在前进，马匹跑得飞快，在他们身后的路上没有喊叫声。

也就在那天下午，得法热夫人正在和她的朋友谈话。

“我的丈夫是个好公民，可他不够坚定。他可怜医生。我说要让埃弗蒙家的所有人都上断头台，妻子和孩子都得跟那个丈夫一起去。”

“她们俩的头可是断头台上的好货色，”雅克三说。“把她们的头展示给人民将会是一个漂亮的景观。是的，她们也都得死。”

“可我担心我丈夫会报警给她们让她们跑掉。”得法热夫人说，“所以我必须亲自做点什么。在今天下午3点钟埃弗蒙死后，我要去审判团指控她们。”

其他人都欣然同意。“不许有任何人跑掉；必须有更多的人头落地。”

“路茜·马内特现在应该正在家里等着她丈夫死的那一刻。”得法热夫人说。“我要去找她，她会说一些反对革命的话，因而招来罪名。好了，拿着我的毛线活儿，把断头台旁边我一向待的位子留着。”

“别晚了。”她的朋友说。

“去看埃弗蒙的死，我不会晚的。”得法热夫人用冷酷的声音回答道。

那时的巴黎有很多妇女痛恨贵族并希望看到他们死。但在所有这些妇女中，得法热夫人是最可怕的一个。她的生命中充满了仇恨。一个无辜的男人正要因为他父亲或他叔叔的罪孽而死，这对她来说算不了什么。她所要的比这更多。她在衣服里藏了一支枪和一把尖刀，便迈着她一贯自信的步伐，开始朝马内特医生的住处走去。

房子里的人尚未走空。普罗斯小姐和杰里·克拉彻还在里面，正准备着跟上劳里先生的马车。劳里先生已断定两辆马车比一辆要好。乘客少些马车可以走得更快些。可普罗斯小姐仍旧很担心，因为第二辆马车离开这座房子也许会显示出逃跑的迹象。

“克拉彻先生，”她说，“你得去拦一下我们的马车别让它到这儿来，而是改去教堂。我会在3点钟时和你会合。”

杰里赶紧走了。那是两点20分，普罗斯小姐立刻开始为离开而做准备。在她洗脸时，她突然抬头看到一个人正站在房间里。

得法热夫人冷冷地看着她。“埃弗蒙的妻子，她在哪儿? ”

普罗斯小姐迅速站到了路茜的房门前。“你是一个残忍、危险的女人，可是你吓唬不了我。”她呼吸艰难地说。

两个女人各自说着自己的语言，彼此都听不懂对方的话。而得法热夫人知道普罗斯小姐是医生家的一个真正的朋友；而普罗斯小姐知道得法热夫人是这个家的敌人。

“我要见埃弗蒙的妻子，去告诉她，你听到了吗? ”得法热夫人说道。她愤怒地盯着普罗斯小姐，而普罗斯小姐也同样愤怒地盯着她。

“我豁出去了，”普罗斯小姐说。“我知道我在这儿把你拖得越久，我亲爱的姑娘的希望就越大。如果你打我，我也会反击你的。”

得法热夫人走上前去大喊起来：“医生公民！埃弗蒙的妻子！回我的话！”

得法热夫人没听到答话便迅速打开了其中的三扇房门，看到房间是空的。有一扇门还关着。

“如果他们不在那间房里，那么就是已经走了。可他们会被追上并给抓回来的。”她向那扇门走去，可普罗斯小姐冲上前去抱住了她的腰。得法热夫人已经习惯了在街上打架而且她很壮实，但爱比恨的力量更强大，普罗斯小姐没有松手。得法热夫人企图拔出刀来。

“不。”普罗斯小姐说。“刀在我胳膊底下，你是拿不到的。”

得法热夫人把手伸到裙子前面开始拔枪。普罗斯小姐朝下一看，弄清了那是什么东西，就猛烈地朝外打它。一声巨响，接着又是一团烟。之后，普罗斯小姐便独自站在了那儿，恐惧地颤抖着。

这一切都发生在一秒钟内。烟雾消散之后，普罗斯小姐看见得法热夫人断了气的身体躺在地板上。由于恐惧，她张嘴喊着救命，但她又想到这会给她亲爱的路茜带来危险。她颤抖着双手，拿上帽子和外衣，锁上房门便下了楼。在去教堂的桥上，她把锁房门的钥匙扔到了河里便匆匆赶去见杰里·克拉彻。

当死囚车载着死刑犯们穿过巴黎的街道时，人们集中注意力看那些临死的人们的脸。得法热夫人的朋友们正坐在断头台周围的椅子上等着她。“特丽莎，特丽莎·得法热！谁见到她了? 她以前从来没错过的！”

可是死囚车已经到了，断头台已开始工作了。咔嚓！——一个人头被举了起来，坐在那儿编毛线活的女人们数着“一个。”

那个被当做了埃弗蒙的人帮着那个小女孩下了囚车。他小心地让她背对着断头台，她感激地抬头望着他的脸。

“因为您，亲爱的陌生人，我才这样平静。我想你是上帝送给我的。”她小声说道。

“或许是上帝把你送给我的。”西得尼·卡登说。“眼睛看着我，亲爱的孩子，别的什么事都不要想。”

“我拉着你手的时候就不害怕了，松开手后我也不害怕，如果他们能快点的话。”

“他们很快。别怕。”

她吻了他的嘴唇；他也吻了她的。断头台现在正在等着，下一个就是年轻的女孩子，在他之前。女人们数着二十二，接着卡登走上前去。

二十三。

人们谈论他说他的脸是在那种地方见过的最平静的脸。当西得尼·卡登迈着最后的步伐向死亡走去时，他的脑海中想到了什么呢? 也许他看到了未来……

“我看见巴萨德、得法热、法官们都在这个可怕的机器下面死去。我看到一个美丽的城市正在这片可怕的土地上建立起来。我看到新一代的人民将在真正的自由中生活。我看到我为之付出生命的人们，他们幸福安宁地生活在我再也见不到的英国。我看见路茜年老的时候，每一年的这一天都会为我哭泣，我知道她和她的丈夫会一直到死都记着我。我看见他们的儿子，有着和我一样的名字，现在长成了一个男人。我看见他成了一位著名的律师并通过他的工作而使我扬名四方。我听见他给他的儿子讲起我的故事。”

“我做的是一件很好的事。它远远好过我所做的所有的事。它将是一个很好的长眠，远比我所知道的要好。”

简介

这部小说于1874年首次出版，立即畅销。故事发生在静谧的英国乡村的田野上、农场里。当时，人们收获靠手工，车靠马拉，他们的生活伴随着季节的变化而起伏。

当然，那安静的乡村世界早已成为过去，但是，那支配着人们生活的激情却丝毫未变。春去秋来，循环往复，爱却一如既往，猛烈地、不可阻挡地燃烧着。

美丽的芭丝谢芭·伊芙丁自己拥有农场，没有必要嫁人。但是，她无法永远阻挡爱情。那位牧人盖伯瑞尔·奥克，他对芭丝谢芭的默默的爱稳定持久；那位农场主伯德伍德，他人至中年，严肃庄重，从未尝过爱情滋味；那位托伊中士，他红色戎装，英俊年轻……芭丝谢芭虽然自信、独立，但是，爱的猛烈、爱的激情，她要学的东西还很多很多。

托马斯·哈代（1840—1928）是英格兰最伟大的小说家之一，他的大部分作品，包括《远离尘嚣》，背景都是其位于英格兰南海岸的家乡——多塞特郡。

1 Gabriel Oak falls in love

Gabriel Oak was a sensible man of good character， who had been brought up by his father as a shepherd， and then managed to save enough money to rent his own farm on Norcombe Hill，in Dorset. He was twenty－eight，a tall，well－built man，who did not seem，however，to think his appear－ance was very important.

One winter morning he was in one of his fields on the side of Norcombe Hill . Looking over his gate，Gabriel could see a yellow cart，loaded with furniture and plants，coming up the road. Right on top of the pile sat a handsome young woman As Gabriel was watching，the cart stopped at the top of the hill，and the driver climbed down to go back and fetch some－thing that had fallen off.

The girl sat quietly in the sunshine for a few minutes. Then she picked up a parcel lying next to her，and looked round to see if the driver was coming back. There was no sign of him. She unwrapped the parcel，and took out the mirror it con-tained. The sun shone on her lovely face and hair. Although it was December，she looked almost summery，sitting there in her bright red jacket with the fresh green plants around her. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled，thinking that only the birds could see her. But behind the gate Gabriel Oak was watching too.

‘She must be rather vain，’he thought. ‘She doesn't need to look in that mirror at all! ’

As the girl smiled and blushed at herself，she seemed to be dreaming，dreaming perhaps of men's hearts won and lost. When she heard the driver's footsteps，she packed the mirror away. The cart moved on downhill to the toll－gate. Gabriel followed on foot. As he came closer he could hear the driver arguing with the gatekeeper.

‘My mistress's niece，that's her on top of the furniture，is not going to pay you the extra twopence ，’said the driver. ‘She says she's offered you quite enough already. ’

‘Well，if she doesn't pay the toll，your mistress's niece can't pass through the gate，’replied the gatekeeper.

Gabriel thought that twopence did not seem worth bothering about, so he stepped forward. ‘Here，’he said，handing the coins to the gatekeeper，‘let the young woman pass. ’

The girl in the red jacket looked carelessly down at Gabriel，and told her man to drive on，without even thanking the farmer. Gabriel and the gatekeeper watched the cart move away. ‘That's a lovely young woman，’said the gatekeeper.

‘But she has her faults，’answered Gabriel.

‘True，farmer. ’

‘And the greatest of them is what it always is with women. ’

‘Wanting to win the argument every time？Oh，you're right. ’

‘No，her great fault is that she's vain. ’

A few days later，at nearly midnight on the longest night of the year，Gabriel Oak could be heard playing his flute on Nor-combe Hill. The sky was so clear and the stars so visible that the earth could almost be seen turning. In that cold，hard air the sweet notes of the flute rang out. The music came from a little hut on wheels，standing in the corner of a field. Shep－herds'huts like this are used as a shelter during the winter and spring，when shepherds have to stay out all night in the fields，looking after very young lambs.

Gabriel's two hundred and fifty sheep were not yet paid for He knew that，in order to make a success of the farming business，he had to make sure they produced a large number of healthy lambs. So he was determined to spend as many nights as necessary in the fields，to save his lambs from dying of cold or hunger.

The hut was warm and quite comfortable inside. There was a stove，and some bread and beer on a shelf. On each side of the hut was a round hole like a window，which could be closed with a piece of wood. These air－holes were usually kept open when the stove was burning， because too much smoke in a small，airless hut could kill the shepherd.

From time to time the sound of the flute stopped， and Gabriel came out of his hut to check his sheep. Whenever he discovered a half-dead new lamb，he brought the creature into the hut. In front of the stove it soon came back to life，and then he could return it to its mother.

He noticed a light further down the hill. It came from a wooden hut at the edge of a field. He walked down to it and put his eye to a hole in the wood. Inside，two women were feeding a sick cow. One of the women was middle－aged. The other was young and wore a cloak. Gabriel could not see her face.

‘ I think she'll be all right now，aunt，’said the younger woman. ‘I can come and feed her again in the morning. What a pity I lost my hat on the way here!’Just then the girl dropped her cloak，and her long hair fell on to the shoulders of her red jacket. Gabriel recognized the girl of the yellow cart and the mirror，the girl who owed him twopence.

The women left the hut，and Gabriel returned to his sheep.

As the sun was rising the next morning， Gabriel waited out-side his hut until he saw the young woman riding up the hill. She was sitting sideways on the horse in the usual lady's posi－tion. He suddenly thought of the hat she had lost，searched for it，and found it among some leaves on the ground. He was just going to go up to her to give it back， when the girl did some-thing very strange. Riding under the low branches of a tree，she dropped backwards flat on the horse's back，with her feet on its shoulders. Then，first looking round to make sure no one was watching，she sat up straight again and pulled her dress to her knees，with her legs on either side of the horse. This was obviously easier for riding，but not very ladylike. Gabriel was surprised and amused by her behaviour. He waited until she returned from her aunt's hut，and stepped out into the path in front of her.

‘I found a hat，’he said.

‘It's mine，’she said. She put it on and smiled. ‘It flew away. ’

‘At one o'clock this morning？’

‘Well，yes. I needed my hat this morning. I had to ride to the hut in that field，where there's a sick cow belonging to my aunt. ’

‘Yes，I know. I saw you. ’

‘Where？’she asked，horrified.

‘Riding all the way up the hill，along the path，’said Gabriel，thinking of her unladylike position on the horse's back.

A deep blush spread from her head to her neck. Gabriel turned sympathetically away，wondering when he dared look at her again. When he turned back，she had gone.

Five mornings and evenings passed. The young woman came regularly to take care of the sick cow，but never spoke to Gabriel. He felt very sorry he had offended her so much by telling her he had seen her when she thought she was alone.

Then，one freezing night，Gabriel returned，exhausted，to his hut. The warm air from the stove made him sleepy，and he forgot to open one of the air-holes before going to sleep. The next thing he knew was that the girl with the lovely face was 10 with him in the hut，holding his head in her arms.

‘Whatever is happening？’he asked，only half－conscious.

‘Nothing now，’she answered，‘but you could have died in this hut of yours. ’

‘Yes，I suppose I could，’said Gabriel. He was hoping he could stay there，close to her, for a long time He wanted to tell her so，but he knew he could not express himself well，so he stayed silent. ‘How did you find me？’he asked in the end.

‘Oh，I heard your dog scratching at the door，so I came to see what the matter was. I opened the door，and found you unconscious. It must have been the smoke from the stove. ’

‘I believe you saved my life，Miss——I don't know your name.

‘There's no need to know it. I probably won't see you again. ’

‘My name is Gabriel Oak. ’

‘Mine isn't. You sound very proud of your name. ’

‘Well，it's the only one I shall ever have. ’

‘I don't like mine. ’

‘I should think you'll soon get a new one. ’

‘Well！That's my business，Gabriel Oak. ’

‘I'm not very clever at talking，miss，but I want to thank you. Come，give me your hand！’

She hesitated，then offered her hand. He took it，but held it for only a moment. ‘I'm sorry，’he said. ‘I didn't mean to let your hand go so quickly. ’

‘You may have it again then. Here it is. ’

Gabriel held it longer this time. ‘How soft it is，even in winter，not rough at all! ’he said.

‘there，that's long enough，’she said，but without pulling it away. ‘But I suppose you're thinking you'd like to kiss it？You may if you want to. ’

‘I wasn't thinking any such thing，’said Gabriel，‘but—’

‘Oh no you won't！’She pulled her hand sharply away. ‘Now discover my name，’she added，laughing，and left.

1 盖伯瑞尔·奥克在恋爱

盖伯瑞尔·奥克有头脑，性格好，他的父亲把他带大成为一个牧羊人。以后他设法攒足了钱在多塞特的诺科姆租下自己的农场。他28岁，身材高大魁梧，不过他好像并不认为自己的外表很重要。

一个冬日的早晨，他正在诺科姆山边的一块地里。越过大门，盖伯瑞尔能够看到一辆黄色的装满家具和花木的马车朝路这边驶来。在那一堆东西的顶上坐着一位面容姣好的年轻女人。当盖伯瑞尔正盯着看时，马车在山顶停了下来。车夫爬下马车，回去拣掉了的东西。

姑娘在太阳下静静地坐了几分钟，然后她拿起身边的一个包袱，四下看看车夫是否回来了。没有车夫的影子。她打开包袱，从里面拿出镜子。太阳照在她漂亮的脸上和头发上。身着红色上衣坐在那里，被鲜绿的花木簇拥着，虽然是在12月，看上去她像在夏日。她看着镜子里的自己笑了，以为只有鸟会看到。但是在大门后边盖伯瑞尔也正在看着。

“她一定很虚荣，”他想，“她根本不需要照镜子！”

当姑娘看到镜子里的自己笑着羞红了脸时，她似乎在做梦，也许幻想着赢得的和失去的男人心。当听到车夫的脚步声时，她收起了镜子。马车继续向山下的路卡驶去。盖伯瑞尔徒步跟随着。当他走近时，他听到车夫在和守卡人争吵。

“我的女主人的侄女就坐在家具上，不会再给你两便士，”车夫说。“她说她给你的钱已足够了。”

“好吧，如果你的女主人的侄女不付过路钱，她就不能从路卡通过，”守卡人回答。

盖伯瑞尔觉得不值得为两便士如此劳神，所以他走向前。“给，”他说，把硬币递给了守卡人，“让这个姑娘过去。”

穿红色上衣的姑娘不经意地向下看看盖伯瑞尔，吩咐车夫继续赶路，甚至都没有谢一声农夫。盖伯瑞尔和守卡人看着马车走远了。“那个年轻姑娘很漂亮，”守卡人说。

“不过她有她的缺点，”盖伯瑞尔回答。

“没错，农夫。”

“最严重的缺点总是与女人为伴。”

“每次都想取胜？噢，你说得对。”

“不，她最大的缺点是虚荣。”

几天后，在一年中夜最长的那个午夜，可以听到盖伯瑞尔·奥克在诺科姆山上吹笛子。天空是那样晴朗，星星是那样清晰可辨，似乎都能看到地球在转动。在那寒冷的空中回荡着甜美的笛声。在田野的一隅停着一辆车，车上有一间棚屋，音乐即从此传出。冬春两季里，当牧羊人必须整夜呆在户外田野里照料羊羔时，他们的这种棚屋就权当做遮风避寒处。

盖伯瑞尔的250只羊还没有付钱。他懂得若想靠养羊发迹，他就得保证这些羊能生出大批健康的羊羔。所以他决定需要多少个夜晚留在田野上他就化多少个夜晚，以免羊羔被冻死、饿死。

棚屋里很温暖也很舒眼。有一个炉子，架子上有面包和啤酒。在棚屋的两侧各有一个像窗户的圆孔.可以用一块木头关上。当炉子燃着火时，这些通气孔通常是开着的，因为狭小、不通风的小屋中若有过多的烟，会使牧羊人丧生的。

笛声不时地停下来，盖伯瑞尔走出他的小屋查看羊群。一旦发现一只半死的新生羊羔，他就把那可怜的东西带到屋里。新生羊羔在炉子前很快就活过来了，然后他就把羊羔送还给它的妈妈。

盖伯瑞尔注意到在山下有灯光。灯光来自田地边的一座木屋。他下山走近木屋，把眼睛凑向木屋的一个洞。里边两个女人正在喂一头生病的母牛。其中一个是中年妇女，另一个年轻，穿着一件斗篷。盖伯瑞尔看不到她的脸。

“姑妈，我想她很快会好的，”年轻些的那个女人说。“早晨我可以再来喂她。多可惜，我来这里的路上把帽子丢了！”就在这个时候，姑娘脱掉了斗篷，长长的头发披在她的红色上衣的肩上。盖伯瑞尔认出这个姑娘就是坐在黄色马车上照镜子的姑娘，那个欠他两便士的姑娘。

两个女人离开了小屋，盖伯瑞尔也回到羊群中。

第二天早晨当太阳升起时，盖伯瑞尔在他的小屋外等着，后来他看见那个姑娘骑马上山来。她以女士通常所用的姿势双腿朝向一边地坐在马上。突然他想起她丢失的帽子，就去找寻，他在地上的落叶中发现了那顶帽子。他正打算上前把帽子还给那位姑娘，那位姑娘却做了件很特别的事。骑马行进在一棵树的矮枝下，她向后平躺在马背上，两脚搭在马的肩上。接着，她先四下看看，确信没有人在看她时，又重新坐直，把裙子拉至膝部，两腿分开，搭在马的两侧。这样骑起来当然容易些，只是不像女士所为。盖伯瑞尔对她的行为觉得又惊奇又有趣。他一直等到她从她的姑妈屋里返回时，才走到路上停在她的面前。

“我找到了一顶帽子，”他说。

“是我的，”她说。她把帽子戴上笑了笑。“是被风刮跑的。”

“是在今天凌晨一点的时候？”

“是的。我今早需要我的帽子。我得骑马去那块地里的那间小屋，那儿，我姑妈的一头牛生病了。”

“对，我知道。我看见你了。”

“在哪儿？”她问，大吃一惊。

“我看见你沿着这条路一路骑马上了山，”盖伯瑞尔说，想到了她骑在马上不雅观的姿势。

她从头到脖子变得绯红。盖伯瑞尔同情地转身走开，不知道什么时候自己敢再看她。当他回身时，她已走了。

以后的五个早晚，这个姑娘都定期来照料病牛，但一直没与盖伯瑞尔讲话。盖伯瑞尔对惹恼她深感不安，因为他告诉她自己看见了她，而她却以为那时无人在旁。

在一个滴水成冰的夜晚，盖伯瑞尔精疲力尽地回到自己的小屋。炉子里散出的热气让他感到瞌睡，在睡着前，他忘记打开一个通气孔。接下来他知道的就是那位面容姣好的姑娘和他一起在屋里，用胳膊扶着他的头。

“究竟发生了什么事？”他迷迷糊糊地问。

“现在没事了，”她回答说，“你本来也许会死在你的这间小屋里。”

“是的，我想会的，”盖伯瑞尔说。他希望能挨着她呆很长时间。他想让她知道，但他明白他不是很会表达自己的心情，所以就沉默不语。“你是怎么发现我的？”他最后问道。

“我听到你的狗在抓门，就来看是怎么回事。我打开门，发现你正昏迷不醒。一定是炉子里的烟熏的。”

“我想你救了我的命，小姐——我不知道你的名字。”

“没有必要知道。我也许不会再见到你。”

“我叫盖伯瑞尔·奥克。”

“我的名字不一样。你好像很为你的名字骄傲。”

“是的，它将是我唯一的名字。”

“我不喜欢我的名字。”

“我想不久你就会有一个新名字。”

“哼，那是我的事，盖伯瑞尔·奥克。”

“我不很善于交谈，小姐，不过我想谢谢你。来，把手给我！”

她有点犹豫，接着伸出了手。他接住她的手，但只握了一下。“很抱歉，”他说。“我并不是故意这么快就松开你的手。”

“那你还可以再握住。给你。”

盖伯瑞尔这一次握得时间长一些。“多么柔软呵，即便在冬天也一点不粗糙！”他说。

“喂，你握的时间够长了，”她说，但并没有抽回手。“我猜你是否正在考虑要吻我的手？如果你愿意，你可以这么做。”

“我根本没这么想，”盖伯瑞尔说，“不过——”

“欧，不，你不可以！”她突然把手抽了回去。“现在看你能不能搞清我叫什么名字，”她加了一句，笑着走掉了。

2 Disaster for Gabriel Oak

Young Farmer Oak was in love. He waited for the girl's regular visits to the sick cow just as impatiently as his dog waited to be fed. He discovered that her name was Bathsheba Everdene，and that she lived with her aunt，Mrs Hurst. His head was so full of her that he could think of nothing else.

‘I'll make her my wife，’he declared to himself，‘or I'll never be able to concentrate on work again！’

When she stopped coming to feed the sick cow，he had to find a reason for visiting her. So he took a young lamb，whose mother had died，and carried it in a basket across the fields to Mrs Hurst's house.

‘I've brought a lamb for Miss Everdene，’he told Bathshe－ba's aunt. ‘Girls usually like looking after lambs. ’

‘Thank you，Mr Oak，’replied Mrs Hurst，‘but Bathsheba is only a visitor here. I don't know if she'll keep it. ’

‘To tell you the truth，Mrs Hurst，the lamb isn't my real reason for coming. I want to ask Miss Everdene if she'd like to be married. ’

‘Really？’asked Mrs Hurst，looking closely at him.

‘Yes Because if she would，I'd like to marry her. Do you know if she has any other young men courting her at the moment？’

‘Oh yes，a lot of young men，’said Mrs Hurst. ‘You see，Farmer Oak，she's so handsome，and so well-educated too. Of course,I haven't actually seen any of her young men，but she must have at least ten or twelve！’

‘That's unfortunate，’said Farmer Oak，staring sadly at the floor. ‘I'm just a very ordinary man，and my only chance was being the first to ask to marry her. Well，that was all I came for. I'd better go home now， Mrs Hurst. ’

He had gone halfway across the first field when he heard a cry behind him. He turned，and saw a girl running after him. It was Bathsheba. Gabriel blushed.

‘Farmer Oak，’she called breathlessly，‘I want to say——my aunt made a mistake when she told you I had a lot of young men courting me. In fact，I haven't got any，and I've never had any. ’

‘I am glad to hear that！’said Gabriel，with a wide smile，holding out his hand to take hers. But she pulled her hand away quickly. ‘I have a nice comfortable little farm，’he added，a little less confidently. ‘And when we are married，I'm sure I can work twice as hard as I do now，and earn more. ’

He stretched out his arm towards her. Bathsheba moved rapidly behind a tree to avoid him. ‘But，Farmer Oak，’she said in surprise，‘I never said I was going to marry you. ’

‘Well！’said Gabriel，disappointed. ‘To run after me like this， and then say you don't want me！’

‘I only wanted to explain that my aunt was wrong，’she answered eagerly. ‘Anyway，I had to run to catch up with you，so I didn't have time to decide whetherl wanted to marry or not. ’

‘Just think for a minute or two，’replied Gabriel hopefully. ‘I'll wait a while， Miss Everdene. Will you marry me？ Do，Bathsheba. I love you very much！’

‘I'll try to think，’she answered. ‘Give me time，’and she looked away from him at the distant hills.

‘I can make you happy，’he said to the back of her head ‘You shall have a piano，and I'll practise the flute to play with you in the evenings. ’

‘Yes，I'd like that. ’

‘And at home by the fire，whenever you look up，there I'll be，and whenever I look up， there you'll be. ’

‘Wait，let me think！’She was silent for a while，and then turned to him. ‘No，’she said，‘I don't want to marry you. It'd be nice to have a wedding，but having a husband——well，he'd always be there. As you say，whenever I looked up，there he'd be. ’

‘Of course he would——it would be me. ’

‘that's the problem. I wouldn't mind being a bride，if I could be one without having a husband. But as a woman can't be a bride alone，I won't marry，at least not yet. ’

‘What a silly thing for a girl to say！’ cried Gabriel. And then he said softly，‘But darling，think again！’He moved round the tree to reach her. ‘Why won't you have me？’

‘Because I don't love you，’she replied， moving away.

‘But I love you——and I'm happy to be liked，if that's all you feel for me. ’He spoke more seriously than he had ever spoken before. ‘Only one thing is certain in this life——I shall love you，and want you，and keep on wanting you until I die. ’His feelings were plain to see in his honest face，and his large brown hands were trembling.

‘It seems wrong not to accept you when you feel so strongly，’she replied unhappily. ‘I wish I hadn't run after you！But we wouldn't be happy together，Mr Oak. I'm too independent. I need a husband who can keep me in order， and I'm sure you wouldn't be able to do that. ’

Gabriel looked hopelessly away and did not reply.

‘And，Mr Oak，’she continued in a clear voice，‘I'm so poor that my aunt has to provide a home for me. You're just starting your farming business. It would be much more sensi-ble for you to marry a woman with money. Then you could buy more sheep and improve your farm. ’

‘That's just what I'd been thinking！’ answered Gabriel in surprise.

What common sense she had，he thought admiringly.

‘Well then，why did you ask to marry me？’she said angrily.

‘I can't do what I think would be——sensible. I must do what my heart tells me. ’He did not see the trap she had set for him.

‘Now you've confessed that marrying me wouldn't be sen－sible， Mr Oak. Do you think I'll marry you after that？’

‘Don't mistake my meaning like that，’he cried，‘just because I'm honest enough to tell you the truth！I know you'd be a good wife for me. You speak like a lady，everyone says so，and your uncle at Weatherbury has a large farm，I've heard. May I visit you in the evenings，or will you come for a walk with me on Sundays？You don't have to decide at once. ’

‘No，no，I cannot. Don't insist，don't. I don't love you，so it would be foolish, ’she said with a laugh.

No man likes to see his feelings laughed at，so Gabriel Oak said，turning away，‘Very well，then I won't ask you again. ’

Gabriel did not see Bathsheba again and two days later he heard that she had left the area， and was now in Weatherbury，a village twenty miles away. Her departure did not stop Gabriel from loving her. In fact he loved her even more deeply now that they were apart.

The next night，before going to bed，Gabriel called his two dogs to come into the house for the night. His old dog，George，obeyed the call，but the younger one was missing. Gabriel was having difficulty training this young dog，which，although enthusiastic，still did not understand a sheep dog's duties. He did not worry about the dog's absence，but went to bed.

Very early in the morning he was woken by the sound of sheep bells，ringing violently. Shepherds know every sound that sheep bells make，and Gabriel immediately realized that his sheep were running fast. He jumped out of bed，threw on his clothes and ran up Norcombe Hill，to his fields near the chalk-pit.

There were his fifty sheep with their lambs，all safe，in one field. But in the other field，the two hundred pregnant sheep had completely disappeared. He noticed a broken gate，and felt sure the sheep had gone through it. There was no sign of them in the next field，but ahead of him at the top of the hill he saw the young dog，looking black against the morning sky. It was standing quite still，staring down into the chalk-pit.

Gabriel felt sick as he realized the horrible truth. He hurried up the hill to the edge of the chalk-pit，and looked down into it. In the deep pit lay his dead and dying sheep，two hundred of them，which would have produced two hundred more in the next few weeks. The young，untrained dog must have chased them up to the edge of the pit，where they fell to their death.

His first feeling was pity for those gentle sheep and their unborn lambs. Then he thought of himself. All his savings，which he had worked so hard for in the last ten years，had been spent on renting the farm. Now his hopes of being an independent farmer were destroyed. He covered his face with his hands.

After a while he looked up. ‘Thank God I'm not married to Bathsheba，’he thought. ‘What would she have done，mar－ried to a husband as poor as I shall be！’

The young dog was shot the next day. Gabriel sold all his farm tools to pay what he owed for the sheep. He was no longer a farmer，just an ordinary man who owned the clothes he was wearing and nothing more. Now he had to find work where he could，on other men's farms.

2 盖伯瑞尔·奥克遭遇灾难

年轻的农夫奥克陷入了爱河。他急切地等待着那个姑娘定期地去看病牛，就像他的狗等着喂食一样。他发现她叫芭丝谢芭·伊芙丁，她与她的姑妈赫思特太太住在一起。他满脑子想的都是她，别的什么也不想。

“我要让她做我的妻子，”他心想，“否则我将再也无法集中精力工作！”

当她不再来喂病牛时，他只好找个理由去拜访她。他带了一只失去妈妈的小羊羔，把小羊羔装在筐里，穿过田地来到赫思特太太的家。

“我给伊芙丁小姐带来一只小羊羔，”他对芭丝谢芭的姑妈说，“姑娘们一般都喜欢照料羊羔。”

“谢谢你，奥克先生，”赫思特太太回答说，“可是芭丝谢芭在这儿只是个客人。我不知道她是否会留着这只羊羔。”

“不瞒您说，赫思特太太，这只羊羔并非我来这儿的真正原因。我想问问伊芙丁小姐她是否愿意结婚。”

“是吗？”赫思特太太问，认真地看着他。

“是的。如果她愿意，我想和她结婚。您知不知道目前是否有其他的年轻人在追求她？”

“噢，有，有许多年轻人，”赫思特太太说。”你知道，农夫奥克，她长得那么漂亮，又受过良好的教育。当然，追求她的年轻人我实际上一个也没见过，不过，她至少有十多个追求者。”

“那可太糟糕了，”农夫奥克说，沮丧地盯着地板。“我只是一个很普通的人，我唯一的机会在于是第一个向她求婚的人。好吧，这就是我来的目的。现在我该回家了，赫思特太太。”

他在第一块地里刚走了一半的路就听到身后有人喊了一声。他转身看到一个姑娘向他跑来。正是芭丝谢芭。盖伯瑞尔红了脸。

“农夫奥克，”她上气不接下气地喊，”我姑妈说有许多年轻人在追求我，我想说她搞错了。事实上，我一个也没有，从来也没有过。”

“很高兴听到你这样说！”盖伯瑞尔说，开心地笑着，伸出手去握住她的手。但她很快就抽回了她的手。“我有一个收益不薄的小农场，”他补充说，显得有点不自信。“咱们结婚后，我一定会加倍工作，挣更多的钱。”

他向她伸出胳膊。芭丝谢芭跑到树后躲避他。“可是，农夫奥克，”她吃惊地说，“我可从没说要与你结婚。”

“算了！”盖伯瑞尔失望地说。“这么在后边追我，然后又说你不需要我！”

“我只是想解释我姑妈搞错了，”她迫不及待地回答。“我得跑着追你，所以我没有时间决定是否要与你结婚。”

“那就考虑几分钟，”盖伯瑞尔满怀希望地回答。“我可以等一会儿，伊芙丁小姐。你愿意和我结婚吗？和我结婚吧，芭丝谢芭。我非常爱你！”

“我会认真考虑的，”她回答说。“给我时间，”她把目光从他身上移向远处的山峦。

“我会使你幸福的，”他冲着她的后脑勺说。“你将会有一架钢琴，我吹笛子，晚上可以与你一起演奏。”

“是啊，能那样我很高兴。”

“在家中的炉火旁，无论你什么时候抬起头，我都会在跟前，无论我什么时候抬起头，你就在跟前。”

“等等，让我想想！”她沉默了一会儿，然后转向他。“不，”她说，“我不想和你结婚。举行婚礼固然不错，但有一个丈夫——唉，他总在你的眼前。就如同你说的，无论什么时候我抬起头来，他就在跟前。”

“当然他会在你的跟前——那就是我呀。”

“问题就在这儿。如果能做新娘又不必有一个丈夫，我倒是不介意做新娘。但是既然一个女人独自不可能成为新娘，我就不愿意结婚，至少现在还不愿意。”

“一个姑娘这样说多傻呀！”盖伯瑞尔大声说。接着他柔声说道，“亲爱的，再想一想！”他绕到树后去够她。“你为什么不要我？”

“因为我不爱你，”她回答，躲开了。

“可是我爱你——不过有人喜欢我，我也非常幸福，当然假如你喜欢我的话。”他比以往任何时候都更加严肃地说。“在我的一生中只有一件事是确定无疑的——我会爱你，需要你，终生需要你直到我死的那一天。”从他诚实的脸上可以明白无误地看出他的感情，他黝黑的大手在颤抖。

“在你感情这么强烈时，不接受你似乎是不合适的，”她闷闷不乐地说。“我真希望刚才没有追你！不过，奥克先生，咱们在一起不会幸福的。我个性很要强。我需要一个能管得了我的丈夫，我肯定你做不到。”

盖伯瑞尔失望地把目光移开，默不作声。

“奥克先生，”她用清晰的声音继续说，“我很穷，都得要我的姑妈给我提供住处。你的农场刚刚起步，找一个有钱的女人对你来说更明智。那样你就可以买更多的羊发展你的农场。”

“这正是我一直在考虑的！”盖伯瑞尔惊讶地回答。她多明白事理啊，他不无称赞地想。

“既然如此，你为什么还要我和你结婚？”她生气地说。

“我理智上觉得明智的事，我做不到。我只能做我的心要我去做的事情。”他没有看出她给他设的圈套。

“奥克先生，既然你已承认和我结婚是不明智的，你认为我得知这个以后还会与你结婚吗？”

“别误会我的意思，”他喊道，“因为我诚实地告诉了你实情！我知道对我来说你会是个好妻子。你说起话来像一个淑女，人们都这么说，我听说过你的叔叔在威瑟伯里有一个大农场。我可以在晚上拜访你吗？要么星期天你出来和我一起散步？你不必立刻决定。”

“不、不，不行。别坚持了，千万别了。我不爱你，所以与你接触是愚蠢的，”她大笑着说。

没有哪个人愿意看到自己的感情被嘲笑，所以盖伯瑞尔边转身准备走边说道，“好吧，既然如此，我再不会向你提起此事。”

盖伯瑞尔没有再见到芭丝谢芭，两天后，他听说她已离开了这个地方。她去了威瑟伯里，距这里20英里的一个村庄。她的离去并没有使盖伯瑞尔停止爱她。事实上，由于他们分开了，他对她爱得更深了。

第二天夜里，睡觉前，盖伯瑞尔把两条狗唤到屋里过夜。那条年龄大的狗，乔治，听从呼唤，而那条年龄小的则不见了踪影。盖伯瑞尔一直未能把这条小狗训练出来。它很有热情，但不懂得一个牧羊犬的职责。狗虽然不在，但他并没有多想，就上床睡觉了。

一大早，他就被剧烈的羊铃声惊醒了。牧羊人懂得羊铃所发出的每一声声响，盖伯瑞尔立刻意识到他的羊群在飞快地奔跑。他从床上跳起来，匆忙穿上衣眼，向诺科姆山上白垩矿场旁自己的田地跑去。

50只母羊和它们的小羊羔都安全地在一块地里。另一块地里，两百只怀孕的羊却踪影全无。他注意到一个被弄坏的门，断定羊是从那里跑走的。旁边的一块地里也没有羊的影子，在他面前的山顶上，他看到了那只年龄小的狗，在晨光的映衬下像一个黑影子。它一动不动地站着，俯视着白垩矿场。

盖伯瑞尔意识到了可怕的事实，他感到一阵揪心。他跑到山上的白垩矿场旁，向下面望去。两百只羊，死了的和快要死的，都躺在矿场底部。这两百只羊再过几个星期本来就可以生产两百多只羊羔。一定是那只年幼的，不驯顺的狗把它们追赶到矿场边，它们从那里掉下去丧了命。

他首先是为那些温顺的羊和它们尚未出世的羊羔感到惋惜。接着他又想到了自己。过去十年中他辛苦劳动积攒的积蓄都被用来租农场。现在他想要成为一个独立的农场主的希望完全破灭了。他用双手捂住了脸。

过了一会儿，他抬起头来。“谢天谢地，我没有和芭丝谢芭结婚，”他想。“嫁给一个像我这样一贫如洗的丈夫，她该如何是好呢！”

第二天，那只年幼的狗被杀死了。盖伯瑞尔卖掉了他所有的农具，为的是付他买羊所欠的钱。他不再是个农场主了，只是一个普通人。他拥有的只有身上穿的衣服，除此，别无所有。现在他得去别人的农场去找工作。

3 The fire

Two months later Gabriel went to the great fair at Casterbridge，hoping to find a job as farm manager. But when he realized by late afternoon that none of the farmers at Casterbridge wanted a farm manager，or even a shepherd，he decided to try his luck at another fair the next day. It was fifteen miles further away，in a village the other side of Weatherbury. The name Weatherbury reminded him of Bathsheba，and he wondered if she still lived there. He set out on foot as it was getting dark，and had already walked three or four miles when he saw a cart，half-full of hay，by the side of the road. ‘That's a comfortable place to sleep，’he thought，and he was so tired after his long，disappointing day at the fair that when he climbed into the cart，he fell asleep immediately.

A couple of hours later，however，he was woken by the movement of the cart. It was being driven towards Weather－bury by two farm workers，who had not noticed Gabriel. He listened to their conversation.

‘She's a handsome woman，that's true，’said one，‘but proud too！And very vain，that's what people say！’

‘Oh，if she's vain，Billy Smallbury，I'll never be able to look at her！I'm such a shy man，as you know！’said the other. ‘A single woman，and vain！And does she pay her farm workers well？’

‘I don't know about that，Joseph Poorgrass. ’

Gabriel thought they could be talking about Bathsheba，except that the woman they were discussing seemed to be the mistress of a farm. As the cart was now quite near Weather－bury，Gabriel jumped out，unseen by the two men. He climbed a gate into a field，intending to sleep for the rest of the night under a hay－rick，but then he noticed an unusual light in the darkness，about half a mile away. Something was on fire.

He hurried across the fields towards the fire. Soon，in the rich orange light of the flames，he could see a hay－rick burning fiercely. It was too late to save the rick，so for a few minutes he stood and stared at the flames. But when the smoke cleared for a moment，he was horrified to see，very close to the burn－ing rick，a whole row of wheat－ricks. These probably con－tained most of the wheat produced on the farm that year，and could catch fire at any moment.

As he rushed towards the wheat－rick that was most in dan-ger，he saw he was not alone. A crowd of farm workers had seen the fire and run into the field to help save the wheat，but they were so confused they did not know what to do. Gabriel took control and gave orders.

‘Get a large cloth！’he shouted. ‘Put it over the wheat－rick，so the wind can't blow the flames from the hay－rick on to it！Now，you，stand here with a bucket of water and keep the cloth wet！’The men hurried to obey him. The flames，prevented from burning the bottom and sides of the wheat-32 rick，began to attack its roof.

‘Get me a ladder！’cried Gabriel. ‘And a branch，and some water！’He climbed up the wheat－rick and sat on the top，beating down the flames with the branch. Billy Smallbury，one of the men who had been in the cart，climbed up with a bucket of water， to throw water on Gabriel and keep the flames off him. The smoke was at its thickest at this corner of the rick， but Gabriel never stopped his work.

On the ground the villagers were doing what they could to stop the fire，which was not much. A little further away was a young woman who had just arrived on her horse，witn her maid on foot. They were watching the fire and discussing Gabriel.

‘He's a fine young man，ma'am，’said Liddy，the maid. ‘And look at his clothes！They're all burnt！’

‘Who does he work for？’asked the woman in a clear voice.

‘I don't know，ma'am，nor do the others. He's a stranger. ’

‘Jan Coggan！’called the woman to one of her workers. ‘Do you think the wheat is safe now？’

‘I think so，yes，ma'am，’he answered. ‘If the fire had spread to this wheat－rick，all the other ricks would have caught fire too. That brave young man up there on top of the rick is the one who's saved your wheat. ’

‘He does work hard，’said the young woman，looking up at Gabriel, who had not noticed her. ‘I wish he worked for me. ’

As the ricks were no longer in danger， Gabriel started to climb down，and at the bottom he met the maid.

‘I have a message from the farmer，who wishes to thank you for all you've done，’she said.

‘Where is he？’asked Gabriel，suddenly aware of the chance of getting some work.

‘It isn't a he，it's a she，’answered the girl.

‘A woman farmer？’asked Gabriel.

‘Yes，and a rich one too！’said a villager who was standing near. ‘She inherited her uncle's farm，when he died suddenly. She has business in every bank in Casterbridge！’

‘She's over there，wrapped in a cloak，on her horse，’added the maid. In the darkness Gabriel could only see the shape of a woman sitting on a horse. He walked over to her. Although his face was black from the smoke and his clothes were burnt by the fire，he remembered to lift his hat politely，and asked, looking up at her，‘Do you want a shepherd，ma'am？’She let her cloak fall back from her head in surprise. Gabriel and his cold-hearted darling，Bathsheba Everdene，stared at each other. She did not speak. He only repeated sadly，‘Do you want a shepherd，ma'am？’

Bathsheba turned away into the shadows to consider. She was a little sorry for him， but also glad that she had improved her position since they last met. She realized she had almost forgotten his offer of marriage on Norcombe Hill.

‘Yes，’she answered quietly，blushing a little，‘I do want a shepherd. But—’

‘He's just the right man，ma'am，’said one of the villagers.

‘That's right！’said a second，and a third.

‘Then will you men tell him to speak to the farm manager？’said Bathsheba in a businesslike way，as she rode off.

Gabriel soon arranged the details of his employment with Bathsheba's farm manager，Benjy Pennyways，and walked on to the village to find a place to live. As he walked，he thought of Bathsheba. How quickly the young girl he remembered had become the capable mistress of a farm！

When he passed the churchyard，and the ancient trees around it，he noticed that someone was standing behind one of the trees.

‘Is this the right way to Weatherbury？’asked Gabriel.

‘Oh yes，straight on，’said a girl's voice，low and sweet. After a pause she added，‘You're not a Weatherbury man？’

‘No，I'm the new shepherd，just arrived. ’

‘Only a shepherd！You seem almost like a farmer to me. ’

‘Only a shepherd，’repeated Gabriel in a dull voice，think－ing of the disaster that had destroyed his hopes of being a farmer.

‘Please don't tell anyone in the village that you've seen me，’begged the girl. ‘I'm rather poor，and I don't want anyone to know about me. ’ Her thin arms trembled in the cold.

‘I won't tell anyone，’said Gabriel，‘but you ought to be wearing a cloak on a night like this. ’

‘Oh，it doesn't matter. Please go on and leave me. ’

He hesitated ‘Perhaps you'd accept this. It's not much，but it's all I have to spare. ’He put a coin into her small hand，and as he touched her wrist he noticed how quickly the blood was beating. It was the same quick，hard beat that he felt in his lambs when they were close to death.

‘What's the matter？Can't I help you？’he asked. He felt a deep sadness in this thin，weak creature.

‘No，no！Don't tell anyone you've seen me！Good night！’She stayed in the shadows，and Gabriel went on to Weather-bury.

3 火灾

两个月后，盖伯瑞尔去了位于卡斯特桥的大集市，希望找一份农场经理的工作。在下午，快结束时，他意识到卡斯特桥没有哪个农场主需要农场经理，甚或是一个牧羊人，他决定第二天到另一个集市去碰碰运气。这个集市在威瑟伯里另一边的一个村庄，还要再走15英里。威瑟伯里这个名字使他想起了芭丝谢芭，他不知道她是否还住在那儿。天将黑时，他步行着上路了。走了三四英里，他看到一辆马车停在路边，车上装着半车干草。“那个地方睡觉挺舒服，”他想，经过在集市上漫长、令人失望的一天后，他太累了。一爬上车他立刻就睡着了。

一两个小时后，马车的颠簸惊醒了他。两个农场工人正把马车赶向威瑟伯里，他们没有注意到盖伯瑞尔。他听到了他们的谈话。

“她是个很漂亮的女人，这倒不假，”一个说，“可是太傲慢！人们都说她很自负！”

“唉，比利·斯摩伯里，要是她很自以为是，我就连正眼看她也不敢了！你知道，我是一个害羞的人！”另一个说。“一个单身女人，而且自负！她给她的农场工人报酬高吗？”

“这个我不知道，约瑟夫·普格拉斯。”

盖伯瑞尔想他们谈论的可能是芭丝谢芭，只是他们谈论的女人好像是一个农场的女主人。马车快到威瑟伯里时，盖伯瑞尔跳下了车，那两个人也未发现。他翻越过一个大门进了一块地里，打算在一个干草垛下过夜，就在这时，他注意到大约一英里远的地方黑暗中有不寻常的火光。有东西着火了。

他穿过田地向着火的地方跑去。接着，他看到熊熊的火光中，干草垛肆虐地燃烧着。现在已来不及救干草垛了，有好几分钟他就站在那儿盯着火焰。可是当烟散开一点后，他吃惊地看到有一排麦垛就紧挨着燃烧着的干草垛。这个农场这一年产的大部分麦子可能都在这儿，这些麦垛随时有着火的可能。

当他向最危急的一个麦垛冲去时，他看到在场的并不只是他一人。一群农场工人看到着了火，跑到地里来帮着抢救麦子。只是他们太混乱了，不知道该做什么。盖伯瑞尔控制住局面，开始发号施令。

“找一块大布来！”他喊道。“用布把麦垛裹住，这样干草垛上的火苗就不会被吹到麦垛上！你，拿一桶水站在这儿，让布保持湿润！”人们立刻听从他的指挥。烧不着麦垛底部和边部的火焰开始袭击顶部。

“给我找一架梯子！”盖伯瑞尔大声说，‘再找一个树枝和一些水！”他爬上麦垛，坐在顶上，用树枝打灭火苗。斯摩伯里，马车上两人中的一个，提着一桶水爬了上来。他把水浇在盖伯瑞尔身上以免火苗烧到他的身上。盖伯瑞尔呆的这个角上浓烟滚滚，但他却一刻也没有停歇。

地面上村民们也在尽自己所能地灭着火，尽管地面上的火并不大。不远处有一位骑马刚到的年轻姑娘，她的女仆步行跟着她。她们望着大火，议论着盖伯瑞尔。

“小姐，他真是个了不起的年轻人，”女仆利蒂说。“看他的衣服！全都烧了！”

“他为谁做事？”女人用清晰的嗓音问。

“我不知道，小姐，其他人也不知道。他没来过这儿。”

“简·考根！”女人向她的一个工人喊道。”麦子现在没有危险了吗？”

“我想没有危险了，小姐，”他答道。“如果火烧到这个麦垛，所有其它麦垛也都会着火的。垛顶上那位勇敢的年轻人就是救了你的麦子的人。”

“他确实很卖力，”年轻姑娘抬头看着盖伯瑞尔说道，他却没注意到她。“我真希望他是我的雇工。”

麦垛没有什么危险了，盖伯瑞尔爬了下来，在下面他遇到了女仆。

“我带来了农场主的口信，农场主想为你所做的一切感谢你，”她说。

“他在哪儿？”盖伯瑞尔问，突然意识到这是一个找些活干的机会。

“不是他，是她，”姑娘答道。

“女农场主？”盖伯瑞尔问。

“是的，而且还是个富有的农场主！”站在附近的一个村民说。“她的叔叔去世后，她继承了他的农场。她与卡斯特桥的每家银行都有来往！”

“她就在那儿，裹着斗篷，骑着马，”女仆加了一句。黑暗中盖伯瑞尔只能看见马上一个女人的轮廓。他向她走去。尽管他的脸被烟熏黑了，衣服也被火烧坏了，但他并没有忘记有礼貌地举举帽子。他抬头看着她问道，“小姐，你需要牧羊人吗？”她吃了一惊，斗篷从头上滑落下来，盖伯瑞尔与他冷酷的心上人，芭丝谢芭·伊芙丁，对视着。她没有说话。他沮丧地又问了一句，“你需要牧羊人吗，小姐？”

芭丝谢芭把头扭向阴影里考虑着。她有点为他难过，但又很高兴自从他们上次见面后自己的地位已今非昔比了。她意识到她差不多都不记得他在诺科姆山上曾向她求婚。

“需要，”她平静地回答，脸有点红，“我的确需要一个牧羊人。只是——”

“小姐，他很合适.”一个村民说。

“一点不错！”第二个村民、第三个村民说。

“那你们告诉他去和农场经理说一声，好吗？”芭丝谢芭一边骑马离开，一边以一种公事公办的口气说。

盖伯瑞尔很快就与芭丝谢芭的农场经理宾尼威斯安排妥了有关他受雇的一些具体事宜，然后向村里走去，去找一个住的地方。他一边走，一边想芭丝谢芭。他认识的那个年轻姑娘才几天就成了一个农场的女主人！

在经过教堂及教堂周围的古树时，他注意到有个人站在一棵树后。

“这是去威瑟伯里的路吗？”他问。

“噢，是的，一直往前走，”一个姑娘的声音，声音虽然低但甜美。停了一下她又说，“你不是威瑟伯里人？”

“不是，我是新来的牧羊人，刚到这里。”

“不过是个牧羊人！我觉得你差不多像个农场主。”

“不过是个牧羊人，”盖伯瑞尔闷声闷气地重复着，想到了那场灾难，那场灾难破灭了他想成为农场主的希望。

“请你千万别对村里的任何人说看见了我，”姑娘哀求说。“我很穷，我不想让人们知道我的事。”她的瘦弱的胳膊由于天冷而颤抖着。

“我谁也不告诉，”盖伯瑞尔说，“你在这样的晚上应该穿一件斗篷。”

“噢，没关系。请你继续赶路吧，你走吧。”

他犹豫着。“也许你会接受这个。虽然不多，我就这点富余。”他把一枚硬币放进她的小手里，触到她的手腕时，他察觉到她的脉搏跳动得异常快。他的羊羔临近死亡时，他也曾在它们身上感到了同样迅速、剧烈的跳动。

“出了什么事？我不能帮你吗？”他问道。他感到这瘦弱可怜的人儿怀有一种深深的悲哀。

“不，不！别告诉任何人你见过我！再见！”她呆在黑暗中，盖伯瑞尔继续向威瑟伯里走去。

4 Fanny Robin disappears

The farm manager had advised Gabriel to go straight to the malthouse in Weatherbury，to ask for somewhere to stay. That was the place where the men of the village spent their evenings，drinking beer and talking by the fire. When Gabriel entered the warm，dark room，some of Bathsheba's workers recognized him.

‘Come in，shepherd，you're welcome，’said one.

‘Gabriel Oak is my name，neighbours. ’

The ancient maltster，with his white hair and long white beard，turned his old head stiffly towards Gabriel. ‘Gabriel Oak of Norcombe！’he said. ‘I knew your grandparents well！My boy Jacob and his young son Billy know your family too. ’His boy Jacob was bald and toothless，and young Billy was about forty.

‘You must be very old，maltster，’said Gabriel politely，‘to have such an old son as Jacob here. ’

‘Yes，I've lived for over a hundred years，’replied the little old man proudly. ‘Sit down and drink with us，shepherd. ’

The cup of warm beer passed round the circle of drinkers. There was silence for a moment. Then Gabriel turned the conversation to the matter closest to his heart.

‘What kind of mistress is Miss Everdene？’he asked.

‘We know almost nothing of her，shepherd，’answered Jan Coggan，a big，cheerful man with a red face. ‘She only arrived here a few days ago，when her uncle died. But the Everdenes are a good family to work for. Of course，it's the farm manager who'll be giving us our orders. ’

‘Ah！’said the maltster，frowning. ‘Benjy Pennyways！’

‘You can't trust him！’added Jacob darkly.

Soon afterwards Gabriel left with Jan Coggan，who had offered the shepherd a bed in his house. The remaining men were just preparing to leave when suddenly a young man called Laban Tall rushed into the malthouse，almost too excited to speak.

‘It's Benjy Pennyways！’he cried. ‘Miss Everdene's caught him stealing wheat from the barn！She's sent him away！And worse than that——Fanny Robin，you know，Miss Everdene's youngest maid，is missing！The mistress wants us to look for her tomorrow. And Billy Smallbury，she wants you to go to Casterbridge，to see if you can find the young soldier who's been courting Fanny. ’

That night the news spread fast round the village，but did not reach Gabriel，whose dreams were only of Bathsheba. Through the long slow hours of darkness he saw her lovely face and forgot that she did not love him.

The next morning Bathsheba and her maid Liddy were dust-ing some books，when a visitor arrived at the front door. It was Mr Boldwood，who had a large farm in Weatherbury.

‘I can't see him like this，Liddy！’said Bathsheba，looking in horror at her dusty dress. ‘Go down and tell him I'm busy. ’

When Liddy came back， after Mr Boldwood had gone，Bathsheba asked，‘What did he want， Liddy？ And who is he，exactly？’

‘He just wanted to ask if Fanny had been found，miss. You know，as she had no family or friends，he was kind enough to pay for her to go to school，and found her a job here with your uncle. He's your neighbour. His farm is next to yours. ’

‘Is he married？ And how old is he？’

‘He isn't married. He's abeut forty，very handsome—and rich. All the girls in the area have tried to persuade him to marry. But he just doesn't seem interested in women. Have you ever had an offer of marriage，miss？’

‘Yes，I have，Liddy，’answered Bathsheba after a pause，thinking of Gabriel. ‘But he wasn't quite good enough for me. ’

‘Oh，how nice to be able to refuse，when most of us are glad to accept the first offer！ And did you love him，miss？’

‘Oh no. But I rather liked him. ’

In the afternoon Bathsheba called her workers together，and spoke to them in the old hall of the farmhouse.

‘Men，I want to tell you that I'm not going to employ a new farm manager. I shall manage the farm myself. ’There were gasps of surprise from the men. She gave her orders for the next week's farm work and then turned to one of the 46 men. ‘Billy Smallbury， what have you discovered about Fanny Robin？’

‘I think she's run away with her young man，ma'am. The soldiers have left Casterbridge，and I suppose she's gone with them. ’

‘Well，perhaps we'll discover more later. One of you can go and tell Mr Boldwood what Billy says. Now，men，I hope I can trust you all to do your work well for me. Goodnight. ’

Later that evening，in a town many miles north of Weather bury，a small white shape could be seen walking slowly along a path beside a large building. It was a dull，snowy night，with heavy grey clouds hanging low in the sky，the kind of night when hopes are destroyed and love is lost.

‘One. Two. Three. Four. Five. ’The white shape was counting windows in the building. Then it began to throw small stones，covered in snow，at the fifth window. At last the window opened，and a man called out，‘Who's there？’

‘Is that Sergeant Troy？’asked a girl's voice.

‘Yes，’answered the man. ‘Who are you？’

‘Oh Frank，don't you know me？’cried the girl desperately.

‘I'm your—I'm Fanny Robin. ’

‘Fanny！’gasped the man in surprise. ‘How did you get here？’

‘I walked most of the way from Weatherbury. But，Frank，are you glad to see me？ Frank，when will it be？’

‘What are you talking about？’

‘You know，you promised. When shall we be married，Frank？’

‘Oh，I see. Well—you need proper clothes—we must inform the vicar. It takes time. I didn't expect you to come so soon. ’

‘Oh Frank，I love you so！And—you said you'd marry me—’

‘Don't cry now！It's foolish. If I said so，of course I will. I'll come and see you tomorrow to decide the details. ’

‘Oh yes，Frank，do！I'm staying at Mrs Twill’s in North Street. Come tomorrow，Frank！Goodnight，Frank！’

4 范妮·罗宾失踪了

农场经理劝盖伯瑞尔径直去威瑟伯里的酒吧问问住的地方。这是一个村里的人消磨晚上的时光、喝酒、围着火聊天的地方。盖伯瑞尔进到这个暖和、昏暗的屋子时，芭丝谢芭的一些雇工认出了他。

“进来，牧羊人，欢迎你，”一个村民说。

“我叫盖伯瑞尔·奥克，乡亲们。”

年老的酒店老板，留着白发和长长的白胡子，僵硬地把头转向盖伯瑞尔。“诺科姆的盖伯瑞尔·奥克！”他说，“我与你的祖父母很熟！我儿子雅各布和他的小儿子比利也认识你们家。”他的儿子雅各布头秃了，牙也没了。小儿子比利大约有四十岁。

“有雅各布这样大的儿子，你一定年纪不小了，老板，”盖伯瑞尔礼貌地说。

“是的，我活了有一百多年了，”小老头骄傲地答道。“牧羊人，坐下和我们喝一杯。”

盛有热啤酒的杯子在一圈饮酒者中传递着。一阵沉默之后，盖伯瑞尔把话题转到他最关心的事情上。

“伊芙丁小姐是个什么样的女主人？”他问。

“牧羊人，我们对她几乎一无所知，”简·考根答道。这是一个有着一张红脸，大大的个子，快快活活的人。“几天前她叔叔死后她才来到这里。不过，给伊芙丁家族干活没错。当然，对我们发号施令的是农场经理。”

“噢！”酒店老板皱着眉说。“本杰·宾尼威斯！”

“他让人信不过！”雅各布恨恨地接着说。

盖伯瑞尔接着就与简·考根离开了，简说在他家里可以给盖伯瑞尔找个床位。正当其他人准备离去时，一个名叫拉班·托尔的年轻人冲进酒店。他激动得有点说不出话来。

“是本杰·宾尼威斯！”他大声说。“伊芙丁小姐抓住他在谷仓偷麦子！小姐已把他打发走了！还有更糟的事呢——伊芙丁小姐最年幼的女仆范妮·罗宾失踪了！女主人要我们明天去找她。另外，比利·斯摩伯里，女主人要你去卡斯特桥，看是否能找到一直在追求范妮的那个年轻士兵。”

那天夜里，消息传遍了整个村庄，唯有盖伯瑞尔不知晓，因为他脑子里只想着芭丝谢芭。在漫长的黑夜里，他看到了她姣美的面庞，忘记她并不爱他。

第二天早晨，芭丝谢芭和女仆利蒂在清扫书上的灰尘时，一位来访者站在了前门。此人是伯德伍德先生，他在威瑟伯里拥有一个大农场。

“利蒂，我不能这样去见他！”芭丝谢芭说，惊慌地看着自己满是灰尘的裙子。“下去告诉他我很忙。”

伯德伍德先生走后，利蒂返了回来，芭丝谢芭问，“他有什么事，利蒂？他究意是谁？”

“小姐，他只想问问范妮是否找到了。你知道，范妮没有家，也没有朋友，伯德伍德先生好心地给她付钱让她去上学，还在你叔叔这里给她找了事干。他是你的邻居，他的农场就挨着你的农场。”

“他结婚了吗？他有多大年纪？”

“他还没有结婚。四十来岁，很英俊，也很有钱。这个地方的姑娘们都想劝说他结婚。可他好像对女人不感兴趣。小姐，有人向你求过婚吗？”

“有过，利蒂，”芭丝谢芭停了一下说，想起了盖伯瑞尔。“不过，他有点配不上我。”

“噢，我们大部分人都是一有人求婚就赶快接受，而你却能拒绝，多好啊！小姐，你爱他吗？”

‘不，不过我挺喜欢他。”

下午，芭丝谢芭把她的雇工都召集到屋子里的旧大厅里。

“乡亲们，我想告诉你们我并不打算雇一个新的农场经理。我想自己管理农场。”人群中传出惊叹声。她布置了下星期农场的工作，然后转向其中一人。“比利·斯摩伯里，范妮·罗宾有消息吗？”

“小姐，我猜她是跟她的那个年轻人跑了。士兵们已经离开了卡斯特桥，我想她跟他们一起走了。”

“好吧，也许以后会发现些什么。你们一个人去告诉伯德伍德先生比利所说的。乡亲们，我希望我可以相信你们所有的人会为我好好干的。晚安。”

那天晚上晚些时候，在威瑟伯里以北好几英里的一个镇上，人们可以看到一个白色的、矮小的影子在一幢大建筑物旁的小路上慢慢地走着。这是一个阴沉的、下着雪的夜晚，乌云低低地挂在天边，这是那种破灭希望、失去爱情的夜晚。

“一、二、三、四、五。”白色的影子数着建筑物上的窗户。然后她开始朝第五个窗口投掷裹着雪的小石头。终于，窗户打开了，一个人喊道，“谁在那儿？”

“是托伊中士吗？”一个姑娘的声音问。

“是我，”那人答道。“你是谁？”

“欧，弗兰克，你不认识我了吗？”姑娘绝望地喊道。“我是你的——我是范妮·罗宾。”

“范妮！’那人惊叫道。“你是怎么到了这里的？”

“我从威瑟伯里一路走着来的。弗兰克，见到我你高兴吗？弗兰克，那事定在什么时候？”

“你说什么？”

“你知道，你答应过。我们什么时候结婚，弗兰克？”

“噢，明白了。可是——你需要合适的衣服——我们需要通知牧师。这些需要时间。我没料到你这么早就会来。”

“欧，弗兰克，我非常爱你。你说过要和我结婚——”

“好了，别哭。别犯傻。如果我那样说过，当然我会和你结婚。我明天去看你，咱们到时商量细节。”

“好的，弗兰克，你可一定来！我住在北街退尔太太旅店。明天一定来，弗兰克！再见，弗兰克！”

5 Bathsheba sends a valentine

When Bathsheba first appeared at the weekly Caster－ bridge market，where farmers bought and sold their wheat and animals，she caused a sensation. Men's heads turned to look at her，the only woman there. Like any woman，she was happy to be admired，but she was also deter- mined to sell her wheat at a good price，and to do business with the other farmers like a man. There was one farmer， however，who did not seem to notice her，and this annoyed her a little. It was Mr Boldwood.

One Sunday afternoon，on the thirteenth of February，Bathsheba and Liddy were in the sitting－room together. It was a dull，cold day，and they were both very bored.

‘Have you ever tried to discover who you're going to marry，miss，’asked Liddy，‘with a Bible and a key？’

‘I don't believe in such foolish games，Liddy. ’

‘Well，some people believe it works. ’

‘All right，let's try it，’said Bathsheba suddenly，jumping up from her seat. Together they opened the big family Bible and put a key on a page.

‘Now you think of someone you could marry，miss，’said Liddy，‘then read aloud the words on that page，and if the Bible moves，perhaps you'll marry him. ’

Bathsheba read the words，holding the Bible. As they watched，the Bible turned in her hands，and Bathsheba blushed.

‘Who were you thinking of？’asked Liddy curiously.

‘I'm not going to tell you，’answered her mistress.

‘By the way，did you notice Mr Boldwood in church this morning？’asked Liddy，making it very clear who she was thinking of. ‘He didn't turn his head once to look at you！’

‘Why should he？’replied Bathsheba，annoyed. ‘I didn't ask him to look at me. ’

‘Oh no. But everybody else in church was looking at you. ’

Bathsheba did not reply to this. After a few minutes she said，‘Oh，I nearly forgot the valentine card I bought yester－ day！’

‘A valentine！Who's it for，miss？Farmer Boldwood？’

‘No，of course not. It's for one of the village children，that sweet little boy of Jan Coggan's. I'll write the address on the envelope now，and we'll post it today. ’

‘What fun it would be to send it to that silly old Bold－ wood！’laughed Liddy.

Bathsheba paused to consider. It was certainly a little de－ pressing that the wealthiest and most important man in the area did not seem to admire her，as all the other men did.

‘We'll throw a coin to decide，’she said lightly. ‘No，we shouldn't play with money on a Sunday. I know，we'll throw this book. If it comes down open，I'll send the valentine to Jan's son. If it comes down shut，I'll send it to Boldwood. ’ The little book went up in the air and came down shut. Bathsheba immediately picked up her pen and wrote Bold-wood's address on the envelope.

‘Now we need a seal，’she said. ‘Look for an interesting one，Liddy. Ah，let's use this one. I can't remember what it says，but I know it's funny. ’When she had sealed the enve－lope，Bathsheba looked closely at the words left by the seal：

‘MARRY ME’.

‘Just right！’she cried. ‘That would make even a vicar laugh！’And so the valentine was sent，not for love，but as a joke. Bathsheba had no idea of the effect it would have.

It arrived at Mr Boldwood's house on the morning of St Valentine's Day，14th February He was puzzled，but strangely excited by it He had never received one before，and all day he thought about it. Who could the woman be who admired him so much that she sent him a valentine？He kept on looking at it，until the words on the large red seal danced in front of his tired eyes，and he could no longer read them. But he knew what they said：

‘MARRY ME’.

The valentine had destroyed the peaceful routine of Bold－wood's life. That night he dreamed of the unknown woman，and when he woke up very early，the first thing he saw was the valentine，with its message in red，on the table by his bed.

‘Marry me，’he repeated to himself. He was too restless to sleep any more so he went out for a walk. He watched the sun rise over the snowy fields，and on his way home he met the postman，who handed him a letter. Boldwood took it quickly and opened it，thinking it could be from the sender of the valentine.

‘I don't think it's for you，sir，’said the postman. ‘I think it's for your shepherd. ’

Boldwood looked at the address on the envelope：

To the new shepherd，

Weatherbury Farm，

Near Casterbridge.

‘Oh，what a mistake！It isn't mine，or my shepherd's. It must be for Miss Everdene's shepherd. His name is Gabriel Oak. ’

At that moment he noticed a figure in a distant field.

‘Ah，there he is now，’Boldwood added. ‘I'll take the let－ ter to him myself. ’The shepherd started walking towards the malthouse，and Boldwood followed him，holding the letter.

5 芭丝谢芭寄出一张情人卡

在每周一次的卡斯特桥集市上，农场主们买卖着自己的麦子和牲畜。芭丝谢芭第一次出现在集市上就引起了一阵轰动。男人们的头都扭过去看她，因为她是集市上唯一的女人。象所有的女人一样，受到别人的赞扬，她很高兴。不过，她也决心要把她的麦子卖个好价钱，象男人一样地和其他农场主做买卖。只有一个农场主似乎没注意到她，这使她有点不高兴。这人就是伯德伍德先生。

2月13日，这个星期日的下午，芭丝谢芭和利蒂都在起居室。天气阴沉、寒冷，她们两人都觉得很无聊。

“小姐，你试没试过用一本圣经或是一把钥匙算出你将与谁结婚？”利蒂问。

“利蒂，我不相信这种愚蠢的游戏。”

“可是有人觉得它很灵验。”

“好吧，那我们试试，”芭丝谢芭一边从座位上跳起来，一边突然说。她们一起打开一本大的家里用的圣经，把一把钥匙放在一页上。

“小姐，现在你想一个你可能与之结婚的人，”利蒂说，“然后朗读那页上的话，如果圣经动了，也许你就会和他结婚。”

芭丝谢芭拿着圣经，读上面的话。她们盯着看时，圣经在她手中动了一下，芭丝谢芭红了脸。

“你刚才想的是谁？”利蒂好奇地问。

“我不告诉你，”她的女主人说。

“哎，今天早晨在教堂你注意伯德伍德先生了吗？”利蒂问，指明她想的是谁。“他一次也没有回头看你！”

“他干吗要回头看我？”芭丝谢芭不高兴地说。“我并没有要求他看我。”

“噢，不。我是说教堂里的其他人都在看你。”

芭丝谢芭没有吭声。过了一会儿，她说，“哎呀，我差点忘了昨天买的情人卡！”

“情人卡！给谁的，小姐？给农场主伯德伍德？”

“不，当然不是。是给村里的一个孩子的，就是简·考根家那个可爱的男孩。我现在就把地址写在信封上，我们今天就把它发出去。”

“要是把它送给那个傻乎乎的老伯德伍德该多有意思！”利蒂大笑着说。

芭丝谢芭不再说话，若有所思。其他人都很欣赏她，而这一带最富有、最重要的人却好像对她不在乎，这的确有点令人沮丧。

“我们来扔硬币决定，”她随意地说。“不，星期天我们不该玩钱。我们来扔这本书。如果它开着掉下来，我就把情人卡送给简的儿子。如果合着掉下来，就送给伯德伍德。”那本小书被抛向空中，合着掉了下来。芭丝谢芭立刻拿起笔，在信封上写了伯德伍德的地址。

“我们需要一个封蜡，”她说，“利蒂，找一个有意思的。噢，我们用这个。我不记得上面是什么字了，可我知道很有意思。”把信封封上后，芭丝谢芭仔细地看着封蜡留下的字：

“和我结婚吧。”

“就要这个！”她喊道。“这把牧师也会逗笑的！”就这样，情人卡被发出去了，不是为了爱情，而是做为玩笑。芭丝谢芭根本不知道它会引起的后果。

情人卡在2月14日，情人节的这天早晨到了伯德伍德家里。他很困惑，但也有一种莫名的激动。从前他从没有收到过情人卡，他一整天都在想这件事。这个女人会是谁呢，这样的喜欢他，还送他情人卡？

他一直盯着这张情人卡，直到那大红封蜡上的字在他疲惫的眼前跳动了起来。他无法看清这几个字，但他知道是什么：

“和我结婚吧。”

这张情人卡打破了伯德伍德平静的生活程序。那天夜里，他梦见了一个素不相识的女人。他醒得很早，一眼就看到床边桌子上那张情人卡，和红色封蜡上面的字。

“和我结婚吧，”他默默地重复着。他烦燥不安无法成眠，所以出去散步。他看着太阳在白雪覆盖的田野上升起。在回家的路上，他碰见了邮递员，邮递员给了他一封信。他立刻接住并打开了信，以为是寄情人卡的人写来的信。

“先生，我想信不是寄给你的，”邮递员说，“是给你的牧羊人的。”

伯德伍德看着信封上的地址：

给新来的牧羊人，

威瑟伯里农场，

卡斯特桥附近。

“哎，错了！不是我的，也不是给我的牧羊人的。一定是给伊芙丁小姐的牧羊人的。他叫盖伯瑞尔·奥克。”

这时，他注意到远处有一个人影。

“欧，他就在那儿，”伯德伍德接着说。“我自己给他把信送去。”牧羊人向着酒店走去，伯德伍德手里拿着信，追他去了。

6 Fanny's mistake

At the malthouse the men were discussing Bathsheba. ‘How's she getting on without a farm manager？’the old maltster asked the younger men.

‘She can't manage the farm alone，’replied Jacob，‘and she won't listen to our advice. Proud，she is. I've often said it，’

‘You have，Jacob，you have，that's true，’agreed little Joseph Poorgrass.

‘But she's intelligent，’said Billy Smallbury，‘and must have some common sense. ’

‘It seems her old uncle's furniture wasn't good enough for her，’said the maltster‘I hear she's bought new beds，chairs and a piano！If she's a farmer，why does she want a piano？ ’

Just then they heard a heavy footstep outside，and a voice called，‘Neighbours，can I bring a few lambs in there？’

‘Of course，shepherd，’they all replied.

Gabriel appeared in the doorway，his cheeks red and his healthy face shining. On his shoulders were four half－dead lambs，which he put down carefully，close to the fire.

‘I haven't got a shepherd's hut here，as I used to have at Norcombe，’he explained. ‘These new lambs would die if I couldn't keep them warm for a while. It's very kind of you，maltster，to let me bring them in here. ’

‘We've been talking of the mistress，and her strange behaviour，shepherd，’said the maltster.

‘What have you been saying about her？’asked Gabriel sharply，turning to the others. ‘I suppose you've been speak- ing against her？’he added angrily to Joseph Poorgrass.

‘No，no，not a word，’said Joseph，trembling and blushing with terror.

‘well，look here，neighbours. ’Gabriel，although normally one of the quietest and most gentle men on earth，had sudden－ly become aggressive. ‘The first man I hear saying anything bad about our mistress will receive this in his face，’and he banged his great heavy hand down on the maltster's table.

‘Now don't get so angry，shepherd，and sit down！’said Jacob.

‘We hear you're a very clever man，shepherd，’added Joseph Poorgrass from behind the maltster's bed，where he had been hiding. ‘We all wish we were as clever as you，don't we，neighbours？’There was general agreement.

‘I think mistress ought to have made you her farm manager，you're so suitable for the job，’continued Joseph. He could see that Gabriel was no longer angry.

‘I don't mind confessing I was hoping to be her farm man－ ager，’said Gabriel in his honest way. ‘But Miss Everdene can do as she likes，and she's chosen to manage her own farm—and keep me as an ordinary shepherd only. ’He sounded rather depressed，and looked sadly into the fire.

Before anyone could reply，the door opened and Mr Bold－ wood came in. He greeted them all and handed the letter to Gabriel.

‘I opened this by mistake，Oak，’he said，‘but it must be for you. I'm sorry. ’

‘Oh，it doesn't matter at all，’answered Gabriel，who had no secrets from anyone. He read this letter：

Dear friend，

I don't know your name，but I want to thank you for your kindness to me on the night I left Weatherbury. I'm also returning the money you gave me. I'm happy to say I'm going to marry the young man who has been courting me， Sergeant Troy. As he is a nobleman's son，I know he wouldn't like me to accept a gift from anyone. Please don't tell anyone about my marriage. We intend to surprise Weatherbury by arriuing there as husband and wife，very soon. Thank you again.

Fanny Robin.

‘You'd better read it，Mr Boldwood，’said Gabriel. ‘It's from Fanny Robin. She wants to keep this a secret but I know you're interested in her. I met her on my way to Weather- bury，but I didn't know then who she was. ’ When Mr Boldwood had finished reading the letter，he looked very serious. ‘Poor Fanny！’he said. ‘I don't think this Sergeant Troy will ever marry her. He's clever，and handsome，but he can't be trusted. What a silly girl Fanny is！’

‘I'm very sorry to hear that，’said Gabriel.

‘By the way，Oak，’said Mr Boldwood quietly，as he and the shepherd left the malthouse together，‘could you tell me whose writing this is？’He showed Gabriel the envelope containing the valentine.

Gabriel looked at it，and said simply，‘Miss Everdene’s. ’Then he realized that Bathsheba must have written to Mr Boldwood without signing her name，and he looked，puzzled， at the farmer.

Mr Boldwood replied rather too quickly to Gabriel's unspo－ ken question. ‘It's quite normal to try to discover who has written the——valentine. That's the——fun of it. ’There was no fun at all in his manner. ‘Goodbye，Oak，’he added，and walked slowly back to his empty house.

A few days later，in the town north of Weatherbury where the soldiers were staying，a wedding was arranged As the church clock in the square struck half-past eleven，a handsome young soldier marched into the church and spoke to the vicar Then he stood still in the centre of the church，waiting for his bride. The church was full of the women and girls who had at－ tended the morning service and had decided to wait to see the wedding. They watched the young man's straight back，whis－ pering among themselves. The soldier waited without moving a muscle. The church clock struck a quarter to twelve，and still the bride did not come. The whispers stopped，and there was silence. The young man stood as stiff and straight as the church columns around him. There was a little quiet laughter from some of the women，but soon they were silent again，waiting for the end.

As the church clock struck twelve，they listened to the heavy notes ringing out from the church tower. The vicar left his position near the soldier，and disappeared into a back room. Every woman in the church was waiting to see the young man's face，and he knew it. At last he turned，and marched bravely back the way he had come，through the rows of smiling women.

When he got outside and crossed the square，he met a girl hurrying towards the church. When she saw him，the anxiety on her face changed to terror.

‘Well’？’he said，staring coldly at her.

‘Oh Frank，I made a mistake！I thought it was the other church，he one near the market，and I waited there till a quarter to twelve，and then I realized my mistake. But it doesn't matter，because we can just as easily get married tomorrow. ’

‘You're a fool，to play games with me！’he replied angrily.

‘So shall we get married tomorrow，Frank？’she asked，not understanding how seriously she had offended him. ‘Tomorrow！’he repeated，and laughed. ‘I don't want another experience like that for a while，I can promise you！’

‘But Frank，’she begged in a trembling voice，‘it wasn't such a terrible mistake！Now，dear Frank，when will our wedding be？’

‘Ah，when？God knows！’he said，and turning away from her，walked rapidly away.

6 范妮的错误

酒店里，人们正在议论芭丝谢芭。

“没有农场经理，她怎么办呢？”年老的酒店老板问年轻的人们。

“她一个人搞不好农场，”雅各布说，“她不听我们的劝告。我总说，她很骄傲。”

“你是这样说的，雅各布，你是这样说的，你说得对，”矮小的约瑟夫·普格拉斯赞同地说。

“可是她很聪明，”比利·斯摩伯里说，“她一定很有见识。”

“好像她对她年老的叔叔的家具不满意，”酒店老板说。“听说她买了新床、新椅子，还有一架钢琴！如果她要当农场主，她干吗要钢琴呢？”

就在这时，他们听到门外重重的脚步声，一个声音喊道，“乡亲们，我可以把这几只羊羔带进去吗？”

“当然可以，牧羊人，”他们一起答道。

盖伯瑞尔出现在门口，他两颊通红，健康的脸庞放着光。在他的肩上有四只半死的羊羔，他小心翼翼地把它们放在靠近火的地方。

“我在这儿没有牧羊人小屋，过去在诺科姆我有一个，”他解释说。“如果不让这几只新生的羊羔暖和一会儿，他们会死的。老板，你让我把它们带进来，真是太感谢你了。”

“牧羊人，我们正在谈论女主人以及她的不寻常的所作所为，”酒店老板说。

“你们在说她什么呢？”盖伯瑞尔转向众人厉声问。“我想你们是在说她的坏话吧？”他对着约瑟夫·普格拉斯，生气地又问了一句。

“没有，没有，一句坏话也没说。”约瑟夫说。由于害怕颤抖起来，脸也涨红了。

“哼，告诉你们，邻居们，”盖伯瑞尔，这个世上最安静、最温柔的人，突然变得咄咄逼人。“我要是听到谁说女主人的坏话，他的脸上首先就会尝到这个，”接着他把他的大手重重地击在了酒店老板的桌子上。

“牧羊人，别生气，坐下！”雅各布说。

“牧羊人，我们听说你是个很聪明的人，”约瑟夫·普格拉斯从酒店老板的床后边接口说，他一直躲在那儿。“我们都希望我们像你一样聪明，是吧，邻居们？”人们都表示同意。

“我认为女主人应该让你当她的农场经理，你太适合干这个工作了，”约瑟夫接着说。他能看出盖伯瑞尔已不生气了。

“我可以坦白我很希望给她当农场经理，”盖伯瑞尔诚实地说。“不过，伊芙丁小姐有权做自己愿做的事情，她已决定要自己管理农场，而只要我做个普通的牧羊人。”听起来他很沮丧，眼睛悲伤地盯着火。

别人正要答话，门开了，伯德伍德走了进来。他和大家打过招呼，把信递给了盖伯瑞尔。

“奥克，我开错了信，”他说，“这信一定是给你的。我很抱歉。”

“咳，没关系，”盖伯瑞尔对谁也没有要保密的，说着，他看起信来：

亲爱的朋友，

我不知道你的名字，但我想谢谢你，因为在我离开威瑟伯里的那天夜里，你对我非常好。我也想把你给我的钱还给你。我很高兴地告诉你，我就要与追求我的年轻人托伊中士结婚了。他是一个贵族的儿子，我知道他不喜欢我接受别人的礼物。请不要告诉别人我结婚的事。我们打算不久将以夫妻的身份出现在威瑟伯里，让人们大吃一惊。再一次的感谢你。

范妮·罗宾

“你最好读一读这封信，伯德伍德先生，”盖伯瑞尔说。“是范妮·罗宾写来的。她不想让别人知道，可我知道你很关心她。我在来威瑟伯里的路上碰到了她，那时我不知道她是谁。”

伯德伍德看完信后，脸上的表情很严肃。“可怜的范妮！”他说。“我认为这个托伊中士不会和她结婚。他聪明英俊，但无法让人信赖。范妮是个多么傻的姑娘啊！”

“听你这么说我很难过，”盖伯瑞尔说。

“顺便问一下，奥克，”伯德伍德和牧羊人一同离开酒店时，他平静地说，“你能告诉我这是谁的字迹吗？”他让盖伯瑞尔看那个装着情人卡的信封。

盖伯瑞尔看了看信封，只是说，“伊芙丁小姐的字迹。”随后他意识到芭丝谢芭一定是给伯德伍德先生写了一封没有署名的信。他迷惑不解地看着这位农场主。

盖伯瑞尔的问题还没出口，伯德伍德先生就抢着回答说，“想弄清楚是谁写的情人卡是很正常的，这就是乐趣。”他的态度却没有显示出任何乐趣。“再见，奥克，”他说着慢慢走回了他的空屋子。

几天后，在士兵们驻扎的威瑟伯里以北的一个镇上，一场婚礼正在筹备之中。广场上教堂的钟在十一点半敲响时，一个年轻英俊的士兵向教堂走去，他向牧师讲明了情况，然后静静地站在教堂中央，等待着他的新娘。教堂里满是参加早祷的女人和姑娘们，她们想等着看婚礼。她们望着年轻人笔直的后背，悄声议论着。这个士兵一动不动地等待着。教堂十二点差一刻的钟声敲响了，新娘还是没有到。窃窃私语声停止了，教堂里寂静无声。那个年轻人僵直地站着，就像他身边教堂里的柱子。有些女人发出低低的笑声，但她们很快就又安静了下来，等待着最后的结果。

教堂的钟声敲响了十二点，人们听到教堂塔顶传出低沉的音调。牧师从位于士兵身旁的他的位置上离开，走进了后房。那个年轻人知道教堂中所有的女人都在等着看他脸上的表情。终于，他转过身来，穿过一排排面带讥笑的女人，勇敢地从来的路上走了回去。

出了教堂，穿过广场时，他碰上一个急急忙忙往教堂赶来的姑娘。她看到他时，脸上的焦急变成了恐惧。

“好啊？”他瞪着她冷冷地说。

“唉，弗兰克，我弄错了。我以为是另一个教堂，是靠近集市的那个教堂，我在那儿一直等到差一刻十二点，后来意识到我搞错了。不过，没关系。明天我们也能一样容易地结婚。”

“你真蠢，跟我玩这种游戏！”他生气地答道。

“弗兰克，那我们明天结婚吗？”她问道，并不明白她已惹怒了他。

“明天！”他重复说，大笑起来。“告诉你，我可不想再要一次这样的经历！”

“可是，弗兰克，”她用颤抖的声音恳求说，“这也不是什么大不了的错！亲爱的弗兰克，我们什么时候举行婚礼？”

“哼，什么时候？天知道！”他说着，迅速转身走了。

7 Farmer Boldwood proposes marriage

On Saturday at Casterbridge market Boldwood saw the woman who was disturbing his dreams. For the first time he turned his head and looked at her. It was in fact the first time in his life that he had looked at any woman. Up to now he had considered women to be distant，almost foreign creatures who had nothing to do with him. Now he saw Bathsheba's hair，and every detail of her face. He noticed her figure，her dress，and even her feet. She seemed very beauti-ful to him，and his heart began to move within him. ‘And this woman，this lovely young woman，has asked me to marry her！’he thought. As he was watching Bathsheba selling wheat to another farmer，he was filled with jealousy.

All this time Bathsheba was aware of his eyes on her. At last she had made him look at her！But she would have pre－ferred him to admire her from the beginning，without the en- couragement of her valentine. She felt sorry she had disturbed the usual calmness of a man she respected，but considered she could not apologize to him without either offending or encour-aging him.

Mr Boldwood did not try to speak to her，and returned home to his farm. He was a man of strong feelings，which normally lay hidden deep inside him. Because he was serious，and did not joke with his neighbours，people thought he was cold But when he loved or hated，it was with his whole heart. If Bathsheba had known how strong the feelings of this dark and silent figure were，she would have blamed herself terribly for her thoughtlessness. But nobody guessed what lay behind his calm appearance.

A few days later Mr Boldwood was looking at Bathsheba's fields，which were next to his own，when he saw her helping Gabriel Oak with the sheep. To Boldwood，Bathsheba shone like the moon on a dark night. His heart，which had never been touched before，was filled completely with his love for her. He decided to go and speak to her.

As he stopped at the gate of the field，Bathsheba looked up and noticed him. Gabriel was watching her face and saw her blush. He immediately thought of the envelope，with the valentine，that Boldwood had shown him，and suspected Bathsheba of encouraging the farmer to fall in love with her.

Boldwood realized they had noticed him，and suddenly felt unsure of himself. He did not know enough about women to discover from Bathsheba's manner whether she wanted to see him or not. And so he did not enter the field，but walked on， past the gate.

Bathsheba，however，knew that he had come to see her， and felt extremely guilty. She promised herself never again to disturb the peace of this man's life. Unfortunately her promise was made too late，as such promises often are.

It was not until the end of May that Boldwood was brave enough to declare his love. He went to Bathsheba's house，where the maids told him their mistress was watching the sheep－washing. Every spring the sheep were washed in a spe－ cial pool，to keep their wool clean and to get rid of insects on their skin. Boldwood walked across the fields to the pool， where he found the farm workers busily washing the sheep.

Bathsheba was standing near them，and saw Boldwood com- ing towards her. She moved away，walking beside the river， but she could hear footsteps behind her in the grass，and felt love all around her，like perfume in the air Boldwood caught up with her.

‘Miss Everdene！’he said quietly.

She trembled，turned，and said，‘Good morning. ’She had guessed the truth from the way he spoke those two words.

‘I feel—almost too much to think， ’he said simply. ‘My life does not belong to me any more，Miss Everdene，but to you. I've come to propose marriage to you. ’

Bathsheba tried not to show any expression on her face.

‘I'm now forty-one，’he continued. ‘I've never married，or thought I ever would marry. But we all change，and I changed when I saw you. More than anything else，I want you as my wife. ’ ‘I think，Mr Boldwood，that although I respect you very much，I don't feel—enough for you—to accept your proposal. ’

‘But my life is worthless without you！’he cried，calm no longer. ‘I want you-to let me say I love you，again and again！’Bathsheba remained silent. ‘I think and hope you care enough for me to listen to what I have to say！’he added.

Bathsheba was about to ask why he should think that，when she remembered the valentine After all，it was quite natural for him to think she admired him.

‘I wish I could court you with beautiful words，’the farmer went on，‘but I can only say I love you madly and want you for my wife. I wouldn't have proposed if you hadn't allowed me to hope. ’

‘Mr Boldwood，this is difficult for me！I'm afraid I can't marry you. I'm not in love with you！I should never have sent that valentine—forgive me—it was a thoughtless thing to do. ’

‘No，no，don't say it was thoughtless！Say it was the beginning of a feeling that you would like me. Just consider whether you can accept me as a husband. I know I'm too old for you，but believe me， I'll take more care of you than a younger man would. You'll have nothing to worry about. You'll have everything you want. God only knows how much you mean to me！’

Bathsheba's young heart was full of pity for this sensitive man who had spoken so simply and honestly.

‘Don't say it，don't！You feel so much，and I feel nothing，’she replied. ‘Don't discuss it any more. I can't think！Oh，I've given you such pain！’

‘Tell me that you don't refuse completely. Give me some hope！May I ask you again？May I think of you？’

‘Yes，I suppose so. ’

‘May I hope you will accept my proposal next time？’

‘No，don't hope！I must go now. Give me time to think. ’

‘Yes，I'll give you time，’he answered gratefully. ‘Thank you，I'm happier now. ’

‘No，please，don't be happier，Mr Boldwood，if happiness only comes from my agreeing！I must think. ’

‘I'll wait，’he agreed. They turned away from each other， and returned to their separate houses.

7 农场主伯德伍德求婚

星期六，在卡斯特桥的集市上，伯德伍德看到了那个搅乱了他的梦的女人。第一次他扭过头来看她。实际上，这是他有生以来头一次盯着看女人。到目前为止，他一直都把女人当作是遥远的，甚至是陌生的、与他无关的生物。现在，他看到了芭丝谢芭的头发，看到了她脸上的每一处。他注意到了她的身材、她的穿着，甚至她的脚。在他看来她似乎是很美的，他的心开始跳动。“这个女人，这个漂亮、年轻的女人要我和他结婚！”他心想。当他看到芭丝谢芭把麦子卖给另一个农场主时，内心充满嫉妒。

芭丝谢芭知道伯德伍德的眼睛一直在盯着自己。她终于使他开始看她了！不过，她更希望他从一开始就喜欢她，而不是由于情人卡的作用。她打扰了一个为她所尊敬的人的一惯的安宁，她为此感到内疚，可又觉得不能向他道歉，否则，要么会惹恼他，要么便会使他得到鼓励。

伯德伍德先生没有和她说话，他回到了农场的家里。他是一个感情强烈的人，他的情感通常都深深地埋在心底。他严肃，不和邻居们开玩笑，所以人们都觉得他很冷漠。可他爱谁或是恨谁时，却是全心全意的。如果芭丝谢芭知道这个黝黑、沉静的人的感情是多么强烈的话，她一定会为自己的不慎重而自责不已。不过，谁也不知道在他沉静的外表后面藏着什么。

几天后，伯德伍德先生望着与他的地挨着的芭丝谢芭的田地，他看见她在帮着盖伯瑞尔·奥克照料羊群。伯德伍德觉得芭丝谢芭象黑夜的月亮发着光。他的那颗从不为什么所动的心充满了对她的爱意。他决定去对她表明心声。

他在田地的大门口停住了脚，这时芭丝谢芭抬起头来，注意到了她。盖伯瑞尔看着她，发现她红了脸。他立刻想到伯德伍德给他看的那个装着情人卡的信封，估计是芭丝谢芭引得这位农场主爱上了她。

伯德伍德意识到他们在注意自己，他突然感到没有信心。他不很了解女人，所以无法从芭丝谢芭的态度上弄清她是否愿意见他。所以他没有进地里去，而是一直走过了大门。

芭丝谢芭知道他是来看她的，心里感到很不安。她向自己保证决不再打扰这个人平静的生活了。不幸的是，她的保证太晚了，这种保证常常会这样。

直到五月底，伯德伍德才鼓起勇气宣布了他的爱情。他来到芭丝谢芭的家，女仆告诉他女主人去看给羊洗澡了。每年春天都在一个特别的池子里给羊洗澡，这样可以清洁羊毛，也可去除羊身上的寄生虫。伯德伍德穿过田地走向池塘，他发现农场工人们都在那里忙着给羊洗澡。

芭丝谢芭站在他们跟前，她看到伯德伍德向她走来。她走开了，沿着河边走去，她能听到身后草里的脚步声。她感到她的四周弥漫着爱意，象空气中的香味。伯德伍德追上了她。

“伊芙丁小姐！”他轻声叫道。

她颤抖了，转身说，“早晨好。”她从他说话的声音已猜出了他的来意。

“我想得太多了，都想不清了，”他直截了当地说，“伊芙丁小姐，我的生活不再属于我，而是属于你。我是来向你求婚的。”

芭丝谢芭努力地不使感情在脸上表现出来。

“我41岁，”他接着说。“从未结过婚，甚至从未想过会结婚。但人都是变化的，我见到你时，我变了。我现在最迫切需要的就是要你做我的妻子。”

“伯德伍德先生，我觉得尽管我非常尊敬您，但这并不足以让我接受你的求婚。”

“没有你我的生活将毫无意义！”他嚷道，有些沉不住气了。“希望你允许我一遍遍地说我爱你！”芭丝谢芭沉默不语。“我希望你能把我当回事，听我说说我的心里话。”他又说道。

芭丝谢芭正准备问他怎么会这样想时，突然记起了那张情人卡。这样，伯德伍德认为芭丝谢芭喜欢他是很自然的。

“我希望我能用漂亮的言词追求你，”农场主继续说，“但我只能说我发疯地爱着你，而且想要你做我的妻子。要不是你燃起了我的希望，我是不会求婚的。”

“伯德伍德先生，这对我太难了！恐怕我不能和你结婚。我并不爱你！我不该寄那张情人卡——请原谅——那样做是欠考虑的。”

“不，不，别说那件事是欠考虑的！说它是你喜欢我的开始。考虑一下你是否愿意我做你的丈夫。我明白对你来说我有点太老了，可是相信我，我会比年轻的人照顾得你更好。你没有需要操心的事。你会拥有你需要的一切！只有天知道你对我意味着什么！”

芭丝谢芭那颗年轻的心对这个敏感的人充满了怜悯，他讲得如此的直率和诚恳。

“别这么说，别这么说！你的感情如此强烈，而我却什么都不觉得，”她回答说。“别再说这个了，我无法考虑！唉，我使你这么痛苦！”

“告诉我你并没有完全拒绝我。给我一线希望！我可以再求婚吗？我可以想你吗？”

“可以，我想可以。”

“我可以希望你下次会接受我的求婚吗？”

“不，别抱希望！我现在得走了。给我时间让我想想。”

“行，我给你时间，”他感激地说。“谢谢你，现在我高兴了。”

“请别这样，伯德伍德先生，要是仅仅因为我同意，你就觉得那么高兴，那你就先别高兴！我必须考虑考虑。”

“我可以等，”他同意了。他们分手，各自回到自己的家里。

8 Bathsheba's sheep in danger

Because Bathsheba was not at all in love with Farmer Boldwood，she was able to consider his proposal of marriage calmly. It was an offer which many women of good family in the area would have been delighted to accept. He was serious，respectable and rich. If she had wanted a husband，she could not have found a good reason for refusing to marry him. But she was still enjoying her new position as mistress of a farm and house，and although she respected and liked him，she did not want to marry him However she was honest enough to feel that，as she had begun the courting by sending him the valentine，she ought not to refuse him now. There was only one person whose opinion she trusted more than her own，and that person was Gabriel Oak. So the next day she decided to ask his advice. She found him with Jan Coggan，sharpening the shears which would be used to shear the sheep.

‘Jan，go and help Joseph with the horses，’she ordered. ‘I'll help you，Gabriel. I want to talk to you. ’

The shears were sharpened on a stone which was turned by a wheel，which was itself turned by a handle. Bathsheba could not manage the handle，so she held the shears while Gabriel turned the handle. ‘You aren't holding them right，miss，’he told her. ‘Let me show you how He let go of the handle，and put his large hands round hers，to hold the shears. ‘Like that，’he said，continuing to hold her hands for a peculiarly long time.

‘That's enough，’said Bathsheba. ‘I don't want my hands held！Turn the handle！’They went on sharpening the shears. ‘Gabriel，what do the men think about me and Mr Bold-wood？’

‘They say you'll marry him before the end of the year，miss. ’

‘What a foolish thing to say！I want you to contradict it，Gabriel. ’

‘Well，Bathsheba！’said Gabriel，staring at her in surprise.

‘Miss Everdene，you mean，’she said.

‘Well，if Mr Boldwood really asked you to marry him，I'm not going to contradict that，just to please you. ’

‘I said I wanted you just to say it wasn't true that I was going to marry him，’she said，less confidently.

‘I can say that，if you wish，Miss Everdene. I could also give my opinion of the way you've behaved. ’

He continued with his work. Bathsheba knew that he would always give his honest opinion，even if she asked him whether she should marry another man，and there was nobody else she could trust. ‘Well，what is your opinion of my behaviour？’she asked.

‘No good，respectable woman would behave like that，’he replied. ‘You should never have sent him that valentine. ’

Bathsheba blushed angrily. ‘Luckily I don't care about your opinion！Why do you think I'm not good or respectable，I wonder？Because I didn't agree to marry you，perhaps！’

‘Not at all. ’said Gabriel quietly. ‘I've long ago stopped thinking about that. ’

‘Or wishing it，I suppose，’she said，expecting him to protest that he still loved her.

‘Or wishing It，’repeated Gabriel calmly.

Bathsheba would not have minded being spoken to angrily by Gabriel for her thoughtlessness，if only he had told her he loved her. But his cold words of blame annoyed her greatly.

‘I cannot allow any man to accuse me of bad behaviour！’ she cried. ‘So you will leave the farm at the end of the week！’

‘All right，I will，’said Gabriel calmly. ‘In fact I would rather go at once. ’

‘Go at once then！’she replied angrily. ‘Don't let me see your face any more. ’

‘Very well，Miss Everdene. ’And so be took his shears and walked quietly away.

It was only twenty－four hours after Gabriel had left the farm that three men came running to report a disaster to Bathsheba.

‘Sixty of your sheep—’said Joseph Poorgrass，breathless.

‘Have broken through throgh the gate said Billy，also breathless.

‘And got into a field of young clover！’said Laban Tall.

‘They're eating the clover，and they're all swollen up！’

‘They'll all die if someone doesn't do something！’

‘Oh you fools！’cried Bathsheba. ‘Go straight to the field and get them out！’ She rushed towards the clover field，followed by the men. Her sheep were all lying down，their stomachs badly swollen. Joseph，Billy and Laban carried the sheep back into their own field，where the poor creatures lay helplessly without moving.

‘Oh，what can I do，what can I do？’cried Bathsheba.

‘There's only one way of saving them，’said Laban.

‘Soemeone must make a hole in the sheep's side，’explained Billy，‘with a special tool. Then the air comes out，and the sheep will survive. ’

‘Can you do it？Can I do it？’she asked wildly. ‘No，ma'am If it isn't done very carefully，the sheep will die Most shepherds can't even do it. ’ ‘Only one man in the area can do it，’said Joseph.

‘Who is he？Let's get him！’said his mistress.

‘It's Gabriel Oak. Ah，he's a clever man！’replied Joseph. ‘That's right，he certainly is，’agreed the other two. ‘How dare you say his name to me！’she said angrily.

‘What about Farmer Boldwood？Perhaps he can do it？’

‘No，ma‘am，’answered Laban. ‘When his sheep ate some clover the other day，and were swollen just like these，he sent for Cabriel at once，and Gabriel saved their lives. ’

‘I don't care！Don't just stand there！Go and find someone！’cried Bathsheba. The men ran off，without any clear idea where they were going，and Bathsheba was left alone with her dying sheep. ‘Never will I send for him，never！’she promised herself.

One of the sheep jumped high in the air，fell heavily and did not move. It was dead. Bathsheba knew she must swallow her pride，and called to Laban，who was waiting at the gate.

‘Take a horse，and go and find Gabriel，’she ordered. ‘Give him a message from me，that he must return at once. ’

Bathsheba and her men waited miserably in the field. Several more sheep jumped wildly into the air，their stomachs horribly swollen and their muscles stiff，then died. At last a rider could be seen across the fields. But it was not Gabriel，it was Laban.

‘He says he won't come unless you ask him politely，’Laban reported to Bathsheba.

‘What！’said the young woman，opening her eyes wide. Joseph Poorgrass hid behind a tree in case she became violent. ‘How dare he answer me like that！’Another sheep fell dead. The men looked very serious，and did not offer their opinion. Bathsheba's eyes filled with tears，and she did not try to hide her anger and her injured pride.

‘Don't cry about it，miss，’suggested Billy sympathetically.

‘Why not ask Gabriel in a gentler way？I'm sure he'll come then. ’ ‘Oh，he's cruel to me！’said Bathsheba，drying her eyes. ‘But I'll beg him，yes，I'll have to！’She wrote a few words quickly on a piece of paper，and at the last moment added at the bottom：

Gabriel，do not desert me！

She blushed a little as she wrote this，and gave the letter to Laban，who rode off again to find Gabriel.

When Gabriel arrived，Bathsheba knew from his expression which words in her note had made him come. He went straight to work on the swollen sheep，and managed to save almost all of them When he had finished，Bathsheba came to speak to him.

‘Gabriel，will you stay on with me？’she asked，smiling.

‘I will，’said Gabriel. And she smiled at him again.

A few days later the sheep－shearing began. The sheep were shorn every year at the beginning of June，and their wool was sold. The shearing was always done in the great barn，which had stood on the farm for four centuries. Today the sunshine poured in on the shearers. Bathsheba was watching them care－ fully to make sure that the sheep were not injured，and that all the wool was cut off Gabriel was the most experienced shearer. He loved being watched by Bathsheba，and felt warm with pride when she congratulated him on his speed.

But he was not happy for long Farmer Boldwood arrived at the door of the barn，and spoke to Bathsheba. They stepped outside into the bright sunlight to carry on their conversation. Gabriel could not hear what they were saying，but noticed that Bathsheba was blushing. He continued shearing，feeling sud－ denly very sad. Bathsheba went back to the house，and returned a short while later in her new green riding dress. She and Boldwood were obviously going for a ride together. As Gabriel's concentration was broken for a moment，his shears cut the sheep's skin. Bathsheba，at the door of the barn，noticed the animal jump，and saw the blood.

‘Oh Gabriel！’she said. ‘Be more careful！’Gabriel knew she was aware that she herself had indirectly caused the poor sheep's wound. But he bravely hid his hurt feelings，and watched Boldwood and Bathsheba ride away，feeling as sure as the other workers that the couple would soon be married.

8 芭丝谢芭的羊群遇到了危险

芭丝谢芭一点儿也不爱农场主伯德伍德，所以她可以平心静气地考虑他的求婚。他的求婚是这个地区许多家境富裕的女人都求之不得的。伯德伍德严谨、可敬，而且富有。如果芭丝谢芭要找一个丈夫的话，她找不出理由来拒绝和他结婚。不过，她现在还相当喜欢她的这个农场女主人的新位置的。尽管她尊敬他，喜欢他，但并不想和他结婚。她诚心诚意地觉得，既然是由于自己给他寄了情人卡而开始了这场求婚，所以不应该现在拒绝他。

只有一个人的意见她比对自己的意见更加信赖，这个人就是盖伯瑞尔·奥克。第二天，她决定去问问他的意见。她发现他和简·考根在一起磨剪羊毛的剪刀。

“简，你去帮约瑟夫弄马去，”她命令说。“我来帮你，盖伯瑞尔。我想和你谈谈。”

剪刀是在一块由一个轮子带着转动的石头上磨快，轮子上按着一个摇柄。芭丝谢芭摇不了摇柄，所以她拿着剪刀，盖伯瑞尔摇摇柄。“小姐，你拿剪刀的方法不对，”他对她说。“我来教你怎么拿。”他松开摇柄，用他的大手握住她的手，拿着剪刀。“像这样拿着，”他说，好半天一直握着她的手。

“行了，”芭丝谢芭说。“我不想让人握着我的手！去摇摇柄！”他们继续磨剪刀。

“盖伯瑞尔，人们怎么看我和伯德伍德先生？”

“小姐，人们说你在年底前会和他结婚。”

“这样说是愚蠢的！盖伯瑞尔，我要你反驳这种说法。”

“怎么回事？芭丝谢芭！”盖伯瑞尔吃惊地瞪着她说。

“你该称呼伊芙丁小姐吧，”她说。

“如果伯德伍德先生真的要你和他结婚，那我并不想为了取悦你而去反驳那种说法。”

“我说我只是想要你说我没有打算和他结婚这回事，”她有点心虚地说。

“伊芙丁小姐，如果你希望，我可以去说。我还可以对你的所作所为谈谈我的看法。”

他继续干他的活。芭丝谢芭知道既使她问他自己是否应该和另一个男人结婚，他也总是会实实在在地说出他的看法的。没有谁比盖伯瑞尔更使她信任了。“那你怎么看我做的那件事？”她问。

“不怎么样，体面的女人不会那样做的，”他回答说。“你决不该送他那张情人卡。”

芭丝谢芭气红了脸。“幸好我不在乎你说的！我不知道你怎么会觉得我不好，不体面！也许是因为我不同意和你结婚！”

“根本不是，”盖伯瑞尔平静地说。“很久以前我就不想那件事了。”

“我猜想也不抱希望了？”她说，希望他会抗议说他仍爱着她。

“不抱希望了，”盖伯瑞尔平静地重复。

若是盖伯瑞尔告诉芭丝谢芭他爱她的话，芭丝谢芭并不会在意他由于她欠考虑而斥责她。但是他责备时冷漠的言词却使她很恼火。

“我不能允许任何人指责我行为不检点！”她大声说。“你这个周末走吧！”

“行，我会走的，”盖伯瑞尔平静地说。“实际上我更愿意现在就走。”

“那现在就走吧！”她生气地说。“别再让我看见你。”

“很好，伊芙丁小姐。”他拿起剪刀，默默地走了。

就在盖伯瑞尔刚离开农场一天，三个人跑来向芭丝谢芭报告一起灾难。

“你的60只羊——”约瑟夫·普格拉斯上气不接下气地说。

“冲坏了大门——”比利也上气不接下气地说。

“到了一片长着嫩三叶草的地里！”拉班·托尔说。

“羊正在吃三叶草，肚子都胀起来了！”

“要是不想办法，他们会死的！”

“哼，你们这帮蠢才！”芭丝谢芭嚷道。“快去地里，把羊弄出来！”

她朝长着三叶草的地里跑去，后面跟着那几个人。她的羊肚子胀得鼓鼓的，全都躺着。约瑟夫、比利和拉班把羊扛回它们自己的地里，那些可怜的羊一动也不动地躺在那里。

“哎呀，我该怎么办，我该怎么办？”芭丝谢芭大声地说着。

“要救这些羊只有一个办法，”拉班说。

“用一种特殊的工具在羊身体的一侧钻一个洞，”比利解释说，“肚子里的气出来，羊就有救了。”

‘你会干吗？我会干吗？”她气急败坏地问。

“不会，小姐。如果操作不当，羊会死的。大多数牧羊人也都干不了。”

“这个地方只有一个人能干这个事，”约瑟夫说。

“是谁？我们去找他！”女主人说。

“盖伯瑞尔·奥克。他是个聪明的人！”约瑟夫回答说。

“对，他是很聪明，”另外两人附和着说。

“你们怎敢在我面前提他的名字！”她生气地说。“农场主伯德伍德怎么样？也许他会？”

“不行，小姐，”拉班答道。“那天他的羊吃了三叶草，肚子鼓得也像这样，他立刻派人去请盖伯瑞尔，盖伯瑞尔把羊救活了。”

“我不管这些！别站在那儿！去找个人来！”芭丝谢芭大声说。那几个人走了，并不知道该往哪里去。只剩下芭丝谢芭和她快死的羊。“我决不去请他，决不！”她暗自下决心。

一只羊跳了起来，重重地落在地上，不动了。羊死了。芭丝谢芭明白她必须收起她的自尊，她招呼等在大门口的拉班。

“牵一匹马，去把盖伯瑞尔找来，”她命令说。“告诉他我说了他必须立刻回来。”

芭丝谢芭和她的雇工在地里苦苦地等着。又有几只羊抽疯似地跳了起来，它们的肚子鼓得可怕，肌肉僵硬，然后死了。终于，看到一个人骑着马穿过了田地。但却不是盖伯瑞尔，而是拉班。

“他说除非你客气地请他，否则他不回来，”拉班向芭丝谢芭报告说。

“什么！”这年轻女人说，眼睛瞪得大大的。约瑟夫·普格拉斯藏到了树后，害怕她会发作。“他怎么敢这样答复我！”又有一只羊落在地上死了。人们表情严肃，不发表意见。芭丝谢芭的眼里满是泪水。她并不想隐藏她的愤怒和受伤的自尊心。

“别哭，小姐，”比利同情地建议说“干吗不用更客气的方式去请盖伯瑞尔呢？我敢保证他会来的。”

“唉，他对我很冷酷！”芭丝谢芭擦干眼泪说。“我会恳求他，当然，我只能恳求他！”她在一张纸上很快地写了几个字，最后又在下边加了一句：

盖伯瑞尔，别抛弃我！

写这个时，她脸红了。她把信给了拉班，拉班又骑马去找盖伯瑞尔去了。

盖伯瑞尔来了，芭丝谢芭从他的表情得知是字条上的话促使他来的。他立即着手给那些肚子鼓胀的羊治病，差不多把所有的羊都救活了。他干完时，芭丝谢芭走过来跟他说话。

“盖伯瑞尔，你愿意继续留在我这儿吗？”她笑着问。

“愿意，”盖伯瑞尔说。她又冲他笑笑。

几天后，开始剪羊毛了。每年六月初剪羊毛，然后把羊毛卖掉。剪羊毛总是在巨大的仓房进行，这个仓房在农场已有四百年了。这一天，阳光照在剪羊毛的人的身上。芭丝谢芭仔细地看着他们，她要确保羊没有被伤着，而且羊毛也剪干净了。盖伯瑞尔剪得最熟练。他很愿意让芭丝谢芭看着，当她祝贺他剪得快时，他感到无比自豪。

不过，他没高兴多久。农场主伯德伍德来到了仓房门口，和芭丝谢芭说话。他们走出去，在灿烂的阳光下继续着他们的谈话。盖伯瑞尔听不到他们在说什么，但他注意到芭丝谢芭脸红了。他继续剪着羊毛，突然感到很沮丧。芭丝谢芭回到屋里，片刻又返身出来，穿着崭新的绿色骑马服。她显然要与伯德伍德一起去骑马。由于盖伯瑞尔注意力不集中，他的剪子剪到了羊的皮肉。在仓房门口的芭丝谢芭注意到那只牲畜跳了一下，也看到了血。

“喂，盖伯瑞尔！”她说。“当心点！”盖伯瑞尔知道芭丝谢芭意识到她自己是这只可怜的羊受伤的间接原因。盖伯瑞尔坚强地藏起自己受伤的感情，看着伯德伍德和芭丝谢芭一同骑马走了，像其他雇工一样确信这一对很快就会结婚。

9 Bathsheba meets a handsome soldier

Farmers always gave a special supper to the sheep shearers when they had finished their work. This year Bathsheba had ordered her maids to put a long table in the garden，with the top end of the table just inside the house. The farm workers took their seats，and she sat at the top of the table，so that she was with them，but a little apart. There was an empty place at the bottom of the table. At first she asked Gabriel to sit there，but just then Mr Boldwood arrived， apologizing for his lateness. ‘Gabriel，’said Bathsheba，‘will you move again please， and let Mr Boldwood sit there？’Gabriel moved away in silence to another seat. They all ate and drank，and celebrated the end of the sheep－shearing by singing their favourite songs. Mr Boldwood seemed unusually cheerful，and at the end of the meal he left his seat and went to join Bathsheba at her end of the table，just inside the sitting-room . It was growing dark，but Gabriel and the other men could not avoid noticing how Boldwood looked at her. It was clear that the middle－aged farmer was deeply in love.

After a while Bathsheba said goodnight to her farm workers，and closed the sitting－room door and windows. Now she and Boldwood were alone. Kneeling in front of her，he took her hands.

‘Tell me，tell me what you've decided！’he begged. ‘I'll try to love you，’she answered in a trembling voice. ‘And if you think I'll make a good wife，I'll agree to marry you But，Mr Boldwood，any woman would hesitate before deciding on something as important as marriage. Could you wait a few weeks until I'm sure？’

‘I'll be away on business for five or six weeks anyway. Do you really think that by that time you will…’

‘I feel almost sure that when you come back，at harvest time，I'll be able to promise to marry you. But，remember，I can't promise yet. ’

‘I don't ask for anything more. I can wait. Goodnight， Miss Everdene！’And he left her. Bathsheba now realized how thoughtlessly she had behaved towards him，and understood how deeply he loved her. She was very sorry for her mistake and was therefore punishing herself by agreeing to marry him.

That evening she went round the farm as usual，lighting her lamp whenever necessary，to check that all the animals were safe. On her way back，she was walking along the narrow public path which led to her house. It was very dark there， among the trees，and she was a little surprised to hear some footsteps coming towards her. It was unfortunate that she would meet the traveller at the darkest point of the path. As she was about to pass the dark shape，something seemed to attach her skirt to the ground，and she had to stop ‘What's happened？Have I hurt you，friend？'a man asked.

‘No，’said Bathsheba，trying to pull her skirt away.

‘Ah！You're a lady！The spur on my boot has got tied up with your dress. Have you got a lamp？I'll light it for you. ’

The light from the lamp shone suddenly on a handsome young man in a bright red and gold army uniform. He looked admiringly at Bathsheba.

‘Thank you for letting me see such a beautiful face！’he said.

‘I didn't want to show it to you，’she said coldly， blushing. ‘Please undo your spur quickly！’He bent down to pull rather lazily at his boots. ‘You are making it even worse，’she accused him angrily，‘to keep me here longer！’

‘Oh no，surely not，’smiled the soldier. ‘Don't be angry. I was doing it so that I could have the pleasure of apologizing to such a lovely woman. ’ Bathsheba had no idea what to say. She wondered whether to escape by pulling the material away，but did not want to tear her best dress.

‘I've seen many women in my life，’continued the young man，staring into her face，‘but I've never seen a woman as beautiful as you. I don't care if you're offended，that's the truth. ’

‘Who are you，then，if you don't care who you offend？’

‘People know me in Weatherbury. My name's Sergeant Troy. Ah，you see，your skirt's free now！I wish you and I had been tied together for ever！’

She pulled her dress quickly away from his spurs，and ran up the path and into her house. The next day she discovered from Liddy that Sergeant Troy's supposed father was a doctor，but people said his real father was a nobleman. He had been brought up in Weatherbury，and was well known as a young soldier with a great interest in girls. Bathsheba could not remain angry for long with someone who admired her as much as he obviously did. It was unfortunate that Boldwood，when courting her，had forgotten to tell her，even once，that she was beautiful.

Sergeant Troy was certainly an unusual man. He lived only in the present，caring nothing for the past or the future. Because he never expected anything，he was never disappoint－ed. To men he usually told the truth，but to women，never. He was intelligent and well－educated， and proud of his success with women.

A week or two after the sheep－shearing，Bathsheba was in the hayfields，where her workers were cutting the hay. She was surprised to see a bright red figure appear from behind a cart. Sergeant Troy had come to help on the farm. She blushed as the young soldier came to speak to her.

‘Miss Everdene！’he said. ‘I didn't realize it was the “Queen of Casterbridge market”I was speaking to the other night. I apologize for expressing my feelings so strongly to you 102 then. Of course，I'm not a stranger here. I often helped your uncle on the farm，and now I'm helping you. ’

‘I suppose I must thank you for that，’replied the Queen of Casterbridge market rather ungratefully.

‘You're cross because I was honest when I spoke to you that night. But I couldn't look at you，and say you aren't beautiful！’

‘You are pretending，Sergeant Troy！’said Bathsheba，laughing in spite of herself at his clever way of talking.

‘No，Miss Everdene，you must let me say how lovely you are！What's wrong with that？’

‘It's wrong because—it isn't true，’she said，hesitating.

‘But you know that everybody notices how beautiful you are，don't you？’

‘Well，no—that is，I've heard Liddy say they do，but…’She paused. She had never intended to become involved in this kind of conversation with the soldier，but somehow he had trapped her into replying. Thank you for helping the men with the hay， she continued. ‘But please don't speak to me again. ’

‘Oh Miss Bathsheba！That's too hard！I won't be here long. I'm going back to the army in a month. ’

‘But you don't really care about a word from me，do you？

‘I do，Miss Everdene. Perhaps you think it's foolish of me to want just a “good morning”，but you have never loved a beautiful woman like yourself，as I do. ’

‘But you only saw me the other night！I don't believe you could fall in love so fast. I won't listen to you any more. I wish I knew what time it was. I've spent too much time with you.

‘Haven't you got a watch，miss？I'll give you one，’and he handed her a heavy gold watch. ‘That watch belonged to a nobleman，my father，and is all the inheritance I have. ’

‘But Sergeant Troy，I can't take this！It's your father’s，and so valuable！’said Bathsheba，horrified.

‘I loved my father，true，but I love you more. ’The young man was not pretending now，as he looked at Bathsheba's beautiful，excited face.

‘Can it be true，that you love me？You have seen so little of me！Please take it back！’

‘Wll then，I'll take it，’he said，‘because it's all I have to prove that I come of good family. But will you speak to me while I'm in Weatherbury？Will you let me work in your fields？’

‘Yes！Or no，I don't know！Oh，why did you come and disturb me like this！’

‘Perhaps，in setting a trap，I've caught myself. Such things sometimes happen. Goodbye，Miss Everdene！’

Blushing and almost crying，Bathsheba hurried home，whis-pering to herself，‘Oh what have I done？What does it mean？I wish I knew how much of what he says is true！

9 芭丝谢芭遇到一位英俊的士兵

农场主们在剪羊毛的人剪完羊毛后，总要设宴款待他们一次。今年，芭丝谢芭命令女仆们在院子里摆了一张长桌子，桌子的上端在屋子里。雇工们入了座，她在主座上坐下。这样，她和他们既坐在一起，又保持一点距离。在桌子的尾端空着一个位子。起初，芭丝谢芭让盖伯瑞尔坐在那里，但伯德伍德刚好来了，抱歉地说他来晚了。

“盖伯瑞尔，”芭丝谢芭说，“请你再动一下，让伯德伍德先生坐在那里好吗？”盖伯瑞尔默默地移到了另一个座位上。人们一边吃喝，一边唱着自己喜爱的歌曲，庆祝剪羊毛的结束。伯德伍德好像异常兴奋，宴会快结束时，他离开他的座位，到位于起居室的桌子上端，和芭丝谢芭坐在了一起。天渐渐黑了，盖伯瑞尔和其他人都注意到伯德伍德看芭丝谢芭的样子。很显然，这位中年农场主坠入了情网。

过了一会儿，芭丝谢芭和她的雇工道别，关上了起居室的门和窗户。现在，只剩下她和伯德伍德。他跪在她的面前，握住她的手。

“告诉我，告诉我你的决定！”他恳求地说。

“我将尽量爱你，”她用颤抖的声音回答。“如果你觉得我会是一个好妻子，我会同意和你结婚。可是，伯德伍德先生，任何女人在决定像婚姻这样的大事时，都会犹豫的。在我决定之前，你能等几个星期吗？”

“我由于业务上的事会离开五、六个星期。你真的觉得那时你会……”

“我几乎敢肯定你在收割季节回来时，我就能答应和你结婚。不过，记住，我现在不能许诺。”

“我不要求别的。我可以等待。晚安，伊芙丁小姐！”他们分手了。

芭丝谢芭现在意识到她当初的举动是多么的轻率，她也明白他是多么深地爱着自己。她对自己所犯的错误非常内疚，因此，想以与他结婚来惩罚自己。

那天晚上，她像通常一样到农场各处去查看是否所有的牲口都安然无恙。她不时地把灯点着。回去的时候，她沿着一条能通到她的屋子的小路走着。小路从树林中穿过，所以很黑。听到有脚步声走来，她有点吃惊。糟糕的是她与这位旅行者相遇的地方恰好是路上最黑的地方。她正要与那个黑色人影擦肩而过时，地面上有什么东西挂住了她的裙子，她只好站住。

“怎么了？我伤着你了吗，朋友？”一个男人的声音问。

“没有，”芭丝谢芭说，使劲地扯裙子。

“噢，是一位女士！我靴子上的马刺把你的裙子缠住了。你有灯吗？我给你照着。”

灯光照在一个英俊的年轻人身上，他身穿大红色和金色相间的军装。他赞赏地看着芭丝谢芭。

“谢谢你让我看到一张如此美丽的面庞！”他说。

“我不想让你看我的脸，”她冷冷地说，红了脸。“请你赶快松开你的马刺！”他弯腰慢慢地拉他的靴子。“你把事情搞得更糟了，”她生气地指责，“让我在这儿呆这么久！”

“噢，不，我没有那个意思，”土兵笑着说。“别生气。我这样做就有机会向一位可爱的女人道歉，这是我很乐意做的。”

芭丝谢芭不知说什么好。她在想是否该拽出裙子，赶快走开，可她不想撕坏自己最好的裙子。

“我一生中见过许多女人，”年轻人盯着她，继续说，“但我从未见过像你一样漂亮的女子。我不在乎你是否生气，我说的是实话。”

“如果你不在意你惹了谁，那你是谁呢？”

“威瑟伯里的人都认识我，我是托伊中士。你看，裙子解开了！我真希望我和你能永远拴在一起！”

她迅速把裙子从马刺上拉开，沿着路跑回了屋里。第二天，芭丝谢芭从利蒂那里得知托伊中士所谓的父亲是一个医生，人们说他真正的父亲是个贵族。他在威瑟伯里长大，人人都知道他是个对女孩子有极大兴趣的年轻士兵。对于一个像他这样明显地赞赏自己的人，芭丝谢芭不会生他的气。多么遗憾，伯德伍德在追求她时，一次也没提起她长得漂亮。

托伊中士当然不是一般的人，他只管眼前，不考虑过去和将来。由于他从不期望什么，所以他也从未失望过。对男人，他是讲真话的，但对女人，却从没有一句实话。他聪明，受过良好的教育，对自己在女人方面所取得的成功很自豪。

在剪完羊毛一、两周后，芭丝谢芭正在干草地里，她的雇工们正在割草。她很惊讶地看到马车后面走出一个红色的人影。托伊中士来到农场帮忙。当年轻士兵走上前来和她讲话时，她红了脸。

“伊芙丁小姐！”他说。“我没有意识到那天晚上和我讲话的是‘卡斯特桥市场的女王’。我为自己当时露骨的表白道歉。当然，我在这儿也不是外人。我过去常帮你叔叔在农场干活，现在我帮你。”

“既然如此，那我得谢谢你了，”卡斯特桥市场的女王不领情地说。

“你因为那天晚上我对你说了实话生气了。可我不能看着你，说你不漂亮！”

“托伊中士，你在说谎！”芭丝谢芭为他聪明的谈话方式忍不住笑起来。

“没有，伊芙丁小姐，你一定要允许我说你是多么地漂亮！这有什么错呢？”

“有错，因为这不是真的，”她有点犹豫地说。

“你心里清楚人们都注意到你是多么的漂亮，难道不是吗？”

“不，我只听利蒂说过人们都这么说，可是……”她不说了，她根本没想过跟这个士兵谈论这个，是他设计让她回答这个问题。“谢谢你帮着割草，”她接着说。“别再跟我讲话了。”

“欧，芭丝谢芭小姐！这太不近人情了！我在这儿呆不了多久。我一个月后就要回军队去。”

“我说话对你根本无所谓，不是吗？”

“不，伊芙丁小姐，我只听一声‘早安’就满足了，也许你觉得这样很傻，但你从未像我一样爱上一个你这样漂亮的女人。”

“可你只是那天晚上才见到我！我不信你这么快就会爱上我。我不想听你再说下去。我希望我知道现在几点了。我跟你呆的时间太长了。”

“你没表吗，小姐？我给你一块，”他递给她一块沉甸甸的金表。“这块表属于一个贵族，我的父亲，是我继承的全部财产。”

“托伊中士，我不能要这块表！这是你父亲的，而且如此珍贵！”芭丝谢芭惊恐地说。

“我爱我的父亲，这不假，可我更爱你。”这个年轻人看着芭丝谢芭美丽、激动的面庞，不无真情地说。

“你爱我，这会是真的吗？你根本就没见过我几次！请你把这块表拿回去！”

“既然如此，我就不给你了，”他说，“它是证实我出身高贵的唯一的东西。我在威瑟伯里这段时期你会跟我讲话吗？你会让我在你的地里干活吗？”

“会的！也许不会，我不知道！唉，你为什么要来这样打扰我呢！”

“也许是为了设陷阶，我把自己陷住了。这种事情有时也会发生。再见，伊芙丁小姐！”

芭丝谢芭红着脸，差不多都要哭了，匆忙回到了家。她低声自语着，“唉，我都干了些什么？这意味着什么？我希望我知道他说的有多少是真话！”

10 Bathsheba in love

Once or twice during the next few days Bathsheba saw Troy working in her hayflelds. He behaved in a pleasant，friendly manner towards her，and she began to lose her fear of him.

‘Cutting your hay is harder work than sword practice！’he told her one day，a smile lighting up his handsome face.

‘Is it？I've never seen sword practice，’she answered.

‘Ah！Would you like to？’asked Troy.

Bathsheba hesitated. She had heard wonderful stories from people who had watched soldiers practising，stories of shining metal flashing through the air.

‘I would like to see it，very much. ’

‘Well，I'll show you. I can get a sword by this evening. Will you…’and he bent over her，whispering in her ear.

‘Oh no！’said Bathsheba，blushing. ‘I couldn't. ’

‘Surely you could？ Nobody would know. ’

‘Well，if I came，Liddy would have to come with me. ’

‘I don't see why you want to bring her，’Troy said coldly.

‘Well then，I won't bring her—and I'll come. But only for a very short time. ’

So at eight o'clock that evening，Bathsheba found herself，in spite of her doubts，climbing the hill near her house and go－ing down the other side. Now she was in what seemed like a natural theatre，a deep，round hollow in the ground . It was completely hidden from her house and the path. This was the place where Troy had asked her to meet him.

And Troy，in his bright red uniform，was there.

‘Now，he said，producing his sword，which flashed in the evening sunlight，‘let me show you. One，two，three，four. Like this！A sword can kill a man in a second. ’

Bathsheba saw a kind of rainbow in the air，and gasped.

‘How cruel and murderous！’she cried.

‘Yes. Now I'll pretend to fight you. You are my enemy，but the only difference from a real fight is that I'll miss you each time. Stand in front of me，and don't move！’

Bathsheba was beginning to enjoy this. ‘I'll just test you first，’added Troy，‘to see whether you're brave enough. ’

The sword flashed in the air，from her left to right side. It seemed to go through her body. But there it was again in Troy's hand，perfectly clean and free from blood.

‘Oh！’she cried，frightened. ‘Have you killed me？No，yon haven't！How did you do it？’

‘I haven't touched you，’said Troy quietly. ‘Now， you aren't afraid，are you？I promise I won't hurt you，or even touch you. ’

‘I don't think I'm afraid. Is the sword very sharp？’

‘Oh no—just stand very still. Now！’

In a second，Bathsheba could no longer see the sky or the ground. The shining weapon flashed above，around and in 110 front of her，catching light from the low sun and whistling as it rushed through the air. Never had Sergeant Troy managed his sword better than today.

‘Your hair is a little untidy，’he said. ‘Allow me，’and before she could move or speak，a curl dropped to the ground.

‘You are very brave，for a woman！’he congratulated her.

‘It was because I didn't expect it. Now I'm afraid of you，I am，really！’

‘This time I won't even touch your hair. I'm going to kill that insect on your dress. Stand still！’

Not daring to tremble，she saw the point of his sword coming towards her heart，and，sure that this time she would die，closed her eyes. But when she opened them，she saw the insect，dead，on the point of the sword.

‘It's magic！’she cried. ‘And how could you cut off one of my curls with a sword that isn't sharp？’

‘It's sharper than any knife，’he said. ‘I had to lie to you about that，to give you the confidence to stand still. ’

Bathsheba's feelings were almost too much for her to control，and she sat down suddenly in the grass.

‘I could have died，’she whispered.

‘You were perfectly safe，’Troy told her. ‘My sword never makes a mistake. I must leave you now. I'll keep this to re－mind me of you. ’He bent to pick up the curl of hair，which he put carefully in his pocket，next to his heart. She was not strong enough to say or do anything. He came closer，bent 112 again，and a minute later his red coat disappeared through the grass. Bathsheba blushed guiltily and tears rolled down her face. In that minute Troy had kissed her on the lips.

Determined，independent women often show their weakness when they fall in love，and Bathsheba had very little experi-ence of the world，or of men. It was as difficult for her to see Troy's bad qualities，which he kept carefully hidden，as to ad-mire Gabriel Oak's good ones，which were not all obvious at first sight.

One evening a few days later，Gabriel went to find his mis-tress. He knew that she was falling in love，and had decided to warn her of the mistake she was making. He found her walking along a path through the fields.

‘I was worried about your walking alone，miss，’he said.

‘It's rather late，and there are some bad men in the area. ’He was hoping to introduce Troy's name as one of the ‘bad men’.

‘I never meet any，’said Bathsheba lightly.

Gabriel tried again. ‘Farmer Boldwood will be taking care of you in future，of course. ’

‘What do you mean，Gabriel？’

‘Well，when you and he are married，miss，as everybody expects. You've let him court you，after all. ’

‘Everybody is wrong，Gabriel. I didn't promise him any－thing. I respect him，but I won't marry him. ’

‘I wish you had never met that young Sergeant Troy，114 miss，’be said sadly. ‘He's not good enough for you. ’

‘How dare you say that！He's of good family，and well－educated！’replied Bathsheba angrily.

‘He can't be trusted，miss. Don't trust him，I beg you. ’

‘He's as good as anybody in the village！He goes to church regularly！He told me so himself. ’

‘I'm afraid nobody has ever seen him in church. I certainly haven't. ’Cabriel's heart ached when he saw how completely Bathsheba trusted the soldier.

‘That's because he enters by the old tower door and sits at the back，where he can't be seen，’she replied eagerly.

‘You know，mistress，’said Gabriel in a deep voice full of sadness，‘that I love you and shall love you for ever. I accept that I can't marry you now that I'm poor. But Bathsheba，dear mistress，think of your position！Be careful of your behaviour towards this soldier Mr Boldwood is sixteen years older than you. Consider how well he would lood after you！’

‘Leave my farm，Cabriel，’said Bathsheba，her face white with anger. ‘You can't speak like that to me，your mistress！’

‘Don't be foolish！You've already sent me away once. How would you manage without me？No，although I'd like to have my own farm，I'll stay with you，and you know why. ’

‘Well，I suppose you can stay if you wish. Will you leave me here now please？I ask not as your mistress，but as a woman.

‘Of course，Miss Everdene，’said Gabriel gently. He was a little surprised by her request，as it was getting dark，and they were on a lonely hill some way from her house. As she moved away from him，the reason became clear. The figure of a soldier appeared on the hill and came to meet Bathsheba. Gabriel turned away and walked sadly home. On his way he passed the church，where he looked closely at the old tower door. It was covered with climbing plants，and clearly had not been used for years.

Half an hour later Bathsheba arrived home，with Troy's words of love still in her ears. He had kissed her a second time. Wild and feverish with excitement，she sat down imme-diately to write to Boldwood，to inform him that she could not marry him. The letter would reach him on his business trip. She was so enger to send the letter at once that she called Liddy to post it.

‘Liddy，tell me，’she said urgently，when her maid entered the room，promise me that Sergeant Troy isn't a bad man. Promise me that he doesn't chase girls，as people say！’

‘But，miss，how can I say he doesn't if he—’

‘Don't be so cruel，Liddy！Say you don't believe he's had！’

‘I don't know what to say，miss，’said Liddy，beginning to cry. ‘I'll make you angry whatever I say！’

‘Oh，how weak I am！How I wish I'd never seen him！You see how much I love him，Liddy！Don't tell anyone my secret，Liddy！’

‘I'll keep your secret，miss，’said Liddy gently.

10 芭丝谢芭坠入情网

以后的几天中，芭丝谢芭有一两次看到托伊在干草地里干活。他对她表现出一种和蔼、友好的态度，她不再害怕他了。

“给你割草比练剑更苦！”一天，他对她说，英俊的脸上带着微笑，更加容光焕发。

“是吗？我从没见过练剑，”她答道。

“你愿意看一次吗？”托伊问。

芭丝谢芭有点犹豫。她曾听过看过战士练剑的人讲那些美妙的故事，关于闪亮的金属在空中飞舞的故事。

“我非常愿意看看。”

“好，我表演给你看。我今晚可以弄到一把剑。那你……”他俯身对她耳语着。

“噢，不！”芭丝谢芭羞红了脸说。“我不能。”

“你当然可以。谁也不会知道。”

“要是我来，利蒂也得跟我来。”

“我不懂你为什么要带她，”托伊冷冷地说。

“那好吧，我不带她——我自己来。不过，只来一小会儿。”

那天晚上八点，尽管疑虑重重，芭丝谢芭还是上了她家附近的那座山，然后又从山的另一面下了山。现在她来到的地方看起来像一个天然剧场，一个很深的、圆形的谷底。无论是从她的房里还是从路上都看不到这个地方。这就是托伊要她和他会面的地方。

身着大红军眼的托伊正等在那里。

“现在，”他拿出剑说，剑在夕阳的余辉中闪着光，“让我给你表演表演。一、二、三、四。像这样！倾刻间剑能杀死一个人。”

芭丝谢芭看到空中有一种彩虹，她有点透不过气来。

“多么残酷凶险啊！”她喊道。

“是的。现在我假装和你搏斗。你是敌人，唯一不同于真的搏斗的是每次我都不击中你。站在我面前，别动！”

芭丝谢芭觉得这样挺好玩的。“我先考验你一下，”托伊又说，“看你是否勇敢。”

剑从她的左边至右边，在空中一闪而过。就像穿她的身体而过。可它又落到了托伊手中，干净如初，没有一点血污。

“天哪！”她惊恐地喊到。“你杀死我了吗？不，没有！你是怎么弄的？”

“我没碰你，”托伊平静地说。“怎么，你害怕了，是吗？我说过不会伤着你，连碰都不会碰着你。”

“我并不以为自己害怕。剑很锋利吗？”

“不锋利，站着别动。好！”

刹那间，芭丝谢芭既看不到天也看不到地。剑光闪闪，在她的周围上下翻飞，映着夕阳的余晖，在空中呼啸作声。托伊中士从未像今天这样把剑练得这么好。

“你的头发有点乱，”他说，“允许我，”她还没能动一下或说句话，一绺儿头发已落到了地上。“作为一个女人，你非常勇敢！”他赞叹道。

“那是因为我不知道你会这样。现在，我害怕你了，真的！”

“这次，我都不会碰着你的头发。我要杀死你裙子上的那个虫子。站着别动！”

甚至都不敢抖一下，她看到他的剑尖向自己的心脏刺来。她闭上了眼，确信这次自己必死无疑，等她睁开眼时，她看到那条虫子在剑尖上死了。

“太神奇了！”她叫起来。“你怎么能用不锋利的剑削掉我的头发呢？”

“这把剑比任何一把刀都锋利，”他说，“我只能对你说谎，为的是让你有信心站着别动。”

芭丝谢芭无法控制自己的感情，她跌坐在草地上。

“我差点没了命，”她低声说。

“你绝对安全，”托伊对她说。“我的剑不会出半点差错。现在，我得走了。这个我得留着，好让我想着你。”他弯腰拎起那绺头发，仔细地放到衣袋里，紧贴着他的心口。她仍然软得说不出话，动弹不得。他走近她，俯下身来，他的红上衣马上就消失在草丛里了。她负疚地脸红了，流下了眼泪。就在这一刻，托伊吻了她的双唇。

自主强干的女人坠入情网时，往往会暴露出自身的弱点。芭丝谢芭不谙世事，也不了解男人，因此她很难看到托伊精心掩藏的坏品质，也就无法欣赏盖伯瑞尔·奥克的好品质，况且这种好的品质在初识时并不明显。

几天后的一个晚上，盖伯瑞尔去找他的女主人。他知道她在恋爱，于是决定告诫她，她正在犯错误。他找到她时，她正在田间的一条小路上散步。

“你一个人散步，我挺替你担心，小姐，”他说。“天很晚了，这一带可是有那么几个坏蛋哪！”他是想引出托伊的名字，把他归在“那么几个坏蛋”里。

“我一个也没碰见，”芭丝谢芭轻声说。

盖伯瑞尔重新试探。“将来伯德伍德农场主就会照料你了。”

“你什么意思，盖伯瑞尔？”

“我是说，你和他结婚以后，小姐。大家都这样想。总归是你让他向你求婚的呀。”

“大家都想错了，盖伯瑞尔。我什么也没答应他，我尊重他，可我不会嫁给他的。”

“你真不该见那个年轻的托伊中士，小姐。”他哀伤地说。“他可不大能配得上你。”

“你怎么敢这样说呢！他家境好，又受过良好的教育。”芭丝谢芭生气地回答道。

“他这个人不可信，小姐。别信他，求你啦。”

“他和这个村里的其他任何人都一样，按时上教堂，这是他亲口对我说的。”

“恐怕谁也没在教堂里见过他吧，我是肯定没见过他。”盖伯瑞尔看到芭丝谢芭那样信任那个士兵，心都痛了。

“那是因为他总是从旧塔门进教堂，而且总坐在后排人们看不见的地方。”她急切地回答道。

“你知道吗，主人，”盖伯瑞尔声音低沉，充满伤感，“我爱你，而且将永远爱你。我承认现在我穷，无法娶你。可是芭丝谢芭，我亲爱的主人，你也得想一想自己的情况啊！与那个兵交往时要小心。伯德伍德先生大你16岁，你想想，他肯定会照料好你的！”

“盖伯瑞尔，你得离开我的农场，”芭丝谢芭说，她的睑气得发白。“你不能用那样的口气和我说话，我是你的女主人！”

“别傻了！你已经把我赶走一次了，你没有我怎么能行？不行的。虽然我也想有自己的农场，可是我还是要留下来，你知道这是为了什么。”

“那好吧，如果你想留下来，也可以。不过，请你现在走开好吗？我作为一个女人，而不是你的女主人，求你了。”

“当然可以，伊芙丁小姐。”盖伯瑞尔轻声说道。她的请求令他稍感意外，因为此刻天已渐黑，而此处又是一座偏僻寂静的山上，离开住所尚有一段距离。随着她转身走开，理由便明白了。一个士兵的身影出现在山上，前来与芭丝谢芭相会。盖伯瑞尔转过身去，伤心地回家去了。路过教堂时，他仔细查看了一下那个旧塔门，只见上面覆满藤蔓，显然已经有些年头没有人出入了。

半小时后，芭丝谢芭回到了家，满耳朵灌着托伊的情话。他第二次吻了她，使她激动不已，热情高涨。于是，她立刻坐下来给伯德伍德写信，告诉他自己不能嫁给他。这封信会在他外出办事途中送到他的手里。她急于马上把信发出，于是叫来利蒂，让她去寄。

“利蒂，你告诉我，”她的女仆进屋后，她便急切地说。“对我保证托伊中士不是坏人，对我保证他不像人们说的那样追逐女人。”

“可是，小姐，他追不追女人我也不好说呀……”

“别这么让我痛苦啦，利蒂。对我说你不相信他是坏人。”

“我不知道说什么好，小姐，”利蒂说着哭了起来。“不管我说什么，都会让你生气的！”

“哎呀，我可真软弱，我真不该看见他！你知道我爱他爱极了，利蒂！你千万别把我的秘密告诉别人啊，利蒂！”

“我会替你保密的，小姐。”利蒂轻声地说。

11 Farmer Boldwood becomes desperate

Liddy was allowed a week's holiday to visit her sister，who lived a few miles away. To avoid seeing Mr Bold－wood，Bathsheba herself arranged to visit Liddy at her sister's home for a day or two. She left her cleaning-woman，Maryann，in charge of the house，and set out on foot one evening.

She had walked only about two miles when she saw，coming towards her，the one man who she did not wish to see. His changed appearance showed her that he had received her letter.

‘Oh，is it you，Mr Boldwood？’she said，with a guilty blush.

‘You know how I feel about you，’he said slowly. ‘A love as strong as death. A letter cannot change that feeling. ’

‘Don't speak of it，’she whispered.

‘Then I have nothing to say. Your letter was excellently clear. We are not going to marry. ’

Bathsheba said confusedly，‘Good evening，’and walked on a little further. But Boldwood could not let her go.

‘Bathsheba—darling—is it really final？’

‘Indeed it is. ’

‘Oh Bathsheba，have pity on me！I am mad with love for you！Don't refuse me now！You turned to me，and encour－aged me，before I ever thought of you！’

‘What you call encouragement was a childish joke. I'm deeply sorry I sent the valentine. Must you go on reminding me of it？’

‘I love you too much to blame you for it！Bathsheba，you are the first woman I have ever loved. How nearly you promised to marry me！What has happened to your kindness towards me？’

Bathsheba looked him quietly and openly in the face and said，‘Mr Boldwood，I promised you nothing. ’

‘How can you be so heartless！If I had known how awfully bitter this love would be，I'd have avoided you，and been deaf to you！I tell you all this，but what do you care！’

Bathsheba's control was breaking. She shook her head desperately as the man's angry words rained down on her.

‘Forgive me，sir！I can't love as you can！’

‘That's not a good reason，Miss Everdene！You aren't the cold woman you're pretending to be！You're hiding the fact that you've a burning heart like mine. Your love is given to another man！’

He knows！she thought. He knows about Frank！

‘Why didn't Troy leave my darling alone？he continued fiercely. ‘Tell me honestly，if you hadn't met him，would you have accepted my proposal？’

She delayed her answer，but she was too honest to stay silent. ‘Yes，’she whispered.

‘In my absence he stole my most valuable prize from me. Now I've lost my respect and my good name，and everybody laughs at me. Marry him，go on，marry him！I would have died for you，but you have given yourself to a worthless man. Perhaps he has even kissed you！Tell me he hasn't！’

She was frightened of Boldwood's anger，but she answered bravely，‘He has. I'm not ashamed to speak the truth. ’

‘I would have given a fortune to touch your hand，’cried Boldwood wildly，‘but you have let a man like that—kiss you！One day he'll be sorry，and realize the pain he's caused me！’

‘Be kind to him，sir，’she cried miserably，‘because I love him so much！’

Boldwood was no longer listening to her. ‘I'll punish him！Sweet Bathsheba，forgive me！I've been blaming you，but it's his fault. He stole your dear heart away with his lies. When I find him，I'll fight him！Keep him away from me，Bathsbeba！’

The desperate man stood still for a moment，then turned and left her. Bathsheba walked up and down，crying and whispering to herself，then threw herself down by the road，exhausted. She knew that Troy was away in Bath at the moment，but would be returning to Weatherbury very soon. If he came to visit her，and Boldwood saw him，a fierce argu-ment would be the result，and Troy could be hurt. But per-haps Gabriel and Boldwood were right，and she should not see him again？If she could only see Troy now，he would help her to decide！She jumped to her feet，and hurried back along the road to Weatherbury.

That night Maryann，the only person sleeping in Bathsheba's house，was woken by strange noises in the field where the horses were kept. She looked out of her bedroom window just in time to see a dark figure leading Bathsheba's horse and cart out of the field. She ran to Jan Coggan's house for help. Jan and Gabriel immediately rode after the thief. After riding for some time in the dark，they finally caught up with the cart at a toll-gate.

‘Keep the gate closed！’shouted Gabriel to the gatekeeper.

‘That man's stolen the horse and cart！’

‘What man ？’asked the gatekeeper，puzzled.

Gabriel looked closely at the driver of the cart，and saw a woman—Bathsheba. She turned her face away from the light when she heard his voice，but Jan Coggan had also recognized her. She was quick to hide her surprise but not her annoyance.

‘Well，Gabriel，’she asked coldly，‘where are you going？’

‘We thought someone had stolen the horse and cart. ’

‘How foolish of you！Some important business made me change my plans. I'm on my way to Bath. I may visit Liddy at her sister's later. I arrived home during the night，so I didn't wake Maryann up. I Just took the horse and cart myself. Thank you for taking all this trouble，but it wasn't necessary.

The gatekeeper opened the gate and she passed through. Coggan and Gabriel turned their horses and rode slowly home.

Gabriel said，‘I think we'll keep this strange trip of hers to Bath a secret，Jan，’and Jan agreed.

So at first the people of Weatherbury had no idea where she had gone. She stayed away for two weeks，and there were reports that she had been seen in Bath with Sergeant Troy. Gabriel knew in his heart that this must be true. He worked as hard as ever on her farm，but all the time there was a deep ache inside him.

11 农场主伯德伍德绝望了

利蒂获准休假一周去看她住在几英里以外的姐姐。芭丝谢芭为了不见伯德伍德先生，自己也安排好去利蒂姐姐家同利蒂待一两天。一天傍晚她把家留给清洁女工玛丽安照管，便徒步出发了。

她刚刚走了大约两英里，便看到那个她不想见到的男人向她走来。他的表情发生了变化，说明他收到了那封信。

“哟，是你呀，伯德伍德先生！”她说，负疚地红了脸。

“你知道我对你的感情，”他缓慢地说，“像死一样强烈的爱。一封信是改变不了这种感情的。”

“别说这个了，”她低声说道。

“不说这个我就没别的说了。你的信已经说得明明白白，咱们不能结婚。”

芭丝谢芭心情纷乱地说：“再见吧。”说着便向前走了几步，可是伯德伍德并不放她走。

“芭丝谢芭——亲爱的——真的不能改变了吗？”

“真的不能了。”

“芭丝谢芭呀，可怜可怜我吧！我爱你都爱疯了，现在别拒绝我！是你先主动的，你激起了我的感情，才使我开始想念你的呀！”

“你所说的激起，实际上是一个很孩子气的玩笑。我对那张情人卡感到非常抱歉。你还得要让我想起它来吗？”

“我太爱你了，不会因此而责备你的。芭丝谢芭，你是我所爱过的第一个女人，你差点就答应嫁给我了！你对我的好心哪里去了？”

芭丝谢芭静静地、大胆地看着他的脸，然后说：“伯德伍德先生，我什么也没答应你！”

“你怎么能这样无情啊！如果我早知道这爱会让我如此痛苦，我早就避开你了，早就不听你所说的话了。我对你说了这么多，可是你却听不进一句！”

芭丝谢芭的感情快抑制不住了，她听着这个男人劈头盖脸的愤怒的诉说，绝望地摇着头。

“请原谅我，先生！我无法像你那样爱！”

“这可不是理由，伊芙丁小姐！你并不像你所装出的那样冷酷，你也有一颗像我一样燃烧的心，可你把它藏起来了。你把爱给了别人！”

他居然知道！她想。他知道弗兰克的事！

“托伊干吗不放过我亲爱的人呢？”他口气很激烈。“你实话告诉我，如果你没有碰见他，你会接受我求婚吗？”

她没有马上回答，可她是个诚实的人，无法保持沉默。“是的。”她低声说道。

“他趁我不在，偷走了我最珍贵的东西。现在我已失去自尊，失去了好名声，人们都在笑话我。嫁给他吧，去嫁给他吧！我本可以为你而死，可是你却把自己给了那么一个不值钱的人。他也许都吻过你了吧。对我说他没吻过你！”

伯德伍德的愤怒令她恐惧，但是，她还是勇敢地说，“他是吻过我了，我并没对说实情感到羞耻。”

“我愿用一笔财产作交换摸一下你的手，”伯德伍德狂烈地叫喊起来。“可你却让那样的一个人——吻你！总有一天他会后悔的，他会明白他给我造成的痛苦的！”

“请宽恕他，先生，”她悲伤地喊道，“因为我太爱他了！”

伯德伍德不再听她的话了。“我要惩罚他！可爱的芭丝谢芭，请原谅我！我一直在责备你，可这是他的错！他用谎言偷走了你的芳心。我见到他，是要揍他的！别让他见到我，芭丝谢芭！”

这位绝望的人静静地站了一刻，便转身走开了。芭丝谢芭来回踱步，哭着，自语着，然后坐在路边，筋疲力竭。她知道此刻托伊远在巴斯，不过很快就会回到威瑟伯里来的。如果他来看她，让伯德伍德看到，结果将会是一场激烈的争吵，托伊会受伤的。不过，也许盖伯瑞尔和伯德伍德说得对，她不应该再见他了？但愿她此刻能见到托伊，他会帮她拿主意的！她跳起来，沿着路匆匆赶回威瑟伯里。

晚上，玛丽安独自睡在芭丝谢芭的房子里。圈马的地里传来的奇怪声响惊醒了她。她从卧室窗户往外一看，正巧看到一个黑影赶着芭丝谢芭的马车往外走。她赶忙跑到简·考根家求援，简和盖伯瑞尔立即骑马去追盗贼。在黑暗中骑行了一会儿，他们终于在路卡处追上了那辆马车。

“别开卡门！”盖伯瑞尔向守卡人喊道。“那个男的偷了马车了！”

“什么男的？”守卡人问道，一脸的迷惑。

盖伯瑞尔仔细看了一下赶车的人，看到的却是一个女人——芭丝谢芭。芭丝谢芭听到他的声音，扭脸避开灯光，可是简·考根也已经认出了她。她很快便掩饰住自己惊诧的表情，却藏不住一脸的恼怒。

“是你，盖伯瑞尔，”她冷冷地发问。“你要去哪儿？”

“我们还以为有人偷走马车了呢。”

“你们真蠢！我有要紧的事要办，所以改变了计划，我要去巴斯。我以后再到利蒂的姐姐家去看她。我晚上到的家，所以就没叫醒玛丽安，自己赶出了马车。谢谢你们费的这番周折，不过你们没必要。”

守卡人打开卡门，她便出去了。考根和盖伯瑞尔掉转马头，慢慢往回骑。盖伯瑞尔说：“我想，她这次到巴斯的奇怪旅行应该保密。”简说他也同意保密。

这样，威瑟伯里的人起初并不知道她到了何处。她有两个星期没在，接着有人说在巴斯看见她同托伊中士在一起。盖伯瑞尔心里知道这消息没锗。他虽然还像往常一样在她的农场里辛勤劳作，但心灵深处却一直在隐隐作痛。

12 Bathsheba makes her choice

On the same day that Bathsheba arrived home， Mr Boldwood went to apologize to her for speaking so violently the last time he had seen her. He knew nothing of her trip to Bath，and supposed she had only been to visit Liddy. But at her door he was told he could not see her，and he realized she had not forgiven him.

On his way home through Weatherbury he saw the coach from Bath. It stopped at the usual place，and a soldier in a red and gold uniform jumped down. Sergeant Troy picked up his bag and was about to take the road to Bathsheba's house，when Boldwood stepped forward.

‘Sergeant Troy？I am William Boldwood. ’

‘Indeed？’said Troy，showing little interest.

‘I want to speak to you—about two women. ’

Troy saw the heavy stick Boldwood was holding，and real－ized how determined he was. He decided it was worth being polite.

‘I'll listen with pleasure，but do speak quietly. ’

‘Well then，I've heard about your relationship with Fanny Robin，and I think you ought to marry her. ’

‘I suppose I ought. Indeed，I want to，but I cannot. ’

‘Why can't you？’

Troy was going to reply immediately，but he stopped him－self. ‘I am too poor，’he said，looking quickly at Boldwood to see if the farmer believed him. Boldwood did not notice the look.

‘I don't want to talk about right or wrong，I just want to discuss business with you. I was engaged to Miss Everdene，when you came and—’

‘Not engaged，’said Troy.

‘More or less engaged，’insisted Boldwood. ‘If you hadn't come，she would certainly have accepted my proposal by now. Well，her position in society is so much higher than yours that you can't hope to marry her. So all I ask is that you don't bother her any more，and marry Fanny. ’

‘Why should I？’asked Troy carelessly.

‘I'll pay you. If you leave Weatherbury today，I'll give you fifty pounds Fanny will have fifty pounds for wedding clothes，and I'll give her five hundred pounds the day she marries you. ’Boldwood's manner showed that he was a little ashamed of offering money，but he was prepared to do almost anything to prevent Troy marrying Bathsheba.

Troy appeared to consider the offer. ‘It's true I like Fanny best，although she's only a maid. Fifty pounds now，you said？’

‘Here's the money，’said Boldwood，handing the soldier a purse of gold coins.

‘Stop，listen！’said Troy in a whisper. Light footsteps could be heard on the road，coming from Bathsheba's house.

‘It's Bathsheba！She's expecting me. I must go and speak to 132 her，and say goodbye to her，as you and I have arranged. ’

‘Why do you need to speak to her？’

‘She'll look for me if I don't. Don't worry，you'll hear every word I say to her. It may help you in your courting，when I've gone！Stand over there behind the tree，and listen. ’

Troy stepped forward and whistled a double note.

‘Frank，darling，is that you？’It was Bathsheba's voice.

‘Oh God！’said Boldwood，unheard behind the tree.

‘Yes，it's me，’replied Troy.

‘You'rs so late，Frank，’she continued. ‘The coach arrived a long time ago！Frank，it's so lucky！There's nobody in my house except me tonight，so nobody will know about your visit. ’

‘Excellent，’said Troy. ‘But I'll just have to cdlect my bag，so you run home and I promise to be there in ten minutes. ’

‘Yes，Frank. ’She ran back to her house.

Troy turned to Boldwood，who had stepped out from behind the tree，his face white and his whole body trembling.

‘Shall I tell her I cannot marry her？’laughed the soldier.

‘No，no，wait！I have more to say to you！whispered Boldwood，the muscles in his face strangely out of control.

‘Now，’said Troy，‘you see my problem. I can't marry them both. But I have two reasons for choosing Fanny. First，I like her best，I think，and second，you're paying me for it. ’

At that moment Boldwood lost control. He attacked Troy fiercely，holding his neck with botn hands.

‘Wait，’gasped Troy，who had not expected this，‘let me breathe！If you kill me，you injure the woman you love！’

‘What do you mean？’cried the farmer. ‘I should kill you like a dog！’But he let go of Troy's neck，and listened.

‘You heard how Bathsheba loves me and expects me to visit her tonight Soon the whole village will know this. The only way to save her good name，and her position in Weatherbury，is for me to marry her. ’

‘True，true，’agreed Boldwood after a pause. ‘Troy，marry her！Poor，weak woman！She must love you madly to give herself so completely to you！’

‘But what about Fanny？’asked the soldier cleverly.

‘Don't desert her，Troy，I beg you！I don't mean Fanny，I'm speaking of Bathsheba！How can I persuade you？I know！I'll pay you five hundred pounds on the day you marry Bathsheba！’

Troy was secretly shocked at Boldwood's wild offer.

‘And I'll receive something now as well？’he asked.

‘Yes，all the money I have with me！’He counted the coins in his pocket. ‘Twenty－one pounds—it's all for you！’

‘Give me the money，and we'll go to her house. I'll ask her to marry me. Of course I won't say anything about the money. ’

They went along the road to the farmhouse，and Boldwood waited outside while Troy entered. He returned in a moment with a piece cut out of a Bath newspaper.

‘Here，read this first，’he said，smiling. And Boldwood read：

MARRIAGES：On the 17th，in Bath，Frank Troy，Sergeant，to Bathsheba Everdene of Weatherbury.

The paper fell from Boldwood's hands，as the soldier began to laugh. ‘Fifty pounds to marry Fanny. Twenty－one pounds not to marry Fanny，but Bathsheba. And now you see I'm already Bathsheba's husband. You're a fool，Boldwood. Although I may be a bad man，I'd never bribe anyone to mar-ry，as you've tried to. And Fanny？She left me long ago，and I don't know where she is. I've searched everywhere for her. Now take your money back！I don't want it！’and Troy threw the gold coins into the road.

‘You black－hearted dog！I'll punish you one day，remember that！’cried the broken man. Troy laughed loudly as he closed Bathsheba's front door.

Through the whole of the long night that followed，Boldwood's dark figure could be seen walking over the hills of Weatherbury like a ghost.

Just before the clock struck five the next morning，Gabriel and Coggan were walking to the hayfields past their mistress's house，when they saw a surprising sight. Bathsheba's bedroom window was open，and looking out of it was a hand-some man，with his red jacket undone. It was Sergeant Troy.

‘She's married him！’whispered Coggan. Gabriel said nothing，but he felt so ill that he had to rest on the gate for a moment. He thought with pity of her future，as he knew her marriage to Troy could not be happy for long.

‘Good morning，friends！’shouted Troy cheerfully to the men.

‘We must be polite to him，’whispered Coggan，‘if he's married the mistress. ’

‘Good morning，Sergeant Troy，’said Gabriel miserably.

‘Now that I've left the army，I'll soon be down in the fields with you again，’said Troy lightly. ‘My new position won't change that，and I'll be friendly with you all，just as before. Drink to my health，men. ’And he threw a coin towards Gabriel，who refused to pick it up. Coggan，however，put it in his pocket.

As they went on their way，they noticed Mr Boldwood riding past them. Gabriel forgot his own sadness when he saw the bitterness and deep despair on the farmer's face.

12 芭丝谢芭作出抉择

芭丝谢芭到家的那天，伯德伍德先生前去准备向她致歉，告诉她上次见她时自己说话不该那么粗声粗气。他并不知她去过巴斯，只以为她是刚去看过利蒂。但是到了她家门口，有人告诉他不能见她，他这才知道她并未原谅他。

在穿过威瑟伯里回家的路上，他看见了来自巴斯的马车。车停在老地方，一个身着红色镶金制眼的士兵跳了下来，是托伊中士。他提起包，正准备向芭丝谢芭家走，伯德伍德走上前来。

“托伊中士吗？我叫威廉·伯德伍德。”

“是吗？”托伊说着，一副不感兴趣的样子。

“我想和你谈谈——谈谈两个女人的事。”

托伊看到伯德伍德拿着的大棒，知道这人决意要谈，于是便想，礼貌点还是划算的。

“我将很乐意听你说，不过请不要声张。”

“好吧。我听说你与范妮·罗宾有关系，我想你应当娶她为妻。”

“我想是应当。我也确实想这样，可我不能。”

“为什么不能？”

托伊准备马上回答，可又停住口。“我太穷了，”他说，一边瞥了伯德伍德一眼，看着这位农场主信不信自己的话。可伯德伍德并没有注意到他的表情。

“我并不想谈论是与非，我只是想和你谈正事。你来的时候，我和芭丝谢芭已经订婚了——”

“没有订婚吧，”托伊说。

“差不多订婚了，”伯德伍德坚持道。“如果不是你来，现在她肯定早已接受我的求婚了。嗯，她的社会地位远比你高，你就别指望娶她了。所以，我请你做的事就是，别再烦她，和范妮结婚吧。”

“我干吗要这样？”托伊漫不经心地问道。

“我付给你钱。如果你今天就离开威瑟伯里，我付你50镑。范妮也会得到50镑去买嫁衣。她嫁给你那天，我会再给她500镑的。”伯德伍德的样子像是因付钱而略显羞臊，但是，他准备不借一切阻止托伊把芭丝谢芭娶到手。

托伊似乎在考虑这一提议。“我是喜欢范妮，虽然她只是个女仆。现在付50镑，对吗？”

“给你钱，”伯德伍德说着，把一袋金币递给了那个兵。

“等一下！你听！”托伊悄声说道。轻微的脚步声从路上传来，来自芭丝谢芭的房子。“是芭丝谢芭！她在等我，我得跟她去说句话，告个别。按你我安排的那样。”

“你干吗要和她说话？”

“我不和她说句话，她会找我的。别担心，我对她说的每个字都会让你听到的，我走后，这些话对你追求她会有用处的。过来站在树后听着。”

托伊迈步向前，用口哨吹了一个双音。

“弗兰克，亲爱的，是你吗？”这是芭丝谢芭的声音。

“喔哟，天哪！”伯德伍德说道。不过因在树后，没有人听到。

“是的，是我。”托伊回答道。

“你来晚了，弗兰克，”她接着说。“马车早就到了！弗兰克，咱们真走运！今晚，我屋里除了我没有别人，谁也不会知道你来。”

“好极了，”托伊说。“不过我得去拿我的包。这样吧，你先回去，我保证十分钟后到。”

“好吧，弗兰克。”她跑回了家。

伯德伍德从树后走出来，脸色惨白，浑身发抖。托伊向伯德伍德转过身去。

“我对她说不能娶她，好吗？”这个兵笑了起来。

“别，别！等一下！我还有话对你说！”伯德伍德低声说。他脸部的肌肉不可思议地失去了控制。

“这下你看到我的问题了吧，”托伊说，“我又不能娶她们两个人。不过我选择范妮有两个理由，首先，我想我最喜欢她；再说，你还为此付钱。”

伯德伍德再也控制不住了。他猛地袭向托伊，用双手掐住了他的脖子。

“等等，”托伊有点透不过气来了，他没想到会是这样。“让我出口气！你要是掐死我，你就会伤害你爱的女人。”

“什么意思？”农场主喊道。“我杀你就像杀一只狗！”他松开托伊的脖子，听他说话。

“芭丝谢芭怎样爱我，你都听到了。她晚上还等着我去呢，这事全村人很快就都会知晓的。要想为她保留好名声，保住她在威瑟伯里的地位，唯一的办法就是让我娶她。”

“对，说得对，”伯德伍德顿了一顿后说道。“娶了她吧，托伊！可怜的弱女子！她这么完全献身给你，肯定是爱你爱得发疯！”

“不过，范妮怎么办？”那士兵机巧地问。

“别抛弃她，托伊，我求你！我不是说范妮，我是说芭丝谢芭。我怎么说服你呢？我知道！你娶芭丝谢芭的那天，我给你500镑！”

伯德伍德这样胡乱给钱，令托伊暗自吃惊。

“现在我也会得到点什么吗？”他问道。

“是的，我身上带的钱全都给你！”他数着衣袋里的硬币。“21镑——都给你！”

“把钱给我，然后咱们去她家。我请她嫁给我。当然了我不会提钱的事。”

他们二人沿路向农场走去，托伊进了房内，伯德伍德则在外边等候。不一会儿，托伊出来了，手里拿着一张巴斯一家报纸的剪报。

“来，先念一念。”他微笑着说。伯德伍德念道：

结婚启事：中士弗兰克·托伊与威瑟伯里的芭丝谢芭·伊芙丁于17日在巴斯结婚。

剪报从伯德伍德手中滑落，士兵托伊笑了起来。“给了我50镑娶范妮，给了我21镑要我不娶范妮，娶芭丝谢芭。现在你看见了吧，我已经是芭丝谢芭的丈夫了。你是个傻瓜，伯德伍德。虽然我可能是个坏人，可是我决不会像你那样花钱买动别人去娶老婆。范妮呢？她早就离我而去了，我不知道她现在何处，我四处寻找过她。把你的钱拿回去吧，我不想要！“托伊说着，把钱扔到了路上。

“你这个黑了心的狗！你记着，我总有一天要惩罚你的！”伯德伍德心情沮丧地大叫。托伊哈哈大笑着关上了芭丝谢芭家的前门。

那天晚上长长的一整夜，人们都能看见伯德伍德黑乎乎的身影像幽魂一样在威瑟伯里的山上行走。

次日清晨，钟还没有敲五点，盖伯瑞尔和考根路过女主人的房子向干草地走去，突然看到一个意外的情景。芭丝谢芭卧室的窗户打开着，有个英俊男子正在向外张望，红色上衣解开着。那是托伊中士。

“她嫁给他啦！”考根悄声说道。盖伯瑞尔什么也没有说，可心里直堵，只得靠在大门上歇一会儿。他为她的将来感到惋惜，因为他知道，她与托伊的婚姻会好景不长。

“早上好啊，朋友们！”托伊兴高采烈地向他们喊道。

“咱们得对他礼貌一点，”考根悄声说道。“他不是娶了咱们女主人欧。”

“早上好，托伊中士，”盖伯瑞尔痛苦地说。

“我退了伍，就很快会再和你们到地里干活的，”托伊轻快地说。“我的新身份也不会改变这一点的，我还会对你们友好如初。为我的健康喝一杯去吧，伙计们。”他向盖伯瑞尔扔出一个硬币，盖伯瑞尔没捡，但考根把硬币捡起来放到了衣兜里。

他们走在路上，看到伯德伍德先生骑马走过他们身边。盖伯瑞尔看到农场主脸上的苦楚与深深的绝望，自己的悲伤心情便忘记了。

13 The storm

There was always a harvest supper for the farm workers after all the hay and wheat had been cut. On behalf of his wife，Sergeant Troy decided to have it one evening at the end of August，in the great barn. The weather was unpleas-antly warm that night. On his way to the harvest supper Gabriel stopped to check the eight huge hay－and wheat－ricks. If，as he suspected，there was a storm，the ricks，which were all uncovered，would be badly damaged.

He went on to the barn，where the farm workers had already finished eating and started dancing. Gabriel had to wait until Sergeant Troy had finished his dance with Bathshe-ba before he could warn him about possible damage to the ricks. Troy，however，was enjoying himself too much to listen to Gabriel's message.

‘Friends，’he was saying，‘I've ordered brandy to be served to you all，so that we can celebrate my wedding properly. ’

‘No，Frank，don't give them brandy，’begged Bathsheba，‘it will only do them harm！’

‘Don't be silly！’said Troy. ‘Friends，let's send the women home！Then we men can drink and sing as much as we like！’Angrily，Bathsheba left the barn，followed by the other women.

Gabriel left soon afterwards Later，when he went to check that Bathsheba's sheep were safe，he noticed that they looked very frightened. They were crowded together in a corner，their tails pointing the same way. To the shepherd this meant they were expecting a storm. He went to look at the ricks again. Should the whole harvest of the farm，worth at least seven hundred and fifty pounds，be lost because of a woman's weakness？Never，if I can prevent it！thought Gabriel.

He returned to the barn to ask the other farm workers to help him cover the ricks. But the only noise he could hear coming from the barn was the men's loud and regular breathing，and when he entered，he found them all asleep，in-cluding Troy. The brandy，which they had been too polite to refuse，had made them drunk in a very short time，as they were not used to drinking anything stronger than beer. It was useless trying to wake them.

Gabriel left the barn，and returned to the ricks，two of which he managed to cover with the heavy material kept on the farm for this purpose. The only way to cover the other six ricks was by thatching them with straw，and this was a long and difficult job to do alone.

The moon disappeared，and there was a slow，light wind，like the breath of a dying man，as Gabriel climbed the ladder and started thatching high up on top of the third rick. Light－ning flashed in the sky，and there was a loud crash of thunder. In the sudden brightness Gabriel could see every tree around him，until the light disappeared just as suddenly，leaving him in the blackest darkness. He knew his position was dangerous，but considered his life was not valuable enough to worry about.

Another flash of lightning allowed him to see the figure of a woman running towards the rick. Was it Bathsheba？

‘Is that you，ma'am？’he called to the darkness.

‘Who's there？’said Bathsheba's voice.

‘It's Gabriel. I'm on the rick，thatching. ’

‘Oh Gabriel！I'm so worried about the ricks！Can we save them？The thunder woke me. I can't find my husband. Is he there？’

‘No，he isn't. He's—asleep in the barn. ’

‘He promised me the ricks would be covered，and he hasn't done it！Can I help you？Let me help！’

‘You can bring the straw up to me in armfuls，if you aren't afraid to climb the ladder in the dark，’said Gabriel.

‘I'll do anything to help！’she said. She started to go up and down the ladder，carrying the straw. In the brightness of the lightning Gabriel saw their two shadows，wildly enlarged，on the hill in front of him. Then came the loudest crash so far.

‘How terrible！’cried Bathsheba，and held on to his arm. The lightning flashed in a wild dance of death，and thunder came from every part of the huge sky. Bathsheba and Gabriel could only stare，and tremble at the strange and dangerous beauty of the storm.

As they watched，a tall tree in front of them seemed to be burning with a white flame. There was a final，violent crash of thunder，and in the bright light they saw that the tree had been torn in half by the lightning.

‘That was close to us！’said Gabriel. ‘We'd better go down. ’They climbed down and stood together in the darkness，Bathsheba seeming to think only of the storm，Gabriel thinking only of her.

At last he said，‘The storm appears to have passed，but the rain will be coming soon. I'll go up and finish thatching the ricks. ’

‘Gabriel，you are kind to me！Oh why aren't the others here？Don't tell me，I know. They're all drunk in the barn，aren't they？It was my husband's fault. Gabriel，I want to tell you something. ’The soft flashes of the dying lightning showed her face，very white against the black sky. ‘I care about your good opinion of me，so I want to explain why I went to Bath that night. It wasn't to marry Troy，it was to break off my relationship with him. Perhaps you wonder why I married him then？Well，I suppose I must tell you. It was because he told me he had seen a woman more beautiful than me，and said that if I wanted him as a husband，I must marry him at once！I was wild with love and jealousy，so I married him！’Gabriel did not reply.

‘I'll bring some more straw up to you，shall I？’she offered.

She made several more journeys before he noticed her tired－ness. ‘I think you'd better go indoors now，’he said，as gently as a mother. ‘I'll finish the work alone. ’

‘If I'm useless，I'll go，’said Bathsheba. ‘But，oh，if you fell…！’

‘You aren't useless，but you're tired. You've done well. ’

‘And you've done better，’she said gratefully. ‘Thank you a thousand times，Gabriel！Goodnight. ’

She disappeared in the darkness. He went on thatching in a kind of dream. She had spoken more warmly to him tonight than she had ever done when she was unmarried and free to speak as warmly as she liked.

The wind changed and became stronger. At the same time heavy rain started falling. As Gabriel worked on the top of the ricks，he suddenly remembered that，eight months before，he had been fighting against fire in the same place as desperately as he was fighting against water now—and for love of the same woman，who did not love him.

It was not until seven o'clock in the morning that Gabriel climbed down from the last rick，exhausted and wet to the skin. He noticed figures coming out of the barn，walking slowly and painfully to their homes. They all looked ashamed except Troy，who was whistling cheerfully as he entered the farmhouse. None of them thought of looking at the ricks.

On his way back to Coggan's house，Gabriel met Boldwood.

‘How are you，sir？’asked Gabriel.

150

‘Yes，it's a wet day. Oh，I'm very well，thank you. ’

‘You look a little different，sir. ’

‘No，you're wrong，Oak. I'm just the same. Nothing hurts me. But you look tired. ’

‘I've been working all night to get our ricks covered. Never worked so hard in my life！Yours are safe of course，sir？’

‘Oh yes. ’Boldwood added after a silence，‘What did you ask？’

‘Your ricks are all covered？’

‘No，none of them. I forgot to tell the men to thatch them. I expect most of my wheat will be destroyed in this rain. ’

‘Forgot，’repeated Gabriel to himself. It was difficult to believe that the most careful farmer in the area would lose all his harvest because of a moment's forgetfulness. This would never have happened before Boldwood fell in love with Bathsheba.

Boldwood clearly wanted to talk，although it was still raining heavily. ‘Oak，you knew I wanted to get married. ’

‘I thought my mistress was going to marry you，’said Gabriel sympathetically. ‘However，nothing that we expect ever happens. ’

He spoke with the calmness of a man used to disaster.

‘Perhaps the villagers laugh at me，’said Boldwood with a pretended lightness.

‘Oh no，I don't think so. ’

‘But the truth is that we were never engaged，so she never broke off the engagement，you see. ’But Boldwood could not remain calm. ‘Oh Gabriel，’he said wildly，‘I'm weak and foolish，and I feel it's better to die than to live！’After a silence，he continued more normally. ‘I've accepted the fact of her refusal now. I'm sorry，of course，but no woman has ever controlled my life. Well，good morning. ’

13 风暴

每当所有的干草和麦子全都收割完毕，农场主总会请在农场干活的人们吃一次丰收晚餐。托伊中士代表他的妻子决定于八月底的一个晚上在大谷仓举办晚宴。那晚，天气很热，使人颇感不适。盖伯瑞尔走在路上，停下来查看那八个麦垛。如果像他想的那样有风暴，那么，这些完全没有覆盖着的麦垛将会惨遭毁坏。

他向前走，到了谷仓，干活的人们已经吃完，开始跳起舞来。盖伯瑞尔只得等托伊中士同芭丝谢芭跳完舞，然后才提醒他麦垛可能会遭受的损失。可是，托伊兴致正浓，盖伯瑞尔的话哪里听得进去。

“朋友们，”他说，“我为你们大家订了白兰地，大家可以尽情庆祝我的婚礼！”

“弗兰克，不行啊，别给他们喝白兰地，”芭丝谢芭央求道。“这对他们没好处！”

“你别犯傻！”托伊说，“朋友们，咱们把女人们送回家，留下咱们男人喝个痛快，喝个痛快！“芭丝谢芭生气地走了，后边跟着其他的妇女们。

盖伯瑞尔随后也很快离开了。后来，他又去查看芭丝谢芭的羊，注意到那些羊显得很惊恐。它们在角落里挤成一团，尾巴翘向同一个方向。牧羊人一看就明白，这表明羊群知道暴风雨即将来临。他又去查看麦垛。这是农场的全部收成，至少也值750镑，能让它因为一个女人的软弱便毁之一旦吗？不能，我得设法保护！盖伯瑞尔想。

他返回谷仓，想请其他人们帮他把麦垛盖上。但是，谷仓里传来的声音只有人们大声而有节奏的呼吸，他进去发现人们都睡着了，包括托伊。人们出于礼貌而无法拒绝的白兰地很快就把他们醉倒了，因为他们并不习惯喝比啤酒劲大的酒。想叫醒他们是不行了。

盖伯瑞尔离开谷仓，回到麦垛边，用农场上的遮盖布把其中两垛盖上。若想把其他六垛也盖起来，唯一的办法便是用稻草盖，可一个人单独干，既费时又费力。

月亮消失了，轻风缓缓刮起，仿佛垂死的人的呼吸。这时，盖伯瑞尔爬上梯子，开始在第三垛上盖稻草。天上开始闪电，雷声大作。闪电的一刹那，盖伯瑞尔看到了四周的每一棵树；电光迅即消失，又把他淹没在漆黑的黑暗之中。他知道自己处境危险，但却认为他的生命不值得担心。

又一次闪电中，他看到一个女人的身影向麦垛跑来。难道是芭丝谢芭吗？

“是你吗，太太？”他向黑暗中大喊。

“谁呀？”是芭丝谢芭的声音。

“盖伯瑞尔，我在麦垛上盖稻草呢。”

“是你，盖伯瑞尔！我正担心这些草垛、麦垛呢！有办法吗？雷声把我惊醒了，我丈夫也找不到。他在这儿吗？”

“他没在。他——他在仓房睡着了。”

“他还答应要把麦垛盖上，可他并没有益！我能帮你吗？我来帮你干吧。”

“你要不怕在这黑天里爬梯子，就给我往上抱稻草吧。”盖伯瑞尔说。

“只要能帮忙，我干什么都可以！”芭丝谢芭喊道。她开始上梯子，爬上爬下地递着稻草。在闪电的光亮里，盖伯瑞尔看见了他们两个身影夸张地映在他面前的小山上。又是一声炸雷。

“太可怕了！”芭丝谢芭叫起来，一边拉住了他的胳膊。一道电光闪过，跳着狂烈的死亡之舞，接着雷声从广阔天空的四面八方传来。这是罕见的暴风雨，很危险，芭丝谢苞和盖伯瑞尔看了，浑身直发抖。

他们看到面前的一棵大树似乎着了火，闪着白色的火苗。接着又是一声巨雷，在耀眼的亮光中，他们看见那棵树被闪电劈成了两半。

“这离咱们太近了！”盖伯瑞尔说。“咱们最好下去。”他们爬下来，在黑暗中一起站着。芭丝谢芭似乎只想着风暴，而盖伯瑞尔却只想着她。

最后，他说：“风暴像是过去了，不过雨很快就会来的。我上去把麦垛盖完吧。”

“盖怕瑞尔，你对我真好！哎呀，他们在哪儿呢？不说我也知道，都醉倒在仓房里了吧？都怨我丈夫。盖伯瑞尔，我想告诉你。”闪电将尽，柔和的亮光照亮了她的脸，映衬着墨黑的天空，非常苍白。“你觉得我好，我十分在意，所以我想对你解释那一晚我去巴斯的原因。我并不是去嫁给托伊的，而是想去和他断绝关系。可能你纳闷我为什么又嫁给了他吧？这个，我想我必须告诉你。他告诉我他看到一个比我漂亮的女人，如果我想让他做我的丈夫，我就必须立即同他结婚！我爱得发狂，嫉妒得要命，就和他结了婚！”盖伯瑞尔没有说什么。

“我给你再抱些稻草，好吗？”她提议。

她又上下几趟，他才注意到她的倦容。“我想你还是回屋内吧，”他像母亲一样温柔地说。“我一个人干完。”

“如果我没用，我就走，”芭丝谢芭说。“可你要是觉得……”

“你不是没用，你是累了。你干得挺好的。”

“你干得更好，”她感激地说，“我对你感谢不尽，盖伯瑞尔！晚安。”

她消失在黑暗中。盖伯瑞尔像在梦幻中一样继续盖稻草。比起她未婚时和自由自在地热情交谈时，今晚她的态度可热情多了。

风向变了，风更大了。与此同时，开始下起了倾盆大雨。盖伯瑞尔在麦垛上干着活，突然记起八个月前他曾在这儿奋力救火，正如他现在拼命救灾一样——为了同一个他爱的女人，而这个女人却并不爱他。

直到早上七点，盖伯瑞尔才从最后一堆麦垛上下来。他筋疲力竭，浑身湿透。他看到有人从仓房中出来，缓慢、痛苦地走回家去。他们都面带愧色，可托伊却不，他兴高采烈地吹着口哨回到房里。他们谁也没想到要看麦垛一眼。

盖伯瑞尔在回考根家的路上，遇到了伯德伍德。

“你好吗，先生？”盖伯瑞尔问道。

“是啊。下雨天。噢，我挺好的，谢谢。”

“你看上去有点异样，先生。”

“没有，奥克，你说错了。我还是那样。没什么会让我悲伤。不过你倒是看着挺疲劳的。”

“我一整夜都在给麦垛盖稻草。一辈子还没这么狠干过呢！你的麦垛没事吧，先生？”

“嗯，挺好的。”伯德伍德沉默了一会儿，又说，“你问什么来着？”

“你的麦垛都盖好了吗？”

“没有，一垛也没盖。我忘记对他们说了。我估计我的大部分麦子都让这场雨给毁了。”

“忘记了，”盖伯瑞尔自语道。难以相信这一带最细心的农场主会因一时疏忽而失掉全部收成。这种事情在伯德伍德爱上芭丝谢芭以前是绝不可能发生的。

伯德伍德显然想说话，尽管天还下着大雨。“奥克，你知道我曾想结婚吧。”

“我本以为我的女主人会嫁给你的，”盖伯瑞尔同情地说。“可是我们预料的事情没有发生。”

他说话时语气平静，就象一个饱经灾患的人。

“可能村民们都在嘲笑我吧，”伯德伍德故作轻松地说。

“没有吧，我觉得不会。”

“但事实上我俩从未订过婚，所以她也从未违背婚约，你看是吧。”但是，伯德伍德无法保持平静。“盖伯瑞尔啊，”他激烈地说。“我又软弱，又蠢，我觉得活着还不如死了好！”沉默了片刻，他恢复了常态，接着又说，“我接受了她的拒绝，当然，我很遗憾没有一个女人曾经支配过我的生命。好吧，就这样，再见。”

14 Bathsheba discovers the truth

Summer turned into autumn and one Saturday evening in October Bathsheba and her husband were riding home from Casterbridge market.

‘Yes，if it hadn't rained so hard，I'd have won two hundred pounds easily，my love，’Troy was saying. ‘The horse I put my money on fell over in the mud，you see. Such bad luck！’

‘But Frank，’said Bathsheba miserably，‘do you realize you've lost more than a hundred pounds in a month with this awful horse-racing？It's foolish of you to spend my money like that！You'll promise not to go to the next race，on Monday，won't you？’

‘It doesn't matter whether I go or not. I've already put money on an excellent horse in the Monday race. Don't cry，Bathsheba！If I'd known you were so cautious，I'd never have—’

He did not finish what he was saying. Just then they noticed a woman walking towards them. Although it was almost dark，they could see that she was poorly dressed.

‘Please，sir，do you know what time the Casterbridge workhouse closes？’she asked in a voice of extreme sadness.

Troy jumped in surprise，but kept his face turned away from her before replying，‘I don't know. ’

When the woman hear him speak，and looked up to his face，her expression showed both pain and happiness. She gave a cry，and fell to the ground，unconscious.

‘Oh poor thing！’cried Bathsheba. ‘I'll help her！’

‘No，stay on your horse，and take mine！’ordered Troy，jumping down. ‘Take the horses to the top of the hill. ’

Bathsheba obeyed，and moved away. Troy lifted up the woman.

‘I thought you were far away，or dead！’he told her，in a strangely gentle voice. ‘Why didn't you write to me，Fanny？’

‘I was afraid to. ’

‘Have you any money？No？Here's all I have，it's not much. I can't ask my wife for any more at the moment. ’The woman said nothing. ’Listen，’continued Troy，‘I'll have to leave you now. You're going to the Casterbridge workhouse？Well，stay there for tonight and tomorrow anyway，but I'll find somewhere better for you. I'll meet you on Monday morning at ten o'clock on the bridge just outside town. I'll bring you all the money I can. Goodbye！’

At the top of the hill Bathsheba turned and saw the woman walking slowly on towards Casterbridge. Troy soon caught up with his wife. He looked very upset.

‘Who is that woman？Bathsheba looked closely into his face.

‘She's not important to either of us，’he replied coldly.

‘I think you know her，’Bathsheba went on.

‘I don't care what you think！’he answered，and they continued their ride in silence.

The two miles to Casterbridge seemed a very long way to the woman，who was tired and ill. Sometimes she walked，sometimes she rested a little，beside the road. All through the night her eyes were fixed on the lights of Casterbridge，the end of her journey. At six o'clock the next morning she finally fell in front of the door of the workhouse，and the people there took her in.

Bathsheba and her husband did not speak much that evening，or the following day. But on Sunday evening Troy said suddenly，‘Bathsheba，could you let me have twenty pounds？I need it. ’

‘Ah！’she said sadly，‘for the races tomorrow. Oh，Frank，only a few weeks ago you said I was far sweeter than all your other pleasures！Now won't you stop risking money on horses，which is more a worry than a pleasure？Say yes to your wife，Frank，say yes！’Her beautiful face would have persuaded most men，including Troy if he had not been married to her，but he no longer loved her enough to agree to anything she wanted.

‘Well，the money isn't for racing anyway，’he said. ‘Don't keep me short of money，Bathsheba，or you'll be sorry. ’

‘I'm sorry already，’she replied，‘sorry that our love has come to an end. ’

‘Love always ends after marriage. I think you hate me. ’

‘No，not you. I only hate your faults. ’

‘Then why not help me to improve？Come，let's be friends. Just give me the twenty pounds. ’

‘Well，here's the money. Take it. ’

‘Thank you. I expect I'll be away before breakfast tomor-row. ’

‘Must you go，Frank？Stay with me！There was a time when you used to call me darling. Now you don't care how I spend my time. ’

‘I must go，’said Troy，taking out his watch. He opened the back of the watch case，and Bathsheba，who happened to be looking，saw that there was a curl of hair hidden inside.

‘Oh Frank！’she gasped. ‘A woman's hair！Whose is it？’

Troy closed the watch immediately and replied carelessly，‘Why，yours of course. I'd quite forgotten I had it. ’

‘You're lying，Frank. It's yellow hair. Mine is darker. ’

‘Well，all right，if I must tell you，it's the hair of a young woman I was going to marry before I met you. ’

‘Tell me her name！Is she married？’

‘I can't tell you her name，but she's single. ’

‘Is she alive？Is she pretty？’

‘Yes to both questions. ’

‘How can she be pretty，poor thing，with hair that colour？’

‘Her hair has been admired by everybody who's seen her. It's beautiful hair！Don't be jealous，Bathsheba！You shouldn't have married me if you didn't trust me！’

‘This is all I get for loving you so much！’cried Bathsheba bitterly. ‘I would have died for you when I married you，and now you laugh at my foolishness in marrying you！But you'll burn that hair，won't you，Frank，to please me？’

Troy only answered，‘I have a duty to someone in my past. Mistakes were made which I must put right. That's more important than my relationship with you. If you're sorry you married me，well，so am I！’

‘Frank，I'm only sorry if you love another woman more than me，’said Bathsheba in a trembling voice. ‘You like the woman with that pretty hair. Yes，it is pretty！Was she the woman we met on the road last night？’

‘Well，yes. Now you know the truth，I hope you're happy. ’

‘You haven't told me everything. Tell me the whole truth，’she said，looking bravely into his face. ‘I never thought I'd beg a man to do anything，but my pride has all gone！’

‘Don't be so desperate！’said Troy crossly. He left the room.

Bathsheba was in deep despair. She knew that she had lost her independence as a woman，which she had been so proud of. She hated herself for falling in love so easily with her hand-some husband，who，she now realized，could not be trusted.

The next morning Troy left the house early. Bathsheba was walking in her garden，when she noticed Gabriel Oak and Mr Boldwood deep in conversation in the road. They called to Joseph Poorgrass，who was picking apples，and soon he came along the path to Bathsheba's house.

‘Well，what's the message，Joseph？’she asked，curious.

‘I'm afraid Fanny Robin's dead，ma'am. Dead in the Casterbridge workhouse.

‘No！Why？What did she die from？’

‘I don't know，ma'am，but she was never very strong. Mr Boldwood is sending a cart to bring her back to be buried here. ’

‘Oh，I won't let Mr Boldwood do that！Fanny was my uncle's maid，and mine too How very sad to die in a work-house！Tell Mr Boldwood that you will drive my new cart over to Casterbridge this afternoon to fetch her body. And Joseph，put flowers on the cart for poor Fanny. How long was she in the workhouse？’

‘Only a day，ma'am. She arrived，ill and exhausted，on Sunday morning. She came on foot through Weatherbury. ’

The colour left Bathsheba's face at one. ‘Along the road from Weatherbury to Casterbridge？’she asked eagerly. ‘When did she pass Weatherbury？’

‘Last Saturday night it was，ma'am. ’

‘Thank you，Joseph，you may go. ’

Later that afternoon Bathsheba asked Liddy，‘What was the colour of poor Fanny Robin's hair？I only saw her for a day or two. ’

‘She used to keep it covered，but it was lovely golden hair，ma'am. ’

‘Her young man was a soldier，wasn't he？’

‘Yes，and Mr Troy knows him well. ’

‘What？Mr Troy told you that？’

‘Yes. One day I asked him if he knew Fanny's young man，and he said he knew him as well as he knew himself！’

‘That's enough，Liddy！’said Bathsheba，her anxiety mak-ing her unusually cross.

14 芭丝谢芭发现真相

夏去秋来。十月份一个星期六的傍晚，芭丝谢芭夫妇俩从卡斯特桥市场骑马回家。

“真是的，如果不是下大雨，我可以轻轻松松地挣200镑，亲爱的，”托伊说道。“我押赌注的那匹马在泥地上摔倒了。真是背运！”

“可是，弗兰克，”芭丝谢芭痛苦地说，“你有没有想过，一个月内你就在这要命的赛马场输掉100多镑？你这样花钱太愚蠢！你得保证不去下星期一的赛马会，行吗？”

“我去不去都没关系，我已经把钱押在星期一参赛的一匹好马身上了。别哭啊，芭丝谢芭！如果我早知道你这么谨小慎微，那我决不会——”

他没有把话说完。就在这时，他们看到一个女人向他们走来。虽然天已快黑了，可他还是能看得出，她衣着破旧。

“请问一下，先生，您知不知道卡斯特桥济贫院多会儿关门？”她问道，声音中透出极度的悲伤。

托伊吃了一惊，扭过脸避开她，然后才答道，“我不知道。”

那个女人听到他说话，又抬头看看他的脸，显得既痛苦又幸福。她发出一声喊叫，倒在地上不省人事了。

“啊，可怜的人！”芭丝谢芭喊道。“我得帮帮她！”

“别去，你骑在你的马上，把我的马拉住。”托伊一边发令，一边跳下马来。“把马牵到山顶去。”

芭丝谢芭听从吩咐走了。托伊把那女人扶了起来。

“我还以为你远走高飞了，或是死了呢！”他对她说，话语中奇怪地透着温柔。”你为什么不给我写信呢，范妮？”

“我不敢写。”

“你有钱吗？没有？我身上的钱都在这儿，不多。我此刻不能再向我妻子要了。”那女人一言不发。“听着，”托伊接着说，“现在我得走了。你是要去卡斯特桥济贫院吗？好吧，就先在那里过了今晚和明天，完了我给你找个好点的地方。星期一上午十点我在城外桥上等你。我会带尽可能多的钱。再见！”

上了山顶，芭丝谢芭转过身来，看见那女人缓缓地向卡斯特桥走去。托伊很快追上了他的妻子，脸上显得忐忑不安。

“那个女人是谁呀？”芭丝谢芭仔细端详着他的脸问。

“她对我俩都无关紧要。”他冷冷答道。

“我想你认识她吧，”芭丝谢芭又说。

“你爱怎么想就怎么想！”他答道。接着他们默默地向前骑着。

那个女人既劳累，又生着病，对她来说，到卡斯特桥的两英里似乎特别遥远，她沿着大道停停走走。一整夜，她的眼睛都盯着目的地卡斯特桥的灯光。早上六点，她终于倒在济贫院门前，那儿的人们把她接了进去。

那天晚上，或者说第二天，芭丝谢芭和她丈夫之间都没有什么话可说。但是，到了星期天晚上，托伊忽然说，“芭丝谢芭，我需要20英镑，你能给我吗？”

“啊，”她伤心地说，“准备明天的赛马吧？弗兰克，你不是说我比你的其它乐事更令你快活吗？这才几个星期啊！你能不能不再赌马，让人提心掉胆啊！答应你的妻子，弗兰克，说你不去了！”她那美丽的面庞能劝服大多数男人。如果托伊没有结婚，他也会动摇，但是现在，他对她的爱已有所减弱，不再对她言听计从了。

“好吧，我不用这钱去赌马，”他说。“别让我缺钱花，芭丝谢芭，要不你会遗憾的。”

“我已经有遗憾了，”她答道。“遗憾我们俩的爱情已经到头。”

“爱情总是随着婚姻而结束。你恨我了吧。”

“我不恨你，我只恨你犯的错误。”

“那干吗不帮我改正呢？来吧，咱们是好朋友。就给我20镑。”

“好吧，钱在这儿。拿着。”

“谢谢。明天早饭后我得出去。”

“你必须走吗，弗兰克？留下陪我吧！过去你总叫我亲爱的，现在你并不在乎我怎样打发时光了。”

“我必须走，”托伊说着，取出他的表来。他打开表的后盖，芭丝谢芭恰巧看见了表里藏着一绺头发。

“哎呀，弗兰克！”她叫道。“那是女人的头发？谁的呀？”

托伊赶紧合上表盖，漫不经心地答道，“怎么了，你的呗。我都快忘了这头发了。”

“你撒谎，弗兰克。那是黄头发，我的头发是深色的。”

“好啦，好啦，如果一定要说，我告诉你。那头发是我见到你以前准备娶的一个年轻姑娘的。”

“告诉我她的名字？她结婚了吗？”

“我不能说出她的名字，不过，她还是单身。”

“她还活着吗？漂亮吗？”

“活着，漂亮。”

“那可怜的人儿长着那样的头发怎么能好看呢？”

“她的头发人见人爱，真漂亮啊！别嫉妒呀，芭丝谢芭。你要是不信任我，就不该嫁给我！”

“我那么爱你，这就是你对我的报答！”芭丝谢芭痛苦地哭道。“我嫁给你的时候，愿为你而死，现在你却笑我嫁你是犯傻！你愿不愿意让我高兴，把那绺头发烧掉，弗兰克？”

托伊只是说，“我对以前碰到的人负有责任。我必须纠正过去所犯的错误，这比我俩之间的关系更重要。如果你后悔和我结婚，好，我还后悔呢！”

“弗兰克，我只是遗憾你爱另一个女人胜过爱我，”芭丝谢芭声音颤抖着说。“你喜欢长着漂亮头发的女人。是，很好看！她是不是昨晚咱们在路上碰到的那个女人？”

“没错，是的。现在你知道真相了，高兴了吧。”

“你并没有告诉我全部经过。快把全部真相告诉我，”她说，大胆地盯着他的脸。“我从未想过我会求一个男人做什么事，我的自尊全没了！”

“别这么不顾一切嘛！”托伊怒冲冲地说着出了门。

芭丝谢芭陷入深深的绝望之中。她知道她已失去作为一个女人的独立自主，这曾经是令她引以自豪的。她恨自己那么轻率地爱上了自己这位英俊的丈夫，现在她意识到，他这人并不可靠。

次日一早，托伊早早就离开了家。芭丝谢芭正在花园里散步，忽然注意到盖伯瑞尔·奥克和伯德伍德先生正埋头说着话。他们喊约瑟夫·普格拉斯，正在摘苹果的普格拉斯很快沿着通向芭丝谢芭房屋的小路走来。

“喂，约瑟夫！什么事？”她好奇地问。

“好象范妮·罗宾死了，死在卡斯特桥济贫院里了。”

“是吗！怎么死的？”

“我也不知道，太太。不过她本来身体就不结实。伯德伍德先生准备派一辆马车把她拉回来葬在这儿。”

“啊，不能让伯德伍德先生派马车，范妮是我叔叔的使女，也是我的。死在济贫院多惨哪！你去对伯德伍德先生说，你今天下午要赶我的新马车去卡斯特桥把她的遗体拉回来。还有，约瑟夫，在马车上给可怜的范妮放些花。她在济贫院呆了多久了？”

“刚一天，太太。她星期天上午到那里时就有病，又累得要命。她步行穿过威瑟伯里。”

芭丝谢芭脸上立时失去了血色。“沿路从威瑟伯里到了卡斯特桥？”她急切地问道。“她什么时候路经威瑟伯里的呢？”

“上星期六晚上，太太。”

“谢谢你，约瑟夫，你可以走了。”

下午晚些时候，芭丝谢芭问利蒂：“可怜的范妮·罗宾的头发是什么颜色？我只见过她一两天。”

“她那会儿总把头发包起来，是漂亮的金发，太太。”

“她的那个年轻男人是个士兵，对不？”

“对，托伊先生和他很熟。”

“你说什么？托伊先生对你说过吗？”

“对呀。有一天我问他认不认识范妮的男人，他说他和那人熟得不得了。”

“够了，利蒂！”芭丝谢芭说，她焦虑不安，异乎寻常地发了脾气。

15 Fanny's revenge

That afternoon Joseph Poorgrass was bringing Fanny's coffin back from Casterbridge. Feeling a little frightened of the dead body behind him in the cart，and de-pressed by the autumn fog，he stopped for some beer at a pub，where he met Jan Coggan and Laban Tall. There Gabriel Oak found the three men，completely drunk，two hours later. As Joseph was clearly incapable of driving the cart，Gabriel drove it to Weatherbury himself. On the way into the village，the vicar stopped him.

‘I'm afraid it's too late now for the burial，’he said，‘but I can arrange for the body to be buried tomorrow. ’

‘I could take the coffin to the church for the night，sir，’offered Gabriel，hoping to prevent Bathsheba from seeing it.

But just then Bathsheba herself appeared. ‘No，Gabriel，’she said. ‘Poor Fanny must rest in her old home for her last night. Bring the coffin into the house. ’

The coffin was carried into a small sitting-room and Gabriel was left alone with it. In spite of all his care，the worst had happened，and Bathsheba was about to make a terrible discovery. But suddenly he had an idea. He looked at the words written simply on the coffin lid—Fanny Robin and child. With a cloth Gabriel carefully removed the last two words. Quietly he left the room.

Bathsheba was in a strange mood. She felt lonely and miser-able，but she had not stopped loving her husband，in spite of her anxiety about his past. She was waiting for him to come home，when Liddy knocked and entered.

‘Ma'am，Maryann has just heard something…’she hesitated a little. ‘Not about you or us，ma'am. About Fanny. There's a story in Weatherbury that…’Liddy whis-pered in her mistress's ear.

Bathsheba trembled from head to foot.

‘I don't believe it！’she cried. ‘There's only one name on the coffin lid！But I suppose it could be true. ’

She said no more，and Liddy went quietly out of the room. Bathsheba felt almost sure she knew the truth about Fanny and Troy，but she wanted to be certain. She entered the sitting-room where the coffin lay. Holding her hot hands to her fore-head she cried，‘Tell me your secret，Fanny！I hope it isn't true there are two of you！If I could only look. at you，I'd know！’

After a pause，she added slowly，‘And I will. ’

A few moments later，she stood beside the uncovered coffin. Staring in，she said，‘It was best to know the worst，and I know it now！’Her tears fell fast beside the dead pair in the coffin，tears for Fanny and for herself. Although Bathsheba，not Fanny，had married Troy，in death Fanny was the winner. She was taking her revenge now on Bathsheba for the difficulties she had experienced in her life.

Bathsheba forgot the passing of time as she looked at Fanny's cold white face and yellow hair，and did not realize Troy had arrived home. He threw open the door and came in. He did not guess who was in the coffin.

‘What's the matter？Who's dead？’he asked.

Bathsheba tried to push past him. ‘Let me out！’she cried.

‘No，stay，I insist！’He held her arm and together they looked into the coffin.

Troy stood completely still when he saw the mother and ba-by. Little by little his shoulders bent forward，and his face showed deep sadness. Bathsheba was watching his expression closely，and she had never been more miserable. Slowly Troy knelt to give Fanny Robin a gentle kiss.

Bathsheba threw her arms round his neck，crying wildly from the depths of her heart，‘Don't，don't kiss them！Oh Frank，no！I love you better than she did！Kiss me too，Frank！You will kiss me too，Frank！’

Troy looked puzzled for a moment，not expecting this child-like cry from his proud wife. But then he pushed her away.

‘I will not kiss you！’he said.

‘Can you give me a reason？’asked Bathsheba，fighting to control herself. Perhaps it was unfortunate that she asked.

‘I've been a bad，black-hearted man，but this woman，dead as she is，is more to me than you ever were，or are，or can be. I would have married her，if I'd never seen your beau-tiful face！And I wish I had married her！’He turned to Fanny. ‘But never mind，darling，’he said，‘in the sight of God you are my wife！’

At these words a long，low cry of despair and anger came from Bathsheba's lips. ‘If she's—that，what—am I？’

‘You are nothing to me，nothing，’said Troy heartlessly. ‘A ceremony in front of a vicar doesn't make a marriage. I don't consider myself your husband. ’

Bathsheba wanted only to get away from him and his words. She ran straight out of the house. She stayed out all night，wrapped in a cloak，waiting for the coffin to be taken for burial. As soon as the men had taken it away the next morning，she re-entered the house，very cautiously to avoid Troy，but her husband had gone out very early and did not return.

15 范妮的复仇

那天下午，约瑟夫·普格拉斯把范妮的棺木从卡斯特桥运回。身后的马车上放着的尸体让他觉得有点害怕，秋雾也使他感到压抑，他便停下马车进一家酒馆喝啤酒。在酒馆他遇到了简·考根和拉班·托尔。两小时后，盖伯瑞尔在酒馆找到这三个人时，他们都已醉倒不起了。约瑟夫是没法赶车了，于是，盖伯瑞尔便自己把车赶回威瑟伯里。在进村的路上，牧师拦住了他。

“现在天太晚了，恐怕不能埋了吧，”他说，“不过，我可以安排明天下葬。”

“我把棺木放到教堂过夜吧，先生。”盖伯瑞尔提议道，他不想让芭丝谢芭看见。

就在这时，芭丝谢芭出现了。“不行，盖伯瑞尔，”她说。“可怜的范妮应该在她的老家过上最后一夜，把棺木抬进房里吧。”

于是，棺木抬进了一间小起居室，盖伯瑞尔独自留下守灵。尽管他小心翼翼，最糟糕的事情还是发生了，芭丝谢芭即将发现真相，这可太糟了。突然，他有主意了。他看着简简单单写在棺木盖上的字——“范妮·罗宾及孩子”，然后用一块布小心地把最后两个字盖住。悄悄地，他离开了房间。

芭丝谢芭心情很怪。她既觉得孤单、痛苦，对丈夫的过去颇为担扰，但仍未停止对她丈夫的爱，她正在等待他回家，这时利蒂敲门进来了。

“太太，玛丽安刚刚听到点风声……”她犹豫了一下。“不是你或我们的事，是有关范妮的事。威瑟伯里的人们传言……”利蒂俯在她的女主人耳边耳语起来。

芭丝谢芭从头到脚都颤抖起来。

“我不相信！”她叫道。“棺材盖上只有一个名字！可这传说也可能是真的。”

她不再说什么，利蒂悄声出了门。芭丝谢芭几乎已确信范妮和托伊的事，可她还想证实一下。她走进停放棺木的那间起居室，把发烫的手放在额头，喊道，“把你的秘密告诉我，范妮！希望这不是真的，不是两个人！我要是能看你一眼，就会知道的！”

停了一会儿，她又缓慢地说，“我要看看你！”

又过了片刻，她站在揭去盖子的棺木边，一边向里看，一边说，“最好还是知道最坏的情况，现在我知道了！”她的眼泪落在棺木里那死去的两人身边，这是哭范妮的泪水，也是哭自己的泪水。虽然是芭丝谢芭而不是范妮嫁给了托伊，可死去的范妮才是获胜者。她活着时遭受了种种磨难，现在正在向芭丝谢芭复仇。

芭丝谢芭看着范妮那张凉冰冰的、惨白的脸，看着那黄头发，忘记了时间，也没有意识到托伊已经到家。他推开门进来，没弄明白棺材里是谁。

“怎么啦？谁死了？”他问道。

芭丝谢芭想从他身边挤过去。“放我出去！”她喊道。

“不行，待在这儿，我要你留下！”他抓住她一只胳膊，一起往棺木里看。

托伊看到那母亲和婴儿，呆立不动。然后他才一点一点地弯下身，脸上显出深深的悲伤。芭丝谢芭仔细观察他的表情，她可从未见过他这样伤心。慢慢地，托伊跪下，给范妮·罗宾轻轻一吻。

芭丝谢芭双手搂住他的脖子，从心底里大声狂喊，“别！别吻她们！噢，弗兰克，别！我比她爱你！你也得吻吻我，弗兰克！你得吻吻我，弗兰克！”

一时间，托伊十分迷惑，他没料到自己这位高傲的妻子会这样孩子般地叫喊。随后，他便把她推开了。

“我不会吻你的！”他说。

“你能说出理由吗？”芭丝谢芭问道，努力克制着自己。也许她并不该问。

“我一向是个黑了心的坏蛋，可是这个女人，这个死去的女人，对我来说比你更加重要，过去是，现在是，将来也是。我要不是看到你这张漂亮的脸，早就娶了她了！我真应该娶了她！”他转向范妮。“不过别在意，亲爱的，”他说，“在上帝的眼里，你才是我的妻子！”

听到这些话，芭丝谢芭嘴里发出长长的一声绝望而愤怒的叫声。“如果她——是，那我——是什么？”

“你什么也不是，什么都不是，”托伊狠心地说。“仅仅在牧师面前举行个仪式并不能缔造婚姻，我并不认为我是你的丈夫。”

芭丝谢芭此刻只想从他身边跑开，不去听他说的那些话。她径直跑到房子外面，身上裹着一件斗篷，在外面待了一整夜，等着棺木抬出下葬。次日早晨，人们刚把棺木抬走，她便进到屋内，小心地躲避着托伊。但是，她的丈夫一大早便外出了，没有回来。

16 Sergeant Troy leaves

When Bathsheba ran out of the house the previous night，Troy first replaced the coffin lid，then went upstairs to lie on his bed and wait miserably for the morning.

The day before，on Monday，he had waited for Fanny，as arranged，on the bridge just outside Casterbridge，for over an hour. He had Bathsheba's twenty pounds and seven pounds of his own to give Fanny. When she did not come，he became angry，remembering the last time she had failed to arrive，on her wedding day. In fact she was at that moment being put in her coffin at the workhouse，but he did not know that. He rode straight to the races at Budmouth and stayed there all afternoon. But he was still thinking of Fanny，and he did not risk any money on the horses. Only on his way home did he suddenly realize that illness could have prevented her from meeting him，and only when he entered the farmhouse that evening did he discover that she was dead.

On Tuesday morning Troy got up and，without even thinking about Bathsheba，went straight to the churchyard to find the position of Fanny's grave. He continued on foot to Casterbridge to order the best gravestone available for twenty-seven pounds，which was all the money he had. Having ar-ranged for it to be put on the grave that afternoon，he returned to Weatherbury in the evening，with a basket of flowering plants. The new gravestone was already in place，and he worked solidly for several hours in the churchyard，putting the plants carefully into the soft earth of her grave. When it start- ed raining，however，he decided to spend the rest of the night in the shelter of the church，and finish his planting in the morning.

The rain that night was unusually heavy，and water began to pour from a broken pipe on the church roof straight on to Fanny's grave. As the earth there had only recently been dug，the grave became a kind of muddy pool. Soon the plants were floating on top of the grave，and then were washed away in the stream of water flowing through the churchyard.

When Troy woke up，stiff and still tired，he went out of the church to finish work on the grave. The rain had stopped，and the sun was shining through the red and gold autumn leaves. The air was warm and clear. As Troy walked along the path，he noticed it was very muddy，and covered with plants. Surely these could not be the ones he had planted？He turned the corner and saw the damage the heavy rain had done.

The new gravestone was stained with mud，and there was a shallow hole in the grave，where the water had poured in. Nearly all the plants had been washed out of the grave.

This strange accident had a worse effect on Troy than any of his troubles，worse even than Fanny's death. He had tried to show his love for her，knowing that he had failed to do so when she was alive. Planting the flowers was also a way of softening his feelings of sadness and guilt at her death. And now his work had been destroyed！He was too depressed to start work on the grave again. He left it as it was，and went silently out of the churchyard A minute later he had left the village.

Meanwhile Bathsheba had spent a day and a night as a willing prisoner in a small bedroom in her house. Except when Liddy brought her food or messages，she kept the bedroom door locked so that her husband could not come in Liddy knew there was trouble between husband and wife，but did not know the reason. On Wednesday morning she brought breakfast up to Bathsheba.

‘What heavy rain we had in the night，ma'am！’she said.

‘Yes，and there was a strange noise from the churchyard. ’

‘Gabriel thinks it was water from a broken pipe on the church roof，and he's gone there to see. Are you going to the churchyard，ma'am，to look at Fanny's grave？’

‘Did Mr Troy come in last night？’Bathsheba asked anxiously.

‘No，ma'am，he didn't. And Laban Tall says he saw Mr Troy walking out of the village towards Budmouth，’replied Liddy.

Budmouth，thirteen miles away！At once Bathsheba's heart felt lighter. ‘Yes，Liddy，I need some fresh air. I'll go to see Fanny's grave，’she said，and after breakfast she walked almost cheerfully to the churchyard.

She saw the hole in the grave and the expensive new grave-stone，but did not think it could be Fanny's. She looked round for a plain grave. Then she noticed Gabriel reading the words on the gravestone，and her eyes followed his：

This stone was put up by Francis Troy in loving memory

of Fanny Robin，who died on October 9，1866，aged 20

Gabriel looked anxiously at her to see if she was upset，but she remained calm. She asked him to fill in the hole，and have the broken water pipe repaired. Finally，to show she did not hate the woman who had caused her such bitterness，she replanted the flowers herself，and cleaned the muddy grave-stone，so that the words could be read clearly. Then she went home.

Troy，meanwhile，was walking towards the south. He could not decide what to do next. All he knew was that he had to get away from Weatherbury. At the top of a hill he saw the sea，stretching for miles in front of him. Now he felt more cheerful，and decided to swim. So he climbed down the cliffs，undressed on the beach and jumped into the sea. The water was so smooth that he swam confidently out to where it was very deep. Here he was surprised and a little frightened to find that he was being carried further out to sea. He suddenly remembered that the Budmouth coast was famous for the num-ber of swimmers drowned there every year，and he began to be afraid that he would soon be one of them. However strongly he swam，the sea pulled him further away from the coast，and he was already beginning to feel tired and breathless. Just then he saw a small boat moving out to sea，towards a ship. With his right arm he swam，and with his left he waved wildly，shouting as loudly as he could. The sailors saw him at once，and rowed over to rescue him.

16 托伊中士离家出走

前一天晚上，芭丝谢芭跑到屋外后，托伊把棺木重新盖好，然后上楼躺下，痛苦地等待早晨到来。

再前一天是星期一，他如约在卡斯特桥城外的那座桥上等待范妮，等了一个多小时。他拿着芭丝谢芭给的20镑和他自己的七镑，准备给范妮。她没有来，他便生气了，想起婚礼那天她也未到的情景。实际上，她此刻正在济贫院被放入棺材，而他却一无所知。他径直骑马去了巴德茅斯的赛马场，在那里逗留了一个下午。但是，他心里仍旧惦记着范妮，于是没有在赛马身上押钱。走在回家的路上，他才意识到她正生病，很可能无法赴约。那天晚上他回到家后才发现她已经死去了。

星期二早晨，托伊起了床，想也没想芭丝谢芭，便到教堂墓地找到了范妮的坟墓。然后，他又继续步行前往卡斯特桥，用他所有的27镑订了一块好墓碑并请人于那天下午送到墓旁。傍晚时他带着一篮花苗回到威瑟伯里。他回去时，新墓碑已经安放到位，他在教堂墓地连续干了几个小时，把那些花苗栽到她坟上松软的土里。然而，天下起了雨，他决定在教堂里过夜，第二天早上把花苗栽完。

那晚，雨下得异常的大，雨水从教堂顶上的一截破管子里径直倾泻到范妮的墓上。由于坟墓上的土是刚刚挖过的，所以坟墓变成了一个泥浆池。花苗很快漂了起来，接着又被流经墓地的雨水冲走了。

托伊一觉醒来，浑身僵直，疲乏不堪。他走出教堂准备把活干完。雨已停了，阳光透过金红色的秋叶。天气温暖、清爽。托伊走在小路上，看到路上很泥泞，而且满是花苗。这些花苗不会是自己栽的那些吧？他拐过弯，看到了大雨所造成的损失。

新墓碑上沾满泥土，坟墓上有一个坑，里面灌满了水。几乎所有的花苗都被冲走了。

这一异常的事件对托伊的影响超过他所遇到过的任何困难，甚至超过范妮的死对他的影响。他本想表明一下自己对她的爱意，因为这点在她生前他没有能做到。栽种花苗也可以缓解一下她的死给他带来的伤感和内疚。现在他的努力竟这样毁于一旦！他沮丧之极，无法重新在墓上干活了，于是听其自然，默默走出了墓地。不一会儿，他便离开了村子。

与此同时，芭丝谢芭将自己关在房内的一间小卧室里待了一天一夜。除了利蒂送饭、捎信外，她一直锁着卧室房门，以防丈夫进门。利蒂知道这夫妻二人在闹别扭，可又不知道为了什么。星期三早上，她又给芭丝谢芭送来了早饭。

“昨晚的雨下得可是真大，太太！”她说。

“是啊，教堂墓地那边也有奇怪的声响。”

“盖伯瑞尔猜想是教堂顶上破管子里流水的声音，他到那儿察看去了。太太，你要去墓地看看范妮的墓吗？”

“托伊先生昨晚回来过吗？”芭丝谢芭急切地问道。

“没有，太太。拉班·托尔说他看见托伊先生出村向巴德茅斯去了。”利蒂答道。

巴德茅斯？13英里远哪！芭丝谢芭立刻觉得心情轻松了。“利蒂，我去。我需要新鲜空气。我要去看看范妮的墓，”她说道。吃完早饭，她几乎是心情愉快地到了教堂墓地。

她看到墓上的坑，也看到了那块昂贵的新墓碑，不过觉得那不会是范妮的。她四下观看，寻找一座简朴的坟墓，却注意到盖伯瑞尔正在念墓碑上的字，她的眼睛也跟着看下去：

谨立此碑怀念可爱的范妮·罗宾。

她于1866年10月9日逝世，年20岁。

立碑人弗兰西斯·托伊

盖伯瑞尔担忧地望着她，怕她心烦意乱，但她却保持着平静。她让他把坑填上，让人把破管子修理好。最后，为了显示她对这个使她如此痛苦的妇女并无怨恨，她亲自重栽了花苗，清洗干净满是泥土的墓碑，这样，上面的字便看得清楚了。干完这些事，她便回了家。

这时，托伊正向南面走去。他难以确定下一步该干什么，他只知道自己必须离开威瑟伯里。他上了山顶，看到了大海，在他面前绵延数英里。此刻，他的心情好了一些，于是决定去游个泳。他从山崖上下去，到海滩上脱掉衣服跳进海水里。海水十分柔滑，他信心十足地游到了很深的地方。这时，他发现自己被冲向大海，觉得既意外，又有点恐惧。他忽然记起巴德茅斯海边每年淹死的人数之多，是很出名的，他也害怕自己成为其中的一员。但是，无论他多么用力，大海还是把他推离海岸，他已经觉得疲乏、呼吸急促了。

就在此时，他看到一条小船出海驶向一艘轮船。他右手划水，左手狂乱地挥舞，一边大声呼喊。水手们立刻发现了他，于是划船过来把他救下。

17 Farmer Boldwood begins to hope

When Troy did not return，Bathsheba felt neither happiness nor sadness. She had no hope for the fu-ture. She was sure that one day he would return，and spend the rest of her money. Then they would have to sell the farm. She could do nothing to prevent it.

One Saturday at Casterbridge market，a stranger came up to her. ‘I must tell you，ma'am，’he said，‘your husband is dead. ’

‘No，it can't be true！’gasped Bathsheba. Darkness came over her eyes，and she fell. But not to the ground. Boldwood，who had been standing in a corner watching her，ran forward to catch her.

‘Tell me more，’he said to the stranger，as he held the unconscious girl gently in his arms.

‘The police found her husband's clothes on the beach. He must have been swimming，and drowned off the Budmouth coast. ’

There was a strange excitement in Boldwood's face，but he said nothing. He carried her to a private room at the hotel，where she could rest until she felt well enough to ride home.

When she arrived home，still feeling weak and confused，Liddy had already heard the news. ‘Shall we get some black clothes made for you，ma'am？’said the maid，hesitating a little.

‘No，Liddy. It isn't necessary. You see，I think he may still be alive. I feel—I think I'm sure he's alive！’

But the following Monday Troy's death was reported in the local newspaper. A witness had seen him in deep water，shouting and waving for help. And when his clothes and his watch，found on the beach，were delivered to the farmhouse，Bathsheba began to doubt that he was alive. She opened the back of his watch case and took out the curl of golden hair.

‘He was Fanny's and she was his，’she said to herself. ‘They should be together. I mean nothing to either of them. Why should I keep her hair？’She held the curl over the fire. ‘No，I won't burn it，I'll keep it in memory of her，poor thing！’

Through the autumn and winter Bathsheba's life was more peaceful She no longer took such an interest in the farm，and very sensibly appointed Gabriel Oak her farm manager. He had already been doing the job unofficially，and now would be paid for it. At last his good qualities were being recognized. Gabriel's luck had certainly changed. Boldwood could not concentrate on farming these days either. His wheat and hay had all been so damaged by the rain that it was worthless. Weatherbury people were shocked by the changes they had no-ticed recently in Farmer Boldwood. Soon he himself realized that something must be done，and arranged for Gabriel to manage his farm too. So Gabriel was responsible for both the important farms in the area，while their owners sat alone in their lonely farmhouses.

After a time Boldwood started to hope that one day，if Bathsheba remarried at all，she would marry him. He tried to maintain a friendly，businesslike relationship with her，keeping his love for her out of sight，until the right moment came to propose again. He had no idea how long he would have to wait to marry her，but he was prepared to wait for the rest of his life.

The right moment did not come until the following summer when most of the Weatherbury people attended the great sheep fair at. Greenhill. Gabriel was there with Bathsheba's and Boldwood's sheep，and so were both his employers. This year a travelling circus put up its tent and offered the public a horse-riding show. Most of Bathsheba's farm workers were already in the tent，when Bathsheba herself arrived to see the show. At the back of the tent，behind a curtain，were the circus riders，and one of them，pulling on his boots，was Sergeant Troy.

After being rescued，Troy had decided to stay on the ship and work as a sailor，but he was not happy with this travelling life，and finally returned to England. He hesitated to go back to Bathsheba and a comfortable life on the farm. Perhaps Bathsheba would fail at farming and then he would be respon-sible for her. And anyway，perhaps she would not welcome him back. For the moment he was working as actor and horse-rider with the circus. So it was with no plans for the future that Troy found himself at Greenhill fair，dangerously close to Weatherbury.

When he looked through a hole in the curtain to see the audience，he was horrified to see his wife. She looked more beautiful than he remembered. Perhaps she would laugh at him，a nobleman's son，working in a circus！As he rode into the tent，he was careful to keep his face away from her，and remain wrapped in his cloak. She did not seem to recognize him.

When the show was over，Troy went out into the darkness. In the large tent where meals and drinks were being served，he saw Bathsheba talking to a man. Was she forgetting her husband so soon？thought Troy angrily. He decided to listen to their conversation，and knelt down outside the tent，making a little hole with his knife in the heavy cotton so that he could see the two people inside.

She was drinking a cup of tea，which Boldwood had just brought her. Troy watched her every movement. She was as handsome as ever，and she belonged to him. After a few moments Troy got up and walked slowly from the tent. He was considering what to do next.

Meanwhile Boldwood had offered to ride back to Weather-bury with Bathsheba，as it was getting late，and she accepted. Her pity for the man she had hurt so deeply made her behave more kindly towards him than was perhaps sensible. Her kind-ness made poor Boldwood dream of their future marriage，and suddenly，unable to stop himself，he said，‘Mrs Troy，will you marry again some day？’

‘You forget that my husband's death has never been proved，so I may not really be a widow，’she said，confused. ‘I've a feeling he's alive，and I'm not thinking of marrying anyone else. ’

‘Do you know，Bathsheba，that according to the lawyers，you can remarry seven years after your husband's supposed death，that is，six years from now？Could you—promise to marry me then？’

‘I don't know. Six years is too far away. I'm bitterly sorry I behaved so stupidly towards you，but—I can promise I'll never marry another man while you want me to be your wife，but—’

‘You could put right the mistake you made by promising to be my wife in six years’time！’There was wild hope in his eyes.

‘Oh，what shall I do？I don't love you，but if I can give you happiness by just promising，then I will—consider—and promise—soon. Shall we say，by Christmas？’

‘You'll promise at Christmas. Well，I'll say no more. ’

As Christmas came nearer，Bathsheba became more anxious，and one day she confessed her difficulty to Gabriel.

‘The saddest reason of all for agreeing to his proposal，’she said，‘is that if I don't，I'm afraid he'll go mad. His feelings are so extreme. I don't say that because I'm vain，but I believe I hold that man's future in my hands. Oh Gabriel，it's a terrible worry！’

‘Then why don't you promise，ma'am？I don't think people would think it wrong. The only thing that makes it wrong in my view is that you don't love him. ’

‘That is my punishment，Gabriel，for playing that foolish trick with the valentine on him. ’Gabriel had given her a reasonable，sensible answer，as she knew he would，but she felt annoyed with his cool advice. Not once had he spoken of his love for her，or said that he could wait for her too. She would have refused him of course，but at least it would have shown that he still admired her.

17 农场主伯德伍德开始盼望

托伊出而不归，芭丝谢芭既不觉得高兴，也不感到伤心，她对将来没有什么期望。她确信他总有一天要回来，接着花她的钱。到了那时，他们只得把农场卖掉，她无法避免此事发生。

一个星期六，她正在卡斯特桥市场，一个陌生人向她走来。“我得告诉你，太太，”他说，“你丈夫死了。”

“没有，不可能！”芭丝谢芭气吁吁地说。她眼前一黑，向前倒下，但没有倒在地上。原来伯德伍德一直站在一个拐角看着她，此时跑上前来扶住了她。

“还有什么消息告诉我。”他对那陌生人说，一边用双手把失去知觉的姑娘轻轻揽住。

“警察在海滩上发现了她丈夫的衣服，他准是在巴德茅斯岸边游泳时淹死了。”

伯德伍德脸上出现一丝不可思议的激动，但他什么也没有说。他把她抱到旅店的一间僻静房间，让她在那里休息，直至她能够骑马回家。

她到家时，仍觉得虚弱与惶惑，利蒂已经听说了。“咱们给你定做黑衣服吧，太太？”她有点犹豫地说。

“不用，利蒂。没必要。你知道吧，我觉得他可能还活着。我感觉——我想我可以确信他还活着！”

但是，到星期一，当地报纸上报道了托伊的死讯，一个目击者曾看到他在深水中呼喊并挥手求救。人们把在海滩上发现的衣服和表送到农场时，芭丝谢芭开始怀疑他是否还活着。她把表的后盖打开，把那一绺金发取了出来。

“他属于范妮，范妮也属于他，”她自语道。“他们应当在一起的。对于他俩来说，我什么都不是。我干吗保留她的头发？”她把那绺头发举到火上。“不行，不能烧掉。我得留着纪念她，可怜的东西！”

整个秋天至冬天，芭丝谢芭的生活都较以前平静。她已不很关心农事，因为她的农场经理人盖伯瑞尔·奥克把农场经营得井井有条。他早已干起了经理人的工作，而且即将拿经理人的工资。他的好品质终于得到承认，他时来运转了。这些日子，伯德伍德的心思也集中不到农事上头。他的麦子和干草遭受大雨破坏，已经不中用了。威瑟伯里的人们对农场主伯德伍德身上发生的变化都感到震惊。很快，他自己也意识到必须采取措施了，于是他让盖伯瑞尔来替他经营农场。就这样，盖伯瑞尔经管起了这一带的两个大农场，而农场的主人们则在他们的农舍里独自端坐着。

过了一段时间，伯德伍德开始希望有那么一天芭丝谢芭如果再婚，嫁的人会是他。他努力与她保持一种公事公办式的友好关系，而把自己对她的爱意掩藏起来，直至等到求婚的好时机再次到来。他不清楚要等多久才能娶她为妻，但是，他已经准备等候终生了。

直至第二年夏天威瑟伯里的大部分人都到格林希尔参加盛大的绵羊集市，好时机才姗姗来到。盖伯瑞尔带着芭丝谢芭和伯德伍德的羊到了集市上，他的两位雇主也来了。这一年，一个流动马戏团支起了帐篷给人们表演跑马节目。芭丝谢芭所雇的工人差不多都已进了帐篷，芭丝谢芭才赶来。在帐篷后部的幕布背后，站着马戏团的骑手，其中一个正在穿靴子的，正是托伊中士。

托伊被救以后，决定留在船上当个水手，但他又不愿过那种漂泊的生活，于是最终返回了英格兰。对于回不回芭丝谢芭身边过那种舒适的农家生活，他很是犹豫，也许芭丝谢芭务不了农，那么他还得负责养她。无论怎样，芭丝谢芭都不会欢迎他回去的。眼下，他在这家马戏团当演员跑马。就这样，在对未来一无所知的情况下，托伊来到了格林希尔集市，处于距离威瑟伯里很近的危险境地。

他从幕布上的一个洞向外面的观众看了一眼，却看到了他的妻子，令他颇感惊恐。比他记忆中的她更漂亮了。她如果看到他这个贵族人家的儿子在马戏团工作，定会嘲笑他的！他骑马进入帐篷时，裹着斗篷，小心地把自己的脸避开她，她似乎并没有认出他来。

节目结束后，托伊到了暗处。在大帐篷里供应饭食饮料处，他看到芭丝谢芭在和一个男人交谈。她这么快就把丈夫忘了？托伊气愤地想。他决定听一听他们在说些什么，于是在帐篷外面跪了下来，用小刀在厚布上面割了个小洞，他便可以看到帐篷里的人了。

她正在喝茶，茶是伯德伍德刚给她端来的。托伊注视着她的一举一动。她还像以往那样好看，她属于他。过了一会儿，托伊站起身来离开帐篷。他正在考虑下一步该干什么。

此时，伯德伍德提议与芭丝谢芭一道骑马回威瑟伯里，因为天已近黑。芭丝谢芭同意了。她曾深深伤害过这个男人，因而对他怀有怜悯，于是她对他的言谈话语十分和气，或许有些有失分寸。她的和气使可怜的伯德伍德幻想起他们二人将来结婚的事。突然间他不能自制，说道，“托伊夫人，你会再婚吗？”

“你忘了吧，我丈夫的死从未得到证实，所以，我可能还不是寡妇呢，”她迷茫地说。“我有一种感觉，他还活着。所以我还没有考虑嫁给任何人。”

“你知道，芭丝谢芭，依据法律，假定你的丈夫已死，那么七年之后你便可以再婚，也就是说从现在起六年以后。能不能——答应到时候嫁给我？”

“我不知道，六年的时间太长了。我十分后悔那样愚蠢地对待你，可是——我可以保证只要你还想让我做你的妻子，我就决不嫁给他人，可是——”

“你可以用保证六年以后做我的妻子来改正你所犯的错误！”他的双眼里显现出急切的希望。

“唉，我怎么办呢？我又不爱你，不过如果我保证一下就能让你幸福，那我愿意——考虑——尽快对你作出保证。到圣诞节前，怎样？”

“你要在圣诞节作出保证，好吧，那我就不再说什么了。”

随着圣诞节临近，芭丝谢芭更加忧虑起来，于是有一天，她向盖伯瑞尔坦露了她的难处。

“我接受他求婚，最让我伤心的原因就是，”她说，“如果我不接受，那他就有可能发疯。他的感情太过狂热。我这样说并不是因为我自负，而是因为，这个人的未来掌握在我的手中。盖伯瑞尔，这事可真让人揪心哪！”

“那你为什么不答应他呢，太太？我想人们不会觉得这有什么错的。我觉得这件事情唯一不合适的一点就是你并不爱他。”

“这是对我的惩罚，盖伯瑞尔，因为我在情人节跟他开了那种愚蠢的玩笑。”盖伯瑞尔给了她一个合情合理的回答，她知道也会如此。但是，他这种冷静的忠告令她感到恼火。他不只一次地对她谈及他的爱，还说过他也可以等她。当然她也会拒绝他的，不过，至少那样会表明他仍然爱慕她。

18 Mr Boldwood's Christmas party

For months Weatherbury people had been discussing the party that Mr Boldwood was going to give just before Christmas，and now the day had finally arrived. Bathsheba was getting ready for it.

‘I'm upset，Liddy，it's foolish of me，I know，’she said. ‘I wish I didn't have to go to the party. I haven't spoken to Mr Boldwood since the autumn，when I promised to see him at Christmas，so I'll have to go. My black silk dress，please. ’

‘Surely you don't need to wear black tonight，ma'am？You've been a widow for fourteen months now. That's a long time. ’

‘No，if I wear a bright dress，people will say I'm encouraging Mr Boldwood. How do I look，Liddy？’

‘I've hardly ever seen you look so lovely，ma'am. ’

‘I rish offending him if I don't go. Oh，I wish I could have continued as I've been for the last year or so，with no hopes or fears，and no pleasures and no sadness. ’

‘If Mr Boldwood asked you to run away with him，what would you say，ma'am？’said Liddy with a smile.

‘Now，Liddy，no joking. This is far too serious. I won't marry anyone for a long time. Get my cloak. It's time to go. ’

At the same time，in his farmhouse，Boldwood was also dressing He was trying on a new coat which had just been delivered. Tonight he wanted to look his best.

Just then Gabriel entered，to report on farm business.

‘Oh，Oak，’said Boldwood. ‘You're invited to the party tonight，of course. ’

‘I'll try to come，if I'm not too busy，’said Gabriel quietly. ‘I'm glad to see you looking happier，sir. ’

‘Yes，I confess I'm cheerful tonight. But my happiness depends on a hope. Oak，my hands are shaking. Could you help me with the buttons on this coat？’And as Gabriel came forward to help，he went on feverishly，‘Oak，does a woman keep her promise to become engaged？You know women better than I do—tell me. ’

‘I don't think I understand women well at all. But if she wants to put right a mistake，she may keep a promise like that. ’

‘I think she will，’whispered Boldwood. ‘She says she can think of me as a husband seven years after Troy's disappear-ance. ’

‘Seven years，’said Gabriel，shaking his head. ‘A long time. ’

‘But it isn't seven years！’answered Boldwood impatiently. ‘It's only five years，nine months and a few days now！’

‘Don't build your hopes on her promise，sir. Remember，she disappointed you once. And she's young. ’

‘She never promised me that first time，so she's never broken her promise to me yet. I trust her to keep her word. But let's talk business for a moment，Oak. You work so hard as my farm manager that I want you to have a larger share of the profits. I know a little about your secret. You have warm feelings for her too，but you've let me succeed in courting her！I want to show you how grateful I am for that. ’

‘Oh，that's not necessary，thank you，’said Gabriel hurriedly. ‘I must get used to my disappointment as other men have. ’He left，rather worried by Boldwood's strange manner.

Outside the front door of Boldwood's house a group of men were talking quietly.

‘Sergeant Troy was seen in Casterbridge this afternoon，’said Billy Smallbury. ‘His body was never found，you know，neighbours. ’

‘Should we tell the mistress？’asked Laban Tall. ‘Poor woman！What a mistake she made in marrying him！’

Just then Boldwood came out and walked to the gate. He did not notice the men，who were standing in the darkness.

‘I hope to God she'll come！’he whispered. ‘Oh，my darling，my darling，why do you make me wait like this！’

They all heard his words clearly. The sound of wheels came from the road，and Bathsheba arrived. Boldwood took her into the house，and the door closed behind them.

‘I didn't realize he was still in love with her！’said Billy.

‘Poor Mr Boldwood，the news will be hard for him，’said Jan Coggan. ‘We'll have to tell the mistress her husband's still alive. We'll go in and find the right moment to speak to her. ’

But the right moment never came. Bathsheba had planned to stay at the party for only an hour，and she was in fact preparing to leave when Boldwood found her alone in an upstairs room.

‘Mrs Troy，you can't go！’he said wildly. ‘We've only just begun！’

‘I'd like to go now. I think I'll walk home. ’

‘You know what I want to say to you？’Bathsheba looked silently at the floor. ’You do give it？’he said eagerly.

‘Give what？’she asked，althoug she knew well what he meant.

‘Your promise！Just a business arrangement between two sensible people who no longer think of love. To marry me in five to six years！You owe it to me！’

‘I have no feeling in that matter at all，’she replied，hesitating. ‘But if I must，I promise—if I'm really a widow. ’

‘You'll marry me in five and three-quarter years’time？’

‘Let me think！I'll marry nobody else. Oh，I don't know！Is Frank really dead？Perhaps I should ask a lawyer！’

‘Say the words，my dear one，and I won't speak about it any more. A long engagement，then marriage—Oh Bathsheba！Promise yourself to me！’he begged wildly，forgetting his cool，businesslike manner. ‘I've loved you so much and for so long！’

‘Very well，’she said after a pause，‘I'll marry you six years from now if we're both alive and if my husband doesn't return. ’

‘Then wear this ring for me. ’Boldwood took from his pocket a diamond engagement ring，and held it out to her.

‘No，no，I can't，I don't want anyone to know！’

‘Just wear it tonight，to please me！’Bathsheba could say no more，and weakly let him put it on her finger. He left her.

In a few minutes she was calmer. She put on her cloak and went downstairs. She paused at the foot of the stairs. Bold-wood was standing near the fire，and he had just noticed that a group of villagers were whispering among themselves.

‘What's the matter，men？’he asked cheerfully. ‘Is any-body engaged or married，born or dead？Tell us the news，Tall. ’

‘I wish somebody was dead，’replied Laban Tall in a whisper.

‘What was that，Tall？’asked Boldwood. ‘Speak out，if you have anything to say. ’

At that moment there was a knock on the front door. One of the men opened it. ‘A stranger wants to see Mrs Troy，’he said.

‘Ask him to come in，’said Boldwood.

The message was given，and Troy，wrapped up to his eyes in the cloak，stood in the doorway. Those who knew he was in the area recognized him immediately. Boldwood did not. He said，‘Come in，stranger，and have a Christmas drink with us！’

Troy entered，threw off his cloak and looked Boldwood in the face. But it was only when he laughed that Boldwood recognized the man who had destroyed his hope and happiness once and was about to do it again.

Troy turned to Bathsheba. She had dropped miserably on to the lowest stair. Her mouth was blue and dry，her eyes empty and staring. He said，‘Bathsheba，I've come here for you！’She did not reply. ‘Come home with me，do you hear！’He went towards her.

A strange，thin voice，full of despair，came from the fire-place. ‘Bathsheba，go with your husband！’said Boldwood.

She did not move，and when Troy stretched out his hand to pull her towards him，she fell back with a quick，low scream.

A second later there was a loud bang，and the hall was filled with smoke. At Bathsheba's cry，Boldwood's despair had turned to anger. From the wall above the fireplace he had taken a gun and shot Troy，who now lay very still. Boldwood turned the gun on himself，but was stopped by one of his men.

‘It doesn't matter！’Boldwood gasped. ‘There's another way to die！’

He crossed the room to Bathsheba，and kissed her hand. Then he went out into the darkness before anyone could prevent him.

18 伯德伍德先生举办圣诞宴会

几个月来，威瑟伯里的人们一直在谈论伯德伍德先生将在圣诞节之前举行的宴会，现在这一天终于来到了。芭丝谢芭正为赴宴作准备。

“我挺心烦的，利蒂。我真蠢，我知道，”她说。“真希望我能不去。去年秋天我答应圣诞节去见他，从那以后我就没和他说过什么话，所以，我是得去。请给我穿上黑绸裙子。”

“你今晚用不着穿黑吧，太太？你守寡已经14个月了，时间够长的了。”

“不行，我要是穿上鲜亮衣裙，人们会说我在鼓励伯德伍德先生。你看我怎么样？”

“我还没怎么见过你这么漂亮呢，太太。”

“如果我不去，就会得罪他。唉，真想继续过这一年多的这种日子，既没有希望，也没有恐惧，既没有欢乐，也没有哀愁。”

“如果伯德伍德先生要你和他远走高飞，你说什么呀，太太？”利蒂微笑着说。

“利蒂，别开玩笑了。这可是严肃的事。我嫁给谁都长不了。给我拿斗篷，该走了。”

这时，伯德伍德也在房里穿衣打扮。他正在试穿刚刚送到的一件新上衣。今晚，他想以最佳状态出场。

就在这时，盖伯瑞尔进来了，汇报农事进展情况。

“来，奥克，”伯德伍德说。“你今晚是一定要参加宴会的了。”

“如果我不太忙，就尽量来，”盖伯瑞尔平静地说。“看到你快活起来我真高兴，先生。”

“你说得对，今晚我是快活。不过，我的快活取决于一个希望。奥克，我的手在抖。你能帮我系一下扣子吗？”盖伯瑞尔走上前来，伯德伍德接着热情地说，“奥克，女人答应订婚以后还会守约吗？你比我更了解女人——给我说说。”

“我觉得我并不十分了解女人，不过，如果她想纠正错事，可能会遵守那诺言的。”

“我想她会的，”伯德伍德轻声说道。“她说在她的丈夫消失七年以后，她可以考虑我成为她的丈夫的。”

“七年哪，”盖伯瑞尔说着摇了摇头。“时间太长了。”

“可现在不是七年了！”伯德伍德急切地说。“现在只剩五年九个月零几天了！”

“别把你的希望建立在她的许诺上面，先生。记住，她曾使你失望过一次，而且她还年轻。”

“那一次她本来就没答应过我什么，所以她也说不上违背过我的诺言。我相信她会说话算话的。咱们还是来说说正事吧，奥克。你为我经营农场，干得这么卖力，我想让你多拿一点利润分成。你的秘密我也知道一点，你对她也怀有热情，可你却让我去追求她！我想对你表示我由衷的感激！”

“嗨，那没必要，谢谢你了。”盖伯瑞尔匆忙说道，“我也必须像其他男人一样，学着习惯这种失意。”他离开了，伯德伍德奇怪的表现令他十分担心。

伯德伍德房子的前门外，一群男人正在悄声议论。

“今天下午有人在卡斯特桥看到托伊中士了，”比利·斯莫伯里说。“没有人见过他的尸体，乡亲们。”

“咱们应不应当告诉女主人呢？”拉班·托尔问道。“可怜的女人！她嫁给他就是个大错误！”

就在此时，伯德伍德出来向大门走去。他并没有注意到那些人，因为他们站在暗处。

“上帝保佑，让她来吧！”他悄声自语。“哦，亲爱的，我亲爱的人，你干吗让我这样地等待呢？”

他的话他们听得清清楚楚。路上传来车轮声，芭丝谢芭到了。伯德伍德将她领进房内，并关上了门。

“真没想到他还爱着她。”比利说。

“可怜的伯德伍德先生，那消息可够他受的，”简·考根说。“我们总得告诉女主人他的丈夫还活着。咱们进去，找个合适的时机告诉她吧。”

可是这合适的时机却没有来。芭丝谢芭本来就打算只待一个小时，伯德伍德在楼上房间发现芭丝谢芭一人独处时，她正准备离开。

“托伊太太，你不能走！”他狂热地说。“我们才刚刚开始啊！”

“我想现在就走，我准备走着回去。”

“你知道我想对你说什么吗？”芭丝谢芭默默地看着地面。“你真的给我吗？”他很急切地说。

“给什么？”她问道。其实她知道他所指的是什么。

“你的诺言呀！就当两个不再思想爱情的理智的人对一件事情进行安排吧。五、六年以后嫁给我！你理应这样的！”

“这事我完全没有情绪，”她犹豫着回答。“但如果我必须保证，那我就保证——如果我真正成了寡妇的话。”

“你将在五年又九个月后嫁给我吗？”

“让我想一下！我不会嫁给别的人。唉，我也不知道！弗兰克真的死了吗？我也许应该找个律师问一问！”

“把那句话说一遍，我亲爱的人，以后我就不会再提这事了。长长的订婚期，然后再结婚——芭丝谢芭啊！答应把你给我吧！”他狂热地恳求道，忘却了他那冷静而公事公办的作派。“我真爱你，爱了这么久！”

“那好吧，”她停了一会儿后说道。“如果咱们两人六年以后都还活着，如果我丈夫到时没有回来，我就嫁给你。”

“那你就把这个戒指戴上，”伯德伍德从衣兜里摸出一个订婚钻戒，举在她的面前。

“不行，不行，我不能戴，不能让任何人知道这事！”

“就今天晚上戴一戴，只让我高兴一下！”芭丝谢芭不能再说什么，无力地让他给自己戴上了戒指。然后他便走开了。

过了一会儿，她镇静一点了。她披上斗篷下了楼，先是在楼梯下停了停。伯德伍德站在炉边，刚刚注意到一群村民在一旁窃窃私语。

“什么事啊，伙计们？”他兴高采烈地问道。“是不是有人订婚了，要么是结婚了？生孩子了还是有人去世了？给我们讲讲新鲜事吧，托尔。”

“我倒希望有人真的死了，”拉班·托尔低声答道。

“你说什么，托尔？”伯德伍德问道。大点声说出来。”

正在此时，前门传来敲门声。一个人去开了门。“有个陌生人要见托伊太太，”他说。

“请他进来。”伯德伍德说。

话传了出去，托伊用斗篷齐眼遮挡着脸站在门口。知道他在这一片活动的那几个人马上便认出了他，但是，伯德伍德没有认出他来。他说，“请进来，这位陌生的人，跟我们喝一杯圣诞喜酒吧。”

托伊进了门，脱掉斗篷，直视伯德伍德。但是，直到他哈哈大笑起来伯德伍德才认出了这个人，这个毁了他的希望和幸福，现在又要来毁他的人。

托伊转向芭丝谢芭，她早已痛苦地跌倒在楼梯上。她的嘴又青又干，眼睛茫然地瞪着。他说，“芭丝谢芭，我回来找你了！”她没有回答。“跟我回家吧，听见我的话了吗！”他向她走了过去。

壁炉边传来一个奇怪的细嗓音，充满了绝望：“芭丝谢芭，跟你丈夫走！”是伯德伍德在说话。

她一动未动，托伊伸手去拉她时，她迅速发出一声低沉的叫声，向后倒去。

刹那间，只听得“砰”的一声，大厅里顿时充满烟味。原来，伯德伍德听到芭丝谢芭的叫声，心中的绝望变成了愤怒。他从壁炉上方的墙上摘下一支枪来，向托伊开了一枪。此时，托伊一动不动地躺在地上。伯德伍德又把枪对准自己，被一个人拦下了。

“没关系的！”伯德伍德气吁吁地说。”别的死法也行！”

他走到房间另一边的芭丝谢芭身边，吻了吻她的手。然后，他出门走进黑暗之中，没有人能拦得住他。

19 Bathsheba and Gabriel

Gabriel arrived at Boldwood's house about five minutes after the shooting. The villagers were all shocked and silent，but Bathsheba was sitting on the floor，calmly holding Troy's head.

‘Gabriel，’she said simply，‘I'm afraid it's too late，but ride to Casterbridge for a doctor. Mr Boldwood has shot my husband Gabriel obeyed at once，and while riding along was tinking so hard about the shooting that in the darkness he failed to notice a man walking along the road to Casterbridge. That man was Boldwood，on his way to Casterbridge to confess to his crime.

Bathsheba ordered the body to be removed to her house，and by herself she washed and dressed her dead husband for burial. But when the doctor，the vicar and Gabriel arrived，and she no longer needed to be strong，her self-control finally broke，and she became very ill. On the doctor's advice she was put to bed，and her illness continued for several months.

At his trial the following March Boldwood was found guilty of murder，for which the usual punishment was death. However，Weatherbury people began to protest publicly that he should not be held responsible for the crime. Over the last few weeks the villagers had noticed how his moods changed from wild despair to feverish excitement. He had forgotten his farm and even lost the previous year's harvest. And a pile of carefully wrapped parcels of dresses and jewels was found at his house，addressed to‘Bathsheba Boldwood’and dated six years ahead. These were accepted by the judges as signs of his mad-ness，and in the end Boldwood was sent to prison for life. Gabriel knew that Bathsheba blamed herself for Troy's death，and would have blamed herself even more for Boldwood's.

Her health improved only very slowly. She hardly ever went out of the house or garden，and did not discuss her feelings with anyone，even Liddy. But by the summer she was begin-ning to spend more time in the open air，and one August evening she walked to the churchyard. She could hear the village children inside the church practising their singing for Sunday. She went straight to Fanny's grave，and read Troy's words on the large gravestone：

This stone was put up by Francis Troy in loving memory of Fanny Robin，who died on October 9，1866，aged 20Underneath，on the same stone，were the words she had added：

In the same grave lies Francis Troy who died on December 24，1867，aged 26

As she listened to the sweet voices of the children coming from the church，and thought of the pain she had experienced in her short life，tears came to her eyes. She wished she were as innocent as those children again. She was still crying when she suddenly noticed Gabriel Oak，who had come up the path on his way to the church，and was watching her sympathetically.

‘Are you going in？’she asked，trying to dry her tears.

‘I was，’he replied. ‘I'm one of the church singers，you know，and tonight's my practice evening. But I don't think I'll go in now. ’There was a pause，while they both tried to think of something to say. At last Gabriel said slowly，‘I haven't seen you，to speak to，for a long time. Are you better now？’

‘Yes，I am，’she replied. ‘I came to look at the gravestone. ’

‘Eight months ago it happened！’said Gabriel. ‘It seems like yesterday to me. ’

‘And to me it seems like years，long years ago. ’

‘There's something I must tell you，’said Gabriel，hesitating. ‘The fact is，I won't be your farm manager much longer. I'm thinking of leaving England，and farming in America. ’

‘Leaving England！’she cried in surprise and disappoint-ment. ‘But everyone thought you would rent poor Mr Bold-wood's farm and manage it yourself！’

‘The lawyers have offered it to me，it's true. But I'll be leaving Weatherbury next spring. I have my reasons. ’

‘And what shall I do without you？Oh Gabriel，we're such old friends！You've helped me so much in the past，and now that I'm more helpless than ever，you're going away！’

‘It's unfortunate，’said Gabriel unhappily. ‘It's because of that helplessness that I have to go，’and he walked so guickly out of the churchyard that she could not follow him.

In the next few months Bathsheba noticed miserably that Gabriel communicated with her as little as possible，and then only by messenger. She could not avoid thinking that he，the last friend she had，had lost interest in supporting her，and was about to desert her. On the day after Christmas she received the letter from him which she had been expecting. In it he explained that he would leave the farm in three months’time.

Bathsheba sat and cried bitterly over this letter. She was deeply hurt that Gabriel no longer loved her. She was also worried about having to manage the farm by herself again. She thought about it all morning，and was so depressed by the afternoon that she put on her cloak and found her way to where Gabriel lived. She knocked at the door.

‘Who is it？’said Gabriel，opening the door. ‘Oh，It's you，mistress！’

‘I won't be your mistress much longer，will I，Gabriel？’she said sadly.

‘Well，no，I suppose not. ’

Because these two people，who knew each other well，were meeting in a strange place，they felt like the strangers they were when they first met，and neither spoke for a moment.

‘Gabriel，perhaps I shouldn't have come，but I—I thought I must have offended you，and that's why you're going away.

‘Offended me！You couldn't do that，Bathsheba！’

‘Couldn't I？’she said gladly. ‘But then why are you going？’

‘I'm not going to America，you know. I decided not to，when you seemed against the idea. No，I've arranged to rent Mr Boldwood's farm，and I could have been your farm manager as well，if—well—if people hadn't said things about us. ’

‘What？’said Bathsheba，surprised. ‘What things？’

‘Well，if you must know，that I'm just waiting and hoping for the chance to marry you some day. ’

‘Marry me！That's too foolish—too soon—to think of！’

‘Yes，of course，it's foolish. I certainly agree. ’

‘“Too soon”were the words I used. ’

‘I'm sorry，but I think you said“too foolish”. ’

‘I'm sorry too，’she replied with tears in her eyes. ‘“Too soon”was what I said. But it doesn't matter a bit，not at all—but I only meant“too soon”. Indeed，you must believe me！’

Gabriel looked into her face for a long time. ‘Bathsheba，’he said，coming closer，‘If I only knew one thing—whether you'd allow me to love you，and marry you after all—if I only knew！’

‘But you never will know，’she whispered.

‘Why not？’

‘Because you never ask. ’

‘Oh！’said Gabriel delightedly. ‘My darling—’

‘You should never have sent me that cruel letter this morning. It shows you don't care a bit about me！’

‘Now Bathsheba，’he said，laughing，‘you know very well that I had to be very careful，as a single man working for you，a good-looking young woman. I've been so worried about your good name. That's why I was going to leave. ’

‘And that's the only reason？Oh，I'm so glad I came！’she cried thankfully，as she got up to leave. ‘I've thought so much more about you since I imagined you didn't even want to see me again. But Gabriel，I shouldn't have come to visit you！I seem to be courting you！How awful！’

‘Well，I've courted you，my beautiful Bathsheba，for a very long time，so one visit from you isn't much to ask. ’

As he walked back to the farmhouse with her，they talked of his plans for Boldwood's farm. They spoke very little of their feelings for each other. They were such old friends that expressions of love were probably unnecessary. Their shared interests and their long，friendly relationship had given them a complete understanding of each other's character，and this finally developed，after their wedding，into a love that nothing could destroy.

19 芭丝谢芭与盖伯瑞尔

枪击事件过去约五分钟后，盖伯瑞尔来到伯德伍德的家。村民们都被震慑住了，一言不发。芭丝谢芭坐在地上，平静地捧着托伊的头。

“盖伯瑞尔，”她淡淡地说，“恐怕太晚了，请你骑马到卡斯特桥给请个医生来。伯德伍德先生向我丈夫开枪了。”盖伯瑞尔立即遵命行事，他一边骑马前行，一边满脑子考虑枪击托伊的事，所以没有注意到黑暗中有个人也在沿着大路走向卡斯特桥。那个人便是伯德伍德，准备去卡斯特桥坦白自己的罪行。

芭丝谢芭吩咐人们把尸体抬到她家，然后独自给死去的丈夫洗净、穿衣，准备埋葬。然而，等医生、牧师、盖伯瑞尔来到时，她便用不着再硬撑了，她便无法再克制自己，病倒了。遵照医生吩咐，人们把她抬到床上。她连续病了几个月。

三月份，经过审判，伯德伍德被判犯有杀人罪。这种罪通常是要处以死刑的。然而，威瑟伯里的人们公开抗议，认为他并不应对此罪行负责。在事发前几星期，人们便已经注意到他的情绪发生了变化，原先是绝望之极，后来又激动不安。他完全置农场于不顾，甚至头一年的收成也损失掉了。在他家，人们找到几个精心包好的包裹，装着衣服和首饰上面写着“给芭丝谢芭·伯德伍德，”日期则是六年以后。法官们认为，这表明他已精神失常，因而伯德伍德最终被判终生临禁。盖伯瑞尔明白，芭丝谢芭在为托伊的死而自责，如果伯德伍德死了，她会更加严厉地自责的。

她康复得非常之慢，几乎从未出门，也从未同任何人谈起过她自己的感情问题，包括利蒂。不过，夏天到来时，她在户外的时间多起来了，八月的一个傍晚，她走到了教堂墓地。她听见村里的孩子们正在教堂里练习星期天的祷歌。她径直走向范妮墓边，读着大大的墓碑上托伊的话：

谨立此碑怀念可爱的范妮·罗宾。

她于1866年10月9日逝世，年20岁。

立碑人弗兰西斯·托伊

在同一墓碑的下方，刻着她加上的字：

同一墓穴中安息着弗兰西斯·托伊，他于1867年12月24日逝世，年26岁。

她听着教堂里传来的孩子们甜美的嗓音，想着自己这短短的生活中所经历的痛苦，不禁热泪盈眶。她真希望自己也能像那些孩子一般天真无邪。她正哭着，突然注意到盖伯瑞尔·奥克已在向教堂走来，正同情地注视着她。

“你要进教堂去吗？”她边问，边把泪水擦干。

“我本来要去的，”他答道。“我是教堂唱诗班的，今晚轮到我排练。不过，我现在不想进去了。”两人都顿住了，都在尽力找话说。最后，盖伯瑞尔缓缓地说：“有好长时间没有见你，也没有和你说话了。你现在好些了吗？”

“好些了，”她回答。“我来看看这墓碑。”

“八个月以前的事了！”盖伯瑞尔说。“可我觉得好像是昨天一样。”

“我可觉得像好多、好多年以前似的。”

“我有话得告诉你，”盖伯瑞尔犹豫地说。“我不能再为你经管农场了，我在考虑离开英国，去美国种地。”

“离开英国！”她喊道，既感到意外，又觉得失望。“可人们都以为你会租下伯德伍德的农场自己经营的呀！”

“没错，律师们向我提出来过，可我到春天就要离开威瑟伯里，我有我的理由。”

“没有你我怎么办呢？盖伯瑞尔啊，咱们交朋友这么长时间了。过去你给了我那么多的帮助，现在我比任何时候都需要帮助，可你却要走了！”

“真是不幸，”盖伯瑞尔不快地说。“就是因为这种无援无助我才不得不走的。”说着，他快步走出墓地，她想跟却没能跟得上他。

接下来的几个月，芭丝谢芭痛苦地注意到，盖伯瑞尔一直尽少与她直接交往，最后只与她书信往来了。她不由得认为她这个最后的朋友已不想再帮助她，在准备遗弃她。圣诞节后的那天，她收到了他的信，与她的预料一样。信中，他解释说，他将于三个月后离开农场。

芭丝谢芭拿着信坐在那里，伤心地哭了起来。盖伯瑞尔不再爱她，使她感到深受伤害。同时她也因自己又要管理农场而感到担忧。整个上午她都在考虑这件事情，下午来到时，她深感沮丧，于是披上斗篷向盖伯瑞尔的住处走去。她敲了敲门。

“谁呀？”盖伯瑞尔一边开门，一边问道。“啊呀，是你呀，主人。”

“我当主人不会当几天了，是不是，盖伯瑞尔？”她悲伤地说。

“嗯，是的，我想是吧。”

此时，这两个彼此相熟的人在新的地方相会，因此，他们都觉得像彼此初次见面时那样陌生，两人都一时无话。

“盖伯瑞尔，也许我本不该来，可我——我想肯定是我得罪你了，所以你才想要离开。”

“得罪我！你不会得罪我的，芭丝谢芭！”

“我不会吗？”她高兴地说。“那你为什么要走呢？”

“我不去美国了。我看你似乎不赞成我去，我就决定不去了。我已经打算好租下伯德伍德先生的农场，而且，要不是人们说咱俩的那些话，我还可以给你经管农场。”

“什么？”芭丝谢芭诧异地问道。“说咱俩什么？”

“呃，如果你真要知道，我告诉你。他们说我在等待并盼望有一天找机会娶你。”

“娶我！这太愚蠢——太快了——没法想象！”

“当然了，是太愚蠢，我同意。”

“我是说‘太快了’。”

“对不起，我还以为你说的是‘太愚蠢’呢。”

“我也对不起你，”她两眼含着泪回答道。“我说的是‘太快了’，不过这没关系，一点关系都没有——我的意思只是说‘太快了’。真的，你得相信我！”

盖伯瑞尔长时间地望着她的脸。“芭丝谢芭，”他说着走近了她，“我真想知道一件事——你让不让我爱你，让不让我娶你——我真想知道！”

“可你绝不会知道的，”她悄声地说。

“为什么不会？”

“因为你从来不问。”

“啊！”盖伯瑞尔喜悦地说，“亲爱的——”

“你今天早上怎么能把那封残酷的信送给我！那说明你一点也不把我当回事！”

“芭丝谢芭，”他笑着说，“你非常清楚，我必须非常小心行事才行，我是个给你干活的单身男人，你却是个漂亮的年轻女人。我一直为你的好名声而担忧，所以我才准备走的。”

“就这一个原因？啊，我真庆幸我来了你这儿，”她欣慰地喊道，说着起身准备离去。“自从我以为你不想再见到我以来，我一直在想你呀！可是，盖伯瑞尔，不应该是我来看你！倒像是我在追你！太可怕了！”

“不对，是我在追你，漂亮的芭丝谢芭，追了你好久，所以请你来看我一次也不算多。”

他陪她走回屋去，一路上，他们谈论着他经营伯德伍德农场的打算，而关于彼此之间的感情却谈得很少。他们二人已相知很深，互相表述爱情或许已无必要。他们二人的共同利益、互相之间的长久友谊已经使他们彼此十分了解对方的性格，而这种了解在他们二人结婚之后，又发展成了一种无坚不摧的爱情。

简 介

埃比尼泽·斯克罗吉是一位脾气暴躁、可怜、吝啬的老头儿。当他的外甥在圣诞前夜去看望他并祝他圣诞快乐时，斯克罗吉一点儿也不高兴。“呸！骗人的东西！”他说。“圣诞节是骗人的东西！所有到处游逛说‘圣诞快乐’的人的舌头都应被割掉。是的，他会的！”

噢！对了，斯克罗吉是一个刻薄、吝啬的人。他的雇员鲍勃·克拉奇蒂每周只能挣得15先令，而且只能在一间又冷又小的办公室上班，办公室里生的火小得连脚指头都暖和不过来。

但是那年的圣诞前夜，斯克罗吉已故多年的合伙人雅各布·马利的鬼魂拜访了他，其后又有另外三个鬼魂来访……那一夜格外漫长和恐怖，当圣诞节最终来临的时候，斯克罗吉的确已判若两人了。

查尔斯·狄更斯是英国最著名的作家之一，1812年生于朴次茅斯，于1870年去世。他家境贫寒，在不幸的童年之后，他很快变得富有并一举成名。他的著名作品包括《雾都孤儿》、《双城记》和《圣诞欢歌》等。

1 Marley's ghost

It is important to remember that Jacob Marley was dead．Did Scrooge know that？Of course he did．

Scrooge and Marley had been partners in London for many years，and excellent men of business they were，too．When Marley died，Scrooge continued with the business alone．Both names still stood above the office door：Scrooge and Marley．Sometimes people who were new to the business called Scrooge Scrooge，and sometimes Marley，but he answered to both names．He did not care what name they called him．The only thing that mattered to him was the business，and making money．

Oh！He was a hard，clever，mean old man，Scrooge was！ There was nothing warm or open about him．He lived a secretive，lonely life，and took no interest in other people at all．The cold inside him made his eyes red，and his thin lips blue，and his voice high and cross．It put white frost on his old head，his eyebrows and his chin．The frost in his heart made the air around him cold，too．In the hottest days of summer his office was as cold as ice，and it was just as cold in winter．

Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say，with a happy smile，‘My dear Scrooge，how are you？When will you come to see me？’No poor man asked him for money，no children asked him the time，no man or woman ever，in all his life， asked him the way．Animals as well as people were afraid of him．Dogs used to hide in doorways when they saw him coming．But what did Scrooge care！It was just what he wanted．He liked being on the edge of people's busy lives，while warning everyone to keep away from him．

One Christmas Eve，old Scrooge was working busily in his office．It was cold，frosty，foggy weather．Outside it was already dark，although it was only three o'clock in the afternoon，and there were candles in all the office windows The fog covered everything，like a thick grey blanket．

Scrooge kept his office door open，in order to check that his clerk，Bob Cratchit，was working．Bob spent his days in a dark little room，a kind of cupboard，next to his employer's office．Scrooge had a very small fire，but Bob's fire was much smaller．It was very cold in the cupboard，and Bob had to wear his long white scarf to try to keep warm．

‘Merry Christmas，uncle！God bless you！’cried a happy voice．Scrooge's nephew had arrived．

‘Bah！’said Scrooge crossly．‘Humbug！’

‘Christmas is humbug！Surely you don't mean that， uncle？’said his nephew．

‘I do，’said scrooge．‘Why do you call it“merry”Christmas？You're too poor to be merry．’

‘Well，’replied the nephew，smiling，‘why are you so cross？You're too rich to be unhappy．’

‘of course I'm cross，’answered the uncle，‘when I live in a world full of stupid people like you！You say“Merry Christmas”！But what is Christmas？Just a time when you spend too much，when you find yourself a year older and not an hour richer，when you have to pay your bills．Everyone who goes around saying“Merry Christmas”should have his tongue cut out．Yes，he should！’

‘Uncle！Please don't say that！’said the nephew．‘I've always thought of Christmas as a time to be helpful and kind to other People．It's the only time of the year when men and women open their hearts freely to each other．And so，uncle， although I've never made any money from it，I think Christmas has been and will be a good time for me！And I say，God bless Christmas！’

Bob，in the cupboard，agreed loudly，without thinking．He immediately realized his mistake，and went quickly back to his work，but Scrooge had heard him．

‘If I hear another sound from you，’said Scrooge，‘you'll lose you job！’

‘Don't be angry with him，uncle，’said the nephew．‘come and have dinner with us tomorrow．’

‘Dinner with you？I'll see you dead first！’

‘But why won't you come？Why？’

‘Because Christmas is humbug！Good afternoon！’

‘I want nothing from you．I ask nothing of you．Why can't we be friends？’

‘Good afternoon！’said Scrooge．

‘I am sorry，with all my heart，to find you like this．I have never wanted to argue with you．But I came to see you and invite you because it's Christmas，and so I'll say，a merry Christmas，uncle！’

‘Good afternoon，’said Scrooge．

‘And a happy new year！’

‘Good afternoon！’said Scrooge．

His nephew left the room，without an angry word，stopping only to wish Bob Cratchit a merry Christmas．

Then two other gentlemen came in．They were large，round，comfortable-looking men，with books and papers in their hands．

‘This is Scrooge and Marley's，I think，’said one of them， looking at the papers that he was carrying．‘Am I speaking to Mr Scrooge or Mr Marley？’

‘Mr Marley is dead，’scrooge replied．‘He died seven years ago today，on Christmas Eve．’

‘I'm sure that you are just as kind to the poor as your partner，’said the gentleman，smiling．

What was true was that Scrooge was just as mean as Marley，and Marley had been just as mean as Scrooge．

‘At this happy time of year，Mr Scrooge，’the gentleman went on，taking up his pen，‘we should help poor people who have no food or clothes or homes．’

‘Are there no prisons？’asked Scrooge coldly．

‘Plenty of prisons，’said the gentleman．

‘And the workhouses，where poor people can live and work？Are they still open？’

‘Yes，they are，I'm sorry to say．’

‘I'm happy to hear It，’said Scrooge．‘I thought，from what you said at first，that perhaps these useful places were closed，for some reason．’

‘But some of us feel，’replied the gentleman，‘that these places don't offer enough to poor people．We're hoping to give some meat and drink，and wood for a fire，to people who need all these things．This is a time when we should all be able to enjoy ourselves．How much will you give，sir？’

‘Nothing！’scrooge replied．‘I don't have a merry Christmas myself，and I won't pay for other people to be merry．We all have to pay for prisons and workhouses—they cost enough．The poor will have to go there．’

‘Many can't go there，and many prefer to die．’

‘If they prefer to die，why don't they die，then？There are too many people in the world，so it's a good thing if some of them die．All this is none of my business！It's enough for a man to understand his own business，and not to think about other people's．I'm a very busy man．Good afternoon，gentlemen！’

The gentlemen shook their heads a little sadly，and left the office．Scrooge went back to his work，feeling pleased with himself．

Now the fog was at its thickest outside，and the cold was biting．Lights shone brightly from the shop windows．People were hurrying here and there—rich and poor alike－to buy what they needed for tomorrow's Christmas dinner．

At last it was time to close the office．Scrooge got up slowly from his desk．Bob was waiting for this moment，and he immediately put on his hat．

‘You'll want a holiday all day tomorrow，I suppose？’said Scrooge．

‘If you don't mind，sir．’

‘I do mind．It's not fair．I have to pay you for a day's work when you don't do any work．’

‘It's only once a year，sir，’said Bob politely．

‘That's no reason for robbing me every twenty-fifth of December！’said Scrooge，putting on his coat．‘But I suppose you must have it．Be here early next morning．’

‘Yes，sir，I will，I promise，’Bob said happily．Scrooge walked out，without another word．When bob had closed the office，he ran home to his family in Camden Town as quickly as possible．

Scrooge always used to eat his dinner alone，in the same miserable little eating-house．Tonight was no different from other nights．He read the newspapers，looked at his bank books， and went home to bed．He lived in rooms which had once belonged to his dead partner．They were in an old，dark building in a lonely side street，where no one except Scrooge lived．

In the blackness of the night，through the fog and the frost， Scrooge had to feel his way along the street with his hands．He finally reached his front door and put the key in the lock．Suddenly，to his great surprise，he saw that the knocker was not a knocker any more，but had become the face of Jacob Marley！

He had not thought of his partner for seven years，until that afternoon，when he spoke Marley's name to his visitors．But there in front of him was Marley's face，white and ghostly， with terrible staring eyes．

As Scrooge looked，it became a knocker again．He was afraid，but he did not show his fear．He turned the key， opened the door and walked in．He did look around before he shut the door，and he did look behind the door，to see if anyone was hiding there．But there was nothing there．He shut the door with a bang，to show that he was not afraid．

With his one candle he went slowly up the stairs．It was impossible to see into all the dark corners．Darkness was cheap， and Scrooge liked it．But he remembered the face，so he walked through all his rooms，checking that everything was all right．Nobody under the table or the bed，nobody behind the door！On the small fire in the bedroom there was a pot of soup，and Scrooge's bowl was ready on the table．Nobody in any of the rooms！Sure that he was safe now，Scrooge shut and locked his bedroom door behind him．He sat down by the fire to eat his soup．

The fireplace was an old one，with hundreds of pictures on the tiles around the fire．But Scrooge could only see Marley's face on every tile．

‘Humbug！’said Scrooge to the tiles，and walked across the room．When he sat down again，he noticed a bell on the other side of the room．As he looked，he saw，with great surprise and fear，that the bell was slowly beginning to move from side to side．Soon it was ringing loudly，and so was every bell in the house．

Suddenly they all stopped ringing at the same moment，and then came a strange noise from down below．It sounded like someone pulling heavy chains across the floor．Scrooge remembered hearing that ghosts in old houses sometimes pulled chains behind them．Then a door below opened with a crash，and the noise started coming up the stairs．It was coming towards his door．

‘It's humbug still！’cried Scrooge．But the colour left his face when，without stopping，it came straight through the heavy，locked door，and appeared in front of him．It was Marley's ghost！

Scrooge could see right through its body．Around its middle was a long chain，which had money-boxes，keys，bank books， and heavy purses on it．The ghost's death-cold eyes stared fixedly at Scrooge．

‘Well！’said Scrooge，trying to pretend that nothing strange was happening．‘What do you want？And who are you？’

‘In life I was your partner，Jacob Marley．’

‘It's humbug，I tell you！’said Scrooge．‘There are no ghosts！’But when he said this，the ghost gave a terrible cry， and shook its chain in a very frightening way．At once Scrooge fell on the ground in great fear，crying，‘Yes！Yes！You are real！I see that now！Why have you come？Why do ghosts come back from the dead？Tell me，Jacob！’

‘The spirit of every man who does not help other people in life has to travel endlessly through the world after his death．We have to carry the chains that we made for ourselves in our lifetime．Do you，Ebenezer Scrooge，recognize my chain？It is very like the one that you wear！’

Scrooge looked around him，but could see no chain．‘Jacob，’he said，‘please tell me more！’

‘I cannot help you much，Ebenezer！I cannot rest，I cannot stay anywhere for long．I have been dead for seven years and all that time I have been travelling on the wings of the wind！ No peace，no rest for me in death，because I was never good or kind in life！’

‘But you were always a good man of business，Jacob，’said Scrooge，who was now beginning to worry about his own life．

‘Business！’cried the ghost miserably．‘Why didn't I think of people as my business？I thought only about making money，not about being kind and helpful to other people．Listen to me，Ebenezer！I am here tonight to warn you．You still have a chance to save yourself from what has happened to me．Three spirtis will come to visit you：the first tomorrow at one o'clock，the second at the same time the next night，and the third at midnight the following night．You will not see me any more，and for your own peace after death，remember what I have told you！’

The spirit walked slowly backwards to the window，which began to open．When the ghost reached the window，it held up its hand，and Scrooge listened．He could hear a noise of sad crying in the air．The spirit began to cry，too，and it moved out into the frosty，dark night to join the others．Scrooge ran to the window．Outside，the air was full of spirits，all wearing chains like Marley's ghost，all crying miserably as they realized，too late，the terrible mistakes that they had made in their lives．

Little by little，the spirits and their voices disappeared into the fog and the darkness，and the night was silent again．Scrooge closed the window，and checked his bedroom door．It was still locked．He started to say，‘Humbug！’but stopped suddenly．Perhaps because he was very tired，or because it was late，he went straight to bed，without taking off his clothes，and fell asleep immediately．

1．马利的鬼魂

要记住雅各布·马利已经死了，这可是件重要的事儿。斯克罗吉知道这个吗？他当然知道。斯克罗吉和马利在伦敦曾是多年的合作伙伴，并且他们还都是精明的生意人。当马利死的时候，斯克罗吉一个人继续操持着生意。办公室门口的上方悬挂的依旧是两个人的名字：斯克罗吉和马利。有时初次来这儿打交道的人们喊斯克罗吉斯克罗吉，有时喊马利，但两个名字他都应答。他不在乎别人叫他什么名字。对他来说唯一重要的事情是他的生意和赚钱。

噢！他是一个刻薄、精明、吝啬的老头儿，斯克罗吉的确是这样的！他没有丝毫热情，也从来不敞开心扉。他过着神秘、孤独的生活，对别人丝毫不感兴趣。他内心的冷漠使他的眼睛呈红色，他的薄唇呈蓝色，他的嗓音既高又暴躁。他的冷漠使他的老脑壳、眉毛和下巴罩上了白色的冰霜。他内心的冰雾使得他周围的空气都变得寒冷。在最炎热的夏日里他的办公室也很冰冷，就像冬天一样寒冷。

走在街上没有人截住他并面带幸福的微笑向他说，“我亲爱的斯克罗吉，你好吗？你什么时候来我这里坐坐？”穷人没有向他讨过钱，孩子们没有向他问过时间。在他一生中，从没有任何人，无论男女，向他问过路。人和动物都怕他。狗见到他来了就藏到门廊下。但斯克罗吉在乎什么呢！这正是他梦寐以求的。他喜欢处在人们繁忙生活的边缘，他警告所有的人都离他远点儿。

在一个圣诞前夜，老斯克罗吉正在办公室忙碌着。天气寒冷，还有霜冻，雾蒙蒙的。虽然才下午3点，但外面天已经黑了，办公室窗子里都亮起了蜡烛。雾就像一条厚厚的毯子笼罩了一切。

斯克罗吉办公室的门总是敞开着，目的是监督他的雇员，鲍勃·克拉奇蒂有没有怠工。鲍勃整天呆在老板隔壁的一间小黑屋里，它实际是一个壁橱。斯克罗吉房间的火很小，鲍勃的火更小。壁橱里冷极了，鲍勃不得不戴着他那条白色的长围巾取暖。

“舅舅，圣诞快乐！上帝保佑你！”一个声音高兴地说。斯克罗吉的外甥已经到了。

“呸！”斯克罗吉恼怒地说。“骗人的东西！”

“圣诞节是骗人的东西！舅舅，当然你不是这个意思？”他外甥说。

“我就是这个意思，”斯克罗吉说。“你为什么管它叫‘快乐’的圣诞节？你太穷了，根本快乐不起来。”

“哎，”外甥笑着回答说，“你为什么这么生气？你很有钱不该不高兴啊。”

“我当然生气，”舅舅回答说，“当我生活在一个满是像你这种蠢人的世界里！你说‘圣诞快乐’！但圣诞节是什么？不过是一个让你大把大把花钱的日子，这时你会发现你老了一岁可财富却没有增加半点，而且你还得去付所有的账单。所有到处游逛说‘圣诞快乐’的人的舌头都应被割掉。是的，他会的！”

“舅舅，请不要这么说！”外甥说。“我一直把圣诞看作是一个帮助别人、善待别人的日子。一年中只有这么一天男男女女可以彼此自由地敞开心扉。所以舅舅，尽管我从未发过圣诞的财，我认为对我来说圣诞节一直就是而且也将是美好的时刻！愿上帝保佑你！”

坐在壁橱里的鲍勃未加思索大声表示赞同。但他立刻意识到自己所犯的错误，便又立即埋头工作，但斯克罗吉已经听见了他的话。

“如果我再听到你发出一点声音的话，”斯克罗吉说，“你就会丢掉这份工作！”

“舅舅，别生他的气，”外甥说。“明天来和我们一起吃晚饭吧。”

“和你们吃晚饭？门儿也没有！”

“那你为什么不来呢？为什么？”

“因为圣诞节是个骗人的把戏！再见！”

“我什么也不要你送给我，我什么都不问你要。我们为什么不能成为朋友呢？”

“再见！”斯克罗吉说。

“看到你这样，我真感到难过，我从来就没想过要与你争吵，但我来是为了看看你并邀请你，因为是圣诞节，所以我要说一声，舅舅，圣诞快乐！”

“再见。”斯克罗吉说。

“新年快乐！”

“再见！”斯克罗吉说。

他外甥离开了房间，没有一句愠怒之言。他停下来只是为了祝鲍勃·克拉奇蒂圣诞快乐。

然后进来了另外两位绅士，他们身材魁梧，胖胖的，仪表堂堂，手里拿着书和文件。

“我想，这是斯克罗吉和马利的办公室吧，”其中一位看着手中的文件问到。“你是斯克罗吉先生还是马利先生？”

“马利先生死了，”斯克罗吉回答说。“他是七年前的今天死的，死在圣诞夜。”

“我肯定你对穷人同你的合伙人的态度一样好，”绅士微笑着说。

事实是斯克罗吉同马利一样的吝啬，马利在世时也曾和斯克罗吉一样吝啬。

“在一年中这个幸福的日子里，斯克罗吉先生，”绅士拿起笔继续说，？我们应该帮助那些没有衣食和无家可归的穷人。”

“没有看守所吗？”斯克罗吉冷冷地问。

“有很多看守所，”绅士说。

“还有可供穷人生活和工作的济贫院呢？它们还开着吗？”

“是的，它们开着，很抱歉。”

“我很高兴听到这个，”斯克罗吉说。“听你最开始说的，我还以为这些能够提供帮助的地方由于某种原因都关掉了呢。”

“但是我们有些人感到，”绅士回答说，“这些地方无法为穷人提供足够的东西。我们希望为那些需要帮助的人提供一些肉类，饮料和柴火。这个时候我们都应该能够过得开心。你能给多少，先生？”

“什么都不给！”斯克罗吉回答说。“我自己圣诞节都不快乐，所以我也不会花钱去让其他人快乐。我们都要付钱给看守所和济贫院——这笔开销够大的了。没钱的人应该去那儿。”

“很多人不能去，还有很多人宁愿去死。”

“如果他们宁愿死的话，他们为什么不去死呢？世界上的人太多了，所以如果有些人死了的话这倒是件好事。这些都与我无关！一个人能清楚他自己该做什么就够了，用不着去考虑别人的事。我很忙，再见，先生们！”

两位绅士难过地摇摇头，离开了办公室。斯克罗吉又重新开始工作，心中很得意。

现在外面的雾大得不能再大了，天气寒冷刺骨。商店的窗户闪烁出耀眼的光。人们匆忙地穿梭着——有钱人和穷人都一样——去采购他们明天圣诞晚餐所需要的东西。

最后终于到了关门的时间了。斯克罗吉慢慢地从桌子后站起身。鲍勃等的就是这一刻，所以他立即戴上了帽子。

“我猜测你想明天一天都放假，是吗？”斯克罗吉问。

“先生，如果你不介意的话。”

“我确实介意，这不公平。你不做任何工作，我还得付你工钱。”

“先生，一年就这么一次，”鲍勃礼貌地说。

“这也并不能成为每年的12月25五日你抢夺我钱财的理由！”斯克罗吉边说边穿上了大衣。“但我想这个节你必须得过。第二天早晨早点到。”

“是的，先生，我会的，我保证。”鲍勃高兴地说。斯克罗吉再没说一名话走了出去。鲍勃关上办公室的门后，以最快的速度跑回他位于卡姆登镇的家。

斯克罗吉总是独自一人在同样寒酸的小饮食店里吃晚饭，今晚也同往常一样。他读着报纸，看着银行的存单，然后回家去睡觉。他住在他的合伙人曾住过的房子里，它在一幢临街的孤零零的又旧又黑的楼里，只有斯克罗吉一人住在这里。

夜幕下，要穿过雾和霜，斯克罗吉不得不用手摸索着在街上前行。最后终于来到了他的前门，把钥匙插进锁里。突然，令他大吃一惊的是，他看到门环已不再是门环了，它已变成了雅各布·马利的脸了。

直到今天下午他对来访者说起马利的名字时，他已经有七年没有想过他的合伙人了。但呈现在他面前的是马利的脸，惨白似鬼一般，还有一双怒目圆睁的恐怖的眼睛。

斯克罗吉看着看着，它又变成了门环，但他没有表现出他的惧怕。他转动钥匙，打开门走了进去。在关上房门以前，他的确环顾了四周，也的确往门后看了看，其目的是看看是否有人藏在那里，但门后没有人。他“砰”地一声把门关上以示他并不惧怕。

他手举起唯一的一根蜡烛慢慢地上了楼，他无法看见所有黑暗的角落。黑暗便宜得很，所以斯克罗吉喜欢它。但他记起了那张脸，所以他到所有的房间都走了一遍看看是否一切都安然无恙。桌子底下和床底下都没人，门后也没人！卧室微小的炉火上炖着一锅汤，斯克罗吉的碗已经摆在了桌子上。所有房间里都没有人！确信此刻安全无误之后，斯克罗吉随手关上并锁上了卧室的门。他坐在火旁开始喝汤。

这是一个旧壁炉，火周围是数以百计的印有图案的瓷砖，但斯克罗吉在每张瓷砖上所看到的都是马利的脸。

“骗人的东西！”斯克罗吉对着瓷砖说，并在屋里踱着步。当他坐下之后，他发现房间的另一面墙上挂着一个铃挡。他看着看着，惊奇而又恐惧地发现铃挡慢慢地开始左右摆动起来，不一会儿，它响了起来，声音很大，紧接着屋里所有的铃铛都响了起来。

突然它们在同一时间都不响了，紧接着从下面传来了一个奇怪的声音，听上去像是有人拖着沉重的链子从地板上走过。斯克罗吉记起曾听说过有时旧房子里的鬼魂身后拖着链子。然后楼下的一间房门当啷一声开了，声音开始朝楼上走来，朝他的房门走来。

“又是骗人的鬼把戏！”斯克罗吉大声说道，但当声音径直地穿过厚厚的被锁着的房门出现在他面前时，他面无血色。这是马利的鬼魂！

斯克罗吉能够看穿它的躯体。一条长长的锁链缠在腰间，上面挂着钱盒子、钥匙、存折和厚厚的钱包。鬼魂死一般冷漠的眼睛盯着斯克罗吉看。

“哎！”斯克罗吉说，极力装出什么怪事也没发生的样子。“你想要什么？你是谁？”

“活着的时候我是你的合伙人，雅各布·马利。”

“我告诉你，这是骗人的。”斯克罗吉说。“没有鬼魂！”但当他说此话时，鬼魂发出了可怕的叫声，疯狂地摇动着身上的链子。斯克罗吉吓得立刻趴倒在地板上，大声说，“是的！是的！你是真的！我现在明白了！你来干什么？为什么人死后鬼魂要回来？告诉我，雅各布！”

“那些在世时不帮助他人的人，其灵魂死后都要在这个世界上永无休止地游荡。我们不得不戴着我们活着时为自己制造的锁链。埃比尼泽·斯克罗吉，你认出我的锁链了吗？它和你戴的锁链很相似！”

斯克罗吉向他四周看了看，但没看到锁链。“雅各布，”他说，“请你再多告诉我一些！”

“我帮不上你太大的忙，埃比尼泽！我不能停下来，我不能在一个地方久留。我已经死了七年了，在这七年中，我一直借着风的翅膀飘游着！没有安宁，死了也不得休息，因为我活着的时候从来没有行善积德！”

“但你是一个精明的商人，雅各布，”斯克罗吉说，他现在开始担忧起自己的命运来。

“生意！”鬼魂悲惨地说。“我为什么不把人看作是我的生意？我一心想的就是赚钱，但没有想过善待别人或是帮助别人。听我说，埃比尼泽！我今晚来这儿是要警告你，你还有机会拯救你自己避免重蹈我的覆辙。有三个幽灵将来看你：第一个于明天一点钟来，第二个于次日的同一时间来，第三个于大后天的午夜来。你不会再见到我了，为了你自己死后能太平，务必记住我对你说的话！”

幽灵慢慢地退回到窗前，窗户开始打开。当鬼魂到了窗前时，它举起一只手，斯克罗吉听着。他听见空中传来一声凄惨的叫声。幽灵也开始大叫，它来到了雾蒙蒙、黑漆漆的夜色里，加入到其它幽灵的行列。外面的空中到处都是幽灵，它们都戴着和马利鬼魂一样的锁链，它们都在悲惨地叫着，因为它们过晚地认识到了它们活着的时候所犯下的不可饶恕的错误。

渐渐地，幽灵们和它们的吵闹声消失在雾霭和夜色中，夜晚又恢复了平静。斯克罗吉关上窗户，检查了卧室的门。门依然锁着。他开始说，“骗人的东西！”但突然停住了。也许是因为他太累了，或是太晚了，他连衣服也没脱就上床睡觉了，而且立刻就睡着了。

2 The first of the three spirits

When Scrooge woke up，it was very dark in the room．He heard the church clock start striking，and listened to see what the time was．To his great surprise，the heavy bell went on striking up to twelve，then stopped．Twelve o'clock！ It was past two in the morning when he had gone to bed．The clock must be wrong！He looked at his watch．It said twelve o'clock too！

‘Have I slept all day？Is it the next night already？’scrooge asked himself．‘Or has something happened to the sun？Perhaps it's midday，not midnight！But that's impossible！’

He climbed out of bed，and felt his way to the window．But there was nobody outside in the dark，foggy streets，and he realized it must be night-time．He went back to bed again，but could not sleep．He was worried，because he could not understand what was happening．‘Was Marley's ghost a dream？’he wondered．‘But it seemed very real…’

He lay awake until he heard the clock striking a quarter to the hour．Suddenly he remembered．The ghost had warned him that a spirit would visit him at one o'clock．He decided to stay awake until one o'clock had passed．The quarter of an hour passed very slowly，but at last he heard the clock striking the four quarters．

‘It's one o'clock！’cried Scrooge delightedly，‘and nothing has happened！’But he spoke before the hour bell had sounded．The clock now struck a deep，sad ONE，and immediately light shone into Scrooge's bedroom．The curtains round his bed were pulled open．Scrooge sat up in bed，and stared at his ghostly visitor．

A strange figure，half like a child，half like an old man， looked back at him．It had long，white hair，but its skin was soft and young．It wore a short，white robe，covered with both summer and winter flowers．But the strangest thing about it was that from the top of its head shone a bright，clear light．Perhaps this light was sometimes too bright，because under one arm it carried a hat，which looked like a large extinguisher．

‘Who and what are you，sir？’asked Scrooge．

‘I am the ghost of Christmas Past，’replied the spirit，in a soft，gentle voice．

‘Do you mean long ago in the past？’asked Scrooge．

‘No．Your past．’

‘Spirit，please tell me why you are here．’

‘I am here for your own good，’answered the ghost．

‘Thank you，’replied Scrooge politely．But secretly he thought，‘Bah！A night of unbroken sleep is a more useful thing to have！’

The spirit seemed to hear him thinking，and said at once，‘I am here to help you change your life！Watch and listen！’It put out a strong hand，and held Scrooge by the arm．‘Get up，and come with me！’

It was dark and cold outside．Scrooge did not want to go anywhere，and for a moment he thought about pretending to be too ill to go out．But he did not like to refuse，so he said nothing，and got out of bed．Together they passed through the wall of the house out into the darkness．

Suddenly Scrooge realized they were standing on an open country road，with fields on each side．London，the fog，and the darkness had all disappeared，and it was a clear，cold， winter day，with snow on the ground．

‘Good Heavens！’cried Scrooge．‘I was born near here！I rememher it well！’

The spirit looked kindly at the old man．‘How strange that you've forgotten it for so many years！What is that on your face？Are you crying？’

Scrooge put a hand over his eyes．‘It's nothing—I've got a cold，that's all．Take me where you want，spirit！’

Scrooge recognized every field，post，and tree，as they walked along the road towards a little market town．All around thgm were young schoolboys on horses and in farmers’carts，laughing and wishing each other a merry Christmas，as they travelled to their homes for the Christmas holiday．

‘They are only shadows from the past，’said the spirit．‘They cannot see us．’

Scrooge knew and named all of them．Why was he so delighted to see them？Why did his cold heart beat faster when they went past，shouting‘Merry Christmas！’？What was‘merry Christmas’to Scrooge？What good had it ever done to him？

‘Not everyone has left the school，’said the ghost．‘There is one lonely child there still，one child whose friends have all gone．’

‘I know！’said Scrooge．And now he was crying openly．

They turned into a smaller road，and soon came to the school．Inside，in the long，cold，silent classroom，a lonely boy sat reading near a small fire．When he saw his poor forgotten past self，Scrooge sat down at one of the desks，put his head in his hands and cried．

‘Poor boy！I wish—but it's too late now．’

‘What's the matter？’asked the spirit．

‘There was a boy singing Christmas carols at my door yesterday．I'm sorry I didn't give him anything，that's all．’

The ghost smiled，and lifted its hand，saying，‘Let's see another past Christmas！’

The schoolroom became darker and dirtier．There was the young Scrooge again，a little older and bigger than before．He was not reading this time，but was walking up and down， looking very unhappy．The door opened，and a little girl， much younger than him，came running in．Putting her arms round his neck，she said lovingly to him，‘I've come to bring you home，dear brother！Father is so much kinder than he used to be！The other day I asked him if you could come home，and he said yes！And we're going to spend Christmas together，and have the merriest time！’she was laughing delightedly as she began to pull him towards the door．They went out happily together，hand in hand．

‘What a warm heart she had！’said the ghost．

‘You're right，’said Scrooge．‘I agree with you，spirit！’

‘She married，I understand，’continued the ghost，‘and had children，I think，before she died．’

‘One child，’answered Scrooge．

‘True，’said the ghost．‘Your nephew！’

Scrooge did not answer at once．‘Yes，’he said at last．

Now the school had disappeared，and they were in the middle of a busy town，with shadowy crowds and carts all around them．Here it was Christmas time again，but it was evening， and there were lights in the shops and streets．

The ghost stopped at an office door．‘Do you know this place，Scrooge？’he asked．

‘Know it！’cried Scrooge．‘Why，I was a clerk here！’

They went in，and when they saw a large，kind-looking old gentleman sitting at a high desk，Scrooge cried excitedly，‘Good Heavens，it's old Fezziwig！God bless him！It's Fezziwig alive again！’

Old Fezziwig put down his pen，and looked at the clock．Fastening his coat buttons over his fat stomach，he started laughing as he called out in a rich，deep，happy voice， ‘Ebenezer！Dick！Seven o'clock！No more work tonight！It'sChristmas Eve，remember！’

The young Scrooge hurried in，with another clerk．

‘That's Dick Wilkins！’said Scrooge quietly to the ghost．

‘He always liked me．Oh dear！poor Dick！’

Together the two young clerks put away all the pens and papers，and，following Fezziwig's orders，cleared all the furniture away from the centre of the room．In came a fiddler．In came Mrs Fezziwig，fat and smiling．In came the three Fezziwig daughters，sweet and pretty．In came the six young men who were in love with them．In came the cook，with her young man，the milkman．In came the boy from next door， with the girl from the house opposite．In they came，some quietly，some noisily，but all happy because it was Ghristmas Eve．The fiddler started playing，and away they all went in the dance，twenty pairs at the same time，round and round， down the middle and up again．When they were all tired，old Fezziwig cried out，‘Well done！Now，have something to eat and drink！’there was cake and hot meat and bread and cold meat and fruit，and all kinds of drinks，on a long table near the door．And after they had eaten，they danced again．

When the clock struck eleven，the dancing ended．Mr and Mrs Fezziwig stood by the door，shaking hands with each person as he or she went out，and wishing him or her a merry Christmas．

During this time Scrooge had thought of nothing except what was happening in front of his eyes．He remembered and enjoyed it all with the greatest delight．But when the dancing came to an end，he realized that the ghost was looking at him．The light on the spirit's head was burning very clearly．

‘It seems easy enough to amuse these childish people，’said the ghost．‘It was nothing much that Fezziwig did，was it？ After all，he only spent a few pounds，on food and drink and paying the fiddler．’

‘It isn't a question of money，’replied Scrooge warmly．He was speaking like the young man he used to be，not the old man he was now．‘No，spirit，you see，our employer can make us happy or sad．His words，his looks，all these things are so important！The happiness that he gives is just as valuable as money！’

He suddenly stopped speaking，when he felt the spirit watching him closely．

‘What's the matter？’asked the ghost．

‘Er—nothing，’said Scrooge．‘Just that—I'd like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk now．’

Now Scrooge could see himself again．He was older now， and it was clear that he was beginning to show an unhealthy interest in money．His eyes were restless，and his mouth looked thin and mean．He was not alone，but was sitting beside a lovely young girl．The light that shone brightly from the ghost of Christmas Past showed that she was crying．

‘I know it doesn't matter very much to you，’she said softly．‘You care about gold more than you care about me．Perhaps I shouldn't be sad．Money will give you the happiness that I wanted to give you．’

‘But I haven't changed towards you，have I？’

‘You have changed．We promised to marry a long time ago，when we were both poor，and happy to be poor．I have stayed the same，but you have different hopes and dreams now．I loved the man that you used to be，but I know that you do not wish to marry me any more．So I've come to tell you that you're free．Be happy in the life that you've chosen！’And she left him．

‘Spirit！’cried Scrooge．‘Show me no more！Take me home！This is too painful！’

‘One shadow more！’said the ghost．

‘No more！’cried Scrooge．‘I don't wish to see any more！’But the spirit held his arms，and he could not escape．

Now they were in another place，in a room which was not very large，but comfortable．Near the fire sat a beautiful young girl．Scrooge thought she was the girl that he had just seen，until he saw her，now a good-looking married lady，sitting opposite her daughter．The room was full of children，and noise，and shouting，and laughing．Just then the door opened， and the father entered，carrying a great pile of Christmas presents．The noise became twice as loud，as the children received their presents with delight，and kissed their father gratefully．Finally，the younger ones went upstairs to bed，and Scrooge watched more sadly than ever，as the father sat down with his loving daughter and her mother by the fire．

‘Belle，’said the husband，turning to his wife with a smile，‘I saw an old friend of yours this afternoon．Guess who？ Mr Scrooge！He was sitting alone in his office．His partner is dying，and I don't think he has any other friends．’

‘Spirit！’said Scrooge in a broken voice．‘Take me away from this place．’

‘These are shadows of the things that happened in the past，’said the ghost．‘You chose the life that you preferred， so why cry now？’

‘I can't watch any more！It's too awful！Leave me alone， spirit！’And Scrooge，noticing that the ghostly light was burning high and bright，suddenly took the extinguisher，and pushed it down hard on the spirit's head．But although it covered the ghost's head and body，Scrooge could not hide the light，which continued to shine out strongly from underneath．

Now Scrooge found himself back in his own bedroom again．Feeling very tired，he climbed into bed and at once fell into a deep，heavy sleep．

2．三幽灵中的第一位

当斯克罗吉醒来的时候，房间里黑极了。他听见教堂的钟声响了，他听着想知道是几点了。令他大吃一惊的是，沉重的钟声一直敲了12下，然后停了。12点了！他上床睡觉的时候已经是凌晨2点了。一定是钟出了问题！他看了看他的手表，也是12点。

“我睡了一整天吗？难道已经是第二天夜里了吗？”斯克罗吉问自己。“或者是太阳出了问题？也许是正午而不是午夜！但那又不太可能。”

他下了床，摸黑来到窗前，但外面漆黑的、雾蒙蒙的街上一个人也没有，他知道一定是晚上。他又上了床，但是却睡不着。他忧心忡忡，因为他不明白正在发生的一切。“马利的鬼魂是梦吗？”他想知道。“但它似乎是真的。”

他睁着眼睛躺着直到听见钟敲45分。突然他记起了。鬼魂曾警告过他1点钟时有个幽灵要来见他。他决定睁眼等到1点钟过去。15分钟过得极慢，但最后他终于听到钟敲了4刻。

“1点了！”斯克罗吉高兴地大叫道，“而且什么也没发生！”但他是在整点的铃响之前说这番话的。现在钟敲了沉闷悲伤的1点，立刻就有亮光照进了斯克罗吉的卧室。他床周围的帘子被扯开了。斯克罗吉从床上坐起注视着鬼魂般的来访者。

一个奇怪的影子，一半像孩子，一半像老头儿，回头看着他。它的头发又长又白，但它的皮肤柔软而富有弹性。它穿着白色的短袍子，上面满是夏季和冬季的花儿。但最奇怪的是它的头顶上闪耀出明亮的光。

也许这光有时太亮了，因为它的一只胳膊下夹着一顶帽子，看上去像是一个大的灭火工具。

“你是谁，是干什么的，先生？”斯克罗吉问。

“我是昔日圣诞鬼魂，”幽灵用柔弱、温柔的声音回答说。

“你是指过去很久以前吗？”斯克罗吉问。

“不。是你的过去。”

“幽灵，请告诉我你为什么来这儿。”

“我来这儿纯粹是为了你好，”鬼魂说。

“谢谢你，”斯克罗吉礼貌地回答说，但他心里想，“呸！睡个一晚上没人打扰的觉比什么都强。”

幽灵似乎懂得了他在想什么，便立刻说，“我来这儿是帮助你改变你的生活的！看好了，听清楚！”它伸出一只强有力的手，抓住斯克罗吉的胳膊。“起来跟我走！”

外面又黑又冷。斯克罗吉哪儿也不想去，所以一时间他想装成病入膏盲的样子无法出去，但他又不愿拒绝，所以他什么也没说就下了床。他们一起穿过房子的墙壁来到了夜色中。

忽然斯克罗吉发觉他们来到了一条空旷的乡间马路上，两边都是田野。伦敦、浓雾和黑夜都已消失，现在是一个晴朗、寒冷的冬日，地上覆盖着积雪。

“天哪！”斯克罗吉喊道。“我出生在这儿附近，我记得很清楚！”

幽灵友善地看着这位老人。“奇怪得很，这么多年你都把这忘记了！你脸上是什么？你哭了吗？”

斯克罗吉用一只手捂住他的眼。“没事儿——只是我得了感冒。幽灵，带我去你想去的地方吧！”

在他们去往一个小集镇的路上，斯克罗吉认出了每一片田野，每一处城堡和每一棵树木。他们周围到处都是学校的男孩子们，他们有的骑在马上，有的坐在农夫的马车里，在他们赶回家过圣诞节的路上，他们笑着并彼此祝愿圣诞快乐。

“他们只不过是过去的影子，”幽灵说。“他们看不见我们。”

斯克罗吉全都认识他们，并能叫出他们的名字。为什么他看见他们这么高兴？为什么当他们走过，高喊着“圣诞快乐”时，他冷酷的心跳得快了？“圣诞快乐”对斯克罗吉意味着什么？它给他带来了什么好处？

“不是所有的孩子们都离开了学校，”鬼魂说。“那儿还有一个孤独的孩子，他的朋友们全都走了。”

“我知道！”斯克罗吉说。现在他毫不掩饰地哭了。

他们拐到了一条更小的路上，不一会儿就来到了学校。在那间狭长、寒冷、寂静的教室里，一个孤独的孩子正坐在微弱的火旁着书。当他看见自己那寒酸的、已被忘却的过去的自己时，斯克罗吉坐在一张课桌旁，双手抱头哭了。

“可怜的孩子啊！我希望——但现在太晚了。”

“什么事？”幽灵问。

“昨天有一个男孩子在我的门口唱圣诞颂歌，很抱歉我什么也没给他，就是这事儿。”

鬼魂笑了，举起一只手说，“咱们再去看看另外一个昔日圣诞节。”

教室变得更暗更脏了，又出现了年轻的斯克罗吉，比以前稍微长大了一些而且个头高了一些。这次他没在看书，而是来回踱着步，看上去很不高兴。门开了，跑进来一个比他小得多的女孩儿。她双手搂着他的脖子亲昵地对他说，“我是来带你回家的，亲爱的哥哥！父亲比从前慈爱多了。不久前的一天，我问他你可不可以回家，他答应了！我们可以一起过圣诞节了，而且会过得比以前都快活！”她开始把他往门口拉并开心地笑着。他们手拉着手，一起高兴地出去了。

“她真是热心肠！”鬼魂说。

“你说得对。”斯克罗吉说。“我同意你的看法。”

“她结婚了，我知道，”鬼魂继续说，“而且我想，在她死之前有了孩子。”

“有一个孩子，”斯克罗吉回答说。

“对，”鬼魂说。“你的外甥！”

斯克罗吉没有马上回答。“是的，”他最后说。

现在学校不见了，他们来到了一座繁忙的镇子中心，周围都是模糊的人群和马车。这里也是圣诞节的日子，但已是夜晚，商店和大街上都亮起了灯。

鬼魂在一个办公室的门前停下。“你认识这个地方吗，斯克罗吉？”它问。

“认识！”斯克罗吉大声说。“怎么了，我曾是这儿的一名雇员啊！”

他们走了进去，当他们看见一位身材魁梧、慈眉善目的老绅士坐在一张高高的桌子旁时，斯克罗吉兴奋地喊道，“天哪，他是老费泽威格！上帝保佑他！费泽威格又活了！”

老费泽威格放下笔，看了看表。系好覆于其胖肚子上的外衣扣子，他一边用圆润、低沉、幸福的声音大声说，“埃比尼泽！迪克！7点了！今晚就干到这儿了。记得吗，今天是圣诞节！”一边开始笑了起来。

年轻的斯克罗吉带着另一个雇员匆匆地进来了。

“这是迪克·威尔金斯！”斯克罗吉悄悄地告诉鬼魂。“他一直都喜欢我。噢，亲爱的。可怜的迪克！”

两个年轻的雇员一起把所有的笔和文件都收拾好放到了一边，并按照费泽威格的吩咐把所有的家具都从屋子中央挪开。一个小提琴手走了进来；费泽威格走了进来，胖胖的，面带笑容；费泽威格的三个女儿走了进来，她们长得甜甜的而且很漂亮；六个爱着这三位姑娘的年轻人走了进来；厨师和她年轻的丈夫，送奶工走了进来；隔壁家的男孩，带着对面房子里的女孩走了进来。他们都进来了，有的静悄悄的，有的吵吵嚷嚷的，但都兴高采烈，因为今天是圣诞节。小提琴手开始演奏，他们全都加入到跳舞者的行列，同时有20对儿，来回地转着圈跳着。当他们都跳累了的时候，老费泽威格大声说，“跳得好极了！现在吃点东西或喝点什么吧！”在门口的一张长桌子上摆着蛋糕、烧好的热乎乎的肉、面包、冻肉、水果和各种喝的。他们吃过之后又重新跳舞。

当钟敲11点的时候，舞会结束了。费泽威格先生和太太站在门口，他们和每个离开的人一一握手并祝愿他或她圣诞快乐。

在这斯间斯克罗吉想的只是他眼前所发生的一切。他以从未有过的兴奋，记住了发生的一切并且觉得一切都很开心。但当舞会结束的时候，他觉察到鬼魂正看着他。幽灵头上的光明亮地闪烁着。

“好像轻而易举就能给这些傻里傻气的人们带来娱乐，”鬼魂说。“费泽威格并没做多少事情，不是吗？他充其量不过是花了几个英镑买了些吃的、喝的和付了小提琴手的报酬。”

“这不是钱的问题。”斯克罗吉热情地回答说。他说话的样子和他年轻时一样，可不是现在年迈的那副神情。“不，幽灵，要知道，我们的雇主能够令我们高兴或悲伤。他的话语、他的表情，所有这些都很重要！他给我们带来的幸福同金钱一样有价值！”

当他感到幽灵正密切地注视着他的时候，他不再说下去了。

“怎么了？”鬼魂问。

“哦——没什么，”斯克罗吉说，“只是——我想现在和我的雇员说一两句话。”

斯克罗吉现在又能看见他本人了。他现在比以前老了，很显然他对钱已经显示出一种不良的兴趣。他目光焦虑，嘴看上去刻薄且吝啬。他不是独自一人，他身边坐着一个可爱的姑娘。借着“昔日圣诞”鬼魂身上发出的明亮的光可以看出她在哭。

“我知道这对你来说算不了什么，”她轻柔地说，“你把金子看得比我还重。也许我不该难过，金钱会给你带来我想带给你的幸福的。”

“但对你我并没变心，不是吗？”

“你已经变了。在很久以前当我们都还很穷但又穷得快乐的时候我们就许诺过要结婚。我一直没改变想法，但你现在有了不同的希望和理想。我爱的是过去的你，但我知道你不再想娶我了，所以我来是想告诉你你自由了。祝你在你自己选择的道路上幸福生活！”她离开了他。

“幽灵！”斯克罗吉大声说，“别再让我看下去了！带我回家吧！这太痛苦了！”

“还有一个影子！”鬼魂说。

“一个也不要再看了！”斯克罗吉高声喊道。“我不想再看了！”但幽灵抓住他的胳膊，所以他无法逃脱。

现在他们来到了另一个地方，一个不是很大但非常舒适的房间里。火边坐着一位漂亮的年轻姑娘。斯克罗吉想她就是刚才看到过的女孩，到他见到她时，她已是一位漂亮的已婚妇女了，她坐在女儿的对面。房间里都是孩子，满屋子吵闹声、喊叫声和笑声。这时门开了，父亲抱着一大摞圣诞礼物走了进来。当孩子们高兴地拿到礼物时，吵闹声比刚才高了一倍，他们充满感激地吻了父亲。最后，小点儿的孩子们上楼睡觉去了。父亲同他可爱的女儿及妻子在火炉旁坐下，这时，斯克罗吉比往常更加伤心地看着。

“贝尔，”丈夫说着把脸转向妻子，面带微笑。“我今天下午看见了你的一位老朋友，你猜他是谁？斯克罗吉先生！他正独自一人坐在他的办公室里。他的合伙人快要死了，我认为他再没有别的朋友了。”

“幽灵！”斯克罗吉用颤抖的声音说。“带我离开这个地方吧。”

“这都是过去所发生的事情的影子，”鬼魂说，“你选择了你喜欢的生活，现在干嘛要哭呢？”

“我不能再看下去了！太可怕了！幽灵，让我一个人呆着吧！”当斯克罗吉看到鬼火高高地明晃晃地照着时，他突然夺下灭火器，重重地放在了幽灵的头上。但尽管它盖住了鬼魂的头和身体，斯克罗吉还是盖不住它身上的光，那光依旧从下面强烈地放射出来。

现在斯克罗吉发现他又回到了自己的卧室。感觉非常疲劳，他爬上床立刻就进入了沉睡的梦乡。

3 The second of the three spirits

When Scrooge woke up，he realized immediately that the church clock was just going to strike one．He felt sure that the second spirit would Soon visit him．This time he wanted to be ready，so he pulled back all the curtains round his bed himself，and lay there，waiting．At one o'clock，instead of a spirit，a strong light shone down on Scrooge's bed．He felt very frightened．After a few minutes he thought that perhaps the light was coming from the next room，so he got up and went to the door．When he touched it，a strange voice called his name，and asked him to enter．He obeyed．

Although he recognized it as his own room，it looked very different now．The walls were covered with bright green leaves，and there was a good fire burning in the fireplace．On the floor were big plies of the best Christmas food—wonderful rich dark cakes，warm soft bread，colourful apples and oranges，plates of yellow butter，cooked chickens，boxes of chocolates and sugared sweets．Sitting beside all this was a large，smiling spirit，who called out cheerfully to Scrooge， ‘Come in！Chme in，man！I am the ghost of Christmas Present！Look at me！’

Since the first ghost's visit，Scrooge was no longer very sure of himself．So although the spirit's eyes were clear and kind，Scrooge was afraid to look straight into its face．But he could see that its body was dressed in a long green robe，its long brown hair fell freely down its back，and its face wore a warm and friendly smile．Light shone from the torch which it was holding in its strong right hand．

‘Spirit，’said Scrooge quietly，‘take me where you want．Last night I learned a lesson which is working now．If you have anything to teach me tonight，let me learn from you．’

‘Touch my robe！’said the spirit，and Scrooge obeyed．

The food，the room，the fire all disappeared，and they were standing outside in the cold，snowy streets on Christmas morning．Althought the sky was grey and the streets were dirty，the people looked surprisingly cheerful，as they hurried to the bakers'shops with their Christmas dinners，all ready for cooking．The spirit seemed specially interested in poor people．He stood with Scrooge in a baker's doorway and held his torch over the dinners as they were carried past him．Sometimes，when he saw people pushing each other or getting angry，he lifted his torch over their heads，and immediately they became kinder，or stopped arguing，‘because it's Christmas，’they told each other．

‘What does your torch do，spirit？’asked Scrooge．

‘It gives a special taste to people's dinners on this day，’answered the spirit．

‘Why do you use it most on poor people？’said Scrooge．

‘Because poor people need it most，’was the reply．

They went on through London，and came to the small house where Scrooge's clerk lived．Here the spirit smiled，and held his torch high over the door．Inside，Bob Cratchit's wife and second daughter，Belinda，in their everyday dresses，but looking clean and pretty，were putting plates on the table for their Christmas dinner．Bob's son Peter was helping to cook the potatoes，and two smaller Cratchits，a boy and a girl，were running round excitedly．Just then the eldest daughter，Martha，arrived home from work．

‘Here's Martha，mother！’cried the two young Cratchits happily．‘We're having a really big chicken for dinner， Martha！’In fact it was only a small chicken，but it seemed large to the excited children．

‘My dear，how late you are！’said Mrs Cratchit，kissing her daughter several times．

‘We were so busy yesterday，mother！’replied the girl．‘That's why we didn't finish until this morning！’

‘Well！Never mind，now that you're here．God bless you！ Sit down by the fire，my dear！’

‘No，no！Father's coming！’ried the two young Cratchits．‘Hide，Martha，hide！’

So Martha hid herself，and in came Bob in his thin coat and long white scarf，with his son Tiny Tim in his arms．Poor Tiny Tim！He had not walked since he was born，and although he could pull himself and his thin little legs along with the help of a wooden crutch，he was not strong enough to travel far alone．

‘Why，where's Martha？’cried Bob，looking round．

‘Not coming，’said Mrs Cratchit．

‘Not coming！’repeated Bob，his cheerful smile disappearing．‘Not coming on Christmas Day！’

But Martha didn't like to worry her father for a minute，so she ran out from behind the door and kissed him， while the two young Cratchits showed Tiny Tim the chicken，now ready to eat．

Scrooge and the spirit watched as the family sat down to eat．It was a poor enough meal，but to them it seemed wonderful，and they ate every bit of it．

‘It's the best chicken I've ever tasted，’said Bob， smiling round at his family， who， with their mouths full，all agreed．

And then，the most exciting moment of the day！Belinda put a clean plate in front of each person， and they all turned to look at Mrs Cratchit as she came in from the kitchen．Her face was hot from her morning's work， but she was smiling happily as she carried in-the Christmas pudding， in its little circle of blue fire！

Oh，it was a wonderful pudding！They were all delighted with it．

‘It's your greatest success in all the years that we've been married，my dear！’said Bob．

‘Well，I did wonder how much fruit to put in it，’said his wife，‘but， yes， it's a good one！’And she laughed just like a young girl．

Nobody said that it was a very small pudding for a large family．Nobody even thought it．No Cratchit ever said or thought things like that．

At last，when they had finished their meal，the children cleared the table and washed the plates．Then they all sat round the fire， eating apples and oranges．There was a large bowl of fruit and sugar and hot water and something a little stronger，but only three people could drink at the same time， because the family only owned two glasses and a cup．But this did not worry the Cratchits at all．Now Bob lifted his glass and said，‘A merry Christmas to us all， my dears！ God bless us！’

The family repeated his wish，and Tiny Tim said，last of all，‘God bless us every one！’He sat very close to his father， on a small chair．Bob held his son's thin little hand in this own．The boy had a special place in his father's heart．

‘Spirit，’said Scrooge，with an interest that he had never felt before，‘ tell me if Tiny Tim will live．’

‘In the future I see an empty chair by the fire， with a crutch beside it．If these shadows do not change， the child will die．’

‘No，no！’said Scrooge．‘Oh no，kind spirit！Say that he will live！’

‘If his life does not change soon， he will die before next Christmas．What does that matter？There are too many people in the world，so it's a good thing if some of them die．’

Scrooge was ashamed and sad to hear his own words spoken by the spirit．But he lifted his head when he heard his name．

‘Mr Scrooge！’said Bob．‘Let's drink to Mr Scrooge， whose money has paid for this meal！’

‘His money！’said Mrs Cratchit angrily．‘What can we buy with his fifteen shillings a week？ Why should we drink to the health of a hateful，hard，unfeeling，mean old man like Scrooge？’

‘My dear，’said Bob gently，‘remember it's Christmas．’

‘Well，Bob， I'll drink to his health only because of you and because it's Christmas．Long life to Mr Scrooge！A merry Christmas and a happy new year to him！ He'll be very merry and very happy，I'm sure！’

When the children heard Scrooge's name，a dark shadow came over their happiness for a while，and they were quiet and a little sad．But five minutes later they were talking，and laughing，and telling stories，ten times merrier than before．They were not a good-looking or a well-dressed family， but they were happy and grateful and loved each other．As they disappeared in the light of the spirit's torch，Scrooge could not take his eyes off them， especially Tiny Tim．

By this time it was getting dark，and snowing heavily．The spirit took Scrooge into many houses，where fires were burning cheerfully，and food was cooking，and people were merrily welcoming their friends and families into their homes．The ghost was delighted to see all this excitement，and made sure that he lifted his torch over every poor family，to give them more fun，and better food，and greater happiness．

Then the spirit took Scrooge away from the busy capital，to a wild，lonely place in the country，where no trees grew．Here they visited a small stone house， a long way from any town or village， where an old man and woman were singing Christmas carols，with their children and grandchildren．The spirit did not stay long here， but told Scrooge to hold his robe again．

‘Where are we going？ Not up in the air， surely！’And Scrooge，terribly frightened，looked down as they flew over the land and then over the sea．It was stormy， windy weather， and the waves crashed violently underneath them．

The spirit took Scrooge to a lighthouse built on a lonely rock， several miles from land．A light was kept burning at the top， in order to warn sailors to keep away from the dangerous rocks．Two men lived here in this cold， unfriendly place， far away from their families，but the spirit smiled to see them shake hands，wish each other a merry Christmas，and sing a carol together in front of their fire．

Again the spirit and Scrooge flew on，and together they landed on a ship in the middle of the sea．Here every man， although many miles from home，had a kind word for his friend， or thought warmly of his family，because it was Christmas．

It was a great surprise to Scrooge，while listening to the noise of the wind and waves，to hear a happy laugh．He recognized it as his nephew's，and found himself，with the smiling spirit beside him，in his nephew's bright，warm sitting-room．

When Scrooge's nephew laughed，everybody who was with him wanted to laugh too．He had that kind of laugh．And at the moment， his very pretty wife and several of his friends were laughing with him．

‘He said that Christmas was humbug！Ha ha ha！’cried Scrooge's nephew．

‘That's very bad of him，Fred！’said his wife．

‘He's a strange old man，’said Scrooge's nephew，‘but I'm sorry for him．His money is no use to him，you see．He isn't at all happy or comfortable，although he's rich．It's sad to think of him sitting alone in his cold room．And so I'm going to invite him every Christmas．He can be cross and miserable if be likes，but I'll go on inviting him and one day perhaps he'll think better of Christmas！’

After tea，the cheerful little group sang songs，and played music．Scrooge recognized the song that his little sister used to sing， and remembered sadly what the ghost of Christmas Past had shown him．Later the friends played guessing games，and Scrooge joined in the games with delight．Nobody except the spirit could hear him，but he often guessed the right answer．

‘It's time to go now，’said the ghost，smiling at the old man's childish excitement．

‘No，spirit，please，let me stay a little longer．Look， they're playing a new game！’

It was a game called Yes and No，in which Scrooge's nephew had to think of something，and the others had to ask questions to discover what it was．The only possible answers were Yes or No．Scrooge heard that Fred was thinking of a living animal，a wild animal，sometimes an angry animal， which lived in London and walked in the streets．Every time he answered a question，Fred could not stop himself laughing．At last，his wife's dark， pretty sister started laughing too．

‘I know what it is，Fred！I know！’she cried out．‘It's your uncle Scro-o-o-o-oge！’

Everyone laughed until they cried．What a wonderful game！ What a clever idea of Fred's！But at last Fred dried his eyes， and said，‘We've been very merry because of him， so I think we should drink to his health．Here's to Uncle Scrooge！A merry Christmas and a happy new year to the old man！Uncle Scrooge！’

‘To Uncle Scrooge！’they all cried，cheerfully lifting their glasses．

Uncle Scrooge wanted to thank them，but the spirit hurried him away．The ghost seemed much older now： his brown hair had become grey．

‘Are spirits' lives so short？’asked Scrooge．

‘My life in this world ends at midnight tonight．Listen！It's a quarter to midnight now！’

The church clock was striking the three quarters．

‘Excuse me for asking，spirit，’said Scrooge，‘but what are those strange things near your foot？’

‘Oh man， look here！’said the spirit sadly，and brought out from under his robe two ghostly figures， a boy and a girl．They were thin and poorly dressed， with cold， mean eyes and dry，yellow skin， and their faces showed only a frightening and murderous hate．Scrooge had never seen anything so terrible or so sad．

‘These miserable children are Man's，’said the spirit．‘The boy is Crime．The girl is Need．They will destroy Man if nothing is done about them．’

‘Can't anyone help them？’cried Scrooge．

‘Are there no prisons？’said the spirit，turning on Scrooge for the last time with his own words．‘Are there on workhouses？’

The clock struck twelve．Scrooge looked，but could no longer see the ghost or the children．He was alone again．

3．三幽灵中的第二位

当斯克罗吉醒来的时候，他立刻发现教堂的钟就要敲响1点钟了。他肯定第二个幽灵不久就要来看望他了。这次他想做好准备，所以他自己把他床周围的帘子都拉开了，躺在那儿等着。1点钟时，幽灵没有来，但一束强光从上面照在了斯克罗吉的床上。他害怕极了。几分钟之后，他以为光是从隔壁的房间照过来的，所以他起身下床来到了门口。当他的手摸到门时，一个奇怪的声音叫他的名字并让他进去，他听从了。

尽管他认出这是他自己的房间，但它现在看上去已完全不同。墙壁被鲜亮的绿叶所覆盖，壁炉里燃烧着熊熊的火焰。地板上摆着大堆的上好的圣诞食品——味道浓郁的巧克力蛋糕、热乎乎松软的面包、五颜六色的苹果和桔子、一盘盘的黄油、炖好的鸡、一盒盒的巧克力和糖果。坐在这些东西旁边的是一个身材高大、面带笑容的幽灵，它高兴地对斯克罗吉高声喊，“请进！请进，伙计！我是今日圣诞鬼魂！看着我！”

自从第一个鬼魂的来访，斯克罗吉对自己就没了把握。所以尽管幽灵的眼睛明亮且充满善意，但斯克罗吉还是不敢正视它的脸，但他能看见幽灵身穿一件绿色长袍，它长长的棕色头发随意地散落在背上，它面带热情友好的笑容。光是从他强有力的右手握着的火把里发出的。

“幽灵，”斯克罗吉轻柔地说，“你想带我去哪儿就去哪儿。昨天晚上我接受了教训，而且这教训现在正在生效。如果今晚你也有什么让我借鉴的话，请让我向你领教。”

“拽着我的长袍！”幽灵说，斯克罗吉从命了。

食品、房间、炉火都消失了。是圣诞早晨，他们正站在冰天雪地的户外。虽然天空灰蒙蒙的，街上也很脏，但当人们拿着他们的圣诞晚餐匆匆赶往面包房准备烤制的时候，他们看上去都出奇的欢喜。幽灵似乎对穷人特别感兴趣。它和斯克罗吉一同站在面包房的门口，当晚餐从它面前经过时它把火把照在上面。有时当他看见人们相互拥挤或发脾气时，他把火把举在他们的头上，他们立刻就会变得温顺或停止争吵，“因为今天是圣诞节，”他们彼此告诫着。

“你的火把是作什么用的，幽灵？”斯克罗吉问。

“它能给人们今天的晚餐带来特殊的味道，”幽灵回答说。

“你为什么大多把它用在穷人身上？”斯克罗吉问。

“因为穷人最需要它，”幽灵回答说。

他们继续前行，穿过伦敦，来到了斯克罗吉雇员居住的狭小住处。在这儿幽灵笑了，把他的火把高高地举过房门。屋里，鲍勃·克拉奇蒂的妻子和二女儿贝琳达身穿她们平日的服装，但看起来干净漂亮，她们正往桌子上摆圣诞晚餐用的盘子。鲍勃的儿子彼得正帮着烧土豆，两个再小点的克拉奇蒂，一男一女，正高兴地来回跑着。这时大女儿玛莎下班回来了。

“玛莎回来了，妈妈！”两个小克拉奇蒂高兴地喊着。“晚饭我们能吃到一只真的很大的鸡了，玛莎！”实际上它不过是一只很小的鸡，但对这些兴奋的孩子们来说它似乎很大。

“我亲爱的，你这么晚才回来！”克拉奇蒂太太边说边吻了女儿好几下。

“我们昨天非常忙，妈妈！”女孩回答说。“所以我们直到今天早晨都没有干完！”

“哎！既然你回来了就没关系了。愿上帝保佑你！亲爱的，来坐到火边来！”

“不，不！爸爸回来了！”两个小克拉奇蒂嚷道。“藏起来，玛莎，藏起来！”

所以玛莎藏了起来，鲍勃身穿他的薄大衣戴着白色的长围巾走了进来，怀里抱着小蒂姆。可怜的小蒂姆啊！自从他降生就没行走过。尽管他借助于一个木拐杖能够拖着身躯和他那瘦骨嶙峋的腿往前走，但他毕竟太弱了，一个人走不了多远。

“怎么了，玛莎呢？”鲍勃高声喊道，并朝四周看了看。

“还没回来呢？”克拉奇蒂太太说。

“还没回来！”鲍勃重复了一遍，他欢快的笑容不见了。“圣诞节了，还没回来！”

但是玛莎不想让父亲为她多担心一分钟，所以她从门后跑出来，吻了父亲，这时两个小克拉奇蒂在给小蒂姆看那只已经烧熟了的鸡。

当全家人坐好准备吃饭时斯克罗吉和幽灵看着。这是一顿粗茶淡饭，但对他们来说它似乎是很丰盛的，他们把它吃了个精光。

“这是我曾经吃到过的最好吃的鸡。”鲍勃说，并对全家人都笑了笑，每个人的嘴里都塞满了吃的，他们都表示同意。

接着是这一天最激动人心的时刻！贝琳达在每个人面前放了一个干净盘子，当克拉奇蒂太太从厨房出来时，大家都转过身看着她。由于从一大早就开始忙，她的脸发热，但当她把带着蓝火圈的圣诞布丁拿进来时，她幸福地笑了。

噢，多好的布丁啊！他们看到它都很高兴。

“亲爱的，这是我们结婚这么多年来你做的最成功的一件事！”鲍勃说。

“哎，我的确不知道里面该放多少水果，”他妻子说，“不过，是的，它很不错！”她像一个小姑娘似地乐了。

没有人说这布丁太小，尤其对这么个大家庭来说。没有人这么想过。

最后，当他们吃完饭后，孩子们收拾好桌子并把碗洗干净了，他们团团围坐在炉火旁吃着苹果和桔子。有一大碗水果、糖、热水和略含酒精的东西，但只有三个人可以同时喝，因为他们家只有两个玻璃杯和一个茶杯，但克拉奇蒂一家并没因此而犯愁。鲍勃现在举起杯子说，“祝我们大家圣诞快乐，亲爱的！上帝保佑我们！”

全家人重复着他的祝愿，最后，小蒂姆说，“愿上帝保佑我们每一个人！”他紧靠着爸爸坐在一把小椅子上。鲍勃手握着他儿子瘦小的手，这个男孩在他父亲的心目中占据着特殊的位置。

“幽灵，”斯克罗吉以他以前从未有过的热情问，“告诉我小蒂姆是否能活下去。”

“将来我会看到火旁边有一把空椅子，边上有一根拐杖。如果这些影子不变的话，他就会死去。”

“不，不！”斯克罗吉说。“噢，善良的幽灵！说他会活下去的。”

“如果他的生活近期内不能改变的话，他在明年的圣诞前就会死去。这又有什么关系呢？世界上的人太多了，所以若有一部分死了的话，岂不是件好事吗？”

斯克罗吉听到幽灵重复着他曾说过的话感到羞愧悲伤。但听见自己名字的时候，他抬起了头。

“斯克罗吉先生！”鲍勃说，“让我们为斯克罗吉先生干杯，是他付的钱使我们才能吃上今天的这顿饭。”

“他的钱？”克拉奇蒂太太生气地说。“他一星期给的15先令够我们买什么的？ 我们干嘛要祝一个像斯克罗吉那样可恨、刻薄、没有感情、吝啬的老头健康？”

“我亲爱的，”鲍勃温柔地说，“记住今天是圣诞节。”

“好吧，鲍勃，我祝他健康只是看在你的面子上，况且今天还是圣诞节。祝斯克罗吉先生长寿。祝他圣诞、新年快乐！我肯定他会很快乐和幸福的！”

当孩子们听到斯克罗吉的名字时，不悦笼罩了他们原本高兴的笑脸，他们都不出声了，并且有些沮丧。但10分钟后他们又开始有说有笑，讲故事，比先前要高兴十倍。他们一家人长相平平，穿着一般，但他们幸福，对彼此充满感激之情并且互爱。当他们在幽灵的火把的光下消失的时候，斯克罗吉的目光无法从他们的身上移开，尤其是小蒂姆。

这时天渐渐黑了，雪下得很大。幽灵带着斯克罗吉去了很多家，每家都燃烧着欢乐的火焰，烧着吃的，人们都兴高采烈地欢迎着他们的朋友和家人的到来。鬼魂看见这兴奋的场面很是高兴，凡是在穷人家它都把火把高高举起，目的是给他们带来更多的欢乐、更好的食品和更多的幸福。

然后幽灵带着斯克罗吉离开了繁忙的都市，来到了乡下一个荒凉、偏僻的地方，这里连一棵树都不长。在这里他们去了一所石头房子，它离所有的小镇和村庄都很远。房子里一个老头和一个老太太同他们的孩子们一起正唱着圣诞颂歌。幽灵没有在这久留，它让斯克罗吉再一次地抓住它的袍子。

“我们要去哪儿？当然不会是去天上吧！”斯克罗吉吓得要命，当他们飞过田野然后又飞过海洋的时候，他朝下看着。风雨交加，海浪在他们下面咆哮。幽灵带着斯克罗吉来到了一座建在一块孤零零的礁石上的灯塔上，礁石距陆地有数英里之遥。灯塔顶上有一盏灯一直亮着，为的是提醒水手们远离那些危险的岩石。在这个冰冷荒凉的地方住着两个男人，他们远离自己的家人，但当幽灵看见他们握手，彼此祝福圣诞快乐并一起在炉火前唱着颂歌时，它笑了。

幽灵和斯克罗吉继续向前飞，他们又都同时落在了大海中央的一条船上。在这儿，虽然离家甚远，但每个人都向朋友说了一句祝福的话，或者向自己的家人给以温馨的祝福，因为今天是圣诞节。

当斯克罗吉正听着风的吼叫和浪涛的汹涌时，他很吃惊地听到了笑声。他听出这是他外甥的笑声，他发现他和面带微笑的幽灵一起来到了他外甥明亮温暖的起居室。

斯克罗吉的外甥笑着，和他在一起的人也都想笑，他的笑就具备这样的感染力。此刻，他漂亮的妻子和他的几个朋友和他一起在笑。

“他说圣诞节是骗人的！哈哈哈！”斯克罗吉的外甥大声说。

“他真是太坏了，弗雷德！”他妻子说。

“他是一个怪老头，”斯克罗吉的外甥说，“但我很是为他感到难过。你知道，他的钱没有给他带来什么，他既不幸福也不舒服，虽然他有钱。想到他独自一人坐在他那冷飕飕的屋子里我心里就不是滋味，所以每个圣诞节我都将去邀请他。他爱发脾气，那就发好了，但我会继续邀请他，也许终究有一天他对圣诞节的感觉会好起来的。”

下午茶后，这几个欢快的人唱歌并演奏音乐。斯克罗吉听出了他小妹妹过去常唱的那支歌，记起了“昔日圣诞”幽灵给他看过的东西。后来朋友们进行了猜谜游戏，斯克罗吉高兴地同他们一起猜。只有幽灵能听见他说什么，但他请的答案大都正确。

“现在该走了，”鬼魂说，这个老头孩子般的兴奋劲儿使他觉得好笑。

“不，幽灵，请让我再多呆一小会儿。看，他们又要做一个新游戏！”

这个游戏的名字叫‘是与否’，在这个游戏中斯克罗吉的外甥要想点什么事情，其余的人便可以问问题以便知道他想的是什么。唯一可能的答案就是‘是和否’。斯克罗吉听见弗雷德在想一只活着的动物，一只野兽，有时是一只暴怒的动物，它生活在伦敦，走在大街上。他每回答一个问题，弗雷德就情不自禁地大笑。最后他那长得黑黑的漂亮妻妹也开始笑了起来。

“弗雷德，我知道它是什么！我知道！”她大声喊道。“它是你舅舅斯克罗——吉！”

大家都笑得流出了眼泪。多么精彩的游戏啊！弗雷德的主意多妙啊！但最后弗雷德擦干了眼睛说道，“我们刚才很快活是因为他，所以我想我们应该为他的健康干杯。这一杯是祝斯克罗吉舅舅的！祝他老人家圣诞快乐、新年幸福！斯克罗吉舅舅！”

“祝福斯克罗吉舅舅！”他们异口同声地喊道，高兴地举起了洒杯。

斯克罗吉舅舅想感谢他们，但幽灵催他立刻离开。鬼魂现在看上去老了许多：它棕色的头发变成了灰白色。

“幽灵的生命如此短暂吗？”斯克罗吉问。

“我的生命在今天午夜时结束。听着，现在离午夜只差一刻钟了！”

教堂的钟正在敲响三刻的时晨。

“幽灵，请问，”斯克罗吉说，“你脚边是什么东西？”

“噢！伙计，看这个！”幽灵悲伤地说，并从他的长袍下掏出两个鬼魂似的塑像，一个男孩一个女孩。他们骨瘦如柴，破衣烂衫，目光冷漠犀利，皮肤干燥发黄，他们的脸上充满了可怕的、凶狠的仇恨表情。斯克罗吉从未见到过如此可怕、糟糕的场面。

“这些悲惨的孩子属于人类，”幽灵说。“男孩叫‘罪恶’，女孩叫‘需要’。如果不为他们做点什么的话，他们将毁掉人类。”

“难道就没有人能帮助他们吗？”斯克罗吉高声问道。

“难道没有看守所吗？”幽灵说着斯克罗吉自己曾说过的话，并最后一次把脸转向他。“难道没有济贫院吗？”

钟敲响了12点。斯克罗吉看着，但他再也看不到幽灵和孩子们了。又剩下他一人了。

4 The last of the spirits

‘The third spirit will come at midnight．’scrooge suddenly remembered the words of Jacob Marley's ghost，and，lifting his eyes，saw a spirit，all in black，coming slowly towards him．It was a tall，silent figure，wearing a long black robe which hid its head and body．When it came close to him，it stopped and pointed onwards with one hand．Scrooge was more afraid of this spirit than he had been of the others，and his voice was shaking as he asked，‘Are you the spirit of Christmas Yet to Come？’the ghost neither spoke nor moved，but still pointed onwards．

‘Are you going to show me shadows of the things which haven't happened yet， but will happen in the future？’scrooge asked．

There was no answer．

‘Ghost of the future！’he continued．‘You frighten me very much，but I think you can help me to change my life．I'll be very grateful to you if you show me the future．Won't you speak to me？’

Again，no reply．

‘Well，show me the way，spirit！’said Scrooge finally．‘The night is passing，and time is valuable to me，I know．’

The ghost moved away，with Scrooge following in its shadow．Suddenly they were in the heart of the capital，among the businessmen and moneylenders．The ghost pointed to one small group of men，so Scrooge went closer to listen to their conversation．

‘No，I don't know much about it，’said one fat man．‘I only know he's dead．’

‘When did he die？’asked another man．

‘Last night，I think．’

‘Why，what was the matter with him？’asked a third．

‘I've no idea，’replied the fat man，looking bored．‘who cares？’

‘What's he done with his money？’asked a red-faced gentleman．

‘I haven't heard，’said the fat man．‘He hasn't left it to me， that's all I know．’

They all laughed at this．Scrooge knew the men， and looked towards the spirit， hoping it would explain what the conversation meant．But the ghost moved on，pointing at two more men．Scrooge listened again．He knew these men well．They were rich and important， and he had often done business with them．

‘How are you？’said one．

‘How are you？’replied the other．

‘Well！’said the first．‘The old man has died at last，has he？’

‘So they tell me，’replied the second．‘Cold，isn't it？’

‘Nice and frosty for Christmas．Good morning！’

Not another word．That was the end of their meeting．

Scrooge wondered why the spirit wanted him to hear these conversations．What could they mean？The dead man could not be his partner Jacob，because he was already dead．

Scrooge watched carefully，trying to understand．He looked round for his own shadow，but could not see himself anywhere．‘Perhaps that's not surprising，’he thought，‘because if I change my life，and I'm planning to do that，I won't be the same person in the future！’Just then he noticed the spirit，standing quiet and dark beside him， with its pointing hand．He felt the unseen eyes staring fixedly at him behind the black robe Scrooge's body shook，and he felt cold．

They left the busy offices and banks，and went to another part of the capital，where Scrooge had never been before．The streets were narrow and dirty，the houses miserably poor，the people unwashed and half-dressed．Down one street there was a small shop， where an old man was sitting waiting for customers．His business was buying old furniture or clothes，and selling them again，to the poorest people in London．As Scrooge and the spirit watched，three women arrived at the shop door at the same time， each carrying a large bundle．They looked very surprised and a little ashamed to see each other．Suddenly they all started laughing．

‘Ladies，you couldn't find a better place to meet，’said Joe， the old man，getting up．‘Now come inside，and show me what you've got to sell．’

Inside，the first woman put her bundle on the table and said，‘I don't care if everybody knows where this comes from！ We all have to take care of ourselves！ He always did！’

‘That's right，’agreed the second woman．

‘Very true，’agreed the third．

‘Does a dead man need these things？’continued the first woman．‘And why was he so mean while he was alive？’We all worked for him，didn't we？ Cleaned his house，washed his clothes，cooked his soup？ And what did we get？Three shillings a week！It's no surprise that he died alone， with no friends around him！’

‘You never spoke a truer word，’said the second．

‘He was a bad man，we all know that，’said the third．

‘Now what have we here？’said old Joe，opening the women's bundles．‘Buttons，pencils，boots，silver spoons，some excellent bed-curtains，blankets and—a very good shirt，’he added，feeling the fine cotton．

‘Yes，it was his best，’said the first woman．‘They put it on him after he died．But he doesn't need it now that he's dead！And the blankets and bed-curtains！He doesn't need them either！

‘You took the shirt off a dead body，and the blankets and curtains off his bed，while he was lying there！Well，well！’said Joe，shaking his head．‘Here's your money．’And he counted out several shillings into the women's hands．

‘Ha ha ha！’laughed the first woman．‘He frightened everyone away when he was alive，and we've made money out of him now that he's dead！ Ha ha ha！’

Scrooge felt sick and angry at the same time．‘Spirit，’he said，‘I see now．I could be that unhappy man．Good Heavens， what's this？’

Joe and the women had disappeared，and Scrooge was standing in a dark room．Opposite him was a bed， with no blankets or curtains．A light shone down from above，on to the body of a dead man，covered with a sheet．

‘How sad，’thought Scrooge，‘to die with no friends or family around him！ To lie in an empty room，with no candles or flowers，and robbed of his clothes！To know that nobody loves him， because he loved nobody in his life！Money can't buy a happy life，or a peaceful death！’He looked at the spirit， whose hand was pointing at the man's covered head．It would be easy to lift the sheet，and see who the man was．But for some reason Scrooge could not do it．

‘Spirit，’he said，‘this is a terrible place．Let's go！’

Still the ghost's unmoving finger pointed at the man's head．

‘I understand you，but I can't look at him，spirit，I can't！’said Scrooge wildly．‘If there's anyone in this town who feels anything at this man's death， show that person to me， spirit， please！’

For a moment the spirit lifted its dark robe like a wing，and showed Scrooge a room， where a mother and her children were sitting．The young woman kept looking at the clock，and when her husband arrived， she hurried to meet him．

‘What—what is the news？’she asked him worriedly．‘Is it good！…or… or bad？’

‘There is still hope，Caroline，’he replied．

‘How can there be hope？If that hard，mean old man wants us to pay back the money now，they'll send us to prison！We haven't got enough to pay him！’

‘He is dead，Caroline，’answered her husband．

‘Thank God for that！’cried the young woman from her heart．The next moment she realized what she had said．‘Oh， I didn't mean that．I'm sorry if anyone dies．’

‘Perhaps the person who inherits his business will give us more time to pay the money back．And we'll have the money by then．Tonight we can sleep well，Caroline！’

‘So，spirit，’said Scrooge in a broken voice，‘you can show me only happiness at this man's death．It frightens me，spirit．Show me，please，that there can be sadness at a death．’

The ghost took him silently through the streets，to poor Bob Cratchit's house．The room seemed strangely quiet．The mother and her daughters were making a small white cotton shirt together，while the usually noisy young Cratchits sat silently in a corner，and Peter was reading a book．Mrs Cratchit put her work down on the table，and covered her face with her hand．

‘The colour hurts my eyes，’she said．The colour？Ah，poor Tiny Tim！

They're a little better now，’she went on．‘It's difficult to work by candlelight．And I don't want to show red eyes to your father when he comes home．’

‘He's a bit late，’said Peter，‘but I think he's walked more slowly these last few days，mother．’

They were very quiet again．At last she said bravely，‘I've known him walk with—with Tiny Tim in his arms，very fast indeed．’

‘So have I，’cried Peter．‘Often！’

‘But he was very light to carry，and your father loved him so much！And there's your father at the door now！’she got up quickly to kiss Bob as he came in．He looked tired and thin， and needed his long scarf，poor man！Martha took his boots and scarf off，and Belinda brought him his tea，and the little Cratchits sat close to him．He was very cheerful with all of them，and was pleased with the little shirt that his wife and daughters were making．

‘It'll be ready long before Sunday，won't it？’he said．

‘Sunday！You went there today，then，Bob？’asked his wife．

‘Yes，my dear．You'd love to see it．It's a beautiful green place．But you'll see it often．I promised him that we would go there every Sunday．My little，little child！’cried Bob，hiding his face in his hands．He had loved the boy very much．

He went upstairs to the quiet bedroom，where the chlid lay．Poor Bob sat down beside him， and when he felt calmer， he kissed the little face，and went downstairs again，almost happy．

‘My dears，’he said to his children，‘one of these days some of you will marry and leave home．In a few year's time perhaps all of you will．But I'm sure none of us will ever forget Tiny Tim，will we？’

‘Never，father！’they all cried．

‘And I know，’said Bob，‘that when we remember how patient and gentle he was，although he was only a little child，we won't argue among ourselves．We'll remember poor Tiny Tim， and love each other！’

‘We will， father！’they all cried again．

‘I am very happy， said Bob．‘I am very happy！’mrs Cratchit kissed him，his daughters kissed him，the two young Cratchits kissed him， and he and Peter shook hands．Tiny Tim，your goodness lives on in your family！

‘Spirit，’said Scrooge，‘I know that you will leave me soon．Tell me who that dead man on the bed was！’

No answer came in words， but the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come took Scrooge through the streets of London again．

‘Wait a moment，’said Scrooge．‘We're passing my office．Let me see how I shall look in the future！’

The spirit stopped．Its hand was pointing away from the office．But Scrooge hurried up to the window and looked in．It was an office still， but not his．The furniture was not the same，and the figure in the chair was not himself．The ghost continued to point onwards，and Scrooge followed．They reached a church， and entered the churchyard．Here， among the untidy graves and the uncut grass，lay the miserable man whose name Scrooge would soon learn．It was a lonely place， most suitable for a man so unloved．

The spirit stood and pointed down at one of the graves．

Scrooge was strangely afraid．

‘Before I look more closely at that gravestone，’he said， ‘answer me one question．Are these the shadows of the things that will be，or are they only shadows of the things that may be？’

Without replying， the ghost pointed silently down at the grave．Scrooge moved slowly towards it，and following the finger，read on the stone his own name， EBENEZER SCROOGE．

‘Am I that man who was lying on the bed？’he cried．

The spirit pointed from the grave to him，and back again．

‘No，spirit！ Oh， no，no！’

The finger was still there．

Scrooge fell to the ground in front of the ghost，holding its long dark robe．‘Spirit！Listen！I am a changed man ！I have learnt my lesson from you spirits！Why show me this terrible end，if there is no hope for me！’

For the first time the hand appeared to shake．

‘Good spirit，tell me that my future will change，if I change my life now！’

The kind hand shook again．

‘I will remember the past，and think of the future．I will be good to other people．I will keep Christmas in my heart，and will try to be kind，ad cheerful，and merry，every day．Oh，tell me I can clean away the writing on this stone！’

Wildly，he caught the ghostly hand and held it for a moment．But the spirit was stronger than him， and pulled its hand away．Just then Scrooge noticed that something strange was happening to the spirit．It was getting smaller and smaller， and suddenly it became—a bedpost．

4．最后一位幽灵

“第三位幽灵将在午夜的时候到来。”斯克罗吉突然记起雅各布·马利幽灵的话，他抬起眼睛，看见了一个幽灵，身着黑衣服，慢慢地朝他走来。它个头很高，一声不响，一件长长的黑袍蒙住了他的头和身体。当它走近的时候，它停住了，并用一只手朝前指着。斯克罗吉对这个幽灵的恐惧胜过前面所有的，他用颤抖的声音问道，“你是来日的圣诞幽灵吗？”幽灵既不讲话也不走开，但还是朝前指着。

“你是不是要给我看那些尚未发生的但将来会发生的事情的幻影？”斯克罗吉问。

仍然没有应答。

“未来的鬼魂！”他继续说。“你把我吓坏了，但我想你能帮我改变我的生活。如果你能为我指明未来的话，我会很感激你的。你难道不跟我讲话吗？”

还是没有回答。

“那好吧，幽灵，就给我指出我的出路吧。”斯克罗吉最后说。“夜晚马上就要结束，时间对我来说很珍贵，我知道。”

鬼魂走开了，斯克罗吉跟着它的影子。突然他们来到了市中心，周围都是商人和放债人。鬼魂指了指一小群人，斯克罗吉便走上前听着他们的谈话。

“不，这件事我知道的不多。”一个胖子说。“我只知道他死了。”

“他什么时候死的？”另一个人问。

“昨天晚上，我想。”

“怎么了，他出了什么事？”第三个人问道。

“我不知道，”胖子回答说，看上去很不耐烦。“管他呢？”

“他的钱怎么处理了？”一位红脸先生问。

“我没听说，”胖子说，“我只知道他没把钱留给我。”

听了这话他们都笑了。斯克罗吉认识这些人，他看着幽灵，希望它能解释解释他们的谈话是什么意思。但鬼魂继续朝前走，又指着另外两个人。斯克罗吉又听了他们在说什么。他很熟悉这些人。他们有钱又都是要人，他经常和他们做生意。

“你好？”一个人说。

“你好？”另一个回答道。

“哎！”第一个人说。“这老头儿终于死了，不是吗？”

“别人是这么告诉我的，”第二个人回答说。“好冷啊，不是吗？”

“对圣诞节来说很不错而且还有霜。早上好。”

再没有回答声，他们的会面到此结束。

斯克罗吉不知道为什么幽灵想让他听这些谈话。他们是什么意思呢？那个死人不可能是他的合伙人雅各布，因为他已经死了。斯克罗吉认真地看着试图搞个明白。他朝四周看了看找他自己的影子，但哪儿也找不到。“也许这不足为奇，”他想，“因为如果我改变我的生活，当然我正打算这样做，将来我就会成为另一个人了！”这时他看到了幽灵，静静地、幽暗地站在他身边，手指着什么地方。他感到那双他看不见的眼睛正从黑袍子后目不转睛地盯着他。斯克罗吉浑身颤抖，他觉得冷。

他们离开了繁忙的办公室和银行来到了都市的另一边，斯克罗吉以前从没有来过这里。街道又窄又脏，房子破烂不堪，人们连脸都没有洗而且衣不蔽体。往南过一条马路有一个小商店，里面坐着一个老头等待着顾客的光临。他的生意是收购旧家具和衣服然后再卖给伦敦最穷的人。当斯克罗吉和幽灵看着的时候，有三个妇女同时来到了商店门口，每个人都拿着一个大包袱。她们相见后感到很吃惊又有些难为情。突然她们开始大笑。

“女士们，这是你们会面的最好的地方，”老头乔说着，站了起来。“进来，给我看看你们要卖什么。”

在屋里第一个妇女把她的包袱放在桌子上说，“我不在乎是不是大家都知道这是从什么地方弄来的！我们都得关心我们自己！他总是这样做的！”

“你说得对。”第二个女人表示赞同。

“太正确了。”第三个也表示赞同。

“死人需要这些东西吗？”第一个女人继续说。“为什么他活着的时候那么吝啬？我们都给他干活儿，是不是？打扫他的房子，给他洗衣服、燉汤？我们又得到什么了呢？一周三个先令！他孤单单地死了，身边一个朋友也没有，这也就没什么可奇怪的了！”

“你从没有说过比这更千真万确的话。”第二个妇女说。

“他是一个坏蛋，这点我们都知道。”第三个妇女说。

“现在让我看看你们都拿来了些什么？”老乔说着打开了三位的包。“钮扣、铅笔、靴子、银匙、一些很不错的床罩、毯子还有——一件很好的衬衣，”他补充道，手摸着那质地精良的棉布。

“是的，这是他最好的衣服。”第一个女人说，“他死后他们给他穿上了，但既然他已经死了，所以他现在不需要它了！这些毯子和床罩！他也不需要它们了！”

“你从死尸上脱下了这件衬衣，从他一直睡觉的床上拿了这些毯子和床罩！哎，哎！”乔边说边摇头，“这是给你的钱。”他数出几个先令塞到这几个妇女的手中。

“哈哈哈！”第一个妇女笑了，“他活着的时候把大家都吓跑了，现在他死了我们还能从他身上挣到钱！哈哈哈！”

斯克罗吉既感到懊丧又感到气愤。“幽灵，”他说，“现在我明白了，那个不幸的人可能就是我。天哪，这是什么？”

乔和女人们消失了，斯克罗吉站在一间黑屋子里。他对面有一张床，上面没有毯子和床罩。一束光从上面照下来，照在死尸上，死尸用单子盖着。

斯克罗吉想，“死时身边没有朋友和家人，被剥光了衣服躺在空屋子里，没有蜡烛和鲜花，知道自己不被人爱是因为他在世时不曾爱过别人，这是多么悲哀的事情啊！金钱买不到幸福的生活和安宁的死亡。”他看着幽灵，手指着那个男人被盖住的脸。要想揭开单子看看那个男人是谁是件轻而易举的事，但由于某种原因斯克罗吉不能这样做。

“幽灵，”他说，“这个地方太可怕了。咱们走吧。”

鬼魂一动不动的指头依旧指着男人的头。

“我理解你，但我不能看他，幽灵，不能！”斯克罗吉发疯似地说。“如果这个镇上有谁对这个人的死有任何感触的话，请你带我去看他，幽灵。”

幽灵把黑袍子掀起了一会儿，像个翅膀，带斯克罗吉看了一个屋子，里面坐着一位母亲和她的孩子们。年轻的母亲一直看着钟表，当她的丈夫回来时，她赶快上前去迎他。

“有什么消息吗？”她焦虑地问，“是好消息还是坏消息？”

“还有希望，卡罗琳。”他回答说。

“怎么还有希望呢？如果那个刻薄吝啬的人想让我们现在立刻还钱的话，他们就会把我们送到拘留所！我们没有那么多钱还他。”

“他死了，卡罗琳。”她丈夫回答说。

“这得感谢上帝！”少妇发自内心地高声说。立刻她意识到她说的话不对。“噢，我不是这个意思，谁死了我都会难过的。”

“也许他生意的继承人会多给我们一些时间还钱的，到那时我们就能有这笔钱了。今天晚上我们能睡个好觉了，卡罗琳！”

“所以，幽灵，”斯克罗吉断断续续地说，“你只能让我看到这个人的死所带来的幸福。幽灵，这让我感到害怕，请让我看看死亡也能带来悲伤。”

鬼魂静静地带他穿过大街来到鲍勃·克拉奇蒂的房子。房子静得出奇，妈妈和女儿们正在一起缝制一件小白衬衫，而一向吵吵闹闹的小克拉奇蒂静静地坐在一个角落里，彼得正在看书。克拉奇蒂夫人把手头的活放在桌子上，用手捂住脸。

“这颜色刺得我的眼睛都疼了，”她说。这颜色？啊，可怜的小蒂姆！

“现在眼睛好点了，”她继续说。“在烛光下干活真费劲，我不想让你父亲回来时看到我的眼睛红红的。”

“他稍晚了点，”彼得说，“但我觉得最近这几天他走得更慢了，妈妈。”

他们又都沉默了，最后她勇敢地说，“我知道他是怀里抱着——抱着小蒂姆走路的，实际上很快。”

“我也知道，”彼得大声说。“经常是这样！”

“但他很轻，抱着方便，你爸爸很喜欢他！现在爸爸到门口了！”她立刻起身，当鲍勃进屋的时候她吻了他。他看上去疲惫消瘦，而且需要他的长围巾，好可怜的人啊！玛莎为他脱下靴子，摘下围巾，贝琳达给他端来茶，小克拉奇蒂们紧挨着他坐下。和他们在一起他开心极了，他妻子和女儿们缝制的小衬衫使他很高兴。

“星期日之前能做好，不是吗？”他问道。

“星期日！那么你今天去那儿了，鲍勃？”他妻子问。

“是的，亲爱的。你想看看它，那地方绿绿的，很漂亮，但你会经常看到它的。我答应他我们每个星期日都去那儿。我的小宝贝啊！”鲍勃哭了，双手捂住了脸。他过去一直深爱着这个男孩。

他上楼来到了那孩子躺着的静静的卧室。可怜的鲍勃坐在他身边，当孩子稍平静了些的时候，他吻了他的小脸蛋然后下了楼，这时他似乎高兴了。

“我亲爱的孩子们，”他对他们说，“总有一天你们中的一个孩子要结婚离开家，几年之内你们都会这样的，但我认为我们谁也不会忘记小蒂姆，是吗？”

“永远不会的，爸爸！”他们都哭了。

“我知道，”鲍勃说，“当我们记起他是何等的有耐心何等的彬彬有礼时，尽管他还是个小孩子，我们的看法还是一致的。我们将会记住小蒂姆，并互爱。”

“我们会的，爸爸！”他们又都哭了。

“我很高兴，”鲍勃说。“我很高兴！”克拉奇蒂太太吻了他，他的女儿们吻了他，两个小克拉奇蒂吻了他，他和彼得握了手。小蒂姆，你的美德会永驻于你的家庭中的！

“幽灵，”斯克罗吉说，“我知道一会儿你就要离开我了。告诉我床上的死人是谁！”

没有回答的声音，但“来日圣诞”鬼魂带着斯克罗吉再一次地穿越了伦敦的大街。

“等一会儿，”斯克罗吉说。“我们正在经过我的办公室，让我看看我将来是什么样子！”

幽灵停了下来。它的手并没有指着办公室但斯克罗吉匆忙走到窗前往里看了看，还是间办公室，但已不属于他了。家具变了，椅子里坐着的也不是他自己了。鬼魂继续朝前指，斯克罗吉跟着。他们来到一座教堂前，进了教堂的院落。在这里不整齐的坟墓和未修剪的杂草中躺着一个可怜的人，一会儿斯克罗吉就会知道他是谁。这是一个冷清的地方，对一个如此不受爱戴的人来说这儿再合适不过了。

幽灵站在那儿，朝下指着其中的一个坟墓。斯克罗吉感到莫名的恐惧。

“在我更仔细地看墓碑前，”他说，“回答我一个问题。这些影子是将来会实现的事情还是可能会实现的事情？”

鬼魂没有回答，它默默地朝下指着坟墓。斯克罗吉慢慢地向它走去，顺着幽灵手指头的方向，他看见墓碑上写着他自己的夕字：埃比尼泽·斯克罗吉。

“我就是那个躺在床上的人吗？”他大声问。

幽灵从坟墓指向他，然后又指向坟墓。

“不，幽灵！噢，不，不！”

手指依然还是指着坟墓。

斯克罗吉倒在鬼魂前面的地上，抓住它长长的黑袍子。“幽灵！听着！我是一个改过自新的人了！我从你们这些幽灵身上吸取了教训！如果我没有希望的话，为什么要让我看如此可怕的结局！”

他的手第一次颤抖起来。

“我的好幽灵，告诉我如果我现在改变我的生活，我的未来也会改变的！”

他善良的手有些颤抖了。

“我将记住过去，并且会为未来考虑的。我会对他人行善的，我会把圣诞记在心中并尽可能的善良、高兴、快乐，每天都这样。噢，对我说我能够把这石头上的名字弄掉！”

他死命地抓住鬼魂的手并攥了一会儿。但幽灵比他要强壮，它把手挣脱开。这时斯克罗吉看到奇怪的事情在幽灵的身上发生了。它变得越来越小，突然变成了——一根床柱子。

5 The end of the story

Yes！and the bedpost was his own．The bed was his own，the room was his own．Best and happiest of all， the future was his own， to change his life in！

‘I will remember the past，and think of the future，’repeated Scrooge，as he jumped out of bed．‘God bless you，Jacob Marley！And God bless Christmas！’

In his excitement he found it difficult to speak．His face was still wet from crying．‘Here are my bed－curtains！’he cried delightedly．‘They aren't stolen！ And I'm alive！Those were only shadows of things that may be！The future will be different！I know it will！’

All this time his hands were busy，hurriedly putting on his clothes．He put his left foot in his right shoe，couldn't find the buttons on his shirt，and forgot to brush his hair．

‘I don't know what I'm doing！’said Scrooge， laughing and crying at the same time．‘A merry Christmas to everybody！A happy new year to all the world！Hurrah！ There's the door which Jacob's ghost came through！There's the corner where the ghost of Christmas Present sat！There's the window where I saw the travelling ghosts！It's all true，it all happened！Ha ha ha！’

Really，for a man who hadn't laughed for so many years，it was an excellent laugh．The father of a long line of excellent laughs！

‘I don't know what day of the month it is！’said Scrooge．‘I don't know how long I've been with the spirits！I don't know anything．I'm just like a baby．Never mind！I prefer being a baby！Hurrah！’

Just then he heard the church bells ring out louder than he had ever heard before．Running to the window， he opened it and looked out．No fog at all， a clear， bright， cold day， golden sunlight， blue sky，sweet clean air，merry bells．Oh， wonderful！wonderful！

‘What's today？’he cried，calling down to a boy in the street．

‘Today？’replied the boy，in great surprise．‘Why，it's Christmas Day！’

‘So I haven't missed it！’thought Scrooge．‘The spirits have done it all in one night！’He called down to the boy again，‘Hallo， young man！Do you know the meat shop at the corner of the next street？ ’

‘Of course I do，’replied the boy．

‘What an intelligent boy！’said Scrooge．‘Do you know if they've sold the big turkey that was in the shop window yesterday？’

‘What，the one as big as me？’asked the boy．

‘What a delightful boy！’said Scrooge．‘It's wonderful talking to him．Yes， that's the one！’

‘It's still there in the window，’said the boy．

‘Is it？’said Scrooge．‘Well， go and buy it．’

‘You don't mean it！’cried the by．

‘I do，I do．I'm serious．Go and buy it，and tell the man to bring it back here．Come back with the man and I'll give you a shilling．Come back in less than five minutes and I'll give you three shillings！’

The by went off like a bullet from a gun．

‘I'll send the turkey to Bob Cratchit's！ laughed Scrooge．‘He'll never know who's sent it！It's twice as big as Tiny Tim！Ha ha ha！’

He went on laughing as he wrote Bob's address，gave it to the man with the turkey，and paid for a taxi，because the turkey was much too heavy to carry all the way to Camden Town．

Now he finished dressing，and went out into the streets， wearing his best clothes．The town was full of happy， busy people，and Scrooge smiled at all of them．Three or four men said cheerfully to him， ‘Good morning，sir！ And a merry Christmas to you！’scrooge thought these were the best sounds that he had ever heard．

As he was walking， he suddenly noticed one of the comfortable-looking gentlemen who had come to his office to ask for money for the poor．Scrooge went straight up to him， took the old gentleman by both hands，and said，‘My dear sir，how are you？ A merry Christmas to you， sir！’

‘Mr Scrooge？’asked the gentleman，surprised．

‘Yes， that's my name．I'm very sorry for what I said to you when you visited me yesterday．Will you please—’and he spoke very quietly in the gentleman's ear．

‘Good Heavens！’cried the gentleman．‘My dear Mr Scrooge，are you serious？’

‘I am．Not a shilling less．I must tell you，I haven't given anything to anyone for years．’

‘My dear sir！’said the gentleman，shaking hands with him．‘I don't know how to thank you for—’

Don't say anything，please，’replied Scrooge．‘Will you come and see me tomorrow about it？’

‘I will！’cried the old gentleman happily．

‘Thank you，and God bless you！’said Scrooge．

He went to church， and watched the people，and gave children money for sweets， and discovered that he had never been so happy in his life．In the afternoon he went to his nephew's house He passed the door several times before he was brave enough to knock．But at last he did it，and was taken into the sitting-room，where Fred and his pretty wife were waiting for their friends to arrive for dinner．

‘Fred！’said Scrooge．‘It's your uncle Scrooge．I've come to dinner．Will you let me stay， Fred？’

Let him stay！Fred almost shook his uncle's arm off．Scrooge felt at home in five minutes．Nothing could be merrier．And what a wonderful dinner they had！Wonderful party，wonderful games，wonderful happiness！

But he was early at the office next morning．Oh，he was there early．He wanted to catch Bob Cratchit arriving late．And he did！The clock struck nine．No Bob．A quarter past．No Bob．He was eighteen and a half minutes late when he finally hurried in．Scrooge was sitting with his office door open．

‘Hallo！’said Scrooge in his old，hard voice．‘What do you mean by coming here so late？’

I'm very sorry，sir， said Bob．‘I am late．It's only once a year．We were rather merry yesterday，sir．’

‘Now I'll tell you what，my friend，said Scrooge，‘I'm not going to have this any longer．And so’，he continued， jumping off his chair and shaking Bob's hand，‘I'm going to pay you twice as much！’

Bob's face went white．For a second or two he thought that Scrooge had gone crazy．

‘A merry Christmas，Bob！’said Scrooge，and it was clear that he meant It．‘A merrier Christmas，Bob，than I've given you for a long time．I'm going to pay you well，and help you with your family，and we'll discuss it all this afternoon over a Christmas drink， Bob！ Put more wood on the fire at once， Bob Cratchit，and let's be comfortable！’

Scrooge did everything that he had promised，and more．To Tiny Tim， who did NOT die，he became a second father．He became as good a friend，employer and man， as anyone in London or in the world．Some people laughed to see the change in him，but he did not care．His own heart laughed inside him，and that was good enough for him．He never had any more conversations with spirits， but kept Christmas cheerfully，and lived a happy life．That is what all of us want， and so，as Tiny Tim said，‘God bless us， every one！’

5．故事的结尾

是的！床柱子是他自己的，床是他自己的，房间是他自己的，最好最幸福的，能够改变他未来的生活也是他自己。

“我将记住过去，并要为将来考虑，”斯克罗吉重复着并跳下了床。“上帝保佑你，雅各布·马利！上帝保佑圣诞节！”

他兴奋之中发现说话有些吃力。他的脸上依旧是泪迹斑斑。“这是我的床围子！”他高兴地说。“它们没被偷走！我还活着！那些不过是可能发生的事情的影子！未来会全然不同的！我知道会的！”

他的手一直没闲着，他匆匆穿好衣服。他把左脚穿进了右脚的鞋子里，找不到衬衣上的钮扣，忘记了梳头。

“我不知道我在做什么！”斯克罗吉笑着大声说。“祝所有的人圣诞快乐！祝整个世界新年快乐！好哇！雅各布就是从这个门进来的！“今日圣诞”鬼魂就是坐在这个角落里！我就是从这扇窗户看见了游荡的鬼魂们！这全是真的，这全都发生过！哈哈哈！”

的确，对一个若干年没有笑过的人来说，这笑太开怀了。这是一长串开怀大笑之最！

“我不知道今天是几号了！”斯克罗吉说。“我不知道我和幽灵们呆了多久！我什么都不知道，我就像个婴儿！别介意！我宁愿当个婴儿！好哇！”

这时他听见教堂的钟声敲得比以往要响。他跑到窗前，打开窗户朝外望去。根本没有雾，天气晴朗、明亮、寒冷，金色的日光，湛蓝的天空，清新的空气，快乐的铃铛声。噢，太美妙了！太美妙了！

“今天是什么日子？”他叫住街上的一个男孩大声地问。

“今天？”孩子大为吃惊地回答说，“怎么啦，今天是圣诞节！”

“所以我没错过它！”斯克罗吉想，“幽灵们在一夜之间做完了这些事情！”他又叫那个男孩停下，“喂，小孩！你认识下一条街角的那家肉店吗？”

“当然认识。”男孩回答说。

“多聪明的孩子啊！”斯克罗吉说。“你知道他们昨天有没有把橱窗里最大的火鸡卖掉？”

“什么，那只像我这么大的火鸡？”男孩问。

“多么可爱的孩子啊！”斯克罗吉说，“同他说话真是太好了。是的，就是那只！”

“它还在橱窗里摆着呢。”男孩说。

一是吗？”斯克罗吉说。“那好，你去把它买下来。”

“你不是这意思吧！”男孩大声说。

“我是这意思，我是这意思。我没开玩笑。去把它买下来，井让店主送到这儿来。你和店主一起回来，我就给你一先令。如果在5分钟之内回来我就给你三个先令！”

男孩像出了枪膛的子弹一样很快消失了。

“我要把这只火鸡送给鲍勃·克拉奇蒂一家！”斯克罗吉笑了广他永远也不会知道是谁送去的！它比小蒂姆还大一倍！哈哈哈！”

他一边写鲍勃的地址一边笑着，他把地址递给了那个抱着火鸡的人，并叫了一辆出租车付了费，因为那只火鸡太沉了，无法一路抱到卡姆登镇。

现在他穿好了衣服，他穿着他最好的衣服出去来到了街上。镇子上到处都是幸福、忙碌的人们，斯克罗吉对每个人都微笑着。有三四个人高兴地对他说：“早上好，先生！祝你圣诞快乐！”斯克罗吉觉得这是他曾经听到过的最美妙的声音。

他走着走着忽然发现了曾经到他办公室为穷人要钱，长相英俊的一位绅士。斯克罗吉径直朝他走去，握住那位老先生的双手说，“我亲爱的先生，你好吗？祝你圣诞快乐，先生！”

“斯克罗吉先生吗？”绅士惊奇地问。

“是的，我是斯克罗吉。我为我昨天所说的话感到抱歉。你可以——”他悄悄地对着绅士的耳朵说。

“我的天哪！”绅士大声说道，“我亲爱的斯克罗吉先生，你是当真吗？”

“我说话算数。一先令也不会少。我必须告诉你，若干年来，我从未给过任何人任何东西。”

“我亲爱的先生！”绅士说着并同他握手。“这——我不知道该如何感激您。”

“请什么也不要说，”斯克罗吉回答说。“你明天能就此事来见我吗？”

“我会的。”老绅士高兴地大声说。

“谢谢你，愿上帝保佑你！”斯克罗吉说。

他去做了礼拜，看着教堂里的人们，给孩子们钱去买糖果，他发现他一生中从未这样幸福过。下午他去了他外甥家。他在门前走了好几趟，因为他没有勇气敲门。但最后他还是敲了，他被带进了起居室，弗雷德和他漂亮的妻子正在这儿等着他们的朋友来吃晚饭。

“弗雷德！”斯克罗吉说。“我是你舅舅斯克罗吉，我是来吃晚饭的。你会留我吗，弗雷德？”

让他留下。弗雷德都快把他舅舅的胳膊摇掉了。5分钟后斯克罗吉就不再拘束了。没有什么比这更快乐了。他们的晚餐真是棒极了！绝妙的晚会，绝妙的游戏，无与伦比的幸福！

但第二天早晨他早早地赶到了办公室。噢，他到的很早，他想抓住鲍勃来晚了，他确实抓到了！钟敲了9点，鲍勃没来。过了一刻钟，鲍勃还是没来。当他匆忙进来的时候，他迟到了18分半。斯克罗吉坐在那儿，他办公室的门敞开着。

“喂！”斯克罗吉用他年迈、刻薄的声音说，“你这么晚才来是什么意思？”

“先生，很抱歉，”鲍勃说。“我确实是晚了。一年中不就这么一次吗。先生，我们昨天过得太快活了。”

“现在我要告诉你什么，我的朋友，”斯克罗吉说，“我再也不能这样了，所以，”他从椅子上跳出来握着鲍勃的手继续说道，“我要付给你双倍的工资！”

鲍勃的脸变白了。一时间他想斯克罗吉可能是疯了。

“圣诞快乐，鲍勃！”斯克罗吉说，很显然他是真心说这番话的。“鲍勃，祝你有一个，比我以前给你的更为快乐的圣诞。我要给你加薪，而且要帮助你们全家，今天下午我们边喝圣诞酒边商量这件事，鲍勃！马上给火里多加些木柴，鲍勃·拉克奇蒂，咱们也舒服点！”

斯克罗吉兑现了他所有的承诺，甚至更多。对小蒂姆来说，他根本没有死，他成了他的第二个父亲。他同伦敦或是全世界上的任何一个朋友、雇主和男人一样好。有人发现了他的变化就笑，但他不在乎。他从心里笑，这对他来说就够不错的了。他再也没有同幽灵们说过话，但圣诞节他一直过得都很快活，并且生活得很幸福。这也是我们大家共同的心愿，正如小蒂姆所说：“愿上帝保佑我们每个人！”

简 介

“胡萝卜！胡萝卜！”吉尔伯特·布莱思一边轻声叫着，一边从课桌后伸出手来拽安妮的红辫子梢。安妮从座位上跳起来叫道：“讨厌鬼！我恨你！”随后她用课本重重地打了他脑袋一下。

自从安妮·雪利住进卡斯伯特家以后，埃文利村的生活变得不再死气沉沉。他们本想收养一个男孩来帮忙料理格林·盖布尔斯的农活，可他们却得到了安妮——一个长有红发、雀斑且叽叽喳喳有说不完的话的女孩。她是个富于爱心的孩子，但她的麻烦却总是不断！先是林德太太的来访，然后是给教区牧师妻子的蛋糕，还有她的红头发……

经过在学校的争吵，她还会理睬吉尔伯特·布莱思吗？

露西·莫德·蒙哥马利1874年出生于加拿大，1942年去世。她幼时与祖父母居住在爱德华太子岛上一座破旧的农舍里。她的《格林·盖布尔斯来的安妮》在全世界受到了欢迎，她还写了许多关于安妮·雪利的故事。

1 A surprise for the Cuthberts

Matthew Cuthbert lived with his sister Marilla on their farm on Prince Edward Island in Canada. Their farm- house, Green Gables, was just outside the little village of Avonlea. Matthew was nearly sixty and had a long brown beard. His sister was five years younger. They were both tall and thin, with dark hair. Everybody in Avonlea knew that the Cuthberts were quiet people who worked very hard on their farm.

One afternoon Matthew drove the horse and cart to the sta-tion. 'Has the five-thirty train arrived yet? 'he asked the sta-tion-master.

'Yes, 'the man replied. 'And there's a passenger who's waiting for you. A little girl. '

'A little girl? 'asked Matthew. 'But I've come for a boy! The children's home is sending us one of their orphan boys. We're going to adopt him, you see, and he's going to help me with the farm work. '

'well, perhaps the children's home didn't have any boys, so they sent you a girl, 'answered the stationmaster carelessly. 'Here she is. '

Matthew turned shyly to speak to the child. She was about eleven, with long red hair in two plaits. Her face was small, white and thin, with a lot of freckles, and she had large grey-green eyes. She was wearing an old brown hat and a dress which was too small for her.

'Are you Mr Cuthbert of Green Gables? 'she asked excitedly in a high, sweet voice. 'I'm very happy to come and live with you, and belong to you. I've never belonged to anyone, you see. The people at the children's home were very kind, but it's not very exciting to live in a place like that, is it? '

Matthew felt sorry for the child. How could he tell her that it was all a mistake? But he couldn't just leave her at the sta-tion. He decided to take her home with him. Marilla could ex-plain the mistake to her.

He was surprised that he enjoyed the journey home. He was a quiet, shy man, and he didn't like talking himself. But to-day, he only had to listen, because the little girl talked and talked and talked. She told him all about herself while they drove along.

'My parents died when I was a baby, you know, and for the last three years I've had to work for my food. I've lived with three different families and looked after their children. So I've always been poor, and I haven't got any nice dresses! But I just imagine that I'm wearing the most beautiful blue dress, and a big hat with flowers on, and blue shoes, and then I'm happy! Do you imagine things sometimes? '

'Well, I… I…not often, 'said Matthew.

They were now driving past some very old apple trees next to the road. The trees were full of sweet-smelling, snowy- white flowers. The little girl looked at them.

'Aren't the trees beautiful? 'she said happily. 'But am I talking too much? Please tell me. I can stop if necessary, you know. '

Matthew smiled at her. 'You go on talking, 'he answered. 'I like listening to you. '

When they arrived at Green Gables, Marilla came to the door to meet them. But when she saw the little girl, she cried in surprise, 'Matthew, who's that? Where's the boy? '

'The children's home has made a mistake, 'he said unhappily, 'and sent a girl, not a boy. '

The child was listening carefully. Suddenly she put her head in her hands and began to cry.

'You—you don't want me! 'she sobbed. 'Oh—oh! You don't want me because I'm not a boy! '

'Now, now, don't cry, 'said Marilla kindly.

'Don't you understand? Oh! This is the worst thing that's happened to me in all my life! '

'Well, you can stay here, just for tonight, 'said Marilla. 'Now, what's your name? '

The child stopped crying. 'Will you please call me Cordelia? ' she asked.

'Call you Cordelia? Is that your name? '

'Well, no, it isn't, but it's a very beautiful name, isn't it? I like to imagine my name is Cordelia, because my real name is Anne Shirley—and that's not a very interesting name, is it? '

Marilla shook her head. 'The child has too much imagina-tion, 'she thought.

Later, when Anne was in bed, Marilla said to her brother, 'She must go back to the children's home tomorrow. '

'Marilla, don't you think…'began Matthew. 'she's a nice little thing, you know. '

'Matthew Cuthbert, are you telling me that you want to keep her? 'asked Marilla crossly.

Matthew looked uncomfortable. 'Well, she's clever, and interesting, and—'

'But we don't need a girl! '

'But perhaps she needs us, 'Matthew replied, surprisingly quickly for him. 'She's had a very unhappy life up to now, Marilla. She can help you in the house. I can get a boy from the village to help me on the farm. What do you think? '

Marilla thought for a long time. 'All right, 'she said in the end, 'I agree. The poor child can stay. I'll look after her. '

Matthew smiled happily. 'Be as good and kind to her as you can, Marilla. I think she needs a lot of love. '

1 卡斯伯特兄妹俩大吃一惊

马修·卡斯伯特和妹妹玛丽拉住在加拿大爱德华太子岛上他们的农场里。他们的农舍——格林·盖布尔斯，就在埃文利小村外。马修年近六旬，留着褐色的长胡子。妹妹玛丽拉比他小5岁。他俩身材瘦高，长着深色的头发。埃文利村的每一个人都知道，卡斯伯特兄妹是默默无闻、勤勤恳恳的庄户人。

一天下午，马修驾着马车来到火车站。“5点半的火车到了吗？”他向站长询问道。

“已经到了，”站长回答。“有一位乘客正在等您，是一个小姑娘。”

“小姑娘？”马修问道，“但我是来接一个小男孩！那孤儿院给我们送来一个孤儿，我们准备收养他。你看，我还指望他帮忙干农活呢。”

“也许那孤儿院没有男孩子，所以他们给你送来一个小姑娘，”站长漫不经心地答道，“她来了。”

马修讪讪地转过身去面对那孩子。女孩大约十一岁，梳着两条粗粗的红色发辫，长满雀斑的小脸又瘦又白，上面有一双灰绿色的大眼睛。她戴着一顶褐色的旧帽子，衣服已小得不合身。

“您是格林·盖布尔斯的卡斯伯特先生吗？”她问道，嗓音清晰甜美。“我很高兴能来和你们生活在一起，成为您家的一员。您看，我还从来没有真正成为哪家的成员呢。孤儿院的人都很好，但住在那种地方一点也不好玩，不是吗？”

马修很同情这孩子。他怎么能告诉她这一切都搞错了？他总不能把女孩一个人留在火车站。他决定先把孩子带回家，让玛丽拉向小姑娘解释。

让马修感到吃惊的是，在回家的路上他感觉非常愉快。他是个沉默、腼腆、少言寡语的人。但今天，他只要听就足够了，因为这小姑娘不停地说呀，说呀，说呀。一路上她向马修讲述关于自己的一切。

“爸爸妈妈在我还很小的时候就去世了。您知道吗，过去这3年我不得不自己挣钱养活自己。我曾在3个家庭里照看过孩子。我总是很穷，一件漂亮衣服也没有。我总是想像自己正穿着最漂亮的蓝衣服，戴一顶插满花的大帽子，还有蓝色的鞋子，这时我多高兴啊！您也经常幻想吗？”

“这，我……我……偶尔，”马修答道。

这时马车经过路边的一排老苹果树。树上开满了雪白而芬芳的花朵。小女孩欣赏着。

“这些树多美呀！”她感叹道。“可我是不是说得太多了？如果是，请您告诉我。您知道，我会停止的。”

马修冲她笑笑答道：“你继续说吧，我喜欢听。”

当他们到格林·盖布尔斯的时候，玛丽拉到门口迎接他们。但当她看见小女孩时，她惊讶地叫道：“马修，她是谁？男孩在哪儿？”

“孤儿院弄错了，送来一个女孩，不是男孩。”他不高兴地说。

孩子先是仔细地听着，突然双手捂住脸哭了起来。

“你们——你们不要我！”她哭泣着。“噢——噢！因为我不是男孩你们不要我了！”

“哦，别哭，”玛丽拉和蔼地说。

“您不理解吗？这是我一辈子遇到的最糟糕的事情！”

“那好吧，你可以呆在这里，但只能呆一个晚上，”玛丽拉说。“你叫什么名字？”

孩子停止哭泣。“您能叫我科黛拉吗？”她问道。

“叫你科黛拉？那是你的名字吗？”

“不，不是的，但那名字很好听，不是吗？我喜欢幻想着我的名字叫科黛拉，因为我的真名叫安妮·雪利——那名字没什么意趣，不是吗？”

玛丽拉摇摇头，“这孩子太爱幻想了，”她心里暗想。

稍晚些，等安妮睡着以后，玛丽拉对哥哥说：“明天这孩子必须回孤儿院去。”

“玛丽拉，你不认为……”马修说道。“这小家伙挺可爱的。”

“马修·卡斯伯特，你难道是想让她留下？”玛丽拉生气地说。

马修一副不知所措的样子。“可是，这小姑娘聪明、有趣，而且……”

“但我们不需要女孩！”

“但也许她需要我们，”马修的回答来得出奇的快。“玛丽拉，这孩子到现在为止生活一直很不幸。她可以帮助你干些家务活。我可以从镇上找一个男孩子帮我干农活。你觉得怎么样？”

玛丽拉想了很久。“好吧，”她终于说，“我同意。这可怜的孩子可以留下。我会照顾她的。”

马修高兴地笑了。“尽可能对她好些，玛丽拉。我想这孩子太需要人疼爱了。”

2 At Green Gables

And so the next morning Marilla said, 'Well, Anne, Matthew and I have decided to keep you, only if you're a good girl, of course. Why, child, what's the matter? '

'I'm crying, 'sobbed Anne, 'because I'm very happy! It's beautiful here! People say I'm very bad, but I'll try very hard to be good. Oh, thank you! Thank you! '

'Now stop crying, child, 'said Marilla a little crossly, 'and listen. We're going to adopt you, and send you to school after the summer holidays. '

Anne stopped crying. 'Can I call you Aunt Marilla? I've never had any family at all, so I'd really like to have an aunt. We could imagine that you're my mother's sister. '

'I couldn't, 'answered Marilla firmly.

'Don't you imagine things? 'asked Anne, surprised.

'No, I don't, 'Marilla replied. 'I do my housework, and look after Matthew, and go to church on Sunday. There's no time for imagining things in this house. Just remember that, Anne. '

Anne was silent for a few minutes. Then she said, 'Marillam do you think I'll find a best friend in Avonlea? Someone who really understands me and knows all my secrets. I've always wanted a friend like that. '

'Our friends, the Barrys, have a daughter called Diana, who's eleven, like you But if you want to play with her, you'll have to be very good. Mrs Barry is very careful about Diana's friends. '

'Diana! What a beautiful name! 'said Anne excitedly. 'Her hair isn't red, is it? I hope it isn't. 'She looked sadly at her red plaits. 'I hate my hair. '

'Diana has dark hair. She's a good, clever girl. Try to be like her, Anne. '

When the two girls met, they knew at once that they would be good friends. They often played together, in the fields, or by the river, or in the garden. In the morning Anne helped Marilla with the housework. Then in the afternoon she played with Diana, or talked happily to Matthew while he worked on the farm. She soon knew and loved every flower, tree, and animal at Green Gables.

The Cuthberts had another friend, Mrs Rachel Lynde. She liked to know everything that was happening in and around Avonlea. She was very interested in the Cuthberts'little or-phan girl, so one day she visited Marilla.

'I was very surprised to hear about the child, 'she told Mar-illa. 'So you and Matthew have adopted her! '

'I'm surprised myself, 'answered Marilla with a smile. 'But she's a clever little thing, you know. And she's always dancing, or singing, or laughing. '

Mrs Lynde shook her head sadly. 'What a mistake, Marilla! You've never had any children yourself, so how can you look after her? '

Just then Anne ran in from the garden. She stopped sudden-ly when she saw a stranger in the kitchen. Mrs Lynde looked at the thin little girl in the short dress, with her freckled face and red hair.

'Isn't she thin, Marilla? 'she said. 'Just look at those freckles! And hair as red as carrots! '

Anne's face went red. She ran up to Mrs Lynde.

'I hate you! 'she shouted angrily. 'I hate you! You're a horrible, fat old woman! 'And she ran upstairs.

'Oh dear, oh dear! 'said Mrs Lynde. 'What a terrible child! You'll not have an easy time with her, Marilla. '

'You were rude to her, Rachel, 'Marilla replied, before she could stop herself.

'Well! 'said Mrs Lynde. She got up and walked to the door. 'I think this orphan is more important to you than I am. When I think how long we've been friends…You'll have trouble with her, I can tell you. Well, I'm sorry for you, that's all. Goodbye. '

Marilla went upstairs to Anne's room. The child was lying on her narrow bed, sobbing loudly.

'You mustn't get angry like that, Anne. Mrs Lynde is my friend, and you were very rude to her. '

'She was rude to me! 'said Anne. 'She said I was thin and freckled and red-haired. It was very unkind! '

'I understand how you feel, 'said Marilla. 'But you must go to her and tell her you're sorry. '

'I can never do that, 'said Anne firmly.

'Then you must stay in your room and think about it. You can come out when you agree to say that you're sorry. '

Anne stayed in her room all the next day. Downstairs the house was very quiet without her. That evening, while Marilla was busy in the garden, Matthew went up to Anne's room. The child was sitting sadly by the window.

'Anne, 'he said shyly, 'why don't you say you're sorry? Then you can come down, and we can all be happy. '

'I am sorry now, 'said Anne. 'I was very angry yesterday! But do you really want me to…'

'Yes, do, please. It's lonely downstairs without you. But don't tell Marilla I've talked to you. '

Marilla was pleased to hear that Anne was sorry. Later that evening, when she and Anne were in Mrs Lynde's warm kitchen, Anne suddenly fell on her knees.

'Oh Mrs Lynde, 'cried the little girl, 'I'm very sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am, so you must just imagine it. I am a bad girl! But please say you will forgive me. I'll be sad all my life if you don't ! '

'She's enjoying herself! 'thought Marilla, watching Anne's face. 'She doesn't look sorry at all, but happy and excited! '

But Mrs Lynde said kindly, 'Of course I forgive you. 'And later she said to Marilla, 'Perhaps you're right to keep her. She's a strange little thing, but I think I like her. '

2 在格林·盖布尔斯

第二天早上，玛丽拉说，“好吧，安妮，马修和我已经决定将你留下，当然，你必须听话。怎么了，孩子，发生什么事了？”

“我在哭，”安妮抽泣着说道，“因为我非常高兴！这里很漂亮！大家说我很淘气，但我会尽力做一个好孩子。哦，太感谢你们了！谢谢！”

玛丽拉有些不快地说：“别哭了，孩子。听着，我们将收养你，暑假后还要把你送到学校去。”

安妮停止了哭泣。“我能叫您玛丽拉姨妈吗？我从来没有过家，所以我特别想有一个姨妈。我们可以将您想像成我的姨妈。”

“我无法那样想像，”玛丽拉坚定地说。

“您从来也不幻想吗？”安妮惊讶地问道。

“不，从来不幻想。”玛丽拉回答。“我要做家务，照顾马修，周日还要去教堂。在这家里没有时间去幻想。记住这一点，安妮。”

安妮沉默了一会。然后说道：“玛丽拉，我在埃文利会找到一个最好的朋友吗？一个真正理解我，知道我所有秘密的朋友。我一直想要一个那样的朋友。”

“我们的朋友巴里家里有一个小姑娘叫戴安娜，她今年11岁，与你同岁。但是如果你想和她一起玩，就必须非常乖。巴里太太对戴安娜交什么样的朋友要求很严。”

“戴安娜！多好听的名字！”安妮兴奋地说。“她的头发不是红色的吧？我希望不是。”她伤心地看着她的红发辫。“我恨我的头发。”

“戴安娜长着黑色的头发。她是个聪明乖巧的姑娘。多向她学吧，安妮。”

两个小姑娘初次见面，立刻就知道她们会成为好朋友。她们经常在田野、小河边或花园里一起玩耍。早晨安妮帮助玛丽拉料理家务。下午和戴安娜一起玩，或者与在地里干活的马修高兴地聊天。很快她就认识并爱上了格林·盖布尔斯的每一种鲜花、树木和动物。

雷切尔·林德太太是卡斯伯特家的另一个朋友。她喜欢打听发生在埃文利村及其四周的一切事情。她对卡斯伯特家收养的小孤女很感兴趣，因此有一天她特意来拜访玛丽拉。

“听到小女孩的事我很吃惊，”她告诉玛丽拉。“那么你们已经收养她了！”

“我自己也很吃惊，”玛丽拉笑着答道。“但你知道，她是个小机灵鬼。总是唱啊、跳啊、笑啊。”

林德太太难过地摇摇头。“玛丽拉，你犯了一个大错误。你自己从没有过孩子，你怎么能照顾她呢？”

这时安妮从花园里跑进来。当她看到厨房里的陌生人时突然停了下来。林德太太看着这个穿着短小衣服的瘦弱女孩、她的红色头发和一张布满雀斑的脸。

“她多瘦啊，玛丽拉。”她说，“看她那些雀斑！还有像胡萝卜一样红的头发！”

安妮的脸红了。她跑向林德太太。

“我恨你！”她生气地喊道。“我恨你！你是个可怕的胖老太婆！”说完跑上楼去。

“天哪，天哪！”林德太太说道。“多可怕的孩子。你就甭想省心了，玛丽拉。”

“你对她太粗鲁了，雷切尔，”玛丽拉说道，话没说完，玛丽拉已经后悔了。

“好吧！”林德太太说。她站起身走到门边。“我想这孤儿对你来说比我重要。当我想到我们成为好朋友已经多年……这孩子会给你找麻烦的，我敢保证。好吧，我只想说我为你感到难过，再见吧。”

玛丽拉来到楼上安妮的房间里。孩子躺在她窄小的床上，正在大声地哭泣。

“你没必要那么生气，安妮。林德太太是我的好朋友，而且你对她太没礼貌了。”

“是她先对我失礼的！”安妮争辩道。“她说我瘦小枯干，还长着雀斑和红头发。这也太刻薄了！”

“我理解你的感受，”玛丽拉说道，“但你必须到林德太太家去向她道歉。”

“我不能那么做，”安妮斩钉截铁地回答。

“那么你只能呆在你的房间里好好想一想。直到你同意去道歉才能出来。”

第二天，安妮整日呆在自己的房间里。由于安妮不在，楼下的房间里非常安静。那天晚上，玛丽拉在花园里忙碌着，马修来到楼上安妮的房间。孩子正神情忧郁地坐在窗前。

“安妮，”他有些难为情地说道，“你为什么不肯道歉呢？那样你就可以下楼去，我们大家都可以高高兴兴的了。”

“我现在是后悔了，”安妮说，“昨天我太生气了！可您真想让我去……”

“是的，去道个歉吧。楼下没有你太冷清了。但别告诉玛丽拉我和你谈过。”

玛丽拉听到安妮愿意道歉非常高兴。那天晚上，当玛丽拉和安妮在林德太太温暖的厨房里时，安妮突然跪了下去。

“哦，林德太太，”小女孩抽泣着，“我非常对不起您。我说不出我有多后悔，所以只能请您想像一下。我是个坏女孩！但请您告诉我您会原谅我的。如果您不原谅我，我一辈子都会很难过的！”

“这孩子好像还挺喜欢这样做的！”玛丽拉看着安妮的表情暗想，“她看上去一点也不难过，倒是有一点高兴和兴奋！”

林德太太和蔼地说道：“我当然原谅你。”后来她对玛丽拉说：“也许你让她留下是对的。这小家伙有些特别，但我想我挺喜欢她。”

3 At Avonlea school

When school started in September, Anne and Diana walked there and back together every day.

'What a beautiful day, 'Anne said happily one morning, as the two little girls walked across the fields. 'I'm very lucky to have you as my best friend, Diana. You are my best friend, aren't you? '

'Of course, Anne, 'replied Diana, taking Anne's hand. 'And just think, today you'll meet Gilbert Blythe. He's three years older than us, and very good-looking. He's just come back from holiday, and starts school today. '

'Oh, boys! 'said Anne. 'I'm not interested in them. '

But she did look at Gilbert when they arrived at school. He was a tall boy, with curly brown hair and a friendly smile.

'He is good-looking, 'Anne whispered to Diana, 'but why does he smile at me? He doesn't know me! '

Avonlea school was quiet that day. The teacher, Mr Phillips, was helping some of the older children at the back of the schoolroom. Anne was looking out of the window at the reds and yellows of the trees, and the silvery blue of the river. She was far away in the world of her imagination. But Gilbert wanted her to look at him. He whispered to her, but she did not move. He was surprised. Girls were usually very ready to look at him.

Suddenly he put his arm out, pulled her red plaits, and said in a loud whisper, 'Carrots! Carrots! '

Anne jumped up and looked angrily at Gilbert.

'You horrible boy! 'she cried. 'I hate you! 'And then she brought her heavy book down on Cilbert's head.

Mr Phillips heard the noise, and came slowly to the front of the schoolroom.

'Anne Shirley, why did you do that? 'he asked. She stayed silent. Gilbert said, 'I'm sorry, Mr Phillips. I was rude to her. That's why she hit me. 'But the teacher did not listen to Gilbert.

'I cannot have bad children in my school, 'said Mr Phillips firmly, 'Anne, go and stand in front of the class. 'And there Anne stood for the rest of the day, a lonely little girl with a small white angry face.

'I hate Mr Phillips! 'she thought. 'And I'll never look at or speak to Gilbert Blythe again! '

The next day some of the school children were playing in a farmer's field in their lunch hour, so they were a little late for afternoon school. Anne ran into the classroom at the same time as the boys, just after the teacher.

'You're late, Anne, 'said Mr Phillips. 'You won't sit with Diana today. I see that you enjoy being with the boys very much, so go and sit next to Gilbert this afternoon. '

Anne's face went white. 'He can't mean it! 'she thought.

'Did you hear me, Anne? 'asked Mr Phillips.

'Yes sir, 'said Anne and moved slowly to Gilbert's desk. There she sat down and put her head on the desk, with her arms over it.

'This is the end, 'she was thinking. 'I wasn't the only per-son who was late. And he's sent me to sit with a boy! And that boy is Gilbert Blythe! '

The rest of the day went very slowly for Anne. When it was time to leave, she went to her desk, next to Diana's, and took all her books, pens and pencils with her.

'What are you doing, Anne? 'asked Diana.

'I'm not coming back to school, 'replied Anne firmly.

'Oh! But Anne…we're reading a new book next week…and we're playing a new game on Monday, and… It'll be very exciting! And you'll miss it, Anne! '

But Anne was not interested. 'I'm sorry, Diana, 'was her only answer.

That evening Marilla ran round to Rachel Lynde's house. 'Rachel, please help me! Anne says she won't go back to school. What am I going to say to her? '

Mrs Lynde already knew about Anne's troubles at school, and she was always very pleased when people asked her to help. She smiled and sat back comfortably.

'I've had ten children myself, so I know all about them, 'she said. 'Anne can stay at home for a while. She'll want to go back to school again soon, I'm sure. '

So Anne stayed at home, and only saw Diana in the evenings. She was a child who felt very strongly. She hated Gilbert Blythe, but she really loved Diana.

One evening Marilla found Anne crying in the kitchen. 'What's the matter, child? 'she asked in surprise.

'I love Diana very much, 'sobbed Anne. 'I can't live with-out her, Marilla! But what will happen when she marries? I hate her husband already! I can imagine her in the church in her long white dress…and then she'll go away! And I'll nev-er see her again! '

Marilla turned away to hide her smiling face. What a strange, funny child Anne was! Marilla tried not to laugh, but she couldn't stop herself.

'You and your imagination, Anne Shirley! 'she cried, and she laughed and laughed.

Mrs Lynde was right, of course. After a few days Anne de-cided to go back to school. All the children were pleased to see her again, but she did not speak to Gilbert Blythe.

3 在埃文利学校

九月，学校开学了，安妮和戴安娜每天一起步行上下学。

一天清晨，当两个小姑娘穿过田野的时候，安妮感叹道：“多美的一天啊！戴安娜，我有你这样一位好朋友真幸运。你是我最好的朋友，不是吗？”

“当然了，安妮。”戴安娜握住安妮的手回答道。“想想看，今天你就要见到吉尔伯特·布莱思了。他比我们大3岁，长得很帅。今天他刚刚度完假回学校上学。”

“男孩！”安妮说道。“我对他们不感兴趣。”

但当她们到达学校的时候，安妮还是打量了吉尔伯特一下。他是个长着鬈曲的棕色头发的高个男孩，脸上挂着友善的微笑。

“他长得是帅，”安妮小声对戴安娜说，“但他为什么冲我笑？他根本不认识我！”

埃文利学校那天非常平静。学校的教师，菲利普斯先生在教室后面辅导一些大孩子。安妮欣赏着窗外红黄相间的树木和波光粼粼的蓝色小河。她已经被自己的幻想带到了遥远的地方。但吉尔伯特希望她看着自己。他对她低语，但她一动不动。他很惊讶。女孩们通常都很愿意看他。

他忽然伸出手去，拽住她的红色发辫，一边轻声叫着，“胡萝卜！胡萝卜！”

安妮从座位上跳起来瞪着吉尔伯特。

“讨厌鬼！我恨你！”她一边叫，一边用重重的课本打了他脑袋一下。

菲利普斯先生听到了这边的动静，缓缓地从教室后面走了过来。

“安妮·雪利，你为什么那样做？”他问道。安妮一言不发。吉尔伯特答道：“我很抱歉，菲利普斯先生。是我对她无礼，所以她打我。”但老师没有听吉尔伯特的解释。

“我不能让坏孩子留在学校里，”菲利普斯先生斩钉截铁地说。“安妮，去站在全班同学的面前。”那天安妮就一直孤零零地站在那儿，一张小脸气得煞白。

“我恨菲利普斯先生！”她想。“我再也不理吉尔伯特·布莱思了！”

第二天午饭的时候，一些学生在一个农夫的田里玩耍，因此下午上课时他们迟到了一会儿。安妮和男生们一起跟在老师的后面进了教室。

“你迟到了，安妮，”菲利普斯先生说。“今天你不能和戴安娜坐在一起。我发现你很喜欢和男孩子们一起，今天下午你去和吉尔伯特坐在一起吧。”

安妮的脸变白了。“他不会是当真的！”她想。

“你听见我说的话了吗，安妮？”菲利普斯先生问道。

“是的，先生，”安妮边回答边慢慢地挪到了吉尔伯特的书桌旁。她坐下来，头埋在手臂里趴在书桌上。

安妮想：“这下全完了。我不是惟一一个迟到的学生。可他竟然让我坐在一个男孩旁边！而这男孩竟是吉尔伯特·布莱思！”

对于安妮来说，那天过得很慢。等到了放学的时候，她回到了戴安娜旁边，从自己的课桌里取出了课本、钢笔和铅笔。

“你干什么，安妮？”戴安娜问道。

“我不会再回学校里来了，”安妮坚定地回答。

“噢！可是安妮……下周我们就要读一本新书……星期一我们还要玩一个新游戏，还有……在学校里会很有趣！你会错过这些的，安妮！”

但安妮对戴安娜所说的都不感兴趣。只是回答道：“对不起，戴安娜。”

那天晚上，玛丽拉来到了雷切尔·林德家里。“雷切尔，请帮助我！安妮说她不肯再回学校了。我该怎么说服她？”

林德太太已经听说了安妮在学校的麻烦，她总是很高兴有人请她帮忙。她微笑着靠在舒适的椅背上。

“我自己有10个孩子，所以我对孩子很了解，”她说。“可以让安妮先在家里呆一段时间。很快她就会想回到学校去的，我敢肯定。”

这样安妮就留在家里，每天晚上才能见到戴安娜。她是个爱憎分明的孩子。她恨吉尔伯特·布莱思，而又确实喜欢戴安娜。

一天晚上，玛丽拉发现安妮在厨房里哭泣。“怎么了，孩子？”她惊讶地问道。

“我非常喜欢戴安娜，”安妮抽泣着说。“我的生活中不能没有她，玛丽拉！但如果她结婚会怎么样？我已经开始恨她的丈夫了！我可以想像到戴安娜穿着长长的婚纱在教堂里……然后她就要走了！我就再也见不到她了！”

玛丽拉转过身去偷偷地笑。安妮真是个既奇怪又有趣的孩子！玛丽拉尽力想止住笑，但还是忍不住。

“你和你的幻想，安妮·雪利”她大声说，说完笑个不停。

当然，林德太太说的是对的。几天后，安妮决定回到学校去。看到她回来所有的孩子都很高兴，但安妮还是不理睬吉尔伯特·布莱思。

4 More trouble for Anne

'I think I'll ask the new vicar, Mr Allan, and his wife to tea on Wednesday. 'said Marilla one day.

'Oh yes, please do! 'cried Anne excitedly. 'Mrs Allan is young and beautiful, and has a very sweet smile! Can I make a cake for tea? Say yes, Marilla! '

Marilla agreed, and for the next few days Anne planned what she would put in her cake.

'I do hope it's going to be a good one, 'she told Diana. 'Sometimes I forget to put in the right things. '

'You made a very good one last week, 'said her friend. 'I'm sure it'll be all right. '

On Wednesday the tea party started very well.

'These are very good cakes, Miss Cuthbert, 'Mrs Allan said to Marilla. 'You have been busy. '

'Anne made this one, specially for you, Mrs Allan, 'replied Marilla.

'Oh well, I must try some, 'laughed the vicar's wife. But after the first mouthful there was a very strange look on her face.

'Is anything wrong? 'asked Marilla. She ate a piece of Anne's cake herself. 'Oh! Anne! What have you put in this cake? 'she cried.

'Isn't it…isn't it all right? 'asked Anne, her face red.

'All right? It's horrible! Don't try to eat any more, Mrs Allan. Anne, you've put my medicine in this cake! '

'Oh! I didn't know! It was white, and in a bottle! I thought it was milk! 'sobbed Anne. She ran upstairs and fell on her bed, crying loudly.

But later that evening, when Mrand Mrs Allan went home, Marilla came to talk to her.

'Oh Marilla! 'cried Anne. 'Everybody in Avonlea will laugh at me for putting medicine in a cake! '

Marilla smiled and touched Anne's hot face. 'No, they won't, Anne. Mrs Allan wasn't angry, you know. She said it was very kind of you to make her a cake, and she's asked you to tea at her house! '

'Oh, so she's forgiven me! She is nice, isn't she? 'said Anne thankfully. 'Why do I get into trouble like this? Perhaps I won't make any mistakes tomorrow. '

Marilla shook her head, still smiling. 'You'll think of some-thing, Anne. You're very good at making mistakes! '

***

Spring came, with its bright green leaves and early flowers. One April evening Marilla came home late after visiting friends. She found the kitchen empty, and no supper on the table.

'Where's Anne? 'she thought crossly. 'I told her to get the supper ready. 'She hurried upstairs to Anne's room, and found the girl sobbing on her bed.

'Don't look at me, Marilla! 'Anne cried. 'I know I'm bad, I know I am! '

'What is the matter? 'asked Marilla. 'Are you ill? '

'Oh Marilla, I just want to die! Look at my hair! '

And Marilla saw that Anne's long thick red hair was now a horrible dark green.

'Oh Anne! 'she said, 'What have you done now? '

'I…I bought a bottle of something special from a man who came to the door. He said it would change my hair from red to black! Oh, I know it was stupid of me! But what shall I do? '

They washed Anne's hair again and again, but it was still green. Anne stayed at home for a week, saw nobody, and washed her hair every day. But at the end of the week, Maril-la said, 'I'm sorry, Anne, we'll have to cut it all off. You can't go to school with green hair. '

Anne had to agree. 'Perhaps this will teach me not to think about being beautiful, 'she said sadly.

Everybody was surprised to see Anne with very short hair, but no one learned the secret. And some weeks later, there were some new, darker red curls, which pleased Anne very much.

* * *

That summer Anne and her friends often played in an old boat on the river.

'Today, let's imagine that I'm a prisoner and I'm escaping from prison by boat, 'said Anne. 'I'll hide in the boat and the river will carry it down to the bridge. You're my family, and you must meet me at the bridge. '

The other girls agreed, so Anne got into the boat and hid under some coats. Her friends pushed the boat off down the river and ran across the fields to get round to the bridge. For a few minutes the prisoner enjoyed the game, but then she sud- denly felt wet and sat up. Water was coming in very fast through a hole in the bottom of the boat! Luckily, there were some trees by the river and Anne saw a low branch over the water. She jumped up and caught the branch. The boat went on without her and a few seconds later went down under the water.

Her friends on the bridge saw the boat, but they did not see Anne under the tree. 'Oh! Oh! Anne's dead! The boat's gone down and she's in the river! 'they screamed, and ran back to the village for help.

Poor Anne could not move. She held on and held on, but her arms were getting tired and she knew that she would fall in a minute. Suddenly, there was Gilbert Bly the in his boat!

'Anne Shirley! 'he cried. 'What are you doing there? 'He did not wait for an answer, but quickly helped Anne into his boat. She didn't say a word. When they arrived at the bridge, she got out and turned away.

'Thank you for helping me, 'she said coldly.

But Gilbert jumped out, and put a hand on her arm.

'Anne, 'he said quickly, 'I'm sorry I called you "carrots. "It was a long time ago. I think your hair is really nice now. Can we forget it, and be friends? '

For a second Anne wanted to say yes. But then she remembered standing alone in front of the school children all after-noon, because of Gilbert. She would never forgive him for that! 'No, 'she replied coldly, 'I shall never be your friend, Gilbert Bly the! '

'All right! 'Gilbert jumped angrily back into his boat. 'I'll never ask you again, Anne Shirley! '

Anne walked home with her head held high, but she felt strangely sad, and wanted to cry.

'Why are you always in trouble, Anne? 'asked Marilla, when she heard about Anne's adventure.

'Well, I think I'm learning, Marilla, 'answered Anne. 'I learn from my mistakes, and after today, I won't use my imagination so much. I don't think Avonlea is the right place for imagination. '

'No, it isn't, 'agreed Marilla a little crossly.

When she went out, Matthew, who was sitting quietly in his corner, whispered to Anne, 'Keep a little imagination, Anne, not too much, of course, just a little. '

4 安妮还有更多的麻烦

一天，玛丽拉说：“星期三，我打算请新的牧师阿伦先生和他的太太来喝茶。”

“那太好了，请他们来吧！”安妮兴奋地叫道。“阿伦太太年轻漂亮，笑起来可甜了！我能为他们做块茶点蛋糕吗？答应吧，玛丽拉！”

玛丽拉同意了。在以后的几天里，安妮盘算着在蛋糕里放些什么。

“我真希望蛋糕会好吃，”她对戴安娜说。“但有时我会忘了应该放些什么。”

“上星期你做的蛋糕很不错，”戴安娜回答道。“我想这次也不会有问题的。”

星期三到了，下午茶聚会开始得很顺利。

“蛋糕看上去很不错，卡斯伯特小姐，”阿伦太太对玛丽拉说。“把您忙坏了吧。”

“这蛋糕是安妮特意为您做的，阿伦太太。”玛丽拉回答道。

“噢，是吗？我一定要尝尝。”牧师太太笑道。但当她尝了一口之后，脸上出现了一种奇怪的表情。

“有什么不妥吗？”玛丽拉问。她自己也吃了一块安妮做的蛋糕。“噢！安妮！你在这蛋糕里放了些什么？”她叫道。

“难道……难道不好吃吗？”安妮红着脸问。

“好吃？简直是难以下咽！阿伦太太，别再吃了。安妮，你把我的药放进蛋糕里了。”

“噢！我不知道！它是白色的，放在一个瓶子里！我以为是牛奶！”安妮边哭边说。她跑上楼，趴在床上大声哭了起来。

那天晚上，阿伦先生和太太回家以后，玛丽拉来劝安妮。

“唉，玛丽拉！”安妮抽泣着说。“埃文利村的每一个人都会嘲笑我把药放在蛋糕里！”

玛丽拉微笑着摸了摸安妮滚烫的小脸。“不，他们不会的，安妮。你知道吗，阿伦太太没有生气。她说很感激你为她做了一个蛋糕，她还邀请你去她家喝茶呢！”

“真的吗？那么说她原谅我了！她真好，不是吗？”安妮充满感激地说。“我怎么会遇到这样的麻烦？也许我明天不会再犯错误了。”

玛丽拉面带微笑，摇了摇头。“你还会想出其他点子的，安妮。你是个闯祸专家！”

* * *

春天来了，嫩绿的树叶和早开的花儿挂上了枝头。四月的一个黄昏，玛丽拉探望朋友很晚才回家。她发现厨房里一个人也没有，餐桌上也没有晚餐。

“安妮去哪儿了？”她想，心里感到很不高兴。“我让她准备晚餐呢。”她很快赶到楼上安妮的房间，发现小姑娘正在床上哭泣。

“别看我，玛丽拉！”安妮叫道。“我知道我不好，我知道我不好！”

“发生什么事了？”玛丽拉问道。“你是不是病了？”

“噢，玛丽拉，我真想去死！看看我的头发！”

玛丽拉发现安妮红色的长发辫已经变成难看的深绿色。

“唉，安妮！”玛丽拉说，“这次你又干了些什么？”

“我……我从门外的一个男人那里买了一瓶特制的东西。他说那东西可以把我的红头发变成黑色！我知道自己真是太傻了！但我现在究竟该怎么办？”

她们把安妮的头发洗了一遍又一遍，但它还是绿色的。安妮在家里呆了一个星期，什么人也不见，每天洗头。但等到了周末，玛丽拉说：“我很抱歉，安妮，我们必须把你的头发都剪掉。你不能留着绿色的头发上学校去。”

安妮只得同意了。“也许这能使我明白别总想变漂亮，”她难过地说。

每个人见到留着短发的安妮都很惊讶，但谁也不知道这其中的秘密。几周后，安妮的头上长出了新的、颜色更深的红色鬈发，这使安妮感到非常高兴。

* * *

那年夏天，安妮和她的朋友们经常在河上一条破旧的船上玩。

“今天，我假装是一个囚犯，刚刚用船从监狱里逃出来，”安妮说。“我藏在船里，河水会把船推到下游的小桥那里去。你们是我的亲人，你们必须在桥那里接我。”

其他的女孩都表示赞同，安妮上了小船，藏在几件衣服下面。她的小伙伴们把船推入水中，然后穿过田野向小桥跑去。刚开始的几分钟，“囚犯”还玩得很开心，可随后她就觉得身上很湿，就坐了起来。河水从船底的一个洞中飞快地涌了进来！幸运的是，岸边有一些树木。安妮看到河上低垂着一条树枝。她跳起来抓住了树枝。空船顺流而下，几秒钟后沉入了水中。

在桥上，安妮的小伙伴们看到了船，但她们没有看到紧紧抓住树枝的安妮。“哎呀！哎呀！安妮死了！船沉了，她掉进河里了！”孩子们尖叫着跑回村里求救。

可怜的安妮只能一动不动。她努力坚持着抓牢树枝，但她的胳膊感到越来越累，安妮知道很快她就会掉进河里。就在这时，吉尔伯特·布莱思和他的船出现了。

“安妮·雪利！”他呼喊着。“你在那儿干什么？”他没等安妮回答，迅速地帮助安妮进到他的船里。安妮什么也没有说。当他们到达桥边的时候，她下了船，转过身去。

“谢谢你帮助我，”她冷冷地说。

吉尔伯特跳下船，将手放在安妮的肩膀上。

“安妮，”他说，“我很后悔叫你‘胡萝卜’。那是很久以前的事了。我认为你的头发现在真的很漂亮。我们能不能忘掉以前的事，成为好朋友？”

安妮本想马上说可以。但是她想起就是因为吉尔伯特，她被罚整个下午独自站在学校的孩子们面前。她不能原谅他！“不，”她冷冷地回答，“我永远也不会做你的朋友，吉尔伯特·布莱思！”

“好吧！”吉尔伯特愤怒地跳回到他的船里。“我再也不会请求你了，安妮·雪利！”

安妮昂着头走回了家，但奇怪的是她感觉很难过，甚至想哭。

“为什么你总是有麻烦，安妮？”听完安妮历险的经历，玛丽拉问道。

“我想我正在学习，玛丽拉，”安妮回答。“我从我犯的错误中学习。从今以后，我不会总是幻想了。我觉得埃文利村不是个进行幻想的好地方。”

“对，这儿不是，”玛丽拉有些不快地赞同道。

马修一直静静地坐在角落里，等玛丽拉出去以后，他轻声对安妮说：“保留一点幻想，安妮，当然，别太多，保留一点。”

5 Queen's College

One day Marilla said, 'Anne, your new teacher, Miss Stacy, spoke to me yesterday. She says you must study for the examinations for Queen's College in two years' time. Then if you do well, you can study at Queen's in Charlotte-town for a year, and after that you'll be a teacher! '

'Oh Marilla! I'd love to be a teacher! But won't it be very expensive? '

'That doesn't matter, Anne. When Matthew and I adopted you three years ago, we decided to look after you as well as we could. Of course we'll pay for you to study. '

So in the afternoons Anne and some of her friends stayed late at school, and Miss Stacy helped them with the special ex-amination work. Diana didn't want to go to Queen's, so she went home early, but Gilbert stayed. He and Anne still never spoke and everybody knew that they were enemies, because they both wanted to be first in the examination. Secretly, Anne was sorry that she and Gilbert weren't friends, but it was too late now.

For two years Anne studied hard at school. She enjoyed learning, and Miss Stacy was pleased with her. But she didn't study all the time. In the evenings and at weekends she visited her friends, or walked through the fields with Diana, or sat talking to Matthew.

'Your Anne is a big girl now. She's taller than you, 'Rachel Lynde told Marilla one day.

'You're right, Rache! 'said Marilla in surprise.

'And she's a very good girl now, isn't she? She doesn't get into trouble these days. I'm sure she helps you a lot with the housework, Marilla. '

'Yes, I don't know what I'd do without her, 'said Marilla, smiling.

'And look at her! Those beautiful grey eyes, and that red-brown hair! You know, Marilla, I thought you and Matthew made a mistake when you adopted her. But now I see I was wrong. You've looked after her very well. '

'Well, thank you, Rachel, 'replied Marilla, pleased.

That evening, when Matthew came into the kitchen, he saw that his sister was crying.

'What's the matter? 'he asked, surprised. 'You haven't cried since…well, I can't remember when. '

'It's just…well, I was thinking about Anne, 'said Marilla. 'I'll…I'll miss her when she goes away. '

'When she goes to Queen's, you mean? Yes, but she can come home at weekends, on the train. '

'I'll still miss her, ' said Marilla sadly.

In June the Avonlea boys and girls had to go to Charlotte-town to take their examinations.

'Oh, I do hope that I've done well, 'Anne told Diana when she arrived back at Green Gables. 'The examinations were very difficult. And I've got to wait for three weeks before I know! Three weeks! I'll die! '

Anne wanted to do better than Gilbert. But she also wanted to do well for Matthew and Marilla. That was very important to her.

Diana was the first to hear the news. She ran into the kitchen at Green Gables and shouted, 'Look, Anne! It's in Father's newspaper! You're first… with Gilbert…out of all the students on the island! Oh, how wonderful! 'Anne took the paper with shaking hands, and saw her name, at the top of the list of two hundred. She could not speak.

'Well, now, I knew it, 'said Matthew with a warm smile.

'You've done well, I must say, Anne, 'said Marilla, who was secretly very pleased.

For the next three weeks Anne and Marilla were very busy. Anne needed new dresses to take to Charlottetown.

The evening before she left, she put on one of her new dresses to show Matthew. Marilla watched the happy young face. She remembered the strange, thin little child, with her sad eyes, who arrived at Green Gables five years ago, and she started crying quietly.

'Marilla, why are you crying? 'asked Anne.

'I was just thinking of you when you were a little girl, 'said Marilla. 'And…you're going away now…and I'll be lonely without you. '

Anne took Marilla's face in her hands, 'Marilla, nothing will change. Perhaps I'm bigger and older now, but I'll al-ways be your little Anne. And I'll love you and Matthew and Green Gables more every day of my life. '

Marilla could not say what she felt, like Anne, but she could show it. She put her arms round her girl and held her close to her heart.

And so for the next year Anne lived in Charlottetown, and went to college every day. She sometimes came home at week-ends, but she had to study hard. Some of her Avonlea friends were at Queen's too, and also her enemy, Gilbert Blythe. Anne saw that he often walked and talked with other girls. She felt sure that she and Gilbert could have some interesting conversations. But she didn't want to be the first to speak to him, and he never looked at her.

There were examinations at the end of the college year, in May. Anne studied very hard for them.

'I'd love to get the first place, 'she thought. 'Or perhaps I could get the Avery prize. 'This was a prize for the student who was best at English writing, and Anne knew she was good at that. The Avery prize paid for a free place for four years at Redmond College, one of the best colleges in Canada.

When news of the examinations came, Anne waited for her friends to tell her. She heard shouting. 'It's Gilbert! He's the first! ' She felt ill. But just then she heard another shout. 'Anne Shirley's got the Avery! 'And then all the girls were round her, laughing and shouting.

'Matthew and Marilla will be pleased! 'thought Anne. 'Now I can go on studying, and they won't have to pay! '

5 女王学院

一天，玛丽拉说：“安妮，你的新老师，斯塔西小姐昨天跟我谈了谈。她说你必须准备参加两年后的女王学院入学考试。如果你考得好，可以在夏洛特镇的女王学院学习一年，然后成为一名教师。”

“哦，玛丽拉！我喜欢当老师！可那是不是太贵了？”

“那没关系，安妮。3年前马修和我收养你的时候，我们决定尽力照顾你。我们当然会花钱让你上学。”

这样，每天下午，安妮和她的一些伙伴在学校呆到很晚，斯塔西小姐帮助她们准备考试。戴安娜不准备去女王学院上学，因此她很早就回家，可吉尔伯特留了下来。他和安妮还是不说话，每个人都知道他们是敌人，因为他们都想在考试中获得第一名。安妮为她没有和吉尔伯特成为朋友暗暗感到后悔，但已经太晚了。

安妮在学校里刻苦学习了两年。她热爱学习，斯塔西小姐对她很满意。但她并非把所有的时间都花在学习上。晚上或周末的时候，她去拜访朋友，或与戴安娜在田野里散步，或坐着与马修聊天。

一天，雷切尔·林德对玛丽拉说：“你们的安妮现在已经成了大孩子了。现在她比你还高了。”

“是的，雷切尔！”玛丽拉有点惊讶地回答。

“她是个好姑娘了，不是吗？现在她不再惹麻烦。我想她帮你干很多的家务活，玛丽拉。”

“对，我不知道没有她我该怎么办，”玛丽拉笑着说。

“看看她现在！那双漂亮的灰色眼睛和红褐色头发！你知道，玛丽拉，你们刚刚收养她的时候，我觉得你们犯了一个错误。可现在我知道是我错了。你们把她照看得真好。”

“哦，谢谢，雷切尔。”玛丽拉高兴地回答。

那天晚上，当马修走进厨房的时候，看见他的妹妹正在哭泣。

“发生什么事了？”他吃惊地问道。“你上一次掉眼泪是在……唉，我也想不起是什么时候了。”

“只是因为……我在想关于安妮的事，”玛丽拉说。“她走了以后我会……我会想念她的。”

“你的意思是当她去女王学院的时候？是的，但周末的时候她可以坐火车回来。”

“但我还是会想念她，”玛丽拉难过地说。

六月里，埃文利村的男孩子和女孩子们必须去夏洛特镇参加考试。

“噢，我真希望我考得很好，”安妮回到格林·盖布尔斯后对戴安娜说。“考试非常难。而且我还得等3周才能知道成绩！3周啊！我会着急死的！”

安妮希望超过吉尔伯特。但她也希望为马修和玛丽拉争气。这对她很重要。

戴安娜是最先听到消息的。她跑进格林·盖布尔斯的厨房高喊道：“看，安妮！登在父亲的报纸上！你是第一名……还有吉尔伯特……超过了岛上所有的学生！哦，多棒啊！”安妮用颤抖的手接过了报纸，看到自己的名字在200个学生的名单中排在首位。她激动得说不出话。

“好，现在，我终于听到这好消息了，”马修面带微笑地说。

“我必须说，你干得很出色，安妮，”玛丽拉说，她的心里暗暗高兴。

在随后的3周时间里，玛丽拉和安妮非常忙碌。安妮需要一些新衣服带到夏洛特镇去。

出发的前一天晚上，安妮穿上一件新衣服给马修看。玛丽拉端详着安妮年轻快乐的脸。她回忆起5年前到格林·盖布尔斯来的那个奇怪、瘦弱、眼神忧伤的女孩，玛丽拉轻声地哭了起来。

“玛丽拉，您怎么哭了？”安妮问。

“我只是想起了你小的时候，”玛丽拉回答。“而你……你现在就要走了……没有你我会感到很孤单的。”

安妮双手捧着玛丽拉的面颊。“玛丽拉，一切都不会改变。也许我长大一些了，但我永远是您的小安妮。这辈子我每天都会更爱您、马修和格林·盖布尔斯的。”

玛丽拉无法像安妮那样说出自己的感觉，但她可以显示出来。她伸出双臂将安妮紧紧地搂在胸前。

这样，第二年安妮住在夏洛特镇，每天去上学。有时她周末回家去，但她必须刻苦学习。女王学院有她在埃文利村的一些朋友，还有她的敌人吉尔伯特·布莱思。安妮发现他经常与其他女孩交谈或散步。她觉得自己和吉尔伯特可以谈得很开心。但她不想主动和他讲话，而吉尔伯特从来也不看她一眼。

五月，学年末的考试就要来了，安妮刻苦地准备着。

“我想得第一名，”她想。“或许我能得到艾弗里奖学金。”这是为英语写作成绩最出色的学生颁发的，而安妮知道这门功课是自己的强项。得到艾弗里奖学金的学生可以在加拿大最好的大学——雷德蒙德大学免费学习4年。

考试的成绩公布以后，安妮等待着朋友来告诉她消息。她听到喊声。“是吉尔伯特！他是第一名！”她感觉很难过。而就在这时她听到另外有人喊。“安妮·雪利得到了艾弗里奖学金！”所有的女孩子都来到了安妮的身边，笑啊叫啊。

“马修和玛丽拉会很高兴的！”安妮想。“现在我可以继续学习，而他们不必付学费了！”

6 Matthew and Marilla

But when she arrived back at Green Gables, Anne knew at once that something was wrong. Matthew looked

much older than before.

'What's the matter with him? 'Anne asked Marilla.

'He's had some heart trouble this year, 'replied Marilla. 'He really isn't well. I'm worried about him. '

'And you're not looking well, Marilla, 'said Anne. 'Now you must rest, while I do the housework. '

Marilla smiled tiredly at Anne. 'It's not the work, it's my head. It often hurts, behind my eyes. I must see the doctor about it soon. But another thing, Anne, have you heard any-thing about the Church Bank? '

'I heard it was having a difficult time. '

'All our money is in that bank. I know Matthew's worried about it. '

The next morning a letter came for Matthew. Marilla saw his grey face and cried, 'What's the matter, Matthew? '

Anne, who was bringing an armful of flowers into the kitchen, saw his face too. Suddenly, Matthew fell to the ground. Anne dropped her flowers and ran to help Marilla. Together they tried everything, but it was too late. Matthew was dead.

'It was his heart, 'said the doctor, who arrived a little later. 'Did he have any bad news suddenly? '

'The letter! 'cried Anne. 'Shall I see what's in it? Oh Mar-illa, look! The Church Bank has had to close down! Your money, and Matthew's, has all gone! '

Everybody in Avonlea was sorry to hear that Matthew was dead. For the first time in his life, Matthew Cuthbert was an important person.

At first Anne couldn't cry. But then she remembered Matthew's smiling face when she told him about the Avery prize. Suddenly she started crying and couldn't stop. Marilla held her in her arms and they sobbed together.

'Crying can't bring him back, 'whispered Marilla. 'We'll have to learn to live without him, Anne. '

* * *

In the next few weeks Anne and Marilla worked hard together on the farm and in the house. Everybody in Avonlea was very kind to them, but it was a sad time.

One day Marilla said, 'I'll miss you when you go to Red-mond College, Anne. What are the other Avonlea students go-ing to do? '

'Some of them are going to teach, and some are going to stay at Queen's. '

'Gilbert's going to teach at Avonlea school, isn't he? 'Anne didn't reply, so Marilla went on. 'He's very tall and good-looking now, don't you think? Like his father, John, when he was younger. You know, John and I were very good friends, years ago. '

Anne looked up, interested. 'What happened? Why didn't you…? '

'Well, we had a fight about something. He asked me to be friends again, but I couldn't forgive him. Later I was sorry, but he didn't speak to me again. Perhaps we…Oh well, it was a long time ago. '

The next day Marilla went to see the doctor. When she came back, she looked very tired and ill.

'What did the doctor say? 'asked Anne worriedly.

'He says I mustn't read or write, and I must wear glasses. Then my head won't hurt. But if I'm not very careful, I'll be blind in six months! '

For a minute Anne was silent. Then she said firmly, 'Then you must be careful, Marilla. '

'Think how terrible it is to be blind! But how lucky you've got a free place at Redmond College! I can't give you any money, you see. All our money's gone, and I can't work now. I think I'll have to sell the farm, and go and live with Rachel Lynde! 'and poor Marilla sobbed wildly.

That night Anne sat alone in her bedroom. She thought and thought for some time, and then she smiled. When she went to bed, she knew what she was going to do.

The next day she explained it all to Marilla.

'You can't sell Green Gables, it's our home! Just listen, I've planned everything. I'm not going to Redmond College, it's too far away. I'm going to teach, in one of the village schools near here. Then I can live there during the week and come home at weekends to look after you. Diana's father will use our fields and pay us for them, and so we'll have some money. You see? '

'Oh Anne! I'll be all right if you're here. But you must go to Redmond, if you want to study…'

'Redmond College doesn't matter, 'laughed Anne. 'I'm going to study at home in the evenings. And I'm going to be a really good teacher! That's better than anything! '

Marilla shook her head and tried not to cry. 'You're a good girl, Anne. Now we can keep Green Gables! '

A few days later Rachel Lynde came to the farm.

'Do you know, 'she said, 'that Gilbert isn't going to be the Avonlea teacher now? '

'Isn't he? 'cried Anne. 'Why not? '

'When he heard that you wanted to be near Marilla, he de-cided to teach at a school in another village. So you can be the Avonlea teacher now. '

'Oh! 'said Anne, surprised. 'That's…that's very kind of him. '

And that day, when she saw Gilbert by the river, she stopped him and held out her hand.

'Gilbert, 'she said shyly, 'I… I want to thank you. It's very good of you. If I'm the Avonlea teacher, I can help Mar-illa much more at home. '

'I'm happy to help you, Anne, 'said Gilbert. He smiled and held her hand firmly. 'Are we going to be friends now? Have you forgiven me for calling you"carrots"? '

Anne laughed. 'I forgave you a long time ago. '

'I'm sure we're going to be very good friends, Anne. Can I walk home with you? '

And when Anne came into the Green Gables kitchen, Maril-la said, 'You look very happy, Anne. Was that Gilbert who was with you just now? '

'Yes, 'replied Anne, her face red. 'Gilbert and I've decided to be friends. Oh Marilla, I think life is going to be good for all of us! We'll have to work hard, but we'll be happy. And we'll keep our dear old Green Gables! What could be better than that! '

6 马修和玛丽拉

当她赶回格林·盖布尔斯的时候，安妮立刻有一种不祥的感觉。马修看上去比以前老了很多。

“马修怎么了？”安妮问玛丽拉。

“今年他的心脏病犯了几次，”玛丽拉回答。“他的情况确实不太好。我很为他担心。”

“你的气色也不太好，玛丽拉，”安妮说。“现在你必须休息，家务活由我来做。”

玛丽拉疲倦地笑了笑。“家务事倒没什么，主要是我经常头疼，就在眼睛后面。我得尽快看医生。还有一件事，安妮，你听到关于车茨银行的事了吗？”

“我听说它经营困难。”

“我们所有的钱都在那家银行里。我知道马修很担心。”

第二天马修接到一封信。玛丽拉看到马修的脸一下变灰了，连忙喊道：“发生什么事了，马修？”

安妮刚刚抱着一捧花走进厨房，她也看到了马修的脸。突然，马修倒在地上。安妮扔下花来帮助玛丽拉。她们想尽了一切办法拯救马修，可已经太晚了。马修死了。

晚些时候，大夫来了，他说：“是因为他的心脏。他有没有突然听到什么不幸的消息？”

“是那封信！”安妮叫道。“我能不能看看里面写了些什么？哦，玛丽拉，你看！车茨银行已经倒闭了！你的钱，还有马修的，都没了！”

听到马修去世的消息，埃文利村的每一个人都很难过。马修·卡斯伯特这辈子第一次成了一个重要人物。

起初安妮哭不出来。但当她想起马修听到她获得艾弗里奖学金时脸上的笑容，就突然忍不住大哭起来。玛丽拉搂着安妮，俩人一起哭泣。

“哭也没法让他回来了，”玛丽拉小声说道：“我们必须学会习惯没有马修的生活，安妮。”

* * *

在以后的几周里，安妮和玛丽拉在田地里和家中辛勤地劳作。埃文利村的每一个人都对她们很好，但这是一段伤心的日子。

一天，玛丽拉说：“你到雷德蒙德大学以后我会想念你的，安妮。埃文利村的其他孩子有何打算？”

“他们中的一些人会成为教师，还有一些留在女王学院。”

“吉尔伯特将留在埃文利学校当教师，是吗？”安妮没有回答，所以玛丽拉继续说下去。“他现在已经是个高个子的帅小伙了，你不这么认为吗？像他父亲约翰年轻时一样。你知道，许多年前，约翰和我曾经是很要好的朋友。”

安妮很感兴趣，抬起头问道：“发生什么事了？为什么您不……？”

“哎，我们为了一件事吵了起来。他请求我重新成为他的好朋友，但我不能原谅他。后来我很后悔，但他再也不和我讲话了。也许我们……哎，那已经是很久以前的事了。”

第二天，玛丽拉去看病。当她回来的时候，看上去非常疲倦，好像是生病了。

“医生说了些什么？”安妮焦急地问。

“他说我不能再读书写字了，而且我必须戴上眼镜。那样我的头就不会疼了。如果我不小心的话，6个月以后我就会失明！”

安妮沉默了一会儿。随后她坚定地说：“您必须好好照顾自己，玛丽拉。”

“想想双目失明多可怕！但你能够在雷德蒙德大学免费学习真是幸运！你看，我已经没法给你钱了。我们所有的钱都没了，我现在又不能劳动。我想我必须卖掉农场，然后搬去和雷切尔·林德同住！”可怜的玛丽拉边说边哭了起来。

那天晚上安妮独自坐在她的卧室里。她思量了很长时间，然后她的脸上出现了笑容。当她上床休息的时候，她已经知道自己该如何去做。

第二天，安妮向玛丽拉解释了一切。

“您不能把农场卖掉，它是我们的家！您听我说，我已计划好一切。我不打算到雷德蒙德大学去，那里太遥远了。我将在附近村庄的一所学校教书。这样，平常的时候我可以住在那里，周末的时候回来照顾您。戴安娜的父亲可以使用我们的土地，同时给我们地租，这样我们就有一些钱了。您看这样不好吗？”

“噢，安妮，你在这里我当然会很好。但如果你想学习，你必须去雷德蒙德……”

“去不去雷德蒙德大学没有关系。”安妮笑道。“晚上我可以在家自己学习。而且我会成为一名非常出色的教师！那比什么都好！”

玛丽拉摇摇头强忍住眼泪。“你是个好姑娘，安妮。现在我们可以留住农场了！”

几天后，雷切尔·林德来到了农场。

“你们知道吗，”她说，“吉尔伯特现在不想当埃文利村的教师了？”

“不当了？”安妮高声问道。“为什么不当？”

“当他听说你希望离玛丽拉近一些，他决定在另外一个村的学校教书。那样你就可以成为埃文利村的教师了。”

“噢！”安妮吃惊地说。“那……那他真是太好了。”

那天，当安妮在河边见到吉尔伯特的时候，她叫住了他，并向他伸出手去。

“吉尔伯特，”她腼腆地说，“我……我想谢谢你。你这样做真是太好了。如果我当埃文利村的教师，我就可以在家里更多地照顾玛丽拉。”

“能帮助你我很高兴，安妮，”吉尔伯特说。他笑着紧紧抓住安妮的手。“我们现在可以成为朋友了吗？你现在原谅我叫过你‘胡萝卜’吗？”

安妮笑道：“我很久以前就已经原谅你了。”

“我肯定我们能成为非常好的朋友，安妮。我能送你回家吗？”

当安妮走进格林·盖布尔斯厨房时，玛丽拉说：“你看上去非常高兴，安妮。刚才和你在一起的是吉尔伯特吗？”

“是的，”安妮红着脸回答。“吉尔伯特和我决定成为朋友。哦，玛丽拉，我想我们都会有幸福的生活！我们的工作会很辛苦，但我们会很快乐。我们将留住我们心爱的老农场！还有什么比这更好呢！”

简 介

“你知道，”鼹鼠说，“我这辈子还从未坐过船。”

“什么？”水鼠叫道。“我亲爱的伙计，你算白活了！相信我，没有什么——真的没有什么——比在船上打发时光更惬意。”

从此，鼹鼠在他的朋友水鼠身边体验到了一种新的生活。在河边，在漫长的金色的夏天，风吹过柳树时，在轻轻低语着它的秘密。生活充满了兴奋和冒险，还有新的朋友：水獭和獾，当然少不了蛤蟆先生——著名的，聪明的，勇敢的，了不起的癞蛤蟆先生……

嗨，那只是蛤蟆自己对自己的评价，他的朋友们可不以为然。当他疯狂迷上驾车时，他变成了一只极愚蠢，极危险的癞蛤蟆……

肯尼斯·格拉姆，1859年生于爱丁堡，死于1932年。他就职于英格兰银行多年，同时也是一名作家。《风语河岸柳》最初只是他讲给他绰号小家鼠的小儿子阿拉斯特听的床边小故事。于1908年出版，从而成为有史以来最著名的儿童读物之一。

1 The river

The Mole worked very hard all morning, cleaning his little home. He brushed, and he washed; he cleaned the floors and the walls, he stood on chairs to wash the tops of cup boards, he got under the beds, he took up the carpets. He cleaned and he cleaned, until his arms and his back ached with tiredness.

It was springtime, and the smell and the sound of spring were everywhere, even in the Mole's dark little house under the ground. And with the spring comes the promise of change, of sunshine, of new green leaves. So it was not surprising that the Mole suddenly put down his brushes and said, 'Oh bother! 'and then, 'I'm tired of cleaning! 'Something up above the ground was calling to him, and he ran out of his house and began to dig his way upwards to the sun.

He dug and he pushed, and he pushed and he dug. 'Up we go! Up we go! 'he said to himself, until at last his nose came out into the sunlight, and he found himself in the warm grass of a field.

'This is fine! 'said the Mole. 'This is better than cleaning! 'The sunshine was warm on his back and the air was filled with the songs of birds. He gave a little jump for happiness, shook himself, and then began to cross the field towards some trees. Here and there he went, through the fields and the woods, looking and smelling and listening. Everywhere animals and birds were busy, talking and laughing, looking for food, making new homes for the spring. The Mole enjoyed it all.

Then, suddenly, he came to a river. He had never seen a river before in his life-this wonderful bright shining thing, which danced its way in and out of the shadows under the trees. It was never still for a minute, hurrying and laughing and talking to itself.

And at once, the Mole was in love with it. He walked along the river bank, listening and watching all the time. At last he sat down on the grass and looked across the river to the bank opposite. There was a dark hole in the bank, and the Mole watched it dreamily, thinking that it would be very pleasant to have a little house by the river. As he watched, he saw some thing shining in the hole. Soon he saw that it was an eye, and then a face appeared as well.

A brown little face, with whiskers.

With bright eyes, and small ears, and thick shiny hair.

It was the Water Rat!

Then the two animals stood up and looked at each other.

'Hello, Mole! 'said the Water Rat.

'Hello, Rat! 'said the Mole.

'Would you like to come over?' asked the Rat.

'Oh, it's easy to talk, 'said the Mole, a little crossly. The river was new to him and he did not know how to get to the other side.

The Rat said nothing, and disappeared. Then he appeared again, in a little blue and white boat, which came quickly across the river towards the Mole. It stopped by the bank, and a moment later the Mole, to his great surprise and excitement, found himself actually sitting in a real boat.

'Do you know, 'he said, as the Rat began to row away from the bank, 'I've never been in a boat before in all my life. '

'What?' cried the Rat. 'My dear fellow, you haven't lived! Believe me, 'he went on seriously, 'there is nothing-really nothing-nicer than just messing about in boats. You can go up river, down river, stay where you are, it really doesn't matter. There's always something to do, but you don't have to do it if you don't want to. You can do what you like. Look here! If you're not busy today, why don't we spend the day on the river together?'

The Mole had listened to all this with great interest. Now he sat back in the comfortable seat and said, 'What a wonderful day this is! Let's start at once! '

But first the Rat went into his hole, and after a while came out carrying a very large and heavy lunch basket. This went in to the boat, under the Mole's feet, and then the Rat began to row down river. The two friends talked from time to time, but mostly the Mole just watched the river dreamily, enjoying the sounds and the smells and the sunlight. At last they turned off the big river into a little side river that came down to join it. The Rat stopped the boat and they got out on to a bank of soft green grass under tall willow trees. It was very quiet and very peaceful.

The Mole sat down and looked around him. 'What a beautiful place! 'he said happily.

'Time for lunch, 'said the Rat, opening the basket. 'Come on, Mole! Let's get to work. '

The Mole was happy to obey, because he was very hungry indeed after all his cleaning earlier in the day. And what a lunch it was! There were cold meats and egg sandwiches, cooked chicken and tomatoes, apples and bananas and a large cake.

When at last they could eat no more, the Mole lay back and watched the river lazily. After a while he sat up.

'I can see a long line of bubbles in the water, 'he said. 'I wonder what it is. '

'Bubbles? Oho! 'said the Rat, and he called out across the river in a friendly kind of way.

The bubbles stopped and turned. Soon a wet whiskery nose appeared above the edge of the bank, and the Otter pulled him self out and shook the water from his coat.

'A lunch party! 'he said, going straight towards the food. 'Why didn't you invite me, Ratty?'

'We didn't plan it, 'explained the Rat. 'We only decided to come this morning. Oh, and this is my friend, Mr Mole. '

'Happy to meet you, 'said the Otter, and the two animals were friends at once.

'All the world seems to be out on the river today, 'said the Otter while he ate. 'I came up this side river to try and get a moment's peace, and then I find you fellows having a lunch party! '

Suddenly there was a noise in the thick bushes behind them, and a big black and white head looked out at them.

'Come on, old Badger! 'shouted the Rat.

The Badger came forward a few steps, then stopped. 'Hmm! A crowd! 'he said crossly, and turned his back and disappeared again into the bushes.

'What a pity! 'said the Rat. 'Dear old Badger! He's a good fellow, but he does hate a crowd. We won't see him again today. But tell us, who's out on the river?'

'Toad's out, for one, 'replied the Otter. 'In his shiny new boat. He's got new boating clothes, and everything! '

The Rat and the Otter looked at each other and laughed.

'Toad's always trying something new, 'the Rat explained to the Mole. 'But he always gets bored so quickly. Last year it was a house-boat, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life living on the river. This year it's rowing-boats. '

'He's a nice fellow, of course, 'said the Otter. 'But he never learns from his mistakes! '

From where they sat they could see a bit of the big river. And just then they saw a rowing-boat going past, and in it a short fat animal, rowing very hard and very badly.

'There's Toad going past now, 'said the Rat. 'Look at him! He'll turn that boat over in a minute. '

'Of course he will, 'laughed the Otter. Toad had now disappeared up river, and the Otter went on, 'Did I ever tell you that story about Toad and the…'

There was a sudden movement in the water near the bank. Something silvery shone for a second, then it was gone. And so was the Otter. The Mole looked down. The Otter's voice was still in his ears, but the Otter had disappeared.

There was just a long line of bubbles in the river.

The Rat sang a little song to himself, and the Mole remembered that it was not at all polite, in the animal world, to say anything if your friends disappeared at any moment, for any reason.

'Well, well, 'said the Rat. 'I suppose we should think about getting home. '

The Mole packed the things away in the lunch basket, and soon the Rat began to row gently homewards while the after noon sun went down behind the trees. The Rat was dreaming quietly to himself, but the Mole was very full of lunch and the excitements of the day. He began to think that he knew every thing about boats now.

And in a while he said, 'Ratty! Pleas, I want to row! '

The Rat shook his head with a smile. 'Not yet, my young friend, 'he said. 'Wait until you've had a few lessons. It's not as easy as it looks. '

The Mole was quiet for a minute or two. But he wanted to row very much indeed. He was sure that he could row as well as Rat. Then, before the Rat could stop him, he jumped up, and pulled the oars out of the surprised Rat's hands. The Rat fell backwards off his seat, calling out, 'Stop it, you silly fellow! You'll have us in the river! '

The Mole made a great dig at the water with the oars, but the oars never touched the water at all. The Mole's legs flew up above his head, and he found himself lying on top of the Rat in the bottom of the boat. Frightened, he tried to get up, got hold of the side of the boat, and the next moment-splash!

Over went the boat, and the Mole and the Rat and the lunch basket were all in the water.

It was the Rat, of course, who pulled the Mole out of the water, who turned the boat right way up, who found the oars, who got the lunch basket from the bottom of the river. And he laughed and laughed.

When all was ready again, the unhappy Mole sat in the boat very wet and very miserable. As they left, he said in a low voice, 'Ratty, my dear friend! I have been so silly and so ungrateful. I really am very sorry indeed. '

'That's all right! 'replied the Rat kindly. 'I'm always in and out of the water myself, so don't worry about it. But I re ally think you should come and stay with me for a while. You'll be very comfortable, and I'll teach you to row and to swim. Soon you'll be as good a boatman as any of us. '

The Mole was almost too happy to speak and could find no words to thank his friend.

When they got home, they had a good hot supper in front of a bright fire while the Rat told exciting stories of life on the river. Then he took the Mole upstairs to the best bedroom, and soon the Mole was lying warm and comfortable, listening to the sound of his new friend the River running past his bedroom window.

That was the first of many wonderful days for the Mole, as the spring turned slowly into a golden summer. He learnt to swim and to row, and he learnt to love the sound of the wind when it went whispering its secrets through the trees and the plants by the river.

1 河

鼹鼠整个早上都在辛苦地打扫着他的小屋。他扫着，洗着；拖地板，掸墙壁，一会儿站在椅子上擦洗着食品柜顶。一会儿钻进床底清理杂物，一会儿又卷起地毯。他不停地清扫着，直到累得胳膊酸脊背疼。

这正是开春时节，到处都充满了春天的气息，就连鼹鼠这个地下阴暗的小窝里也洋溢着春意。春天，意味着万物变化，阳光明媚，新叶吐芽，所以大家一点也不奇怪鼹鼠突然扔下扫帚感叹道：“噢，真无聊！我讨厌大扫除！”地面上有什么东西在召唤着他，他跑出房间，开始挖洞钻向有阳光照耀的地方。

他挖了推，推了挖，嘴里还喃喃自语着“向上！向上！”最后他的鼻子触到了阳光，他发现他正在一块田地的暧烘烘的草丛里。

“这真不错！”鼹鼠说道，“这比大扫除要好的多！”太阳照在他的背上，暖洋洋的，四周有鸟儿在唱着动听的歌。他高兴地蹦了一下，活动活动筋骨，然后穿过田地向树丛走去。他这里走走，那里转转，穿过田野，逛过树林，最大限度地调动自己的视觉，嗅觉和听觉。各处的动物和鸟儿都一边说笑着，一边忙着找食物，忙着为春天筑新巢。鼹鼠可喜欢这些了。

不知不觉，他来到了一条河边。他至今还从未见过河水——这个明澈耀眼的奇妙之物，它欢蹦乱跳地穿梭在岸边树林的倒影之间。它从不停息，匆匆奔流着，却一路欢声笑语。

鼹鼠马上就喜欢上它了。他沿着河岸走着，并一直听着，看着。最后他坐在草地上欣赏着河对岸的风景。那儿有一个黑洞，鼹鼠出神地看着，想：在河边有一间小房子应该会很惬意的。他看着看着，发现有东西在洞里闪烁。很快他看清那是一只眼睛，然后一张脸也出现了。

一张褐色的小脸，长着几根胡须。

眼睛亮亮的，耳朵小小的，毛发厚而亮。

这是只水老鼠。

于是他们俩都站了起来，看着对方。

“你好，鼹鼠！”

“你好，水鼠！”

“你愿意过来吗？”水鼠问道。

“噢，说起来容易，”鼹鼠有点嗔怪地说。河，对他来说是很陌生的，他不知道怎样才能到达河对岸。

水鼠一声没吭便不见了，不久又出现了，坐在一条蓝白相间的小船上，它很快地向鼹鼠这边驶来，靠岸边停了下来。不一会儿，鼹鼠满怀好奇和兴奋地发现他自己确确实实地坐在了一条真正的船上。

“你知道吗，”当水鼠将船划离河岸时，鼹鼠对他说，“我这辈子还从未坐过船呢。”

“什么？”水鼠叫道。“我亲爱的伙计，你算白活了！相信我，”他一本正经地继续着，“没有什么——真的没有什么——比在船上打发时光更惬意。你可以划向河的上游，或下游，还可以随意停下来，一点问题也没有。总有事做，但如果你不想去做也不用勉强，你可以干你愿意干的事。看这儿！如果你今天没事，我们为什么不一起在河上玩它一整天呢？”

鼹鼠带着极大的兴趣听完了这一切。然后，他向后靠坐在那张舒服的座位上回答道：“这将是多么美妙的一天！我们现在就出发吧！”

但是水鼠先回到了洞里，一会儿又出来了，提着一只又大又沉的午餐篮。他把篮子移进船内鼹鼠的脚下，然后开始向下游划去。这俩朋友时不时地聊着天，但更多的时候，鼹鼠仅仅是神思恍惚地注视着河水，享受着自然界的音响，气味，还有阳光。最后他们划离主河道转入一条与大河交汇的小支流。后来水鼠把船停了下来，他们就一起上了岸。岸上高大的柳树掩映着一片松软的绿油油的草地，非常安怡恬静。

鼹鼠坐下来，看了看他的周围，愉快地说道：“多么美丽的地方！”

“该用午餐了，”水鼠边说边打开篮子，“快点，鼹鼠！过来准备吧。”

鼹鼠高兴地服从吩咐，经过一早上的大扫除，他确实非常饿。这是一顿多么丰富的午餐啊！有冷肉和鸡蛋三明治，有炸鸡和西红柿、苹果、香蕉，还有一大块蛋糕。

最后他们再也吃不下了，鼹鼠躺倒在地，懒懒地看着河水。不一会儿，他坐了起来说：“我看见水里有一长串水泡，那是什么？”

“水泡？哦噢！”水鼠友好地向河水那儿叫道。

水泡没了，又转到了另一个地方。很快一个湿漉漉的长着胡须的鼻子出现在河岸边，水獭爬上了岸，抖动着外衣上的水。

“午餐派对！”他边说边径直向食物走去。“你为什么不邀请我，阿鼠？”

“我们不是事先计划好的，”水鼠解释道。“我们今天早上才决定过来的。哦，这是我的朋友，鼹鼠先生。”

“很高兴认识你，”水獭招呼道，这两只动物马上就成了朋友。

“今天所有人似乎都在河上，”水獭边吃边说，“我游到这条支流上是想安静一会儿，不想却碰到你们哥俩在搞午餐派对！”

突然，他们身后浓密的灌木丛里发出了响声，一个大大的黑白脑袋探出头瞅着他们。

“过来，老獾！”水鼠叫道。

獾向前走了几步又停下来，“呣，这么挤！”他愠怒地说着，转身消失在灌木丛里。

“多遗憾！”水鼠叹道。“亲爱的老獾！他人倒不错，就是讨厌人多，今天就甭想见他了。但你给我们说说，谁还在河上？”

“癞蛤蟆出来了，算他一个，”水獭回答道。“坐在他那亮晃晃的新船上，穿着崭新的划船装，总之，什么都是新的！”

水鼠和水獭相互对视一下，然后笑了起来。

“癞蛤蟆总是在尝试新鲜的玩意儿，”水鼠向鼹鼠解释。“但他总是很快又厌倦了。去年是一种房子船，他曾打算在河上度过他的余生。今年他又喜欢上了划艇。”

“当然，他这哥们儿不错，”水獭接着说，“但是他从来不从他的错误里吸取教训！”

从他们坐的地方能看见大河的一点风景。这时，他们恰好看到一艘划艇经过，一只短粗肥胖的动物正在非常吃力、非常笨拙地划船。

“正朝这边来的就是蛤蟆，”水鼠说，“看他！很快就会把船弄翻的。”

“那是当然的，”水獭笑道，癞蛤蟆此时已不在他们视线里了，水獭继续着，“我曾告诉过你关于蛤蟆的故事和那……”

只见岸边的水突然晃动了一下，什么东西银光一闪便不见了，水獭也一晃眼就离开了。鼹鼠低头看着河水，水獭的声音仍在耳边未落，但身影已消失。河面上仅仅留下了一长串水泡。

水鼠自个儿哼着歌，鼹鼠记起来了：在动物世界里，不管你的朋友在何时为何事突然消失，你都不能发表任何看法，否则就会被视为无礼。

“好了，好了，”水鼠说。“我想我们该准备回家了。”

鼹鼠把东西收拾到午餐篮里，很快水鼠就开始轻松地划着船回去了。午后的太阳已落在树后，水鼠在那儿一声不吭沉浸在自己的梦中，鼹鼠则满肚子的午餐，满脑子的兴奋。他开始认为他现在完全了解船了。

过了一会，他说：“阿鼠！拜托，我想划船！”

水鼠微笑着摇摇头。“还不行，我年轻的朋友，”他说。“等你学了几招再划，这并不像看起来那么简单。”

鼹鼠安静了一两分钟，但是他确实非常想划船，他相信他能划得像水鼠那样好。紧接着，他跳了起来，水鼠还没来得及阻止，他已从吃惊的水鼠手中抽过船桨。水鼠从座位上摔了下来，叫道：“停下，你这傻蛋！你会把我们弄下水的！”

鼹鼠用木桨在水面上划过很大的弧度，但双桨根本挨不着水，而他的腿已翘过他的头，他发现他正压在摔倒在船底板上的水鼠身上。惊恐中，他试图站起来，便抓住船的一边，只听——扑通一声。

船翻了，鼹鼠，水鼠，午餐篮统统落入水里。

是水鼠，当然是水鼠把鼹鼠拉出水面，是他把船翻正，找回双桨，从河底捞出午餐篮，然后他笑个不停。

待一切收拾停当，鼹鼠不开心地坐在船上，浑身湿漉漉的，非常可怜。当他们起程回家时，他低声地说，“阿鼠，我亲爱的朋友！我是多么愚蠢，多么不知好歹，我真的非常抱歉。”

“没什么！”水鼠友善地回答道。“我总是在水里出入，不要为此担心。但是我真的认为你应该来和我呆一段时间。你会很舒服的，我将教你划船，教你游泳，不久你就会和我们划得一样好。”

鼹鼠太高兴了，他简直不知道该说什么来感谢他的朋友。

他们回到家，坐在明亮的火炉前用着可口的热乎乎的晚餐，水鼠边吃边说着河上的生活趣事。然后他把鼹鼠带到楼上最好的卧室，不久鼹鼠就暖和地，舒服地躺下了，聆听着他的新朋友——河水——流过窗边的声音。

那是春天慢慢向金色的夏天转变时，鼹鼠所经历的多彩生活的第一天。从那以后，他学着游泳，划船，还学着去喜欢听风声——听它吹过河边的树木和花草时沙沙低语着自己的秘密。

2 The open road

One bright summer morning the Mole and the Rat were out on the river bank, watching the world go by. The Rat was writing a song and was singing quietly to himself as he tried different words.

'Ratty, 'said the Mole, 'could I ask you something?'

'Mmm, 'the Rat said, not really listening. 'Sky, fly, high, die, why…Oh dear! What did you say, Mole?'

'Will you take me to visit Mr Toad? I've heard so much about him, and I do want to meet him. '

'Why, of course, 'said the Rat kindly. 'Get the boat out, and we'll row up there now. Toad's always happy to see his friends. '

'He must be a very nice animal, 'said the Mole, as he got into the boat and took the oars.

'He's the best of animals, 'replied the Rat. 'Kind, friendly-not very clever, perhaps, and sometimes he's just a little bit boastful, but he's a good fellow really. '

The Mole rowed hard up the river and in a while they came to a large red house, with beautiful gardens reaching down to the water's edge.

'There's Toad Hall, 'said the Rat. 'It's a lovely old house-Toad is very rich, you know, and this is really one of the nicest houses on the river. But we never say that to Toad, of course. '

They left their boat by the boathouse at the end of the gar den. The boathouse was full of expensive boats, which looked new and mostly unused.

The Rat looked around him. 'I see that all the boats are out of the water, 'he said. 'I suppose Toad has finished with boating now and has some new interest to amuse him. '

They walked over the grass towards the house and soon found Toad, resting in a garden-chair and carefully studying a large map.

'Wonderful! 'he cried, as he saw them. 'You're just the fellow that I wanted to see, Ratty. 'He jumped up and came towards them, talking all the time, and gave the Rat no time to introduce the Mole. 'I need you very much-both of you. You've got to help me. It's most important! '

'It's about your rowing, I suppose, 'said the Rat, keeping his face very serious. 'You will learn to do it in the end, you know, if you're patient and work hard and----'

'Oh, bother boats! 'the Toad said crossly. 'I've finished with boats. Silly way to pass the time. No, I've discovered the real thing-the best way, the only way, to spend one's life. Come with me, dear Ratty, and your kind friend too, and I will show you! '

He took them round to the other side of the house, and there they saw a shiny new gipsy caravan. It had yellow and green sides, and red wheels.

'There you are! 'cried the Toad. 'There's real life for you. The open road, the fields, the hills…villages, towns, cities! Here today, off to a different place tomorrow! Travel, change, interest-the world in front of you! '

The Mole was very interested and excited, and followed the Toad inside the caravan to look around. But the Rat shook his head and waited outside.

When they came down the steps again, the Toad was still talking excitedly to the Mole. 'So you see, everything is ready for when we start this afternoon. '

'What was that?' said the Rat slowly. 'Did you say“we”and “start”and“this afternoon”?'

'Now, dear good old Ratty, 'said Toad quickly, 'don't talk in that cross voice. You know you've got to come. You can't stay by your boring old river all your life. I want to show you the world! '

'I don't care, 'said the Rat calmly. 'I'm not coming, and that's final. I'm going to stay by my old river, and what's more, Mole's going to stay with me, aren't you, Mole?'

'Of course I am, 'said the Mole bravely. But his face looked sad. Poor Mole! He thought that life in a caravan on the open road would be an exciting adventure.

The Rat saw his sad face and felt worried. He liked his friends to be happy and he could see that the Mole really wanted to go.

Toad watched them both carefully. 'Come in and have some lunch, 'he said pleasantly, 'and we'll talk it over. '

During lunch-which was excellent, of course, because everything at Toad Hall always was-the Toad talked and talked. He was full of wonderful plans. How interesting each day would be! What adventures the three friends would have together! Ah, the happiness of the travelling life!

In the end, of course, the Rat agreed to go, and by the evening they found themselves on a lonely hillside miles from home. It had been a golden afternoon, and even the Rat had enjoyed the journey so far. Only the old grey horse was not very happy. He had to do all the hard work of pulling the caravan, and he was not at all pleased about it.

The next morning the Toad was still sleeping deeply when the other two got up. They shook him very hard but couldn't wake him, so they had to do all the work. The Rat took care of the horse, lit the fire, and did last night's washing-up. The Mole walked to the nearest village, a long way away, to get milk and eggs and bread, which the Toad had, of course, for gotten to bring. And when at last the Toad got up, he said what a pleasant easy life it was on the open road.

The day passed happily as they travelled over green hills and along narrow country roads. But the next morning the Rat and the Mole got Toad out of bed and made sure that he did some of the work. Because of this, Toad said very little about a pleas ant easy life. Later, he even tried to get back into bed, but the Mole and the Rat pulled him out again.

The end of their journey came very suddenly. In the after noon they were travelling along a big road. The Mole was walking beside the horse, and the Toad and the Water Rat were walking behind the caravan, talking together. Actually, the Toad was talking, and the Rat was listening-some of the time.

Then they heard a noise behind them, and looking back, they saw a small cloud of dust. It made a 'Poop-poop! 'sound, and it was coming towards them very fast indeed.

Seconds later, the peace of the afternoon was destroyed in a storm of noise and wind and dust. The' poop-poop' rang with a shout in their ears, and an enormous, long, shining motorcar roared past them and disappeared over the hill.

The old grey horse, wild with fear, tried to get off the road. The caravan's wheels began to go down into the ditch along the edge. Then there was a terrible crash-and the beautiful yellow and green caravan lay helplessly on its side.

The Rat jumped up and down in the road, shouting angrily. 'Stupid, dangerous people! The police should lock you up in prison! '

He and the Mole managed to calm the horse, and then they went to look at the caravan. Two wheels had come off, the windows were broken, and bits of wood lay everywhere. They tried to pull it out of the ditch, but they couldn't move it.

'Hi! Toad! 'they cried. 'Come and help us, can't you! '

The Toad never answered a word, so they went to see what was the matter with him. They found him sitting in the middle of the road, with a dreamy smile on his face and happily whispering, 'Poop-poop! '

The Rat shook him, not very gently. 'Are you coming to help us, Toad?' he asked crossly.

'Oh, what happiness! 'whispered Toad to himself. 'The real way to travel! The only way to travel! Here one minute-miles away in seconds! Wonderful! Poop-poop! '

'Oh, do stop being so silly, Toad! 'cried the Mole.

'And I never knew! 'the Toad went on dreamily. 'I never dreamt! What clouds of dust will fly up behind me as I drive like the wind! I've finished with silly old caravans for ever. Poop-poop! '

'What are we going to do with him?' the Mole asked the Water Rat.

'Nothing, 'replied the Rat. 'There's nothing that we can do. I know Toad. When he gets a new idea into his head, he al ways goes crazy at first. He'll be like this for some days now. Come on, we'll have to do everything by ourselves. '

They had to leave the caravan in the ditch and walk to the nearest town, five or six miles away. There they asked some body to take care of the horse, and found somebody who agreed to fetch the broken caravan. Then they caught a train to a station near Toad Hall, took Toad home, went down to the boat, and then at last they sat down to a late supper in Rat's comfortable little home by the river.

The next day was a lazy one. In the evening the Mole was sitting on the river bank fishing, when the Rat, who had been to visit friends, came to find him.

'Heard the news?' the Rat said. 'Everybody's talking about it, all along the river bank. Toad went up to town by an early train this morning. And he has ordered a large and very expensive motor-car. '

2 宽敞的公路

一个灿烂的夏日早晨，鼹鼠和水鼠在河岸边散步，欣赏着世界的变幻。水鼠正在写一首歌，他试着用不同的词轻声地自哼自唱。

“阿鼠，”鼹鼠说，“我能问你一些事吗？”

“呣，”水鼠似听非听地说着，“天空、飞翔、高潮、死亡，为什么……噢，亲爱的！你说什么，鼹鼠？”

“你能带我去拜访癞蛤蟆先生吗？我已听了许多有关他的事，我确实想见他。”

“呃，当然，”水鼠和善地说，“把船拉出来，我们现在就划过去，蛤蟆一直都很乐意见他的朋友。”

“他一定是只很不错的动物，”鼹鼠边说边走上船拿起双桨。

“他是动物中最好的，”水鼠回答道。“善良，友好——也许不很聪明，有时他仅仅有点爱吹牛，但是他确实是个好人。”

鼹鼠吃力地向上游划着，不一会儿他们到了一所大大的红房子前面，那儿美丽的花园一直延伸到河的边缘。

“那是蛤蟆宅第，”水鼠说，“一所可爱的老宅——癞蛤蟆很富有，你知道吧，这是河边最好的房子之一。当然我们从来没有对蛤蟆这样说过。”

他们把船停在花园尽头的船室里，船室内停满了昂贵而崭新的船，看上去大多没用过。

水鼠看了看他的周围，说：“我发现所有的船都没停在水里，我猜蛤蟆现在不再玩船了，肯定又有什么新鲜有趣的东西吸引着他。”

他们穿过草坪向房子走去，很快便看见了癞蛤蟆，他正坐在花园椅里仔细地研究着地图。

“太棒了！”癞蛤蟆一看到他们就叫了起来。“我正想见你呢，阿鼠，”他跳了起来，向他们走去，嘴里说个不停，根本不给水鼠时间来介绍鼹鼠。“我非常需要你——你们俩。你们得帮我，这是最最重要的！”

“我想，是关于划船吧，”水鼠一本正经地说。“你总算要学了，你知道吧，如果你耐心点，刻苦点，再——”

“噢，讨厌的船！”癞蛤蟆气恼地说。“我不再划船了，简直是打发日子的傻办法。是的，我已发现了一个真正的活法——最好的，唯一的活法。跟我来，亲爱的阿鼠，还有你好心的朋友，我要带你们去看看！”

他带他们绕到了房子的另一头，那儿他们看见一辆锃亮崭新的吉普赛大篷车，镶滚着黄绿边，轮子是红色的。

“你们看！”癞蛤蟆叫道，“这才是属于你们的真正的生活。宽敞的公路、原野、山峦……村庄、城镇、都市！今天在这儿，明天到另一个不同的地方！旅行、变幻、趣味——世界就在你的面前！”

鼹鼠觉得非常有趣，非常兴奋，他跟着癞蛤蟆走进大篷车参观，但水鼠摇着头，在外面等着。

当他们再次踩踏脚板下来时，蛤蟆仍兴奋地对鼹鼠说：“你看见了，一切已准备就绪，我们今天下午就出发。”

“你说什么？”水鼠慢慢地说，“你是说‘我们’‘今天下午’‘出发’？”

“好了，亲爱的好阿鼠，”蛤蟆急忙说，“不要用那种厉害的口气说话，你知道，你该有所进展了，你不能一辈子呆在你那条乏味的老河边，我想带你看看外面的世界！”

“我不在乎，”水鼠平静地说，“我不想有所改变，这就是我最终的决定，我将呆在我的老河旁，另外，鼹鼠将和我呆在一起，是不是，鼹鼠？”

“当然，是这样，”鼹鼠勇敢地说，但却显得有些垂头丧气，可怜的鼹鼠！他想：坐在大篷车里走在宽敞的公路上的生活一定是很刺激有趣的经历。

水鼠看着他那伤感的样子，很担心。他希望他的朋友开心快乐，他能看出鼹鼠真的想去。

癞蛤蟆审视着他们俩，然后愉快地说：“进来用点午餐，然后再聊这事。”

就餐时——午餐当然是一流的，因为蛤蟆宅第的一切总是如此——癞蛤蟆说个没完。他满脑子美妙的计划，每一天都将多么有趣！他们三位朋友在一起将会有多么刺激兴奋的经历！啊，幸福的旅行生活！

最后，当然，水鼠同意去了。傍晚他们到了离家数里的一个孤零零的山坡上。那是一个金色的下午，现在甚至水鼠也非常喜欢这次旅行。只有老灰马不很乐意，他得干所有拉大篷车的苦力活，他根本就不爱这份工作。

第二天早上，水鼠和鼹鼠起床了，癞蛤蟆还在呼呼大睡。他们俩用力摇他，但弄不醒他，因此他们不得不干所有的活。水鼠照料马，生起火，还清洗了昨晚的脏物。鼹鼠则步行长长的一段路到最近的村庄去弄些牛奶、鸡蛋和面包，这些，癞蛤蟆当然忘了随车带来。最后癞蛤蟆起床了，他说，在宽敞公路上的旅行生活是多么轻松愉快。

然后，他们翻过青山，沿着一条狭窄的乡村小路旅行着，就这样快快乐乐地过了一天。但是第三天早上，水鼠和鼹鼠把癞蛤蟆从床上拉了起来，要他也干些活。就为这，癞蛤蟆很少再说多么轻松愉快之类的话了。后来他甚至还想回到床上继续睡觉，但鼹鼠和水鼠又把他拉了出来。

他们的旅行结束得很突然。那天下午，他们正行进在一条大马路上，鼹鼠走在马旁，癞蛤蟆和水鼠在大篷车后面边走边聊着天，确切地说——很多时候——癞蛤蟆在说，水鼠在听。

这时他们听见身后有什么声音，便回过头，他们看见一小团尘雾，发着“扑扑-扑扑”的声音，正朝他们疾速地席卷而来。

几秒钟之后，下午的宁静就在一阵嘈杂中、风中、尘雾中被打破了。伴随着震耳欲聋的“扑扑-扑扑”声，一辆巨大的、长长的、锃亮的汽车从他们身边呼啸而过，消失在山那边。

老灰马极度恐惧试图离开公路。大篷车的轮子便开始顺着路沿向沟里滑去，然后只听一阵可怕的稀里哗啦声——美丽的黄绿大篷车无助地歪倒在地。

水鼠在公路上又蹦又跳，愤怒地喊道：“愚蠢、危险的人！警察应该把你们关在监狱里！”

他和鼹鼠设法使老马安静，然后开始检查大篷车。车的两只轮子掉了，窗子也摔烂了，木头片到处都是。他们试着把它从沟里拉出来，但却弄不动它。

“嗨，癞蛤蟆！”他们叫道，”过来帮帮我们，行不行，你！”

癞蛤蟆不答一句话，因此他们走过去看看他是怎么了。只见他坐在公路中间，脸上挂着梦幻似的微笑，嘴里愉快地嘟哝着，“扑扑-扑扑！”

水鼠用力地摇着他，“你能不能过来帮帮我们，癞蛤蟆？”他生气地问。

“噢，多么幸福！”癞蛤蟆自言自语道，“旅行的真正方式！旅行的唯一方式！刚才在这儿，几秒钟后就在数里之外！太棒了！扑扑-扑扑！”

“噢，不要犯傻了，癞蛤蟆！”鼹鼠叫道。

“而我竟不知道！”癞蛤蟆仍然魂牵梦萦似地继续着，“我从未梦想过！当我风驰电掣似地驾车时，多少尘雾将在我身后扬起！那辆可笑的愚蠢的大篷车将永远消失。扑扑-扑扑！”

“我们将拿他怎么办？”鼹鼠问水鼠。

“没办法，”水鼠回答道，“我们什么也帮不了。我了解癞蛤蟆，当他有了新的想法时，刚开始他总是有些疯狂。他像这样还得过一些日子。过来，我们得自己干完这一切。”

他们不得不将大篷车先留在沟里，步行到五、六英里以外最近的城镇。在那儿，他们叫人照看灰马，又找了个愿意取回破车的人。然后他们坐火车到蛤蟆宅第附近的车站，把癞蛤蟆送回家后，他们坐上船，最后终于坐在了水鼠舒服的河边小屋吃迟到的晚餐。

第二天是慵懒的一天。傍晚时分鼹鼠坐在河岸钓鱼，水鼠拜访朋友回来后找到了他。

水鼠对他说：“听到消息了吗？河岸边的每个人都在谈论这件事。癞蛤蟆今早搭头班火车去了城镇，订购了一辆非常昂贵的大汽车。”

3 The Wild Wood

The Mole had wanted for a long time to meet the Badger. He often spoke about his wish to the Water Rat, but the Rat didn't seem to want to do anything about it.

'It's all right, 'the Rat always said. 'Badger will come past one day, and then I'll introduce you. '

'Couldn't you invite him to dinner or something?' asked the Mole.

'He wouldn't come, 'said the Rat. 'He hates crowds, and parties, and dinners, and all that kind of thing. '

'Well then, shall we go and visit him?'

'Oh, no! , the Rat said. 'He's very shy, and he wouldn't like that at all. I know him very well, but I've never visited his home. And it's not really possible to go there, because he lives right in the middle of the Wild Wood. '

'You said you would tell me about the Wild Woo, 'said the Mole, 'but you never did. Aren't they-aren't they very nice people in there?'

'Well, 'said the Rat, 'the squirrels are all right, and the rabbits-most of them. And Badger, of course. He likes living there. And nobody gives him any trouble. '

'But who could give trouble?' asked the Mole.

'There are, well, others, 'the Rat went on slowly. 'Weasels…stoats…ferrets, and so on. They're all right in a way. Most of the time. But, well, you wouldn't want to turn your back to them in the dark, and that's a fact. Don't worry about Badger. He'll come along one day. '

But the summer passed and the Badger never came along.

Soon the days grew shorter, and the cold weather kept the animals inside their comfortable houses. The Rat slept a lot in the winter, going to bed early and getting up late. During his short day, he wrote songs and did small jobs in the house. And, of course, there were always animals calling in for a comfort able talk round the fire, telling stories and remembering the good times and the adventures of the past summer.

One afternoon, while the Rat was sleeping peacefully in front of the fire, the Mole decided to go out by himself and take a walk in the Wild Wood. 'Perhaps, 'he thought, 'I'll meet Mr Badger, and then I can introduce myself. '

It was a cold afternoon, with a hard grey sky. The Mole hurried along, enjoying the quietness of the winter day, and after a time he saw in front of him the black shape of the Wild Wood.

He was not at all frightened at first. It was a strange, dark place, but the Mole found that exciting. He went deeper and deeper into the wood, where the light was less and the trees grew close together. Everything was very still now, and the darkness seemed to come down quickly, shutting the Mole off from the outside world.

Then the faces began.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Mole thought that he saw a face looking at him from a hole a little narrow face, with hard unfriendly eyes. When he turned to look straight at it, the thing had disappeared.

He hurried on, telling himself not to be silly. He passed an other hole, and another, and-yes! Eyes were looking at him, then disappearing again into the darkness. Soon, every hole had a face, which watched him with eyes full of hate.

The Mole felt he had to get away from these faces. He turned off the path and hurried into the thickest part of the wood.

Then the whistling began.

It was soft, and far behind him, when he first heard it. Then it seemed to come from in front of him, more loudly. The Mole stopped and listened, then went on again. He was trying hard to stay calm, but his heart was beating very fast. He was alone, and far from help, and the night was coming down quickly.

Then the pattering began.

At first he thought it was only falling leaves, but then the noise grew louder and nearer, and the Mole knew what it was. It was the sound of little feet running-behind him, in front of him, on all sides of him. All the wood seemed to be alive, running, following, chasing something-or somebody. The frightened Mole began to run too, but he did not know where. He ran into trees and bushes, he fell over things and into things, he picked himself up and ran on. At last he found a deep dark hole in the bottom of an old tree and fell into it, too tired to run another step. He lay there, shaking with fear, and listened to the whistlings and the patterings outside. Now he understood why the Rat did not want to talk about it, and why other small animals from the fields and the river bank never came here. Be cause now, the Mole had felt it himself-the Terror of the Wild Wood.

All this time the Rat, warm and comfortable, was sleeping in front of his fire. When he woke up, he looked round for his friend, but the Mole was not there. He called out' Moly! 'several times, and when he heard no answer, he got up and went out into the hall.

The Mole's hat was missing, and so were his boots.

The Rat left the house and looked around. The ground was soft from rain, and he could see clearly which way the Mole had gone-straight towards the Wild wood.

The Rat stood thinking for a moment, looking very serious. Then he went back into the house, took a gun and a thick heavy stick, and hurried away across the fields.

Inside the wood it was nearly dark, and the whistling and the pattering began almost at once. But when the faces in the holes saw the Rat's gun and his thick heavy stick, they disappeared immediately, and everything became still and quiet. Patiently, the Rat began to search the wood from end to end, calling all the time, 'Moly, Moly! Where are you? It's me-it's old Rat! '

At last, to his great happiness, he heard a little answering cry, and soon he found the Mole in his hiding-place in the tree.

'Oh, Ratty! 'cried the Mole. 'I'm so pleased to see you! I've been so frightened, I can't tell you! '

'I can understand that, 'said the Rat kindly. 'You see, Mole, it's really not a good idea to come here alone. We river bankers always come in twos or threes, if we have to come here. Of course, if you're Badger or Otter, then there's no problem. '

'Surely the brave Mr Toad is happy to come here alone, isn't he?' asked the Mole.

'Old Toad?' said the Rat, laughing loudly. 'He doesn't put his nose inside the Wild Wood-much too frightened! '

The Mole felt a little happier when he heard this, but he was still too tired to start the journey home. So he lay down to sleep under some dry leaves, while the Rat sat next to him, patiently waiting.

The Mole woke up feeling much better, and ready to leave. The Rat put his head out of the entrance of the hole, and then the Mole heard him say, 'Oh dear, oh dear! '

'What's the matter, Ratty?' asked the Mole.

'Snow, 'replied the Rat. 'It's snowing hard. But we can't stay here all night-it's too cold, and too dangerous. We'll just have to start walking, and hope. The trouble is, I don't really know where we are, and in the snow everything looks so different. '

It did indeed. The white blanket of snow covered everything, hiding the paths, changing the shapes of the trees and bushes. An hour later, they were wet, cold, aching with tiredness, and had no idea where they were.

They sat down for a rest and were moving on again when the Mole gave a sudden cry and fell forward on his face.

'Oh, my leg! 'he cried. 'I've hit my leg on something really hard. '

'Let's have a look, 'said the Rat, sitting down beside him. 'That's a very deep cut, 'he said, surprised. 'I wonder what…'Suddenly, he got up and began to dig in the snow.

'What are you doing, Ratty?' said the Mole.

The Rat just went on digging. Then he found something, and immediately began to dance round it excitedly.

'Look at this, Mole! 'he shouted. 'Just look at this! '

The Mole looked. Then he looked at his fried. 'It's a doors-craper. Why get excited about a door-scraper?'

'Don't you understand, you silly animal?' cried the Rat.

'I understand that somebody's been very careless, leaving a door-scraper lying in the middle of the Wild Wood, for other people to fall over. And when I get home----'

'Oh, dear, oh dear! 'cried the Rat. 'Just stop arguing, and dig! Or do you want to spend all night in the snow?'

The Mole did what he was told, although he thought his friend was going crazy. The two animals dug and dug, and after ten minutes' hard work they were successful.

The Mole had thought that they were digging into a snow bank, but now he saw that there was a door under the snow. A green door, with a long bell-pull beside it, and a name on it in big letters which said:

MR BADGER

The Mole fell backwards on the snow in surprise. 'Oh, Rat! 'he cried. 'How clever you are! And how stupid I am! '

'Never mind all that, 'said the Rat. 'Just get up and pull on that bell, while I knock on the door. '

The Rat banged on the door with his stick, and the Mole pulled. And from somewhere far under the ground they could just hear the sound of a deep, slow bell.

3 野树林

很长时间以来鼹鼠一直想见獾，他时常把这个愿望告诉水鼠，但水鼠似乎对此无动于衷。

他总是说：“没问题，獾总有一天要经过这儿，到时我会把他介绍给你。”

“你能不能邀请他吃饭或别的什么？”鼹鼠问道。

“他不愿意来。他讨厌人群、派对、聚餐和诸如此类的事。”

“那么，我们是不是应该去拜访他？”

“噢，不！”水鼠答道，“他非常害羞，他根本就不喜欢来访。我跟他很熟，但我从没去过他家。而且去那儿也不大可能，因为他刚好住在野树林中间。”

“你说过要告诉我一些关于野树林的事，但你从没谈过。他们——他们那儿的人不是很好吗？”

“喔，”水鼠说，“松鼠很好，还有野兔——他们中大多数都不错，当然还有獾。他喜欢住在那儿，而且谁也没敢给他找麻烦。”

“但是谁会惹麻烦呢？”鼹鼠问。

“有那么一些，”水鼠不紧不慢地继续说，“黄鼠狼……大白鼬……雪貂等等。大部分时间里他们一般都不错，但是，在黑暗中你别想背对着他们的，这是事实。不要担心獾，他总有一天要经过这儿的。”

但是夏天过去了，獾还是没来过。

不久，白天越来越短，寒冷的天气使得动物们都呆在他们舒适的家里。水鼠在冬季也是早睡迟起，瞌睡很多。在短短的白天里，他在家里写些歌，干些小活。当然，总是有些动物来串门，围坐在火炉边舒舒服服地闲聊，说说故事，回忆逝去的夏日里的美好时光和冒险经历。

一天下午，水鼠在火炉前安睡，鼹鼠决定独个儿出去，到野树林里散散步。“也许，”他想，“我能碰见獾先生，然后我可以作个自我介绍。”

那天下午很冷，天空阴沉沉的。鼹鼠向前赶着路，享受着冬日里的宁静，一会儿，他就看见了前面野树林黑黝黝的轮廓。

这是一个陌生的，阴暗的地方，他起先一点也不害怕，反而觉得很兴奋。他向森林深处走着走着，光线越来越淡，树木长得越来越密。现在一切非常安静，黑暗似乎一下子笼罩下来，将鼹鼠与外面的世界隔绝开来。

然后，出现了许多脸。

从他的眼角，鼹鼠觉得他看见了一张脸正从一个洞里盯着他：一张小小的，窄窄的脸，一双锐利而不友善的眼睛。当他转过去直视它时，那小东西便不见了。

他一边向前奔着，一边告诉自己不要犯傻。他走过一个又一个洞，哇——是的！一双双眼睛在盯着他，然后又消失在黑暗里。很快，每个洞里都有一张脸，用那充满仇恨的眼睛观察着他。

鼹鼠感到他得避开这些脸，于是他离开这条道，向树林最茂密处奔去。

这时，口哨声响了。

他刚听到这种柔和的声音时，觉得是从身后远远的地方发出的。然后这哨声似乎又来自于他的前面，而且声音更响。鼹鼠停下来，听了一会儿，然后继续向前赶路。他努力使自己平静下来，但他的心跳得飞快。他孤立无援，而且夜很快就要降临了。

然后啪喀声开始响了。

起先他以为只是落叶声，但声音越来越大，越来越近，鼹鼠知道是什么了。这是小脚奔跑的声音——在他身后，身前，以及他的四周。整个树林似乎都活了，奔跑着，跟随着，追赶着什么东西或什么人。鼹鼠吓坏了，也开始跑，但他不知道身在何处。他跑进树林和灌木丛里，摔倒在这个或那个东西上面或里面，然后爬起来继续跑。最后他发现一棵老树根部有个深深的黑洞，他掉了进去，累得再也跑不动了。他躺在那儿，听着外面的哨声和脚步声，吓得浑身发抖。现在他知道了为什么水鼠不想谈野树林，为什么田野和河岸上别的小动物从不来这儿，因为现在鼹鼠他自己感受到了它——野树林的恐惧。

这段时间里，水鼠正舒服地睡在暖暖的火炉前。当他醒来，看看四周，没有看到他的朋友。他叫了几声“阿鼹！”，没有回答，他便站了起来，走进客厅。

鼹鼠的帽子不见了，靴子也不在。

水鼠走出屋子，四处看了看。雨后的地面很松软，他能清楚地看见鼹鼠所走的路线——直指野树林。

水鼠显得非常严肃，站在那儿想了一会儿。然后他转身回到屋里，取了一杆枪和一根粗重的木棍，穿过田野向树林奔去。

树林里几乎漆黑一片，哨声和啪嗒声几乎是同时开始。但是当洞里的脸看见水鼠手中的枪和粗棍时，便马上消失了，一切又恢复了平静。水鼠开始耐心地在树林里搜寻，并一直叫着：“阿鼹，阿鼹！你在哪里？是我——我是老阿鼠！”

最后他非常非常高兴地听到了低低的带有哭腔的回答声，很快他便在树底里找到了鼹鼠的藏身处。

“噢，阿鼠！”鼹鼠哭叫着，“我真高兴见到你！我好害怕，我都不知该怎么说！”

“我能理解，”水鼠和善地说，“你看，鼹鼠，独自来这儿真不是好主意。我们河边动物如果有事非来不可时总是三三两两地来这儿。当然如果是獾或水獭，那就没问题。”

“勇敢的癞蛤蟆先生肯定高兴独自来这儿，是不是？”鼹鼠问。

“老蛤蟆？”水鼠大声地笑起来，“他甚至不敢把他的鼻子伸进野树林——他怕得要死！”

鼹鼠听了这个觉得有点儿开心，但他还是太累而不能启程回家。于是他躺在一些干叶上睡着了，水鼠坐在他的身边耐心地等待着。

鼹鼠醒来感到好多了，便准备离开这儿。水鼠把头伸出洞口，这时鼹鼠听到水鼠叫到：“啊呀，啊呀！”

“怎么啦，阿鼠？”鼹鼠问。

“下雪了，”水鼠答道，“雪下得可大啦。但是我们不能在这儿呆一晚上——这太冷，而且很危险。我们得马上动身，这样还有些希望。麻烦的是，我真的不知道我们在哪儿，雪天里什么看起来都与往日不同。”

的确是变了样。雪像白色的毛毯覆盖了一切，遮了小路，改变了树林和灌木丛的形状。一小时以后，他们又湿又冷，累得浑身酸疼，但还是不知道身在何处。

他们坐下来休息了一会儿，又继续向前赶路，这时鼹鼠突然叫了起来，向前摔扒在地。

“噢，我的腿！”他叫道，“有个好硬的东西磕了我的腿。”

“让我看看，”水鼠说着，坐到他的身边。

“好深的一个口子，”他有些吃惊地说，“我想知道什么……”突然他站起来，开始在雪地里挖着。

“你在干什么，阿鼠？”鼹鼠问。

水鼠只是不停地挖。然后他发现了什么，马上开始激动地绕着它跳舞。

“看这，鼹鼠！”他喊道，“就看这！”

鼹鼠看了看，然后又看看他的朋友，“这是门铲，为什么对门铲这么感兴趣？”

“你难道不懂？你这个傻蛋。”水鼠叫道。

“我知道是有人大意，把门铲乱扔在野树林中间绊人。而且当我回家时——”

“噢，天哪！”水鼠叫道，“停止你那论调，赶快挖！难道你想在雪地里度过整个晚上？”

鼹鼠便按吩咐干着，尽管他觉得他朋友有些疯疯傻傻。这俩朋友挖呀挖呀，经过十分钟的辛苦努力，他们终于成功了。

鼹鼠原以为他们挖的是一个雪堆，但现在他看见雪下有一扇门。一扇绿色的门，旁边有一根长长的门铃拉绳，门上用大大的字体写着：

獾 先 生

鼹鼠吃惊地向后坐倒在雪地上。“噢，水鼠！”他叫道，“你真聪明而我真是太笨了！”

“不要说这些了，”水鼠说，“赶快站起来拉那个门铃，我来敲门。”

鼹鼠便去拉门铃，水鼠则用他的棍子猛敲着门。他们能听见从地底下一个远远的地方传来的低沉悠长的门铃声。

4 A meeting with Mr Badger

They waited patiently for a very long time, jumping up and down in the snow to keep warm. At last they heard feet coming slowly towards the door. Then the door opened, just enough to show a long nose and pair of sleepy eyes.

'And who, 'said a deep, angry voice, 'is making visits at this time of night?'

'Oh, Badger, 'cried the Rat, 'let us in, please. It's me, Rat, and my friend Mole, and we're lost in the snow. '

'What?' said the Badger, in a very different voice. 'My dear Ratty! Lost in the snow, and in the Wild Wood! Come in at once, both of you, and get yourselves warm. '

That was a wonderful moment for the Mole and the Rat, when they heard the door close behind them, shutting out the Wild Wood. They followed the Badger down long dark tunnels until they came into a large kitchen. There was a bright fire, with comfortable armchairs round it, and a great wooden table with long seats.

'This is not the kind of night for small animals to be out, 'the Badger said, in a fatherly way. 'Sit yourselves down by the fire, while I get you some supper. '

Soon the Mole and the Rat were warm and dry, and the dangers of the Wild Wood seemed a long way away, like a bad dream. Then supper arrived. It was enough for ten small hungry animals, and the Rat and the Mole realized just how hungry they were. When at last they could eat no more, they sat with the Badger round the fire, and told him the story of their adventures.

Then the Badger said, 'Now then! Tell me the news from your part of the world. How's old Toad getting on?'

'He's going from bad to worse, 'said the Rat sadly. 'He had another crash only last week, and a bad one. You see, he thinks he's a wonderful driver, the best in the world. But he isn't. He's terrible! But he won't take lessons, he won't lis ten to anyone. '

'How many has he had?' the Badger asked.

'Crashes, or motor-cars?' asked the Rat. 'Well, with Toad, it's the same thing. This is the seventh car, and the seventh crash. His garage is full to the roof with bits of broken motor car! '

'He's been in hospital twice, 'the Mole added. 'The police have arrested him for dangerous driving three or four times. And he's spending so much money! '

'That's another problem, 'the Rat went on. 'Toad's rich, we all know that; but his money won't last for ever. Sooner or later, one of two things will happen. He'll kill himself in a crash, or he'll have no money left at all. Badger! We're his friends-can't we do something?'

The Badger thought for a while. 'You know, don't you, that I can't do anything now?' he said at last.

'No, no, of course not, 'the Rat and the Mole said together. Everybody knew that in the animal world the winter was a time for rest and sleep. Nobody wanted to do anything important or tiring.

'Very well, 'continued the Badger. 'But when the days are longer and warmer, then we'll do something. We-you and me and our friend the Mole here-we'll try to teach Toad a lesson. We won't listen to any silliness. We'll bring him back to reason, and turn him into a sensible Toad at last. But now, it's time for bed. Don't hurry tomorrow morning-come for breakfast as late as you want! '

The two tired animals slept long and deeply, and came down to breakfast very late indeed. In the kitchen they found two young hedgehogs, busy with bowls of bread and hot milk.

'Hello! 'said the Rat pleasantly. 'Where did you two come from? Lost your way in the snow, I suppose?'

'Yes, sir, 'said one of the hedgehogs politely. 'We got lost on the way to school, and Mr Badger said we could come in and have some breakfast. '

The breakfast things were all ready on the table, and the Mole and the Rat quickly got to work. The Rat made the coffee while the Mole fried several pieces of bread and an enormous number of eggs.

When the door bell rang, one of the hedgehogs went to answer the door. He came back followed by the Otter, who gave a shout of happiness when he saw the Rat. He ran across the room and almost knocked the Rat off his chair.

'Get off! ' said the Raf, with his mouth full of fried bread.

'I thought I'd find you here all right, 'said the Otter happily. ' Everybody along the river bank has been so worried about you. Rat never came home last night, and nor did Mole; something terrible has happened, they said. But if anyone's in trouble, Badger usually gets to hear about it, so I came straight here this morning. And oh my, didn't the Wild Wood look grand, with the snow everywhere and the red sun coming up, shining through the black trees! Halfway here I met one of those silly rabbits. He told me that Mole had lost his way last night, and that “They” were out and chasing him all over the wood . I' d like to meet one of “Them” myself this morning, and tell them what I think. '

' Weren' t you at all—um－afraid? asked the Mole, remembering how frightened he had been.

' Afraid?' The Otter laughed and showed this strong white teeth. ' I don' t think any of them would argue with me. Here, Mole, be a good fellow and fry me some eggs. I' m terribly hungry, and I've got a lot to talk about with Ratty here. Haven't seen him for weeks. '

Breakfast was almost finished when the Badger entered, looking sleepy. ' It' s nearly time for lunch, ' he said. ' Stay and have some with us, Otter. You must be hungry this cold morning. '

The hedgehogs were sent home, the breakfast things were cleared away, and soon the four animals sat down to lunch together. The Rat and the Otter were having a long conversation about river-bank matters, so the Mole began to talk to the Badger.

' This is a wonderful, comfortable home you have here, ' he said. ' There' s really nothing better than a place underground like this. You can shut off the world up there when you don't want it. And when you do, you can just go up and there' s the world waiting for you. '

The Badger smiled warmly at him. ' That' s just what I say, ' he replied. ' Down here, you' re safe and dry and warm. With a house above ground, you' ve got to worry about fire, and wind and rain, holes in the roof and broken windows. No, above ground is fine in its way, but one' s home should be underground. '

The Mole agreed with everything that the Badger said. His own little home was underground, so it was natural for him to feel comfortable there. He and the Badger became very friendly, and after lunch the Badger took him all round his home, down tunnel after tunnel, through room after room. The Mole was interested in everything and thought it was all wonderful. '

When they got back to the kitchen, the Rat was walking up and down, very restless. Unlike the Mole, he didn' t really feel comfortable underground. He wanted to be back in his own home, where the windows looked out over the river, and where he could hear the wind whispering through the trees.

' Come along, Mole, ' he said. ' We must get off while it's daylight. We don't want to spend another night lost in the Wild Wood. '

' It' s all right, ' said the Otter. ' I' m coming with you and I know all the paths. '

'You mustn' t worry, Ratty, ' added the Badger calmly. ' My tunnels go further than you think, and I' ve several back doors at the edge of the wood-although I keep them secret from most people. '

So the journey home was really very easy. When they came out of the Badger's secret back door, they found a path across the fields and soon they could see the river in front of them. The Mole looked back at the Wild Wood for a moment, thinking of the terror that he had felt there. Then he hurried on after the others, happy to be back in the open fields, and looking forward to the bright firelight of home.

4 与獾先生相遇

他们耐心地等了很长时间，在雪地里又蹦又跳以保持身体的暖和。最后他们终于听到了脚步慢腾腾地向门口走来。然后门开了，仅仅够露出一只长鼻子和一对困倦的眼睛。

“是谁，”一个低沉、愠怒的声音问道，“这么晚还来串门？”

“噢，獾，”水鼠叫道，“请让我们进去。是我，水鼠，还有我的朋友鼹鼠，我们在雪地里迷路了。”

“什么？”獾用完全不同的语调说，“亲爱的阿鼠！在雪地里迷路，在野树林！赶快进来，你们俩，先暖和暖和。”

听到门在他们身后关起来，把野树林隔离在外，对鼹鼠和水鼠来说，这真是美妙的时刻。他们跟着獾向下走过长长的黑通道，来到一个大大的厨房。那儿有明亮的炉火，四周摆放着舒服的扶手椅，一张特大的木桌和长椅。

“这种夜晚小动物们是不应该出来的，”獾慈父般地说，“坐在火边，我给你们取点晚餐。”

很快他们就烤干了衣服，也感觉暖和了，野树林的危险像一场恶梦显得已很遥远。晚餐准备好了。它够十只饥饿的小动物吃个饱，水鼠和鼹鼠也才意识到他们已饥肠辘辘了。他们吃饱了以后，便与獾围坐在火炉边，说着他们的危险经历。

最后獾安慰道，“现在好了！告诉我你们那边的消息，老蛤蟆怎么样啦？”

“他的情况越来越糟糕了，”水鼠难过地说，“上星期他又撞车了，很严重。你知道，他自己认为他是驾车能手，是世界上最好的。但是他不是，他很差劲！但他不吸取教训，也听不进别人的劝告。”

“他已有多少了？”獾问。

“撞车，还是汽车？”水鼠问。“不过，对于蛤蟆来说是一样的。这是第七辆车，也是第七次撞车。他的车库里堆满了撞坏的汽车残骸！”

“他还住了两次医院，”鼹鼠补充道。“因为危险驾车，他被警察抓过三四次，他正在花大把的钱呢！”

“那是另一个问题，”水鼠接着说。“癞蛤蟆很富，我们大家都知道；但他不可能永远有钱的。迟早总有一件事要发生。他要么被撞死在车祸中，要么一无所有。獾！我们是他的朋友——难道我们不能为他做些什么？”

獾想了一会儿，最后说，“你知道的，难道你忘了，我现在什么也干不成吗？”

“不，不，当然不是现在，”水鼠和鼹鼠齐声说。每个人都知道，在动物世界里冬季是休息和睡眠的季节，没有谁想干任何重要或吃力的事情。

“很好，”獾继续说。“但是日子变长变暖后，我们还是会干些事的。我们——你和我，还有我们的朋友，鼹鼠——我们设法教训他一下。我们不愿再听到任何蠢事了。我们要让他恢复理智，最后变成聪明的癞蛤蟆。但是现在该睡觉了，明天早上不要赶时间——睡够了再用早餐！”

这两只疲倦的动物沉沉入睡了很长时间，的确很迟才下来吃早餐。在厨房里他们看见两只小豪猪正忙着吃碗里的面包和热牛奶。

“你们好！”水鼠愉快地说，“你们俩从哪儿来？在雪地里迷路了吧，我猜？”

“是的，先生，”其中一只豪猪礼貌地答道，“我们去学校的路上迷了路，獾先生说我们可以进来用些早餐。”

早餐配料已准备好在桌子上，鼹鼠和水鼠很快开始工作。水鼠煮咖啡，鼹鼠煎了几片面包和一大堆鸡蛋。

门铃响了，一只豪猪起身去开门，回来时后面跟着水獭，当他看见水鼠，高兴地叫了起来。他小跑着穿过房间，差点把水鼠从椅子上撞了下来。

“走开！”水鼠说道，嘴里塞满了煎面包。

“我想我会在这儿见到你们安安全全的，”水獭高兴地说，“河岸边的每个人一直都很担心你们。他们说，水鼠昨晚没回家，鼹鼠也没有，一定发生了什么可怕的事。但是，只要有人遇到麻烦，獾常常能听说点什么的，因此我今早就直接过来了。噢，野树林是不是看起来很壮观，到处都是积雪，红红的太阳升起来，透过茂密的树林照射下来！半路上我碰到一只傻野兔，他说昨晚鼹鼠迷了路；‘他们’出来，满树林里追赶他。我今早倒愿意碰见‘他们’中的一个，然后告诉他我是怎么想的。”

“难道你——一点也不害怕？”想起他吓得半死，鼹鼠不禁问道。

“害怕？”水獭笑起来，露出他那坚硬的白齿，“我想他们中还没谁敢和我作对吧。好了，鼹鼠，好伙计，给我煎些蛋。我饿得很，而我现在有许多话要和阿鼠说，几个星期没见他了。”

早餐几乎结束了，獾才睡眼惺松地走了进来。“马上该用午餐了，”他说道，“留下和我们一块吃些吧，水獭。早上这么冷你一定很饿吧。”

豪猪被送回家了，早餐的用品也被清理干净，不久这四只动物又坐在一起吃午饭了。水鼠一直和水獭聊着河岸边的事情，因此鼹鼠开始和獾交谈。

“你这个房子真好，真舒服，”他说。“真的没有比像地下这儿更好的地方了。你不想见它，就可以把世界关在你的上面；你愿意，你只要走上去，就有一个世界等着你。”

獾对他温和地微笑着。“这正是我的看法，”他回答道，“在地下，你是安全、干燥、温暖的。住在地面上的房子里，你得担心火、风和雨，还有房顶上的洞和破窗户。是的，从某种意义上说，地上的房子是不错，但‘家’应该在地下。”

鼹鼠非常同意獾的说法。他自己的小家就在地下，因此他觉得这儿舒服是很自然的。他和獾之间变得非常的默契，午餐后，獾带他去参观他的家，向下穿过了一个又一个通道，走过了一间又一间房子。鼹鼠对什么都感兴趣，认为这里的一切都是那么美妙。

当他们回到厨房，水鼠正在那儿来回踱步，一副很不安的样子。不像鼹鼠，他在地下感到不太舒服，他想回到他自己的家，在那儿，从窗户里能看见潺潺河水，能听到风过河岸树时的轻轻低语。

“快点，鼹鼠，”他说。“趁天亮，我们得马上走。我们不想在野树林里再迷失去路而浪费又一个晚上。”

“没问题，”水獭说，“我和你们作伴，我熟悉所有的路。”

“你不必担心，阿鼠，”獾平静地补充道。“我的地道要比你们想的远得多，在树林的尽头，我开了几个后门——尽管我对大多数人都保守着这个秘密。”

因此回家就真的很容易了。当他们走出獾的秘密后门，他们就看见了穿过田野的小路，很快他们就看到了前面的河。鼹鼠回过头看着野树林，想了一会他在那儿的可怕经历，然后急忙赶上他俩，庆幸自己又回到了广阔的田野，并期待着炉火明亮的家。

5 A lesson for Mr Toad

Winter passed, and spring returned to the river bank. Then came a fine morning in early summer, when the world seemed full of sunlight and new green leaves. Down by the river bank, the Mole and the Water Rat were hard at work, mending and cleaning boats, looking for lost oars, and getting ready for a summer on the river. Then they went in to breakfast and had nearly finished when they heard a heavy knock on the door.

The Mole went to see who it was, and came back with a very surprised face. ' Mr Badger' he said.

This was a wonderful thing indeed, for the Badger to come and visit them. He came into the room and stood looking at them, very seriously. The Rat dropped his egg-spoon, and sat open-mouthed.

'The hour has come! 'said the Badger at last.

'What hour?' asked the Rat worriedly, looking at the clock on the wall.

' Whose hour, you mean, 'replied the Badger. ' Why, Toad's hour! The hour of Toad! I said I would teach him a lesson when the summer came, and I'm going to begin today. '

' Toad's hour, of course! 'cried the Mole. ' I remember now. We'll teach him to be a sensible Toad! '

'I learnt last night, ' continued the Badger, ‘ that another new and very fast motor-car has just arrived at Toad Hall. You two must come with me immediately, and we will save Toad from this madness. '

' Right! ' cried the Rat, jumping up. ' Let's go at once. '

When they reached Toad Hall, they saw the new motor-car in front of the house. It was long, shiny, and bright red-Toad's favourite colour. Then Toad himself came down the steps in an enormous overcoat, hat and driving goggles.

' Hello, you fellows! 'Toad called. 'Come for a drive. You're just in time to…to…'

He saw his friends' serious faces and stopped.

The Badger walked up the steps. ' Come inside the house, Toad, 'he said. 'We have to talk to you. '

The three of them took Toad inside and shut the door.

'Now, ' the Badger said to Toad, 'first of all, take off those silly driving-clothes. '

'No, I won't! ' replied Toad. ' What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself at once! '

'Take his things off, you two, ' ordered the Badger.

It wasn't easy to do. The Rat had to sit on Toad, while the Mole pulled off his overcoat, hat and goggles . And Toad called them some very unpleasant names while this was going on. But when he stood up again, he seemed more like himself, the Toad that they had always known.

' You knew this would happen one day, Toad, ' explained the Badger. 'We've warned you so many times, and you haven' t listened. You're spending all your money, you're al-ways in trouble with the police, and you drive like a madman. You will come with me into the next room, and there you will hear some facts about yourself. And you will come out a different Toad. '

He took Toad into a room off the hall and closed the door. The Rat shook his head.

' We won't save Toad by just talking to him, ' he said. 'He'll say anything— and then just go and do what he likes. '

After about an hour the door opened, and a very sad and sorry Toad came out, followed by the Badger.

' My friends, ' said the Badger, looking pleased, ' I' am happy to tell you that Toad now realizes how silly he has been. He has promised never to get into a motor-car again. '

'That is very good news, ' said the Mole seriously.

'Very good indeed, 'the Rat said, watching Toad's face carefully.

'Now, Toad, ' continued the Badger, 'I'd like you to repeat your promise in front of your friends. '

There was a long, long silence.

' No! ' said Toad suddenly. ' No, I won't. I'm not sorry, and I haven't been silly at all. It was all wonderful! And I won't promise anything! '

'What?' cried the Badger. 'But in there you told me—'

'Yes, yes, I know, 'said Toad quickly. ' You argue so beautifully, dear Badger, and I can't stop myself agreeing with you. But I' ve been thinking about it. I love driving, I' m a wonderful driver, and I promise you I' ll go on driving for ever! Poop-poop! '

' I told you so, didn' t I? ' the Rat said to the Mole.

' Very well, ' said the Badger . ' If you won' t listen to reason, we' ll have to try another way. We' re going to stay with you in your house until you become sensible. Take him upstairs, you two, and lock him in his bedroom, '

So Toad, fighting and shouting, was pulled upstairs by his two friends.

' It' s for your own good, Toady, you know, ' said the Rat kindly. ' We' ll all have good times together again soon, when this—this madness has passed. '

' We' ll take good care of you, Toad, ' added the Mole. ' No more trouble with the police. No more crashes, and weeks in hospital, '

Then began a very tiring few weeks for the three friends. Day and night they guarded Toad , and one of them was always with him. They talked to him and tried to amuse him, hoping that he would forget his motor-car madness.

But Toad did not seem to get better. He often put the bed-room chairs together to look like a motor-car. Then he sat in the front one and pretended to drive, making terrible engine noises all the time. His friends tried to interest him in other things, but Toad just became sad and silent.

One day the Rat was the guard for the morning. He went upstairs and found Toad still in bed, ' How are you today, old fellow?' he asked brightly.

A sad whisper came from me bed, ' Thank you so much, dear Ratty! But how are you, and the excellent Mole, and dear old Badger?'

' Fine, fine, ' replied the Rat. ' Badger and Mole, ' he added, perhaps not very sensibly, ' have gone out for a run round. They' ll be out until lunch-time, so you and I will spend a pleasant morning together. '

' I don' t want you to trouble yourself about me, ' Toad said, in a sad little voice. ' I was wondering if you would go down to the village and fetch the doctor. But no, it' s not important. It' s probably too late by now. '

' Are you feeling ill, Toad? What’s the matter? '

' I don't know… I think my heart… But you mustn' t be sad, Ratty. Dear, kind friend… I have enjoyed knowing you so much… hate to say goodbye…' Toad' s whisper became slower and slower, and then stopped.

The Rat felt very worried. Toad lay so still and quiet—perhaps he really was ill. The Rat wished that the other two were not so far away. What should he do? He looked again at the still and silent Toad, and decided that he must get th doctor at once. He hurried out, carefully locking the door behind him, and ran off to the village as fast as he could.

When Toad heard the front door bang, he jumped out of bed, laughing loudly. He quickly put on his best suit and filled his pockets with money. Then he took the sheets off the bed, tied them together, and in minutes he had climbed down from the bedroom window and was running across the garden to-wards the fields.

A few hours later he was a long way from home. As he walked happily along the road, he felt very pleased with him-self. ' A clever piece of work, that was! he boasted to the trees and the fields. ' Poor old Ratty! A good fellow, but not very intelligent. Badger will be so angry with him! '

Soon he came to a small town and decided to have lunch in the pub there. He was very hungry after his long walk. Halfway through his meal, he heard a sound that he knew very well indeed. Poop-poop! The car stopped outside and the people in it came into the pub to have lunch.

Shaking with excitement, Toad paid his bill and hurried out. He walked slowly round the car, looking at it lovingly. Every-body was having lunch and the street was empty.

' I wonder, ' Toad said to himself, ' I wonder if this kind of car starts easily?'

It started very easily, and Toad found himself in the driver' s seat. He did not know how it happened, but a minute later he was driving out of the town, forgetting right and wrong, for-getting everything except this wonderful, beautiful madness.

Faster and faster he drove, singing and laughing, as the car ate up the miles. Once again he knew that he was Toad-Toad the dreamer, Toad the adventurer, Toad the terror of the open road!

' You are a dangerous criminal, ' said the Judge. ' You stole a valuable motor-car, and you drove like a madman. It' s surprising that you didn' t kill somebody. And finally, you were very rude indeed to the police when they arrested you. Because of all this, I am sending you to prison for twenty years. Guards! Take the prisoner away! '

And so, shouting and crying, Toad was taken away. He was taken to an old dark castle, pushed into the smallest and darkest room below the ground, and the door was locked behind him.

5 给癞蛤蟆先生的教训

冬天过去了，春天回到了河岸。这是初夏一个晴朗的早上，世界似乎充满了阳光，长满了新叶。下游的河岸边，鼹鼠和水鼠正卖力地干着活，修补着船然后把它清洗干净，又寻找着不知遗落在何处的船桨，为夏天在河上划船做着准备。忙碌了一阵他们便回家吃早餐。快吃完时，他们突然听到重重的敲门声。

鼹鼠过去看看是谁，回来时表情非常惊讶。他说，“獾先生！”

獾来拜访他们，的确是不可思议的事。他走进屋里，非常严肃地站着看着他们。水鼠坐在那儿张大着嘴巴，手中的汤匙掉在地上。

“时辰到了！”獾最后说。

“什么时辰？”水鼠担心地问，一边看着墙上的钟。

“你是说，谁的时辰？”灌回答道。“哎，蛤蟆的时辰！癞蛤蟆的时辰！我说过夏天来了我要教训教训他，今天我就要着手干了。”

“癞蛤蟆的时辰，当然！”鼹鼠叫道。“我现在想起来了，我们要把他教育成理智的癞蛤蟆！”

“昨晚我听说，”獾继续着，“另一辆崭新的、高速的汽车刚刚抵达蛤蟆宅第，你们俩必须马上跟我走，我们得把癞蛤蟆从疯狂中救醒过来。”

“好！”水鼠叫道，然后跳起来说：“我们马上走。”

当他们到达蛤蟆宅第，他们看见这辆新车正停放在房子前。车身很长，锃亮耀眼，是蛤蟆最喜欢的艳红色。只见癞蛤蟆他自己穿着特大外套，戴着帽子和护目镜，正从台阶上走下来。

“你们好，伙计们！”癞蛤蟆打着招呼，“你们来得正好，一起兜风去……”

他看到朋友们都板着脸，便打住了。

灌走上台阶，说：“进屋去，癞蛤蟆！我们得和你谈谈。”

他们把癞蛤蟆带进屋里，然后关上大门。

“现在，”獾对癞蛤蟆说，“首先，脱下你那可笑的驾车服。”

“不，我决不！”癞蛤蟆答道，“这是什么意思？马上给我解释！”

“脱下他那身玩意儿，你们俩，”獾命令道。

这可不是件容易的事。水鼠不得不坐在癞蛤蟆身上压住他以便鼹鼠脱下他的外衣，帽子和护目镜。癞蛤蟆嘴里一直对他们骂骂咧咧的。但当他再次站起来时，他似乎更像他自己，更像大家所熟悉的癞蛤蟆了。

“你应该知道这件事总有一天会发生的，蛤蟆，”獾解释说。“我们警告过你多次而你从来不听。你正在花光你所有的钱财，又总是给警察找麻烦，因为你开车像疯子。你跟我到另一个房间去，在那儿你会听到你自己的一些荒唐事。你出来后将会变个样。”

他带癞蛤蟆离开大厅走进一个房间关上了门。水鼠摇着头，说：“仅仅跟他谈谈是救不了他的，他将会作一些许诺——然后又去干他喜欢干的事。”

大约过了一小时，门开了，一只很伤心、很愧疚的癞蛤蟆走了出来，獾跟在他的后面。

“朋友们，”獾看起来很开心，“我高兴地告诉你们癞蛤蟆现在已认识到他曾经有多愚蠢。他已发誓再也不走进汽车。”

“这倒是非常不错的消息，”鼹鼠一本正经地说。

“的确不赖，”水鼠边说边审视着癞蛤蟆脸上的表情。

“好了，蛤蟆，”獾接着说，“我要你在你朋友面前重复你的诺言。”

接下来是一段长长的沉默。

“不！”癞蛤蟆突然说。“不，我不。我不感到愧疚，我一点儿也不愚蠢。那整个太精彩了！我才不发什么誓呢！”

“什么？”獾叫道。“但是在那儿你告诉我——”

“是的，是的，我知道，”癞蛤蟆赶快说，“你说得那么至情至理，亲爱的獾，我就忍不住答应你了。但是我一直在想这个问题。我喜欢开车，我是了不起的驾车手，我发誓我将继续永远开车！扑扑-扑扑！”

“我告诉过你吧，是不是？”水鼠对鼹鼠说。

“很好，”獾说，“如果你不听忠告，我们将不得不采取另一种方法。我们打算和你呆在你的屋里直到你清醒过来。带他上楼去，你们俩，把他锁在卧室里。”

癞蛤蟆又打又叫，但还是被他俩朋友拉上了楼。

“这是为你好，蛤蟆兄，你知道，”水鼠和善地说。“当这种——这种疯狂过去时，我们又可以一起享受美好时光了。”

“我们会好好照顾你的，蛤蟆，”鼹鼠接着说。“你不再会给警察找麻烦，不会再撞车，不再会几星期呆在医院了。”

接下来三个朋友开始了几星期的辛苦行动。他们日夜看管着癞蛤蟆，并且总有一个人和他在一起。他们和他聊天，想方设法逗他开心，希望他会忘记他那驾车狂热。

但是癞蛤蟆似乎并没有变好。他时常把卧室里的椅子摆成汽车状，然后他坐在前面的椅子上假装开车，还不停地发出刺耳的引擎声。当他的朋友试着用别的事情以引起他的兴趣时，他却只是在那儿一言不发，显得很伤感。

一天早上，轮到水鼠看管癞蛤蟆。他走上楼看见癞蛤蟆仍躺在床上，便轻快地问：“今天怎么样，老伙计？”

从床上传来伤感的低低的回答声：“非常感谢你，亲爱的阿鼠！不过你怎么样，还有极好的鼹鼠和亲爱的老獾？”

“好，都好，”水鼠答道。“獾和鼹鼠，”他也许不很明智地又补充说，“已出去跑步了，他们要到中饭时间才回来，所以就你和我将一起度过这个愉快的早上。”

“我不想因为我而麻烦你，”蛤蟆伤心地低声说。“我想你能否下楼去村里找位医生。不过算了，这已不重要了。很可能现在已经太迟了。”

“你病啦，癞蛤蟆？怎么啦？”

“我不知道……我想我的心……不过你不必伤心，阿鼠。亲爱的，善良的朋友……我真高兴跟你这么熟……真不愿对你说再见……”蛤蟆低低的声音越来越慢，然后停了。

水鼠非常担心，癞蛤蟆躺在那儿安安静静的，一动不动——也许他真的病了。水鼠希望他们俩没跑得太远，他该怎么办？他又看了一眼安静沉默的癞蛤蟆，决定马上去叫医生。他急忙出去小心地锁上了门，然后尽可能快地向村子跑去。

当癞蛤蟆听到大厅前门砰地一响，他马上从床上跳下来，大声地笑起来。他快速地穿上最好的外套并往口袋里塞满了钞票，然后他从床上扯过床单，把它们系在一起。几分钟后，他已从卧室的窗户爬了下来，穿过花园向野外跑去。

几小时以后，他已离家很远了。他高兴地走在公路上，对自己的行为非常满意。“那真是聪明之举！”他对着树木和田野自吹道。“可怜的老阿鼠！一个好人，但不太聪明。獾肯定要对他发火的！”

不久他来到了一座小镇，便决定在那儿的酒馆用午餐。走了那么长的路，他已经非常饿了。吃到半截，他听到了他实在是非常熟悉的声音。扑扑-扑扑！汽车停在了外面，车上的人下来走进酒馆来用餐。

癞蛤蟆兴奋得浑身发抖，他付完账冲了出去。他跑到汽车跟前绕着它来回走，用爱抚的目光盯着它。每个人都在吃午饭，街道里空无一人。

“我想知道，”癞蛤蟆自言自语，“我想知道这种汽车是不是容易发动？”

很容易就启动了，癞蛤蟆发现他坐在了驾驶室。他不知道是怎么发生的，反正一分钟之后，他已驶出了小镇，除了这美妙迷人的疯狂，他忘记了对与错，忘记了一切。

当汽车驶出数英里时，他不断地加大马力，唱着，笑着，把汽车开得越来越快。他再一次认识到他是蛤蟆——集梦想家，冒险家，还有公路上的恐怖分子于一身的癞蛤蟆！

“你是一个危险的犯人，”法官说，“你偷了昂贵的汽车，还像疯子似的驾车。真奇怪你居然没有撞倒人。最后当警察逮捕你时，你还对他们非常粗鲁。基于此，我判你入狱二十年。卫士！把犯人带下去！”

癞蛤蟆叫嚷着哭喊着，被带到一座破旧黑暗的城堡，推进了一间地下最小最黑的房子里，然后门在他身后锁上了。

6 Toad' s adventures

For weeks Toad refused to eat. He lay on the floor of his prison and cried and cried. ' This is the end of every-thing, ' he said miserably, ' I shall never again be a popular and good-looking Toad, a rich and important Toad, a free and happy Toad. All my friends will forget even the name of Toad! '

But the keeper of the prison had a daughter, and she had a very kind heart. She often came to visit Toad, bringing him nice things to eat, and hot drinks. She asked him questions about his home and his old life, and because Toad loved to talk about himself, it wasn' t long before he began to sit up and answer her questions. He also realized how hungry he was, and so he ate and drank the things that she brought. And after a few days of this kindness, Toad was as loud and boastful as he had always been.

One morning the girl seemed very serious. ' Listen, Toad, 'she said, ' I have an aunt who is a washerwoman. '

' You mustn' t worry about it, ' said the Toad kindly. ' I have several aunts who ought to be washerwomen. '

' Don' t talk so much, Toad, ' said the girl. 'Now listen, I think I have a plan. ' And here she whispered in the Toad' s ear.

' What? ' cried Toad. ' Me—dress as an old washer woman? Impossible! '

'All right then, ' said the girl crossly. ' You can stay in prison for the next twenty years, you ungrateful animal! '

'No, no, 'said Toad quickly. 'You are a good , kind, clever girl, and I am just a stupid toad. I shall be very happy indeed to meet your excellent aunt. '

The next evening a little business was done in the Toad's prison. Several gold coins left the Toad's pocket and disappeared into the washerwoman's purse. Soon afterwards Toad began to climb up the stairs towards the castle entrance. He was wearing an old cotton dress and a black bonnet, and carrying a large basket of washing. And his heart was beating very fast indeed.

He passed the guards, who called out a friendly 'good night' to him, and soon Toad was walking through the streets of the town. He was free! Wild with excitement, he found his way to the railway station—and then came the first problem. He had no money to buy a ticket. His wallet, his keys, his watch-everything was in the pockets of his coat, lying on the prison floor.

He had to get away from this town as quickly as he could. But how could he do it? He walked along beside one of the trains until he came to the engine. Then he stood there, crying and looking up at the engine-driver.

'Hey! ' called the driver. 'What's the matter, old lady?'

'Oh, sir! ' said Toad. ' I'm a poor unhappy washerwoman, and I've lost all my money, and I must get home tonight. ' ' Come on, then, ' said the engine-driver kindly. 'Jump up, and you can have a free ride. But don't tell anyone! '

So far everything was going well for Toad. The train hurried through the night, taking him away from the hateful prison. But Toad's luck didn't last for long.

There came a moment when the engine-driver put his head out of the window and looked back.

'That's strange, ' he said. 'There's a train behind us, coming up very fast. I can see it in the moonlight. I think they're chasing us! I wonder what…' And then the engine-driver gave Toad a long hard look.

So Toad had to tell the true story of his crime and his escape. The engine-driver looked very serious. He thought for a bit, then said, 'I don't like policemen telling me what to do. And I don' t like to see an animal crying. So cheer up, Toad! This is what we' ll do. In a mile or two the train goes through a wood. I'll slow down there, and you'll be able to jump off the train and get away in the dark. '

Half an hour later both trains had disappeared into the night, and Toad was hiding under some dead leaves in the middle of a strange wood. There, he fell asleep and didn't open his eyes again until early morning. He woke up cold and hungry-but still free!

His next adventure was with a barge on a canal. He had walked out of the wood and found a road, which after a while began to run along the side of a canal. Toad liked the idea of getting a free ride, so when he saw the barge coming along the canal, he quickly jumped from the canal bank on to the end of the barge. Then the barge-woman turned and saw him. Toad was ready with his story.

'I'm a poor unhappy washerwoman, ' he began.

But the barge-woman, Toad quickly discovered, was a most unpleasant person. She came up to Toad and looked hard at his face under his bonnet. ' Washerwoman indeed! You' re a fat lazy little toad, that' s what you are! ' she said rudely. 'Get off my barge! ' And she actually pushed Toad off the barge into the canal.

Toad swam to the bank and climbed out. He was wildly angry. How could he punish this rude and terrible person? Then he saw the horse which was pulling the barge, and an idea came to him.

Two minutes later he was riding the horse across the fields away from the canal. Behind him, the barge-woman was shouting and screaming angrily. Toad rode on, laughing at his own great cleverness.

Later that morning he met a man with a caravan, who was cooking over a fire in a field. Toad sold him the barge-woman's horse for a good price and a hot breakfast. He ate and ate until he was almost too full to move . But he still had a long way to go to get home, so he got up and went on. The sun was shining brightly, his clothes were dry again, and the new coins made a pleasant sound in his pocket. He took off the bonnet, which was too hot, and began to think about all his adventures and escapes.

'Ho, ho! ' he said to himself. 'What a clever Toad I am! How brave! How intelligent! No problem is too difficult for Toad! ' He began to sing a song about himself as he walked along, although there was no one to hear it. It was perhaps the most boastful song that any animal ever sang.

If there's a need the world to save,

Then send for Mr Toad!

There's none so clever, none so brave,

As famous Mr Toad!

There was a lot more of it, and it got more and more boastful as it went on.

He came to a road and began to walk along it, hoping for an-other free ride. After a time he saw a small cloud of dust coming up the road behind him, and he heard the noise, that beautiful noise, of a motor-car. He stood in the middle of the road and when the car saw him, it began to slow down.

And then a terrible thing happened. Toad recognized the car and the people in it. And what is worse, the people recognized Toad.

'It's the car thief! ' they shouted. 'The criminal who has escaped from prison! Stop him! Catch him! '

Toad turned and ran. He picked up his skirts and ran faster than he had ever run in his life. But the people from the car were now running after him, shouting and screaming at him to stop. They chased him through a wood, across fields, up a hill, and down into a valley. Once Toad looked back and saw that two policemen had joined the chase. He tried to run even faster, but he was a fat animal and his legs were short, and the people were catching up with him.

On and on he ran. He was now among tall trees, and again he looked behind him. At that moment the land disappeared beneath his feet, and, splash! he found himself in deep water, cold water, fast-moving water. In his terror, he had run straight into a river!

And away the river took him, pushing him along, first on one side, then on the other. The cotton dress tied itself round his legs, trying to pull him under, and Toad had to fight to keep his head above water.

'Oh my! ' cried poor Toad. ' I'll never look at another motorcar for the rest of my life! '

At last he managed to catch hold of some water plants by the river bank. He held on, too tired to pull himself out of the water. Then he saw something bright in a dark hole in the bank. It moved towards him, and became a face.

Brown and small, with whiskers.

It was the Water Rat!

6 癞蛤蟆地冒险经历

癞蛤蟆绝食了几星期。他躺在监狱的地板上哭个不停。“一切都完了，”他悲惨地说。“我再也不是受人注目，英俊潇洒的蛤蟆了，我不再富有，不再重要了，不再有自由和幸福了。所有的朋友甚至将忘记蛤蟆这个名字！”

不过监狱的看守有个女儿，她的心肠很好。她时常来看他，带给他好东西吃，热饮料喝。她问起他的家和他过去的生活，因为癞蛤蟆极爱谈论他自己，不久他便开始坐起来回答她的问题。他也感觉到好饿，于是便拿起她的东西又吃又喝。这样受惠了几天后，癞蛤蟆又变得像过去那样好招摇，好吹牛了。

一天早上，女孩非常正经地说：“听着，癞蛤蟆，我有一个姑妈，她是洗衣婆。”

“你不必为此忧虑，”癞蛤蟆友善地说，“我有几个姑妈，她们本应该是洗衣婆。”

“少说点，癞蛤蟆，你听着，我想我有个计划。”然后她对癞蛤蟆耳语了一番。

“什么？”癞蛤蟆叫起来，“我——装扮成老洗衣婆？不可能！”

“那么好吧，”女孩生气地说，“你就在监狱里呆够二十年吧，你这个不知好歹的东西！”

“不，不，”癞蛤蟆赶快说，“你是一个善良聪明的女孩，我只是傻乎乎的癞蛤蟆，我的确应该非常乐意见你那了不起的姑妈。”

第二天晚上，在癞蛤蟆的牢房里进行了一次小小的交易。几个金币离开了癞蛤蟆的口袋落入了洗衣婆的钱包。不久，癞蛤蟆开始向城堡的出口处爬去。他穿一件旧旧的棉外套，戴顶黑色的无边帽，挎着一大篮衣物，他的心跳得飞快。

他经过卫兵时，卫兵还友好地对他道“晚安”，很快他就走在了城镇的街道上。他自由了！他激动得要命，找到去火车站的路——这时第一个问题出现了，他没有钱买票。他的钱包、钥匙、表统统都装在上衣口袋里，而他把上衣扔在了监狱的地板上。

他得尽快离开这个城镇。该怎么办呢？他沿着一辆停靠着的火车向前走，走到了车头。他站在那儿，边哭边看着火车司机。

“嘿！”司机叫道，“你怎么啦！老婆婆？”

“哦，先生！”癞蛤蟆说，“我是可怜的不走运的洗衣婆，我把所有的钱都弄丢了，但我今晚必须回家。”

“那么上来吧，”好心的司机说道，“跳上来，你可以搭个便车，但不要告诉任何人！”

到目前为止，一切都很顺利。火车穿过黑夜向前奔驰，带他远离了这可憎的牢狱。但癞蛤蟆的好运没有维持多久。

有那么一会儿，司机将他的头伸出窗外，向后看了看。

“这很奇怪，”他说，“我们后面有辆火车，开得飞快。我能借着月光看见它，我想他们是在追赶我们！我想知道……”然后司机把不解的眼光盯在癞蛤蟆的脸上。

癞蛤蟆不得不告诉他自己是怎样犯罪的，又是怎样逃出来的。司机看起来很严肃，他略想了一下，然后说：“我不喜欢警察告诉我该怎么做。我也不喜欢看动物哭。振作起来，癞蛤螟！这才是我们该做的。过一、二英里，火车要经过一片树林。到那儿我会把速度放慢，你就可以跳下火车趁天黑逃走。”

半小时后，两辆火车都消失在夜幕里。癞蛤蟆藏在一片陌生树林中的一些落叶下面。他躺在那儿不知不觉就睡着了，直到第二天清晨才睁开眼睛。他又冷又饿——但仍是自由的！

他的下一个冒险经历是在运河的一条驳船上。他走出树林看见了一条路，这条路延伸到一条运河边，他便沿着运河向前跑着。癞蛤蟆喜欢上了搭便车，因此当他看见一条驳船沿河开来时，他毫不犹豫地从河岸跳到船尾。刚巧船婆转过身看见了他，癞蛤蟆又开始讲他的故事。

“我是个可怜的不走运的洗衣婆，”他开始讲道。

但他很快发现，这个女人是世界上最不友善的人。她走到蛤蟆跟前，死死盯着无边帽下蛤蟆的脸。“好一个洗衣婆！你是一只又肥又懒的小癞蛤蟆，这才是你的真面目！”她粗暴地说着。“滚出我的船！”同时她就真地把癞蛤蟆推入了运河。

癞蛤蟆游到岸边爬了上来。他气得要发疯。怎样才能治治这个粗鲁可恶的老妇人？后来他看见了那只正拉着驳船的马，立刻计上心头。

两分钟后，他骑在马上穿过田野离开了运河。船婆在他身后气愤地又喊又叫。癞蛤蟆骑着向前，为他自己伟大的聪明之举开怀大笑。

那天早上，他还遇见了一位驾大篷车的人，他正在野地火堆上烧东西吃。癞蛤蟆开了一个好价把老妇人的马卖给他并享受了一顿热乎乎的早餐。他吃呀吃呀直到撑得几乎不能动。但他想到仍有很长的路要赶，便站起来又出发了。太阳明晃晃地照着，他的衣服又干了，新得的硬币在他口袋里发出令人愉悦的声音。他觉得太热便摘下了帽子，开始回顾着他所有冒险和逃跑的经历。

“嚯，嚯”他自言自语道：“我是多么聪明的蛤蟆！多么勇敢！多么机智！没有什么事能难倒我蛤蟆！”尽管没有谁能听到，他还是边走边唱着赞美自己的歌。这也许是所有动物曾唱过的最最自夸的歌：

如果世界需要人拯救，

那么去找蛤蟆先生！

没有谁如此聪明，如此勇敢，

像著名的蛤蟆先生！

还有许多诸如此类的歌词，反正是吹得越来越离谱。

他上了公路并沿着路向前走，希望再次搭个便车。过不多久，他看见身后有一团尘雾卷来，而且还听到了那种声音，那种美妙的引擎之声。他站在公路中间，司机看见他便开始减速。

然后一件可怕的事发生了。癞蛤蟆认出了汽车和车里的人。更糟糕的是，这些人也认出了他。

“那是汽车盗贼！”他们叫道，“是刚从监狱里逃出来的犯人！截住他！抓住他！”

癞蛤蟆转身就跑。他提着裙摆以他一生中最快的速度向前跑。但是车上的人穷追不舍，在他身后喊着叫着喝令他站住。他们追着他跑过树林，穿过田野，越过山峦，又追进了山谷。有次癞蛤蟆回头瞥了一眼，看见又有两名警察加入这次追捕。他想跑得更快些，但是可怜他身材矮胖双腿短小，根本无法甩开他们 。

他跑呀跑，跑进一片高高的树林里，他又回头看了看。一瞬间他感到双脚悬空，紧接着，啪地一声，他发现自己已在深水里，冰冷、湍急的水里。惊恐中，他直接跑进了一条河里！

河水带着他向前流，一会儿把他推到这边，一会儿又推到那边。棉布外套裹住了他的腿，将他向下拽，他不得不挣扎着让头浮在水面上。

“哎呀！”可怜的癞蛤蟆哭喊道，“我下半生再也不想见到汽车了！”

最后他好不容易抓住了河边的一些水草。他坚持着，但是他太累了，不能将自己拉上岸。这时，他看见河岸边一个黑洞里有个亮亮的东西向他凑过来，然后他看见了一张脸。

小小的，褐色的，还有胡须。

是水鼠！

7 Return to Toad Hall

The Rat got hold of Toad's neck, pulled him out of the water, and took him into his hall.

'Oh Ratty! ' cried Toad. 'I've done so many wonderful things since I last saw you! The dangers that I've been in! I was put in prison-escaped, of course! Pushed into a canal-swam safely away! Stole a horse- sold it for a lot of money! Oh, I am a clever Toad, and—'

'Toad, ' said the Water Rat, very seriously, 'stop boasting! Go, upstairs at once, wash yourself, and put on some of my clothes. I've never seen anything as wet and dirty as you are. '

Toad went upstairs a little crossly, but he was pleased to get out of the washerwoman's dress. He came down very clean and tidy, and ready to tell the Rat all about his adventures- how clever, how brave, how successful he had been . The Rat gave him lunch, and listened, unsmiling, while Toad talked and talked and talked. When at last he finished, the Rat looked up .

'I have to tell you, Toad, ' he said slowly, 'that I feel ashamed— yes, ashamed, to have a criminal, an escaped prisoner, for my friend . Can' t you see that none of this is exciting or amusing? '

There was a little silence. Then Toad said sadly, 'You' re right, Ratty. Of course you are. How silly and boastful I have been! I shall become a quiet, sensible Toad from now on. In a while I'll walk down to Toad Hall and—'

‘Walk down to Toad Hall?' cried the Rat. 'What are you talking about? Haven't you heard ?'

'Heard what?' said Toad, looking frightened. 'Quick, Ratty, tell me! What haven't I heard?'

'About the Wild Wooders! ' cried the Rat. 'The Stoats and the Weasels and the Ferrets- they've taken Toad Hall! When you were sent to prison, they came out of the Wild Wood one dark night and broke into the Hall. They've been living there ever since— eating your food, drinking your drink, giving wild parties. They've got guns and knives and sticks, and they keep guards round the house night and day. They say they' re going to stay there for ever. '

At first Toad couldn't believe it. But he had gone up to Toad Hall, and two ferrets in the garden had laughed at him, and the stoats who were guarding the walls had shot at him. Toad dropped flat in the road and the bullet passed over his head. He went back, very unhappy, to the Water Rat.

That night there was a meeting in the Rat's house. The Mole and the Badger came, to talk about plans to take back Toad Hall from the Wild Wooders.

When they came in and saw Toad, the Badger shook his head sadly. ' Poor Toad! This is not a happy home-coming for you.

But the Mole was very pleased to see him. 'Here's old Toad! ' he cried. 'How did you manage to escape from prison?It was very clever of you to do that. '

' Clever?' said Toad. 'Well, I don't want to boast, Mole. I'll tell you all about it and you can decide if一 ‘Toad, do he quiet, please! ' said the Rat. 'We need to discuss plans. I think I know the best way for Toad to—'

'No, you don't! ' said the Mole. 'I know what Toad should do. He should—'

'Well, I'm not going to! ' cried Toad, getting excited. 'I'm not taking orders from you fellows! It's my house that we're talking about and—'

By now they were almost shouting at each other, when suddenly a deep low voice came from an armchair.

'Be quiet at once, all of you! ' said the Badger. 'And listen. The Mole and I have been watching Toad Hall. The stoats, with their guns, are on guard all round the walls, and they're very good guards too. We can't attack the place from outside. They're too strong for us. '

' Then there's no hope, ' cried Toad miserably. 'I shall go and join the army or something, and never see my dear Toad Hall again! '

'Cheer up, Toady, ' said the Badger, 'because now I'm going to tell you a very great secret. '

Toad sat up, interested. He loved secrets, although he could never keep them.

'There- is- an -underground- tunnel, ' said the Badger slowly, 'which goes from the river bank near here, right up into the middle of Toad Hall. '

' Don't be silly, Badger! cried Toad. ' Of course there isn't! I know Toad Hall, inside and outside, and—'

' My young friend, ' said the Badger calmly, ' your father—who was a great friend of mine— told me many things that he didn't tell you. “ Don't tell my son about this tunnel, ” he said to me. “ He's a good boy, but he talks far too much. ”'

Toad opened his mouth to argue, and then decided not to .

'I asked Otter, ' continued the Badger, ' to do some spy work for us. He pretended to be a gardener and went to the back door of the Hall, asking for work. During the conversation he learnt that tomorrow night there will be a big birthday par-ty— the Chief Weasel's, I think— in the dining-hall. All the weasels will be there, eating and drinking and laughing, and making a lot of noise. '

' But the stoats will still be on guard on the walls, ' said the Rat.

'True, 'agreed the Badger. 'But the weasels, you see, know that, so they won't have any guns or sticks with them at the party. And the tunnel comes up into that little room right next to the dining-hall. We only have to—'

'—run into the dining-hall—' cried the Mole.

'—with our guns and sticks and knives —'shouted the Rat.

'—and chase them and beat them and hit them! 'cried the Toad, greatly excited. He ran round and round the room, jumping over the chairs.

‘ Very well, then, ' said the Badger, sitting back comfortably and opening his newspaper. 'That is the plan, and there's nothing more for you to argue about. '

All the next day the Rat hurried about, getting the guns and the knives and the sticks ready. Once the Badger lifted his head from the newspaper.

'We shan't need guns or knives, Ratty, 'he said. 'We four, with our sticks, will clear the dining-hall in five minutes. I could do it by myself. '

'Better to be safe than sorry, ' said the Rat.

At last the evening came, and the four friends went quietly along the river bank to find the entrance to the secret tunnel. Toad, of course, managed to fall in the river and his friends had to pull him out. The tunnel was cold, and wet, and dark, and narrow. Poor Toad got frightened and ran into the Rat by mistake, who then nearly knocked the Mole over. All this made a lot of noise, and the Badger, who was in front with the lantern, turned round.

' If Toad can't keep quiet, ' he whispered angrily, 'I'll leave him here alone in the dark! '

After that, the Toad kept very quiet.

They could hear the noise of the party while they were still underground. Silently, they pushed open the door in the roof of the tunnel, and climbed up into the small room next to the dining-hall. Now they could hear one of the weasels singing a very rude song about Toad the car-thief.

'Just wait until I get my hands on him! ' Toad whispered angrily, showing his teeth.

' Right, boys! ' said the Badger, looking round at his friends. ' The hour has come! Follow me! '

And they crashed through the door into the dining-hall.

What a battle it was! How the four friends roared as they ran through the hall! What screams of fear came from the surprised weasels and ferrets! Tables and chairs were knocked over, plates and glasses went crashing to the floor. Up and down went the four friends, shouting and roaring, and their sticks whistled through the air. There were only four of them, but they seemed enormous to the weasels and the ferrets. The Wild Wooders ran in terror, escaping through the doors and windows , and even up the chimneys—anywhere to get away from those terrible sticks.

In five minutes the room was cleared. The stoats outside, the four friends discovered later, had gone too. They were already frightened by the noise of battle from the hall, so when the weasels and the ferrets started running out in terror, the stoats dropped their guns and ran back to the Wild Wood. In fact, after that night there was no more trouble from the Wild Wooders for a long time. And when any of them met the Badger and his friends out for a walk, they were very polite indeed.

Back in Toad Hall, there was a lot of tidying up to do after the battle. At last it was all done, and the four friends, tired but happy, went upstairs to bed.

'And now, ' said the Badger, after breakfast the next morning, 'we must have a Victory Party. Toad, you must write and invite all our friends for tonight. '

'What—me do all the work?' said Toad crossly, 'Why…'He suddenly stopped, then said, ' Yes, of course. I'll do every-thing. I'll plan the party, and the singing and—'

'Oh no, ' said the Rat, 'You're not going to sing any of your songs. '

'Not just one little song?' asked Toad miserably.

' No, Toady. You know very well that your songs are all about you and how clever you are. They're just one long boast! '

' Come on now, Toad, ' said the Badger kindly. 'You know that you have to change your ways and become a sensible animal. Why not begin now? What better moment could there be, on your return to Toad Hall?'

Toad looked at his three friends' serious faces. For a long while he seemed to be thinking deeply. At last he spoke. 'My friends, you are right, ' he said sadly. 'And I am wrong. From today, I will be a very different Toad. You will never be ashamed of me again. '

The party was a great success. Everyone wanted to hear about the battle, and there was a lot of noisy talking and laughing. But Toad was not at all noisy. He moved quietly round the room, making sure that everyone had enough to eat and drink. He said very little about the battle, only, 'Oh, it was Badger's clever plan. And the Mole and the Rat did all the hard fighting.

His three friends watched him with their mouths open in surprise-which pleased Toad very much. Towards the end of the evening, some of the younger animals started banging on the table and shouting, ' Toad! Song! Mr Toad' s Song! ' But Toad only shook his head gently, and immediately began a quiet conversation with Otter, asking in an interested voice about his children.

He was indeed a different Toad!

7．重返蛤蟆宅第

水鼠抓住癞蛤蟆的脖子将他拉出水面，然后把他带回客厅。

“噢，阿鼠！”癞蛤蟆叫道，“最后那次见你之后，我做了好多了不起的事！险情层出不穷！我被投入监狱——逃出来了，当然！被推进了运河——安全游上了岸！偷了一匹马——卖了好多钱！噢，我真是聪明的癞蛤蟆，而且——”

“癞蛤蟆，”水鼠很严肃地打断道，“不要再吹牛了！快上楼，洗洗干净换上我的衣服。我从来没见过谁像你这样又湿又脏的。”

癞蛤蟆有点温怒地上楼了，但是他还是很乐意脱掉这身洗衣婆的装扮。他一身整洁干净地下楼了，准备告诉水鼠他的冒险经历——他是多么聪明，多么勇敢，多么成功。水鼠给他取来午餐，不苟言笑地听癞蛤蟆在那儿滔滔不绝。最后癞蛤蟆结束了，水鼠抬头看着他。

“我得告诉你，癞蛤蟆，”他慢慢地说着，“我感到羞耻——是的，羞耻有一位朋友是犯人，一位逃出来的犯人。难道你看不出这一切一点也不有趣，一点也不令人兴奋吗？”

一阵沉默，然后癞蛤蟆难过地说：“你是对的，阿鼠。当然，你对。我太愚蠢，太好吹牛了！从现在起，我应该做一个安静，理智的癞蛤蟆。过一会我就回蛤蟆宅第，然后——”

“回蛤蟆宅第？”水鼠叫道，“你在说什么呀？难道你没听说？”

“听说什么？”癞蛤蟆问道，一副惊恐的样子，“快，阿鼠，告诉我！什么我没听说？”

“关于野树林的动物！”水鼠叫道。“大白鼬，黄鼠狼和雪貂——他们占据了蛤蟆宅第！当你被送进监狱，他们在一个漆黑的晚上走出野树林，闯进了你的宅第。从此他们就住在那儿了——吃你的，喝你的，开狂欢晚会。他们有刀，有枪，有棍棒，日夜都有卫士把守在房子周围。他们说他们将永远住下去。”

刚开始癞蛤蟆怎么也不能相信这件事。他还是去了蛤蟆宅第，只见两只雪貂站在花园里嘲笑着他，守卫在墙头上的大白鼬向他开枪射击。癞蛤蟆急忙趴在地上，子弹从他头上飞过。他非常沮丧地回到了水鼠家。

那天晚上在水鼠家里有个会。鼹鼠和獾要来一起商量怎么从野树林动物手中夺回蛤蟆宅第。

当他们走进房子看见癞蛤蟆时，獾很遗憾地摇着头说：“可怜的蛤蟆！对你来说，这不是一次愉快的回家之行。”

当鼹鼠见到他显得非常高兴。“你这个老蛤蟆！”他叫道，“你是怎么设法从监狱里逃出来的？你真是聪明。”

“聪明？”癞蛤蟆说，“得了，我不想吹牛了，鼹鼠。我将告诉你所有的一切，然后你会决定我是否——”

“癞蛤蟆，请你务必保持安静！”水鼠说道，“我们必须研究些方案。我想我知道癞蛤蟆应采取的最好方法——”

“不，你不知道！”鼹鼠打断道。“我知道癞蛤蟆应怎么做，他应该——”

“够了，我什么都不想做！”癞蛤蟆叫道，他有些激动。“我不会听从你们这帮家伙的命令！我们现在谈论的是我的房子，而且

这时，他们几乎是在互相大叫大嚷了，突然从手扶椅那儿传来一个低沉的声音。

“你们全给我马上安静下来！”獾说道。“听着，鼹鼠和我一直在注意着蛤蟆宅第的动向。持枪的大白鼬把守在围墙周围，他们还都是很不赖的卫兵。我们是不能从外面攻打进去的。对于我们来说，他们太厉害了。”

“那么没有希望了，”癞蛤蟆痛苦地叫道。“我将离开这儿去参军或干别的什么，我将再也见不到我心爱的宅第了！”

“振作起来，阿癞，”獾说，“因为我将告诉你一个非常重大的秘密。”

蛤蟆很有兴趣地坐直了身。他喜欢秘密，尽管他从来不能保守秘密。

“有-个-地-下-通-道，”獾缓缓地说，“从附近的河岸刚好通到蛤蟆宅第的中部。”

“别荒唐了，獾！”癞蛤蟆叫了起来。“当然没有！我熟悉蛤蟆宅第的里里外外，而且——”

“我的年轻朋友，”獾平静地说，“你父亲——我最好的朋友——告诉过我许多没对你提过的事情。‘不要把这个通道告诉我儿子，’他对我说，‘他是好孩子，但他话太多。’”

癞蛤蟆张大嘴巴准备争辩，马上又决定放弃了。

“我让水獭，”獾继续道。“为我们作了些侦察。他扮成园丁去宅子后门找活干。在交谈中，他了解到明天晚上那儿将举行大型的生日晚会——我想是黄鼠狼头头的——在餐厅里。所有的黄鼠狼将在那儿吃喝玩乐，并制造出许多噪声。”

“但是大白鼬肯定还会在墙头上巡逻，”水鼠说道。

“是的，”獾赞同道，“但是你要明白，正是因为黄鼠狼知道有人放哨，他们在舞会上就不会随身带枪棍之类的。而地道刚好通到餐厅隔壁的那所小房间，我们只要——”

“——冲进厅——”鼹鼠叫道。

“——带着我们的枪、棍和刀——”水鼠喊道。

“——然后赶他们，揍他们，砍他们！”蛤蟆也叫了起来，他异常激动，跨过椅子，在房间里跑圈儿。

“很好，那么，”獾舒服地向后靠坐着，打开报纸。“这就是计划，你们没有什么再争吵了吧。”

第二天一整天，水鼠忙上忙下，准备着枪、刀和棍棒。一次，獾从报纸上抬起头，说：“我们不需要刀枪，阿鼠。我们四个带着棍棒在五分钟内就可以清理好餐厅，其实我一个就能解决。”

“最好能万无一失，免得有遗憾，”水鼠答道。

夜幕终于降临了，这四个朋友悄悄地沿着河岸找到了秘密通道的入口。癞蛤蟆竟然掉到了河里，这也是情理中的事，他的朋友不得不将他拉了上来。地道里又冷又湿，既黑也窄。可怜的癞蛤蟆害怕极了，不小心撞倒了水鼠，水鼠又差点碰倒了鼹鼠。这不免弄出了很多响声，獾提着灯笼走在前面，这时转过头。

“如果蛤蟆不能保持镇定，”他压低声音生气地说，“我就把他独个儿留在黑暗里！”

此后，癞蛤蟆就一直特别安静。

他们在宅第的地下就能听到晚会的喧闹声。悄悄地，他们推开了地道顶上的门，然后爬进餐厅隔壁的那间小房子。现在他们可以听见一只黄鼠狼正唱着一首相当粗俗的歌，什么癞蛤蟆这个盗车贼如何如何。

“待会儿我要掐住他的脖子！”癞蛤蟆吡牙咧嘴，愤愤地低声说道。

“好了，小伙子们！”獾看着他的朋友们说。“时候到了！跟我来！”

紧接着，他们撞开门冲进饭厅。

那是一场怎样的战斗啊！这四个朋友是怎样地怒吼着冲进了大厅！吃惊的黄鼠狼和雪貂发出了怎样的尖叫声！桌子和椅子给撞倒了，杯子和盘子摔碎在地板上。这四个朋友横冲直闯，怒吼狂叫着，他们的棍棒在空中发出嘶嘶挥舞声。他们仅有四位，但在黄鼠狼，雪貂眼里他们似乎非常强大。这些野树林动物吓得到处跑，从门那儿，从窗户那儿，有的甚至从烟囱那儿——任何能躲开那些可怕的棍子的地方。

五分钟内房间就被清除干净。这四个伙伴后来才发现外面的大白鼬也不见了。其实，大厅里的战斗声把他们给吓倒了，于是当黄鼠狼和雪貂在惊恐中乱窜时，他们也扔下枪逃回野树林。事实上，自那晚后的很长时间里，野树林的动物没再来找过麻烦。而且当他们中的任何一位遇见獾和他的朋友在外面散步，他们显得的确非常有礼貌。

会战后的蛤蟆宅第有许多清扫工作要做。最后收拾妥当，这四个伙伴虽累但很开心地上楼睡觉了。

“现在，”第二天早餐后，獾开口道，“我们应该举行一个庆功宴会。癞蛤蟆，你应该写些请柬邀请我们所有的朋友今晚来这儿。”

“什么——我干这所有的活？”癞蛤蟆生气地说，“为什么……”他突然停下来，然后说道：“是的，当然。我将照办，安排一个派对，又唱又——”

“噢，不，”水鼠打断道，“你不要再唱你的那些歌了。”

“一首都不行吗？”癞蛤蟆伤心地问道。

“不行，阿癞。你很了解你的歌全是关于你自己，还有你是多么聪明之类的。那仅仅是些冗长的吹牛皮罢了！”

“好了，蛤蟆，”獾和善地说。“你知道你得改变你的行事方式，成为一只理智的动物。为什么不从现在开始呢？如今你重新返回蛤蟆宅第，还有比现在更好的时刻吗？”

癞蛤蟆看着三位朋友严肃的表情，很长时间，他似乎沉浸在思考中。最后他开口了。“我的朋友，你们是对的，”他难过地说道，“我错了，从今天开始，我将洗心革面，你们将不再会为我感到羞耻了。”

晚会非常成功。每个人都想听听那次袭击，大家在那儿说着，笑着，吵吵嚷嚷的。但是癞蛤蟆一点也不吵。他在房间里静静地转悠着，保证大家都有足够的食品和饮料。关于那次战斗，他只谈了一点点：“哦，那是獾的妙计，鼹鼠和水鼠的英勇作战。”

他的三位朋友张大嘴巴吃惊地看着他——这让癞蛤蟆非常开心。晚宴临近尾声时，一些年轻的动物开始敲着桌子叫着：“蛤蟆！唱歌！唱首蛤蟆先生的歌！”但是癞蛤蟆只是轻轻地摇了摇头，很快又转过去静静地和水獭聊天，还很感兴趣地问着他孩子们的情况。

他确实是改变了！