Chapter 25

`These things happened last winter, sir,' said Mrs Dean; `hardly more than a year ago. Last winter, I did not think, at another twelve months' end, I should be amusing a stranger to the family with relating them! Yet, who knows how long you'll be a stranger? You're too young to rest always contented, living by yourself; and I some way fancy no one could see Catherine Linton and not love her. You smile; but why do you look so lively and interested, when I talk about her? and why have you asked me to hang her picture over your fireplace? and why--'

`Stop, my good friend!' I cried. `It may be very possible that I should love her; but would she love me? I doubt it too much to venture my tranquillity by running into temptation: and then my home is not here. I'm of the busy world, and to its arms I must return. Go on. Was Catherine obedient to her father's commands?'

`She was,' continued the housekeeper. `Her affection for him was still the chief sentiment in her heart; and he spoke without anger: he spoke in the deep tenderness of one about to leave his treasure amid perils and foes, where his remembered words would be the only aid that he could bequeath to guide her. He said to me, a few days afterwards:

`"I wish my nephew would write, Ellen, or call. Tell me, sincerely, what you think of him: is he changed for the better, or is there a prospect of improvement, as he grows a man?''

` ``He's very delicate, sir,'' I replied; ``and scarcely likely to reach manhood; but this I can say, he does not resemble his father; and if Miss Catherine had the misfortune to marry him, he would not be beyond her control: unless she were extremely and foolishly indulgent. However, master, you'll have plenty of time to get acquainted with him, and see whether he would suit her: it wants four years and more to his being of age.'' '

Edgar sighed; and walking to the window, looked out towards Gimmerton Kirk. It was a misty afternoon, but the February sun shone dimly, and we could just distinguish the two fir trees in the yard, and the sparely scattered gravestones.

`I've prayed often', he half soliloquized, `for the approach of what is coming; and now I begin to shrink, and fear it. I thought the memory of the hour I came down that glen a bridegroom would be less sweet than the anticipation that I was soon, in a few months, or, possibly, weeks, to be carried up, and laid in its lonely hollow! Ellen, I've been very happy with my little Cathy: through winter nights and summer days she was a living hope at my side. But I've been as happy musing by myself among those stones, under that old church: lying, through the long June evenings, on the green mound of her mother's grave and wishing--yearning for the time when I might lie beneath it. What can I do for Cathy? How must I quit her? I'd not care one moment for Linton being Heathcliff's son; nor for his taking her from me, if he could console her for my loss. I'd not care that Heathcliff gained his ends, and triumphed in robbing me of my last blessing! But should Linton be unworthy--only a feeble tool to his father--I cannot abandon her to him! And, hard though it be to crush her buoyant spirit, I must persevere in making her sad while I live, and leaving her solitary when I die. Darling! I'd rather resign her to God, and lay her in the earth before me.'

Resign her to God, as it is, sir,' I answered, `and if we should lose you--which may He forbid--under His providence, I'll stand her friend and counsellor to the last. Miss Catherine is a good girl: I don't fear that she will go wilfully wrong; and people who do their duty are always finally rewarded.'

Spring advanced; yet my master gathered no real strength, though he resumed his walks in the grounds with his daughter. To her inexperienced notions, this itself was a sign of convalescence; and then his cheek was often flushed, and his eyes were bright: she felt sure of his recovering. On her seventeenth birthday, he did not visit the churchyard: it was raining, and I observed:

`You'll surely not go out tonight, sir?'

He answered:

`No, I'll defer it this year a little longer.'

He wrote again to Linton, expressing his great desire to see him; and, had the invalid been presentable, I've no doubt his father would have permitted him to come. As it was, being instructed, he returned an answer, intimating that Mr Heathcliff objected to his calling at the Grange; but his uncle's kind remembrance delighted him, and he hoped to meet him, sometimes, in his rambles, and personally to petition that his cousin and he might not remain long so utterly divided.

That part of his letter was simple, and probably his own. Heathcliff knew he could plead eloquently enough for Catherine's company, then.

`I do not ask', he said, `that she may visit here; but, am I never to see her, because my father forbids me to go to her home, and you forbid her to come to mine? Do now and then, ride with her towards the Heights; and let us exchange a few words, in your presence! We have done nothing to deserve this separation; and you are not angry with me; you have no reason to dislike me, you allow, yourself. Dear uncle! send me a kind note tomorrow, and leave to join you anywhere you please, except at Thrushcross Grange. I believe an interview would convince you that my father's character is not mine: he affirms I am more your nephew than his son; and though I have faults which render me unworthy of Catherine, she has excused them, and for her sake, you should also. You inquire after my health--it is better; but while I remain cut off from all hope, and doomed to solitude, or the society of those who never did and never will like me, how can I be cheerful and well?'

Edgar, though he felt for the boy, could not consent to grant his request; because he could not accompany Catherine. He said, in summer, perhaps, they might meet: meantime, he wished him to continue writing at intervals, and engaged to give him what advice and comfort he was able by letter; being well aware of his hard position in his family. Linton complied; and had he been unrestrained, would probably have spoiled all by filling his epistles with complaints and lamentations: but his father kept a sharp watch over him; and, of course, insisted on every line that my master sent being shown; so, instead of penning his peculiar personal sufferings and distresses, the themes constantly uppermost in his thoughts, he harped on the cruel obligation of being held asunder from his friend and love; and gently intimated that Mr Linton must allow an interview soon, or he should fear he was purposely deceiving him with empty promises.

Cathy was a powerful ally at home; and, between them, they at length persuaded my master to acquiesce in their having a ride or a walk together about once a week, under my guardianship, and on the moors nearest the Grange: for June found him still declining; and though he had set aside yearly a portion of his income for my young lady's fortune, he had a natural desire that she might retain--or at least return in a short time to--the house of her ancestors; and he considered her only prospect of doing that was by a union with his heir; he had no idea that the latter was failing almost as fast as himself; nor had anyone; I believe: no doctor visited the Heights, and no one saw Master Heathcliff to make report of his condition among us. I, for my part, began to fancy my forebodings were false, and that he must be actually rallying, when he mentioned riding and walking on the moors, and seemed so earnest in pursuing his object. I could not picture a father treating a dying child as tyrannically and wickedly as I afterwards learned Heathcliff had treated him, to compel this apparent eagerness: his efforts redoubling the more imminently his avaricious and unfeeling plans were threatened with defeat by death.

“这些事是在去年冬天发生的，先生，”丁太太说，“也不过一年以前。去年冬天，我还没有想到，过了十二个月以后，我会把这些事讲给这家的一位生客解闷！可是，谁晓得你作客还要作多久呢？你太年轻了，不会总是心满意足地待下去，孤零零一个人；我总是想不论什么人见了凯瑟琳·林惇都不会不爱她。你笑啦。可是我一谈到她的时候，你干吗显得这样快活而很感兴趣呢？你干吗要我把她的画像挂在你的壁炉上面？干吗——？”

“别说啦，我的好朋友！”我叫道。“讲到我爱上她，这倒也许是很可能的；可是她肯爱我么？我对于这点太怀疑了，因此我可不敢动心拿我的平静来冒险，再说我的家也不是在这里。我是来自那个熙熙攘攘的世界，我得回到它的怀抱中去。

接着往下说吧。凯瑟琳服从她父亲的命令吗？”

“她服从了，”管家继续说。“她对他的爱仍然主宰着她的感情；而且他讲话也不带火气：他是以一个当他所珍爱的人将陷入危境和敌人手中时，所怀有的那种深沉的柔情来跟她讲话的，只要她记住他的赠言，那便是指引她的唯一帮助了。过了几天，他对我说：我愿我的外甥写信来，或是来拜访，艾伦。对我说实话，你认为他如何：他是不是变得好一点，或者在他长成人的时候，会不会有变好的希望？”

“他很娇，先生，”我回答，“而且不像可以长大成人：可是有一点我可以说，他不像他的父亲；如果凯瑟琳小姐不幸嫁给他，他不会不听她的指挥的：除非她极端愚蠢地纵容他。可是，主人，你将有很多时间和他熟识起来，看看他配不配得上她：要四年多他才成年呢？”

埃德加叹息着；走到窗前，向外望着吉默吞教堂。那是一个有雾的下午，但是二月的太阳还在淡淡地照着，我们还可以分辨出墓园里的两棵枞树，和那些零零落落的墓碑。

“我常常祈求，”他一半是自言自语地说，“祈求要来的就快来吧；现在我开始畏缩了，而且害怕了。我曾经这样想，与其回忆那时我走下山谷作新郎的情景，还不如预想要不了几个月，或者，很可能几个星期之后我被人抬起来，放进那荒凉的土坑，将更为甜蜜！艾伦，我和我的小凯蒂在一起曾经非常快乐，我们一起度过了多少个冬夜和夏日，她是我身边的一个活生生的希望。可是我也曾同样的快乐，在那些墓碑中间，在那古老的教堂下面，我自己冥想着：在那些漫长的六月的晚上，躺在她母亲绿茵的青冢上，愿望着——渴求着那个时候我也能躺在下面。我能为凯蒂作什么呢？我必须怎样才能对她尽了义务呢？我一点也不在乎林惇是希刺克厉夫的儿子；也不在乎他要把她从我身边拿走，只要他能为她失去了我而能安慰她。我不在乎希刺克厉夫达到了他的目的，因夺去了我最后的幸福而洋洋得意！但是如果林惇没出息——只是他父亲的一个软弱工具——我就不能把她丢在他手里，虽然扑灭她的热情是残忍的，可我却一定不让步，在我活着的时候就让她难过，在我死后让她孤独好了。亲爱的，我宁可在我死以前把她交给上帝，把她埋葬在土里。”

“就像现在这样，把她交给上帝好了，先生。”我回答，“如果这是天意我们不得不失去你——但愿上帝禁止这事——我要终生作她的朋友和顾问。凯瑟琳小姐是一个好姑娘：我并不担心她会有意作错事：凡是尽责任的人最后总是有好报的。”

接近春天了；但是我的主人并没有康复，虽然他又开始恢复同他女儿在田地里的散步。以她那没有经验的眼光来看，能出外散步就是痊愈的象征；而且他的面颊常常发红，眼睛发亮；她完全相信他是复元了。

在她十七岁生日那天，他没有去墓园，那天下着雨，我就说：

“今天晚上你一定不出去了吧，先生？”

他回答：“不出去了，今年我要推迟一下了。”

他又再次写信给林惇，向他表示很愿意见他；如果那个病人能见人的话，我毫不怀疑他父亲一定会允许他来的。但在当时的情况下，他是不能来的，便遵嘱回了一封信，暗示着希刺克厉夫先生不许他到田庄来；但他舅舅的亲切的关怀使他愉快，他希望他有时在散步时会遇到他，以便当面请求他不要让他的表姐和他如此长期地断绝来往。

他的信上这部分写得很简单，大概是他自己的话。希刺克厉夫知道，他为了要凯瑟琳作伴是能够娓娓动听地央求的。

“我不要求她来这里，”他说，“可是我就永远不见她了么，只因为我父亲不许我去她家，而您又不许她到我家来？请带她偶尔骑马到山岗这边来吧；让我们当着您面说几句话！我们并没作什么事该受这种隔离；您也并没有生我的气：您没有理由不喜欢我，您自己也承认。亲爱的舅舅！明天给我一封和气的信吧，叫我在您愿意的任何地点见见您们，除了在画眉田庄。我相信见一次面会使您相信我父亲的性格并不是我的性格：他肯定说我更像是您的外甥而不像是他的儿子；虽然我有些过失使我配不上凯瑟琳，可是她已经原谅了，为了她的缘故，您也该原谅吧。您问起我的健康——那是好些了。可是当我总是与一切希望割断，注定了孤寂，或者同那些永不曾、也永不会喜欢我的人们在一起，我怎么能够快活而健康起来呢？”

埃德加虽然同情那孩子，却不能答应他的请求；因为他不能陪凯瑟琳去。他说，到了夏天，也许他们可以相见；同时，他愿他有空来信，并且尽力在信上给他劝告和安慰；因为他很明白他在家中难处的地位。林惇顺从了；如果他不受拘束，他大概会使他的信中充满了抱怨和悲叹，结果就会把一切搞糟：但是他的父亲监视他很严；当然我主人送去的信每一行都非给他看不可；所以他只好不写他特有的个人痛苦和悲伤，而这是他的思想里最先想到的题目，他却只表达了硬把他与他的朋友和爱人分离之苦；他还向林惇先生慢慢暗示必须早些允许见面，不然他会担心林惇先生是故意用空话来搪塞他了。

凯蒂在家里是个有力的同盟者；他们内外呼应终于说动了我主人的心，在我的保护之下，在靠近田庄的旷野上，同意他们每星期左右在一起骑马或散步一次：因为到了六月他发现他还是在衰弱下去。虽然他每年拨出他的进项的一部分作为我小姐的财产，可是他自然也愿望她能够保留她祖先的房屋——或至少短期内能回去住；而他想到唯一的指望就在于让她和他的继承人结合；他没想到这个继承人和他自己差不多一样迅速地衰弱下去；任何人也没想到，我相信：没有医生去过山庄，也没有人看见过希刺克厉夫少爷而到我们中间来报告他的情况。在我这方面，我开始猜想我的预测是错了，当他提起到旷野骑马和散步，而且仿佛如此真挚的要达到他的目的时，他一定是真的复元了。我不能想象做父亲的对待快死的儿子会像我后来知道的希刺克厉夫那样暴虐地、恶毒地对待他，他一想到他那贪婪无情的计划马上就会受死亡的威胁而遭到失败，他的努力就更加迫切了。