I took a seat at the end of the hearthstone opposite that towards which my landlord advanced, and filled up an interval of silence by attempting to caress the canine mother, who had left her nursery, and was sneaking wolfishly to the back of my legs, her lip curled up, and her white teeth watering for a snatch.

我坐到壁炉的尽头，正对着我的房东走开的方向，为了打破间或的沉默，我试图去爱抚离开待喂养的狗崽的狗妈妈，她绕到我的后面，贪婪的看着我的后退，咧开嘴，牙齿上滴着口水，就准备咬我一口。

My caress provoked a long, guttural gnarl.

我的抚摸惹得它喉咙里长长的一声咆哮。

'You'd better let the dog alone,' growled Mr. Heathcliff in unison, checking fiercer demonstrations with a punch of his foot. '

“你最好别碰那狗。”希斯克利夫先生同时喊道，暴躁的抬腿踢一脚。

“She's not accustomed to be spoiled - not kept for a pet.' Then, striding to a side door, he shouted again, 'Joseph!'

“它不习惯被宠――它克不是宠物。”而后跨进一个侧门，再次大喊：“约瑟夫！”

Joseph mumbled indistinctly in the depths of the cellar, but gave no intimation of ascending; so his master dived down to him, leaving me VIS-A-VIS the ruffianly bitch and a pair of grim shaggy sheep-dogs, who shared with her a jealous guardianship over all my movements.

约瑟夫模糊的回答从地窖深处传来，但是没有要上来的意思；于是他的主人就自己下去了，留下我和那凶猛的母狗四目相对，还有一对令人害怕的杂毛狗睡在旁边，它们和它一起警惕的监视着我的一举一动。

Not anxious to come in contact with their fangs, I sat still; but, imagining they would scarcely understand tacit insults, I unfortunately indulged in winking and making faces at the trio, and some turn of my physiognomy so irritated madam, that she suddenly broke into a fury and leapt on my knees. I flung her back, and hastened to interpose the table between us. This proceeding aroused the whole hive: half-a-dozen four-footed fiends, of various sizes and ages, issued from hidden dens to the common centre. I felt my heels and coat-laps peculiar subjects of assault; and parrying off the larger combatants as effectually as I could with the poker, I was constrained to demand, aloud, assistance from some of the household in re-establishing peace.

为了不和它们的犬牙接触，我一动不动的坐着。但是，以为他们不懂非言语的冒犯，我非常不幸地对它们三个大胆的挤眉弄眼，做鬼脸，而我某个面部表情的改变是如此的惹闹了这么女士，以至于它突然非常狂怒的跳上我的膝盖。我把它猛推回去，并快速的把我们两个隔在桌子之间。这个过程就跟捅了马蜂窝似的：半打不同体形，不同年龄的四脚朋友都露出犬牙走到了中间来。我觉得我的脚后跟和衣摆都是容易受到攻击的地方，我极力的用拨火棍的驱赶大的，并被迫大声求救，希望房子的主人快来恢复这里的平静。

Mr. Heathcliff and his man climbed the cellar steps with vexatious phlegm: I don't think they moved one second faster than usual, though the hearth was an absolute tempest of worrying and yelping. Happily, an inhabitant of the kitchen made more despatch: a lusty dame, with tucked-up gown, bare arms, and fire-flushed cheeks, rushed into the midst of us flourishing a frying-pan: and used that weapon, and her tongue, to such purpose, that the storm subsided magically, and she only remained, heaving like a sea after a high wind, when her master entered on the scene.

希斯克利夫先生和他的仆人爬出地窖，他们的速度真是让人头疼，我觉得他们没有比平时快一秒钟，尽管屋子是绝对的惊惶和犬吠。幸亏厨房里的人出来了的比较快，一位健壮的女士，长袍的袖子卷着，露出胳膊，双颊被火烤的红红的，她冲到我们中间，挥舞着她的煎锅，用她的武器和呵斥驱赶狗群，暴乱奇迹般的平息了。但是当她的主人进来的时候，她仍然挥动着她的锅，就像刚刚经过大风的海面一样。

'What the devil is the matter?' he asked, eyeing me in a manner that I could ill endure after this inhospitable treatment.

“见什么鬼了？”见我在他不友善的对待后，处于一种无法忍受的状态下，他问道。

'What the devil, indeed!' I muttered. 'The herd of possessed swine could have had no worse spirits in them than those animals of yours, sir. You might as well leave a stranger with a brood of tigers!'

“是的，见鬼！”我嘀咕道，“那群着了魔的猪也不可能比你的这些动物更恶毒，先生。你也可让一个陌生人和一窝老虎待在一起。”

'They won't meddle with persons who touch nothing,' he remarked, putting the bottle before me, and restoring the displaced table. 'The dogs do right to be vigilant. Take a glass of wine?'

“它们不会对这些不碰东西的人乱来的。”他说，把一个瓶子放到我的面前，又把移位的桌子复原。“狗保持警惕是对的。喝杯酒吗？”

'No, thank you.'

“不了，谢谢.”

'Not bitten, are you?'

“没被咬着吧？对吧？”

'If I had been, I would have set my signet on the biter.'

“如果我被咬了，我会在咬我的狗上留下印章的。”

Heathcliff's countenance relaxed into a grin.

希斯克利夫先生面部放松，露出了笑容。

'Come, come,' he said, 'you are flurried, Mr. Lockwood. Here, take a little wine. Guests are so exceedingly rare in this house that I and my dogs, I am willing to own, hardly know how to receive them. Your health, sir?'

“行啦，行啦。”他说，“你受惊了。洛克伍德先生。来，喝一杯酒。这个房子鲜有访客，这也是我养狗德原因。我很乐意拥有，却不知道怎么欢迎他们。祝你健康，先生。”

I bowed and returned the pledge; beginning to perceive that it would be foolish to sit sulking for the misbehaviour of a pack of curs; besides, I felt loth to yield the fellow further amusement at my expense; since his humour took that turn.

我点头接受并回敬了他，当他的幽默上场的时候，我觉得如果因为一群恶狗的行为而坐在那边生闷气实在是太不明智了；另外，我觉得也让他继续在我的代价上寻开心实在是厌恶。

He - probably swayed by prudential consideration of the folly of offending a good tenant - relaxed a little in the laconic style of chipping off his pronouns and auxiliary verbs, and introduced what he supposed would be a subject of interest to me, - a discourse on the advantages and disadvantages of my present place of retirement.

他肯定是谨慎考虑了惹恼一个好的房客是很蠢的事情，他开始略微改变他的谈话简洁的风格，比如省掉代词和辅助动词，并开始开始谈他认为我会感兴趣的话题，关于我现在要住的地方的有点和缺点的谈话。

I found him very intelligent on the topics we touched; and before I went home, I was encouraged so far as to volunteer another visit to-morrow.

我发现，在我们谈到的话题上他表现得非常得睿智；以至于我在走之前，有勇气提出明天再来拜访。

He evidently wished no repetition of my intrusion. I shall go, notwithstanding. It is astonishing how sociable I feel myself compared with him.

很显然，他不希望我再来，尽管我得走了。我觉得与他相比我是多么的热衷于社交啊。