In the course of time Mr. Earnshaw began to fail. He had been active and healthy, yet his strength left him suddenly; and when he was confined to the chimney-corner he grew grievously irritable. A nothing vexed him; and suspected slights of his authority nearly threw him into fits. This was especially to be remarked if any one attempted to impose upon, or domineer over, his favourite: he was painfully jealous lest a word should be spoken amiss to him; seeming to have got into his head the notion that, because he liked Heathcliff, all hated, and longed to do him an ill-turn. It was a disadvantage to the lad; for the kinder among us did not wish to fret the master, so we humoured his partiality; and that humouring was rich nourishment to the child's pride and black tempers. Still it became in a manner necessary; twice, or thrice, Hindley's manifestation of scorn, while his father was near, roused the old man to a fury: he seized his stick to strike him, and shook with rage that he could not do it.

* humour – [verb] to agree with sb’s wishes, even if they seem unreasonable, in order to keep the person happy: She thought it best to humour him rather than get into an argument.

恩肖先生日益老去。他曾经活跃，曾经健康，然而气力仿佛突然弃他而去。当他的只能在烟筒旁的角落活动时，他变得极为暴躁，让人非常担忧。无关紧要的事也让他感到烦心，如若稍有置疑他的权威，他就会发作一气。尤其是在有人试图诬陷或欺负他心爱的（希斯克利夫）时，这点就表现得特别突出。他的嫉妒心理已经几近扭曲，见不得别人说他（希斯克利夫）不对，仿佛有个理念已经在他头脑中根深蒂固，那就是因为他喜欢希斯克利夫，所以所有得人都恨他（希斯克利夫），都想哪天损上他（希斯克利夫）一把。这对那孩子（希斯克利夫）是不利的。因为像我们这样的人不愿意惹怒主任，所以我们就顺着他的意愿，而这种顺从也是助长这个孩子骄傲和坏脾气的主要养料。有两三次，在父亲旁边，欣德利嘲笑（希斯克利夫），而使得老人家火冒三丈，抓起拐棍就要揍他，由于没有打着老人气得浑身颤抖。

At last, our curate (we had a curate then who made the living answer by teaching the little Lintons and Earnshaws, and farming his bit of land himself) advised that the young man should be sent to college; and Mr. Earnshaw agreed, though with a heavy spirit, for he said - 'Hindley was nought, and would never thrive as where he wandered.'

最后，我们的教区牧师 （我们有一个靠教小林顿们和小恩肖们维持生计，并自己耕种一点土地。）建议让小伙子去上大学，虽然恩肖先生同意了，但是他并情愿，因为他说，“欣德利是没有什么用的，也不可能成就他的黄粱美梦的。”

I hoped heartily we should have peace now. It hurt me to think the master should be made uncomfortable by his own good deed. I fancied the discontent of age and disease arose from his family disagreements; as he would have it that it did: really, you know, sir, it was in his sinking frame. We might have got on tolerably, notwithstanding, but for two people - Miss Cathy, and Joseph, the servant: you saw him, I daresay, up yonder. He was, and is yet most likely, the wearisomest self-righteous Pharisee that ever ransacked a Bible to rake the promises to himself and fling the curses to his neighbours. By his knack of sermonising and pious discoursing, he contrived to make a great impression on Mr. Earnshaw; and the more feeble the master became, the more influence he gained.

  我真心希望以后可以过平静的日子。想想老主人落得个好心没好报的下场，让我感到难过。我猜是对年龄的不满和家庭不合的不安；而他也得承认就是如此。真的，先生，他那时已经日益衰老。尽管我们的处得还算过得去，但是有两个人——凯西小姐和约瑟夫，那个仆人，你见过的，我敢说要好很多。他（约瑟夫）就像是最乏味的自以为是的法利赛人，翻来覆去的查看一本圣经，搜寻所有对自己有利的咒语，却把诅咒丢给他的旁边的人们，现在还是这副样子。由于他精通布道，还有会虔诚的讲道，他成功的给恩肖先生留下了及好的印象，而起主人越是虚弱，他的影响力也就越大。

He was relentless in worrying him about his soul's concerns, and about ruling his children rigidly. He encouraged him to regard Hindley as a reprobate; and, night after night, he regularly grumbled out a long string of tales against Heathcliff and Catherine: always minding to flatter Earnshaw's weakness by heaping the heaviest blame on the latter.

他总是让主人担心自己的灵魂所在，担心对的孩子管教过严。他鼓励主人将欣德利当成是被上帝摒弃的人，而且，一天一天的，他嘀咕了不少诋毁希斯克利夫和凯瑟琳的事，考虑到恩肖的脾气，他总是把最重的责备加在后者的头上。

Certainly, she had ways with her such as I never saw a child take up before; and she put all of us past our patience fifty times and oftener in a day: from the hour she came down-stairs till the hour she went to bed, we had not a minute's security that she wouldn't be in mischief. Her spirits were always at high-water mark, her tongue always going - singing, laughing, and plaguing everybody who would not do the same. A wild, wicked slip she was - but she had the bonniest eye, the sweetest smile, and lightest foot in the parish: and, after all, I believe she meant no harm; for when once she made you cry in good earnest, it seldom happened that she would not keep you company, and oblige you to be quiet that you might comfort her. She was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him: yet she got chided more than any of us on his account. In play, she liked exceedingly to act the little mistress; using her hands freely, and commanding her companions: she did so to me, but I would not bear slapping and ordering; and so I let her know.

当然，她总是那副样子，我从来没有见那个孩子这样。常常在一天之内，从她下楼到她上床睡觉，她总要把所有的人惹火无数次。我们没有办法让她有一分钟不淘气的。她的总是处于兴奋状态，她的小嘴总是在——唱歌，笑，还有就是骚扰那些不跟她一道的人。她是一个野性的，淘气的孩子，但是她有最漂亮的眼睛，最甜的微笑，当地最轻盈的脚步。而起，我最终相信，她是没有坏心眼的，因为每次她真的把你惹恼了，她很少会跑开，使得你不得不安静下来去安慰她。她非常喜欢希斯克利夫。我们能施于她最大的惩罚莫过于把她和他分开，因为他的原因，她挨的骂比我们都多。弯游戏的时候，她特别喜欢扮演小女主人，肆无忌惮地指挥她的玩伴们，她对我也这样做过，但是我受不了她的猛打和命令，所以我告诉了她。