A letter, edged with black, announced the day of my master's return. Isabella was dead; and he wrote to bid me get mourning for his daughter, and arrange a room, and other accommodations, for his youthful nephew. Catherine ran wild with joy at the idea of welcoming her father back; and indulged most sanguine anticipations of the innumerable excellences of her `real' cousin. The evening of their expected arrival came. Since early morning, she had been busy ordering her own small affairs; and now, attired in her new black frock--poor thing! her aunt's death impressed her with no definite sorrow--she obliged me, by constant worrying, to walk with her down through the grounds to meet them.

`Linton is just six months younger than I am,' she chattered, as we strolled leisurely over the swells and hollows of mossy turf, under shadow of the trees. `How delightful it will be to have him for a playfellow! Aunt Isabella sent papa a beautiful lock of his hair; it was lighter than mine--more flaxen, and quite as fine. I have it carefully preserved in a little glass box: and I've often thought what pleasure it would be to see its owner. Oh! I am happy--and papa, dear, dear papa! Come, Ellen, let us run! come, run.'

She ran, and returned and ran again, many times before my sober footsteps reached the gate, and then she seated herself on the grassy bank beside the path, and tried to wait patiently; but that was impossible: she couldn't be still a minute.

`How long they are!' she exclaimed. `Ah, I see some dust on the road they are coming? No! When will they be here? May we not go a little way--half a mile, Ellen: only just half a mile? Do say yes: to that clump of birches at the turn!'

I refused staunchly. At length her suspense was ended: the travelling carriage rolled in sight. Miss Cathy shrieked and stretched out her arms, as soon as she caught her father's face looking from the window. He descended, nearly as eager as herself: and a considerable interval elapsed ere they had a thought to spare for any but themselves. While they exchanged caresses, I took a peep in to see after Linton. He was asleep in a corner, wrapped in a warm, fur-lined cloak, as if it had been winter. A pale, delicate, effeminate boy, who might have been taken for my master's younger brother, so strong was the resemblance: but there was a sickly peevishness in his aspect, that Edgar Linton never had. The latter saw me looking; and having shaken hands, advised me to close the door, and leave him undisturbed; for the journey had fatigued him. Cathy would fain have taken one glance, but her father told her to come on, and they walked together up the park, while I hastened before to prepare the servants.

`Now, darling,' said Mr Linton, addressing his daughter, as they halted at the bottom of the front steps; `your cousin is not so strong or so merry as you are, and he has lost his mother, remember, a very short time since; therefore, don't expect him to play and run about with you directly. And don't harass him much by talking: let him be quiet this evening, at least, will you?'

Yes, yes, papa,' answered Catherine: `but I do want to see him; and he hasn't once looked out.'

The carriage stopped; and the sleeper being roused, was lifted to the ground by his uncle.

`This is your cousin Cathy, Linton,' he said, putting their little hands together. `She's fond of you already; and mind you don't grieve her by crying tonight. Try to be cheerful now; the travelling is at an end, and you have nothing to do but rest and amuse yourself as you please.'

`Let me go to bed, then,' answered the boy, shrinking from Catherine's salute; and he put his fingers to his eyes to remove incipient tears.

`Come, come, there's a good child,' I whispered, leading him in.

`You'll make her weep too--see how sorry she is for you!'

I do not know whether it were sorrow for him, but his cousin put on as sad a countenance as himself, and returned to her father. All three entered, and mounted to the library, where tea was laid ready. I proceeded to remove Linton's cap and mantle, and placed him on a chair by the table; but he was no sooner seated than he began to cry afresh. My master inquired what was the matter.

`I can't sit on a chair,' sobbed the boy.

`Go to the sofa, then, and Ellen shall bring you some tea, answered his uncle patiently.

He had been greatly tried during the journey, I felt convinced, by his fretful ailing charge. Linton slowly trailed himself off, and lay down. Cathy carried a footstool and her cup to his side. At first she sat silent; but that could not last: she had resolved to make a pet of her little cousin, as she would have him to be; and she commenced stroking his curls, and kissing his cheek, and offering him tea in her saucer, like a baby. This pleased him, for he was not much better: he dried his eyes, and lightened into a faint smile.

`Oh, he'll do very well,' said the master to me, after watching them a minute. `Very well, if we can keep him, Ellen. The company of a child of his own age will instil new spirit into him soon, and by wishing for strength he'll gain it.'

`Ay, if we can keep him!' I mused to myself; and sore misgivings came over me that there was slight hope of that. And then, I thought, however will that weakling live at Wuthering Heights, between his father and Hareton, what playmates and instructors they'll be. Our doubts were presently decided even earlier than I expected. I had just taken the children upstairs, after tea was finished, and seen Linton asleep--he would not suffer me to leave him till that was the case--I had come down, and was standing by the table in the hall, lighting a bedroom candle for Mr Edgar, when a maid stepped out of the kitchen and informed me that Mr Heathcliff's servant Joseph was at the door, and wished to speak with the master.

`I shall ask him what he wants first,' I said, in considerable trepidation. `A very unlikely hour to be troubling people, and the instant they have returned from a long journey. I don't think the master can see him.'

Joseph had advanced through the kitchen as I uttered these words, and now presented himself in the hall. He was donned in his Sunday garments, with his most sanctimonious and sourest face, and, holding his hat in one hand and his stick in the other, he proceeded to clean his shoes on the mat.

`Good evening, Joseph,' I said coldly. `What business brings you here tonight?'

`It's Maister Linton Aw mun spake tull,' he answered, waving me disdainfully aside.

`Mr Linton is going to bed; unless you have something particular to say, I'm sure he won't hear it now,' I continued. `You had better sit down in there, and entrust your message to me.

`Which is his rahm?' pursued the fellow, surveying the range of closed doors.

I perceived he was bent on refusing my mediation, so very reluctantly I went up to the library, and announced the unseasonable visitor, advising that he should be dismissed till next day. Mr Linton had no time to empower me to do so, for Joseph mounted close at my heels, and, pushing into the apartment, planted himself at the far side of the table, with his two fists clapped on the head of his stick, and began in an elevated tone, as if anticipating opposition:

`Heathcliff has send me for his lad, and Aw munn't goa back 'bout him.'

Edgar Linton was silent a minute; an expression of exceeding sorrow overcast his features: he would have pitied the child on his own account; but, recalling Isabella's hopes and fears, and anxious wishes for her son, and her commendations of him to his care, he grieved bitterly at the prospect of yielding him up, and searched in his heart how it might be avoided. No plan offered itself: the very exhibition of any desire to keep him would have rendered the claimant more peremptory: there was nothing left but to resign him. However, he was not going to rouse him from his sleep.

`Tell Mr Heathcliff,' he answered calmly, `that his son shall come to Wuthering Heights tomorrow. He is in bed, and too tired to go the distance now. You may also tell him that the mother of Linton desired him to remain under my guardianship; and, at present, his health is very precarious.'

`Noa!' said Joseph, giving a thud with his prop on the floor, and assuming an authoritative air; `noa! that manes nowt. Hathecliff maks noa 'cahnt uh t' mother, nur yah norther; bud he'll hev his lad; und Aw mun tak him--soa nah yah knaw!'

`You shall not tonight!' answered Linton decisively. `Walk downstairs at once, and, repeat to your master what I have said. Ellen, show him down. Go--'

And, aiding the indignant elder with a lift by the arm, he rid the room of him, and closed the door.

`Varrah weell!' shouted Joseph, as he slowly drew off. `Tuhmorn, he's come hisseln, un thrust him aht, if yah darr!'

一封带黑边的信宣布了我的主人的归期。伊莎贝拉死了，他写信来叫我给他的女儿穿上丧服，并且为他年轻的外甥腾出一个房间以及做好其他准备。凯瑟琳一想到要欢迎她父亲回来，就欣喜若狂；而且胡思乱想、极为乐观地猜想她那“真正的”表弟的无数优点。预期他们到达的那个晚上来临了。从一清早起，她就忙着吩咐她自己的琐细事情；现在又穿上她新的黑衣服——可怜的东西！她姑姑的死并没有使她感到明确的悲哀——她时不时地缠住我，硬要我陪她穿过庄园去接他们。

“林惇比我才小六个月，”她喋喋不休地说着，这时候我们在树荫下悠闲地踱过那凹凸不平的草地。“有他作伴一起玩可叫人多高兴啊！伊莎贝拉姑姑给过爸爸一绺他的美丽的头发；比我的头发颜色还浅——更淡黄些，而且也相当细。我已经把它小心地藏在一个小玻璃盒子里了；我常想：要是看见有那种头发的人会是一件多么快乐的事啊。啊，我真高兴——爸爸，亲爱的，亲爱的爸爸！来呀，艾伦，我们跑吧！来呀，快跑！”

她跑着，又转回来，又跑起来，在我的稳重的脚步到达大门以前，她已经跑过好多次，然后她就坐在小径旁边的草地上，试着耐心地等着；但那是不可能的：她连一分钟也不能安定下来。

“他们要多久才来呀！”她叫着。“啊，我看见大路上有点尘土啦——他们来啦！不！他们什么时候到这儿呀？我们不能走一点路吗——半英里，艾伦，就走半英里！说可以吧！就走到转弯地方那丛桦树那儿！”

我坚决拒绝。最后她的悬念结束了；已经看得见长途马车辘辘而来。凯瑟琳一看见她父亲的脸从车窗中向外望，便尖叫一声，伸出她的双臂。他下了车，几乎和她一样的热切；一段相当长的时候，他们除了他们自己以外根本没想到别人。在他们互相拥抱的时候，我偷看了林惇一下。他在车中一个角落睡着，用一件暖和的、镶皮边的外套裹着，好像是过冬似的。一个苍白的、娇滴滴的、柔弱的男孩子，简直可以当我主人的小弟弟：两个人是这么相像：可是在他的相貌上有一种病态的乖僻，那是埃德加·林惇从来没有的。林惇先生瞧见我在望着；他握过手之后，就叫我把车门关上，不要惊扰他，因为这趟旅行已经使他很疲惫了。凯蒂想多看一眼，但是他父亲喊她过来

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