wholesome terror of encountering either his wild beast's fondness or his madman's rage; for in one he ran a chance of being squeezed and kissed to dea

child! I know how it is, now, that he is always out of my way. But, with the help of Satan, I shall make you swallow the carving-knife, Nelly! You needn't laugh;

dley,' I answered; 'it has been cutting red

mine's abominable! Open your mouth.' He held the knife in his hand, and pushed its point between my teeth: but, for my par

a good-hearted, deluded father. Now, don't you think the lad would be handsomer cropped? It makes a dog fiercer, and I love something fierce-get me a scissors-something fierce and trim! Besides, it's infernal affectation-devilish conceit it is, to cherish our ears-we'

to rescue him. As I reached them, Hindley leant forward on the rails to listen to a noise below; almost forgetting what he had in his hands. 'Who is that?' he asked, hearing some one approaching the stairs'-foot. I leant forward a

ed with a lucky lottery ticket for five shillings, and finds next day he has lost in the bargain five thousand pounds, could not show a blanker countenance than he did on beholding the figure of Mr. Earnshaw above. It expressed, plainer than words could do, the intensest anguish at having made himself the i

ld have kept him out of sight: you should hav

orse than a heathen-treating your own flesh and blood in that manner!' He attempted to touch the child, who, on finding himself with me, sobbed off his te

tes you-they all hate you-that's the truth! A happy

t, convey yourself and him away. And hark you, Heathcliff! clear you too quite from my reach and hearing

bottle of brandy from the dresser

o take warning. Have mercy on this unfortu

tter for him than I

!' I said, endeavouring to s

in sending it to perdition to punish its Maker,' excl

o; terminating his command with a sequel of ho

'He's doing his very utmost; but his constitution defies him. Mr. Kenneth says he would wager his mare that he'll outlive any

walked through to the barn. It turned out afterwards that he only got as far as the other side th

on my knee, and humm

he night, and t

neath the moo

e hubbub from her room, put her head in

iss,' I

her face seemed disturbed and anxious. Her lips were half asunder, as if she meant to speak, and she drew a bre

iff?' she said,

in the stable,

two trickle from Catherine's cheek to the flags. Is she sorry for her shameful conduct?-I asked myself. That will be a novelty: but

cried at last. '

please; so many friends and so few c

and lifting her winsome eyes to my face with that sort of look which turns

ping?' I inquire

y, Edgar Linton has asked me to marry him, and I've given him an answer. Now, before I

n you performed in his presence this afternoon, I might say it would be wise to refuse him:

eturned, peevishly rising to her feet. 'I accepted

it discussing the matter? You have pl

o!' she exclaimed in an irritated tone;

question can be answered properly,' I said, senten

? Of course I do

wing catechism: for a girl of tw

love him,

I do-that's

ns; you mu

is handsome, and p

as my co

he is young a

, st

ause he

ent, comi

the greatest woman of the neighbourhood, an

And now, say ho

loves-You're

t all-

everything he touches, and every word he says. I love all his look

d w

ly ill-natured! It's no jest to me!' said the youn

nd young, and cheerful, and rich, and loves you. The last, however, goes for nothing: you would love

nly pity him-hate him, perhaps,

en in the world: handsomer, possibly, and richer th

are out of my way: I've

t always be handsome, and youn

o do with the present. I wish

you have only to do with th

hat-I shall marry him: and yet you

ther will be pleased; the old lady and gentleman will not object, I think; you will escape from a disorderly, comfortless hom

orehead, and the other on her breast: 'in whichever place the s

trange! I cann

me, I'll explain it: I can't do it distinctly

r countenance grew sadder and grav

r dreams?' she said, suddenly,

and then,'

y ideas: they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour

hosts and visions to perplex us. Come, come, be merry and like yourself! Look at

n he was just such another as that chubby thing: nearly as young and innocent. However, N

I won't hear it!'

hat made me dread something from which I might shape a prophecy, and foresee a fearful catastrophe. She

, Nelly, I should be

there,' I answered. 'All sinner

that. I dreamt once

our dreams, Miss Catherine! I'll

e down; for I made a mo

ke sobbing for joy. That will do to explain my secret, as well as the other. I've no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldn't have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry

, and steal out noiselessly. He had listened till he heard Catherine say it would degrade her to marry him, and then he stayed to hear no further. My

ked, gazing n

his cartwheels up the road; 'and Heathcliff will come in with

en it is ready ask me to sup with you. I want to cheat my uncomfortable conscience, and be convinced th

ortunate creature that ever was born! As soon as you become Mrs. Linton, he loses friend, and love, and all! Have you co

consent to forsake Heathcliff. Oh, that's not what I intend-that's not what I mean! I shouldn't be Mrs. Linton were such a price demanded! He'll be as much to me as he has been all his lifetime. Edgar must shake off his antipathy, and tolerate him, at least. He will, whe

so pliable as you calculate upon: and, though I'm hardly a judge, I think t

contained here? My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it.-My love for Linton is like the foli

s of my gown; but I jerked it forcibly a

at you are ignorant of the duties you undertake in marrying; or else that you are a wicke

that?' she as

ot promise,

e supper. After it was cooked, my fellow-servant and I began to quarrel who should carry some to Mr. Hindley; and we didn't settle it till all was nearly cold.

be this time? What is he about? girt idle seeght!'

eplied. 'He's in the

lf; not taking leisure to consider why she was so flurried, or how her talk would have affected him. She was absent such a while that Joseph proposed we should wait no longer. He cunningly conjectured they were staying away in order to avoid hearing his protracted blessing. They were 'ill eneugh for ony fahl manners,' he affirmed. And on

'And the gate is open: he is somewhere out of hearing; for he would

mbling forth. Meantime, Catherine paced up and down the floor, exclaiming-'I wonder where he is-I wonder where he can be! What did I say, Nelly? I

ly no great cause of alarm that Heathcliff should take a moonlight saunter on the moors, or even lie t

s result was disappointment, and

plottered through, raight o'er into t' meadow! Hahsomdiver, t' maister 'ull play t' devil to-morn, and he'll do weel. He's patience itsseln wi' sic

?' interrupted Catherine. 'Have you

look for norther horse nur man of a neeght loike this-as black as t' chimbley! und Heath

ed into tranquillity. She kept wandering to and fro, from the gate to the door, in a state of agitation which permitted no repose; and at length took up a permanent situation on one side of the wall, near the road: where, heedless of my ex

eeching the Lord to remember the patriarchs Noah and Lot, and, as in former times, spare the righteous, though he smote the ungodly. I felt some sentiment that it must be a judgment on us also. The Jonah, in my mind, was Mr. Earnshaw; and I shook the handle of his den that I might ascertain if he were yet living. He replied audibly enough, in a fashion which made my companion vociferate, more clamorously than before, that a wide distinction might b

Come, come to bed! there's no use waiting any longer on that foolish boy: he'll be gone to Gimmerton, and he'll stay there now. He guesses we shouldn'

wod hev' ye to look out, Miss-yah muh be t' next. Thank Hivin for all! All warks togither for gooid to them as is chozzen, and piked out fro'

and betook myself to bed with little Hareton, who slept as fast as if everyone had been sleeping round him. I hea

, Miss Catherine still seated near the fireplace. The house-door was ajar, too; light entered fro

I entered: 'you look as dismal as a drowned

swered reluctantly, 'an

sober. 'She got steeped in the shower of yesterday evening, and there

through,' he repeated. 'What kept her up? not fear

p; and she said nothing. The morning was fresh and cool; I threw back the lattice, and presently the room filled with sweet scents from the garden; but

the reason she would not go to bed. Damn it! I don't want to be

d Miss Nelly, shoo's a fine lass! shoo sits watching for ye i' t' kitchen; and as yah're in at one door, he's out at t'other; and, then, wer grand lady goes a-courting of her side! It's bonny behaviour, lurking amang t' fields, after twelve o' t' night, wi' that fahl, flaysome divil of a gipsy

! Edgar Linton came yesterday by chance, Hindley; and it was I who told him

he truth, now. You need not be afraid of harming him: though I hate him as much as ever, he did me a good turn a short time since that will make my conscience tender of breaking

urn him out of doors, I'll go with him. But, perhaps, you'll never have an opportunity: perhaps, he'

d me. I thought she was going mad, and I begged Joseph to run for the doctor. It proved the commencement of delirium: Mr. Kenneth, as soon as he saw her, pronounced her dangerously ill; she had a fever. He bled her, and he told me to let he

ld Mrs. Linton paid us several visits, to be sure, and set things to rights, and scolded and ordered us all; and when Catherine was convalescent, she insisted on conveying her to Thrushcross

re a little girl; and she esteemed herself a woman, and our mistress, and thought that her recent illness gave her a claim to be treated with consideration. Then the doctor had said that she would not bear crossing much; she ought to have her own way; and it was nothing less than murder in her eyes for any one to presume to stand up and contradict her. From Mr. Earnshaw and his companions she kept aloof; and tutored by Kenneth, and serious threats of a fit that often attended her rages, her brother allowed her whatever she pleased to dem

ve me, she went lamenting to her husband and brother. The former offered me munificent wages; the latter ordered me to pack up: he wanted no women in the house, he said, now that there was no mistress; and as to Hareton, the curate should take him in hand, by-and-by. And so I had but one choice left: to do as I was ordered.

*

re half-past one. She would not hear of staying a second longer: in truth, I felt rather disposed to defer the sequel of her narrative myself. And now that