Chapter 28 Chapter Twenty-Four

By the end of the three weeks I was able to get out of my house and walk around the house.When I first sat up in the evening, I asked Catherine to read to me, for my eyesight was not very good.We were in the study, and the master had gone to bed: she agreed, and, I suppose, she was not very willing; I thought that the kind of books I read were not to her liking, and I told her to pick any book she was familiar with.She picked one she liked, and read it at a stretch for an hour or so; then she kept asking me, "Aren't you tired, Ellen? Wouldn't it be better if you lay down now? You're going to be sick, Stay up this late, Ellen."

"No, no, honey, I'm not tired," I kept answering. When she realized that she couldn't persuade me, she tried another method, which was to deliberately show that she was not interested in what she was doing, which turned into yawning, stretching, and—— "Ellen, I'm tired." "Then stop reading and talk," I replied. That was worse: she was restless and sighing, and kept looking at her watch until eight o'clock, when she finally went back to her room, with her complaining, unhappy look, and rubbing her eyes , completely drowsy.On the second night she seemed more impatient; on the third she left me complaining of a headache to avoid my company.I thought she was behaving in a peculiar way; and after being alone for a long time I decided to go and see if she was any better, and to ask her to come and lie on the sofa instead of being up there in the dark.There was no sign of Catherine upstairs, nor downstairs.The servants all affirmed that they had not seen her.I listened at Mr. Edgar's door: it was quiet there.I went back to her room, blew out the candles, and sat by the window.

The moon was shining brightly; a layer of snow had fallen on the ground, and I thought she might have gone for a walk in the garden to clear her head.I did catch a figure creeping along the hedge in the garden, but it was not my little mistress.When the figure came into the light, I recognized it as a groom.He stood for a long time, looking across the park at the road; then trotting briskly away, as if he had spied something, reappeared at once, leading the lady's horse; Walking beside the horse.The man led the horse furtively across the meadow to the stables.Katie came in through the living room window, and slipped silently to where I was waiting for her.She also closed the door softly, took off her snow-stained shoes, and unbuttoned her hat, not knowing that I was looking at her, and was about to take off her cloak when I stood up suddenly and appeared.This unexpected event stunned her for a moment: she uttered an inarticulate cry, and stood still.

"My dear Miss Catherine," I began, whose lately tenderness had struck me too vividly for me to curse her, "where have you been riding at this hour? Why are you lying to me? Where have you been? Tell me!" "Over the garden," she stammered. "I'm not lying." "Didn't you go elsewhere?" I asked. "No," she murmured back. "Oh, Catherine!" I exclaimed sadly. "You know you're wrong, or you wouldn't have told me nonsense. It makes me sad. I'd rather be sick for three months than listen to your deliberate nonsense."

She threw herself forward, burst into tears, and put her arms around my neck. "Oh, Ellen, I'm afraid you'll be angry," she said. "Promise me not to be angry, and you will know the real situation: I don't want to hide it from you." We sat on the windowsill; I assured her that whatever her secret was, I wouldn't scold her, and of course I guessed it; so she began to say— "I'm going to Wuthering Heights, Ellen. I haven't missed a day since you fell ill; only three times before you could leave your room, and two times since. I'll give McColl Some books and paintings, tell him to prepare Minnie every night, and take it back to the stable after use: remember, you must not scold him. I arrive at the villa at half past six, and usually stay until half past eight. , and then rode home again. I did not go to make myself happy, I was often vexed. Sometimes I am, perhaps once a week. At first I expected to persuade you to promise me to keep my promise to Linton, That must have been troublesome; for when we left him I made an appointment to see him the next day; but you lay upstairs the next day, and I avoided that trouble. Cole put the lock back on the garden door in the afternoon, and I got the key, and I told him how my cousin was looking forward to seeing him, because he was sick and couldn't come to the Grange; and how papa objected I'll go: Then I'll talk to him about the pony. He likes to read, and he thinks he's going to get married soon, so he proposes that if I'll take the book out of the study and lend it to him , he obeyed my orders: but I was more than content to give him my own book.

"Linton seemed in good spirits when I went the second time; Zilla (who was their housekeeper) got us a clean room, and a good fire, and told us to do what we liked, As Joseph had gone to a prayer-meeting, Hareton went out with his dog--to steal pheasants in our woods, I was later told. She brought me some mulled wine and gingerbread, and behaved and Linton sat in the easy-chair, and I in the little rocker by the fire, and we talked and laughed so merrily, and found so much to say: where and what we planned for the summer. Here I don't have to repeat it, because you'll say it's stupid.

"But once we almost quarreled. He said the most pleasant way to pass a hot July day was to lie in a meadow in the middle of the moor from morning to night, with bees buzzing dreamily among the flowers, and The larks singing high, and the blue sky and the bright sun, which shines brightly without cloud. That's the perfect idea of ​​what he calls heavenly bliss. And I want to sit Swinging on a rustling green tree, with the westerly wind blowing and clear white clouds passing overhead; not only larks, but thrushes, mountain birds, cardinals and cuckoos singing here and there Looking at the wilderness split into many cold and quiet canyons in the distance; but nearby there are lush and long grasses that form undulating waves against the breeze; there are forests and gurgling water, and the whole world has awakened and immersed in In mad joy. He wants all in a quiet ecstasy; and I want all to sparkle and dance in brilliant ecstasy. I say his heaven is half-dead; he says mine is drunkenness ;I said I'd fall asleep in his heaven;He said he'd be breathless in mine and he started getting really cranky.Finally we agreed to try both as soon as the weather was right ; then we kissed each other and became friends again.

"After sitting down for an hour, I looked at the big room with its smooth, uncarpeted floor, and I thought how fun it would be if we moved the table; and I wanted Linton to call Zilla to come in and help us, We could play hide-and-seek and ask her to catch us. You know what you do, Ellen. He wouldn't, saying it was no fun, but he agreed to play ball with me. We found two balls in a cupboard, and there There's a whole bunch of old toys, tops, hoops, bats, badmintons. There's a ball that says C. There's an H. I want that C. Because that's for Catherine, and H. Probably for his surname Heather Liv; but H. The chaff was all out of the ball, and Linton didn't like that. I kept beating him, and he got upset, and coughed again, and went back to his chair. But that night , he recovered his good-nature easily: he listened to two or three good songs—yours, Ellen—fascinated; and when I had to go away, he begged me to To go in the evening, I said yes, and Minnie and I galloped home, as light as the gust of wind; and I dreamed of Wuthering Heights and my dear darling cousin, and these dreams lasted till morning.

① Catherine, the original text is Catherine, so it can be represented by C.Heathcliff, the original text is Heathcliff, which can be represented by H. "I was sad in the morning; because you were still sick, and because I wanted my father to know, and approve of my excursion; but after tea, it was a beautiful moonlit night; and as I rode on, my gloom The mood was relieved, and I thought: I shall have a merry evening again; and, to my delight, so will the fair Linton. I rode quickly to their garden, and was about to turn back, er, That Shaw guy saw me and took my rein and told me to go through the front door. He patted Minnie on the neck and said she was a good animal, and he looked like he wanted me to talk to him. I just talked to him Said don't touch my horse, or it will kick him. He said in a rustic accent: 'It won't hurt too much if you kick it.' And look at its legs and smile. I want him to try but he went away to open the door, and as he drew the bolt, looked up at the inscription on the door, and said with a sort of foolishly embarrassed self-satisfaction—'Miss Catherine, I can read now! .'

"'Brilliant,' I exclaimed. 'Let us hear you read—you've become capable!' "He pronounced the name, drawling out the words—'Hareton Earnshaw.' "'And the numbers?' I exclaimed encouragingly, seeing him pause. "'I can't read it,' he replied. "'Oh, you idiot!' said I, laughing happily at his failure. "The idiot stared blankly, with a silly smile on his lips, and his brows were furrowed, as if he didn't know whether he should smile with me, or whether my smile was affectionate or contempt--in fact, contempt I relieved him of his doubts, for I suddenly regained my dignity, and asked him to go away, I had come to see Linton, not him. He blushed—I saw it by the moonlight— His hand dropped from the door, and slipped away, with a sort of humiliated vanity. He fancied himself as capable as Linton, I suppose, because he could pronounce his own name. ; but he was greatly embarrassed, because I did not think so."

"Stop it, Miss Catherine, dear!" I interrupted her. "I don't scold you, but I don't like the way you behave. If you remember that Hareton is your cousin, like Master Heathcliff, you will feel how inappropriate it is. At least His desire to be as accomplished as Linton's was admirable ambition; and presumably he did not study for mere showing: you had shamed him for his ignorance before, I do not doubt; You like it. It's rude to laugh at his unfinished endeavors. Wouldn't you have been less rude if you had been brought up in his surroundings? He turned out to be a boy as clever and clever as you are; I'm so sad He is now to be despised because that wretched Heathcliff has treated him so unfairly." "Oh, Ellen, you won't cry about it, will you?" she cried, surprised by my sincerity. "But wait, and you'll hear if he's reciting his ABC's to please me, and if it's worth being polite to this brute. I went in, and Linton was lying on the high-backed bench, rising to welcome me. "'I'm sick to-night, Catherine, love!' said he, 'and you'll have to talk alone, and I'll listen. Come, sit beside me. I'll know you won't break your promise, before you go, I will also make you keep your word.' "I knew then that I must not tease him, for he was ill, and I spoke softly, without asking questions, and avoided saying anything that would provoke him. I brought him some of my best books; A little bit of a book, and I was about to read it, when Earnshaw threw open the door, evidently after some reflection, and came straight up to us, took Linton by the arm, and lifted him from his chair. Pull up and down. "'Go to your own room!' he said, almost indistinctly agitated; I throw it out. You two go away!' "He swore at us, did not allow Linton to answer, and nearly threw him into the kitchen; I followed, and he clenched his fists as if he wanted to knock me down too. I was a little frightened at the time, and I dropped a copy. Books; he kicked them at me, and shut us out. I heard a vicious smirk by the fire, and turning round, I saw that wretched Joseph standing, rubbing his bony hands, Still trembling. "'I knew he was going to kick you out! He's a good boy! He's right! He knows—well, he knows as well as I do, who's supposed to own the place—uh, uh, uh! He's right !Uh uh uh!' "'Where are we going?' I asked my cousin, ignoring the old man's sneer. "Linton was pale and trembling. He was not handsome then, Ellen. Oh, no, he was terrible to look at, for his thin face and large eyes had an expression of wild, feeble anger. He shook his hand. catches the handle, and shakes it; but the inside is locked. "'If you won't let me in I'll kill you--if you won't let me in I'll kill you!' He was literally screaming instead of talking. 'Demon! demon! —I'll kill you—I'll kill you! ' ' Joseph gave that hoarse laugh again. "'Here, that's his father!' he cried. 'That's his father! We've got bits on both sides. Pay no attention to him, Hareton, boy—don't be afraid—he can't touch you!' "I seized Linton's hand, and tried to pull him away; but he screamed so terribly that I dared not. At last his cry was choked by a terrible cough; the blood gushed from his mouth, He fell to the ground. I ran out into the yard, terrified; and I called Zilla as loud as I could. She heard soon enough that she was milking the cows in a shed behind the bale, and left her work and came running, Ask me why I called her? I had no time to explain, so I drew her in, and went to Linton again. Earnshaw had come out to see what he had done, and he was carrying the poor thing upstairs. Zilah and I followed He went upstairs; but he stopped at the top of the stairs, and said I could not go in, I must go home. I cried out that he had killed Linton, and I must go in. Joseph locked the door, and declared that I 'need not do such follies. ', and asked me if I was 'born crazy like him'. I stood there crying until the housekeeper reappeared. She was sure he'd be fine in no time, but making a fuss like that wouldn't make him better got up; she pulled me and almost dragged me into the house. "Ellen, I almost rip the hair off my head! I'm crying my eyes out, and the villain you so sympathize with is standing opposite me: How dare you tell me 'don't make a fuss' from time to time , and denied that it was his fault; at last, since I asserted that I would tell Papa, and that he must be put in jail and hanged, he was frightened, and began to cry himself, and ran out again to cover up his Cowardly feelings. But I still couldn't get rid of him. I didn't come out of the house until at last they forced me to go. When I hadn't gone a few hundred yards, he came out of the shadows by the roadside and stopped Minnie, caught me. "'Miss Catherine, I am very sorry,' he began, 'but it is too bad--' "I gave him a whip, thinking he might be trying to kill me. He let me go, and uttered one of his dreadful curses, and I rode home, scared out of my wits. "I did not say good-night to you that night, nor did I go to Wuthering Heights the next day: I should have liked it so badly; but I felt an unaccountable excitement, sometimes dreading hearing that Linton was dead; sometimes thinking of meeting Hareton was about to tremble. On the third day I took courage, at least, I couldn't stand the restlessness any longer, and I stole out again. I went at five o'clock, and walked, thinking I could managed to get into the house, and went straight upstairs to Linton's room without being seen. But the dogs announced my presence. Zilla let me in, said 'the boy is much better', and threw me into a clean little carpeted room, and there gave me unspeakable pleasure to see Linton lying on a little sofa reading my book. But for a good hour he Don't talk to me, don't look at me. Ellen, he's got such a queer temper. To my dismay, when he does talk, he talks nonsense about me causing the commotion , not Hareton's fault! I could not answer, except out of anger, I got up, and walked out of the room. He wasn't expecting such a reaction, and sent a faint 'Catherine! ' But I didn't turn back, and the next day, the day after I was home again, I almost decided not to see him any more.But it was such a pain to go to bed and get up and never hear from him again, so that my resolution evaporated before it was formally formed.It seemed wrong to go there before; now it seems wrong not to go there.McColl came and asked me if I wanted to put on Minnie; I said, 'Yes. 'When Minnie carried me over the hills, I thought I was doing a duty.I had to go out into the yard through the front window, and it was no use trying to hide my presence. "'The young master is in the room,' said Zilla, seeing me go towards the drawing-room. I went in; Earnshaw was there, but he left the room at once. Linton sat halfway in the big arm-chair. Half awake; I went to the fire, and in a solemn voice, half-seriously said: "'Since you don't like me, Linton, and since you think I have come to hurt you, and that I always do, this is the last time we shall see each other. Let us say good-bye; tell Mr. Heathcliff You didn't want to see me, and he needn't make up any more nonsense about it.' "'Sit down, and take off your hat, Catherine,' he answered. 'You are much happier than I am, and you ought to be. Papa despises me enough by telling me my faults, and it is quite natural for me to I doubt myself. I wonder if I'm quite as worthless as he always says I am; I feel very unhappy, distressed, and hate everybody! I'm worthless, bad-tempered, bad-spirited, almost always; You can say good-bye if you like, and you can get out of a trouble. But, Catherine, be fair to me: Believe I would, if I could be as agreeable, kind, and kind as you; You are just as happy and healthy and more willing. Believe it: your kindness makes me love you more deeply than your love (if I am worthy of your love), although I have not been able to, and And I can't help revealing my true nature to you, I'm sorry, and remorseful; I'll hold my grudge to death!' "I think he is telling the truth; I feel that I must forgive him, and, though he will quarrel again after a while, I must forgive him again. We made up; but we both wept, and left me in the Wept the whole time there: not quite for sorrow; but I did feel sorry, for Linton had such a peculiar nature. He could never make his friends comfortable, nor could he himself, since I always went to his little parlour that night; for his father came back the next day. "About three times, I think, we passed as happy and hopeful as we did on our first night; subsequent visits were miserable and troublesome: either because of his selfishness and resentment, or because His sickness; yet I have learned to bear his selfishness and resentment with as little antipathy as I had to bear his sickness. Heathcliff deliberately avoids me: I seldom see him. Up One Sunday, indeed, I went earlier than usual, and I heard him scold poor Linton cruelly for his behavior the night before. I don't know how he knew, unless he overheard. Linton's manners Exasperating, of course; but it was none other than mine, and I went in and interrupted Mr. Heathcliff, and told him so. He laughed, and went away, saying He liked the way I took the matter, and I have told Linton ever since that he must whisper his woes. Now, Ellen, you hear everything. I cannot but go to Wuthering Heights, but It's just to make two people suffer; but if you don't tell Papa, I'll go, and it won't disturb anyone's peace. You won't tell, will you? It would be cruel and heartless if you told him." "I shall decide on that to-morrow, Miss Catherine," I answered. "It will require study; so I want you to rest and think about it." What I mean by consideration is going to my master and telling it; going straight from her to his, and telling the whole thing: except her conversation with her cousin, and any mention of Hareton.Linton was more disturbed and distressed than he would admit to me.In the morning Catherine knew that I had betrayed her confidence, and that her secret visit was at an end.She cried and quarreled against the prohibition, and begged her father to take pity on Linton, and he promised to write to Linton and allow him to come to the Grange when he pleased; and this was the only consolation Catherine had. up.But the letter also stated that he need not hope to see Catherine at Wuthering Heights any longer.Had he known the temper and state of health of his nephew, he might have thought it inappropriate to grant even this small consolation.