Chapter 9

Misadventure

01 One Sunday, it chanced that Catherine and Heathcliff were sent from the sitting room, for making a noise. When I went to call them to supper, I couldn't find them anywhere. At last Hindley in a fury told us to lock the doors, and swore that nobody should let them in that night.

02 Everyone else went to bed, but I, too anxious to lie down, opened my window and put out my head to listen. After a time, I heard faint steps coming up the road. There was Heathcliff by himself.

03 'Where is Miss Catherine?' I cried. 'No accident, I hope?'

04 'At Thrushcross Grange,' he answered. 'Let me get off my wet clothes, and I'll tell you all about it.'

05 I urged him to take care not to wake the master. As he was undressing he continued, 'Cathy and I escaped from the house to have an hour or two of freedom, and catching sight of the Grange lights, we thought we would just go and see how the Lintons passed their Sunday evenings. We ran from the top of the Heights to the Park without stopping—Catherine was completely beaten in the race, because she was barefoot. You'll have to look for her shoes in the bog tomorrow. We crept through a broken hedge and stood on a flowerbed under a window. By pulling ourselves up to its lower edge, we were able to see—ah! it was beautiful!—a splendid room, with chairs covered in red, and tables too, and a red carpet, and a pure white ceiling bordered with gold, and a shower of glass-drops hanging in silver chains from the centre, and shining with soft little lights. Edgar and his sister were there by themselves. Shouldn't they have been happy? And guess what they were doing! Isabella—I believe she is eleven—lay screaming at one end of the room. Edgar stood by the fire weeping, and in the middle of a table sat a little dog, which they had nearly pulled in two. That was their pleasure! We laughed at the spoilt things. Would you find me wishing to have what Catherine wanted? I'd not exchange my condition here for Edgar Linton's at Thrushcross Grange, not for a thousand lives!'

06 'Speak more quietly!' I interrupted. 'Still you haven't told me how Catherine was left behind.'

07 'I told you we laughed,' he answered. 'The Lintons heard us, and began to cry for their mama and papa. We made horrible noises to frighten them still more, and then we dropped down from the edge of the window, because someone was coming outside. I had Cathy by the hand, and was urging her on, when all at once she fell. They had let the watch-dog loose, and he had seized her ankle. She didn't scream—no, she would have scorned to do so. I got a stone and pushed it between the animal's jaws, but he held on. A servant came out. He got the dog off, and lifted Cathy up. She was sick, not from fear, I'm certain, but from pain.

08 '"What have you caught, Robert?" called Mr Linton from the entrance.

09 '"A little girl, sir," he replied, "and there's a boy who looks-like a thief," he added, catching hold of me. "Mr Linton, sir, please keep your gun ready."

10 'He pulled me under the light, and Mrs Linton put her glasses on her nose and raised her hands in horror. The cowardly children crept nearer, and Isabella pried, "Lock him up, Papa. He's exactly like the son of the gypsy who stole my pet bird." At this moment Cathy recovered from her faint. She heard the last speech, and laughed. Edgar now recognized her. They see us in church, you know.

11 '"That's Miss Earnshaw," he whispered to his mother.

12 '"Miss Earnshaw? Nonsense! Miss Earnshaw running about the country like a gypsy! And yet, surely it is—and her foot is bleeding."

13 '"What carelessness of her brother!" exclaimed Mr Linton, "to let her grow up like this! And where did she pick up this companion? A wicked boy, and quite unfit for a respectable house. Did you hear his bad words?"

14 'I began cursing again, and so the servant was ordered to send me out. The curtain at the window was still partly drawn back, and I stood to watch, because if Catherine had wished to return, I intended breaking the glass into pieces, unless they let her out. She sat quietly on the sofa. The maid brought a basin of warm water, and washed her feet. Mr Linton gave her a hot drink, and Isabella put a plateful of cakes on her knee. Afterwards, they dried and combed her beautiful hair, and put her near the fire, and I left her, as merry as could be, bringing a spark of life to the dull blue eyes of the Lintons. I saw they were full of stupid admiration. She is so completely superior to them, and to everybody else on earth—isn't she?'

15 'There will be trouble when Mr Hindley knows of this, Heathcliff,' I said.

16 My words came truer than I wished. Hindley was furious. The next day Mr Linton paid us a visit and talked to the young master about his responsibilities to his sister. As a result, Heathcliff was told that the next time he spoke to Catherine, he would be sent away.