Chapter 43

Imprisoned

01 'I am by myself, and should like a little company,' he said. 'You shall have some tea. Hareton has gone with some cattle to the fields, and Zillah and Joseph are off on a journey of pleasure. Miss Linton, I give you what I have, though the present is hardly worth accepting. It is Linton I mean. Take your seat by him.'

02 Cathy stepped close to Heathcliff, her dark eyes flashing.

03 'I'm not afraid of you,' she said. 'Give me that key! I wouldn't eat or drink here, if I were dying of hunger!'

04 Heathcliff looked up with a sort of surprise at her boldness; or possibly, reminded by her voice and expression of the person from whom she got it. She had half succeeded in getting the key from his loosened fingers, when he rescued it.

05 'Now, Catherine Linton,' he said, 'stand back, or I shall knock you down.'

06 Taking no notice of his warning, she seized his closed hand, and finding that her nails had no effect, applied her teeth rather sharply. Heathcliff gave me a look that prevented me from interfering for a moment. He opened his fingers suddenly, seized her, and gave her a number of blows on both sides of the head.

07 I rushed on him furiously.

08 'You devil!' I began.

09 A push on my chest silenced me. I am fat, and soon get out of breath. With the blow, and with fury, I fell back unsteadily, with my lungs feeling ready to burst.

10 The scene was over in two minutes. Cathy, freed, put her two hands to her head. She trembled, poor thing, and leant against the table, completely confused.

11 'I know how to punish children, you see,' said the heartless man. 'Go to Linton now, as I told you, and cry at your ease. I shall be your father tomorrow—all the father you'll have in a few days—and you shall have plenty more of that—you can bear plenty.'

12 Cathy ran to me instead of Linton, and knelt down and put her burning cheek on my knee, weeping aloud. Her cousin had drawn back in a corner of his seat, as quiet as a mouse, pleased, I dare say, that punishment had been given not to him, but another. Heathcliff rose and made tea. He poured it out, and handed me a cup.

13 'Wash away your anger,' he said, 'and help your own naughty pet and mine. I'm going to find your horses.'

14 Our first thought, when he left, was to force a way out. The kitchen door was fastened outside and the windows were too narrow even for Cathy's little figure.

15 'Master Linton,' I cried, seeing that we were regularly imprisoned, 'you know what your wicked father means to do, and you shall tell us.'

16 'Yes, Linton,' said Cathy. 'It was for your sake I came, and it will be ungrateful if you refuse.'

17 'Give me some tea, I'm thirsty; then I'll tell you,' he answered. 'Mrs Dean, go away. I don't like you standing over me. Now, Cathy, you are letting your tears fall into my cup! I won't drink that. Give me another.'

18 Cathy pushed another to him, and wiped her eyes. I felt disgusted at the miserable boy's calmness, since he was no longer in terror himself. His wild anxiety had disappeared as soon as we entered the Heights, so I guessed that he had been threatened with a terrible punishment if he failed to trick us into coming.

19 'Papa wants us to be married,' he explained, after drinking some of the liquid. 'And he's afraid of my dying if we wait, so we are to be married in the morning, and you are to stay here tonight.'

20 'You marry?' I exclaimed. 'Why, do you imagine that beautiful young lady, that healthy active girl, will tie herself to a little monkey like you?'

21 'Stay all night!' said Cathy, looking slowly round. 'Ellen, I'll burn the door down, and get out.'

22 Linton was up in alarm again for his dear self.

23 'Won't you have me, and save me? Oh sweetest Cathy, you mustn't go and leave me! You must obey my father, you must!'

24 'I must obey my own,' she replied, 'and relieve him of this cruel anxiety. The whole night! What would he think! Be quiet! You're in no danger!'

25 Heathcliff now re-entered.

26 'Your animals have wandered off,' he said. 'Now, Linton, go to your room. Zillah won't be here tonight, so you must undress yourself.'

27 He held the door open, and his son rushed out like a frightened little dog. The lock was refastened.

28 Heathcliff approached the fire, where my mistress and I stood silent. Cathy looked up and raised her hand to her cheek. Anyone else would have found it impossible to see this childish act with severity, but he looked fiercely at her and said:

29 'Oh, you aren't afraid of me? Your courage is well hidden!'

30 'I am afraid now,' she replied, 'because if I stay, Papa will be miserable. Mr Heathcliff, let me go home! I promise to marry Linton. Papa would like me to, and I love him. Why should you force me to do what I'll do of my own free will?'

31 'Let him dare to force you!' I cried. There's law in the land, thank God, though we do live in a faraway district.'

32 'Silence!' said the wicked man. 'I don't want you to speak! Miss Linton, I shall enjoy myself enormously in thinking that your father will be miserable. As to your promise to marry Linton, you shall not leave this place till it is carried out.'

33 'Send Ellen, then, to let Papa know I'm safe!' exclaimed Cathy, weeping. 'Ellen, he'll think we are lost. What shall we do?'

34 'Not he! He'll think you were tired of waiting on him, and ran off, for a little amusement,' answered Heathcliff. 'You must admit that you entered my house of your own free will, in disregard of his wishes. Weep away! It's nothing to me!'

35 'Mr Heathcliff, if Papa thought I had left him on purpose, and if he died before I returned, how could I bear to live? I'm going to kneel here before you. You can't help pitying me!'

36 Heathcliff pushed her away with a look of disgust. I was going to tell him what I thought of his behaviour, but I was silenced in the middle of a sentence by a threat that I should be shown into a room by myself, the next word I spoke.

37 It was getting dark. We heard a sound of voices at the gate. Our host hurried out immediately: he was quick to understand and act; we were not. There was talk for two or three minutes, and he returned alone.

38 'I thought it was your cousin Hareton,' I said to Cathy. 'Who knows but that he might help you?'

39 'It was three servants sent to search for you from the Grange,' said Heathcliff. 'You should have opened the window and called out.'

40 At learning of this chance that we had missed, we both expressed our grief without control. He allowed us to weep on till nine o'clock, when he ordered us to go upstairs to Zillah's room.

41 Neither of us lay down. Cathy took up her position by the narrow window, and watched for morning. I seated myself on a chair, and blamed myself for failure in my duty.

42 At seven o'clock Heathcliff called Cathy out. I rose to follow, but he turned the key again.

43 'Be patient,' he said. 'I'll send up your breakfast.' And he left me to shout in vain.

44 After two or three hours I heard a footstep. Hareton entered, bearing enough food for me all day.

45 'Stay one minute!' I began.

46 'No,' he cried, and went away.

47 And there I remained imprisoned, the whole day, and the whole of the next night; and another, and another. Five nights and four days I remained there, seeing nobody but Hareton, once every morning, and he was silent, and deaf to every attempt to move him to pity.