Chapter 50

Two or three bushes

01 On the day following that Monday, Hareton being still unable to carry on his ordinary employments, Cathy got downstairs before me, and went out into the garden, where she had seen her cousin doing some light work. When I called her in to breakfast, I saw that she had persuaded him to clear a large space of ground of some fruit bushes, and they were busy planning to bring some plants over from the Grange.

02 I was alarmed at the change that had been made in a short half-hour. The fruit bushes were Joseph's treasures, and she had fixed her choice of a flower bed in the middle of them.

03 'There! That will be shown to the master!' I exclaimed. 'We shall have a fine explosion, see if we don't!'

04 'I'd forgotten they were Joseph's,' answered Hareton, rather puzzled, 'but I'll tell him I did it.'

05 We always ate our meals with Mr Heathcliff. I took the mistress's place in making tea and serving the meat. Cathy usually sat by me, but today she crept nearer to Hareton.

06 'Now mind you don't talk to and notice your cousin too much,' was my whispered advice as we entered the room. 'It will certainly annoy Mr Heathcliff, and he'll be angry with you both.'

07 'I'm not going to,' she answered.

08 The minute after, she had moved up to him, and was sticking flowers in his plate of porridge.

09 He dared not speak, he dared hardly look, but she went on, till he could not keep back a smile. I looked disapproving, and she glanced in the direction of the master, whose mind was occupied with other matters, as his expression showed. She became serious, but soon afterwards she started her nonsense again. At last, Hareton laughed softly.

10 Mr Heathcliff turned and looked at our faces. Cathy met his eye with her accustomed look of fear mixed with scorn.

11 'It is well that you are out of my reach,' he exclaimed. 'What makes you stare at me with those eyes? Down with them! I thought I had cured you of laughing.'

12 'It was I,' murmured Hareton.

13 Mr Heathcliff looked at him for a bit, and then silently went on with his breakfast. We had nearly finished, when Joseph appeared at the door, showing plainly by his trembling lip and furious eyes that the attack on his precious bushes had been discovered. His jaws worked like those of a cow, and his speech was difficult to understand. Heathcliff listened impatiently to his long string of complaints.

14 'Is the fool drunk?' he asked at last. 'Hareton, is it you he's finding fault with?'

15 'I've pulled up two or three bushes,' replied the young man.

16 'And why have you pulled them up?'

17 Cathy put in her word.

18 'We wanted to plant some flowers there,' she said, 'I'm the only person to blame.'

19 'And who gave you permission to touch a thing about the place?' demanded her father-in-law, greatly surprised. 'And who ordered you to obey her?' he added, turning to Hareton.

20 The young man was speechless. His cousin replied:

21 'You shouldn't mind me having a few yards of earth to make pretty, when you have taken all my land!'

22 'Your land! You never had any!'

23 'And my money,' she continued, returning his angry look, and meanwhile biting the last piece of her breakfast.

24 'Silence!' he exclaimed. 'Finish, and go!'

25 'And Hareton's land, and his money,' she went on. 'Hareton and I are friends now, and I shall tell him all about you!'

26 The master seemed unable to reply for a moment. He became pale, and rose up, eyeing her with an expression of murderous hate.

27 'If you strike me, Hareton will strike you,' she said, 'so you may as well sit down!'

28 Hareton tried in a whisper to persuade her to go.

29 'He'll not obey you any more, you wicked man,' said Cathy, 'and he'll soon hate you as much as I do!'

30 'Be quiet!' murmured the young man. 'I won't hear you speak so to him.'

31 'But you'll not let him strike me?'

32 'Come, then,' he whispered.

33 It was too late. Heathcliff had caught hold of her. He had his hand in her hair. Hareton attempted to free the curls, begging him not to hurt her this time. Heathcliff's black eyes flashed. He seemed ready to tear Cathy to pieces. I was just coming to the rescue, when all of a sudden, his fingers loosened. He moved them to her arm, and stared fixedly at her face. Then he drew his hand over his eyes, stood a moment to control himself, and turning to Cathy, said with forced calmness:

34 'You must learn to avoid putting me into a fury, or I shall really murder you some time! Go to Mrs Dean, and stay with her. As to Hareton Earnshaw, if I see him listen to you, I'll send him to earn his living where he can get it. Your love will make him a homeless beggar! Leave me, all of you!'

35 I led my young lady out. She was too glad of escape to resist.

36 At dinner time, I advised her to have her meal upstairs, but as soon as he saw her empty seat, Heathcliff sent me to call her.

37 He spoke to none of us, ate very little, and went out directly afterwards, saying that he would not return before the evening.