Грозовой перевал / Wuthering Heights

«This is unbearable!» Edgar stormed. «It’s disgraceful that Catherine calls this man a friend and forces his company on me and my sister! Call some strong men to the kitchen, Nelly. I’ll make sure my wife spends no more time with him!»

Edgar strode into the kitchen.

«Why are you still talking to this wretch, Catherine?» he began angrily «You should have ordered him straight out of the house!»

«Have you been listening at the door, Edgar?» she replied mockingly, and Heathcliff added a sneering laugh.

My master kept very calm.

«Up until now, sir,» he said quietly, «I have been very patient, but that time is over. Your presence is a poison that is spreading through my home, and I refuse to allow you to visit here again. In fact, if you don’t leave in the next three minutes, I shall be forced to throw you out of my house!»

Heathcliff looked Edgar up and down with eyes full of scorn.

«Cathy, this little lamb of yours is threatening me like a bull!» he said. «The tiny creature is in danger of splitting its skull against my knuckles. Heavens, Linton, I’m sorry you’re not worth the bother of knocking down!»

Edgar gave me a signal to get the men. But Cathy saw what was happening, and quickly locked the kitchen door, grabbing the key.

«Let’s have a fair fight,» she said to her husband. «If you don’t have the courage to tackle Heathcliff on your own, you should apologize to him or let yourself be beaten. But don’t pretend to be braver than you are. I’m not letting go of this key – and I hope that Heathcliff beats you thoroughly, as a punishment for daring to criticize me!»

Edgar tried to seize the key from Cathy, but she threw it into the hottest part of the fire. Then he sank back into a chair, overcome by shaking and his face deathly white.

«Oh, heavens!» said Gathy scornfully «We are overcome! What a fine, brave knight you are! You’re more like a baby rabbit than a lamb!»

«I wish you joy of this milk-blooded coward, Cathy,» said Heathcliff roughly. «And this is the whimpering, shivering thing that you preferred to me! Is he weeping? Or is he going to faint from fear?»

Heathcliff gave Edgar’s chair a little push, but this was enough. My master jumped up and punched him in the throat – a blow that would have flattened a smaller man. It took Heathcliff’s breath away for a moment and, while he was choking, Edgar walked out of the back door and into the yard.

«There! That’s the end of your visiting here,» cried Cathy. «Get away now, before he comes back with a couple of pistols and half a dozen servants. Now, hurry up and go!»

«Do you think I’d leave now without crushing him into the ground?» roared Heathcliff.

«He’s not coming back,» I interrupted, inventing a story quickly. «But three men are coming up the path, and all of them are armed.»

Heathcliff hesitated for a moment and then decided to leave. He seized a poker, smashed the lock on the kitchen door, and escaped through the house.

Cathy raced into the sitting room after him, but then clutched onto me, «I feel as if I’m losing my mind, Nelly!» she cried, throwing herself onto a sofa. «A thousand blacksmith’s hammers are beating in my head! Tell Isabella to keep away – and tell Edgar I’m in danger of being seriously ill – I hope it will be true. He’s upset me shockingly by daring to tell me what to do, and now I want to frighten him… But, Nelly, why don’t you look more anxious about me?» I’m sure my calmness was exasperating, but I believed that she should learn some self-control. I also didn’t wish to frighten her husband any more. So I said nothing when I saw Edgar going to join her, but I took the liberty of listening at the door.

It was Edgar who spoke first.

«Stay where you are, Catherine,» he said calmly, «I just want to know if you intend to continue your friendship with…»

«Oh, for heavens’ sake,» said Cathy, stamping her foot, «stop this lecturing now! I see your cold blood can’t be worked up into a fever – your veins are full of ice water – but mine are boiling, and the sight of such chilliness makes them boil more!»

«If you want to get rid of the sight of me,» Edgar continued, «you must answer my question. Will you give up Heathcliff or will you give me up instead? I need to know which of us you will choose.»

«And I need to be left alone!» screamed Cathy. «Can’t you see I can hardly stand? Leave me now, Edgar!»

Cathy rang the bell furiously until it broke with a twang. But I answered slowly. It was enough to try the patience of a saint, I thought, these wicked, senseless rages. There she lay, hitting her head against the arm of the sofa, and grinding her teeth[54] as if she planned to break them into splinters. Mr. Edgar stood staring at her in a panic and told me to fetch some water as quickly as I could.