Грозовой перевал / Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff held the key firmly in his fist but she attacked it with her nails and then with her teeth. The next minute, he struck her violently on the side of the face and she staggered back, trembling.

«Now, young lady,» Heathcliff said grimly, «you’ll do as I tell you. I’ll be your father tomorrow and I’ll punish you every day if I see that temper in your eyes again!» Then Heathcliff went out into the yard, locking the door behind him.

Catherine and I raced around the kitchen, trying to find a way to escape, but all the doors and windows were locked. Meanwhile, Linton had settled himself comfortably into a chair, happy to see someone else in trouble. I threatened him with a slapping if he didn’t explain his father’s plans, and he soon poured out the whole story to us.

«Father wants Catherine to marry me, so he has control over her as well. But he’s afraid that I’m going to die, so we have to do it tomorrow. You have to stay here all night, and marry me in the morning.»

«Marry you!» I exclaimed. «The man must be insane! Why should a beautiful, healthy girl like Catherine tie herself to a pathetic creature like you.»

I couldn’t resist giving him a shaking[84], and that started a terrible coughing fit.

«I must get out of here tonight, if I have to burn down the door,» said Catherine desperately. «I love my father more than you, Linton, and I have to see him now.»

At that moment, Heathcliff returned, having let our horses loose to run over the moors. He ordered Linton to go to bed immediately and turned to us.

«Mr. Heathcliff,» Catherine began bravely, «I must go home now or papa will be miserable. But I promise you I will marry your son. Papa would like me to and I love Linton. So why do you need to force me to do something I’ll do willingly?»

«Well, Miss Linton,» said the villain, «I’m delighted to hear that your father will be miserable – that’s certainly made up my mind to keep you here overnight. And I’ll make sure you don’t leave Wuthering Heights until you’ve kept your promise to marry Linton.»

«Then please send Nelly to tell my father that I’m all right!» sobbed Catherine bitterly. «Poor papa will think we are lost!»

«I won’t do anything to make that man happy,» growled Heathcliff, «and I’ll be glad to see you miserable too. I’ve taught Linton to be a selfish and cruel husband, and I shall enjoy watching you suffer!»

Then Heathcliff dragged us both upstairs to the housekeeper’s room and locked us in. Neither of us slept at all that night. Catherine stood for hours by the window, gazing out over the moors, and I spent a terrible night, blaming myself for everything that had happened.

At seven o’clock the next morning, Heathcliff came and took Catherine away, and I was left alone. For the next four days, I was kept locked up. The only person I saw was Hareton, who delivered my meals in silence, obviously obeying Heathcliff’s orders.

On the fifth day, Zillah came into my room. She was amazed to see me there – everyone had thought that Catherine and I had lost our way on the moors and died out there. I rushed straight out of the room and searched the house for Catherine, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. But I did find Linton, lying on a sofa and sucking a stick of candy.

«Where’s Miss Catherine?» I demanded sternly.

«She’s locked up in a room upstairs,» he replied calmly. «We won’t let her go yet. Father says I mustn’t be soft on her. He says she hates me and wants me to die. So now I’m punishing her. She can cry as much as she likes, I won’t let her go home.»

And he went back to sucking his candy stick.

«Master Heathcliff,» I said angrily, «have you forgotten Miss Catherine’s kindness to you when she came to visit you last winter? Think of all the times she rode through wind and snow to see you. And now you’re believing the lies your father tells you, and turning against her. What a spoiled, selfish boy you are!»

«I’m tired of her crying,» Linton answered crossly. «She gives me a headache. She promised me that if I gave her the key to her room she’d give me all her books from the Grange, but I told her that they weren’t hers to give and I would inherit them all when her father died. So then she offered me her locket with the pictures of her mother and father, but I said that was mine as well and tried to snatch it from her.

«Then she pushed me away and hurt me so much I screamed and father came in to see what was happening. He hit her on the face and knocked her down. Then he crushed the locket under his foot and took away the picture of her mother.»

«And were you pleased to see her hurt?» I asked.

«I was pleased that father punished her. But I didn’t like to see her mouth full of blood. She hasn’t said a word to me since then. I think she shouldn’t cry so much – she looks so pale and wild she frightens me.»

I saw there was no chance of persuading Linton to help me, so I decided to run back to the Grange as fast as I could, and then try to rescue Catherine later.