第43章

`Have you been listening at the door, Edgar?' asked the mistress, in a tone particularly calculated to provoke her husband, implying both carelessness and contempt of his irritation.Heathcliff, who had raised his eyes at the former speech, gave a sneering laugh at the latter; on purpose, it seemed, to draw Mr Linton's attention to him.He succeeded;but Edgar did not mean to entertain him with any high flights of passion.

`I have been so far forbearing with you, sir,' he said quietly;`not that I was ignorant of your miserable, degraded character, but I felt you were only partly responsible for that; and Catherine wishing to keep up your acquaintance, I acquiesced--foolishly.Your presence is a moral poison that would contaminate the most virtuous: for that cause, and to prevent worse consequences, I shall deny you hereafter admission into this house, and give notice now that I require your instant departure.Three minutes' delay will render it involuntary and ignominious.'

Heathcliff measured the height and breadth of the speaker with an eye full of derision.

`Cathy, this lamb of yours threatens like a bull!' he said.`It is in danger of splitting its skull against my knuckles.By God! Mr Linton, I'm mortally sorry that you are not worth knocking down!'

My master glanced towards the passage, and signed me to fetch the men: he had no intention of hazarding a personal encounter.I obeyed the hint; but Mrs Linton, suspecting something, followed; and when I attempted to call them, she pulled me back, slammed the door to, and locked it.

`Fair means!' she said, in answer to her husband's look of angry surprise `If you have not courage to attack him, make an apology, or allow yourself to be beaten.It will correct you of feigning more valour than you possess.No, I'll swallow the key before you shall get it! I'm delightfully rewarded for my kindness to each! After constant indulgence of one's weak nature, and the other's bad one, I earn for thanks two samples of blind ingratitude, stupid to absurdity! Edgar, I was defending you and yours;and I wish Heathcliff may flog you sick, for daring to think an evil thought of me.!'

It did not need the medium of a flogging to produce that effect on the master.He tried to wrest the key from Catherine's grasp, and for safety she flung it into the hottest part of the fire; whereupon Mr Edgar was taken with a nervous trembling, and his countenance grew deadly pale.

For his life he could not avert that access of emotion; mingled anguish and humiliation overcame him completely.He leant on the back of a chair, and covered his face.

`Oh, heavens! In old days, this would win you knighthood!' exclaimed Mrs Linton.`We are vanquished! we are vanquished! Heathcliff would as soon lift a finger at you as a king would march his army against a colony of mice.Cheer up! you shan't be hurt! Your type is not a lamb, it's a sucking leveret.'

`I wish you joy of the milk-blooded coward, Cathy!' said her friend.

`I compliment you on your taste.And that is the slavering, shivering thing you preferred to me! I would not strike him with my fist, but I'd kick him with my foot, and experience considerable satisfaction.Is he weeping, or is he going to faint for fear?'

The fellow approached and gave the chair on which Linton rested a push.He'd better have kept his distance; my master quickly sprang erect, and struck him full on the throat a blow that would have levelled a slighter man.It took his breath for a minute; and while he choked, Mr Linton walked out by the back door into the yard, and from thence to the front entrance.

`There! you've done with coming here,' cried Catherine.`Get away, now; he'll return with a brace of pistols, and half a dozen assistants.

If he did overhear us, of course he'd never forgive you.You've played him an ill turn, Heathcliff! But go--make haste! I'd rather see Edgar at bay than you.'

`Do you suppose I'm going with that blow burning in my gullet?'

he thundered.`By hell, no! I'll crush his ribs in like a rotten hazel nut before I cross the threshold! If I don't floor him now, I shall murder him some time; so, as you value his existence, let me get at him!'

`He's not coming,' I interposed, framing a bit of a lie.`There's the coachman and the two gardeners; you'll surely not wait to be thrust into the road by them! Each has a bludgeon; and master will, very likely, be watching from the parlour windows, to see that they fulfil his orders.'

The gardeners and coachman were there; but Linton was with them.They had already entered the court.Heathcliff, on second thoughts, resolved to avoid a struggle against the three underlings; he seized the poker, smashed the lock from the inner door, and made his escape as they tramped in.

Mrs Linton, who was very much excited, bade me accompany her upstairs.

She did not know my share in contributing to the disturbance, and I was anxious to keep her in ignorance.

`I'm nearly distracted, Nelly!' she exclaimed, throwing herself on the sofa.`A thousand smiths' hammers are beating in my head! Tell Isabella to shun me; this uproar is owing to her; and should she or anyone else aggravate my anger at present, I shall get wild.And, Nelly, say to Edgar, if you see him again tonight, that I'm in danger of being seriously ill.

I wish it may prove true.He has startled and distressed me shockingly!