Wuthering Heights

Miss Catherine Linton, would have you for a husband? You want whipping for bringing us in here at all, with your dastardly, puling tricks; and – don't look so silly now! I've a very good mind to shake you severely, for your contemptible treachery, and your imbecile conceit.«
    I did give him a slight shaking, but it brought on the cough, and he took to his ordinary resource of moaning and weeping, and Catherine rebuked me.
    »Stay all night? No!« she said, looking slowly round. »Ellen, I'll burn that door down, but I'll get out.«
    And she would have commenced the execution of her threat directly, but Linton was up in alarm, for his dear self, again. He clasped her in his two feeble arms, sobbing –
    »Won't you have me, and save me – not let me come to the Grange? Oh! darling Catherine! you mustn't go, and leave me, after all. You
must
obey my father, you
must!
«
    »I must obey my own,« she replied, »and relieve him from this cruel suspense. The whole night! What would he think? he'll be distressed already. I'll either break or burn a way out of the house. Be quiet! You're in no danger – but, if you hinder me – Linton, I love papa better than you!«
    The mortal terror he felt of Mr. Heathcliff's anger, restored to the boy his coward's eloquence. Catherine was near distraught – still, she persisted that she must go home, and tried entreaty, in her turn, persuading him to subdue his selfish agony.
    While they were thus occupied, our jailer re-entered.
    »Your beasts have trotted off;« he said, »and – Now, Linton! snivelling again? What has she been doing to you? Come, come – have done, and get to bed. In a month or two, my lad, you'll be able to pay her back her present tyrannies, with a vigorous hand – you're pining for pure love, are you not? nothing else in the world – and she shall have you! There, to bed! Zillah wont be here to-night; you must undress yourself. Hush! hold your noise! Once in your own room, I'll not come near you, you needn't fear. By chance, you've managed tolerably. I'll look to the rest.«
    He spoke these words, holding the door open for his son to pass; and the latter achieved his exit exactly as a spaniel might which suspected the person who attended on it of designing a spiteful squeeze.
    The lock was re-secured. Heathcliff approached the fire, where my mistress and I stood silent. Catherine looked up, and instinctively raised her hand to her cheek – his neighbourhood revived a painful sensation. Anybody else would have been incapable of regarding the childish act with sternness, but he scowled on her, and muttered –
    »Oh, you are not afraid of me? Your courage is well disguised – you
seem
damnably afraid!«
    »I
am
afraid now,« she replied; »because if I stay, papa will be miserable; and how can I endure making him miserable – when he – when he – Mr. Heathcliff,
let
me go home! I promise to marry Linton – papa would like me to, and I love him – and why should you wish to force me to do what I'll willingly do of myself?«
    »Let him dare to force you!« I cried. »There's law in the land, thank God, there is! though we
be
in an out-of-the-way place. I'd inform, if he were my own son, and it's felony without benefit of clergy!«
    »Silence!« said the ruffian. »To the devil with your clamour! I don't want
you
to speak. Miss Linton, I shall enjoy myself remarkably in thinking your father will be miserable; I shall not sleep for satisfaction. You could have hit on no surer way of fixing your residence under my roof, for the next twenty-four hours, than informing me that such an event would follow. As to your promise to marry Linton; I'll take care you shall keep it, for you shall not quit the place till it is fulfilled.«
    »Send Ellen then, to let papa know I'm safe!« exclaimed Catherine, weeping bitterly. »Or marry me now. Poor papa! Ellen, he'll think we're lost. What shall we do?«
    »Not he! He'll think you are tired of waiting on him, and run off, for a little amusement,« answered Heathcliff. »You cannot deny that you entered my house of your own accord, in contempt of his injunctions to the contrary. And it is quite natural that you should desire amusement at your age; and that you should weary of nursing a sick man, and that man,
only
your father. Catherine, his happiest days were over when your days began. He cursed you, I dare say, for coming into the world, (I did, at least). And it would just do if he cursed you as
he
went out of it.