‘No! I should never love anybody better than papa,’ she returned gravely. ‘And people hate their wives, sometimes; but not their sisters and brothers, and if you were the latter, you would live with us, and papa would be as fond of you, as he is of me.’
Linton denied that people ever hated their wives; but Cathy affirmed they did, and in her wisdom, instanced his own father’s aversion to her aunt.
I endeavoured to stop her thoughtless tongue—I couldn’tsucceed, till everything she knew was out. Master Heathcliff, much irritated, asserted her relation was false.
‘Papa told me; and papa does not tell falsehoods!’ she answered pertly.
‘Mypapa scorns yours!’ cried Linton. ‘He calls him a sneaking fool!’
‘Yours is a wicked man,’ retorted Catherine, ‘and you are very naughty to dare to repeat what he says—He must be wicked, to have made aunt Isabella leave him as she did!’
‘She didn’t leave him,’ said the boy: ‘you shan’t contradict me!’
‘She did!’ cried my young lady.
‘Well, I’ll tellyousomething!’ said Linton. ‘Your mother hated your father, now then.’
‘Oh!’ exclaimed Catherine, too enraged to continue.
‘And she loved mine!’ added he.
‘You little liar! I hate you now,’ she panted, and her face grew red with passion.
‘She did! she did!’ sang Linton, sinking into the recess of his chair, and leaning back his head to enjoy the agitation of the other disputant, who stood behind.
‘Hush, Master Heathcliff!’ I said, ‘that’s your father’s tale too, I suppose.’
‘It isn’t—you hold your tongue!’ he answered. ‘She did, she did, Catherine, she did, she did!’
Cathy, beside herself, gave the chair a violent push, and caused him to fall against one arm. He was immediately seized by a suffocating cough that soon ended his triumph.
It lasted so long, that it frightened even me. As to his cousin, she wept with all her might, aghast at the mischief she had done, though she said nothing.
I held him, till the fit exhausted itself. Then he thrust me away; and leant his head down, silently—Catherine quelled her lamentations also, took a seat opposite, and looked solemnly into the fire.
‘How do you feel now, Master Heathcliff?’ I inquired, after waiting ten minutes.
‘I wishshefelt as I do,’ he replied, ‘spiteful, cruel thing! Hareton never touches me, he never struck me in his life—And I was better to-day—and there–’ his voice died in a whimper.
‘Ididn’t strike you!’ muttered Cathy, chewing her lip to prevent another burst of emotion.
He sighed and moaned like one under great suffering; and kept it up for a quarter of an hour, on purpose to distress his cousin, apparently, for whenever he caught a stifled sob from her, he put renewed pain and pathos into the inflexions of his voice.
‘I’m sorry I hurt you, Linton!’ she said at length, racked beyond endurance. ‘ButIcouldn’t have been hurt by that little push; and I had no idea that you could, either—you’re not much, are you, Linton? Don’t let me go home, thinking I’ve done you harm! answer, speak to me.’
‘I can’t speak to you,’ he murmured, ‘you’ve hurt me so, that I shall lie awake all night, choking with this cough! If you had it you’d know what it was—butyou’llbe comfortably asleep, while I’m in agony—and nobody near me! I wonder how you would like to pass those fearful nights!’ And he began to wail aloud for very pity of himself.
‘Since you are in the habit of passing dreadful nights,’ I said, ‘it won’t be Miss who spoils your ease; you’d be the same, had she never come—However, she shall not disturb you, again—and perhaps you’ll get quieter when we leave you.’
‘Must I go?’ asked Catherine dolefully, bending over him. ‘Do you want me to go, Linton?’
‘You can’t alter what you’ve done,’ he replied pettishly, shrinking from her, ‘unless you alter it for the worse, by teasing me into a fever!’
‘Well, then I must go?’ she repeated.
‘Let me alone, at least,’ said he, ‘I can’t bear your talking!’
She lingered, and resisted my persuasions to departure, a tiresome while, but as he neither looked up, nor spoke, she finally made a movement to the door and I followed.
