again: it is impracticable; and—"

She paused, and hid her face in the folds of my gown; but I jerked it forcibly away. I was out of patience with her folly!

"If I can make any sense of your nonsense, Miss," I said, "it only goes to convince me that you are ignorant of the duties you undertake in marrying; or else that you are a wicked, unprincipled girl. But trouble me with no more secrets: I'll not promise to keep them."

"You'll keep that?" she asked, eagerly.

"No, I'll not promise," I repeated.

She was about to insist when the entrance of Joseph finished our conversation; and Catherine removed her seat to a corner, and nursed Hareton, while I made the supper. After it was cooked, my fellow-servant and I began to quarrel over who should carry some to Mr. Hindley; and we didn't settle it until all was nearly cold. Then we came to the agreement that we would let him ask if he wanted any; for we particularly feared going into his presence when he had been alone for some time.

"And why hasn't that lad come in from the field by this time? What is he about? A great idle sight!" demanded the old man, looking around for Heathcliff.

"I'll call him," I replied. "He's in the barn, I've no doubt."

I went and called, but got no answer. On returning, I whispered to Catherine that he had heard a good part of what she said, I was sure; and told her how I saw him quit the kitchen just as she complained of her brother's conduct regarding him. She jumped up in a fine fright, flung Hareton onto the settle, and ran to seek for her friend herself; not taking leisure to consider why she was so flurried, or how her talk would have affected him. She was absent for such a while that Joseph proposed we should wait no longer. He cunningly conjectured they were staying away to avoid hearing his protracted blessing. They were "ill enough for any foul manners," he affirmed. And on their behalf, he added that night a special prayer to the usual quarter-of-an-hour's supplication before meat, and would have added another to the end of the grace had not his young mistress broken in upon him with a hurried command that he must run down the road and, wherever Heathcliff had rambled, find and make him re-enter directly!

"I want to speak to him, and I must, before I go upstairs," she said. "And the gate is open: he is somewhere out of hearing; for he would not reply, though I shouted at the top of the fold as loud as I could."

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