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"

Thou

art

the

man

!

"

cried

Jabes

,

after

a

solemn

pause

,

leaning

over

his

cushion

.

"

Seventy

times

seven

times

didst

thou

gapingly

contort

thy

visage

--

seventy

times

seven

did

I

take

counsel

with

my

soul

--

Lo

,

this

is

human

weakness

:

this

also

may

be

absolved

!

The

First

of

the

Seventy-First

is

come

.

Brethren

,

execute

upon

him

the

judgment

written

.

Such

honour

have

all

His

saints

!

"

With

that

concluding

word

,

the

whole

assembly

,

exalting

their

pilgrim

's

staves

,

rushed

round

me

in

a

body

;

and

I

,

having

no

weapon

to

raise

in

self-defense

,

commenced

grappling

with

Joseph

,

my

nearest

and

most

ferocious

assailant

,

for

his

.

In

the

confluence

of

the

multitude

,

several

clubs

crossed

;

blows

,

aimed

at

me

,

fell

on

other

sconces

.

Presently

the

whole

chapel

resounded

with

rappings

and

counter-rappings

:

every

man

's

hand

was

against

his

neighbour

;

and

Branderham

,

unwilling

to

remain

idle

,

poured

forth

his

zeal

in

a

shower

of

loud

taps

on

the

boards

of

the

pulpit

,

which

responded

so

smartly

that

,

at

last

,

to

my

unspeakable

relief

,

they

woke

me

.

And

what

was

it

that

had

suggested

the

tremendous

tumult

?

What

had

played

Jabes

's

part

in

the

row

?

Merely

,

the

branch

of

a

fir-tree

that

touched

my

lattice

,

as

the

blast

wailed

by

,

and

rattled

its

dry

cones

against

the

panes

!

I

listened

doubtingly

an

instant

;

detected

the

disturber

,

then

turned

and

dozed

,

and

dreamt

again

:

if

possible

,

still

more

disagreeably

than

before

.

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This

time

,

I

remembered

I

was

lying

in

the

oak

closet

,

and

I

heard

distinctly

the

gusty

wind

,

and

the

driving

of

the

snow

;

I

heard

,

also

,

the

fir-bough

repeat

its

teasing

sound

,

and

ascribed

it

to

the

right

cause

:

but

it

annoyed

me

so

much

,

that

I

resolved

to

silence

it

,

if

possible

;

and

,

I

thought

,

I

rose

and

endeavoured

to

unhasp

the

casement

.

The

hook

was

soldered

into

the

staple

:

a

circumstance

observed

by

me

when

awake

,

but

forgotten

.

"

I

must

stop

it

,

nevertheless

!

"

I

muttered

,

knocking

my

knuckles

through

the

glass

,

and

stretching

an

arm

out

to

seize

the

importunate

branch

;

instead

of

which

,

my

fingers

closed

on

the

fingers

of

a

little

,

ice-cold

hand

!

The

intense

horror

of

nightmare

came

over

me

:

I

tried

to

draw

back

my

arm

,

but

the

hand

clung

to

it

,

and

a

most

melancholy

voice

sobbed

,

"

Let

me

in

--

let

me

in

!

"

"

Who

are

you

?

"

I

asked

,

struggling

,

meanwhile

,

to

disengage

myself

.

"

Catherine

Linton

,

"

it

replied

,

shiveringly

(

why

did

I

think

of

Linton

?

I

had

read

Earnshaw

twenty

times

for

Linton

)

;

"

I

'm

come

home

:

I

'd

lost

my

way

on

the

moor

!

"

As

it

spoke

,

I

discerned

,

obscurely

,

a

child

's

face

looking

through

the

window

.

Terror

made

me

cruel

;

and

,

finding

it

useless

to

attempt

shaking

the

creature

off

,

I

pulled

its

wrist

on

to

the

broken

pane

,

and

rubbed

it

to

and

fro

till

the

blood

ran

down

and

soaked

the

bedclothes

:

still

it

wailed

,

"

Let

me

in

!

"

and

maintained

its

tenacious

grip

,

almost

maddening

me

with

fear

.

"

How

can

I

?

"

I

said

at

length

.

"

Let

me

go

,

if

you

want

me

to

let

you

in

!

"

The

fingers

relaxed

,

I

snatched

mine

through

the

hole

,

hurriedly

piled

the

books

up

in

a

pyramid

against

it

,

and

stopped

my

ears

to

exclude

the

lamentable

prayer

.

I

seemed

to

keep

them

closed

above

a

quarter

of

an

hour

;

yet

,

the

instant

I

listened

again

,

there

was

the

doleful

cry

moaning

on

!

"

Begone

!

"

I

shouted

,

"

I

'll

never

let

you

in

,

not

if

you

beg

for

twenty

years

.

"

"

It

is

twenty

years

,

"

mourned

the

voice

:

"

twenty

years

.

I

've

been

a

waif

for

twenty

years

!

"

Thereat

began

a

feeble

scratching

outside

,

and

the

pile

of

books

moved

as

if

thrust

forward

.

I

tried

to

jump

up

;

but

could

not

stir

a

limb

;

and

so

yelled

aloud

,

in

a

frenzy

of

fright

.

To

my

confusion

,

I

discovered

the

yell

was

not

ideal

:

hasty

footsteps

approached

my

chamber

door

;

somebody

pushed

it

open

,

with

a

vigorous

hand

,

and

a

light

glimmered

through

the

squares

at

the

top

of

the

bed

.

I

sat

shuddering

yet

,

and

wiping

the

perspiration

from

my

forehead

:

the

intruder

appeared

to

hesitate

,

and

muttered

to

himself

.

At

last

,

he

said

in

a

half-whisper

,

plainly

not

expecting

an

answer

,

"

Is

anyone

here

?

"

I

considered

it

best

to

confess

my

presence

;

for

I

knew

Heathcliff

's

accents

,

and

feared

he

might

search

further

,

if

I

kept

quiet

.

With

this

intention

,

I

turned

and

opened

the

panels

.

I

shall

not

soon

forget

the

effect

my

action

produced

.

Heathcliff

stood

near

the

entrance

in

his

shirt

and

trousers

:

with

a

candle

dripping

over

his

fingers

,

and

his

face

as

white

as

the

wall

behind

him

.

The

first

creak

of

the

oak

startled

him

like

an

electric

shock

!

the

light

leaped

from

his

hold

to

a

distance

of

some

feet

,

and

his

agitation

was

so

extreme

,

that

he

could

hardly

pick

it

up

.

"

It

is

only

your

guest

,

sir

,

"

I

called

out

,

desirous

to

spare

him

the

humiliation

of

exposing

his

cowardice

further

.

"

I

had

the

misfortune

to

scream

in

my

sleep

,

owing

to

a

frightful

nightmare

.

I

'm

sorry

I

disturbed

you

.

"

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"

Oh

,

God

confound

you

,

Mr.

Lockwood

!

I

wish

you

were

at

the

-

"

commenced

my

host

,

setting

the

candle

on

a

chair

,

because

he

found

it

impossible

to

hold

it

steady

.

"

And

who

showed

you

up

into

this

room

?

"

he

continued

,

crushing

his

nails

into

his

palms

,

and

grinding

his

teeth

to

subdue

the

maxillary

convulsions

.

"

Who

was

it

?

I

've

a

good

mind

to

turn

them

out

of

the

house

this

moment

!

"

"

It

was

your

servant

,

Zillah

,

"

I

replied

,

flinging

myself

on

to

the

floor

,

and

rapidly

resuming

my

garments

.

"

I

should

not

care

if

you

did

,

Mr.

Heathcliff

;

she

richly

deserves

it

.

I

suppose

that

she

wanted

to

get

another

proof

that

the

place

was

haunted

,

at

my

expense

.

Well

,

it

is

--

swarming

with

ghosts

and

goblins

!

You

have

reason

in

shutting

it

up

,

I

assure

you

.

No

one

will

thank

you

for

a

doze

in

such

a

den

!

"

"

What

do

you

mean

?

"

asked

Heathcliff

,

"

and

what

are

you

doing

?

Lie

down

and

finish

out

the

night

,

since

you

are

here

;

but

,

for

Heaven

's

sake

!

do

n't

repeat

that

horrid

noise

;

nothing

could

excuse

it

,

unless

you

were

having

your

throat

cut

!

"

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