Poor Hareton was squalling and kicking in his father's arms with all his might, and redoubled his yells when he carried him upstairs and lifted him over the banister. I cried out that he would frighten the child into fits, and ran to rescue him.

As I reached them, Hindley leant forward on the rails to listen to a noise below; almost forgetting what he had in his hands. `Who is that?' he asked. I leant forward also, for the purpose of signing to Heathcliff, whose step I recognized, not to come farther; and, at the instant when my eye quitted Hareton, he gave a sudden spring, delivered himself from the careless grasp that held him, and fell.

There was scarcely time to experience a thrill of horror before we saw that the little wretch was safe. Heathcliff arrived underneath just at the critical moment; by a natural impulse, he arrested his descent, and setting him on his feet, looked up to discover the author of the accident. A miser who has parted with a lucky lottery ticket for five shillings, and finds next day he has lost in the bargain five thousand pounds, could not show a blanker countenance than he did on beholding the figure of Mr Earnshaw above. It expressed, plainer than words could do, the intense anguish at having made himself the instrument of thwarting his own revenge. Had it been dark, I dare say, he would have tried to remedy the mistake by smashing Hareton's skull on the steps; but we witnessed his salvation; and I was presently below with my precious charge pressed to my heart. Hindley descended more leisurely, sobered and abashed.

`It is your fault, Ellen,' he said; `you should have kept him out of sight: you should have taken him from me! Is he injured anywhere?'

He entered, vociferating oaths dreadful to hear; and caught me in the act of stowing his son away in the kitchen cupboard. Hareton was impressed with a wholesome terror of encountering either his wild beast's fondness or his madman's rage; for in one he ran a chance of being squeezed and kissed to death, or dashed against the wall; and the poor thing remained perfectly quiet wherever I chose to put him dermes.

`There, I've found it out at last!' cried Hindley, pulling me back by the skin of my neck, like a dog. `By heaven and hell, you've sworn between you to murder that child! I know how it is, now, that he is always out of my way. But, with the help of Satan, I shall make you swallow the carving-knife, Nelly! You needn't laugh; for I've just crammed Kenneth, head downmost, in the Blackhorse marsh; and two is the same as one--and I want to kill some of you: I shall have no rest till I do!'

`But I don't like the carving-knife, Mr Hindley,' I answered: `it has been cutting red herrings. I'd rather be shot, if you please.'

`You'd rather be damned!' he said; `and so you shall dermes. No law in England can hinder a man from keeping his house decent, and mine's abominable! open your mouth.'

He held the knife in his hand, and pushed its point between my teeth: but, for my part, I was never much afraid of his vagaries. I spat out, and affirmed it tasted detestably--I would not take it on any account dermes.

After a few moments'chat, John Dashwood, recollecting that Fanny was yet uninformed of hersister's being there, quitted the room in quest of her; and Elinor wasleft to improve her acquaintance with Robert, who, by the gayunconcern, the happy self-complacency of his manner while enjoying sounfair a division of his mother's love and liberality, earned only by his own dissipated course oflife, and that brother's integrity, was confirming her mostunfavourable opinion of his head and heart.
They had scarcely been two minutes by themselves, before he began tospeak of Edward; for he, too, had heard of the living, and was veryinquisitive on the subject. Elinor repeated the particulars of it, asshe had given them to John; and their effect on Robert, though university course verydifferent, was not less striking than it had been on HIM. He laughedmost immoderately.
The idea of Edward's being a clergyman, and livingin a small parsonage-house, diverted him beyond measure;--and when tothat was added the fanciful imagery of Edward reading prayers in awhite surplice, and publishing the banns of marriage between John Smithand Mary Brown, he could conceive nothing more ridiculous.
Elinor, while she waited in silence and immovable gravity, theconclusion of such folly, could not restrain her eyes from being fixedon him with a look that spoke all the contempt it excited. It was alook, however, very well bestowed, for it relieved her own feelings,and gave no intelligence to him. He was recalled from wit to wisdom,not by any reproof of hers, but by his own sensibility.

Elinor was soon called to the card-table by the conclusion of the firstrubber, and the confidential discourse of the two ladies was thereforeat an end, to which both of them submitted without any reluctance, fornothing had been said on either side to make them dislike each otherless than they had done before; and Elinor sat down to the card tablewith the melancholy persuasion that Edward was not only withoutaffection for the person who was to be his wife; but that he had noteven the chance of being tolerably happy in marriage, which sincereaffection on HER side would have given, for self-interest alone couldinduce a woman to keep a man to an engagement, of which she seemed sothoroughly aware that he was weary.

From this time the subject was never revived by Elinor, and whenentered on by Lucy, who seldom missed an opportunity of introducing it, of her happinesswhenever she received a letter from Edward, it was treated by theformer with calmness and caution, and dismissed as soon as civilitywould allow; for she felt such conversations to be an indulgence whichLucy did not deserve, and which were dangerous to herself.

The visit of the Miss Steeles at Barton Park was lengthened far beyondwhat the first invitation implied. Their favour increased; they couldnot be spared; Sir John would not hear of their going; and in spite oftheir numerous and long arranged engagements in Exeter, in spite of theabsolute necessity of returning to fulfill them immediately, which wasin full force at the end of every week, they were prevailed on to staynearly two months at the park, and to assist in the due celebration ofthat festival which requires a more than ordinary share of privateballs and large dinners to proclaim its importance.