Грозовой перевал / Wuthering Heights

«The living room curtains were still open so we could see right inside, and it was just like a palace – all crimson and gold. Edgar and Isabella had the room to themselves, and can you guess what they were doing? Isabella was lying screaming on the floor, shrieking as if witches were pushing needles into her skin, and Edgar was standing by the fire, weeping like a baby! And what do you think all the fuss was about? In the middle of the table was a little dog, shaking its paw and yelping – and nearly pulled in two by the spoiled brats! We laughed out loud at the idiots! What sort of fun do you think that was to quarrel over a stupid puppy dog? And when would you catch me arguing with Cathy or taking anything she wanted?»

В«Anyway, we laughed so much that Cathy fell off the flowerpot.

The Lintons heard the noise and raced to the door, and then you should have heard them howl! �Oh, mama, mama! Oh, papa! Oh, mama come here! They really did cry out like that! We both made horrible noises to frighten them some more, but then we decided we had better run away.

В«We were running as fast as we could, when Cathy suddenly fell over.

«�Run, Heathcliff, run!’ she said. �They’ve let their bulldog loose and he’s got me by the ankle![23 - They’ve let their bulldog loose and he’s got me by the ankle! – Они выпустили бульдога, и он схватил меня за лодыжку!]’

«I could hear the dog’s terrible snorting, but Cathy didn’t yell out – she would have been ashamed to cry.

I started swearing at the beast and had just managed to find a stone to thrust between its jaws, when at last a servant appeared with a lantern and hauled the beast away.

«The man lifted Cathy up in his arms. She had fainted – not from fear, I’m sure, but from pain – and I followed him into the house, shouting and swearing.

«�What’s happening, Robert?’ called Mr. Linton from the entrance.

«�Skulker’s caught a little girl, sir,’ he replied, �and there’s a lad here too, who looks like a real villain.

They’re probably a pair of robbers planning to creep through the window and murder us all in our beds.’

В«Robert pulled me under the lamp so they could all take a look at me. Mrs. Linton put on her spectacles and peered in horror, and the cowardly children crept closer to her skirts.

«�What a frightful thing!’ snivelled Isabella. �Lock him up in the cellar, papa.