[00:01.09] Chapter 11, a trap is set.
[00:05.83] We had a sad time with little Catherine that day.
[00:09.45] She rose full of eagerness to see her cousin, and couldn't understand why he had left so soon.
[00:18.34] I have no idea what her father told her, but he promised that Liton would return.
[00:26.45] For a long time, every morning she asked me,
[00:31.19] Is Liton coming back today?
[00:35.60] Then, little by little, his memory faded, and she quite forgot him.
[00:45.74] But I couldn't forget the sight of that pale face, and the fear in the blue eyes when the child had been given to his father.
[00:55.29] True, in the small time that I'd known him, I'd found him spoiled and fretful.
[01:02.72] But no doubt Isabella had coddled him, and so it was scarcely the child's fault that he was as he was.
[01:13.55] Sometimes I heard news of him when I met up with one of the servants at the heights,
[01:21.57] But it was never good.
[01:24.92] I never knew such a fearful, weakly child, she told me.
[01:30.47] He's forever ailing, forever sitting by the fire wrapped in his fur cloak.
[01:38.57] And if Hairton, who's not a bad lad, despite his rough and ready ways, tries to amuse him, it always ends in tears.
[01:51.02] As for the master, he can't stand the child.
[02:00.80] I heard versions of this tale many times over the years.
[02:07.30] But I never met him again, and neither did Catherine, her father kept her confined to the parklands of the Grange until the day of her 16th birthday.
[02:23.44] We never celebrated the event, as it was also the day that her mother had died.
[02:31.00] But, on that particular birthday, she came to me full of excitement.
[02:38.87] While riding out with her father, she had seen where the Grouse had flown, and she dearly wanted to go back to see the eggs.
[02:49.92] Her father was away from home on that day, and, to my regret, I let her talk me into going with her.
[03:00.57] How easily I was fooled.
[03:05.84] We rode until we were almost at the high crags at Penniston.
[03:16.90] Where are your birds, Miss Catherine?
[03:19.99] I said, we're a long way from the Grange now, you know.
[03:29.62] I was beginning to suspect that there were no birds, and that the little minx had merely wanted to explore.
[03:38.06] Not much farther, Nelly, she cried, and rode off at a canter, leaving me well behind on the stout old pony, Minnie.
[03:51.17] She stopped some distance away, and, before I could catch up with her, two people appeared at her side.
[04:00.73] At once, I knew them to be Heathcliff and Hairton.
[04:07.32] When I reached her, she was protesting that all she had wanted to do was see the bird's eggs.
[04:15.97] Heathcliff, I must tell you, sir, owned all the shooting rights to the land, and wouldn't put up with poachers.
[04:29.09] Not that I thought for one moment he imagined Catherine to be a stealer of birds and their eggs.
[04:37.37] No, it was just an excuse to keep her talking.
[04:44.42] I knew his ways, and he knew that I knew, for he glanced at me and gave a wry smile.
[04:55.63] Well, now that I know you're not after my birds, he said, I would be honored if you and your nurse would come to my house and take tea with me.
[05:07.71] It is quite near, and I should like you to meet my son.
[05:14.47] This is not your son, asked Catherine, turning her gaze on Hairton.
[05:22.51] I'm not his son, muttered Hairton, blushing scarlet.
[05:31.01] Miss Catherine, I whispered urgently in her ear, you must not accept this invitation.
[05:42.64] But Heathcliff brushed me aside.
[05:45.49] Hairton, he said, go on ahead with our guest, and nurse and I will follow.
[05:55.17] When they were out of earshot, he told me what he planned.
[06:01.67] I hope that she and Liton will fall in love and marry.
[06:06.60] That way, Nelly, I gain both wathering heights and thrush cross Grange.
[06:16.10] My son is in poor health, and his will leaves everything to me.
[06:20.84] I have made sure of that.
[06:26.18] We had reached the gates of wathering Heights by this time, and there was no turning back.
[06:32.44] Well, you've tricked us this time, I said, but I shall make sure that she never comes here again.
[06:43.64] Once inside the house, Heathcliff pointed to Liton and said,
[06:52.24] This is my son, Miss Catherine, and you two have met before.
[06:57.58] This is Liton.
[07:01.59] Why, Liton, cried Catherine, running forward and kissing him.
[07:10.87] Catherine, he said, and I saw from his delight in seeing her again that Heathcliff's plan had every chance of succeeding.
[07:23.39] As soon as my master returned, I told him what had happened.
[07:31.14] He took Catherine to his study and told her that she must never see Liton again.
[07:41.32] If he gave her any reasons for this, I never discovered them, for she refused to speak to me for days.
[07:52.59] But, apart from this, she soon grew more like her old self once more, riding about the grounds of the Grange on her pony for hours at a time.
[08:06.80] I relaxed my watch, sir.
[08:11.48] No one from the heights came near the place, and I suppose that Liton had given up all thoughts of ever seeing her again.
[08:25.24] But I was wrong, for soon after, I found the little bundle of letters that she had hidden in her drawer.
[08:35.02] How did she get them?
[08:38.61] And how did she send her replies?
[08:43.70] I took up my watch again, and soon discovered that a kitchen hand acted as postman.
[08:54.28] I then sent my own note.
[08:59.23] Master Heathcliff is not to send any more notes to Miss Catherine, as she will neither read them nor reply to them.
[09:13.35] After that, I told her there would be no more letters.
[09:23.78] Summer came to an end, and all seemed well at Thrush Cross Grange until my master fell ill.
[09:33.04] Nothing that Dr. Kenneth or I could do seemed to make him any better.
[09:39.49] Catherine became more and more worried.
[09:43.35] She grew thinner and paler.
[09:48.60] One brisk autumn day, when her father did seem a little easier and slept, under the watchful eye of a good nurse, I persuaded her to take a walk with me over the Moors.
[10:03.78] The exercise seemed to do her good, and I was glad I had made the suggestion, until the sky suddenly grew darker, and a rainstorm threatened.
[10:15.97] At the same time, I saw Heathcliff making his way towards us, mounted on his ruin horse.
[10:26.43] How fitting, I thought, that these two dark events should occur together.
[10:35.07] Come, Miss Catherine, I said.
[10:38.47] We must get back before it begins to rain.
[10:46.27] But Heathcliff had already reached us.
[10:49.85] Well, Miss Liton, he said, would you care to know how my son is, since you were so wicked as to break his heart?
[11:01.16] Don't listen to him, miss, I said.
[11:04.72] If anyone is wicked, it is himself.
[11:11.20] But her gentle heart was touched, and, as usual, she got her own way.
[11:18.47] The next evening saw me riding by her side, on our way to wathering heights.
[11:27.09] The weather was still very damp and cold, and we reached the house to find scarcely any fire in the great.
[11:36.11] Liton was huddled in an armchair wrapped in a thick cloak.
[11:42.13] His face was pale as milk, and there were dark rings under his eyes.
[11:48.02] I hurried to stir the fire a little, but he complained that I was making the ashes fly into the air, and he began to cough.
[11:59.62] Catherine crouched by his side and took hold of his thin hand.
[12:04.73] She was close to tears, I knew.
[12:08.75] Miss, I said, this is none of your doing.
[12:13.25] He was always sickly as a child.
[12:19.05] It is of her doing, said Liton.
[12:24.30] At least, she has made me worse.
[12:29.63] How, I asked.
[12:33.95] She didn't come to see me, he replied, and she was the only nice, good person I knew.
[12:45.61] They all hate me here.
[12:49.75] There was truth in what he said, I had to admit, and I felt a great deal of sympathy for him.
[12:57.87] But my main concern was for my young mistress.
[13:02.67] The place was icy cold, and, call though I might, no servant came to bring more coal for the fire.
[13:14.66] They don't come, said Liton, no matter how much I call.
[13:24.33] We stayed an hour or more, Catherine running all kinds of little errands for him.
[13:30.81] Neither would accept my services.
[13:35.01] Catherine would do his bidding, and he would have only her attend him.
[13:41.61] And so it was, sir, sitting unmoving in that cold room, I took a bad chill.
[13:53.79] When we returned to Thrush Cross Grange, I took to my bed and stayed there for three weeks with a fever and aching bones.
[14:06.31] This was my little lady's chance, and, as I later learned from one of the servants, she rode out to meet Liton nearly every day.