I listened doubtingly an instant; detected the disturber, then turned and dozed, and dreamt again; if possible, still more disagreeably than before.
This time, I remembered I was lying in the oak closet, an dI 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 m ein!' and maintained its tenacious gripe, 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's 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 moveda s 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 forehad, the intruder appeared to hesitate and muttered to himself.
At last, he said in a half-whisper, plainly not expecting an answer,
'Is any one 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.