Question 248
HardOriginal question1801—I have just returned from a visit to my landlord—the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. This is certainly a beautiful country! In all England, I do not believe that I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed from the stir of society. A perfect ’s Heaven—and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the between us. A fellow! He little imagined how my heart warmed towards him when I his black eyes withdraw so suspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his fingers sheltered themselves, with a jealous resolution, still further in his waistcoat, as I announced my name.
“Mr. Heathcliff?” I said.
A nod was the answer.
“Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant, sir. I do myself the honour of calling as soon as possible after my arrival, to express the hope that I have not inconvenienced you by my perseverance in the occupation of Thrushcross Grange: I heard yesterday you had had some thoughts—”
“Thrushcross Grange is my own, sir,” he interrupted, . “I should not allow any one to inconvenience me, if I could hinder it—walk in!”
The “walk in” was uttered with closed teeth, and expressed the sentiment, “Go to the Deuce!” even the gate over which he leant manifested no sympathising movement to the words; and I think that circumstance determined me to accept the invitation: I felt interested in a man who seemed more exaggeratedly than myself.
What did Heathcliff's "walk in!" really mean?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The narrator says it "was uttered with closed teeth, and expressed the sentiment, 'Go to the Deuce!'", an old way of saying "go away".
The words invited him in; the tone told him to leave.
Worth noting
Heathcliff even interrupts Lockwood's polite speech with "wincing", which shows dislike, not welcome.
- Concept
- Understanding the gap between words and tone
- Typical timeTypical
- 55 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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