THAT Friday made the last of
our fine days for a month. In
the evening the weather broke:
the wind shifted from south to
north- east, and brought rain
first, and then sleet and snow.
On the morrow one could hardly
imagine that there had been three
weeks of summer: the primroses
and crocuses were hidden under
wintry drifts; the larks were
silent, the young leaves of the
early trees smitten and blackened.
And dreary, and chill, and dismal,
that morrow did creep over! My
master kept his room; I took
possession of the lonely parlour,
converting it into a nursery:
and there I was, sitting with
the moaning doll of a child laid
on my knee; rocking it to and
fro, and watching, meanwhile,
the still driving flakes build
up the uncurtained window, when
the door opened, and some person
entered, out of breath and laughing!
My anger was greater than my
astonishment for a minute. I
supposed it one of the maids,
and I cried - 'Have done! How
dare you show your giddiness
here; What would Mr. Linton say
if he heard you?'
'Excuse me!' answered a familiar
voice; 'but I know Edgar is in
bed, and I cannot stop myself.'
With that the speaker came
forward to the fire, panting
and holding her hand to her side.
'I have run the whole way from
Wuthering Heights!' she continued,
after a pause; 'except where
I've flown. I couldn't count
the number of falls I've had.
Oh, I'm aching all over! Don't
be alarmed! There shall be an
explanation as soon as I can
give it; only just have the goodness
to step out and order the carriage
to take me on to Gimmerton, and
tell a servant to seek up a few
clothes in my wardrobe.'
The intruder was Mrs. Heathcliff.
She certainly seemed in no laughing
predicament: her hair streamed
on her shoulders, dripping with
snow and water; she was dressed
in the girlish dress she commonly
wore, befitting her age more
than her position: a low frock
with short sleeves, and nothing
on either head or neck. The frock
was of light silk, and clung
to her with wet, and her feet
were protected merely by thin
slippers; add to this a deep
cut under one ear, which only
the cold prevented from bleeding
profusely, a white face scratched
and bruised, and a frame hardly
able to support itself through
fatigue; and you may fancy my
first fright was not much allayed
when I had had leisure to examine
her.
'My dear young lady,' I exclaimed,
'I'll stir nowhere, and hear
nothing, till you have removed
every article of your clothes,
and put on dry things; and certainly
you shall not go to Gimmerton
to- night, so it is needless
to order the carriage.'
'Certainly I shall,' she said;
'walking or riding: yet I've
no objection to dress myself
decently. And - ah, see how it
flows down my neck now! The fire
does make it smart.'
She insisted on my fulfilling
her directions, before she would
let me touch her; and not till
after the coachman had been instructed
to get ready, and a maid set
to pack up some necessary attire,
did I obtain her consent for
binding the wound and helping
to change her garments.
'Now, Ellen,' she said, when
my task was finished and she
was seated in an easy-chair on
the hearth, with a cup of tea
before her, 'you sit down opposite
me, and put poor Catherine's
baby away: I don't like to see
it! You mustn't think I care
little for Catherine, because
I behaved so foolishly on entering:
I've cried, too, bitterly - yes,
more than any one else has reason
to cry. We parted unreconciled,
you remember, and I sha'n't forgive
myself. But, for all that, I
was not going to sympathise with
him - the brute beast! Oh, give
me the poker! This is the last
thing of his I have about me:'
she slipped the gold ring from
her third finger, and threw it
on the floor. 'I'll smash it!'
she continued, striking it with
childish spite, 'and then I'll
burn it!' and she took and dropped
the misused article among the
coals. 'There! he shall buy another,
if he gets me back again. He'd
be capable of coming to seek
me, to tease Edgar. I dare not
stay, lest that notion should
possess his wicked head! And
besides, Edgar has not been kind,
has he? And I won't come suing
for his assistance; nor will
I bring him into more trouble.
Necessity compelled me to seek
shelter here; though, if I had
not learned he was out of the
way, I'd have halted at the kitchen,
washed my face, warmed myself,
got you to bring what I wanted,
and departed again to anywhere
out of the reach of my accursed
- of that incarnate goblin! Ah,
he was in such a fury! If he
had caught me! It's a pity Earnshaw
is not his match in strength:
I wouldn't have run till I'd
seen him all but demolished,
had Hindley been able to do it!'
'Well, don't talk so fast,
Miss!' I interrupted; 'you'll
disorder the handkerchief I have
tied round your face, and make
the cut bleed again. Drink your
tea, and take breath, and give
over laughing: laughter is sadly
out of place under this roof,
and in your condition!'
'An undeniable truth,' she
replied. 'Listen to that child!
It maintains a constant wail
- send it out of my hearing for
an hour; I sha'n't stay any longer.'
I rang the bell, and committed
it to a servant's care; and then
I inquired what had urged her
to escape from Wuthering Heights
in such an unlikely plight, and
where she meant to go, as she
refused remaining with us.
'I ought, and I wished to remain,'
answered she, 'to cheer Edgar
and take care of the baby, for
two things, and because the Grange
is my right home. But I tell
you he wouldn't let me! Do you
think he could bear to see me
grow fat and merry - could bear
to think that we were tranquil,
and not resolve on poisoning
our comfort? Now, I have the
satisfaction of being sure that
he detests me, to the point of
its annoying him seriously to
have me within ear-shot or eyesight:
I notice, when I enter his presence,
the muscles of his countenance
are involuntarily distorted into
an expression of hatred; partly
arising from his knowledge of
the good causes I have to feel
that sentiment for him, and partly
from original aversion. It is
strong enough to make me feel
pretty certain that he would
not chase me over England, supposing
I contrived a clear escape; and
therefore I must get quite away.
I've recovered from my first
desire to be killed by him: I'd
rather he'd kill himself! He
has extinguished my love effectually,
and so I'm at my ease. I can
recollect yet how I loved him;
and can dimly imagine that I
could still be loving him, if
- no, no! Even if he had doted
on me, the devilish nature would
have revealed its existence somehow.
Catherine had an awfully perverted
taste to esteem him so dearly,
knowing him so well. Monster!
would that he could be blotted
out of creation, and out of my
memory!'
'Hush, hush! He's a human being,'
I said. 'Be more charitable:
there are worse men than he is
yet!'
'He's not a human being,' she
retorted; 'and he has no claim
on my charity. I gave him my
heart, and he took and pinched
it to death, and flung it back
to me. People feel with their
hearts, Ellen: and since he has
destroyed mine, I have not power
to feel for him: and I would
not, though he groaned from this
to his dying day, and wept tears
of blood for Catherine! No, indeed,
indeed, I wouldn't!' And here
Isabella began to cry; but, immediately
dashing the water from her lashes,
she recommenced. 'You asked,
what has driven me to flight
at last? I was compelled to attempt
it, because I had succeeded in
rousing his rage a pitch above
his malignity. Pulling out the
nerves with red hot pincers requires
more coolness than knocking on
the head. He was worked up to
forget the fiendish prudence
he boasted of, and proceeded
to murderous violence. I experienced
pleasure in being able to exasperate
him: the sense of pleasure woke
my instinct of self- preservation,
so I fairly broke free; and if
ever I come into his hands again
he is welcome to a signal revenge.
'Yesterday, you know, Mr. Earnshaw
should have been at the funeral.
He kept himself sober for the
purpose - tolerably sober: not
going to bed mad at six o'clock
and getting up drunk at twelve.
Consequently, he rose, in suicidal
low spirits, as fit for the church
as for a dance; and instead,
he sat down by the fire and swallowed
gin or brandy by tumblerfuls.
'Heathcliff - I shudder to
name him! has been a stranger
in the house from last Sunday
till to-day. Whether the angels
have fed him, or his kin beneath,
I cannot tell; but he has not
eaten a meal with us for nearly
a week. He has just come home
at dawn, and gone up-stairs to
his chamber; looking himself
in - as if anybody dreamt of
coveting his company! There he
has continued, praying like a
Methodist: only the deity he
implored is senseless dust and
ashes; and God, when addressed,
was curiously confounded with
his own black father! After concluding
these precious orisons - and
they lasted generally till he
grew hoarse and his voice was
strangled in his throat - he
would be off again; always straight
down to the Grange! I wonder
Edgar did not send for a constable,
and give him into custody! For
me, grieved as I was about Catherine,
it was impossible to avoid regarding
this season of deliverance from
degrading oppression as a holiday.
'I recovered
spirits sufficient to bear
Joseph's eternal lectures
without weeping, and to move
up and down the house less with
the foot of a frightened thief
than formerly. You wouldn't think
that I should cry at anything
Joseph could say; but he and
Hareton are detestable companions.
I'd rather sit with Hindley,
and hear his awful talk, than
with "t' little maister" and
his staunch supporter, that odious
old man! When Heathcliff is in,
I'm often obliged to seek the
kitchen and their society, or
starve among the damp uninhabited
chambers; when he is not, as
was the case this week, I establish
a table and chair at one corner
of the house fire, and never
mind how Mr. Earnshaw may occupy
himself; and he does not interfere
with my arrangements. He is quieter
now than he used to be, if no
one provokes him: more sullen
and depressed, and less furious.
Joseph affirms he's sure he's
an altered man: that the Lord
has touched his heart, and he
is saved "so as by fire." I'm
puzzled to detect signs of the
favourable change: but it is
not my business.
'Yester-evening I sat in my
nook reading some old books till
late on towards twelve. It seemed
so dismal to go up-stairs, with
the wild snow blowing outside,
and my thoughts continually reverting
to the kirk-yard and the new-made
grave! I dared hardly lift my
eyes from the page before me,
that melancholy scene so instantly
usurped its place. Hindley sat
opposite, his head leant on his
hand; perhaps meditating on the
same subject. He had ceased drinking
at a point below irrationality,
and had neither stirred nor spoken
during two or three hours. There
was no sound through the house
but the moaning wind, which shook
the windows every now and then,
the faint crackling of the coals,
and the click of my snuffers
as I removed at intervals the
long wick of the candle. Hareton
and Joseph were probably fast
asleep in bed. It was very, very
sad: and while I read I sighed,
for it seemed as if all joy had
vanished from the world, never
to be restored.
'The doleful silence was broken
at length by the sound of the
kitchen latch: Heathcliff had
returned from his watch earlier
than usual; owing, I suppose,
to the sudden storm. That entrance
was fastened, and we heard him
coming round to get in by the
other. I rose with an irrepressible
expression of what I felt on
my lips, which induced my companion,
who had been staring towards
the door, to turn and look at
me.
'"I'll keep him out five minutes," he
exclaimed. "You won't object?"
'"No, you may keep him out
the whole night for me," I answered. "Do!
put the key in the look, and
draw the bolts."
'Earnshaw accomplished this
ere his guest reached the front;
he then came and brought his
chair to the other side of my
table, leaning over it, and searching
in my eyes for a sympathy with
the burning hate that gleamed
from his: as he both looked and
felt like an assassin, he couldn't
exactly find that; but he discovered
enough to encourage him to speak.
'"You, and I," he said, "have
each a great debt to settle with
the man out yonder! If we were
neither of us cowards, we might
combine to discharge it. Are
you as soft as your brother?
Are you willing to endure to
the last, and not once attempt
a repayment?"
'"I'm weary of enduring now," I
replied; "and I'd be glad of
a retaliation that wouldn't recoil
on myself; but treachery and
violence are spears pointed at
both ends; they wound those who
resort to them worse than their
enemies."
'"Treachery and violence are
a just return for treachery and
violence!" cried Hindley. "Mrs.
Heathcliff, I'll ask you to do
nothing; but sit still and be
dumb. Tell me now, can you? I'm
sure you would have as much pleasure
as I in witnessing the conclusion
of the fiend's existence; he'll
be YOUR death unless you overreach
him; and he'll be MY ruin. Damn
the hellish villain! He knocks
at the door as if he were master
here already! Promise to hold
your tongue, and before that
clock strikes - it wants three
minutes of one - you're a free
woman!"
'He took the implements which
I described to you in my letter
from his breast, and would have
turned down the candle. I snatched
it away, however, and seized
his arm.
'"I'll not hold my tongue!" I
said; "you mustn't touch him.
Let the door remain shut, and
be quiet!"
'"No! I've formed my resolution,
and by God I'll execute it!" cried
the desperate being. "I'll do
you a kindness in spite of yourself,
and Hareton justice! And you
needn't trouble your head to
screen me; Catherine is gone.
Nobody alive would regret me,
or be ashamed, though I cut my
throat this minute - and it's
time to make an end!"
'I might as well have struggled
with a bear, or reasoned with
a lunatic. The only resource
left me was to run to a lattice
and warn his intended victim
of the fate which awaited him.
'"You'd better seek shelter
somewhere else to-night!" I exclaimed,
in rather a triumphant tone. "Mr.
Earnshaw has a mind to shoot
you, if you persist in endeavouring
to enter."
'"You'd better open the door,
you - " he answered, addressing
me by some elegant term that
I don't care to repeat.
'"I shall not meddle in the
matter," I retorted again. "Come
in and get shot, if you please.
I've done my duty."
'With that I shut the window
and returned to my place by the
fire; having too small a stock
of hypocrisy at my command to
pretend any anxiety for the danger
that menaced him. Earnshaw swore
passionately at me: affirming
that I loved the villain yet;
and calling me all sorts of names
for the base spirit I evinced.
And I, in my secret heart (and
conscience never reproached me),
thought what a blessing it would
be for HIM should Heathcliff
put him out of misery; and what
a blessing for ME should he send
Heathcliff to his right abode!
As I sat nursing these reflections,
the casement behind me was banged
on to the floor by a blow from
the latter individual, and his
black countenance looked blightingly
through. The stanchions stood
too close to suffer his shoulders
to follow, and I smiled, exulting
in my fancied security. His hair
and clothes were whitened with
snow, and his sharp cannibal
teeth, revealed by cold and wrath,
gleamed through the dark.
'"Isabella, let me in, or I'll
make you repent!" he "girned," as
Joseph calls it.
'"I cannot commit murder," I
replied. "Mr. Hindley stands
sentinel with a knife and loaded
pistol."
'"Let me in by the kitchen
door," he said.
'"Hindley will be there before
me," I answered: "and that's
a poor love of yours that cannot
bear a shower of snow! We were
left at peace in our beds as
long as the summer moon shone,
but the moment a blast of winter
returns, you must run for shelter!
Heathcliff, if I were you, I'd
go stretch myself over her grave
and die like a faithful dog.
The world is surely not worth
living in now, is it? You had
distinctly impressed on me the
idea that Catherine was the whole
joy of your life: I can't imagine
how you think of surviving her
loss."
'"He's there, is he?" exclaimed
my companion, rushing to the
gap. "If I can get my arm out
I can hit him!"
'I'm afraid, Ellen, you'll
set me down as really wicked;
but you don't know all, so don't
judge. I wouldn't have aided
or abetted an attempt on even
HIS life for anything. Wish that
he were dead, I must; and therefore
I was fearfully disappointed,
and unnerved by terror for the
consequences of my taunting speech,
when he flung himself on Earnshaw's
weapon and wrenched it from his
grasp.
'The charge exploded, and the
knife, in springing back, closed
into its owner's wrist. Heathcliff
pulled it away by main force,
slitting up the flesh as it passed
on, and thrust it dripping into
his pocket. He then took a stone,
struck down the division between
two windows, and sprang in. His
adversary had fallen senseless
with excessive pain and the flow
of blood, that gushed from an
artery or a large vein. The ruffian
kicked and trampled on him, and
dashed his head repeatedly against
the flags, holding me with one
hand, meantime, to prevent me
summoning Joseph. He exerted
preterhuman self-denial in abstaining
from finishing him completely;
but getting out of breath, he
finally desisted, and dragged
the apparently inanimate body
on to the settle. There he tore
off the sleeve of Earnshaw's
coat, and bound up the wound
with brutal roughness; spitting
and cursing during the operation
as energetically as he had kicked
before. Being at liberty, I lost
no time in seeking the old servant;
who, having gathered by degrees
the purport of my hasty tale,
hurried below, gasping, as he
descended the steps two at once.
'"What is ther
to do, now? what is ther to
do, now?"
'"There's this to do," thundered
Heathcliff, "that your master's
mad; and should he last another
month, I'll have him to an asylum.
And how the devil did you come
to fasten me out, you toothless
hound? Don't stand muttering
and mumbling there. Come, I'm
not going to nurse him. Wash
that stuff away; and mind the
sparks of your candle - it is
more than half brandy!"
'"And so ye've been murthering
on him?" exclaimed Joseph, lifting
his hands and eyes in horror. "If
iver I seed a seeght loike this!
May the Lord - "
'Heathcliff gave him a push
on to his knees in the middle
of the blood, and flung a towel
to him; but instead of proceeding
to dry it up, he joined his hands
and began a prayer, which excited
my laughter from its odd phraseology.
I was in the condition of mind
to be shocked at nothing: in
fact, I was as reckless as some
malefactors show themselves at
the foot of the gallows.
'"Oh, I forgot you," said the
tyrant. "You shall do that. Down
with you. And you conspire with
him against me, do you, viper?
There, that is work fit for you!"
'He shook me till my teeth
rattled, and pitched me beside
Joseph, who steadily concluded
his supplications, and then rose,
vowing he would set off for the
Grange directly. Mr. Linton was
a magistrate, and though he had
fifty wives dead, he should inquire
into this. He was so obstinate
in his resolution, that Heathcliff
deemed it expedient to compel
from my lips a recapitulation
of what had taken place; standing
over me, heaving with malevolence,
as I reluctantly delivered the
account in answer to his questions.
It required a great deal of labour
to satisfy the old man that Heathcliff
was not the aggressor; especially
with my hardly-wrung replies.
However, Mr. Earnshaw soon convinced
him that he was alive still;
Joseph hastened to administer
a dose of spirits, and by their
succour his master presently
regained motion and consciousness.
Heathcliff, aware that his opponent
was ignorant of the treatment
received while insensible, called
him deliriously intoxicated;
and said he should not notice
his atrocious conduct further,
but advised him to get to bed.
To my joy, he left us, after
giving this judicious counsel,
and Hindley stretched himself
on the hearthstone. I departed
to my own room, marvelling that
I had escaped so easily.
'This morning, when I came
down, about half an hour before
noon, Mr. Earnshaw was sitting
by the fire, deadly sick; his
evil genius, almost as gaunt
and ghastly, leant against the
chimney. Neither appeared inclined
to dine, and, having waited till
all was cold on the table, I
commenced alone. Nothing hindered
me from eating heartily, and
I experienced a certain sense
of satisfaction and superiority,
as, at intervals, I cast a look
towards my silent companions,
and felt the comfort of a quiet
conscience within me. After I
had done, I ventured on the unusual
liberty of drawing near the fire,
going round Earnshaw's seat,
and kneeling in the corner beside
him.
'Heathcliff did not glance
my way, and I gazed up, and contemplated
his features almost as confidently
as if they had been turned to
stone. His forehead, that I once
thought so manly, and that I
now think so diabolical, was
shaded with a heavy cloud; his
basilisk eyes were nearly quenched
by sleeplessness, and weeping,
perhaps, for the lashes were
wet then: his lips devoid of
their ferocious sneer, and sealed
in an expression of unspeakable
sadness. Had it been another,
I would have covered my face
in the presence of such grief.
In HIS case, I was gratified;
and, ignoble as it seems to insult
a fallen enemy, I couldn't miss
this chance of sticking in a
dart: his weakness was the only
time when I could taste the delight
of paying wrong for wrong.'
'Fie, fie, Miss!' I interrupted.
'One might suppose you had never
opened a Bible in your life.
If God afflict your enemies,
surely that ought to suffice
you. It is both mean and presumptuous
to add your torture to his!'
'In general I'll allow that
it would be, Ellen,' she continued;
'but what misery laid on Heathcliff
could content me, unless I have
a hand in it? I'd rather he suffered
less, if I might cause his sufferings
and he might KNOW that I was
the cause. Oh, I owe him so much.
On only one condition can I hope
to forgive him. It is, if I may
take an eye for an eye, a tooth
for a tooth; for every wrench
of agony return a wrench: reduce
him to my level. As he was the
first to injure, make him the
first to implore pardon; and
then - why then, Ellen, I might
show you some generosity. But
it is utterly impossible I can
ever be revenged, and therefore
I cannot forgive him. Hindley
wanted some water, and I handed
him a glass, and asked him how
he was.
'"Not as ill as I wish," he
replied. "But leaving out my
arm, every inch of me is as sore
as if I had been fighting with
a legion of imps!"
'"Yes, no wonder," was my next
remark. "Catherine used to boast
that she stood between you and
bodily harm: she meant that certain
persons would not hurt you for
fear of offending her. It's well
people don't REALLY rise from
their grave, or, last night,
she might have witnessed a repulsive
scene! Are not you bruised, and
cut over your chest and shoulders?"
'"I can't say," he answered, "but
what do you mean? Did he dare
to strike me when I was down?"
'"He trampled on and kicked
you, and dashed you on the ground," I
whispered. "And his mouth watered
to tear you with his teeth; because
he's only half man: not so much,
and the rest fiend."
'Mr. Earnshaw looked up, like
me, to the countenance of our
mutual foe; who, absorbed in
his anguish, seemed insensible
to anything around him: the longer
he stood, the plainer his reflections
revealed their blackness through
his features.
'"Oh, if God would but give
me strength to strangle him in
my last agony, I'd go to hell
with joy," groaned the impatient
man, writhing to rise, and sinking
back in despair, convinced of
his inadequacy for the struggle.
'"Nay, it's enough that he
has murdered one of you," I observed
aloud. "At the Grange, every
one knows your sister would have
been living now had it not been
for Mr. Heathcliff. After all,
it is preferable to be hated
than loved by him. When I recollect
how happy we were - how happy
Catherine was before he came
- I'm fit to curse the day."
'Most likely, Heathcliff noticed
more the truth of what was said,
than the spirit of the person
who said it. His attention was
roused, I saw, for his eyes rained
down tears among the ashes, and
he drew his breath in suffocating
sighs. I stared full at him,
and laughed scornfully. The clouded
windows of hell flashed a moment
towards me; the fiend which usually
looked out, however, was so dimmed
and drowned that I did not fear
to hazard another sound of derision.
'"Get up, and begone out of
my sight," said the mourner.
'I guessed he uttered those
words, at least, though his voice
was hardly intelligible.
'"I beg your pardon," I replied. "But
I loved Catherine too; and her
brother requires attendance,
which, for her sake, I shall
supply. Now, that she's dead,
I see her in Hindley: Hindley
has exactly her eyes, if you
had not tried to gouge them out,
and made them black and red;
and her - "
'"Get up, wretched idiot, before
I stamp you to death!" he cried,
making a movement that caused
me to make one also.
'"But then," I continued, holding
myself ready to flee, "if poor
Catherine had trusted you, and
assumed the ridiculous, contemptible,
degrading title of Mrs. Heathcliff,
she would soon have presented
a similar picture! SHE wouldn't
have borne your abominable behaviour
quietly: her detestation and
disgust must have found voice."
'The back of the settle and
Earnshaw's person interposed
between me and him; so instead
of endeavouring to reach me,
he snatched a dinner-knife from
the table and flung it at my
head. It struck beneath my ear,
and stopped the sentence I was
uttering; but, pulling it out,
I sprang to the door and delivered
another; which I hope went a
little deeper than his missile.
The last glimpse I caught of
him was a furious rush on his
part, checked by the embrace
of his host; and both fell locked
together on the hearth. In my
flight through the kitchen I
bid Joseph speed to his master;
I knocked over Hareton, who was
hanging a litter of puppies from
a chair-back in the doorway;
and, blessed as a soul escaped
from purgatory, I bounded, leaped,
and flew down the steep road;
then, quitting its windings,
shot direct across the moor,
rolling over banks, and wading
through marshes: precipitating
myself, in fact, towards the
beacon-light of the Grange. And
far rather would I be condemned
to a perpetual dwelling in the
infernal regions than, even for
one night, abide beneath the
roof of Wuthering Heights again.'
Isabella ceased speaking, and
took a drink of tea; then she
rose, and bidding me put on her
bonnet, and a great shawl I had
brought, and turning a deaf ear
to my entreaties for her to remain
another hour, she stepped on
to a chair, kissed Edgar's and
Catherine's portraits, bestowed
a similar salute on me, and descended
to the carriage, accompanied
by Fanny, who yelped wild with
joy at recovering her mistress.
She was driven away, never to
revisit this neighbourhood: but
a regular correspondence was
established between her and my
master when things were more
settled. I believe her new abode
was in the south, near London;
there she had a son born a few
months subsequent to her escape.
He was christened Linton, and,
from the first, she reported
him to be an ailing, peevish
creature.
Mr. Heathcliff, meeting me
one day in the village, inquired
where she lived. I refused to
tell. He remarked that it was
not of any moment, only she must
beware of coming to her brother:
she should not be with him, if
he had to keep her himself. Though
I would give no information,
he discovered, through some of
the other servants, both her
place of residence and the existence
of the child. Still, he didn't
molest her: for which forbearance
she might thank his aversion,
I suppose. He often asked about
the infant, when he saw me; and
on hearing its name, smiled grimly,
and observed: 'They wish me to
hate it too, do they?'
'I don't think they wish you
to know anything about it,' I
answered.
'But I'll have it,' he said,
'when I want it. They may reckon
on that!'
Fortunately its mother died
before the time arrived; some
thirteen years after the decease
of Catherine, when Linton was
twelve, or a little more.
On the day succeeding Isabella's
unexpected visit I had no opportunity
of speaking to my master: he
shunned conversation, and was
fit for discussing nothing. When
I could get him to listen, I
saw it pleased him that his sister
had left her husband; whom he
abhorred with an intensity which
the mildness of his nature would
scarcely seem to allow. So deep
and sensitive was his aversion,
that he refrained from going
anywhere where he was likely
to see or hear of Heathcliff.
Grief, and that together, transformed
him into a complete hermit: he
threw up his office of magistrate,
ceased even to attend church,
avoided the village on all occasions,
and spent a life of entire seclusion
within the limits of his park
and grounds; only varied by solitary
rambles on the moors, and visits
to the grave of his wife, mostly
at evening, or early morning
before other wanderers were abroad.
But he was too good to be thoroughly
unhappy long. HE didn't pray
for Catherine's soul to haunt
him. Time brought resignation,
and a melancholy sweeter than
common joy. He recalled her memory
with ardent, tender love, and
hopeful aspiring to the better
world; where he doubted not she
was gone.
And he had earthly consolation
and affections also. For a few
days, I said, he seemed regardless
of the puny successor to the
departed: that coldness melted
as fast as snow in April, and
ere the tiny thing could stammer
a word or totter a step it wielded
a despot's sceptre in his heart.
It was named Catherine; but he
never called it the name in full,
as he had never called the first
Catherine short: probably because
Heathcliff had a habit of doing
so. The little one was always
Cathy: it formed to him a distinction
from the mother, and yet a connection
with her; and his attachment
sprang from its relation to her,
far more than from its being
his own.
I used to draw a comparison
between him and Hindley Earnshaw,
and perplex myself to explain
satisfactorily why their conduct
was so opposite in similar circumstances.
They had both been fond husbands,
and were both attached to their
children; and I could not see
how they shouldn't both have
taken the same road, for good
or evil. But, I thought in my
mind, Hindley, with apparently
the stronger head, has shown
himself sadly the worse and the
weaker man. When his ship struck,
the captain abandoned his post;
and the crew, instead of trying
to save her, rushed into riot
and confusion, leaving no hope
for their luckless vessel. Linton,
on the contrary, displayed the
true courage of a loyal and faithful
soul: he trusted God; and God
comforted him. One hoped, and
the other despaired: they chose
their own lots, and were righteously
doomed to endure them. But you'll
not want to hear my moralising,
Mr. Lockwood; you'll judge, as
well as I can, all these things:
at least, you'll think you will,
and that's the same. The end
of Earnshaw was what might have
been expected; it followed fast
on his sister's: there were scarcely
six months between them. We,
at the Grange, never got a very
succinct account of his state
preceding it; all that I did
learn was on occasion of going
to aid in the preparations for
the funeral. Mr. Kenneth came
to announce the event to my master.
'Well, Nelly,' said he, riding
into the yard one morning, too
early not to alarm me with an
instant presentiment of bad news,
'it's yours and my turn to go
into mourning at present. Who's
given us the slip now, do you
think?'
'Who?' I asked in a flurry.
'Why, guess!' he returned,
dismounting, and slinging his
bridle on a hook by the door.
'And nip up the corner of your
apron: I'm certain you'll need
it.'
'Not Mr. Heathcliff, surely?'
I exclaimed.
'What! would you have tears
for him?' said the doctor. 'No,
Heathcliff's a tough young fellow:
he looks blooming to-day. I've
just seen him. He's rapidly regaining
flesh since he lost his better
half.'
'Who is it, then, Mr. Kenneth?'
I repeated impatiently.
'Hindley Earnshaw! Your old
friend Hindley,' he replied,
'and my wicked gossip: though
he's been too wild for me this
long while. There! I said we
should draw water. But cheer
up! He died true to his character:
drunk as a lord. Poor lad! I'm
sorry, too. One can't help missing
an old companion: though he had
the worst tricks with him that
ever man imagined, and has done
me many a rascally turn. He's
barely twenty-seven, it seems;
that's your own age: who would
have thought you were born in
one year?'
I confess this blow was greater
to me than the shock of Mrs.
Linton's death: ancient associations
lingered round my heart; I sat
down in the porch and wept as
for a blood relation, desiring
Mr. Kenneth to get another servant
to introduce him to the master.
I could not hinder myself from
pondering on the question - 'Had
he had fair play?' Whatever I
did, that idea would bother me:
it was so tiresomely pertinacious
that I resolved on requesting
leave to go to Wuthering Heights,
and assist in the last duties
to the dead. Mr. Linton was extremely
reluctant to consent, but I pleaded
eloquently for the friendless
condition in which he lay; and
I said my old master and foster-brother
had a claim on my services as
strong as his own. Besides, I
reminded him that the child Hareton
was his wife's nephew, and, in
the absence of nearer kin, he
ought to act as its guardian;
and he ought to and must inquire
how the property was left, and
look over the concerns of his
brother-in- law. He was unfit
for attending to such matters
then, but he bid me speak to
his lawyer; and at length permitted
me to go. His lawyer had been
Earnshaw's also: I called at
the village, and asked him to
accompany me. He shook his head,
and advised that Heathcliff should
be let alone; affirming, if the
truth were known, Hareton would
be found little else than a beggar.
'His father died in debt,'
he said; 'the whole property
is mortgaged, and the sole chance
for the natural heir is to allow
him an opportunity of creating
some interest in the creditor's
heart, that he may be inclined
to deal leniently towards him.'
When I reached the Heights,
I explained that I had come to
see everything carried on decently;
and Joseph, who appeared in sufficient
distress, expressed satisfaction
at my presence. Mr. Heathcliff
said he did not perceive that
I was wanted; but I might stay
and order the arrangements for
the funeral, if I chose.
'Correctly,' he remarked, 'that
fool's body should he buried
at the cross-roads, without ceremony
of any kind. I happened to leave
him ten minutes yesterday afternoon,
and in that interval he fastened
the two doors of the house against
me, and he has spent the night
in drinking himself to death
deliberately! We broke in this
morning, for we heard him sporting
like a horse; and there he was,
laid over the settle: flaying
and scalping would not have wakened
him. I sent for Kenneth, and
he came; but not till the beast
had changed into carrion: he
was both dead and cold, and stark;
and so you'll allow it was useless
making more stir about him!'
The old servant confirmed this
statement, but muttered:
'I'd rayther he'd goan hisseln
for t' doctor! I sud ha,' taen
tent o' t' maister better nor
him - and he warn't deead when
I left, naught o' t' soart!'
I insisted on the funeral being
respectable. Mr. Heathcliff said
I might have my own way there
too: only, he desired me to remember
that the money for the whole
affair came out of his pocket.
He maintained a hard, careless
deportment, indicative of neither
joy nor sorrow: if anything,
it expressed a flinty gratification
at a piece of difficult work
successfully executed. I observed
once, indeed, something like
exultation in his aspect: it
was just when the people were
bearing the coffin from the house.
He had the hypocrisy to represent
a mourner: and previous to following
with Hareton, he lifted the unfortunate
child on to the table and muttered,
with peculiar gusto, 'Now, my
bonny lad, you are MINE! And
we'll see if one tree won't grow
as crooked as another, with the
same wind to twist it!' The unsuspecting
thing was pleased at this speech:
he played with Heathcliff's whiskers,
and stroked his cheek; but I
divined its meaning, and observed
tartly, 'That boy must go back
with me to Thrushcross Grange,
sir. There is nothing in the
world less yours than he is!'
'Does Linton say so?' he demanded.
'Of course - he has ordered
me to take him,' I replied.
'Well,' said the scoundrel,
'we'll not argue the subject
now: but I have a fancy to try
my hand at rearing a young one;
so intimate to your master that
I must supply the place of this
with my own, if he attempt to
remove it. I don't engage to
let Hareton go undisputed; but
I'll be pretty sure to make the
other come! Remember to tell
him.'
This hint was enough to bind
our hands. I repeated its substance
on my return; and Edgar Linton,
little interested at the commencement,
spoke no more of interfering.
I'm not aware that he could have
done it to any purpose, had he
been ever so willing.
The guest was now the master
of Wuthering Heights: he held
firm possession, and proved to
the attorney - who, in his turn,
proved it to Mr. Linton - that
Earnshaw had mortgaged every
yard of land he owned for cash
to supply his mania for gaming;
and he, Heathcliff, was the mortgagee.
In that manner Hareton, who should
now be the first gentleman in
the neighbourhood, was reduced
to a state of complete dependence
on his father's inveterate enemy;
and lives in his own house as
a servant, deprived of the advantage
of wages: quite unable to right
himself, because of his friendlessness,
and his ignorance that he has
been wronged.
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