1801. - 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
misanthropist's heaven: and Mr.
Heathcliff and I are such a suitable
pair to divide the desolation
between us. A capital fellow!
He little imagined how my heart
warmed towards him when I beheld
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 soliciting
the occupation of Thrushcross
Grange: I heard yesterday you
had had some thoughts - '
'Thrushcross Grange is my own,
sir,' he interrupted, wincing.
'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 reserved than
myself.
When he saw my horse's breast
fairly pushing the barrier, he
did put out his hand to unchain
it, and then sullenly preceded
me up the causeway, calling,
as we entered the court, - 'Joseph,
take Mr. Lockwood's horse; and
bring up some wine.'
'Here we have the whole establishment
of domestics, I suppose,' was
the reflection suggested by this
compound order. 'No wonder the
grass grows up between the flags,
and cattle are the only hedge-
cutters.'
Joseph was an elderly, nay,
an old man: very old, perhaps,
though hale and sinewy. 'The
Lord help us!' he soliloquised
in an undertone of peevish displeasure,
while relieving me of my horse:
looking, meantime, in my face
so sourly that I charitably conjectured
he must have need of divine aid
to digest his dinner, and his
pious ejaculation had no reference
to my unexpected advent.
Wuthering Heights is the name
of Mr. Heathcliff's dwelling.
'Wuthering' being a significant
provincial adjective, descriptive
of the atmospheric tumult to
which its station is exposed
in stormy weather. Pure, bracing
ventilation they must have up
there at all times, indeed: one
may guess the power of the north
wind blowing over the edge, by
the excessive slant of a few
stunted firs at the end of the
house; and by a range of gaunt
thorns all stretching their limbs
one way, as if craving alms of
the sun. Happily, the architect
had foresight to build it strong:
the narrow windows are deeply
set in the wall, and the corners
defended with large jutting stones.
Before passing the threshold,
I paused to admire a quantity
of grotesque carving lavished
over the front, and especially
about the principal door; above
which, among a wilderness of
crumbling griffins and shameless
little boys, I detected the date
'1500,' and the name 'Hareton
Earnshaw.' I would have made
a few comments, and requested
a short history of the place
from the surly owner; but his
attitude at the door appeared
to demand my speedy entrance,
or complete departure, and I
had no desire to aggravate his
impatience previous to inspecting
the penetralium.
One stop brought us into the
family sitting-room, without
any introductory lobby or passage:
they call it here 'the house'
pre- eminently. It includes kitchen
and parlour, generally; but I
believe at Wuthering Heights
the kitchen is forced to retreat
altogether into another quarter:
at least I distinguished a chatter
of tongues, and a clatter of
culinary utensils, deep within;
and I observed no signs of roasting,
boiling, or baking, about the
huge fireplace; nor any glitter
of copper saucepans and tin cullenders
on the walls. One end, indeed,
reflected splendidly both light
and heat from ranks of immense
pewter dishes, interspersed with
silver jugs and tankards, towering
row after row, on a vast oak
dresser, to the very roof. The
latter had never been under-drawn:
its entire anatomy lay bare to
an inquiring eye, except where
a frame of wood laden with oatcakes
and clusters of legs of beef,
mutton, and ham, concealed it.
Above the chimney were sundry
villainous old guns, and a couple
of horse-pistols: and, by way
of ornament, three gaudily-painted
canisters disposed along its
ledge. The floor was of smooth,
white stone; the chairs, high-backed,
primitive structures, painted
green: one or two heavy black
ones lurking in the shade. In
an arch under the dresser reposed
a huge, liver-coloured bitch
pointer, surrounded by a swarm
of squealing puppies; and other
dogs haunted other recesses.
The apartment and furniture
would have been nothing extraordinary
as belonging to a homely, northern
farmer, with a stubborn countenance,
and stalwart limbs set out to
advantage in knee- breeches and
gaiters. Such an individual seated
in his arm-chair, his mug of
ale frothing on the round table
before him, is to be seen in
any circuit of five or six miles
among these hills, if you go
at the right time after dinner.
But Mr. Heathcliff forms a singular
contrast to his abode and style
of living. He is a dark- skinned
gipsy in aspect, in dress and
manners a gentleman: that is,
as much a gentleman as many a
country squire: rather slovenly,
perhaps, yet not looking amiss
with his negligence, because
he has an erect and handsome
figure; and rather morose. Possibly,
some people might suspect him
of a degree of under-bred pride;
I have a sympathetic chord within
that tells me it is nothing of
the sort: I know, by instinct,
his reserve springs from an aversion
to showy displays of feeling
- to manifestations of mutual
kindliness. He'll love and hate
equally under cover, and esteem
it a species of impertinence
to be loved or hated again. No,
I'm running on too fast: I bestow
my own attributes over-liberally
on him. Mr. Heathcliff may have
entirely dissimilar reasons for
keeping his hand out of the way
when he meets a would-be acquaintance,
to those which actuate me. Let
me hope my constitution is almost
peculiar: my dear mother used
to say I should never have a
comfortable home; and only last
summer I proved myself perfectly
unworthy of one.
While enjoying a month of fine
weather at the sea-coast, I was
thrown into the company of a
most fascinating creature: a
real goddess in my eyes, as long
as she took no notice of me.
I 'never told my love' vocally;
still, if looks have language,
the merest idiot might have guessed
I was over head and ears: she
understood me at last, and looked
a return - the sweetest of all
imaginable looks. And what did
I do? I confess it with shame
- shrunk icily into myself, like
a snail; at every glance retired
colder and farther; till finally
the poor innocent was led to
doubt her own senses, and, overwhelmed
with confusion at her supposed
mistake, persuaded her mamma
to decamp. By this curious turn
of disposition I have gained
the reputation of deliberate
heartlessness; how undeserved,
I alone can appreciate.
I took a seat at the end of
the hearthstone opposite that
towards which my landlord advanced,
and filled up an interval of
silence by attempting to caress
the canine mother, who had left
her nursery, and was sneaking
wolfishly to the back of my legs,
her lip curled up, and her white
teeth watering for a snatch.
My caress provoked a long, guttural
gnarl.
'You'd better let the dog alone,'
growled Mr. Heathcliff in unison,
checking fiercer demonstrations
with a punch of his foot. 'She's
not accustomed to be spoiled
- not kept for a pet.' Then,
striding to a side door, he shouted
again, 'Joseph!'
Joseph mumbled indistinctly
in the depths of the cellar,
but gave no intimation of ascending;
so his master dived down to him,
leaving me VIS-A-VIS the ruffianly
bitch and a pair of grim shaggy
sheep-dogs, who shared with her
a jealous guardianship over all
my movements. Not anxious to
come in contact with their fangs,
I sat still; but, imagining they
would scarcely understand tacit
insults, I unfortunately indulged
in winking and making faces at
the trio, and some turn of my
physiognomy so irritated madam,
that she suddenly broke into
a fury and leapt on my knees.
I flung her back, and hastened
to interpose the table between
us. This proceeding aroused the
whole hive: half-a-dozen four-footed
fiends, of various sizes and
ages, issued from hidden dens
to the common centre. I felt
my heels and coat-laps peculiar
subjects of assault; and parrying
off the larger combatants as
effectually as I could with the
poker, I was constrained to demand,
aloud, assistance from some of
the household in re-establishing
peace.
Mr. Heathcliff and his man
climbed the cellar steps with
vexatious phlegm: I don't think
they moved one second faster
than usual, though the hearth
was an absolute tempest of worrying
and yelping. Happily, an inhabitant
of the kitchen made more despatch:
a lusty dame, with tucked-up
gown, bare arms, and fire-flushed
cheeks, rushed into the midst
of us flourishing a frying-pan:
and used that weapon, and her
tongue, to such purpose, that
the storm subsided magically,
and she only remained, heaving
like a sea after a high wind,
when her master entered on the
scene.
'What the devil is the matter?'
he asked, eyeing me in a manner
that I could ill endure, after
this inhospitable treatment.
'What the devil, indeed!' I
muttered. 'The herd of possessed
swine could have had no worse
spirits in them than those animals
of yours, sir. You might as well
leave a stranger with a brood
of tigers!'
'They won't meddle with persons
who touch nothing,' he remarked,
putting the bottle before me,
and restoring the displaced table.
'The dogs do right to be vigilant.
Take a glass of wine?'
'No, thank you.'
'Not bitten, are you?'
'If I had been, I would have
set my signet on the biter.'
Heathcliff's countenance relaxed
into a grin.
'Come, come,' he said, 'you
are flurried, Mr. Lockwood. Here,
take a little wine. Guests are
so exceedingly rare in this house
that I and my dogs, I am willing
to own, hardly know how to receive
them. Your health, sir?'
I bowed and returned the pledge;
beginning to perceive that it
would be foolish to sit sulking
for the misbehaviour of a pack
of curs; besides, I felt loth
to yield the fellow further amusement
at my expense; since his humour
took that turn. He - probably
swayed by prudential consideration
of the folly of offending a good
tenant - relaxed a little in
the laconic style of chipping
off his pronouns and auxiliary
verbs, and introduced what he
supposed would be a subject of
interest to me, - a discourse
on the advantages and disadvantages
of my present place of retirement.
I found him very intelligent
on the topics we touched; and
before I went home, I was encouraged
so far as to volunteer another
visit to-morrow. He evidently
wished no repetition of my intrusion.
I shall go, notwithstanding.
It is astonishing how sociable
I feel myself compared with him.
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