ON the fifth morning, or rather
afternoon, a different step approached
- lighter and shorter; and, this
time, the person entered the
room. It was Zillah; donned in
her scarlet shawl, with a black
silk bonnet on her head, and
a willow-basket swung to her
arm.
'Eh, dear! Mrs. Dean!' she
exclaimed. 'Well! there is a
talk about you at Gimmerton.
I never thought but you were
sunk in the Blackhorse marsh,
and missy with you, till master
told me you'd been found, and
he'd lodged you here! What! and
you must have got on an island,
sure? And how long were you in
the hole? Did master save you,
Mrs. Dean? But you're not so
thin - you've not been so poorly,
have you?'
'Your master is a true scoundrel!'
I replied. 'But he shall answer
for it. He needn't have raised
that tale: it shall all be laid
bare!'
'What do you
mean?' asked Zillah. 'It's
not his tale: they tell
that in the village - about your
being lost in the marsh; and
I calls to Earnshaw, when I come
in - "Eh, they's queer things,
Mr. Hareton, happened since I
went off. It's a sad pity of
that likely young lass, and cant
Nelly Dean." He stared. I thought
he had not heard aught, so I
told him the rumour. The master
listened, and he just smiled
to himself, and said, "If they
have been in the marsh, they
are out now, Zillah. Nelly Dean
is lodged, at this minute, in
your room. You can tell her to
flit, when you go up; here is
the key. The bog-water got into
her head, and she would have
run home quite flighty; but I
fixed her till she came round
to her senses. You can bid her
go to the Grange at once, if
she be able, and carry a message
from me, that her young lady
will follow in time to attend
the squire's funeral."'
'Mr. Edgar is not dead?' I
gasped. 'Oh! Zillah, Zillah!'
'No, no; sit you down, my good
mistress,' she replied; 'you're
right sickly yet. He's not dead;
Doctor Kenneth thinks he may
last another day. I met him on
the road and asked.'
Instead of sitting down, I
snatched my outdoor things, and
hastened below, for the way was
free. On entering the house,
I looked about for some one to
give information of Catherine.
The place was filled with sunshine,
and the door stood wide open;
but nobody seemed at hand. As
I hesitated whether to go off
at once, or return and seek my
mistress, a slight cough drew
my attention to the hearth. Linton
lay on the settle, sole tenant,
sucking a stick of sugar-candy,
and pursuing my movements with
apathetic eyes. 'Where is Miss
Catherine?' I demanded sternly,
supposing I could frighten him
into giving intelligence, by
catching him thus, alone. He
sucked on like an innocent.
'Is she gone?' I said.
'No,' he replied; 'she's upstairs:
she's not to go; we won't let
her.'
'You won't let her, little
idiot!' I exclaimed. 'Direct
me to her room immediately, or
I'll make you sing out sharply.'
'Papa would make you sing out,
if you attempted to get there,'
he answered. 'He says I'm not
to be soft with Catherine: she's
my wife, and it's shameful that
she should wish to leave me.
He says she hates me and wants
me to die, that she may have
my money; but she shan't have
it: and she shan't go home! She
never shall! - she may cry, and
be sick as much as she pleases!'
He resumed his former occupation,
closing his lids, as if he meant
to drop asleep.
'Master Heathcliff,' I resumed,
'have you forgotten all Catherine's
kindness to you last winter,
when you affirmed you loved her,
and when she brought you books
and sung you songs, and came
many a time through wind and
snow to see you? She wept to
miss one evening, because you
would be disappointed; and you
felt then that she was a hundred
times too good to you: and now
you believe the lies your father
tells, though you know he detests
you both. And you join him against
her. That's fine gratitude, is
it not?'
The corner of Linton's mouth
fell, and he took the sugar-candy
from his lips.
'Did she come to Wuthering
Heights because she hated you?'
I continued. 'Think for yourself!
As to your money, she does not
even know that you will have
any. And you say she's sick;
and yet you leave her alone,
up there in a strange house!
You who have felt what it is
to be so neglected! You could
pity your own sufferings; and
she pitied them, too; but you
won't pity hers! I shed tears,
Master Heathcliff, you see -
an elderly woman, and a servant
merely - and you, after pretending
such affection, and having reason
to worship her almost, store
every tear you have for yourself,
and lie there quite at ease.
Ah! you're a heartless, selfish
boy!'
'I can't stay with her,' he
answered crossly. 'I'll not stay
by myself. She cries so I can't
bear it. And she won't give over,
though I say I'll call my father.
I did call him once, and he threatened
to strangle her if she was not
quiet; but she began again the
instant he left the room, moaning
and grieving all night long,
though I screamed for vexation
that I couldn't sleep.'
'Is Mr. Heathcliff out?' I
inquired, perceiving that the
wretched creature had no power
to sympathize with his cousin's
mental tortures.
'He's in the court,' he replied,
'talking to Doctor Kenneth; who
says uncle is dying, truly, at
last. I'm glad, for I shall be
master of the Grange after him.
Catherine always spoke of it
as her house. It isn't hers!
It's mine: papa says everything
she has is mine. All her nice
books are mine; she offered to
give me them, and her pretty
birds, and her pony Minny, if
I would get the key of our room,
and let her out; but I told her
she had nothing to give, they
ware all, all mine. And then
she cried, and took a little
picture from her neck, and said
I should have that; two pictures
in a gold case, on one side her
mother, and on the other uncle,
when they were young. That was
yesterday - I said they were
mine, too; and tried to get them
from her. The spiteful thing
wouldn't let me: she pushed me
off, and hurt me. I shrieked
out - that frightens her - she
heard papa coming, and she broke
the hinges and divided the case,
and gave me her mother's portrait;
the other she attempted to hide:
but papa asked what was the matter,
and I explained it. He took the
one I had away, and ordered her
to resign hers to me; she refused,
and he - he struck her down,
and wrenched it off the chain,
and crushed it with his foot.'
'And were you pleased to see
her struck?' I asked: having
my designs in encouraging his
talk.
'I winked,' he answered: 'I
wink to see my father strike
a dog or a horse, he does it
so hard. Yet I was glad at first
- she deserved punishing for
pushing me: but when papa was
gone, she made me come to the
window and showed me her cheek
cut on the inside, against her
teeth, and her mouth filling
with blood; and then she gathered
up the bits of the picture, and
went and sat down with her face
to the wall, and she has never
spoken to me since: and I sometimes
think she can't speak for pain.
I don't like to think so; but
she's a naughty thing for crying
continually; and she looks so
pale and wild, I'm afraid of
her.'
'And you can get the key if
you choose?' I said.
'Yes, when I am up-stairs,'
he answered; 'but I can't walk
up- stairs now.'
'In what apartment is it?'
I asked.
'Oh,' he cried, 'I shan't tell
YOU where it is. It is our secret.
Nobody, neither Hareton nor Zillah,
is to know. There! you've tired
me - go away, go away!' And he
turned his face on to his arm,
and shut his eyes again.
I considered it best to depart
without seeing Mr. Heathcliff,
and bring a rescue for my young
lady from the Grange. On reaching
it, the astonishment of my fellow-servants
to see me, and their joy also,
was intense; and when they heard
that their little mistress was
safe, two or three were about
to hurry up and shout the news
at Mr. Edgar's door: but I bespoke
the announcement of it myself.
How changed I found him, even
in those few days! He lay an
image of sadness and resignation
awaiting his death. Very young
he looked: though his actual
age was thirty-nine, one would
have called him ten years younger,
at least. He thought of Catherine;
for he murmured her name. I touched
his hand, and spoke.
'Catherine is coming, dear
master!' I whispered; 'she is
alive and well; and will be here,
I hope, to-night.'
I trembled at the first effects
of this intelligence: he half
rose up, looked eagerly round
the apartment, and then sank
back in a swoon. As soon as he
recovered, I related our compulsory
visit, and detention at the Heights.
I said Heathcliff forced me to
go in: which was not quite true.
I uttered as little as possible
against Linton; nor did I describe
all his father's brutal conduct
- my intentions being to add
no bitterness, if I could help
it, to his already over-flowing
cup.
He divined that one of his
enemy's purposes was to secure
the personal property, as well
as the estate, to his son: or
rather himself; yet why he did
not wait till his decease was
a puzzle to my master, because
ignorant how nearly he and his
nephew would quit the world together.
However, he felt that his will
had better be altered: instead
of leaving Catherine's fortune
at her own disposal, he determined
to put it in the hands of trustees
for her use during life, and
for her children, if she had
any, after her. By that means,
it could not fall to Mr. Heathcliff
should Linton die.
Having received his orders,
I despatched a man to fetch the
attorney, and four more, provided
with serviceable weapons, to
demand my young lady of her jailor.
Both parties were delayed very
late. The single servant returned
first. He said Mr. Green, the
lawyer, was out when he arrived
at his house, and he had to wait
two hours for his re-entrance;
and then Mr. Green told him he
had a little business in the
village that must be done; but
he would be at Thrushcross Grange
before morning. The four men
came back unaccompanied also.
They brought word that Catherine
was ill: too ill to quit her
room; and Heathcliff would not
suffer them to see her. I scolded
the stupid fellows well for listening
to that tale, which I would not
carry to my master; resolving
to take a whole bevy up to the
Heights, at day-light, and storm
it literally, unless the prisoner
were quietly surrendered to us.
Her father SHALL see her, I vowed,
and vowed again, if that devil
be killed on his own doorstones
in trying to prevent it!
Happily, I was spared the journey
and the trouble. I had gone down-stairs
at three o'clock to fetch a jug
of water; and was passing through
the hall with it in my hand,
when a sharp knock at the front
door made me jump. 'Oh! it is
Green,' I said, recollecting
myself - 'only Green,' and I
went on, intending to send somebody
else to open it; but the knock
was repeated: not loud, and still
importunately. I put the jug
on the banister and hastened
to admit him myself. The harvest
moon shone clear outside. It
was not the attorney. My own
sweet little mistress sprang
on my neck sobbing, 'Ellen, Ellen!
Is papa alive?'
'Yes,' I cried: 'yes, my angel,
he is, God be thanked, you are
safe with us again!'
She wanted to run, breathless
as she was, up-stairs to Mr.
Linton's room; but I compelled
her to sit down on a chair, and
made her drink, and washed her
pale face, chafing it into a
faint colour with my apron. Then
I said I must go first, and tell
of her arrival; imploring her
to say, she should be happy with
young Heathcliff. She stared,
but soon comprehending why I
counselled her to utter the falsehood,
she assured me she would not
complain.
I couldn't abide to be present
at their meeting. I stood outside
the chamber-door a quarter of
an hour, and hardly ventured
near the bed, then. All was composed,
however: Catherine's despair
was as silent as her father's
joy. She supported him calmly,
in appearance; and he fixed on
her features his raised eyes
that seemed dilating with ecstasy.
He died blissfully, Mr. Lockwood:
he died so. Kissing her cheek,
he murmured, - 'I am going to
her; and you, darling child,
shall come to us!' and never
stirred or spoke again; but continued
that rapt, radiant gaze, till
his pulse imperceptibly stopped
and his soul departed. None could
have noticed the exact minute
of his death, it was so entirely
without a struggle.
Whether Catherine had spent
her tears, or whether the grief
were too weighty to let them
flow, she sat there dry-eyed
till the sun rose: she sat till
noon, and would still have remained
brooding over that deathbed,
but I insisted on her coming
away and taking some repose.
It was well I succeeded in removing
her, for at dinner-time appeared
the lawyer, having called at
Wuthering Heights to get his
instructions how to behave. He
had sold himself to Mr. Heathcliff:
that was the cause of his delay
in obeying my master's summons.
Fortunately, no thought of worldly
affairs crossed the latter's
mind, to disturb him, after his
daughter's arrival.
Mr. Green took upon himself
to order everything and everybody
about the place. He gave all
the servants but me, notice to
quit. He would have carried his
delegated authority to the point
of insisting that Edgar Linton
should not be buried beside his
wife, but in the chapel, with
his family. There was the will,
however, to hinder that, and
my loud protestations against
any infringement of its directions.
The funeral was hurried over;
Catherine, Mrs. Linton Heathcliff
now, was suffered to stay at
the Grange till her father's
corpse had quitted it.
She told me that her anguish
had at last spurred Linton to
incur the risk of liberating
her. She heard the men I sent
disputing at the door, and she
gathered the sense of Heathcliff's
answer. It drove her desperate.
Linton who had been conveyed
up to the little parlour soon
after I left, was terrified into
fetching the key before his father
re-ascended. He had the cunning
to unlock and re-lock the door,
without shutting it; and when
he should have gone to bed, he
begged to sleep with Hareton,
and his petition was granted
for once. Catherine stole out
before break of day. She dared
not try the doors lest the dogs
should raise an alarm; she visited
the empty chambers and examined
their windows; and, luckily,
lighting on her mother's, she
got easily out of its lattice,
and on to the ground, by means
of the fir-tree close by. Her
accomplice suffered for his share
in the escape, notwithstanding
his timid contrivances.
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