Wuthering Heights

Lockwood arrives at Wuthering Heights and identifies himself to Heathcliff, who reluctantly invites him inside. The interaction is marked by Heathcliff's terse responses and apparent hostility, yet Lockwood feels drawn to the man's extreme reserve, which mirrors his own disposition.

The narrative provides detailed descriptions of the dwelling's architecture, including its exposure to harsh weather and decorative carvings dated 1500 bearing the name Hareton Earnshaw. The interior combines kitchen and sitting room, featuring primitive furniture, an immense fireplace, and display of pewter and silver. Lockwood encounters Joseph, an elderly servant, and meets several dogs guarding the premises.

Lockwood attempts to befriend the dogs but激怒s the mother bitch, who attacks him. A swarm of dogs joins the assault, forcing Lockwood to defend himself with a poker until a robust kitchen maid intervenes using a frying pan and harsh language to restore order.

After the chaos subsides, Heathcliff and Lockwood share wine and discuss the advantages of Lockwood's retirement. Lockwood reflects on his own reserved nature and recounts a past romantic failure caused by his inability to express affection. Despite Heathcliff's evident desire not to repeat the visit, Lockwood resolves to return.

Yesterday afternoon brought misty and cold weather that nearly persuaded Lockwood to remain by his study fire rather than traverse the heath and mud to Wuthering Heights. Despite his earlier request to dine at five o'clock (for his housekeeper could not or would not comprehend such an unconventional schedule), he found the house in disarray upon returning from dinner. A servant-girl had created an infernal dust while extinguishing the fire with heaps of cinders, driving him immediately from the room. Determined to escape the deteriorating conditions, he took his hat and ventured forth on a four-mile walk, arriving at Heathcliff's garden-gate just as the first feathery flakes of snow began to fall.

Upon arrival at the bleak hilltop, Lockwood discovered the earth was hard with a black frost, and the bitter air chilled him through every limb. Unable to remove the chain blocking the gate, he jumped over and ran up the flagged causeway bordered with straggling gooseberry-bushes. He knocked vainly for admittance until his knuckles tingled and the dogs howled within. From a round window of the barn, the vinegar-faced Joseph projected his head, informing him that the master was down in the fold and directing him to go around by the end of the barn. When Lockwood inquired about someone inside to open the door, Joseph explained that only the mistress was present, and she would not open it until nightfall. Ignoring this discouragement, Lockwood grasped the latch and shook it vehemently. A young man without a coat, shouldering a pitchfork, then emerged from the yard and beckoned him to follow. After marching through a wash-house and a paved area containing a coal-shed, pump, and pigeon-cot, Lockwood was finally led into the huge, warm, cheerful apartment where he had been formerly received—now glowing delightfully in the radiance of an immense fire compounded of coal, peat, and wood.

Lockwood encountered the previously unknown "missis," a slender young woman seemingly scarcely past girlhood with admirable form and exquisite features—small, fair, with flaxen ringlets hanging loose on her delicate neck. However, her eyes betrayed a sentiment hovering between scorn and desperation, singularly unnatural. Despite her beauty, her demeanor proved extremely disagreeable; she remained motionless and mute when Lockwood attempted conversation. The young man who had admitted him wore a shabby upper garment and regarded Lockwood from the corner of his eyes with a look suggesting "some mortal feud unavenged between us." His dress and speech were both rude, entirely lacking the superiority observable in Mr. and Mrs. Heathcliff, yet his bearing was free, almost haughty. When Heathcliff finally arrived, Lockwood attempted polite conversation about the family and home, only for Heathcliff to interrupt with an almost diabolical sneer at the mention of an "amiable lady." The blunder revealed itselfthe young woman was not forty-year-old Heathcliff's wife but rather his daughter-in-law. The young man's identity remained puzzling until Heathcliff finally clarified: "My name is Hareton Earnshaw," the youth growled, announcing himself with dignity despite his rough appearance.

After the meal, a dark night descended prematurely with sky and hills mingled in one bitter whirl of wind and suffocating snow. Lockwood approached the window and recognized it would be impossible to return home without a guide, as the roads would already be buried. Heathcliff, rather than offering assistance, instructed Hareton to drive sheep into the barn porch. When Lockwood asked how he should proceed, no answer came; only Joseph arrived with porridge for the dogs while Mrs. Heathcliff amused herself by burning matches. Joseph then launched into a tirade against Hareton, calling him worthless and predicting he would go straight to the devil like his mother. Mrs. Heathcliff interrupted sharply, threatening Joseph with the "Black Art" and promising to "make a clear house" of him. She brandished a long, dark book and promised terrible fates to anyone who crossed her, driving the terrified Joseph out while muttering prayers. When Lockwood asked for directions home, Mrs. Heathcliff offered only the terse advice to take the road he came on, refusing to escort him or persuade Heathcliff to provide a guide. Heathcliff's pronouncement was blunt: he did not keep accommodations for visitors, and Lockwood would have to share a bed with Hareton or Joseph. Lockwood offered to sleep on a chair in the main room, but Heathcliff refused even this, declaring that no stranger would be permitted the range of the place while he was off guard. This insult finally pushed Lockwood past patience, and he pushed past Heathcliff into the yard.

In the darkness of the yard, Lockwood collided with Hareton in his haste to escape. He wandered through the darkness seeking exit while overhearing more uncivil exchanges among the household members. Hareton initially offered to accompany him as far as the park, but Heathcliff vetoed this, demanding who would look after the horses. Mrs. Heathcliff spoke more kindly than expected, insisting someone must go, though Hareton rebuffed her. Lockwood eventually steered toward Joseph, who was milking cows by lantern light. Seizing the lantern unceremoniously, Lockwood declared he would return it on the morrow and rushed toward the nearest postern. Joseph's cries of "Maister, maister, he's staling t' lanthern!" pursued him, along with commands to the dogs: "Hey, Gnasher! Hey, dog! Hey Wolf, holld him, holld him!" Upon opening the little door, two hairy monsters flew at Lockwood's throat, bearing him down and extinguishing the light. Amidst the chaos, mingled laughter from Heathcliff and Hareton added humiliation to his predicament. The dogs, rather than devouring him, seemed more interested in stretching their paws and yawning, but they permitted no resurrection of his dignity. Lockwood lay at the mercy of his malignant hosts until, hatless and trembling with wrath, he ordered them to release him—threatening retaliation that, in its indefinite depth of virulency, smacked of King Lear. The vehemence of his agitation brought on a copious nosebleed, yet Heathcliff continued laughing while Lockwood scolded. The situation might have escalated further had Zillah, the stout housewife, not intervened. She emerged to inquire into the uproar and, seeing Lockwood fair choking, turned her attention to the younger "scoundrel" before splashing a pint of icy water down his neck and pulling him into the kitchen. Lockwood was sick, dizzy, and faint—compelled perforce to accept lodgings under Heathcliff's roof. After receiving a glass of brandy from Zillah's obedient hands, he was ushered to bed, his unfortunate predicament reluctantly resolved.

Lockwood arrives at Wuthering Heights during a snowstorm and is assigned a room by Zillah, who warns him to hide his candle and remain silent. She explains that her master holds strange notions about this particular chamber and never willingly allows anyone to stay there. Though Lockwood professes shock at the warning, he proceeds upstairs and fastens his door. The room contains minimal furniture—a chair, a clothes-press, and a large oak bedstead with carved window-like panels. Lockwood discovers this bedstead functions as a enclosed couch, forming a small closet with the window ledge serving as a table. He slides inside the panelled structure with his candle, pulling the sides closed to avoid detection. On the window ledge, he notices several mildewed books piled in one corner, and the paint surface bears scratched writing—Catherine Earnshaw's name appears repeatedly, sometimes varied to Catherine Heathcliff and Catherine Linton. Exhausted and listless, Lockwood leans his head against the window and begins spelling over these names until his eyes close.

Lockwood wakes to find his candle has burned down to the wick resting on an antique volume, perfuming the room with the smell of roasted calfskin. He opens the damaged book—a musty Testament bearing the inscription "Catherine Earnshaw, her book" with a date from approximately twenty-five years prior. He closes it and examines the remaining books, discovering Catherine's library was select but extensively used for unauthorized purposes. Nearly every page contains pen-and-ink commentary covering blank margins—some written as detached sentences, others forming a regular diary in an unformed, childish hand. Among the pages, Lockwood finds a caricature of Joseph, drawn rudely but powerfully. The diary entries begin with an account of "an awful Sunday" when Hindley had become a detestable substitute for their deceased father. Catherine describes how Heathcliff and herself resolved to rebel, forced to attend Joseph's three-hour religious service in the garret while Hindley and his wife Frances basked by the fire below. After the service, the children were prohibited from playing, and when Joseph discovered Catherine and Heathcliff making a curtain from pinafores, he boxed her ears and compelled them to read religious texts by firelight. Unable to bear this, Catherine hurled her book into the dog-kennel, and Heathcliff did the same, prompting Joseph to summon Hindley, who threw both children into the back-kitchen. A subsequent diary entry describes Hindley's escalating cruelty—calling Heathcliff a vagabond, denying him the right to sit or eat with the family, and threatening to turn him out entirely. Catherine writes of crying until her head aches, worried for Heathcliff. Lockwood begins nodding drowsily over the entries, his eye wandering from manuscript to printed text where he sees the title "Seventy Times Seven, and the First of the Seventy-First. A Pious Discourse delivered by the Reverend Jabez Branderham."

Lockwood descends into a feverish nightmare almost immediately upon falling asleep, imagining it is morning and he has set out for home with Joseph as his guide. Deep snow blocks their path, and Joseph reproaches him for failing to bring a pilgrim's staff while brandishing a heavy-headed cudgel. A new idea crosses his mind: they are not going home but journeying to hear the famous Jabez Branderham preach from the text "Seventy Times Seven." One of them—Joseph, the preacher, or Lockwood himself—has committed the "First of the Seventy-First" and must be publicly exposed. They arrive at the chapel, situated in a hollow between two hills near a swamp. In the dream, Jabez has a full congregation, and his sermon proves interminable—divided into four hundred and ninety parts, each equal to an ordinary sermon, each discussing a separate sin. The sins are bizarre and unexpected, apparently derived from Jabez's private interpretation of the phrase. Lockwood describes his suffering in vivid terms: writhing, yawning, nodding, reviving, pinching and pricking himself, standing up and sitting down, seeking reassurance from Joseph. Finally, Jabez reaches the "First of the Seventy-First." At this moment, Lockwood feels inspired to rise and denounce Jabez as the sinner requiring no Christian pardon. He addresses the congregation, claiming he has endured and forgiven the four hundred and ninety heads of the discourse, risen seventy times seven times to depart, only to be forced to resume his seat. The four hundred and ninety-first is too much; he calls upon fellow-martyrs to drag Jabez down. Jabez responds by pronouncing Lockwood "the Man" and calling upon the congregation to execute judgment. The assembly rushes forward with their pilgrim's staves, Lockwood grapples with Joseph for his staff, and chaos erupts as every hand turns against a neighbor. Branderham contributes by hammering the pulpit boards until the noise finally wakes Lockwood. He discovers the disturbance was merely a fir tree branch touching his lattice and rattling dry cones against the panes. After a moment's doubt, he dozes off and begins dreaming again, even more disagreeably.

In this subsequent nightmare, Lockwood remains aware of lying in the oak closet. He hears the gusty wind and driving snow, and the fir bough repeats its teasing sound—but this time the noise maddens him. He resolves to silence it and rises to unhasp the casement, only to discover the hook is soldered into the staple. Still determined, he knocks his knuckles through the glass and stretches out to seize the branch. Instead, his fingers close on those of a little, ice-cold hand. Overwhelming nightmare horror seizes him; he tries to pull back, but the hand clings, and a melancholy voice sobs for entrance. When Lockwood asks who is there, the reply comes: "Catherine Linton, shiveringly." The voice explains she has come home and lost her way on the moor. Lockwood discerns a child's face in the window. Terror makes him cruel; he pulls the wrist against the broken pane and rubs it until blood soaks the bedclothes. Still the creature wails "Let me in!" and maintains its grip, maddening him with fear. When he finally asks how he can help, the fingers relax momentarily, but the child begs him not to go. Lockwood snatches his hand through the hole and piles books in a pyramid against the window, stopping his ears. Yet when he listens again, the doleful cry continues. He shouts that he will never let her in, not if she begs for twenty years. The voice mourns: "It is twenty years. I've been a waif for twenty years." Faint scratching begins outside, and the book pile shifts as if thrust forward. Lockwood tries to jump but cannot move his limbs, so he yells aloud in frenzy. This yell proves real: hasty footsteps approach, someone pushes the door open, and light glimmers through the bed's squares. Heathcliff stands at the entrance in his shirt and trousers, candle dripping, face white as the wall behind him. The first creak of the oak startles him like an electric shock. Lockwood identifies himself and apologizes for screaming due to a frightful nightmare. Heathcliff demands to know who showed Lockwood up, threatening to turn them out. Learning it was Zillah, Lockwood says he does not care if Heathcliff does, for she wanted proof the place was haunted at his expense. Lockwood describes the room as swarming with ghosts and goblins. When he mentions Catherine Linton, Heathcliff thunders with savage vehemence, striking his forehead with rage. Lockwood realizes too late the association between Heathcliff and Catherine's name in the books. He hastily revises his explanation, claiming he merely spelled over the scratched name until the repetition produced a personified impression. Heathcliff sits down almost concealed behind the bed, his irregular breathing revealing his struggle to control violent emotion. Eventually, he suggests Lockwood move to his room. As Lockwood leaves, he witnesses Heathcliff wretch open the lattice and burst into uncontrollable tears, sobbing for Catherine to come in—just once more—calling her his heart's darling. The snow and wind whirl through, blowing out the light, and Lockwood descends to the lower regions, troubled by having revealed the name that caused such anguish.

Lockwood lands in the back-kitchen where a fire has been raked together, allowing him to rekindle his candle. A grey cat emerges from the ashes. He stretches on one of the circular benches while the cat takes the other. Joseph soon descends from his garret via a ladder, casts a sinister look at the flame, displaces the cat, and sits in silence to smoke a pipe. After finishing, he departs without acknowledging Lockwood's presence. Hareton Earnshaw enters next, muttering curses as he searches for a spade to dig through the drifts. He notices Lockwood but treats him with the same disregard as the cat, merely indicating an inner door where Lockwood must go. This door opens into the main house where Isabella is already awake, kneeling by the hearth reading by firelight, one hand shielding her eyes from the heat. Zillah works the bellows while Heathcliff stands by the fire, having just finished berating her. As Lockwood enters, Heathcliff turns to Isabella with an epithet represented by a dash, accusing her of idle tricks and living on his charity. Isabella defies him, closing her book and saying she will do only what she pleases. Heathcliff raises his hand, and Isabella springs to safety, evidently knowing its weight. Lockwood steps forward as if eager for warmth, and both suspend hostilities—heathcliff places his fists in his pockets while Isabella curls her lip and retreats to sit as a statue for the remainder of Lockwood's stay. Lockwood declines breakfast and, at dawn, escapes into the cold clear air. Heathcliff calls after him and offers to accompany him across the moor, which proves fortunate as the landscape has become a white ocean of snow. No landmarks remain visible except occasional dirty dots where guide stones once stood, and Heathcliff must repeatedly warn him to steer right or left. They exchange little conversation, and Heathcliff stops at the entrance to Thrushcross Park, saying Lockwood cannot mistake the way. Only a hasty bow passes between them. Lockwood proceeds alone, losing himself among trees and sinking to his neck in snow. The journey that should be two miles becomes four, but the clock chimes twelve as he enters the house. The household had completely given him up, everyone conjecturing he had perished. Nelly and the servants rush to welcome him. He drags himself upstairs, changes into dry clothes, paces to restore circulation, and finally reaches his study, feeble as a kitten, where he recovers with fire and coffee.

The narrator learns from Mrs. Dean that Heathcliff possesses considerable wealth that continues to grow annually, yet he remains extremely tight-fisted and greedy, unable to resist opportunities to add to his fortune even at the cost of his own comfort. She reveals that Heathcliff had a son who is now dead, and that the current Mrs. Heathcliff—whose maiden name was Catherine Linton—is the daughter of the narrator's predecessor, Mr. Linton. The conversation clarifies the family relationships: Hareton Earnshaw is the nephew of the late Mrs. Linton, making him Mrs. Heathcliff's cousin, and her late husband was also her cousin on both the mother's and father's sides, as Heathcliff married Mr. Linton's sister. The Earnshaw family is established as very old, with Hareton being the last of that line while Miss Cathy represents the end of the Linton line. Mrs. Dean expresses concern about how Mrs. Heathcliff appears, noting the young woman does not seem happy despite her handsome appearance. When asked about Heathcliff's character, Mrs. Dean describes him as rough and hard, warning the narrator to avoid meddling with him. She acknowledges that Heathcliff must have experienced significant hardships to have become such a churlish man, and she assures the narrator she knows his entire history except for his birthplace, parents, and initial source of wealth. She also reveals that Hareton has been mistreated and is the only person in the parish unaware of how he has been cheated. The narrator persuades Mrs. Dean to share the story, and she agrees to stay and chat while he recovers from a cold.

Mrs. Dean begins her story by explaining she spent almost all her time at Wuthering Heights from childhood, as her mother had nursed Mr. Hindley Earnshaw, Hareton's father. One summer morning during harvest, old Mr. Earnshaw announced a journey to Liverpool, promising to bring back gifts for his children Hindley and Cathy, and for young Nelly. Hindley requested a fiddle while six-year-old Cathy chose a whip, and Mr. Earnshaw promised Nelly a pocketful of apples and pears. Upon his return three days later, Mr. Earnshaw revealed he had brought home a dirty, ragged, black-haired child he had found starving and homeless in Liverpool's streets. Mrs. Earnshaw protested angrily against bringing home what she called a "gipsy brat," but her husband insisted on keeping the child. The children searched his pockets for promised gifts but found only a crushed fiddle and a lost whip, with Cathy reacting by mistreating the newcomer and earning a slap from her father. The new child, later named Heathcliff after Mr. Earnshaw's deceased son, was placed on the landing stairs and eventually crept to Mr. Earnshaw's room, where the kind master took him in. From the beginning, Hindley and Nelly despised Heathcliff while Cathy grew close to him. The sullen, patient child endured their cruelty without complaint, which only angered old Earnshaw further when he discovered his son's persecution. Mr. Earnshaw favoritism toward Heathcliff bred resentment in Hindley, who came to view his father as an oppressor rather than a friend. After Mrs. Earnshaw's death less than two years later, Hindley's bitterness intensified. When the children contracted measles, Nelly was forced to care for them and noticed Heathcliff's exceptional quietness and endurance compared to Cathy and Hindley, which gradually softened her partiality toward the others. Following Heathcliff's recovery, the doctor praised Nelly's care, and she became more fond of Heathcliff, though Hindley remained hostile. One incident at the parish fair illustrated the family tensions: when Hindley received the handsomer colt as a gift, Heathcliff demanded an exchange, threatening to reveal Hindley's recent beatings to their father. Hindley responded with violence, eventually striking Heathcliff with an iron weight, but the child remained cool and composed, securing the horse before attending to his injuries. Nelly encouraged him to blame the horse for his bruises, and he readily agreed, having achieved his objective. Despite his frequent submission to abuse without complaint, Nelly later realized she had been fundamentally mistaken about his true nature.

Mr. Earnshaw, once an active and healthy man, experienced a sudden decline in strength, confining him to the chimney-corner where he became increasingly irritable and hypersensitive to any perceived slight against his authority, particularly regarding Heathcliff. His partiality toward the boy led the household to humour his preferences, inadvertently nourishing Heathcliff's pride and temper. Concerned about the master's condition, the curate advised sending Hindley to college, and Mr. Earnshaw reluctantly agreed, acknowledging that his son "was nought" and would never prosper where he wandered. Ellen Dean hoped that Hindley's departure would bring peace to the household.

Joseph, described as the most wearisome self-righteous Pharisaic character who had ever ransacked the Bible, gained increasing influence over Mr. Earnshaw as the master's health failed. Through his knack for sermonising and pious discoursing, Joseph convinced the ailing master to view Hindley as a reprobate and systematically reported against both Heathcliff and Catherine. He relentlessly worried Mr. Earnshaw about his soul's concerns and advocated for rigid control of the children, heaping the heaviest blame on Catherine to flatter the master's weaknesses. This religious servant thus became a divisive force in the household during Mr. Earnshaw's decline.

Catherine Earnshaw displayed remarkably mischievous behaviour that tried the patience of everyone in the household. Described as a wild, wicked slip with the bonniest eye, sweetest smile, and lightest foot in the parish, she was perpetually energetic, singing, laughing, and plaguing anyone who would not join her. She was particularly fond of Heathcliff and would do anything to be near him, though she received more scolding because of him than anyone else. She delighted in provoking her ailing father, whom she could not understand being crosser than in his prime. She would turn Joseph's religious curses into ridicule, bait servants, and show how her influence over Heathcliff exceeded even her father's kindness. Though she behaved badly during the day, she sometimes came at night to make amends, though her father's continual rejection hardened her and she would laugh if told to apologize. Despite her behaviour, the narrator believed she meant no harm, as she would cry when she caused genuine upset and then keep the person company to comfort them.

Mr. Earnshaw died quietly in his chair by the fireside on an October evening while a high wind roared around the house. The household was assembled together—Ellen knitting by the hearth, Joseph reading the Bible, Catherine unwell and leaning against her father's knee, and Heathcliff lying on the floor with his head in her lap. Before drifting into a doze, Mr. Earnshaw stroked Catherine's hair and asked why she could not always be good; she teasingly asked why he could not always be good. She sang him to sleep until his fingers dropped and his head sank. After half an hour of silence, Joseph attempted to wake him for prayers but received no response. When Joseph examined him with a candle, Ellen quickly whisked the children away with a whispered lie. Catherine, however, insisted on saying goodnight to her father and discovered he was dead, screaming the tragic news to Heathcliff. Both children cried heart-breakingly, joined by Ellen, while Joseph rebuked their mourning and sent Ellen to fetch the doctor and parson. Upon returning, Ellen found the children comforting each other with innocent, beautiful talk of heaven, leaving her wishing they might all be there safe together.

Mr. Hindley returns home for the funeral with a wife in tow, much to the neighbors' astonishment. Her background is unknown—she likely had neither money nor social standing, or Hindley would have publicized the marriage. The unnamed wife appears delighted by everything upon arriving but is deeply troubled by the funeral, hiding in her room and repeatedly asking if the mourners have departed. She demonstrates nervous symptoms: quick breathing on the stairs, trembling at sudden noises, and troublesome coughing. Despite her evident delicacy, Nelly notes her bright eyes and fresh complexion while observing that the household generally does not take to foreigners unless they make the first move.

Hindley has significantly changed during his three-year absence—he is thinner, paler, and dresses and speaks differently. Upon returning, he immediately orders Joseph and Nelly to relocate to the back-kitchen, reserving the main house for himself. Though he initially planned to convert a spare room into a parlor, his wife expresses such satisfaction with the white floors, large fireplace, pewter dishes, and open space that he abandons the renovation. She initially delights in finding Catherine as a new companion, prattling to her, kissing her, and giving her gifts. However, her affection quickly wanes, and when she becomes peevish, Hindley becomes tyrannical—beginning with hostile actions toward Heathcliff.

After Hindley's wife expresses dislike for Heathcliff, Hindley's dormant hatred resurfaces. He banishes Heathcliff from the family to join the servants, revokes his religious instruction from the curate, and forces him to labor outdoors alongside the other farm boys. Despite this degradation, Heathcliff initially copes well because Catherine continues teaching him what she learns and playing with him in the fields. The two grow increasingly wild and reckless together, running away to the moors for entire days and treating punishments as jokes. Nelly watches helplessly as they become more daring, fearing her own small influence over these friendless children will vanish entirely if she speaks.

One Sunday evening, after being banished from the sitting-room for making noise, Catherine and Heathcliff vanish. After an extensive search proves fruitless, Hindley locks the doors and forbids their reentry. That night, Heathcliff returns alone to Nelly's distress. He explains that they ran to Thrushcross Grange out of curiosity about how the Lintons spend their evenings. Peering through the window, they witnessed Edgar and Isabella quarreling violently over a puppy. When discovered, the children fled, but Skulker the bulldog seized Catherine's ankle. Heathcliff attempted to rescue her with a stone before servants detained him. The Lintons treated Catherine kindly—cleaning her wound, feeding her, and admiring her spirit—while Heathcliff was thrown out with accusations of thievery and threatened with the gallows. The incident so enrages Hindley that Mr. Linton visits the next day to lecture him about his stewardship. As a result, Heathcliff is forbidden to speak to Catherine, and Mrs. Earnshaw promises to keep her new sister-in-law under proper restraint.

After five weeks at Thrushcross Grange recovering from a sprained ankle and receiving etiquette and fashion lessons from Mrs. Linton, Catherine arrives at Wuthering Heights transformed into a polished, well-dressed young lady, unrecognizable to Hindley and Frances Earnshaw at first. She immediately seeks out Heathcliff, who has grown drastically more neglected, dirty, and sullen during her absence, his appearance far rougher than before. Humiliated by his ragged, unkempt state next to Catherine’s refined appearance, Heathcliff refuses to greet her or shake hands with Mr. Earnshaw, storms out when Catherine offhandedly comments on his dirtiness, leaving Catherine confused by his angry, hurt reaction. Later, Nelly Dean finds Heathcliff caring for the horses in the stable, tries to cheer him up and encourage him to clean up and make amends with Catherine, teasing him about his dark, surly looks while boosting his confidence until Hindley interrupts to torment and belittle him further.

The Earnshaws invite Edgar and Isabella Linton to spend Christmas at Wuthering Heights as a thank-you for the Lintons’ kindness to Catherine during her stay at Thrushcross Grange, with Mrs. Linton stipulating the children be kept strictly separate from Heathcliff, whom she deems a “naughty swearing boy.” Hindley, already ill-disposed toward Heathcliff, finds him cleaned up and cheerful after his conversation with Nelly, gets angry at his improved mood, shoves him back, and orders Joseph to lock Heathcliff in the garret for the duration of the visit and dinner, threatening to beat him if he is found downstairs. When Edgar Linton makes an offhand, teasing comment about Heathcliff’s long hair resembling a colt’s mane, the already volatile Heathcliff hurls a tureen of hot apple sauce directly at Edgar’s face. Hindley punishes Heathcliff roughly for the attack, while Catherine is distraught that Heathcliff is being flogged, explicitly blaming Edgar for provoking him.

That Christmas evening, a local band of 15 musicians plays carols and songs for the gathered guests at Wuthering Heights, with Nelly and Isabella paired as dance partners. Bored with the party, Catherine slips away to the garret where Heathcliff is locked, talks to him through the floorboards, then sneaks through a skylight into the garret to be with him in person. Nelly finds her and coaxes her back downstairs, then allows Heathcliff to join them in the kitchen, as he has not eaten since the previous day’s dinner. Heathcliff is quiet and withdrawn, and when Nelly asks what he is thinking, he reveals he is actively plotting revenge against Hindley for his years of mistreatment, saying he does not care how long he waits to carry it out, and hopes Hindley does not die before he can get his payback. Nelly scolds him for his vengeful, unforgiving mindset, urging him to leave punishment to God and learn to forgive, but Heathcliff insists he will not let God have the satisfaction of punishing Hindley, and will plan his revenge himself.

Nelly pauses her story midway through recounting Heathcliff’s revenge vow, worried that Mr. Lockwood is bored, that his gruel has gone cold, and that he is nodding off to sleep. Lockwood insists she continue, saying he loves the leisurely, detailed style of storytelling and is deeply interested in all the characters she has mentioned so far, even offering to stay up late into the night to hear more and planning to sleep in late the next day as a result. Nelly teases him for his lazy habit of lying in bed until 10 a.m., which she says wastes the best part of the morning, but agrees to his request to skip over the three years of largely uneventful time between the Christmas incident and the next significant event, moving the narrative forward to the summer of 1778 instead of rushing through the gap.

Nelly learns that Frances Earnshaw has safely delivered a baby boy—Hareton—but the doctor indicates Frances is dying from consumption she has concealed for months. Hindley violently refuses to accept this news, insisting his wife will recover and dismissing the physician. Frances herself remains cheerful and optimistic, refusing to believe she is dying. She dies suddenly one evening while resting against Hindley, her cheerful disposition never faltering until the end. Nelly inherits full care of the infant Hareton, who becomes her sole responsibility while Hindley descends into grief-stricken rage and denial.

Following Frances's death, Hindley refuses to mourn openly, instead cursing God and man while surrendering to reckless dissipation. He neglects baby Hareton entirely, satisfied merely that the child is healthy and silent. The household staff cannot endure his tyrannical behavior, and only Nelly and Joseph remain—Nelly out of loyalty to her foster-brother, and Joseph to reprove the wickedness around him. Heathcliff, denied education and reduced to continuous labor, deteriorates both intellectually and physically, acquiring a slouching gait and morose disposition. He takes pleasure in Hindley's self-destruction while becoming increasingly savage and brutal, though still retaining Catherine's affection.

Catherine maintains a carefully constructed double character—polite and charming with the Lintons, where she learned courtesy and refinement during five weeks of residence with them, but rough and arrogant at Wuthering Heights where such behavior would be laughed at. Her visits to the Lintons have won her Isabella's admiration and Edgar's heart, flattering her ambition. Edgar visits Wuthering Heights despite his terror of Hindley, while Catherine anxiously keeps her two worlds separate. During one such visit, Heathcliff confronts Catherine about her absences, revealing an almanac where he has marked every evening she spent with the Lintons against those spent with him. Catherine dismisses him as uninteresting company, and their argument escalates as she expresses her preference for Edgar's superior conversation.

Edgar Linton arrives unexpectedly during the rain, and Catherine becomes flustered at being caught unprepared. When Nelly remains in the room cleaning, Catherine whispers for her to leave, then snatches a cloth and pinches Nelly's arm when she refuses. Catherine escalates to slapping Nelly, while Little Hareton cries out against his "wicked aunt Cathy," provoking Catherine to shake the child violently. Edgar intervenes and receives a slap for his trouble, then declares he will never return. Catherine collapses in tears, and Edgar hesitates at the gate, clearly unable to abandon her. He returns, and their quarrel has forged a closer intimacy—breaking down the disguises of mere friendship to reveal mutual love. Nelly then discovers Hindley has returned home drunk and raging, forcing her to conceal Hareton and remove the ammunition from his fowling-piece to prevent tragedy.

The household exists in suspended animation during Catherine's self-imposed confinement. Miss Isabella mopes about the grounds, perpetually tearful and withdrawn. Her brother Edgar abandons himself to his books, which he rarely opens, sustained by a vague hope that Catherine will repent and seek reconciliation of her own accord. Catherine, meanwhile, fasts stubbornly, convinced that Edgar chokes for her absence at every meal, held back from falling at her feet only by pride. Nelly Dean observes this paralysis with mounting frustration, convinced that she alone possesses sense in the household. She refuses to intervene between the warring spouses or offer condolences where none would be welcome, determining that they must work through their difficulties on their own terms, even as the process proves agonizingly slow.

On the third day, Catherine finally unbars her door, claiming she is dying and demanding water and gruel. Nelly suspects performance and brings only tea and dry toast, which Catherine consumes eagerly before sinking back in despair. Catherine's condition rapidly deteriorates into feverish delirium—she sees faces in the mirror that she insists is not her own reflection, engages in childlike play identifying feathers from different birds as turkey, wild duck, pigeon, and lapwing, imagining the room is a fairy cave beneath Penistone Crags and Nelly a withered hag gathering elf-bolts. She hallucinates lights at Wuthering Heights and desperately begs to feel the wind from the moors. Nelly finds her wandering strength considerable, unable to manage her charge alone. Catherine's memories fragment—she forgets the last seven years of her life, believing herself twelve years old again, newly separated from Heathcliff at Hindley's orders. Her mind oscillates wildly between lucid awareness and fevered fantasy, terror and bitter resignation, as her body weakens and her spirit becomes subdued to the level of a wailing child.

Mr. Linton enters the chamber attracted by voices and is horrified by his wife's gaunt appearance. Catherine fails to recognize him at first, her gaze abstracted into the darkness beyond the window, then turns on him with angry animation when awareness returns. She declares she is past wanting him, that her rest lies in the open air among the moors rather than under the Linton chapel-roof, and threatens to leap from the window should he speak Heathcliff's name. Their exchange becomes a painful confrontation—Edgar demands to know if she loves "that wretch," Catherine accuses him of arriving when least wanted and never when wanted, and Edgar ultimately holds her in his arms while she rejects him. Nelly intercedes, suggesting the delirium will pass with proper care and quiet, but Edgar turns his anger on Nelly for failing to inform him of Catherine's condition, accusing her of encouraging him to harass his wife. The encounter ends with Edgar's anguish over Catherine's altered state and Nelly's departure to summon medical aid, leaving the master to watch over his wife's painfully expressive features as she drifts into troubled sleep.

While seeking the doctor, Nelly discovers Isabella's dog Fanny suspended by a handkerchief from a bridle hook in the garden wall, nearly strangled. Doctor Kenneth reveals local gossip: Isabella and Heathcliff were observed walking in the plantation for over two hours the previous night, with Heathcliff urging her to mount his horse and flee. Nelly's suspicions are confirmed upon finding Isabella's room empty. A servant arrives with news that a milk-delivering lad reported a gentleman and lady stopping at a blacksmith's shop two miles from Gimmerton past midnight, identifiable as Heathcliff and Isabella by the blacksmith's daughter. Heathcliff paid with a sovereign while Isabella's cloak fell back to reveal her face, and they rode away from the village at speed. Edgar receives this news with agitation but ultimately declares that Isabella went of her own accord and had a right to do so—hereafter she is only his sister in name, not because he disowns her, but because she has disowned him. He refuses to pursue her or discuss the matter further, directing only that her property be sent after her wherever she may be.

Catherine Linton's Recovery from Brain Fever** For two months following Catherine's brain fever, Edgar Linton tends to her with unwavering devotion, watching day and night while her fragile state tests both their spirits. Despite Kenneth's warning that saving Catherine will only bring future suffering and that Edgar's own health is being sacrificed, Edgar greets her survival with boundless gratitude and joy. He naively hopes her mind will fully recover along with her body. When Catherine first rises in March, she discovers golden crocuses on her pillow and experiences a moment of happiness, recalling the warmth of spring at the Heights. However, dark forebodings shadow their interactions—Catherine tells Edgar she will only return to the moors once more before he leaves her forever. Though Edgar attempts to comfort her, she weeps unheedingly. Recognizing that her prolonged confinement contributes to her despondency, the household moves Catherine to the sunny parlour, where she revives among familiar objects freed from the dreaded associations of her sick chamber. So weakened is she that she refuses to return upstairs, requiring the sofa to be prepared as her bed in the same area. The household nurse hopes for her complete recovery, especially as Catherine's condition holds implications for the family line—anticipating an heir who would secure Edgar's lands from potential seizure.

Isabella's Account of Her Marriage to Heathcliff and Miserable Life at Wuthering Heights** Approximately six weeks after departing the Grange, Isabella sends Edgar a cold note announcing her marriage to Heathcliff, with a penciled apology begging for reconciliation. Receiving no reply, she writes a lengthy letter to Ellen containing intimate questions about Heathcliff's nature—whether he is man, madman, or devil—and urgently requesting Ellen's visit. Isabella's arrival at Wuthering Heights reveals a nightmarish domestic environment. Joseph greets her with malicious contempt, examining her face by torchlight before abandoning her. A ruffianly child resembling Catherine blocks her entrance with a vicious bull-dog. When she finally gains entry to the kitchen, the gaunt figure who emerges—Hindley Earnshaw—appears nearly unrecognizable, his features lost in shaggy hair, with ghostlike eyes bearing Catherine's beauty long since destroyed. The house reflects its inhabitants' degeneration: a great fire provides the only light in a huge apartment with floors grown grey from neglect, while the once-brilliant pewter dishes have become tarnished and dusty. Hindley paces in moody silence while Isabella sits in cheerless desolation, mourning her separation from the only people she loves at Thrushcross Grange. When Isabella finally demands a bed, Hindley directs her to Heathcliff's chamber with the cryptic warning to lock and bolt the door. He reveals a pistol with an attached spring knife, confessing his nightly compulsion to test Heathcliff's door, driven by a devil urging him to murder—though countless reasons restrain him. Isabella admits to feeling covetous rather than horrified at the weapon, prompting Hindley to warn her that if she tells Heathcliff, she will make an enemy of him. The household offers no servants. Joseph resents the new mistress, complaining that the house cannot accommodate her, while Isabella must prepare her own supper over Joseph's objections to her cooking. When she demands a bedroom, Joseph shows her a malt- and grain-storing lumber-room, then Hindley's chamber with its damaged crimson curtains and battered furniture, finally revealing there is no other bed in the house. In frustration, Isabella hurls her supper tray down in tears, earning Joseph's condemnation for her "flaysome rages." She finds refuge in Hareton's room, where she falls into exhausted sleep—until Heathcliff awakens her, angrily objecting to her presence in what he insists is not their shared room. He accuses Edgar of causing Catherine's illness and promises Isabella will suffer as Edgar's proxy until Heathcliff can reach him. Isabella concludes with her hatred, misery, and remorse, begging Ellen to visit and warning her to tell no one at the Grange.

Nelly arrives at Wuthering Heights to convey Edgar Linton's message to his sister Isabella. Edgar refuses any communication with Heathcliff's family, declaring their separation eternal and instructing Nelly to say he is not angry but sorry to have lost her. He flatly rejects writing even a brief note, insisting his contact with Heathcliff's household must be as limited as Heathcliff's own contact with his. Nelly finds the once-cheerful house now dreary and neglected, with Isabella appearing wan and listless—her hair uncurled, her dress unchanged since the previous evening. Hindley is absent. Surprisingly, Heathcliff proves the only presentable person there, looking like a gentleman despite his circumstances, while his wife has become a "thorough little slattern." He presses Nelly for details about Catherine's illness, and she warns him to avoid her and ideally leave the country entirely.

Heathcliff confronts Nelly with an ultimatum: she must arrange an interview with Catherine, declaring he will see her regardless of whether she consents. He threatens to haunt Thrushcross Grange nightly until he finds an opportunity to enter by force, threatening to knock down Edgar and intimidate servants with pistols if necessary. Nelly firmly refuses, warning that another encounter between Heathcliff and Edgar would kill Catherine. Heathcliff launches into an impassioned declaration of his superior love for Catherine, insisting she has not forgotten him and that Edgar is scarcely dearer to her than her dog. Isabella interjects defensively on her brother's behalf, and Heathcliff cruelly mocks Edgar's abandonment of her. He then details his systematic cruelty toward Isabella since their marriage, confessing he deliberately set out to make himself detested, even hanging her dog on their wedding night.

When Nelly attempts to leave, Heathcliff seizes her bonnet and declares she cannot depart until she agrees to help him. He insists he means no harm and only wishes to hear directly from Catherine how she is and whether he can help. He offers a plan: he would warn her of his arrival, and she would admit him secretly while Catherine is alone. Nelly protests the treachery this would involve, but Heathcliff threatens to detain her at Wuthering Heights until morning. He challenges her assertion that Catherine cannot bear to see him, accusing Edgar of offering only "duty" and "humanity" rather than genuine love. Despite fifty refusals, Heathcliff ultimately coerces Nelly into agreement: she will carry his letter to Catherine, and if Catherine consents, Nelly will notify him when Edgar next leaves home so he can enter unobserved. Nelly recognizes this as wrong yet expedient, hoping to prevent worse conflict and perhaps create a favorable turning point in Catherine's illness.

Nelly's journey home is marked by deep sadness and misgivings as she wrestles with having betrayed Edgar's trust, though she resolves that this betrayal, if so harsh a term, shall be the last. She struggles to hand the letter to Mrs. Linton. Lockwood reflects that Nelly's story is indeed dreary and drearier still, though he determines to extract wholesome medicine from her bitter narrative. He concludes with a warning to himself to resist the fascination in Catherine Heathcliff's brilliant eyes, lest he surrender his heart only to see the daughter become a second edition of the mother.

Nelly explains her delay in delivering Heathcliff's letter, having decided to wait until Edgar Linton left for church on Sunday to avoid complications. The fourth day after receiving the letter, she sends the man servant to the village for oranges to ensure he is away. Finding Catherine in her usual window recess, now with long hair simply combed and a pale, otherworldly beauty, Nelly presents the short letter from Heathcliff. Catherine initially appears detached, requiring Nelly to identify the sender before she engages with its contents.

Heathcliff enters the house uninvited and finds Catherine, where he embraces her intensely for several minutes. Their exchange is marked by mutual anguish and accusation—Catherine reproaches both him and Edgar for breaking her heart while she lies dying, while Heathcliff demands to know why she betrayed their love for Edgar Linton. Despite their violent emotional conflict, they remain locked in embrace, exchanging kisses and tears. Catherine's physical weakness manifests through an unequal throbbing heart, and she begs forgiveness for any harsh words she may have uttered, proclaiming Heathcliff lives in her soul.

The tension escalates as Catherine, in desperation, physically restrains Heathcliff from leaving, declaring it the last time they will meet. When Edgar Linton arrives home and discovers Heathcliff, the latter places Catherine's seemingly lifeless form in Edgar's arms before walking to the parlor. After Catherine is revived with difficulty but remains bewildered and unrecognizing, Nelly urgently requests Heathcliff's departure. Though he leaves the house, Heathcliff declares he will remain in the garden beneath the larch trees and demands Nelly promise to update him on Catherine's condition the following day.

Catherine Linton gives birth to a frail, premature infant at midnight on the same night she dies. The child, born seven months along, is initially neglected during its first hours of life, as the household mourns the mother. Nelly reflects on Edgar Linton's profound grief and notes his additional sorrow at having no heir, though the estate will pass to his daughter's descendants. Despite the initial neglect, the orphan is later cared for and raised with devotion.

The morning following Catherine's death brings bright sunshine that streams into the silent death chamber. Edgar lies exhausted beside his wife's body, which Nelly describes with reverence—her peaceful expression, closed eyes, and gentle smile making her appear almost angelic. Nelly reflects on her spiritual comfort in watching over the dead, finding solace in the "repose that neither earth nor hell can break" and the promise of eternity beyond. She observes Edgar's selfishness in mourning, regretting even Catherine's blessed release, and ponders whether a soul so wayward in life can find peace in the afterlife.

Nelly seeks out Heathcliff and finds him standing beneath an ash tree in the park, soaked with dew, having waited there through the night. He already knows of Catherine's death and dismisses Nelly's tears with anger. When Nelly describes her peaceful death—quiet as a lamb, with a sweet smile and final thoughts of happy days—Heathcliff erupts into violent anguish. He cries out for Catherine to haunt him, refusing to accept she is at peace, and dashes his head against the tree in despair. Nelly observes his bloodied hand and face, evidence of his violent anguish through the night, and feels both appalled and reluctant to leave him in his suffering.

During the days before the funeral, Edgar maintains a sleepless vigil over Catherine's open coffin in the drawing-room. Unknown to most, Heathcliff also keeps his own nightly watch outside the house. On the Tuesday after her death, when Edgar finally retreats from exhaustion, Nelly opens a window to allow Heathcliff his final farewell. He enters silently and briefly, touching the corpse and disturbing its drapery. Nelly later discovers he has taken Catherine's light curl from her locket and replaced it with a lock of his own dark hair, which she twists together and encloses.

Mr. Earnshaw is invited but sends no excuse and fails to appear, while Isabella is not asked to attend. Catherine is buried not in the family chapel with the Linton monuments or among her own relations' graves, but in an unexpected location—a corner of the kirkyard where the low wall allows moorland plants to grow over it, nearly burying the grave with peat-mould. Edgar is later buried beside her in this same modest spot, marked only by simple headstones and plain grey blocks at their feet, to the villagers' surprise.

Catherine's childhood at Thrushcross Grange was sheltered and contented. Until she reached thirteen, she had never ventured beyond the park alone. Thrushcross Park represented the finest place in her world, and locations like Gimmerton existed only as unsubstantial names to her. Wuthering Heights and Mr. Heathcliff did not figure in her awareness—she was a perfect recluse, protected from all knowledge of her mother's origins.

From her nursery window, Catherine observed the distant hills with great curiosity, wondering what lay beyond them. The abrupt descent of Penistone Crags particularly attracted her notice, especially when the setting sun illuminated them while the surrounding landscape lay in shadow. When Nelly explained the nature of the crags—their bare stone and stunted trees—Catherine pressed further with questions about why they remained bright after evening had fallen in the valley. Her curiosity intensified when she learned Nelly had actually visited them. A servant's mention of the Fairy Cave fueled her desire to see Penistone Crags, and she teased her father constantly about making the journey, measuring her age by months in anticipation. The road to the crags wound close by Wuthering Heights, a route Edgar could not bear to travel, so Catherine perpetually received the answer, "Not yet, love: not yet."

Isabella Heathcliff, having lived apart from her husband for over a dozen years, fell gravely ill with what Nelly conjectured was a slow but incurable fever. She wrote to her brother Edgar requesting his presence, as she had much to settle and wished to bid him farewell while placing her son Linton safely in his care. Edgar departed immediately for London, entrusting Catherine to Nelly's "peculiar vigilance" with strict orders that she must not wander beyond the park—even under Nelly's escort. He anticipated being away for three weeks. The first days after his departure, Catherine sat quietly in grief, but this soon gave way to restless weariness, and Nelly began sending her on solitary rambling expeditions around the grounds to entertain herself.

During Edgar's absence, Catherine developed a strong taste for solitary rambling. One July morning, she presented herself to Nelly as an Arabian merchant preparing to cross a desert with her caravan—comprising a pony, a large hound, and two pointers. Nelly prepared provisions and watched her depart gaily, warning her to avoid galloping and return early. However, Catherine never appeared at tea. Learning from a laborer that she had jumped the lowest hedge and ridden out of sight, Nelly rushed toward Penistone Crags, growing increasingly fearful as evening approached. Upon reaching Wuthering Heights, she discovered Catherine had already arrived safely. The pony and dogs had been involved in a scuffle with Hareton's dogs, which had provided an introduction between Catherine and Hareton Earnshaw, now a strong lad of eighteen.

Inside Wuthering Heights, Nelly found Catherine seated at the hearth, perfectly at home and conversing animatedly with Hareton, who stared at her with curiosity and astonishment. When Nelly scolded her, Catherine proved spirited and playful, hiding from Nelly behind furniture while Hareton and the servant laughed. Upon being questioned about the house, Hareton revealed through his confusion and blushes that he was not the owner's son. Catherine, unaware of her kinship, naively asked him to fetch her horse as though he were a servant. When Hareton responded with crude language, Catherine was shocked and indignant, threatening to tell her father. The servant eventually revealed that Hareton was her cousin, causing Catherine acute distress and tears as she could not bear the notion of being related to such a "clown." Hareton attempted to reconcile by offering her a terrier puppy, but Catherine rejected this peace offering.

Nelly observed that Hareton, though physically well-made and healthy, appeared entirely uncivilized. Mr. Heathcliff had deliberately kept him without education, never teaching him to read or write, never correcting his bad habits, and never guiding him toward virtue or warning him against vice. Joseph, the servant, had contributed to his deterioration by spoiling him as a child and later blaming all his faults on Heathcliff as the usurper of the Earnshaw property. Despite his rough treatment, Hareton retained a certain natural dignity and appeared to Nelly to possess better qualities than his father—a good nature buried amid neglect, like valuable soil choked by weeds. His pride in his lineage and family name had been instilled by Joseph, who harbored resentment toward Heathcliff but dared not express it openly.

After collecting their pony and limping dogs, Nelly and Catherine departed for home, each out of sorts. Nelly extracted a promise from Catherine not to tell her father about the visit to Wuthering Heights, emphasizing that Edgar objected to the Heights household entirely and would be grieved to learn of her presence there. Most persuasively, Nelly explained that if Catherine revealed her negligence, Nelly herself might be forced to leave the household. Touched by this prospect, Catherine pledged her word and kept it for Nelly's sake. Despite her troubles, Nelly reflected that after all, Catherine was "a sweet little girl."

Mourning Announcement and Catherine's Anticipation** A black-edged letter announces the day of Edgar Linton's return from London, where Isabella Linton has died. Edgar writes to Nelly Dean instructing her to prepare mourning clothes for his daughter and arrange accommodations for his youthful nephew. Catherine runs wild with joy at the prospect of welcoming her father back and entertains the most sanguine expectations about her "real" cousin, having preserved a lock of his light flaxen hair in a small glass box. She busies herself ordering her own affairs and dresses in a new black frock—though the death of her aunt leaves her with no definite sorrow. She chatters happily about Linton being only six months younger than herself, imagining the delights of having a playfellow. Her excitement builds as evening approaches, and she begs Ellen to walk with her to meet the arriving party.

Catherine's Impatient Wait and the Party's Arrival** The evening of their expected arrival finds Catherine unable to contain her excitement. She runs ahead repeatedly, returning to wait for Ellen's slower pace, finally seating herself on a grassy bank beside the path. She grows impatient watching for signs of the carriage, even attempting to convince Ellen to walk further toward a clump of birches at the turn. When the traveling carriage finally appears, Catherine shrieks and stretches out her arms toward her father, who descends nearly as eager. After an extended reunion between father and daughter, Ellen peeks into the carriage and sees Linton asleep in a corner, wrapped in a warm fur-lined cloak as if it were winter. The boy appears pale and delicate, strongly resembling Edgar but with a sickly peevishness that Edgar never possessed. Edgar notices Ellen looking and advises her to close the door and leave Linton undisturbed, as the journey has fatigued him. Catherine wishes to take a single glance, but Edgar calls her to walk with him up the park while Ellen hastens ahead to prepare the servants.

First Evening Interactions with Linton** Edgar cautions Catherine that Linton is not strong or merry like herself and has recently lost his mother, warning her not to expect him to play immediately or to harass him with talking. He should rest quietly this evening. When the carriage stops, Edgar lifts the roused sleeper to the ground and introduces him to Catherine, urging the boy to be cheerful. Linton shrinks from Catherine's salute, putting his fingers to his eyes in incipient tears, begging to go to bed. Ellen leads him inside, suggesting he not make his cousin weep too. At the library where tea is prepared, Linton begins crying again, unable to sit on a chair, so Edgar offers the sofa. Catherine brings a footstool and her cup to his side, initially sitting silent but soon resolved to make a pet of him. She strokes his curls, kisses his cheek, and offers tea in her saucer like a baby, which pleases him. He dries his eyes and lightens into a faint smile. Edgar observes that he will do very well if they can keep him, believing the company of another child will instill new spirit into Linton. Nelly's private doubts about keeping him and his survival at Wuthering Heights among his father and Hareton linger.

Joseph's Demand for Linton's Immediate Return** After settling the children upstairs with Linton finally asleep and refusing to let Ellen leave until that was accomplished, Ellen descends to the hall. A maid informs her that Mr. Heathcliff's servant Joseph has arrived and wishes to speak with the master. Ellen approaches with trepidation, expressing doubt that Edgar, having just returned from a long journey, should receive a visitor at such an unseasonable hour. Joseph has already pushed through the kitchen, presenting himself in Sunday garments with a sanctimonious face, cleaning his shoes on the mat. When Ellen demands to know his business, he dismissively waves her aside, stating he must speak with Master Linton. Ellen attempts to relay his message, but Joseph insists on seeing Edgar and surveys the closed doors. Reluctantly, Ellen announces Joseph to Edgar, who is about to dismiss him. Joseph follows close behind into the library and plants himself at the far side of the table, announcing that Heathcliff has sent him for his lad and he must have him. Edgar sits silent for a minute, grief crossing his features at the prospect of yielding up the child against Isabella's wishes. Finding no way to resist without making the claimant more peremptory, Edgar consents but insists on keeping Linton until morning, explaining his health is very precarious. Joseph rejects this with a thud of his stick, declaring Heathcliff will have his lad and he must take him now. Edgar refuses outright, ordering Joseph to leave. Ellen escorts the indignant elder down the stairs as Edgar assists him. Joseph shouts that tomorrow Heathcliff will come himself and thrust the boy out "if ye darr."

To prevent a threatened situation from occurring, Mr. Linton commissions Nelly to take the boy home early on Catherine's pony. He instructs Nelly to tell his daughter nothing of where Linton has gone, explaining that Catherine cannot associate with him hereafter. He advises Nelly to simply inform Catherine that Linton's father sent for him suddenly and he has been obliged to leave Thrushcross Grange.

Linton is reluctant to be roused from bed at five o'clock and astonished to learn he must prepare for further travelling. When Nelly informs him he is going to spend time with his father, Mr. Heathcliff, the boy reacts with strange perplexity, crying out that his mother never told him he had a father. He asks why his mother and father did not live together as other people do, and why she never spoke of him despite frequently talking of his uncle. Linton insists he would rather stay with his uncle and demands to know why he has not heard of his father before. Nelly explains that Mr. Heathcliff had business in the north while his mother's health required her to reside in the south, softening the matter with reassurances about the distance involved.

Nelly must call for Mr. Edgar's assistance to coax the resisting child out of bed. She provides delusive assurances that his absence will be short and that Mr. Edgar and Cathy will visit him, invented promises she reiterates throughout the journey. The pure heather-scented air, bright sunshine, and gentle canter of the pony gradually relieve Linton's despondency. He begins asking questions about Wuthering Heights and its inhabitants with growing interest, inquiring whether it is as pleasant as Thrushcross Grange. Nelly describes it as not so buried in trees, not quite so large, but with beautiful views of the countryside and healthier air. She tells him Hareton Earnshaw will show him the sweetest spots on the moors. When Linton asks about his father's appearance, Nelly describes him as having black hair and eyes, looking sterner and taller than his uncle. Linton muses about his white complexion and large blue eyes, lamenting that he cannot fancy what his father looks like and expressing wonder that his father never came to see him.

Nelly watches Linton's impressions as they halt before the farmhouse garden-gate. He surveys the carved front and low-browed lattices with solemn intentness and shakes his head, disapproving of the exterior. When Nelly opens the door, she finds the family has just finished breakfast, with Joseph standing by Heathcliff's chair and Hareton preparing for the hayfield. Upon seeing Nelly, Heathcliff expresses relief that he did not have to fetch his property himself. Poor Linton surveys the three faces with a frightened eye. Joseph announces he must have been swapped with another child. Heathcliff stares his son into confusion and utters a scornful laugh, exclaiming about what a beauty and charming thing, asking if they reared it on snails and sour milk, and expressing that it is worse than he expected. Linton clings to Nelly with growing trepidation. When Heathcliff bids him come, Linton hides his face on Nelly's shoulder and weeps. Heathcliff roughly drags him between his knees, holding up his head and demanding to know if he recognizes him. Linton replies with vacant fear that he has never heard of this stranger. Heathcliff declares his mother was a wicked slut to leave him in ignorance of his father, ordering him not to wince or colour up.

Heathcliff dismisses the servants, telling Joseph to bring the boy breakfast and Hareton to his work. He explains to Nelly that his son is the prospective owner of Thrushcross Grange and he does not wish him to die until he is certain of being his successor. He reveals his true motivation: he wants the triumph of seeing his descendant lord of their estates, with his child hiring their children to till their fathers' lands for wages. He confesses he despises Linton for himself and hates him for the memories he revives, yet that consideration is sufficient to ensure Linton is tended carefully. He has furnished a room upstairs for the boy, engaged a tutor to come three times weekly, and ordered Hareton to obey him, arranging everything to preserve the gentleman in him. However, he bitterly expresses disappointment that the whey-faced, whining wretch so little deserves this trouble. When Joseph brings milk-porridge, Linton looks at it with aversion and declares he cannot eat it. Joseph shares his master's scorn, comparing Linton unfavorably to Hareton who ate nothing else as a child. Heathcliff grows angry at mention of the boy's mother and orders something Linton can eat. Nelly reflects that Heathcliff's selfishness may contribute to Linton's comfort, as he perceives the boy's delicate constitution and the necessity of treating him tolerably. As Nelly slips out, she hears Linton's frantic cry begging not to be left, but the latch is raised and they do not let him come forth.

Following a late harvest past Michaelmas, Mr. Linton accompanies his daughter among the reapers but catches a chill from an evening walk that settles stubbornly on his lungs. The cold confines him indoors throughout nearly the entire winter with minimal interruption. Meanwhile, Cathy becomes noticeably sadder after being forced to abandon her romantic correspondence with Linton. Her father insists she read less and exercise more, and Nelly takes on the responsibility of providing companionship, though she acknowledges her society as an inefficient substitute for Edgar's.

On a damp October afternoon with threatening clouds, Nelly accompanies Cathy on a walk to divert her low spirits—signs of which become evident when Cathy brushes tears from her cheeks. Nelly attempts to cheer her by pointing out a remaining bluebell, but Cathy refuses to pick it, calling it melancholy. When Nelly gently questions her about crying, Cathy reveals her fear of being left alone when her father and Nelly die, confessing she prays nightly to survive him. After Nelly comforts her with talk of longevity, Cathy climbs onto a wall to gather rose hips, loses her hat, and finds herself unable to return because the stones are too smooth for climbing. As Nelly searches through her keys to unlock the gate, a horseman approaches—Heathcliff.

Heathcliff reveals that Linton is genuinely dying for want of Catherine's affection, not merely playing at love as she believes. He claims Linton has grown worse over six weeks, mocked by Hareton and subjected to Heathcliff's own attempts at frightening him into abandoning his feelings. Heathcliff pleads with Catherine to visit, comparing her father's position to Linton's and urging her not to be careless like her father would be. Nelly dismisses his claims as lies, but Cathy is troubled and cannot dismiss what she hears as entirely false. That night, Cathy weeps silently while Nelly reads, and by the next day, Nelly relents to accompanying her to Wuthering Heights, hoping Linton's reception will prove Heathcliff's tale exaggerated.

Nelly Dean and Catherine Linton travel through a misty morning of frost and drizzle to reach Wuthering Heights. Despite Nelly's skepticism about Heathcliff's claim of absence, they approach the farmhouse seeking to visit the invalid Linton. Nelly is irritated by the wet conditions and cross temper, which she acknowledges makes her inclined to magnify the unpleasant aspects of the journey. They enter through the kitchen to verify Heathcliff is not at home.

Inside the farmhouse, Nelly and Catherine find the elderly servant Joseph sitting in solitary comfort beside a roaring fire, with ale and toasted oat-cake, smoking his pipe contentedly. When Nelly asks if the master is in, Joseph responds with a nasal snarl telling them to go back where they came from, ignoring both the question and Linton's calls from the inner room for more fire ashes. The housekeeper Zillah and Hareton are elsewhere, one on an errand and the other at work.

Catherine and Nelly enter the inner room where young Linton Heathcliff reclines in a great chair, mistaking their approach for his attendant's. Upon recognizing his cousin, Linton explains he cannot bear a kiss as it takes his breath, and he complains bitterly about the cold and lack of coal, despite being covered with ashes. Nelly stirs the cinders and fetches coal herself, noting the invalid's feverish appearance and tiresome cough but refraining from rebuking his temper.

Linton expresses frustration that Catherine did not visit sooner instead of writing letters that exhausted him. He demands water and wine, becoming calmer after drinking. When Catherine asks if his father is attentive to him, Linton claims Heathcliff at least makes the servants "more attentive," and reveals his hatred for Hareton, who laughs at him, and his general resentment of all the household servants, whom he calls "odious beings."

An escalating argument ensues when Linton, having recovered some cheerfulness, suggests Catherine should become his wife so she would love him more than anyone. Catherine firmly states she would never love anyone better than her father, prompting Linton to contradict her. When Catherine mentions the family history, Linton cruelly reveals his father's version of events: that Catherine's mother hated her father and loved Linton's father instead. Catherine flies into a rage, calling Linton a liar and declaring she hates him. Linton repeats his provocation triumphantly until Catherine, beside herself, shoves his chair violently.

Catherine's push causes Linton to fall against the chair arm and triggers a severe coughing fit that frightens even Nelly. The boy coughs suffocatingly until exhausted, while Catherine weeps in distress over the harm she has caused. Linton thrusts Nelly away when she tries to help and remains silent with his head down. The scene reveals Linton's physical fragility while demonstrating Catherine's immediate remorse and emotional turmoil.

Linton subsequently engages in emotional manipulation, sighing and moaning dramatically for a quarter hour, apparently to distress his cousin. When Catherine apologizes, he claims she has injured him so severely he will lie awake all night choking, maximizing her guilt. Nelly recognizes his behavior as the "perverseness of an indulged plague of a child" determined to be as grievous as possible, but Catherine continues to be manipulated by his self-pitying performance, offering cushions and comfort despite his endless complaints about their arrangement.

Catherine agrees to sing or tell stories to comfort Linton, repeating ballads he requests until midnight, much to Nelly's strenuous objection. The activity pleases both Catherine and Linton, who continually asks for more songs. Hareton's return for his dinner at twelve signals the end of this entertainment, and Catherine reluctantly prepares to leave.

Despite Nelly's objections, Catherine whispers a secret promise in Linton's ear before departing, which causes his forehead to clear. When Nelly warns Catherine upon leaving that she will have the lock mended and cannot escape to return, Catherine laughs and declares she can climb the wall, insisting she is almost seventeen and a woman. She expresses confidence that Linton would recover with proper care and suggests they would never quarrel once accustomed to each other.

Nelly falls ill from sitting so long at the Heights in her wet shoes, and remains incapacitated for three weeks—a unprecedented calamity. Catherine proves an angelic nurse, dividing her days between Nelly and her father, neglecting her meals, studies, and play to care for Nelly. The master retires early, giving Catherine her evenings. Nelly later realizes she failed to consider what Catherine did after tea, noting signs of activity that she initially attributed to the warm fire rather than secret visits to Wuthering Heights.

After three weeks of illness, Ellen is able to leave her chamber and move about the house again. On the first evening she sits up, she asks Catherine to read to her because her eyes remain weak. They are in the library while Mr. Edgar has gone to bed, and Catherine agrees rather reluctantly to read.

Catherine selects one of her own favorite books and reads steadily for about an hour before beginning to show signs of restlessness. She asks Ellen if she is tired and suggests she lie down. Ellen refuses, and Catherine then resorts to yawning, stretching, and fidgeting. When Ellen tells her to stop reading and talk instead, Catherine becomes more irritated. She frets, sighs, and watches the clock until eight o'clock, when she finally declares herself exhausted and goes to her room. Her behavior strikes Ellen as odd.

The following evening Catherine appears even more impatient, and on the third night she complains of a headache and leaves Ellen. Ellen decides to go to Catherine's room to check on her and suggest she lie on the sofa downstairs instead of being alone in the dark upstairs. However, she finds neither Catherine upstairs nor downstairs. The servants have not seen her. After listening at Mr. Edgar's door and finding silence, Ellen returns to Catherine's room, extinguishes her candle, and sits by the window. The moon shines bright, and snow covers the ground.

Ellen spots a figure creeping along the inner fence of the park, but recognizes it as one of the grooms. He views the carriage-road for some time before starting off briskly and returning leading Miss's pony. Catherine is just dismounting and walking beside it. The groom takes the pony stealthily across the grass toward the stable while Cathy enters through the casement-window of the drawing-room. She glides noiselessly up toward Ellen, removes her snowy shoes, unties her hat, and begins to lay aside her mantle, unaware of Ellen's presence until Ellen suddenly reveals herself. The surprise petrifies Catherine momentarily.

Ellen confronts Catherine about where she has been riding at that hour and why she would tell a lie. Catherine first claims she has only been to the bottom of the park, but when pressed, admits she has been to Wuthering Heights every day since Ellen fell ill, except for three times before and twice after Ellen left her room. She explains that she gave Michael books and pictures to prepare Minny every evening and to put her back in the stable. She was at the Heights by half-past six and generally stayed till half-past eight, then galloped home. She was often wretched during these visits, though sometimes happy—perhaps once a week.

Catherine explains how she arranged her secret visits. She had expected persuading Ellen to let her keep her word to Linton would be difficult, but when Ellen stayed upstairs the next day, she escaped that trouble. She obtained the key to the park door from Michael, telling him that her cousin Linton wished to see her because he was sick and could not come to the Grange, and that her father would object to her going. She negotiated with Michael about the pony. He is fond of reading and plans to leave soon to get married, so he agreed to do what she wished in exchange for borrowing books from the library.

On her second visit, Linton seemed in lively spirits. Zillah made them a clean room with a good fire, and since Joseph was at a prayer-meeting and Hareton Earnshaw was off with his dogs, they were free to do as they liked. Zillah brought them warm wine and gingerbread and appeared good-natured. Linton sat in the armchair while Catherine sat in the little rocking chair by the hearth, and they laughed, talked, and planned where they would go and what they would do in summer.

One topic leads to an almost-quarrel. Linton describes his ideal of heaven's happiness as lying from morning till evening on a bank of heath in the middle of the moors with bees humming dreamily, larks singing overhead, and a blue sky shining steadily. Catherine describes hers as rocking in a rustling green tree with a west wind blowing, bright white clouds flitting rapidly above, and not only larks but throstles, blackbirds, linnets, and cuckoos pouring out music. She describes cool dusky dells in the distance, great swells of grass undulating in waves, woods and sounding water, with the whole world awake and wild with joy. Linton wanted all in ecstasy of peace; she wanted all to sparkle and dance. They argued that his heaven would be half alive while hers would be drunk. Finally they agreed to try both when the right weather came, then kissed and were friends.

On another occasion, as Catherine approached Wuthering Heights, Hareton Earnshaw met her, took her bridle, and asked her to go in by the front entrance. He patted Minny's neck, appearing to want her to speak to him. Catherine told him to leave her horse alone or it would kick him. He moved off to open the door and, looking up at the inscription above, announced that he could now read it. When Catherine encouraged him to read aloud, he spelled out "Hareton Earnshaw" but could not read the figures. Catherine laughed at his failure, calling him a dunce. Hareton stared, uncertain whether her mirth was pleasant familiarity or contempt. Catherine suddenly retrieved her gravity and told him she came to see Linton, not him. He reddened, dropped his hand from the latch, and skulked off, mortified.

When Catherine entered, Linton was lying on the settle and welcomed her. He said he was ill that evening and asked Catherine to do all the talking. She had brought some of her nicest books for him. As she was about to read, Earnshaw burst open the door, having gathered venom with reflection. He seized Linton by the arm, swung him off the seat, and ordered him to go to his own room, declaring that if she came to see him, she must go there too—he would not be kept out. He swore at them and nearly threw Linton into the kitchen, clenching his fist as Catherine followed, seemingly longing to knock her down. Catherine was afraid and let one of her books fall; Earnshaw kicked it after her and shut them out.

Joseph stood by the fire, rubbing his bony hands and laughing maliciously. Catherine asked Linton where they should go, but Linton was white and trembling, his thin face and large eyes wrought into an expression of frantic, powerless fury. He grasped the door handle and shook it, but it was fastened inside. He shrieked threats to kill whoever was preventing him from entering. Joseph laughed again, saying that was the father in him, and told Hareton not to be afraid. Catherine tried to pull Linton away, but he shrieked so shockingly that she dared not proceed. His cries were finally choked by a dreadful fit of coughing, blood gushed from his mouth, and he fell on the ground.

Catherine ran into the yard, sick with terror, and called for Zillah. She dragged the housekeeper inside and looked about for Linton. Earnshaw had come out to examine the mischief he had caused and was conveying the poor thing upstairs. Zillah told Catherine she should not go in and must go home. Catherine exclaimed that Earnshaw had killed Linton and demanded to enter. Joseph locked the door and declared she should not be "as mad as him." Catherine stood crying until the housekeeper reappeared, who said Linton would be better soon. Catherine was ready to tear her hair, sobbing until her eyes were almost blind. Hareton stood opposite, occasionally bidding her be quiet and denying it was his fault. Finally, frightened by Catherine's assertions that she would tell her father and have him hanged, Hareton began blubbering and hurried out.

After Catherine had gotten some distance from the premises, Hareton suddenly issued from the shadow of the road and checked her horse. He began to express regret, but Catherine gave him a cut with her whip, thinking he might murder her. He let go, thundering a curse, and she galloped home out of her senses. She did not bid Ellen good-night and did not go to Wuthering Heights the next day, dreading both news of Linton's death and encountering Hareton. On the third day, she took courage and stole off once more at five o'clock, walking in hopes of creeping into the house unobserved. However, the dogs gave notice of her approach.

Zillah received Catherine and showed her into a small, tidy, carpeted apartment where Linton lay on a little sofa reading one of her books. He would neither speak to nor look at Catherine for a whole hour because of his unhappy temper. When he finally spoke, it was to utter the falsehood that Catherine had occasioned the uproar and that Hareton was not to blame. Unable to reply except passionately, Catherine got up and walked from the room. He sent after her a faint "Catherine!" but she would not turn back.

The next day Catherine stayed at home, nearly determined to visit Linton no more. But the misery of going to bed and getting up without hearing anything about him melted her resolution. She sent Michael to saddle Minny. When she arrived, she found Linton in the great armchair half asleep, while Earnshaw was present but left the room immediately. Catherine approached and declared that since Linton did not like her and thought she came to hurt him, this must be their last meeting. Linton asked her to sit down and take off her hat, saying she was so much happier than he was that she ought to be better. He explained that his father's constant talk of his defects and scorn made him doubt himself, and when he felt cross and bitter, he hated everybody. He declared that if he might be as sweet, kind, and good as Catherine, he would be, and more willingly than being as happy and healthy. He said her kindness had made him love her deeper than if he deserved her love, and though he could not help showing his nature, he regretted and repented it. Catherine felt he spoke the truth and forgave him. They reconciled, both crying the whole time she stayed.

Since that night, Catherine has always gone to Linton's little parlour because his father returned the day after. About three times, they have been merry and hopeful as on the first evening; the rest of her visits were dreary and troubled, now with his selfishness and spite, now with his sufferings. She has learned to endure the former with nearly as little resentment as the latter. Mr. Heathcliff purposely avoids her and she has hardly seen him at all. Last Sunday, coming earlier than usual, she heard him abusing poor Linton cruelly for his conduct of the night before. Linton had certainly behaved provokingly, but it was nobody's business but hers. She interrupted Mr. Heathcliff's lecture by entering and telling him so. He burst into a laugh and went away, saying he was glad she took that view. Since then, Catherine has told Linton he must whisper his bitter things. She asks Ellen not to tell her father, arguing that preventing her from going would inflict misery on two people, whereas keeping the secret would disturb no one's tranquility.

Ellen says she will make up her mind by tomorrow whether to keep Catherine's secret, as it requires some study. She leaves Catherine to rest and goes to think it over. She thinks it over aloud in her master's presence, walking straight from Catherine's room to his and relating the whole story, with the exception of her conversations with her cousin and any mention of Hareton. Mr. Linton is alarmed and distressed, more than he would acknowledge to Ellen.

The next morning, Catherine learns of Ellen's betrayal and that her secret visits must end. She weeps and writhes against the interdict, imploring her father to have pity on Linton. Mr. Linton promises to write and give Linton leave to come to the Grange when he pleases, but declares that Catherine must no longer expect to see Linton at Wuthering Heights. The narrative notes that perhaps had Mr. Linton been aware of his nephew's disposition and state of health, he would have seen fit to withhold even that slight consolation.

Mrs. Dean affirms Catherine's obedience to her father, explaining that her affection for Edgar remained "the chief sentiment in her heart." Edgar spoke not in anger but with the profound tenderness of one preparing to leave behind his most precious possession amid dangers and adversaries, knowing his words would become her sole guidance after his departure. Days later, Edgar inquired of Mrs. Dean regarding Linton—whether the boy had improved or showed promise of bettering himself as he matured. Mrs. Dean reported that Linton appeared extremely delicate and unlikely to reach adulthood, yet she observed he did not resemble his father Heathcliff. She suggested that if Catherine unfortunately married him, she would likely maintain control over him unless foolishly indulgent. Edgar, she assured, would have ample time to evaluate Linton's suitability, with four or more years remaining before the young man's majority.

Edgar's response to this assessment came not through speech but through a visible emotional struggle. Walking to the window, he gazed toward Gimmerton Kirk on a misty February afternoon, the sun shining dimly through clouds. In what approximated自言自语, he confessed that while he had often prayed for certain events to unfold, he now found himself shrinking from them in fear. He reflected on how the memory of descending into the valley as a bridegroom had become less sweet than his anticipation of soon—in mere months or perhaps weeks—being carried up and placed within that lonely hollow. He recalled his happiness with "little Cathy" across winter nights and summer days, when she stood beside him as a living hope. Yet he had known equal contentment in solitary reflection among the gravestones, lying on the green mound of his wife's grave through long June evenings, yearning for the day when he might rest beneath it.

His central torment emerged as he questioned what would become of Cathy and how he could possibly leave her. The prospect of Linton being Heathcliff's son mattered little to him, nor did the thought of losing Catherine to Linton if that marriage could comfort her in his absence. He claimed he would not even care that Heathcliff achieved his aims and triumphed in robbing him of his "last blessing." The true concern lay elsewhere: should Linton prove unworthy—merely "a feeble tool to his father"—Edgar could not abandon his daughter to such a fate. Though it would wound her spirited nature, he resolved to make her sad during his lifetime and leave her solitary upon his death. "Darling! I'd rather resign her to God, and lay her in the earth before me." Mrs. Dean responded by recommending that he place Catherine in God's hands, promising that should death claim him—may heaven forbid—she would stand as Catherine's faithful friend and advisor to the end. She expressed confidence that Miss Catherine was a virtuous girl who would not deliberately stray from the right path, and that those who fulfill their duties ultimately receive their reward.

As spring progressed, Edgar failed to regain genuine strength despite resuming walks with his daughter. Catherine, lacking experience, interpreted these outings as signs of improvement, and his often-flushed cheeks and bright eyes reinforced her optimism about his recovery. On her seventeenth birthday, Edgar did not visit the churchyard—rain fell, and Mrs. Dean noted his hesitation. When she questioned whether he would venture out that evening, he replied that he would postpone the visit "a little longer." He wrote again to Linton, expressing strong desire to see him. Had the invalid boy been presentable, Heathcliff likely would have permitted the visit, but instructed by his father, Linton instead sent a letter explaining that Mr. Heathcliff objected to his calling at the Grange. Yet the uncle's kind remembrance delighted him, and he expressed hope to meet Edgar occasionally during rambles and petition personally that he and Catherine need not remain so completely divided.

Linton's portion of the letter appeared genuine and likely his own composition, demonstrating Heathcliff's recognition that his son could plead eloquently for Catherine's company. He wrote not requesting Catherine visit the Heights, but posing a genuine question: was he never to see her simply because his father forbade him from going to her home while Edgar forbade her from coming to his? He proposed a middle ground—perhaps they could occasionally ride together toward the Heights, exchanging a few words in Edgar's presence. He argued they had done nothing to deserve such separation, that Edgar bore no anger toward him and had no legitimate reason to dislike him. His appeal grew more personal, requesting a kind note and permission to meet anywhere Edgar preferred except at Thrushcross Grange. He expressed confidence that a meeting would demonstrate his father's character was not his own, noting that Heathcliff himself claimed Linton resembled his uncle more than his own son. Though acknowledging faults making him unworthy of Catherine, he revealed that she had already excused them and urged that her uncle should do the same. He reported his health as better, yet wondered how he could experience joy and wellness while cut off from all hope and condemned to solitude among those who had never liked him and never would.

Edgar sympathized with the boy's situation yet could not grant his request, recognizing he could not accompany Catherine to such meetings. He suggested perhaps in summer they might meet, while committing to continue writing and offering what counsel and comfort he could through correspondence—aware of Linton's difficult position within his family. Linton agreed to this arrangement, though his letters suffered under his father's surveillance, which demanded inspection of everything Edgar sent. Rather than expressing his true personal suffering and distress, which occupied his thoughts constantly, Linton focused instead on the cruel separation enforced upon him and gently insisted that an interview must come soon, or he would suspect Edgar of deceiving him with empty promises. At home, Cathy proved a powerful advocate, and through their combined persuasion, Edgar eventually acquiesced to their riding or walking together approximately weekly, under Mrs. Dean's guardianship, on the moors nearest the Grange—June found Edgar still declining. Though he had set aside yearly income for Catherine's inheritance, Edgar harbored natural hope she might retain or soon return to her ancestral home, viewing her only prospect for doing so as marriage to his heir. He remained ignorant that Linton was failing nearly as rapidly as himself; no doctor visited the Heights, no one among their acquaintances observed Master Heathcliff's condition. Mrs. Dean herself had begun to believe her forebodings were mistaken and that the boy must actually be recovering, particularly when he mentioned riding and walking on the moors with such apparent eagerness. Yet she could not imagine a father treating a dying child as tyrannically and wickedly as she later learned Heathcliff had—compelling this display of apparent eagerness while his plans faced defeat through death, his efforts intensifying as his avaricious and callous schemes drew closer to ruin.

Summer was already past its prime when Edgar reluctantly yielded his assent to Catherine's and Nelly's entreaties to visit her cousin Linton at Thrushcross Grange. The day was close and sultry, with a dappled, hazy sky that threatened neither rain nor sunshine. Their meeting place had been fixed at the guide-stone by the cross-roads.

Upon arriving at the designated spot, a little herd-boy messenger informed them that Master Linton was just on the other side of the Heights and would be obliged if they would proceed further. Nelly remarked that Linton had forgotten his uncle Edgar's explicit instruction to keep the meeting on Grange land. Catherine suggested they would simply turn their horses toward home once they reached him.

When they finally found Linton, he was lying on the heath scarcely a quarter of a mile from his own door. He had no horse, so they were forced to dismount and leave their horses to graze. Linton did not rise until they approached within a few yards, and when he did walk, he moved so feebly and looked so pale that Nelly immediately expressed alarm at his appearance.

Catherine surveyed her cousin with grief and astonishment, transforming her planned expressions of joy and congratulation into alarm and anxious inquiry about whether he was worse than usual. Linton insisted he was "better—better!" but trembled and retained Catherine's hand for support, while his large blue eyes wandered timidly over her, their hollowness giving a haggard wildness to his formerly languid expression.

When Catherine tried to engage him with cheerful conversation about their planned visit, Linton did not appear to remember their previous discussion. He had evident difficulty sustaining any conversation, and his lack of interest in her subjects and inability to contribute to her entertainment became obvious. His pettishness had yielded to listless apathy—less the frettting of a child seeking comfort and more the moroseness of a confirmed invalid, repelling consolation and regarding good-humored mirth as an insult.

When Catherine proposed to depart, Linton unexpectedly roused from his lethargy in a strange state of agitation. Glancing fearfully toward the Heights, he begged her to remain another half hour at least. When she noted he would be more comfortable at home, he insisted he only wanted her to rest herself and asked her not to tell his uncle he was very unwell, claiming the heavy weather and heat made him dull.

Linton anxiously asked Catherine to be there again next Thursday and to give his uncle thanks for permitting the visit. He then begged her not to let his father suppose he had been extremely silent and stupid, and not to look sad and downcast, warning that Mr. Heathcliff would be angry. When Cathy declared she cared nothing for his anger, Linton shuddered and warned her not to provoke his father against him, revealing that Heathcliff was "very hard" to him. When Nelly inquired whether Heathcliff had grown weary of indulgence, Linton only looked at her without answering.

After Linton's head fell drowsily on his breast and he uttered only suppressed moans, Cathy began gathering bilberries while waiting another ten minutes. When she whispered to Nelly about leaving, they decided to wait until he woke. Upon awakening in bewildered terror, Linton asked if anyone had called his name, gasping that he thought he heard his father. After Catherine promised to return the following Thursday, Linton urgently warned "He's coming!" and clung to her arm, but she hastily disengaged and whistled for her horse Minny, leaving him as they departed.

Before reaching home, Catherine's displeasure had softened into a perplexing mixture of pity, regret, and vague, uneasy doubts about Linton's actual circumstances—both physical and social. She reflected that in his crossest humors formerly, she had liked him better than in his present mood, observing that the interview seemed like a task he was compelled to perform for fear his father should scold him. She remained glad he was better in health but sorry he had become less pleasant and affectionate.

Nelly's account to Mr. Earnshaw delivered Linton's thanks as requested, with Miss Cathy gently touching on the rest. However, Nelly threw little light on his inquiries, for she hardly knew what to hide and what to reveal about the true nature of Linton's condition and circumstances.

Seven days pass with rapid deterioration in Edgar Linton's condition, as months of decline now occur within hours. Catherine senses the impending loss despite attempts to delude her, and her spirit divines the dreadful probability ripened into certainty. She dedicates herself entirely to her father's bedside in the library and his chamber, grudging every moment away from his pillow.

Catherine's countenance grows wan with watching and sorrow. Her father gladly dismisses her for a ride, hoping it might provide some happiness, believing she would not be entirely alone after his death. Edgar harbors a fixed idea that his nephew Linton resembles him in character, despite evidence of the boy's defective nature.

The excursion is deferred till the afternoon of a golden August day, with air so full of life that even the dying might revive. Catherine's face mirrors the landscape with shadows and sunshine alternating rapidly, though shadows rest longer and sunshine proves more transient. Her conscience reproaches her for even passing forgetfulness of her father's condition during the ride.

Linton waits at the same spot as before, receiving them with animation resembling fear rather than joy or high spirits. He speaks short and with difficulty, questioning whether Catherine's father is ill and suggesting he expected her not to come. When Catherine demands an explanation for his enigmatical behavior, he only trembles and glances at her with a half-supplicating, half-ashamed expression.

Mr. Heathcliff appears almost without warning, descending from the Heights without glancing at the young people despite their proximity. He greets Nelly in an almost hearty tone and asks about conditions at the Grange, mentioning rumors that Edgar Linton is on his deathbed. When informed of the truth, he asks how long Edgar might last, then turns his attention to Linton with intimidating demands that the boy rise from the ground.

Catherine's persistence finally draws from Linton a confession that he is a traitor afraid of his father. He has been coerced into this behavior by threats, though he cannot bring himself to reveal everything. He begs Catherine not to leave him, claiming his life is in her hands, and hints at some terrible consequence if he fails to accomplish his father's wishes. Catherine attempts to comfort him with memories of their former affection, but Linton cannot overcome his terror enough to speak plainly.

Despite Catherine's protests and declaration that she cannot enter Wuthering Heights due to her father's explicit prohibition, Heathcliff insists she help escort the invalid inside. Once over the threshold, Heathcliff promptly locks the door, explaining that Hareton is away with cattle, and Zillah and Joseph are on a journey of pleasure. He invites Catherine to sit beside Linton, promising to fetch the servants' horses. The locked doors and narrow windows of the house soon reveal that escape has become impossible.

Catherine demands the key and refuses food or drink despite starvation, declaring she will leave. She even attempts to snatch the key directly from Heathcliff's hand and applies her teeth when nails prove ineffective. His response is brutal—a shower of slaps to both sides of her head—and Nelly's attempt to intervene earns only a threat to silence her. Heathcliff delivers cruel warnings about his intention to become her father tomorrow, promising daily discipline if her temper persists.

Once Heathcliff leaves to seek the horses, Catherine and Nelly discover themselves imprisoned and demand answers from Linton. After obtaining tea, Linton reveals that his father intends for him and Catherine to be married immediately, claiming Edgar would never permit such a marriage and that Linton might die before then. The wedding is planned for the morning, with Catherine to remain imprisoned at Wuthering Heights that night. If she complies, she may return home the next day and take Linton with her.

Catherine attempts reasoning with Heathcliff upon his return, offering to marry Linton willingly if he will simply let her go home to her dying father. She questions whether he truly wishes to destroy her happiness irrevocably and kneels at his feet, begging him to look at her and remember if he has ever loved anyone. She appeals to whatever human feeling might remain in him, stating she does not hate him and is willing to comply with the marriage if only he will show her mercy.

Heathcliff rejects Catherine's plea with brutal contempt, comparing her touch to that of a snake and declaring he detests her. He reveals his malicious pleasure in the thought of her father's suffering and dismisses her tears as future diversion. He reads portions of Edgar's letters aloud, mocking the advice Edgar gave regarding Catherine's care, and emphasizes that Linton will prove himself a tyrant once he has her under his control. His cruelty is calculated and complete.

As darkness falls, servants from Thrushcross Grange arrive at the garden gate seeking Catherine. Heathcliff intercepts them and sends them away, leaving Catherine and Nelly in continued captivity. Upon learning of the missed opportunity, both women give vent to their grief until nine o'clock, when Heathcliff finally directs them to Zillah's chamber upstairs. The narrow windows and secured garret trap make escape impossible, and Catherine keeps vigil through the night while Nelly reflects bitterly on her failures.

Heathcliff removes Catherine the next morning but locks Nelly in the chamber alone, permitting only Hareton to bring food once daily. The surly young man remains completely deaf to pleas for justice or compassion. Nelly spends five nights and four days in isolation, seeing no one but Hareton each morning. The ordeal is complete and total, leaving her enclosed and helpless within the hostile household.

Zillah arrives at the Heights with news from Gimmerton, revealing that Edgar Linton is still alive. Nelly immediately departs for the Grange, leaving Catherine captive. She finds young Linton alone and learns that Catherine is locked upstairs. When Nelly demands access, Linton reveals that Heathcliff has threatened Catherine and that he has been told Catherine's possessions belong to him. Nelly confronts Linton about his cruelty and lack of sympathy for his cousin's suffering. She leaves to bring help from the Grange. At the Grange, Nelly finds Edgar near death and tells him Catherine is safe. Edgar decides to alter his will to protect Catherine's fortune from Heathcliff should Linton die. Nelly sends for the attorney and four armed men to retrieve Catherine, but both parties return unsuccessful—Green is delayed and the men are denied access to Catherine. At three in the morning, Catherine herself appears at the Grange, having escaped with Linton's help. Linton had unlocked her door and slept with Hareton to avoid suspicion, allowing Catherine to climb out through her mother's window. Catherine reunites with Edgar, who dies blissfully with her by his side. The lawyer Mr. Green arrives later, having been bought by Heathcliff, and attempts to control the estate arrangements. Despite his interference, Edgar's will protects Catherine's inheritance. Catherine is allowed to remain at the Grange until after the funeral.

Post-Funeral Hopes in the Grange Library** The evening after Linton's burial finds Nelly Dean and Catherine seated together in the library, grappling with their profound loss while contemplating what lies ahead. The two women entertain modest hopes that Catherine might be permitted to remain at the Grange during Linton's lifetime, with Linton eventually joining her there and Nelly continuing as housekeeper. This arrangement seems overly optimistic given their circumstances, yet Nelly allows herself to feel cheered by the prospect of keeping her home, her position, and most importantly, her beloved young mistress. The fragile peace of this moment is soon shattered when a servant rushes in with urgent news: Heathcliff is approaching through the court. The women's momentary relief transforms into dread as they face the arrival of their most formidable threat.

Heathcliff's Unannounced Intrusion** The servant urgently asks whether to fasten the door against Heathcliff, but the women have no time to act on any such impulse. Heathcliff enters without ceremony, making no attempt at knocking or announcing himself, instead asserting his master's privilege to walk straight in uninvited. He proceeds directly to the library, having heard the servant's voice, and after entering, dismisses the servant and shuts the door. Notably, this is the same room where Heathcliff was received as a guest eighteen years earlier. The moon continues to shine through the window, and the autumn landscape remains unchanged outside. No candle has been lit yet, but the room is visible, including the portraits of Mrs. Linton and her husband hanging on the wall. Heathcliff steps toward the hearth, his person little altered over the years—his dark face perhaps slightly more sallow and composed, his frame marginally heavier, but otherwise unchanged. Catherine, upon seeing him, rises with an impulse to flee, but Heathcliff arrests her by the arm.

Heathcliff Demands Catherine Move to Wuthering Heights** Heathcliff commands Catherine to stop running away, declaring he has come to fetch her home and expects her to be a dutiful daughter who will not encourage his son toward further disobedience. When Nelly pleads for Catherine to remain at the Grange while Linton joins her there, Heathcliff dismisses the suggestion, explaining he seeks a tenant for the property and wants his children near him. He insists the girl owes him services for her sustenance, refusing to nurture her in luxury once Linton is gone. Catherine defiantly declares her intention to comply—Linton is all she has to love in the world, and though Heathcliff has tried to foster hatred between them, their bond remains unbroken. She defies him to harm Linton in her presence and defies him to frighten her. Heathcliff responds that she shall experience the full torment as long as it lasts, warning that Linton's own spirit will make him hateful to her. He recounts how he punished Linton by locking him in a chair for two hours with only Heathcliff's presence, which has since haunted the boy's nerves like a ghost—Linton now wakes screaming at night, calling for Catherine to protect him from his father.

Heathcliff Confesses to Disturbing Catherine's Coffin** In Catherine's absence, Nelly attempts to secure Zillah's position at the Heights so she might accompany Catherine there, but Heathcliff refuses to allow this. After silencing Nelly, he surveys the room and examines the pictures, studying Mrs. Linton's portrait before declaring his intention to have this home—though he clarifies he needs no such thing. He abruptly turns toward the fire and reveals what he did yesterday: he bribed the sexton who dug Linton's grave to remove the earth from Catherine's coffin lid, then opened it. He admits he thought at one point he would have stayed there, but when he saw her face again—still hers—he could barely be stirred, though the sexton convinced him the features would change if exposed to air. He loosened one side of the coffin and covered it back up, making clear his anger that it was not Linton's side he uncovered, wishing Linton had been soldered in lead. He has arranged for his own coffin to be pulled aside when he dies so that he may lie beside Catherine, planning that by the time Linton arrives, no one will know which body belongs to whom. Nelly exclaims that disturbing the dead is wicked, but Heathcliff insists he disturbed nobody and found ease for himself, asking if she will have a better chance of keeping him underground once he joins her there.

Heathcliff Recounts His Post-Burial Vision of Catherine** Heathcliff reveals that Catherine's presence disturbed him night and day for eighteen years until the previous night when he finally achieved tranquility. He recounts a dream of sleeping his final sleep beside her with his heart stopped and his cheek frozen against hers. When Nelly questions what he would have dreamed had her remains dissolved, he answers that he would have dissolved with her and been happier still. He explains his certainty that he will not dread such transformation and had expected one upon raising the coffin lid, though he is more pleased that no change has yet begun. He describes the day of her burial when snow fell; that evening he went alone to the churchyard, which was bleak as winter and solitary, and with only two yards of loose earth between them, he spoke to himself of holding her in his arms again. He retrieved a spade and began digging, scraping the coffin wood and working with his hands until the screws began cracking. At the moment of achieving his goal, he heard a sigh near the grave's edge and felt a warm breath displacing the sleet-laden wind. Though no living thing was present, he sensed Cathy there on the earth beside him rather than beneath him, and a sudden relief flooded through him. He abandoned his desperate work, feeling consoled and assured of her presence, talking to her as he refilled the grave and led him home.

Heathcliff Contemplates Catherine's Portrait** Despite having seen Catherine by the grave, Heathcliff continued experiencing the same torturous sensations afterward, sometimes more and sometimes less intensely, as if her spirit continued appearing to him yet remaining just beyond reach. He describes the intolerable torture of sensing her everywhere—at the house when Hareton sat with him, on the moors when walking, and in his own chamber where he eventually could not remain because every time he closed his eyes, she appeared either outside the window, sliding back the panels, entering the room, or resting her head on her childhood pillow beside him. He was compelled to open his eyes repeatedly throughout each night, always to disappointment, racked by anguish from his yearning and the fervency of his prayers for just one glimpse. He likens this torment to being killed not by inches but by fractions of hairbreadths, keeping his nerves at such constant tension that they would have long since relaxed to the feebleness of Linton's if they had not resembled catgut. He often groaned aloud until Joseph surely believed a demon possessed him. He pauses to wipe his brow, his wet hair clinging to it, his eyes fixed on the red embers of the fire with a look of trouble and mental tension. While contemplating this absorbing subject, he resumes examining the portrait of Mrs. Linton, taking it down and leaning it against the sofa for better viewing. Catherine then enters, ready to depart, informing them her pony should be saddled—only to learn Heathcliff has ordered the pony sent tomorrow, informing her she will need no horses at Wuthering Heights, for her own feet will serve her on whatever journeys she must take there.

Catherine's Reluctant Departure for Wuthering Heights** Heathcliff tells Nelly to send the pony over tomorrow, then orders Catherine to do without her mount entirely, dismissing her mode of transport as unnecessary for the journeys she will make at Wuthering Heights. He bids her come along. Catherine whispers her farewell to Nelly, her lips feeling like ice against her beloved companion's cheek, and pleads with her not to forget to come and see her. Heathcliff warns Nelly against such visits, declaring he will summon her if he wishes to speak and wants no prying at his house. He signs for Catherine to precede him, and she obeys only after casting back a final look that pierces Nelly's heart. From the window, Nelly watches them walk down the garden, where Heathcliff fixes Catherine's arm under his. Though Catherine resists this gesture at first, he compels her compliance and hurries her with rapid strides toward the alley, where the trees conceal them from view.

Zillah's account to Nelly Dean reveals a grim picture of Catherine's existence at Wuthering Heights, where she arrived as the new Mrs. Linton only to find herself isolated and unsupported while her sickly husband wasted away, abandoned by his father Heathcliff who declared his life "not worth a farthing." After Linton's death, Catherine was left penniless and friendless, as Heathcliff claimed the inheritance and kept her confined to the house, where she spent a fortnight hiding upstairs before being reluctantly forced into the company of the household. Catherine's proud nature led her to spurn every attempt at kindness from Hareton Earnshaw, whom she contemptuously rejected even when he tried to assist her with books, responding to his gentle overtures with venomous disgust and declarations that she would rather endure the cold than accept their society. Despite Zillah's evident desire to see Catherine's pride "brought a peg lower," she admits that Catherine has grown increasingly bitter and defiant, snapping even at Heathcliff himself despite the punishment such defiance invites.

Following Linton's death, Catherine remained confined to her room at the Heights for a fortnight, repelling Zillah's attempts at friendship while her father-in-law Heathcliff claimed both the estate and all moveable property through his dead son. The reading scene that unfolded on the following Sunday, when Catherine descended to escape the cold and discovered Hareton's books, ultimately became yet another display of her pride as she coldly rejected his clumsy attempts at kindness, snapping at him that she would rather endure his disagreeable voice than his presence, though she remained trapped by circumstance and frost in the household's unwelcome company.

After Linton’s death Catherine finds herself virtually imprisoned at the Heights, where she is denied medical aid for her dying husband and left without money, friends, or legal claim to any property. Zillah, the only servant who occasionally visits, recounts how Catherine spends a fortnight confined to her room, rejects every offer of assistance, and is finally forced to descend only when the cold becomes unbearable; even then she openly despises Hareton’s clumsy attempts at kindness, declaring she will not accept any pretended goodwill from the household. Heathcliff, having seized Linton’s inheritance and kept the lands in his own right, ensures Catherine remains destitute, and Nelly’s plan to rescue her is blocked, leaving her isolated and venomous against a world that has stripped her of everything.

On a Sunday afternoon when Heathcliff is away, Catherine finally descends to the kitchen for the first time since Linton's death, arriving in black dress with her yellow hair combed plain, and finds Hareton eager to show her kindness. When Hareton helps her reach books from the dresser and even gently strokes one of her curls in fascination, she responds with cold disgust, exclaiming that she cannot endure him and demanding he stay away, though she must eventually accept the household's company as winter frost drives her from solitude.

Zillah reports that Catherine Linton was left entirely alone to tend her dying cousin Linton, as Heathcliff refused to send for a doctor and dismissed any concern for the boy's fate. After Linton's death, Catherine remained isolated in her room for a fortnight, descending only when the cold became unbearable. When Hareton attempted to show her kindness by helping her reach books and later asking if she would read aloud, she responded with cruel contempt, recoiling from his touch on her hair and declaring that she despised both him and the entire household. Her proud rejection of every overture has made her an enemy among the servants, and even Heathcliff himself cannot escape her sharp tongue.

The source text reveals that Lockwood has remained largely separated from Catherine at the Heights, where Joseph and Heathcliff continue to deny him access, leaving him dependent on secondhand accounts from servants like Zillah. Through this servant's detailed narrative, readers learn of Catherine's harsh treatment following Linton's death - her isolation, her desperate nighttime pleas for medical help, and her gradual descent into proud defiance against the entire household. Her interactions with her cousin Hareton are particularly fraught, as her aristocratic contempt alienates even those who might have shown her kindness, until the arrival of winter forces her reluctantly into the company of the Earnshaws. Despite the doctor's earlier doubts, Lockwood's health is improving, and he decides to leave Thrushcross Grange for London, ending Mrs. Dean's long and troubling story while suggesting the continuing entrapment of those he leaves behind.

Lockwood arrives at Wuthering Heights on a bright, calm, frosty day, bearing a note from Mrs. Dean to Catherine. He finds the front door open but the gate fastened, and Hareton unchains it to admit him. Lockwood notices Hareton is handsome but deliberately makes little of his advantages. When asked if Mr. Heathcliff is home, Hareton says no but that he will be in at dinner-time, so Lockwood decides to wait and enters with Hareton acting as watchdog rather than host.

Inside, Catherine is preparing vegetables for dinner, appearing sulky and spirited rather than amiable. Lockwood attempts to deliver Mrs. Dean's letter covertly by dropping it on Catherine's knee, but she asks aloud what it is. Hareton intercepts the letter, declaring Mr. Heathcliff must see it first. Catherine silently weeps while Hareton ultimately leaves the letter for her. She reads it eagerly and asks about the Grange's inhabitants, revealing her longing to be "riding Minny" and climbing the hills, lamenting she is "stalled" and tired.

Catherine expresses her melancholy directly to Hareton, wishing she could be riding her horse Minny down the hills or climbing. She dramatically declares herself tired and stalled, leaning her head back against the windowsill with abstracted sadness, neither caring nor knowing whether anyone notices her distress.

When Lockwood converses with Catherine, she reveals she cannot answer Ellen's letter because she has no materials for writing—not even a book from which to tear a leaf. Lockwood exclaims at living without books, but Catherine explains she was always reading when she had them, and since Mr. Heathcliff never reads, he took it into his head to destroy her books. She has not seen one for weeks.

Lockwood discovers that Catherine once found Hareton's secret stock of Latin and Greek texts, tales, and poetry hidden in his room—books she calls "old friends." She brought some to share with him, but Hareton gathered them like a magpie gathering silver spoons, either because they are useless to him or from sheer spite that if he cannot enjoy them, nobody else shall. Hareton blushes crimson and denies her accusations, while Lockwood defends him as desirous of increasing his knowledge and emulating rather than envying her attainments.

Catherine cruelly mocks Hareton, admitting she hears him trying to spell and read to himself, making "pretty blunders." She recalls how he attempted to repeat "Chevy Chase" and turned over the dictionary to find hard words, then cursed because he could not read their explanations. She declares he has no right to appropriate what is hers and make it ridiculous with his mistakes, and that he has selected her favorite pieces specifically to repeat, apparently out of deliberate malice. Hareton labours under severe mortification and wrath.

Hareton gathers half a dozen volumes and throws them into Catherine's lap, declaring he never wants to hear, read, or think of them again. When she refuses them, saying she will connect them with him and hate them, he ultimately gathers the books and hurls them into the fire. Lockwood observes the anguish in Hareton's countenance as he sacrifices these treasures to spleen, having anticipated pleasure from studying them. Catherine sucks her damaged lip and watches the conflagration with indignant eyes, while Hareton furiously tells her to hold her tongue.

Just as Hareton departs in grief and anger, Mr. Heathcliff arrives up the causeway and encounters him, asking what's to do. Hareton says "Naught" and breaks away to enjoy his grief alone. Heathcliff gazes after him and sighs, muttering about seeing his father in Hareton's face but finding "her" every day more—the resemblance troubles him deeply. He walks in moodily with a restless, anxious expression, looking sparer than before. Catherine escapes to the kitchen upon seeing him.

Lockwood greets Heathcliff and announces he will set out for London next week and does not intend to retain Thrushcross Grange beyond the twelve months he agreed to rent it. Heathcliff initially assumes Lockwood is trying to avoid payment but coolly says he is not in a hurry for the money. He invites Lockwood to sit down and take dinner with them, noting that a guest unlikely to repeat his visit can generally be made welcome.

Catherine reappears bearing a tray of knives and forks, but Heathcliff orders her to eat with Joseph in the kitchen until the guest is gone. She obeys punctually. With Heathcliff grim and saturnine on one side and Hareton absolutely dumb on the other, Lockwood makes a somewhat cheerless meal. He would have departed by the back way for a last glimpse of Catherine and to annoy Joseph, but Hareton is ordered to lead up his horse and Heathcliff escorts him to the door himself.

As Lockwood rides down the road, he reflects on how dreary life gets in that house, contemplating what a romantic realization it would have been for Catherine Linton Heathcliff had she and he struck up an attachment as her nurse desired, migrating together into the stirring atmosphere of town.

In September 1802, Lockwood visits a friend in the north but diverts his journey to pass within fifteen miles of Gimmerton. Recalling his former residence at Thrushcross Grange, he decides to detour and spend the night at his old home. After some three hours of difficult travel, he arrives at the Grange near sunset.

Lockwood finds the house largely abandoned, with only an old woman housekeeper and a young girl present. The woman is startled to learn he is the master, having received no notice of his arrival. She apologizes that the house is unprepared—neither clean nor well-stocked. Lockwood promises to go out for a walk while she readies a sitting room and bedroom.

Lockwood leaves the Grange and walks toward Wuthering Heights as the sun sets. The journey takes him through beautiful moorland scenery bathed in moonlight. He finds the gates and doors unlocked, a change from his previous visits, and notices fragrant flowers growing near the house.

Before entering, Lockwood pauses to observe two young people inside—one reading aloud while the other corrects his mistakes. He recognizes Hareton Earnshaw seated at a table and Catherine, whom he assumes must be the young Mrs. Heathcliff. The two share kisses after the reading lesson is completed. Feeling like an intruder, Lockwood slips away to the kitchen.

Lockwood finds Nelly Dean sewing and singing in the kitchen. She is astonished by his sudden return and explains that the house has been closed up since he left. When he mentions business with Heathcliff, Nelly reveals that Heathcliff died three months ago and that she now manages affairs for his daughter-in-law, the young Catherine.

Lockwood expresses surprise at learning of Heathcliff's death, and Nelly offers to tell him the full story. She fetches ale and begins recounting the events that transpired after Lockwood departed for London.

Nelly explains that she was summoned to Wuthering Heights within a fortnight of Lockwood's departure, at Catherine's request. Though Heathcliff did not explain his reasons, he wanted Nelly to care for Catherine and keep her company in the little parlour. Nelly brought Catherine's books and belongings from the Grange, hoping for comfortable times ahead.

Catherine's contentment faded quickly. She became irritable and restless, particularly resenting her confinement to the garden as spring approached. She also grew lonely when Nelly had to attend to other duties in the house, preferring to quarrel with Joseph in the kitchen rather than sit alone.

When Hareton was forced to spend time in the kitchen due to an injury, Catherine could not leave him alone. She mocked his silence, stupidity, and the dullness of his life, comparing him to a dog or cart-horse. She teased him about his former attempts at self-improvement, noting that he burned his books after she laughed at him.

Catherine began to feel remorse for her past cruelty. She confessed to Nelly that she wanted Hareton to be her cousin now, though her overtures were met with hostility. When Hareton swore at her and refused to engage, Catherine realized that his stubborn silence was not genuine dislike but rather hurt pride.

On Easter Monday, Catherine makes a bold attempt at reconciliation. She removes Hareton's pipe from his mouth and breaks it behind the fire. When he threatens her, she insists he must listen to her first. She declares that she does not despise him and demands he acknowledge her as family. His harsh rejection drives her to tears, but she continues to insist she wants to be friends.

Catherine retreats to the window but soon returns to the hearth and extends her hand to Hareton. When he refuses to take it, she instinctively bends and kisses his cheek. She then wraps a handsome book in white paper and asks Nelly to deliver it to Hareton with the promise that she will teach him to read if he accepts it.

Nelly delivers the gift and the message. Hareton does not reject the book, and when Catherine quietly joins him, both become absorbed in studying its pictures together. Their former enmity dissolves into newfound friendship and understanding. Nelly observes their radiant expressions and recognizes that a peace has been firmly established between them.

Joseph returns home to find Catherine sitting beside Hareton, leaning her hand on his shoulder. The sight horrifies him, and he can barely contain his distress. He sighs deeply as he spreads his Bible on the table and overlays it with bank-notes from the day's transactions. He commands Hareton to take the money to the master and announces that they must leave the kitchen, calling it neither respectable nor proper.

Nelly reflects that Catherine's friendship with Hareton grew rapidly despite occasional interruptions. Though neither was easy to civilize—Catherine being no philosopher or model of patience—they shared a common goal: each desired the other's esteem. Their bond deepened over time, and Nelly expresses hope that they will marry. She declares that she will envy no one on their wedding day, for she will be the happiest woman in England.

Catherine descends to the garden before Nelly, where she finds her cousin performing easy work. She persuades him to clear a large space of currant and gooseberry bushes so they can plant flowers imported from the Grange. In just a brief half-hour, significant damage is done to Joseph's prized black-currant trees.

At breakfast, Catherine ignores Nelly's whispered warning not to talk too much with Hareton. She immediately moves closer to him and begins sticking primroses in his porridge. Hareton barely dares to look at her, though she continues teasing until he nearly laughs. When Catherine glances at Heathcliff, she sees he is occupied with his own thoughts, but the sound of Hareton's suppressed laugh startles Heathcliff into surveying the table. Catherine meets his gaze with her characteristic nervousness and defiance, which he despises.

After breakfast, Joseph appears at the door, having discovered the damage to his beloved shrubs. His quivering lip and furious eyes reveal his distress. He announces his intention to leave, having served the household for sixty years. He blames Catherine for enchanting Hareton with her bold ways and accuses the young man of forgetting all that Joseph has done for him. He lamented that an entire row of the finest currant-trees has been torn up.

Heathcliff demands to know who gave Catherine permission to touch anything on the property. When he turns to ask Hareton who ordered him to obey her, Catherine interjects that they wanted to plant flowers and accepts full blame. She then makes a bold claim to land and money, declaring that she and Hareton are now friends and that she will tell him everything about Heathcliff. The master is momentarily confounded, growing pale with mortal hate.

Catherine warns Heathcliff that if he strikes her, Hareton will strike him, so he may as well sit down. Heathcliff furiously threatens to strike Hareton to hell if he doesn't remove Catherine, calling her a damnable witch and ordering her flung into the kitchen. He declares he will kill her if she comes into his sight again.

Hareton attempts to persuade Catherine to leave quietly, but she taunts that Heathcliff will soon be detested by Hareton as much as she detests him. When Hareton tries to protect her, Heathcliff catches Catherine. He threatens to make her repent forever and has his hand in her hair, but Hareton begs him not to hurt her. At the moment of violence, Heathcliff's fingers suddenly relax. He shifts his grasp from her hair to her arm and stares intently at her face. After composing himself, he warns Catherine to avoid provoking him and orders Nelly to take her away.

During Heathcliff's absence, Catherine offers to tell Hareton about his father's treatment, but he sternly refuses to hear a word against the master. He declares he would stand by Heathcliff even if he were the devil, and he'd rather she abuse him instead. Catherine then understands that Earnshaw considers Heathcliff's reputation his own concern—tied by bonds stronger than reason can break.

Catherine shows a good heart by avoiding complaints about Heathcliff in Hareton's presence. From that point, the two become friends and busily establish themselves in their roles as pupil and teacher. Nelly watches them with comfort, seeing them both as her children—one she had long been proud of, and another she now believes will bring equal satisfaction.

Hareton's honest, warm, and intelligent nature rapidly sheds the clouds of ignorance and degradation in which he was raised. Catherine's sincere praise spurs his industry, and his brightening mind brightens his features, adding spirit and nobility. Nelly can barely believe he is the same individual she encountered when she first found her little lady at Wuthering Heights after her expedition to the Crags.

As dusk falls, Heathcliff returns unexpectedly through the front entrance, catching all three in full view. The red fire-light illuminates their two bonny heads, both animated with the eager interest of children. Though Hareton is twenty-three and Catherine is eighteen, neither has yet experienced the sentiments of sober maturity.

When they lift their eyes to encounter Heathcliff, Nelly notes their eyes are precisely similar—both resembling Catherine Earnshaw. The present Catherine has little else in common with her namesake except a broad forehead and certain arch of the nostril. With Hareton, the resemblance is carried farther and is particularly striking when his senses are alert and faculties awakened. This resemblance seems to disarm Heathcliff, who approaches the hearth in evident agitation.

Heathcliff reflects on the scene he witnessed and describes how he has prepared tools and trained himself to demolish the two houses, yet now finds the will to lift even a single slate has vanished. He recognizes he could revenge himself on his enemies' representatives, but has lost the faculty for enjoying their destruction and is too idle to destroy for nothing.

Heathcliff tells Nelly there is a strange change approaching, and he is in its shadow. He takes so little interest in daily life that he hardly remembers to eat and drink. The two young people who left the room are the only objects that retain a distinct material appearance to him, and that appearance causes him pain amounting to agony.

Heathcliff confesses that seeing Catherine's image everywhere—in every cloud, tree, and object—has made the entire world a dreadful collection of memoranda that she existed and that he has lost her. Hareton's aspect was the ghost of his immortal love, his wild endeavors, his degradation, pride, happiness, and anguish. He acknowledges that Hareton's resemblance to Catherine is not the most potent image for him, since everything connects to her memory.

Heathcliff describes having a single wish that his entire being yearns to attain. He has yearned toward it so long and so unwavering that he is convinced it will be reached soon, because it has devoured his existence. He must remind himself to breathe and almost remind his heart to beat, as though bending back a stiff spring. Everything he does is by compulsion, not prompted by any thought except one universal idea.

Heathcliff paces the room, muttering terrible things to himself. He insists he has no fear, presentiment, or hope of death, and with his constitution should live until his hair turns white. Yet he cannot continue in this condition. His confessions have not relieved him but may account for his unusual phases of humor. He concludes that it is a long fight and wishes it were over.

For several days following that evening, Mr. Heathcliff avoids meeting the household at meals. Though he refuses to formally exclude Hareton and Cathy, he chooses to absent himself rather than yield to his feelings. He subsists on only one meal every twenty-four hours. One night, after the family has retired, Nelly hears him go downstairs and out the front door without returning by morning.

It is April, with warm sweet weather and green grass, the two dwarf apple-trees near the southern wall in full bloom. After breakfast, Catherine returns from gathering primrose roots and announces that Mr. Heathcliff is coming in. She reports that he told her to begone as fast as she could, yet he looked so different from his usual self—"almost bright and cheerful... very much excited, and wild, and glad." Nelly is as surprised as Catherine and eager to verify this unusual observation.

Nelly frames an excuse to enter the house and finds Heathcliff standing at the open door. He is pale and trembling, yet has a strange joyful glitter in his eyes that alters his whole face. When Nelly asks if he wants breakfast, he answers dismissively, averting his head. Nelly warns him that wandering out of doors instead of being in bed is unwise in the damp season and that he may catch a cold or fever. He replies that he can bear whatever ails him and demands to be left alone. In passing, Nelly notices he breathes as fast as a cat and reflects that he will surely become ill.

That noon, Heathcliff sits down to dinner with a heaped-up plate, apparently intending to make amends for previous fasting. He begins to eat but suddenly loses the inclination, lays down his knife and fork, and looks eagerly toward the window before leaving. Nelly sets his plate to keep warm, and after an hour or two he re-enters in no degree calmer. His black brows conceal an unnatural appearance of joy; his face is bloodless, and his teeth are visible in a kind of smile. His frame shivers not from chill or weakness but like a tight-stretched cord vibrating—a strong thrilling rather than trembling. When Nelly asks if he has heard good news, he replies that he is animated with hunger yet apparently cannot eat. She observes his eyes surveying something within two yards' distance with such eager interest that he stops breathing for half a minute.

Nelly brings supper at eight o'clock, finding him leaning against the lattice but not looking out. His fire has smoldered to ashes, and the room is damp and still. When the light flashes on his features, Nelly sees deep black eyes, a smile, and ghastly paleness that remind her not of Heathcliff but of a goblin. In terror, she drops the candle and flees. He tells her to close the window, and she sends Joseph with light and supper, but Joseph returns immediately, explaining that Heathcliff is going to bed and wants nothing to eat until morning. He proceeds not to his ordinary chamber but to the room with the panelled bed, whose window is wide enough for anyone to get through—suggesting another midnight excursion.

Nelly cannot sleep and descends after midnight to find Heathcliff restlessly measuring the floor, frequently breaking the silence with deep inspirations resembling groans. He mutters detached words, the only one Nelly catches being Catherine's name coupled with endearment or suffering, spoken as one would address a person present. When Nelly enters, he asks if it is morning and demands a fire and assistance with the room. He declares his intention to send for Green to make legal inquiries, write his will, and possibly annihilate his property from the earth. When Nelly suggests sending for a minister to explain Christian precepts, he replies that he has nearly attained his heaven and that no minister need come. He insists the sexton obey his directions regarding two coffins, and he wishes to be carried to the churchyard in the evening.

Heathcliff retires to his den when other family members stir. That afternoon, he asks Nelly to sit with him, but she refuses, telling him his strange talk and manner frighten her. He acknowledges that she thinks him a fiend and tells Catherine that to her he has made himself worse than the devil. At dusk he goes into his chamber, and through the night and far into the morning, they hear him groaning and murmuring. Hareton wishes to enter, but Nelly sends for Mr. Kenneth. When Kenneth arrives and Nelly tries the door, she finds it locked. Heathcliff bids them be damned, saying he is better and will be left alone, so the doctor departs.

The following evening brings heavy rain that pours down until dawn. In the morning, Nelly observes the master's window swinging open with rain driving straight in. Believing he cannot be in bed or he would be drenched, she obtains another key, runs to unclose the panels, and peeps in. Mr. Heathcliff is there, laid on his back. His eyes meet hers so keen and fierce that she starts, then he seems to smile. His face and throat are washed with rain, the bedclothes drip, and he is perfectly still. The lattice has grazed one hand on the sill, but no blood trickles from the broken skin. Nelly cannot doubt any longer: he is dead and stark. She hespas the window, combs his black long hair from his forehead, and tries to close his eyes to extinguish that frightful, life-like gaze of exultation. They will not shut and seem to sneer at her attempts; his parted lips and sharp white teeth sneer too.

Mr. Kenneth cannot determine the cause of death. Nelly conceals the fact that Heathcliff had swallowed nothing for four days, fearing it might lead to trouble, though she believes he did not abstain purposely—it was the consequence of his strange illness, not the cause. They bury him as he wished, to the scandal of the whole neighbourhood. Earnshaw, Nelly, the sexton, and six men carry the coffin. When the six men depart after lowering the coffin, only Nelly, Hareton, and the sexton remain to see it covered. Hareton, with a streaming face, digs green sods and lays them over the brown mould himself. The grave becomes as smooth and verdant as its companion mounds.

The country folk would swear on the Bible that Heathcliff walks. There are those who speak of meeting him near the church, on the moor, and even within the house. The old man by the kitchen fire claims to have seen two figures looking out of his chamber window on every rainy night since the death. About a month ago, Nelly encounters a little boy with sheep and lambs who is crying terribly, saying there is "Heathcliff and a woman yonder, under t' nab" and he dares not pass them. Nelly sees nothing, but neither the sheep nor the boy will go on. She suspects the boy raised phantoms from thinking about nonsense he has heard, yet she confesses she does not like being out in the dark now or being left alone in the grim house.

Nelly mentions that Hareton and Cathy will marry on New Year's Day and then move to the Grange. Joseph will take care of Wuthering Heights, living in the kitchen with perhaps a lad to keep him company, while the rest of the house stands shut up. When Lockwood observes that this might be for the use of such ghosts as choose to inhabit it, Nelly shakes her head and says she believes the dead are at peace but that it is not right to speak of them with levity.

On his walk home, Lockwood lingers at the kirk and discovers decay has made progress even in seven months—many windows show black gaps, and slates jut off beyond the right line of the roof. He soon finds the three headstones on the slope next the the moor: Edgar Linton's harmonizes with the turf and moss creeping up its foot; Heathcliff's is still bare. Under the benign sky, he watches moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listens to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wonders how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.