Mr. Lockwood, a new tenant at Thrushcross Grange, uncovers the turbulent history of his neighbors, the Earnshaws and Lintons, through the housekeeper Nelly Dean. Her tale recounts the orphan Heathcliff’s degradation and his fierce bond with Catherine Earnshaw, a connection severed by her marriage to Edgar Linton. Heathcliff returns years later to exact a brutal revenge on the families, corrupting the next generation and claiming the estates. Only after his death does the cycle of violence break, allowing the young Catherine and Hareton to heal the wounds of the past.
The next day, Heathcliff gave Joseph rapid instructions but continually turned his head aside as if watching something unseen. At breakfast, he stared at the wall with glittering, restless eyes, stopping his breathing for half a minute at a time. Nelly implored him to eat, but he smiled at empty space. It became apparent he was gazing at something within two yards’ distance that communicated both exquisite pleasure and pain. His eyes pursued it with unwearyied diligence, and when he tried to reach for bread, his fingers clenched on the table. Irritated, he left the house and disappeared through the gate.
Another anxious evening passed. Heathcliff returned after midnight and shut himself in the room beneath, pacing restlessly and sighing deeply. Nelly heard him muttering the name of Catherine with wild endearments, as if she were present. Unable to sleep, Nelly stirred the kitchen fire to draw him out. He roamed in a state of distraction, sighing so heavily there was no space for common breathing. He spoke of sending for the lawyer to write his will, expressing a wish to annihilate his property from the earth.
Nelly urged him to take food and rest, noting his hollow cheeks. Heathcliff retorted that he could not rest until he reached the shore, declaring he had done no injustice and repented of nothing. He claimed his soul’s bliss killed his body but did not satisfy itself. When Nelly suggested sending for a minister, he cut her off, reminding her of his burial instructions. He wished to be carried to the churchyard in the evening with no minister present, for he had nearly attained his own heaven. He asserted that if they refused to bury him in the churchyard, she must have him removed secretly, proving the dead are not annihilated.
In the afternoon, he asked Nelly to sit with him, but she declined, frightened by his wild talk. He declared there was one who would not shrink from his company—a relentless presence whose existence was unutterable. He sought no further company. At dusk, he went to his chamber, and through the night, the household heard him groaning. When Hareton and the doctor attempted to enter, Heathcliff locked the door and bade them be damned.
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