ON the morrow of that Monday,
Earnshaw being still unable to
follow his ordinary employments,
and therefore remaining about
the house, I speedily found it
would be impracticable to retain
my charge beside me, as heretofore.
She got downstairs before me,
and out into the garden, where
she had seen her cousin performing
some easy work; and when I went
to bid them come to breakfast,
I saw she had persuaded him to
clear a large space of ground
from currant and gooseberry bushes,
and they were busy planning together
an importation of plants from
the Grange.
I was terrified at the devastation
which had been accomplished in
a brief half-hour; the black-currant
trees were the apple of Joseph's
eye, and she had just fixed her
choice of a flower-bed in the
midst of them.
'There! That will be all shown
to the master,' I exclaimed,
'the minute it is discovered.
And what excuse have you to offer
for taking such liberties with
the garden? We shall have a fine
explosion on the head of it:
see if we don't! Mr. Hareton,
I wonder you should have no more
wit than to go and make that
mess at her bidding!'
'I'd forgotten they were Joseph's,'
answered Earnshaw, rather puzzled;
'but I'll tell him I did it.'
We always ate our meals with
Mr. Heathcliff. I held the mistress's
post in making tea and carving;
so I was indispensable at table.
Catherine usually sat by me,
but to-day she stole nearer to
Hareton; and I presently saw
she would have no more discretion
in her friendship than she had
in her hostility.
'Now, mind you don't talk with
and notice your cousin too much,'
were my whispered instructions
as we entered the room. 'It will
certainly annoy Mr. Heathcliff,
and he'll be mad at you both.'
'I'm not going to,' she answered.
The minute after, she had sidled
to him, and was sticking primroses
in his plate of porridge.
He dared not speak to her there:
he dared hardly look; and yet
she went on teasing, till he
was twice on the point of being
provoked to laugh. I frowned,
and then she glanced towards
the master: whose mind was occupied
on other subjects than his company,
as his countenance evinced; and
she grew serious for an instant,
scrutinizing him with deep gravity.
Afterwards she turned, and recommenced
her nonsense; at last, Hareton
uttered a smothered laugh. Mr.
Heathcliff started; his eye rapidly
surveyed our faces, Catherine
met it with her accustomed look
of nervousness and yet defiance,
which he abhorred.
'It is well you are out of
my reach,' he exclaimed. 'What
fiend possesses you to stare
back at me, continually, with
those infernal eyes? Down with
them! and don't remind me of
your existence again. I thought
I had cured you of laughing.'
'It was me,' muttered Hareton.
'What do you say?' demanded
the master.
Hareton looked at his plate,
and did not repeat the confession.
Mr. Heathcliff looked at him
a bit, and then silently resumed
his breakfast and his interrupted
musing. We had nearly finished,
and the two young people prudently
shifted wider asunder, so I anticipated
no further disturbance during
that sitting: when Joseph appeared
at the door, revealing by his
quivering lip and furious eyes
that the outrage committed on
his precious shrubs was detected.
He must have seen Cathy and her
cousin about the spot before
he examined it, for while his
jaws worked like those of a cow
chewing its cud, and rendered
his speech difficult to understand,
he began:-
'I mun hev' my wage, and I
mun goa! I HED aimed to dee wheare
I'd sarved fur sixty year; and
I thowt I'd lug my books up into
t' garret, and all my bits o'
stuff, and they sud hev' t' kitchen
to theirseln; for t' sake o'
quietness. It wur hard to gie
up my awn hearthstun, but I thowt
I COULD do that! But nah, shoo's
taan my garden fro' me, and by
th' heart, maister, I cannot
stand it! Yah may bend to th'
yoak an ye will - I noan used
to 't, and an old man doesn't
sooin get used to new barthens.
I'd rayther arn my bite an' my
sup wi' a hammer in th' road!'
'Now, now, idiot!' interrupted
Heathcliff, 'cut it short! What's
your grievance? I'll interfere
in no quarrels between you and
Nelly. She may thrust you into
the coal-hole for anything I
care.'
'It's noan Nelly!' answered
Joseph. 'I sudn't shift for Nelly
- nasty ill nowt as shoo is.
Thank God! SHOO cannot stale
t' sowl o' nob'dy! Shoo wer niver
soa handsome, but what a body
mud look at her 'bout winking.
It's yon flaysome, graceless
quean, that's witched our lad,
wi' her bold een and her forrard
ways - till - Nay! it fair brusts
my heart! He's forgotten all
I've done for him, and made on
him, and goan and riven up a
whole row o' t' grandest currant-trees
i' t' garden!' and here he lamented
outright; unmanned by a sense
of his bitter injuries, and Earnshaw's
ingratitude and dangerous condition.
'Is the fool drunk?' asked
Mr. Heathcliff. 'Hareton, is
it you he's finding fault with?'
'I've pulled up two or three
bushes,' replied the young man;
'but I'm going to set 'em again.'
'And why have you pulled them
up?' said the master.
Catherine wisely put in her
tongue.
'We wanted to plant some flowers
there,' she cried. 'I'm the only
person to blame, for I wished
him to do it.'
'And who the devil gave YOU
leave to touch a stick about
the place?' demanded her father-in-law,
much surprised. 'And who ordered
YOU to obey her?' he added, turning
to Hareton.
The latter was speechless;
his cousin replied - 'You shouldn't
grudge a few yards of earth for
me to ornament, when you have
taken all my land!'
'Your land, insolent slut!
You never had any,' said Heathcliff.
'And my money,' she continued;
returning his angry glare, and
meantime biting a piece of crust,
the remnant of her breakfast.
'Silence!' he exclaimed. 'Get
done, and begone!'
'And Hareton's land, and his
money,' pursued the reckless
thing. 'Hareton and I are friends
now; and I shall tell him all
about you!'
The master seemed confounded
a moment: he grew pale, and rose
up, eyeing her all the while,
with an expression of mortal
hate.
'If you strike me, Hareton
will strike you,' she said; 'so
you may as well sit down.'
'If Hareton does not turn you
out of the room, I'll strike
him to hell,' thundered Heathcliff.
'Damnable witch! dare you pretend
to rouse him against me? Off
with her! Do you hear? Fling
her into the kitchen! I'll kill
her, Ellen Dean, if you let her
come into my sight again!'
Hareton tried, under his breath,
to persuade her to go.
'Drag her away!' he cried,
savagely. 'Are you staying to
talk?' And he approached to execute
his own command.
'He'll not obey you, wicked
man, any more,' said Catherine;
'and he'll soon detest you as
much as I do.'
'Wisht! wisht!' muttered the
young man, reproachfully; 'I
will not hear you speak so to
him. Have done.'
'But you won't let him strike
me?' she cried.
'Come, then,' he whispered
earnestly.
It was too late: Heathcliff
had caught hold of her.
'Now, YOU go!' he said to Earnshaw.
'Accursed witch! this time she
has provoked me when I could
not bear it; and I'll make her
repent it for ever!'
He had his hand in her hair;
Hareton attempted to release
her looks, entreating him not
to hurt her that once. Heathcliff's
black eyes flashed; he seemed
ready to tear Catherine in pieces,
and I was just worked up to risk
coming to the rescue, when of
a sudden his fingers relaxed;
he shifted his grasp from her
head to her arm, and gazed intently
in her face. Then he drew his
hand over his eyes, stood a moment
to collect himself apparently,
and turning anew to Catherine,
said, with assumed calmness -
'You must learn to avoid putting
me in a passion, or I shall really
murder you some time! Go with
Mrs. Dean, and keep with her;
and confine your insolence to
her ears. As to Hareton Earnshaw,
if I see him listen to you, I'll
send him seeking his bread where
he can get it! Your love will
make him an outcast and a beggar.
Nelly, take her; and leave me,
all of you! Leave me!'
I led my young lady out: she
was too glad of her escape to
resist; the other followed, and
Mr. Heathcliff had the room to
himself till dinner. I had counselled
Catherine to dine up-stairs;
but, as soon as he perceived
her vacant seat, he sent me to
call her. He spoke to none of
us, ate very little, and went
out directly afterwards, intimating
that he should not return before
evening.
The two new friends established
themselves in the house during
his absence; where I heard Hareton
sternly cheek his cousin, on
her offering a revelation of
her father-in-law's conduct to
his father. He said he wouldn't
suffer a word to be uttered in
his disparagement: if he were
the devil, it didn't signify;
he would stand by him; and he'd
rather she would abuse himself,
as she used to, than begin on
Mr. Heathcliff. Catherine was
waxing cross at this; but he
found means to make her hold
her tongue, by asking how she
would like HIM to speak ill of
her father? Then she comprehended
that Earnshaw took the master's
reputation home to himself; and
was attached by ties stronger
than reason could break - chains,
forged by habit, which it would
be cruel to attempt to loosen.
She showed a good heart, thenceforth,
in avoiding both complaints and
expressions of antipathy concerning
Heathcliff; and confessed to
me her sorrow that she had endeavoured
to raise a bad spirit between
him and Hareton: indeed, I don't
believe she has ever breathed
a syllable, in the latter's hearing,
against her oppressor since.
When this slight disagreement
was over, they were friends again,
and as busy as possible in their
several occupations of pupil
and teacher. I came in to sit
with them, after I had done my
work; and I felt so soothed and
comforted to watch them, that
I did not notice how time got
on. You know, they both appeared
in a measure my children: I had
long been proud of one; and now,
I was sure, the other would be
a source of equal satisfaction.
His honest, warm, and intelligent
nature shook off rapidly the
clouds of ignorance and degradation
in which it had been bred; and
Catherine's sincere commendations
acted as a spur to his industry.
His brightening mind brightened
his features, and added spirit
and nobility to their aspect:
I could hardly fancy it the same
individual I had beheld on the
day I discovered my little lady
at Wuthering Heights, after her
expedition to the Crags. While
I admired and they laboured,
dusk drew on, and with it returned
the master. He came upon us quite
unexpectedly, entering by the
front way, and had a full view
of the whole three, ere we could
raise our heads to glance at
him. Well, I reflected, there
was never a pleasanter, or more
harmless sight; and it will be
a burning shame to scold them.
The red fire-light glowed on
their two bonny heads, and revealed
their faces animated with the
eager interest of children; for,
though he was twenty-three and
she eighteen, each had so much
of novelty to feel and learn,
that neither experienced nor
evinced the sentiments of sober
disenchanted maturity.
They lifted their eyes together,
to encounter Mr. Heathcliff:
perhaps you have never remarked
that their eyes are precisely
similar, and they are those of
Catherine Earnshaw. The present
Catherine has no other likeness
to her, except a breadth of forehead,
and a certain arch of the nostril
that makes her appear rather
haughty, whether she will or
not. With Hareton the resemblance
is carried farther: it is singular
at all times, THEN it was particularly
striking; because his senses
were alert, and his mental faculties
wakened to unwonted activity.
I suppose this resemblance disarmed
Mr. Heathcliff: he walked to
the hearth in evident agitation;
but it quickly subsided as he
looked at the young man: or,
I should say, altered its character;
for it was there yet. He took
the book from his hand, and glanced
at the open page, then returned
it without any observation; merely
signing Catherine away: her companion
lingered very little behind her,
and I was about to depart also,
but he bid me sit still.
'It is a poor conclusion, is
it not?' he observed, having
brooded awhile on the scene he
had just witnessed: 'an absurd
termination to my violent exertions?
I get levers and mattocks to
demolish the two houses, and
train myself to be capable of
working like Hercules, and when
everything is ready and in my
power, I find the will to lift
a slate off either roof has vanished!
My old enemies have not beaten
me; now would be the precise
time to revenge myself on their
representatives: I could do it;
and none could hinder me. But
where is the use? I don't care
for striking: I can't take the
trouble to raise my hand! That
sounds as if I had been labouring
the whole time only to exhibit
a fine trait of magnanimity.
It is far from being the case:
I have lost the faculty of enjoying
their destruction, and I am too
idle to destroy for nothing.
'Nelly, there is a strange
change approaching; I'm in its
shadow at present. I take so
little interest in my daily life
that I hardly remember to eat
and drink. Those two who have
left the room are the only objects
which retain a distinct material
appearance to me; and that appearance
causes me pain, amounting to
agony. About HER I won't speak;
and I don't desire to think;
but I earnestly wish she were
invisible: her presence invokes
only maddening sensations. HE
moves me differently: and yet
if I could do it without seeming
insane, I'd never see him again!
You'll perhaps think me rather
inclined to become so,' he added,
making an effort to smile, 'if
I try to describe the thousand
forms of past associations and
ideas he awakens or embodies.
But you'll not talk of what I
tell you; and my mind is so eternally
secluded in itself, it is tempting
at last to turn it out to another.
'Five minutes ago Hareton seemed
a personification of my youth,
not a human being; I felt to
him in such a variety of ways,
that it would have been impossible
to have accosted him rationally.
In the first place, his startling
likeness to Catherine connected
him fearfully with her. That,
however, which you may suppose
the most potent to arrest my
imagination, is actually the
least: for what is not connected
with her to me? and what does
not recall her? I cannot look
down to this floor, but her features
are shaped in the flags! In every
cloud, in every tree - filling
the air at night, and caught
by glimpses in every object by
day - I am surrounded with her
image! The most ordinary faces
of men and women - my own features
- mock me with a resemblance.
The entire world is a dreadful
collection of memoranda that
she did exist, and that I have
lost her! Well, Hareton's aspect
was the ghost of my immortal
love; of my wild endeavours to
hold my right; my degradation,
my pride, my happiness, and my
anguish -
'But it is frenzy to repeat
these thoughts to you: only it
will let you know why, with a
reluctance to be always alone,
his society is no benefit; rather
an aggravation of the constant
torment I suffer: and it partly
contributes to render me regardless
how he and his cousin go on together.
I can give them no attention
any more.'
'But what do you mean by a
CHANGE, Mr. Heathcliff?' I said,
alarmed at his manner: though
he was neither in danger of losing
his senses, nor dying, according
to my judgment: he was quite
strong and healthy; and, as to
his reason, from childhood he
had a delight in dwelling on
dark things, and entertaining
odd fancies. He might have had
a monomania on the subject of
his departed idol; but on every
other point his wits were as
sound as mine.
'I shall not know that till
it comes,' he said; 'I'm only
half conscious of it now.'
'You have no feeling of illness,
have you?' I asked.
'No, Nelly, I have not,' he
answered.
'Then you are not afraid of
death?' I pursued.
'Afraid? No!' he replied. 'I
have neither a fear, nor a presentiment,
nor a hope of death. Why should
I? With my hard constitution
and temperate mode of living,
and unperilous occupations, I
ought to, and probably SHALL,
remain above ground till there
is scarcely a black hair on my
head. And yet I cannot continue
in this condition! I have to
remind myself to breathe - almost
to remind my heart to beat! And
it is like bending back a stiff
spring: it is by compulsion that
I do the slightest act not prompted
by one thought; and by compulsion
that I notice anything alive
or dead, which is not associated
with one universal idea. I have
a single wish, and my whole being
and faculties are yearning to
attain it. They have yearned
towards it so long, and so unwaveringly,
that I'm convinced it will be
reached - and soon - because
it has devoured my existence:
I am swallowed up in the anticipation
of its fulfilment. My confessions
have not relieved me; but they
may account for some otherwise
unaccountable phases of humour
which I show. O God! It is a
long fight; I wish it were over!'
He began to pace the room,
muttering terrible things to
himself, till I was inclined
to believe, as he said Joseph
did, that conscience had turned
his heart to an earthly hell.
I wondered greatly how it would
end. Though he seldom before
had revealed this state of mind,
even by looks, it was his habitual
mood, I had no doubt: he asserted
it himself; but not a soul, from
his general bearing, would have
conjectured the fact. You did
not when you saw him, Mr. Lockwood:
and at the period of which I
speak, he was just the same as
then; only fonder of continued
solitude, and perhaps still more
laconic in company.
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