Wuthering Heights From the story by Emily Bronte

«It’s not,» she replied, «it’s the best. Everything I do is linked to Heathcliff because it’s impossible for us to be separated. My love for Linton is like the leaves on the trees but my love for Heathcliff is like the rocks on the moors. He is always in my mind – so don’t ever talk of separation again.

She stopped, and buried her face in my dress^[37], but I jerked it away.

«I can’t make any sense of your talk, miss,» I said. «It seems to me you don’t understand what it means to be married, or else you’re a very wicked girl.»

That night, there was one of the worst thunderstorms I have ever known. We even feared that the house might be struck down. Heathcliff stayed out all night, and Cathy spent most of the night in the storm, searching desperately for her friend. By morning, she was exhausted, but Heathcliff was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t return that day, or any day after that. It was to be a very long time before we saw him again.

After Heathcliff disappeared, Miss Cathy was very ill. For weeks she lay in a fever, tossing and turning^[38] on her bed. Doctor Kenneth visited many times and drained several pints of blood^[39] from her, but this only seemed to make her wilder. At times, we were afraid she might throw herself down the stairs^[40] or even out of the window! But eventually, the fever grew weaker, and she began to recover slowly.

Old Mrs. Linton came to visit Cathy many times, and as soon as she was strong enough to travel, the kind lady insisted that Cathy should be moved to Thrushcross Grange. To tell the truth, I was relieved to be rid^[41] of Cathy for a while – she was a difficult patient and I had young Hareton to care for as well. But poor Mrs. Linton had reason to regret her kindness, because both she and her husband caught the fever from Cathy and died within a few days of each other.

After several months at the Grange, our young lady returned to the Heights, prouder and more passionate than ever. One day, when she provoked me beyond endurance^[42], I dared to blame her for Heathcliff’s disappearance. And after that, she refused to speak to me for months, apart from giving me orders and commands.

The months that followed Miss Cathy’s illness were hard for us all. The doctor told us that she should be given her own way whenever possible, in case one of her terrible rages led to a deadly fit^[43]. And Cathy certainly made the most of his warning. She soon became so willful that she refused to be contradicted on anything. But while the rest of us filmed in silence, Edgar Linton was quite unable to see any faults in her. He was madly in love with Cathy, and on the day of their wedding at Gimmerton Church, he sincerely believed he was the happiest man on earth.

A surprising visitor

At this point in my housekeeper’s story she glanced up at the clock, and was amazed to see that it was half past one. She wouldn’t hear of staying a second longer, and I suddenly realized just how tired I was. I dragged my aching body off to bed, and spent a troubled night, dreaming of Wuthering Heights.

In the morning, I woke up with a throbbing head and a sore throat^[44], which developed into a nasty case of flu. For the next few days I was forced to stay in bed. It was weeks before I was strong enough to do more than doze by the fireside, but at last I began to feel better. I was still too weak to walk outside, so I asked Nelly if she would come and sit with me, and continue her story where she had left off…

After Miss Cathy and Mr. Edgar were married, I went to live at Thrushcross Grange to help look after Cathy. I was very sad to leave Wuthering Heights. My little Hareton was not yet five years old and I had just begun to teach him to read. It nearly broke my heart to leave the boy in that cheerless house, with only his drunken father and old Joseph to care for him.

Once she was settled in at the Grange, Cathy behaved a great deal better than I had expected. She seemed almost too fond of Mr. Edgar, and she even showed plenty of affection for his sister, Isabella. They certainly made a great fuss of her, bending over backwards to agree to all her wishes^[45]. I noticed that Edgar had a great fear of upsetting his wife, and none of the servants were allowed to answer her back or complain about her many orders.