第15章

I\'llkillher，EllenDean，ifyoulethercomeintomysightagain!\'

Haretontried，underhisbreath，topersuadehertogo。

`Dragheraway!\'hecriedsavagely。`Areyoustayingtotalk？\'

Andheapproachedtoexecutehisowncommand。

`He\'llnotobeyyou，wickedman，anymore，\'saidCatherine；`andhe\'llsoondetestyouasmuchasIdo。\'

"Wisht!wisht!\'mutteredtheyoungmanreproachfully。`Iwillnothearyouspeaksotohim。Havedone。\'

`Butyouwon\'tlethimstrikeme？\'shecried。`Come，then，\'hewhisperedearnestly。Itwastoolate:Heathcliffhadcaughtholdofher。

`Nowyougo!\'hesaidtoEarnshaw。`Accursedwitch!thistimeshehasprovokedmewhenIcouldnotbearit；andI\'llmakeherrepentitforever!\'

Hehadhishandinherhair；Haretonattemptedtoreleasethelocks，entreatinghimnottohurtherthatonce。Heathcliff\'sblackeyesflashed；heseemedreadytotearCatherineinpieces，andIwasjustworkeduptoriskcomingtotherescue，whenofasuddenhisfingersrelaxed；

heshiftedhisgraspfromherheadtoherarm，andgazedintentlyinherface。Thenhedrewhishandoverhiseyes，stoodamomenttocollecthimselfapparently，andturninganewtoCatherine，saidwithassumedcalmness:

`Youmustlearntoavoidputtingmeinapassion，orIshallreallymurderyousometime!GowithMrsDean，andkeepwithher；andconfineyourinsolencetoherears。AstoHaretonEarnshaw，ifIseehimlistentoyou，I\'llsendhimseekinghisbreadwherehecangetit!Yourlovewillmakehimanoutcastandabeggar。Nelly，takeher；andleavemeallofyou!Leaveme!\'

Iledmyyoungladyout:shewastoogladofherescapetoresist；

theotherfollowed，andMrHeathcliffhadtheroomtohimselftilldinner。

IhadcounselledCatherinetogethersupstairs；but，assoonasheperceivedhervacantseat，hesentmetocallher。Hespoketononeofus，ateverylittle，andwentoutdirectlyafterwards，intimatingthatheshouldnotreturnbeforeevening。

Thetwonewfriendsestablishedthemselvesinthehouseduringhisabsence；whenIheardHaretonsternlycheckhiscousin，onherofferingarevelationofherfather-in-law\'sconducttohisfather。Hesaidhewouldn\'tsufferawordtobeutteredtohim，inhisdisparagement:ifhewerethedevil，itdidn\'tsignify:hewouldstandbyhim；andhe\'drathershewouldabusehimself，assheusedto，thanbeginonMrHeathcliff。Catherinewaswaxingcrossatthis；buthefoundmeanstomakeherholdhertongue，byaskinghowshewouldlikehimtospeakillofherfather？andthenshecomprehendedthatEarnshawtookthemaster\'sreputationhometohimself；

andwasattachedbytiesstrongerthanreasoncouldbreak——chains，forgedbyhabit，whichitwouldbecrueltoattempttoloosen。Sheshowedagoodheart，thenceforth，inavoidingbothcomplaintsandexpressionsofantipathyconcerningHeathcliff；andconfessedtomehersorrowthatshehadendeavouredtoraiseabadspiritbetweenhimandHareton:indeed，Idon\'tbelieveshehaseverbreathedasyllable，inthelatter\'shearing，againstheroppressorsince。

`Whenthisslightdisagreementwasover，theywerethickagain，andasbusyaspossibleintheirseveraloccupationsofpupilandteacher。

Icameintositwiththem，afterIhaddonemywork；andIfeltsosoothedandcomfortedtowatchthem，thatIdidnotnoticehowtimegoton。Youknow，theybothappearedinameasuremychildren:Ihadlongbeenproudofone；andnow，Iwassure，theotherwouldbeasourceofequalsatisfaction。

Hishonest，warm，andintelligentnatureshookoffrapidlythecloudsofignoranceanddegradationinwhichithadbeenbred；andCatherine\'ssincerecommendationsactedasaspurtohisindustry。Hisbrighteningmindbrightenedhisfeatures，andaddedspiritandnobilitytotheiraspect:IcouldhardlyfancyitthesameindividualIhadbeheldonthedayIdiscoveredmylittleladyat`WutheringHeights，afterherexpeditiontotheCrags。`WhileI

admiredandtheylaboured，duskgrewon，andwithitreturnedthemaster。

Hecameuponusquiteunexpectedly，enteringbythefrontway，andhadafullviewofthewholethree，erewecouldraiseourheadstoglanceathim。Well，Ireflected，therewasneverapleasanter，ormoreharmlesssight；anditwillbeaburningshametoscoldthem。Theredfirelightglowedontheirtwobonnyheads，andrevealedtheirfacesanimatedwiththeeagerinterestofchildren；for，——thoughhewastwenty-threeandsheeighteen，eachhadsomuchofnoveltytofeelandlearn，thatneitherexperiencednorevincedthesentimentsofsoberdisenchantedmaturity。

Theyliftedtheireyestogether，toencounterMrHeathcliff:perhapsyouhaveneverremarkedthattheireyesarepreciselysimilar，andtheyarethoseofCatherineEarnshaw。ThepresentCatherinehasnootherlikenesstoher，exceptabreadthofforehead，andacertainarchofthenostrilthatmakesherappearratherhaughty，whethershewillornot。`WithHaretontheresemblanceiscarriedfurther:itissingularatalltimes，thenitwasparticularlystriking；becausehissenseswerealert，andhismentalfacultieswakenedtounwontedactivity。IsupposethisresemblancedisarmedMrHeathcliff:hewalkedtothehearthinevidentagitation；butitquicklysubsidedashelookedattheyoungman:or，Ishouldsay，altereditscharacter；

foritwasthereyet。Hetookthebookfromhishand，andglancedattheopenpage，thenreturneditwithoutanyobservation；merelysigningCatherineaway:hercompanionlingeredverylittlebehindher，andIwasabouttodepartalso，buthebidmesitstill。

`Itisapoorconclusion，isitnot？\'heobserved，havingbroodedawhileonthescenehehadjustwitnessed:`anabsurdterminationtomyviolentexertions？Igetleversandmattockstodemolishthetwohouses，andtrainmyselftobecapableofworkinglikeHercules，andwheneverythingisreadyandinmypower，Ifindthewilltoliftaslateoffeitherroofhasvanished!Myoldenemieshavenotbeatenme；nowwouldbetheprecisetimetorevengemyselfontheirrepresentatives:Icoulddoit；andnonecouldhinderme。Butwhereistheuse？Idon\'tcareforstriking；Ican\'ttakethetroubletoraisemyhand!ThatsoundsasifIhadbeenlabouringthewholetimeonlytoexhibitafinetraitofmagnanimity。Itisfarfrombeingthecase:Ihavelostthefacultyofenjoyingtheirdestruction，andIamtooidletodestroyfornothing。

`Nelly，thereisastrangechangeapproaching:I\'minitsshadowatpresent。Itakesolittleinterestinmydailylife，thatIhardlyremembertoeatanddrink。Thosetwowhohavelefttheroomaretheonlyobjectswhichretainadistinctmaterialappearancetome；andthatappearancecausesmepain，amountingtoagony。AboutherIwon\'tspeak；andIdon\'tdesiretothink；butIearnestlywishshewereinvisible:herpresenceinvokesonlymaddeningsensations。Hemovesmedifferently:andyetifIcoulddoitwithoutseeminginsane，I\'dneverseehimagain。You\'llperhapsthinkmeratherinclinedtobecomeso，\'headded，makinganefforttosmile，`ifItrytodescribethethousandformsofpastassociationsandideasheawakensorembodies。Butyou\'llnottalkofwhatItellyou；andmymindissoeternallysecludedinitself，itistemptingatlasttoturnitouttoanother。

`Fiveminutesago，Haretonseemedapersonificationofmyyouth，notahumanbeing:Ifelttohiminsuchavarietyofways，thatitwouldhavebeenimpossibletohaveaccostedhimrationally。Inthefirstplace，hisstartlinglikenesstoCatherineconnectedhimfearfullywithher。That，however，whichyoumaysupposethemostpotenttoarrestmyimagination，isactuallytheleast:forwhatisnotconnectedwithhertome？andwhatdoesnotrecallher？Icannotlookdowntothisfloor，butherfeaturesareshapedintheflags!Ineverycloud，ineverytree——fillingtheairatnight，andcaughtbyglimpsesineveryobjectbyday——Iamsurroundedwithherimage!Themostordinaryfacesofmenandwomen——myownfeatures——mockmewitharesemblance。Theentireworldisadreadfulcollectionofmemorandathatshedidexist，andthatIhavelosther!Well，Hareton\'saspectwastheghostofmyimmortallove；ofmywildendeavourstoholdmyright；

mydegradation，mypride，myhappiness，andmyanguish:

`Butitisfrenzytorepeatthesethoughtstoyou:onlyitwillletyouknowwhy，withareluctancetobealwaysalone，hissocietyisnobenefit；ratheranaggravationoftheconstanttormentIsuffer；anditpartlycontributestorendermeregardlesshowheandhiscousingoontogether。Icangivethemnoattention，anymore。

`Butwhatdoyoumeanbyachange，MrHeathcliff？\'Isaid，alarmedathismanner:thoughhewasneitherindangeroflosinghissenses，nordying，accordingtomyjudgment；hewasquitestrongandhealthy:and，astohisreason，fromchildhoodhehadadelightindwellingondarkthings，andentertainingoddfancies。Hemighthavehadamonomaniaonthesubjectofhisdepartedidol；butoneveryotherpointhiswitswereassoundasmine。

`Ishallnotknowthattillitcomes，\'hesaid，`I\'monlyhalfconsciousofitnow。

`Youhavenofeelingsofillness，haveyou？\'Iasked。

`No，Nelly，Ihavenot，\'heanswered。

`Thenyouarenotafraidofdeath？\'Ipursued。

`Afraid？No!\'hereplied。`Ihaveneitherafear，norapresentiment，norahopeofdeath。WhyshouldI？`Withmyhardconstitutionandtemperatemodeofliving，andunperilousoccupations，Ioughtto，andprobablyshall，remainabovegroundtillthereisscarcelyablackhaironmyhead。AndyetIcannotcontinueinthiscondition!Ihavetoremindmyselftobreathe——almosttoremindmyhearttobeat!Anditislikebendingbackastiffspring；

itisbycompulsionthatIdotheslightestactnotpromptedbyonethought；

andbycompulsionthatInoticeanythingaliveordead，whichisnotassociatedwithoneuniversalidea。Ihaveasinglewish，andmywholebeingandfacultiesareyearningtoattainIt。Theyhaveyearnedtowardsitsolong，andsounwaveringly，thatI\'mconvinceditwillbereached——andsoon——becauseithasdevouredmyexistence:Iamswallowedupintheanticipationofitsfulfilment。Myconfessionshavenotrelievedme；buttheymayaccountforsomeotherwiseunaccountablephasesofhumourwhichIshow。OGod!

Itisalongfight，Iwishitwereover!\'

Hebegantopacetheroom，mutteringterriblethingstohimself，tillIwasinclinedtobelieve，ashesaidJosephdid，thatconsciencehadturnedhishearttoanearthlyhell。Iwonderedgreatlyhowitwouldend。Thoughheseldombeforehadrevealedthisstateofmind，evenbylooks，itwashishabitualmood，Ihadnodoubt:heassertedithimself；butnotasoul，fromhisgeneralbearing，wouldhaveconjecturedthefact。Youdidnotwhenyousawhim，MrLockwood:andattheperiodofwhichIspeakhewasjustthesameasthen；onlyfonderofcontinuedsolitude，andperhapsstillmorelaconicincompany。

[NextChapter][TableofContents]WutheringHeights[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]Chapter34Forsomedaysafterthatevening，MrHeathcliffshunnedmeetingusatmeals；

yethewouldnotconsentformallytoexcludeHaretonandCathy。Hehadanaversiontoyieldingsocompletelytohisfeelings，choosingrathertoabsenthimself；andeatingonceintwenty-fourhoursseemedsufficientsustenanceforhim。

Onenight，afterthefamilywereinbed，Iheardhimgodownstairs，andoutatthefrontdoor。Ididnothearhimre-enter，andinthemorningIfoundhewasstillaway。WewereinAprilthen:theweatherwassweetandwarm，thegrassasgreenasshowersandsuncouldmakeit，andthetwodwarfappletreesnearthesouthernwallinfullbloom。Afterbreakfast，Catherineinsistedonmybringingachairandsittingwithmyworkunderthefirtreesattheendofthehouse；andshebeguiledHareton，whohadperfectlyrecoveredfromhisaccident，todigandarrangeherlittlegarden，whichwasshiftedtothatcornerbytheinfluenceofJoseph\'scomplaints。

Iwascomfortablyrevellinginthespringfragrancearound，andthebeautifulsoftblueoverhead，whenmyyounglady，whohadrundownnearthegatetoprocuresomeprimroserootsforaborder，returnedonlyhalfladen，andinformedusthatMrHeathcliffwascomingin。`Andhespoketome，\'

sheadded，withaperplexedcountenance。

"Whatdidhesay？\'askedHareton。

`HetoldmetobegoneasfastasIcould，\'sheanswered。`ButhelookedsodifferentfromhisusuallookthatIstoppedamomenttostareathim。\'

`How？\'heinquired。

`Why，almostbrightandcheerful。No，almostnothing——verymuchexcited，andwildandglad!\'shereplied。

`Nightwalkingamuseshim，then，\'Iremarked，affectingacarelessmanner:inrealityassurprisedasshewas，andanxioustoascertainthetruthofherstatement；fortoseethemasterlookinggladwouldnotbeaneverydayspectacle。Iframedanexcusetogoin。Heathcliffstoodattheopendoor，hewaspale，andhetrembled:yet，certainly，hehadastrange，joyfulglitterinhiseyes，thatalteredtheaspectofhiswholeface。

`Willyouhavesomebreakfast？\'Isaid。`Youmustbehungry，ramblingaboutallnight!\'Iwantedtodiscoverwherehehadbeen，butIdidnotliketoaskdirectly。

`No，I\'mnothungry，\'heanswered，avertinghishead，andspeakingrathercontemptuously，asifheguessedIwastryingtodivinetheoccasionofhisgoodhumour。

Ifeltperplexed:Ididn\'tknowwhetheritwerenotaproperopportunitytoofferabitofadmonition。

`Idon\'tthinkitrighttowanderoutofdoors，\'Iobserved，`insteadofbeinginbed:itisnotwise，atanyrate，thismoistseason。Idaresayyou\'llcatchabadcold，orafever:youhavesomethingthematterwithyounow!\'

`NothingbutwhatIcanbear，\'hereplied；`andwiththegreatestpleasure，providedyou\'llleavemealone；getin，anddon\'tannoyme。\'

Iobeyed:and，inpassing，Inoticedhebreathedasfastasacat。

`Yes!\'Ireflectedtomyself，`weshallhaveafitofillness。

Icannotconceivewhathehasbeendoing。\'

Thatnoonhesatdowntodinnerwithus，andreceivedaheaped-upplatefrommyhands，asifheintendedtomakeamendsforpreviousfasting。

`I\'veneithercoldnorfever，Nelly，\'heremarked，inallusiontomymorning\'sspeech；`andI\'mreadytodojusticetothefoodyougiveme。

Hetookhisknifeandfork，andwasgoingtocommenceeating，whentheinclinationappearedtobecomesuddenlyextinct。Helaidthemonthetable，lookedeagerlytowardsthewindow，thenroseandwentout。

`Wesawhimwalkingtoandfrointhegardenwhileweconcludedourmeal，andEarnshawsaidhe\'dgoandaskwhyhewouldnotdine:hethoughtwehadgrievedhimsomeway。

`Well，ishecoming？\'criedCatherine，whenhercousinreturned。

`Nay，\'heanswered；`buthe\'snotangry:heseemedrareandpleasedindeed；onlyImadehimimpatientbyspeakingtohimtwice；andthenhebidmebeofftoyou:hewonderedhowIcouldwantthecompanyofanybodyelse。\'

Isethisplatetokeepwarmonthefender；andafteranhourortwohere-entered，whentheroomwasclear，innodegreecalmer:thesameunnatural——itwasunnatural——appearanceofjoyunderhisblackbrows；

thesamebloodlesshue，andhisteethvisible，nowandthen，inakindofsmile；hisframeshivering，notasoneshiverswithchillorweakness，butasatight-stretchedcordvibrates——astrongthrilling，ratherthantrembling。

Iwillaskwhatisthematter，Ithought；orwhoshould？AndI

exclaimed:

`Haveyouheardanygoodnews，MrHeathcliff？Youlookuncommonlyanimated。\'

`Whereshouldgoodnewscomefromtome？\'hesaid。`I\'manimatedwithhunger；and，seemingly，Imustnoteat。\'

`Yourdinnerishere，\'Ireturned；`whywon\'tyougetit？\'

`Idon\'twantitnow；\'hemutteredhastily；`I\'llwaittillsupper。

And，Nelly，onceforall，letmebegyoutowarnHaretonandtheotherawayfromme。Iwishtobetroubledbynobody:Iwishtohavethisplacetomyself。\'

`Istheresomenewreasonforthisbanishment？\'Iinquired。`Tellmewhyyouaresoqueer，MrHeathcliff？`Wherewereyoulastnight？I\'mnotputtingthequestionthroughidlecuriosity，but——\'

`Youareputtingthequestionthroughveryidlecuriosity，\'heinterrupted，withalaugh。`YetI\'llanswerit。LastnightIwasonthethresholdofhell。Today，Iamwithinsightofmyheaven。Ihavemyeyesonit:hardlythreefeettoseverme!Andnowyou\'dbettergo!You\'llneitherseenorhearanythingtofrightenyou，ifyourefrainfromprying。\'

Havingsweptthehearthandwipedthetable，Ideparted；moreperplexedthanever。

Hedidnotquitthehouseagainthatafternoon，andnooneintrudedonhissolitude；till，ateighto\'clock，Ideemeditproper，thoughunsummoned，tocarryacandleandhissuppertohim。Hewasleaningagainsttheledgeofanopenlattice，butnotlookingout:hisfacewasturnedtotheinteriorgloom。Thefirehadsmoulderedtoashes；theroomwasfilledwiththedamp，mildairofthecloudyevening；andsostill，thatnotonlythemurmurofthebeckdownGimmertonwasdistinguishable，butitsripplesanditsgurglingoverthepebbles，orthroughthelargestoneswhichitcouldnotcover。Iutteredanejaculationofdiscontentatseeingthedismalgrate，andcommencedshuttingthecasements，oneafteranother，tillIcametohis。

`MustIclosethis？\'Iasked，inordertorousehim；forhewouldnotstir。

ThelightflashedonhisfeaturesasIspoke。Oh，MrLockwood，IcannotexpresswhataterriblestartIgotbythemomentaryview!Thosedeepblackeyes!Thatsmile，andghastlypaleness!Itappearedtome，notMrHeathcliff，butagoblin；and，inmyterror，Iletthecandlebendtowardsthewall，anditleftmeindarkness。

`Yes，closeit，\'hereplied，inhisfamiliarvoice。`There，thatispureawkwardness!Whydidyouholdthecandlehorizontally？Bequick，andbringanother。\'

Ihurriedoutinafoolishstateofdread，andsaidtoJoseph:

`Themasterwishesyoutotakehimalightandrekindlethefire。\'

ForIdarenotgoinmyselfagainjustthen。

Josephrattledsomefireintotheshovel，andwent；buthebroughtitbackimmediately，withthesuppertrayinhisotherhand，explainingthatMrHeathcliffwasgoingtobed，andhewantednothingtoeattillmorning。Weheardhimmountthestairsdirectly；hedidnotproceedtohisordinarychamber，butturnedintothatwiththepanelledbed:itswindow，asImentionedbefore，iswideenoughforanybodytogetthrough；anditstruckmethatheplottedanothermidnightexcursion，ofwhichhehadratherwehadnosuspicion。

`Isheaghouloravampire？\'Imused。Ihadreadofsuchhideousincarnatedemons。AndthenIsetmyselftoreflecthowIhadtendedhimininfancy，andwatchedhimgrowtoyouth，andfollowedhimalmostthroughhiswholecourse；andwhatabsurdnonsenseitwastoyieldtothatsenseofhorror。`Butwheredidhecomefrom，thelittledarkthing，harbouredbyagoodmantohisbane？\'mutteredSuperstition，asIdozedintounconsciousness。

AndIbegan，halfdreaming，towearymyselfwithimaginingsomefitparentageforhim；and，repeatingmywakingmeditations，Itrackedhisexistenceoveragain，withgrimvariations；atlast，picturinghisdeathandfuneral:

ofwhich，allIcanrememberis，beingexceedinglyvexedathavingthetaskofdictatinganinscriptionforhismonument，andconsultingthesextonaboutit；and，ashehadnosurname，andwecouldnot`tellhisage，wewereobligedtocontentourselveswiththesingleword，`Heathcliff\'。Thatcametrue:wewere。Ifyouenterthekirkyard，you\'llreadonhisheadstone，onlythat，andthedateofhisdeath。

Dawnrestoredmetocommonsense。Irose，andwentintothegarden，assoonasIcouldsee，toascertainiftherewereanyfootmarksunderhiswindow。Therewerenone。`Hehasstayedathome~ought，`andhe\'llbeallrighttoday。\'Ipreparedbreakfastforthehousehold，aswasmyusualcustom，buttoldHaretonandCatherinetogettheirserethemastercamedown，forhelaylate。Theypreferredtakingitoutofdoors，underthetrees，andIsetalittletabletoaccommodatethem。

Onmyre-entrance，IfoundMrHeathcliffbelow。HeandJosephwereconversingaboutsomefarmingbusiness；hegaveclear，minutedirectionsconcerningthematterdiscussed，buthespokerapidly，andturnedhisheadcontinuallyaside，andhadthesameexcitedexpression，evenmoreexaggerated。

`WhenJosephquittedtheroomhetookhisseatintheplacehegenerallychose，andIputabasinofcoffeebeforehim。Hedrewitnearer，andthenrestedhisarmsonthetable，andlookedattheoppositewall，asIsupposed，surveyingoneparticularportion，upanddown，withglittering，restlesseyes，andwithsucheagerinterestthathestoppedbreathingduringhalfaminutetogether。

`Comenow，Iexclaimed，pushingsomebreadagainsthishand，`eatanddrinkthat，whileitishot:ithasbeenwaitingnearanhour。\'

Hedidn\'tnoticeme，andyethesmiled。I\'dratherhaveseenhimgnashhisteeththansmileso。

`MrHeathcliff!master!\'Icried，`don\'t，forGod\'ssake，stareasifyousawanunearthlyvision。\'

`Don\'t，forGod\'ssake，shoutsoloud，\'hereplied。`Turnround，andtellme，arewebyourselves？\'

`Ofcourse，\'wasmyanswer；`ofcourseweare。\'

StillIinvoluntarilyobeyedhim，asifIwerenotquitesure。

`Withasweepofhishandheclearedavacantspaceinfrontamongthebreakfastthings，andleantforwardtogazemoreathisease。

Now，Iperceivedhewasnotlookingatthewall；forwhenIregardedhimalone，itseemedexactlythathegazedatsomethingwithintwoyards\'

distance。Andwhateveritwas，itcommunicated，apparently，bothpleasureandpaininexquisiteextremes:atleasttheanguished，yetraptured，expressionofhiscountenancesuggestedthatidea。Thefanciedobjectwasnotfixed:

eitherhiseyespursueditwithunwearieddiligence，and，eveninspeakingtome，wereneverweanedaway。Ivainlyremindedhimofhisprotractedabstinencefromfood:ifhestirredtotouchanythingincompliancewithmyentreaties，ifhestretchedhishandouttogetapieceofbread，hisfingersclenchedbeforetheyreachedit，andremainedonthetable，forgetfuloftheiraim。

Isat，amodelofpatience，tryingtoattracthisabsorbedattentionfromitsengrossingspeculation；tillhegrewirritable，andgot——up，askingwhyIwouldnotallowhimtohavehisowntimeintakinghismeals？andsayingthatonthenextoccasion，Ineedn\'twait:Imightsetthethingsdownandgo。Havingutteredthesewordsheleftthehouse，slowlysauntereddownthegardenpath，anddisappearedthroughthegate。

Thehourscreptanxiouslyby:anothereveningcame。Ididnotretiretoresttilllate，andwhenIdid，Icouldnotsleep。Hereturnedaftermidnight，and，insteadofgoingtobed，shuthimselfintotheroombeneath。Ilistened，andtossedabout，and，finally，dressedanddescended。

Itwastooirksometolieupthere，harassingmybrainwithahundredidlemisgivings。

IdistinguishedMrHeathcliff\'sstep，restlesslymeasuringthefloor，andhefrequentlybrokethesilencebyadeepinspiration，resemblingagroan。Hemuttereddetachedwordsalso；theonlyoneIcouldcatchwasthenameofCatherine，coupledwithsomewildtermofendearmentorsuffering；

andspokenasonewouldspeaktoapersonpresent:lowandearnest，andwrungfromthedepthofhissoul。Ihadnotcouragetowalkstraightintotheapartment；butIdesiredtodiverthimfromhisreverie，andthereforefellfoulofthekitchenfire，stirredit，andbegantoscrapethecinders。

ItdrewhimforthsoonerthanIexpected。Heopenedthedoorimmediately，andsaid:

`Nelly，comehere——isitmorning？Comeinwithyourlight。\'

`Itisstrikingfour，\'Ianswered。`Youwantacandletotakeupstairs:youmighthavelitoneatthisfire。\'

`No，Idon\'twishtogoupstairs，\'hesaid。`Comein，andkindlemeafire，anddoanythingthereistodoabouttheroom。\'

`Imustblowthecoalsredfirst，beforeIcancarryany，\'Ireplied，gettingachairandthebellows。

Heroamedtoandfro，meantime，inastateapproachingdistraction；

hisheavysighssucceedingeachothersothickastoleavenospaceforcommonbreathingbetween。

"WhendaybreaksI\'llsendforGreen，\'hesaid；`IwishtomakesomelegalinquiriesofhimwhileIcanbestowathoughtonthosematters，andwhileIcanactcalmly。Ihavenotwrittenmywillyet；andhowtoleavemypropertyIcannotdetermine。IwishIcouldannihilateitfromthefaceoftheearth。\'

`Iwouldnottalkso，MrHeathcliff，\'Iinterposed。`Letyourwillbeawhile:you\'llbesparedtorepentofyourmanyinjusticesyet。

Ineverexpectedthatyournerveswouldbedisordered:theyare，atpresent，marvellouslyso，however；andalmostentirelythroughyourownfault。Thewayyou\'vepassedthesethreelastdaysmightknockupaTitan。Dotakesomefood，andsomerepose。Youneedonlylookatyourselfinaglasstoseehowyourequireboth。Yourcheeksarehollow，andyoureyesbloodshot，likeapersonstarvingwithhungerandgoingblindwithlossofsleep。\'

`ItisnotmyfaultthatIcannoteatorrest，\'hereplied。`I

assureyouitisthroughnosettleddesigns。I\'lldobothassoonasI

possiblycan。Butyoumightaswellbidamanstrugglinginthewaterrestwithinarm\'slengthoftheshore!Imustreachitfirst，andthenI\'llrest。Well，nevermindMrGreen:astorepentingofmyinjustices，I\'vedonenoinjustice，andIrepentofnothing。I\'mtoohappy；andyetI\'mnothappyenough。Mysoul\'sblisskillsmybody，butdoesnotsatisfyitself。\'

`Happy，master？\'Icried。`Strangehappiness!Ifyouwouldhearmewithoutbeingangry，Imightoffersomeadvicethatwouldmakeyouhappier。

"Whatisthat？\'heasked。`Giveit。\'

`Youareaware，MrHeathcliff，\'Isaid，`thatfromthetimeyouwerethirteenyearsold，youhavelivedaselfish，unchristianlife；andprobablyhardlyhadaBibleinyourhandsduringallthatperiod。Youmusthaveforgottenthecontentsofthebook，andyoumaynothavespacetosearchitnow。Coulditbehurtfultosendforsomeone——someministerofanydenomination，itdoesnotmatterwhich——toexplainit，andshowyouhowveryfaryouhaveerredfromitsprecepts；andhowunfityouwillbeforitsheaven，unlessachangetakesplace`beforeyoudie？\'

`I\'mratherobligedthanangry，Nelly，\'hesaid，`foryouremindmeofthemannerthatIdesiretobeburiedin。Itistobecarriedtothechurchyardintheevening。YouandHaretonmay，ifyouplease，accompanyme:andmind，particularly，tonoticethatthesextonobeysmydirectionsconcerningthetwocoffins!Noministerneedcome；norneedanythingbesaidoverme——ItellyouIhavenearlyattainedmyheaven；andthatofothersisaltogetherunvaluedanduncoveredbyme。

`Andsupposingyouperseveredinyourobstinatefast，anddiedbythatmeans，andtheyrefusedtoburyyouintheprecinctsofthekirk？\'

Isaid，shockedathisgodlessindifference。`Howwouldyoulikeit？\'

`Theywon\'tdothat，\'hereplied:`iftheydid，youmusthavemeremovedsecretly:andifyouneglectityoushallprove，practically，thatthedeadarenotannihilated!\'

Assoonasheheardtheothermembersofthefamilystirringheretiredtohisden，andIbreathedfreer。Butintheafternoon，whileJosephandHaretonwereattheirwork，hecameintothekitchenagain，and，withawildlook，bidmecomeandsitinthehouse:hewantedsomebodywithhim。Ideclined:tellinghimplainlythathisstrangetalkandmannerfrightenedme，andIhadneitherthenervenorthewilltobehiscompanionalone。

`Ibelieveyouthinkmeafiend，\'hesaid，withhisdismallaugh:

somethingtoohorribletoliveunderadecentroof。\'ThenturningtoCatherine，whowasthere，andwhodrewbehindmeathisapproach，headded，halfsneeringly——`Willyoucome，chuck？I\'llnothurtyou。No!toyouI\'vemademyselfworsethanthedevil。Well，thereisonewhowon\'tshrinkfrommycompany!ByGod!she\'srelentless。Oh，damnit!It\'sunutterablytoomuchforfleshandbloodtobear——evenmine。\'

Hesolicitedthesocietyofnoonemore。Atdusk，hewentintohischamber。Throughthewholenight，andfarintothemorning，weheardhimgroaningandmurmuringtohimself。Haretonwasanxioustoenter；butIbadehimfetchMrKenneth，andheshouldgoinandseehim。Whenhecame，andIrequestedadmittanceandtriedtoopenthedoor，Ifounditlocked；

andHeathcliffbidusbedamned。Hewasbetter，andwouldbeleftalone；

sothedoctorwentaway。

Thefollowingeveningwasverywet:indeeditpoureddowntillday-dawn；and，asItookmymorningwalkroundthehouse，Iobservedthemaster\'swindowswingingopen，andtheraindrivingstraightin。Hecannotbeinbed，Ithought:thoseshowerswoulddrenchhimthrough。Hemusteitherbeuporout。ButI\'llmakenomoreado，I\'llgoboldlyandlook。

Havingsucceededinobtainingentrancewithanotherkey，Irantounclosethepanels，forthechamberwasvacant；quicklypushingthemaside，Ipeepedin。MrHeathcliffwasthere——laidonhisback。Hiseyesmetminesokeenandfierce，Istarted；andthenheseemedtosmile。I

couldnotthinkhimdead:buthisfaceandthroatwerewashedwithrain；

thebedclothesdripped，andhewas~perfectlystill。Thelattice，flappingtoandfro，hadgrazedonehandthatrestedonthesill；nobloodtrickledfromthebrokenskin，andwhenIputmyfingerstoit，Icoulddoubtnomore:hewasdeadandstark!

Ihaspedthewindow；Icombedhisblacklonghairfromhisforehead；

Itriedtoclosehiseyes:toextinguish，ifpossible，thatfrightful，lifelikegazeofexultationbeforeanyoneelsebeheldit。Theywouldnotshut:theyseemedtosneeratmyattempts:andhispartedlipsandsharpwhiteteethsneeredtoo!Takenwithanotherfitofcowardice，IcriedoutforJoseph。Josephshuffledupandmadeanoise；butresolutelyrefusedtomeddlewithhim。

`Th\'divil\'sharriedoffhissoul，\'hecried，`andhemuhhevhiscarcassintuht\'bargain，forow\'tAwcare!Ech!whatawickedunhelooksgirningatdeath!\'andtheoldsinnergrinnedinmockery。Ithoughtheintendedtocutacaperroundthebed；but，suddenlycomposinghimself，hefellonhisknees，andraisedhishands，andreturnedthanksthatthelawfulmasterandtheancientstockwererestoredtotheirrights。

Ifeltstunnedbytheawfulevent；andmymemoryunavoidablyrecurredtoformertimeswithasortofoppressivesadness。ButpoorHareton，themostwronged，wastheonlyonethatreallysufferedmuch。Hesatbythecorpseallnight，weepinginbitterearnest。Hepresseditshand，andkissedthesarcasticsavagefacethateveryoneelseshrankfromcontemplating；

andbemoanedhimwiththatstronggriefwhichspringsnaturallyfromagenerousheart，thoughitbetoughastemperedsteel。

MrKennethwasperplexedtopronounceofwhatdisorderthemasterdied。Iconcealedthefactofhishavingswallowednothingforfourdays，fearingitmightleadtotrouble，andthen，Iampersuaded，hedidnotabstainonpurpose:itwastheconsequenceofhisstrangeillness，notthecause。

`Weburiedhim，tothescandalofthewholeneighbourhood，ashewished。EarnshawandI，thesexton，andsixmentocarrythecoffin，comprehendedthewholeattendance。Thesixmendepartedwhentheyhadletitdownintothegrave:westayedtoseeitcovered。Hareton，withastreamingface，duggreensods，andlaidthemoverthebrownmouldhimself:atpresentitisassmoothandverdantasitscompanionmounds——andIhopeitstenantsleepsassoundly。Butthecountryfolk，ifyouaskthem，wouldswearontheBiblethathewalks:therearethosewhospeaktohavingmethimnearthechurch，andonthemoor，andeveninthishouse。Idletales，you\'llsay，andsosayI。Yetthatoldmanbythekitchenfireaffirmshehasseentwoon`em，lookingoutofhischamberwindow，oneveryrainynightsincehisdeath:andanoddthinghappenedtomeaboutamonthago。

IwasgoingtotheGrangeoneevening——adarkevening，threateningthunder——and，justattheturnoftheHeights，Iencounteredalittleboywithasheepandtwolambsbeforehim；hewascryingterribly；andIsupposedthelambswereskittish，andwouldnotbeguided。

"What\'sthematter，mylittleman？\'Iasked。

`There\'sHeathcliffandawoman，yonder，undert\'nab，\'heblubbered，`un\'Idarnutpass`em。\'

Isawnothing；butneitherthesheepnorhewouldgoon；soI

bidhimtaketheroadlowerdown。Heprobablyraisedthephantomsfromthinking，ashetraversedthemoorsalone，onthenonsensehehadheardhisparentsandcompanionsrepeat。Yet，still，Idon\'tlikebeingoutinthedarknow；andIdon\'tlikebeingleftbymyselfinthisgrimhouse:

Icannothelpit；Ishallbegladwhentheyleaveit，andshifttotheGrange。

`TheyaregoingtotheGrange，then，\'Isaid。

`Yes，\'answeredMrsDean，`issoonastheyaremarried，andthatwillbeonNewYear\'sDay。\'

`Andwhowilllivehere，then？\'

`Why，Josephwilltakecareofthehouse，and，perhaps，aladtokeephimcompany。Theywillliveinthekitchen，andtherestwillbeshutup。\'

`Fortheuseofsuchghostsaschoosetoinhabitit，\'Iobserved。

`No，MrLockwood，\'saidNelly，shakingherhead。`Ibelievethedeadareatpeace:butitisnotrighttospeakofthemwithlevity。\'

Atthatmomentthegardengateswungto；theramblerswerereturning。

`Theyareafraidofnothing，\'Igrumbled，watchingtheirapproachthroughthewindow。`TogethertheywouldbraveSatanandallhislegions。\'

Astheysteppedontothedoorstones，andhaltedtotakealastlookatthemoon——or，morecorrectly，ateachotherbyherlight——Ifeltirresistiblyimpelledtoescapethemagain；and，pressingaremembranceintothehandofMrsDean，anddisregardingherexpostulationsatmyrudeness，Ivanishedthroughthekitchenastheyopenedthehouse-door；andsoshouldhaveconfirmedJosephinhisopinionofhisfellow-servant\'sgayindiscretions，hadhenotfortunatelyrecognizedmeforarespectablecharacterbythesweetringofasovereignathisfeet。

Mywalkhomewaslengthenedbyadiversioninthedirectionofthekirk。`Whenbeneathitswalls，Iperceiveddecayhadmadeprogress，eveninsevenmonths:manyawindowshowedblackgapsdeprivedofglass；

andslatesjuttedoff，hereandthere，beyondtherightlineoftheroof，tobegraduallyworkedoffincomingautumnstorms。

Isought，andsoondiscovered，thethreeheadstonesontheslopenextthemoor:themiddleonegrey，andhalfburiedinheath:EdgarLinton\'sonlyharmonizedbytheturfandmosscreepingupitsfoot:Heathcliff\'sstillbare。

Ilingeredroundthem，underthatbenignsky；watchedthemothsflutteringamongtheheathandharebells，listenedtothesoftwindbreathingthroughthegrass，andwonderedhowanyonecouldeverimagineunquietslumbersforthesleepersinthatquietearth。