Chapter 34 Chapter Thirty

I have been to the Heights once, but I have not seen her since she left; and when I went to greet her Joseph held the door with his hand and would not let me in.He said that Mrs. Linton was "wrecked" and that the master was not at home.Zilla had told me something about their lives, otherwise I would hardly know who died and who lived.She thought Catherine too haughty, and she didn't like her, I guessed from her words.My miss asked for some help from her when she first went; but Heathcliff told her to mind her own business, and leave his daughter-in-law to look after herself; quite willingly obeyed.Catherine expressed childish exasperation at this slight; repaid it with scorn, and thus counted me, the tipper, among her enemies, and took revenge, as if she had done her a great wrong. something like that.About six weeks ago, shortly before your coming, I had a long talk with Zira, and we met that day in the wilderness; and this is what she told me.

"The first thing Mrs. Linton did," said she, "when she got to the Heights, was to run upstairs without even saying hello to Joseph or me; Don's room until morning, and then, when the master and Earnshaw were breakfasting, she came into the hall and asked tremblingly if a doctor might be sent? Her cousin was very ill. "'We know!' answered Heathcliff, 'but his life is worth nothing, and I will spend no more cent on him!' "'But I don't know what to do,' said she, 'and if I don't help me, he's going to die!' "'Get out of this room,' cried the master, 'and never let me hear a word of him again. Nobody here cares how he is. If you care, go nurse. If you don't, let him Lock it in and leave him.'

"Then she began to pester me, and I said I was tired enough of this annoying thing; we each had our own business, and hers was serving Linton: it was Heathcliff who told me to take that job to her. "How they got on, I can't tell, I guess he was always in a bad temper, and howled day and night, and she seldom had a little rest; you can guess from her pale face and bewildered eyes that she Sometimes I come into the kitchen, looking very embarrassed, as if I want to ask for help, but I don't intend to disobey my master: I never dare to disobey him, Mrs. Dean, although I also think it is wrong not to invite Dr. Kenneth, but that is with me. It's all right, and it's not for me to persuade or complain; I don't ever want to mind my own business. Once or twice, when we were all in bed, I opened my door now and then and found her sitting on the top of the stairs crying; I Just shut the door at once, lest I should be moved to interfere. I did pity her then; but, you know, I still don't want to lose my job.

"Finally, one night she plucked up the courage to come to my room, and what she said terrified me. 'Tell Mr. Heathcliff his son was going to die--this time I was sure he was going to die. Immediately Get up and tell him.' "After saying this, she disappeared again. I lay for another quarter of an hour, listening, trembling. There was no movement—no sound from the house. "'She's mistaken,' I said to myself. 'He's well. I don't need to bother them.' I dozed off. But for the second time my sleep was interrupted by the shriek of the bell--this was Our only bell, which was specially fitted for Linton; the master sent me to see what was the matter, and to inform them that he should not hear the sound again.

"I conveyed Catherine's words. He cursed to himself, and in a few minutes he came out with a lighted candle, and made his way to their house. I followed. Mrs. Heathcliff sat on the bed Her father-in-law stepped forward, shining a candle on Linton's face, looking at him, and touching him; then he turned to her. "'Now—Catherine,' said he, 'how do you feel?' "She was silent. "'How do you feel, Catherine?' he added. "'He's safe and I'm free,' she answered, 'and I should feel better—but,' she went on, with a sorrow she couldn't hide, 'you've left me alone to struggle with death. For so long, all I've felt and seen is death! I feel like I'm dead!'

"She looked dead, too! I'll give her a drink. Hareton and Joseph, woke by bells and footsteps, heard us outside, and now come in. I believe Joseph is glad the boy is dead; Hareton seemed a little disturbed: but he had been looking at Catherine more than he had thought of Linton. But his master told him to go back to sleep: we don't want his help. Then he told Joseph to take the body to his room, and me to come back. house, leaving Mrs. Heathcliff alone. "In the morning, he sent me to tell her she must come down to breakfast: she had undressed, and seemed to be going to bed, and said she was not well; I was not surprised at all. I told Mr. Heathcliff, He replied: "Well, let her go, and talk about it after the funeral; go often to see what she needs and bring it to her; and let me know when she sees better.'"

According to Zilla, Kitty stayed upstairs for a fortnight; Zilla went to see her twice a day and tried to be kind to her, but Zilla's attempts to be kind to her were arrogantly and flatly rejected. . Heathcliff went upstairs once to show her Linton's will.He bequeathed to his father all that he owned, and what had been her chattel: the poor thing had been threatened, or coaxed, into writing that will during the period of his uncle's death, and Catherine's absence for a week.As for the fields, since he is a minor, he does not ask.At any rate, Mr. Heathcliff has taken it over in his wife's right, as well as his; legally, I think; after all, Catherine has no money or power to interfere with his property.

"No one ever approached her door," said Zira, "except that time. Only me, and no one ever asked her. The first time she came down into the hall was on a Sunday afternoon. When her meal was brought to her, she cried that she could not stand this cold place any longer; I told her that the master was going to Thrushcross Grange, and that Earnshaw and I need not stop her from going down; Slew's horse galloped off, and there she appeared, in black, her yellow curls combed behind her ears, Quaker simplicity: she could not comb it. "Joseph and I used to go to church on Sundays." (You know, there's no priest in the church now, Mrs Dean explained; which is called a chapel.) "Joseph has gone," she went on, "but I think it would be better for me to stay at home. A young man is better off with an older watchman; Hareton, though very Shy, but not a model of good conduct. I let him know that his cousin was probably going to sit with us, and she always kept the Sabbath; Doing household chores. He blushed when he heard the news, and looked at his hands and clothes. The whale oil and gun ammunition were all put away in a moment. I think he meant to accompany her; I followed his practice Guess he wanted to make himself decent; so I laughed, which I dared not laugh with my master around, and said I could help him if he wanted to, and laughed at his panic. He was upset again, and began to cursed.

"Now, Mrs. Dean," continued Zillar, seeing my disapproval of her, "you may think your lady is too nice for Mr. Hareton; perhaps you are right: but I confess that I would like Put down her pride. What use is all her learning and her refinement to her now? She's as poor as you or I: poorer, I daresay, you're saving money, and I'm there too Do my best on this road." Hareton allowed Zilla to help him, and she softened his flattery, so that, when Catherine came in, he half-forgot, according to the housekeeper, her previous insults, and endeavored to be civil. "Madame came in," she said, "like an icicle, cold, and unattainable like a princess. I got up and gave her the armchair I was sitting in. No, she turned her nose up. My gallantry. Earnshaw rose too, and bid her sit in the high-backed chair by the fire: she must be hungry, he said.

"'I've been hungry for more than a month,' she replied. Trying to pronounce the word 'hungry' contemptuously. "She moved a chair herself, and placed it at a considerable distance from both of us. When she was warmed up, she began to look around, and saw some books on a chest of drawers; she got up at once, trying to reach it, but It was too high. Her cousin watched her try it for a while, and at last plucked up the courage to help her; she pocketed her clothes, and he took them one by one to fill the bag. "It was a big improvement for the boy. She didn't thank him; but he felt grateful that she had accepted his help, and that he stood boldly behind while she leafed through the books, and even stooped to point out some ancient insertion in the book that caught his interest; nor was he put off by the rudeness with which she jerked the page out of his fingers: he walked away quite willingly; Looking at her instead of reading. She continued reading, or looking for something to read. His attention gradually became focused on studying her thick, shiny curls: he could not see her face, nor could she He, maybe, he didn't know what he did, just like a child attracted by a candle, finally he stared at it, then began to touch it, he stretched out his hand and felt a strand of it. Curly hair, lightly, as if it were a bird. She turned around suddenly, as if he had stabbed a knife in her neck.

'Go away now!How dare you touch me?what are you doing here ' she cried in a disgusted tone, 'I can't stand you!If you come near me, I'm going upstairs again. ' "Mr. Hareton drew back, looking as stupid as he could; he sat very still on the bench, and she went on turning the pages of her book, for another half-hour; at last Earnshaw came and whispered to me. Say: "'Would you ask her to read it to us, Zilla? I'm tired of it: I'd love it—I'd love to hear her! Don't say I asked her, but you asked her to read it yourself.' "'Mr. Hareton would like you to read to us, ma'am,' I said at once. 'He will be very pleased—he will be very obliged.' ’ She frowned, raised her head, and answered: "'Mr. Hareton, and you people, please understand: I reject all hypocrisy that you show! I despise you, and I have nothing to say to any of you! When I would rather give my life When you want to hear a soft word, or even look at the face of one of you, you avoid it. But I don't want to complain to you! I was driven here by the cold; I didn't come to make you happy or with you.' "'What have I done wrong?' began Earnshaw. 'Why me?' "'Ah! you are an exception,' replied Mrs. Heathcliff, 'and I never cared if you cared for me.' "'But I have more than once mentioned and asked,' said he, exasperated by her insolence, 'that I begged Mr. Heathcliff to let me keep watch for you—' "'Shut up! I'd rather go out of the door, or anywhere, than have your nasty voice ringing in my ears!' said my wife. "Hareton murmured that it seemed to him she'd better go to hell! He took down his gun, and no longer restrained himself from his Sunday business. Now he talked, quite freely; she I immediately saw that it would be better to go back and guard her solitude: but the frost had begun, and although she was proud, she was forced to approach us gradually. In any case, I was also careful not to let her ridicule me for her. Since then, I have been as stern as she is, and there is no one among us who loves or likes her, and she is not worthy; Disrespectful. She fires even at her master, and is not afraid of him beating her; the more she is beaten, the more vicious she becomes." At first, after hearing this passage from Zilla, I resolved to leave my lodgings, and take a hut, and ask Catherine to live with me: but Mr. Heathcliff's consent would be like asking Hareton to live alone. the same as the house; and I see no remedy at present, unless she remarries, and I can do nothing to plan it. This is the end of Mrs. Ding's story.In spite of the doctor's predictions, I recovered my strength quickly; and though it was only the second week of January, I intended to ride to Wuthering Heights in a day or two to inform my landlord that I would be staying in London for the first half of the year. , and, if he wanted, he could find another tenant after October.I don't want to spend another winter here anyway.