1801. - I have just returned from a visit to my landlord - thesolitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with. This iscertainly a beautiful country! In all England, I do not believethat I could have fixed on a situation so completely removed fromthe stir of society. A perfect misanthropist's heaven: and Mr.Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolationbetween us. A capital fellow! He little imagined how my heartwarmed towards him when I beheld his black eyes withdraw sosuspiciously under their brows, as I rode up, and when his fingerssheltered themselves, with a jealous resolution, still further inhis waistcoat, as I announced my name.

'Mr. Heathcliff?' I said.

A nod was the answer.

'Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant, sir. I do myself the honour ofcalling as soon as possible after my arrival, to express the hopethat I have not inconvenienced you by my perseverance in solicitingthe occupation of Thrushcross Grange: I heard yesterday you hadhad some thoughts - '

'Thrushcross Grange is my own, sir,' he interrupted, wincing. 'Ishould not allow any one to inconvenience me, if I could hinder it- walk in!'

The 'walk in' was uttered with closed teeth, and expressed thesentiment, 'Go to the Deuce:' even the gate over which he leantmanifested no sympathising movement to the words; and I think thatcircumstance determined me to accept the invitation: I feltinterested in a man who seemed more exaggeratedly reserved thanmyself.

When he saw my horse's breast fairly pushing the barrier, he didput out his hand to unchain it, and then sullenly preceded me upthe causeway, calling, as we entered the court, - 'Joseph, take Mr.Lockwood's horse; and bring up some wine.'

'Here we have the whole establishment of domestics, I suppose,' wasthe reflection suggested by this compound order. 'No wonder thegrass grows up between the flags, and cattle are the only hedge-cutters.'

Joseph was an elderly, nay, an old man: very old, perhaps, thoughhale and sinewy. 'The Lord help us!' he soliloquised in anundertone of peevish displeasure, while relieving me of my horse:looking, meantime, in my face so sourly that I charitablyconjectured he must have need of divine aid to digest his dinner,and his pious ejaculation had no reference to my unexpected advent.

Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. Heathcliff's dwelling.'Wuthering' being a significant provincial adjective, descriptiveof the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormyweather. Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at alltimes, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind blowingover the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at theend of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretchingtheir limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun. Happily, thearchitect had foresight to build it strong: the narrow windows aredeeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large juttingstones.

Before passing the threshold, I paused to admire a quantity ofgrotesque carving lavished over the front, and especially about theprincipal door; above which, among a wilderness of crumblinggriffins and shameless little boys, I detected the date '1500,' andthe name 'Hareton Earnshaw.' I would have made a few comments, andrequested a short history of the place from the surly owner; buthis attitude at the door appeared to demand my speedy entrance, orcomplete departure, and I had no desire to aggravate his impatienceprevious to inspecting the penetralium.

One stop brought us into the family sitting-room, without anyintroductory lobby or passage: they call it here 'the house' pre-eminently. It includes kitchen and parlour, generally; but Ibelieve at Wuthering Heights the kitchen is forced to retreataltogether into another quarter: at least I distinguished achatter of tongues, and a clatter of culinary utensils, deepwithin; and I observed no signs of roasting, boiling, or baking,about the huge fireplace; nor any glitter of copper saucepans andtin cullenders on the walls. One end, indeed, reflected splendidlyboth light and heat from ranks of immense pewter dishes,interspersed with silver jugs and tankards, towering row after row,on a vast oak dresser, to the very roof. The latter had never beenunder-drawn: its entire anatomy lay bare to an inquiring eye,except where a frame of wood laden with oatcakes and clusters oflegs of beef, mutton, and ham, concealed it. Above the chimneywere sundry villainous old guns, and a couple of horse-pistols:and, by way of ornament, three gaudily-painted canisters disposedalong its ledge. The floor was of smooth, white stone; the chairs,high-backed, primitive structures, painted green: one or two heavyblack ones lurking in the shade. In an arch under the dresserreposed a huge, liver-coloured bitch pointer, surrounded by a swarmof squealing puppies; and other dogs haunted other recesses.

The apartment and furniture would have been nothing extraordinaryas belonging to a homely, northern farmer, with a stubborncountenance, and stalwart limbs set out to advantage in knee-breeches and gaiters. Such an individual seated in his arm-chair,his mug of ale frothing on the round table before him, is to beseen in any circuit of five or six miles among these hills, if yougo at the right time after dinner. But Mr. Heathcliff forms asingular contrast to his abode and style of living. He is a dark-skinned gipsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman: thatis, as much a gentleman as many a country squire: rather slovenly,perhaps, yet not looking amiss with his negligence, because he hasan erect and handsome figure; and rather morose. Possibly, somepeople might suspect him of a degree of under-bred pride; I have asympathetic chord within that tells me it is nothing of the sort:I know, by instinct, his reserve springs from an aversion to showydisplays of feeling - to manifestations of mutual kindliness.He'll love and hate equally under cover, and esteem it a species ofimpertinence to be loved or hated again. No, I'm running on toofast: I bestow my own attributes over-liberally on him. Mr.Heathcliff may have entirely dissimilar reasons for keeping hishand out of the way when he meets a would-be acquaintance, to thosewhich actuate me. Let me hope my constitution is almost peculiar:my dear mother used to say I should never have a comfortable home;and only last summer I proved myself perfectly unworthy of one.

While enjoying a month of fine weather at the sea-coast, I wasthrown into the company of a most fascinating creature: a realgoddess in my eyes, as long as she took no notice of me. I 'nevertold my love' vocally; still, if looks have language, the merestidiot might have guessed I was over head and ears: she understoodme at last, and looked a return - the sweetest of all imaginablelooks. And what did I do? I confess it with shame - shrunk icilyinto myself, like a snail; at every glance retired colder andfarther; till finally the poor innocent was led to doubt her ownsenses, and, overwhelmed with confusion at her supposed mistake,persuaded her mamma to decamp. By this curious turn of dispositionI have gained the reputation of deliberate heartlessness; howundeserved, I alone can appreciate.

I took a seat at the end of the hearthstone opposite that towardswhich my landlord advanced, and filled up an interval of silence byattempting to caress the canine mother, who had left her nursery,and was sneaking wolfishly to the back of my legs, her lip curledup, and her white teeth watering for a snatch. My caress provokeda long, guttural gnarl.

'You'd better let the dog alone,' growled Mr. Heathcliff in unison,checking fiercer demonstrations with a punch of his foot. 'She'snot accustomed to be spoiled - not kept for a pet.' Then, stridingto a side door, he shouted again, 'Joseph!'

Joseph mumbled indistinctly in the depths of the cellar, but gaveno intimation of ascending; so his master dived down to him,leaving me VIS-A-VIS the ruffianly bitch and a pair of grim shaggysheep-dogs, who shared with her a jealous guardianship over all mymovements. Not anxious to come in contact with their fangs, I satstill; but, imagining they would scarcely understand tacit insults,I unfortunately indulged in winking and making faces at the trio,and some turn of my physiognomy so irritated madam, that shesuddenly broke into a fury and leapt on my knees. I flung herback, and hastened to interpose the table between us. Thisproceeding aroused the whole hive: half-a-dozen four-footedfiends, of various sizes and ages, issued from hidden dens to thecommon centre. I felt my heels and coat-laps peculiar subjects ofassault; and parrying off the larger combatants as effectually as Icould with the poker, I was constrained to demand, aloud,assistance from some of the household in re-establishing peace.

Mr. Heathcliff and his man climbed the cellar steps with vexatiousphlegm: I don't think they moved one second faster than usual,though the hearth was an absolute tempest of worrying and yelping.Happily, an inhabitant of the kitchen made more despatch: a lustydame, with tucked-up gown, bare arms, and fire-flushed cheeks,rushed into the midst of us flourishing a frying-pan: and usedthat weapon, and her tongue, to such purpose, that the stormsubsided magically, and she only remained, heaving like a sea aftera high wind, when her master entered on the scene.

'What the devil is the matter?' he asked, eyeing me in a mannerthat I could ill endure, after this inhospitable treatment.

'What the devil, indeed!' I muttered. 'The herd of possessed swinecould have had no worse spirits in them than those animals ofyours, sir. You might as well leave a stranger with a brood oftigers!'

'They won't meddle with persons who touch nothing,' he remarked,putting the bottle before me, and restoring the displaced table.'The dogs do right to be vigilant. Take a glass of wine?'

'No, thank you.'

'Not bitten, are you?'

'If I had been, I would have set my signet on the biter.'Heathcliff's countenance relaxed into a grin.

'Come, come,' he said, 'you are flurried, Mr. Lockwood. Here, takea little wine. Guests are so exceedingly rare in this house that Iand my dogs, I am willing to own, hardly know how to receive them.Your health, sir?'

I bowed and returned the pledge; beginning to perceive that itwould be foolish to sit sulking for the misbehaviour of a pack ofcurs; besides, I felt loth to yield the fellow further amusement atmy expense; since his humour took that turn. He - probably swayedby prudential consideration of the folly of offending a good tenant- relaxed a little in the laconic style of chipping off hispronouns and auxiliary verbs, and introduced what he supposed wouldbe a subject of interest to me, - a discourse on the advantages anddisadvantages of my present place of retirement. I found him veryintelligent on the topics we touched; and before I went home, I wasencouraged so far as to volunteer another visit to-morrow. Heevidently wished no repetition of my intrusion. I shall go,notwithstanding. It is astonishing how sociable I feel myselfcompared with him.