I HAVE paid a visit to the Heights, but I have not seen her sinceshe left: Joseph held the door in his hand when I called to askafter her, and wouldn't let me pass. He said Mrs. Linton was'thrang,' and the master was not in. Zillah has told me somethingof the way they go on, otherwise I should hardly know who was deadand who living. She thinks Catherine haughty, and does not likeher, I can guess by her talk. My young lady asked some aid of herwhen she first came; but Mr. Heathcliff told her to follow her ownbusiness, and let his daughter-in-law look after herself; andZillah willingly acquiesced, being a narrow-minded, selfish woman.Catherine evinced a child's annoyance at this neglect; repaid itwith contempt, and thus enlisted my informant among her enemies, assecurely as if she had done her some great wrong. I had a longtalk with Zillah about six weeks ago, a little before you came, oneday when we foregathered on the moor; and this is what she told me.

'The first thing Mrs. Linton did,' she said, 'on her arrival at theHeights, was to run up-stairs, without even wishing good-evening tome and Joseph; she shut herself into Linton's room, and remainedtill morning. Then, while the master and Earnshaw were atbreakfast, she entered the house, and asked all in a quiver if thedoctor might be sent for? her cousin was very ill.

'"We know that!" answered Heathcliff; "but his life is not worth afarthing, and I won't spend a farthing on him."

'"But I cannot tell how to do," she said; "and if nobody will helpme, he'll die!"

'"Walk out of the room," cried the master, "and let me never hear aword more about him! None here care what becomes of him; if youdo, act the nurse; if you do not, lock him up and leave him."

'Then she began to bother me, and I said I'd had enough plague withthe tiresome thing; we each had our tasks, and hers was to wait onLinton: Mr. Heathcliff bid me leave that labour to her.

'How they managed together, I can't tell. I fancy he fretted agreat deal, and moaned hisseln night and day; and she had preciouslittle rest: one could guess by her white face and heavy eyes.She sometimes came into the kitchen all wildered like, and lookedas if she would fain beg assistance; but I was not going to disobeythe master: I never dare disobey him, Mrs. Dean; and, though Ithought it wrong that Kenneth should not be sent for, it was noconcern of mine either to advise or complain, and I always refusedto meddle. Once or twice, after we had gone to bed, I've happenedto open my door again and seen her sitting crying on the stairs'-top; and then I've shut myself in quick, for fear of being moved tointerfere. I did pity her then, I'm sure: still I didn't wish tolose my place, you know.

'At last, one night she came boldly into my chamber, and frightenedme out of my wits, by saying, "Tell Mr. Heathcliff that his son isdying - I'm sure he is, this time. Get up, instantly, and tellhim."

'Having uttered this speech, she vanished again. I lay a quarterof an hour listening and trembling. Nothing stirred - the housewas quiet.

'She's mistaken, I said to myself. He's got over it. I needn'tdisturb them; and I began to doze. But my sleep was marred asecond time by a sharp ringing of the bell - the only bell we have,put up on purpose for Linton; and the master called to me to seewhat was the matter, and inform them that he wouldn't have thatnoise repeated.

'I delivered Catherine's message. He cursed to himself, and in afew minutes came out with a lighted candle, and proceeded to theirroom. I followed. Mrs. Heathcliff was seated by the bedside, withher hands folded on her knees. Her father-in-law went up, held thelight to Linton's face, looked at him, and touched him; afterwardshe turned to her.

'"Now - Catherine," he said, "how do you feel?"

'She was dumb.

'"How do you feel, Catherine?" he repeated.

'"He's safe, and I'm free," she answered: "I should feel well -but," she continued, with a bitterness she couldn't conceal, "youhave left me so long to struggle against death alone, that I feeland see only death! I feel like death!"

'And she looked like it, too! I gave her a little wine. Haretonand Joseph, who had been wakened by the ringing and the sound offeet, and heard our talk from outside, now entered. Joseph wasfain, I believe, of the lad's removal; Hareton seemed a thoughtbothered: though he was more taken up with staring at Catherinethan thinking of Linton. But the master bid him get off to bedagain: we didn't want his help. He afterwards made Joseph removethe body to his chamber, and told me to return to mine, and Mrs.Heathcliff remained by herself.

'In the morning, he sent me to tell her she must come down tobreakfast: she had undressed, and appeared going to sleep, andsaid she was ill; at which I hardly wondered. I informed Mr.Heathcliff, and he replied, - "Well, let her be till after thefuneral; and go up now and then to get her what is needful; and, assoon as she seems better, tell me."'

Cathy stayed upstairs a fortnight, according to Zillah; who visitedher twice a day, and would have been rather more friendly, but herattempts at increasing kindness were proudly and promptly repelled.

Heathcliff went up once, to show her Linton's will. He hadbequeathed the whole of his, and what had been her, moveableproperty, to his father: the poor creature was threatened, orcoaxed, into that act during her week's absence, when his uncledied. The lands, being a minor, he could not meddle with.However, Mr. Heathcliff has claimed and kept them in his wife'sright and his also: I suppose legally; at any rate, Catherine,destitute of cash and friends, cannot disturb his possession.

'Nobody,' said Zillah, 'ever approached her door, except that once,but I; and nobody asked anything about her. The first occasion ofher coming down into the house was on a Sunday afternoon. She hadcried out, when I carried up her dinner, that she couldn't bear anylonger being in the cold; and I told her the master was going toThrushcross Grange, and Earnshaw and I needn't hinder her fromdescending; so, as soon as she heard Heathcliff's horse trot off,she made her appearance, donned in black, and her yellow curlscombed back behind her ears as plain as a Quaker: she couldn'tcomb them out.

'Joseph and I generally go to chapel on Sundays:' the kirk, youknow, has no minister now, explained Mrs. Dean; and they call theMethodists' or Baptists' place (I can't say which it is) atGimmerton, a chapel. 'Joseph had gone,' she continued, 'but Ithought proper to bide at home. Young folks are always the betterfor an elder's over-looking; and Hareton, with all his bashfulness,isn't a model of nice behaviour. I let him know that his cousinwould very likely sit with us, and she had been always used to seethe Sabbath respected; so he had as good leave his guns and bits ofindoor work alone, while she stayed. He coloured up at the news,and cast his eyes over his hands and clothes. The train-oil andgunpowder were shoved out of sight in a minute. I saw he meant togive her his company; and I guessed, by his way, he wanted to bepresentable; so, laughing, as I durst not laugh when the master isby, I offered to help him, if he would, and joked at his confusion.He grew sullen, and began to swear.

'Now, Mrs. Dean,' Zillah went on, seeing me not pleased by hermanner, 'you happen think your young lady too fine for Mr. Hareton;and happen you're right: but I own I should love well to bring herpride a peg lower. And what will all her learning and herdaintiness do for her, now? She's as poor as you or I: poorer,I'll be bound: you're saying, and I'm doing my little all thatroad.'

Hareton allowed Zillah to give him her aid; and she flattered himinto a good humour; so, when Catherine came, half forgetting herformer insults, he tried to make himself agreeable, by thehousekeeper's account.

'Missis walked in,' she said, 'as chill as an icicle, and as highas a princess. I got up and offered her my seat in the arm-chair.No, she turned up her nose at my civility. Earnshaw rose, too, andbid her come to the settle, and sit close by the fire: he was sureshe was starved.

'"I've been starved a month and more," she answered, resting on theword as scornful as she could.

'And she got a chair for herself, and placed it at a distance fromboth of us. Having sat till she was warm, she began to look round,and discovered a number of books on the dresser; she was instantlyupon her feet again, stretching to reach them: but they were toohigh up. Her cousin, after watching her endeavours a while, atlast summoned courage to help her; she held her frock, and hefilled it with the first that came to hand.

'That was a great advance for the lad. She didn't thank him;still, he felt gratified that she had accepted his assistance, andventured to stand behind as she examined them, and even to stoopand point out what struck his fancy in certain old pictures whichthey contained; nor was he daunted by the saucy style in which shejerked the page from his finger: he contented himself with going abit farther back and looking at her instead of the book. Shecontinued reading, or seeking for something to read. His attentionbecame, by degrees, quite centred in the study of her thick silkycurls: her face he couldn't see, and she couldn't see him. And,perhaps, not quite awake to what he did, but attracted like a childto a candle, at last he proceeded from staring to touching; he putout his hand and stroked one curl, as gently as if it were a bird.He might have stuck a knife into her neck, she started round insuch a taking.

'"Get away this moment! How dare you touch me? Why are youstopping there?" she cried, in a tone of disgust. "I can't endureyou! I'll go upstairs again, if you come near me."

'Mr. Hareton recoiled, looking as foolish as he could do: he satdown in the settle very quiet, and she continued turning over hervolumes another half hour; finally, Earnshaw crossed over, andwhispered to me.

'Will you ask her to read to us, Zillah? I'm stalled of doingnaught; and I do like - I could like to hear her! Dunnot say Iwanted it, but ask of yourseln."

'"Mr. Hareton wishes you would read to us, ma'am," I said,immediately. "He'd take it very kind - he'd be much obliged."

'She frowned; and looking up, answered -

'"Mr. Hareton, and the whole set of you, will be good enough tounderstand that I reject any pretence at kindness you have thehypocrisy to offer! I despise you, and will have nothing to say toany of you! When I would have given my life for one kind word,even to see one of your faces, you all kept off. But I won'tcomplain to you! I'm driven down here by the cold; not either toamuse you or enjoy your society."

'"What could I ha' done?" began Earnshaw. "How was I to blame?"

'"Oh! you are an exception," answered Mrs. Heathcliff. "I nevermissed such a concern as you."

'"But I offered more than once, and asked," he said, kindling up ather pertness, "I asked Mr. Heathcliff to let me wake for you - "

'"Be silent! I'll go out of doors, or anywhere, rather than haveyour disagreeable voice in my ear!" said my lady.

'Hareton muttered she might go to hell, for him! and unslinging hisgun, restrained himself from his Sunday occupations no longer. Hetalked now, freely enough; and she presently saw fit to retreat toher solitude: but the frost had set in, and, in spite of herpride, she was forced to condescend to our company, more and more.However, I took care there should be no further scorning at my goodnature: ever since, I've been as stiff as herself; and she has nolover or liker among us: and she does not deserve one; for, letthem say the least word to her, and she'll curl back withoutrespect of any one. She'll snap at the master himself, and as goodas dares him to thrash her; and the more hurt she gets, the morevenomous she grows.'

At first, on hearing this account from Zillah, I determined toleave my situation, take a cottage, and get Catherine to come andlive with me: but Mr. Heathcliff would as soon permit that as hewould set up Hareton in an independent house; and I can see noremedy, at present, unless she could marry again; and that schemeit does not come within my province to arrange.

Thus ended Mrs. Dean's story. Notwithstanding the doctor'sprophecy, I am rapidly recovering strength; and though it be onlythe second week in January, I propose getting out on horseback in aday or two, and riding over to Wuthering Heights, to inform mylandlord that I shall spend the next six months in London; and, ifhe likes, he may look out for another tenant to take the placeafter October. I would not pass another winter here for much.