CHAPTER FOUR

Heathcliff Is Missing

However, Cathy had not heard anything.

"But Miss Cathy, do you know what this will mean to Heathcliff?" said Ellen. "After you marry Edgar Linton, Heathcliff will be alone in the world.

Cathy looked surprised. "Alone!" she said. "Oh, no! I wouldn't marry Edgar if it meant that Heathcliff would be alone. Edgar must learn to like Heathcliff, that's all. Don't you see, Ellen, that if Heathcliff and I were married, we would be terribly poor? We would be so unhappy. But if I marry Linton, I can help Heathcliff, and take him away from here. Hindley won't be able to hurt him any more."

"Miss Cathy, you would use your husband's money help another man?" cried Ellen. "That's the worst reason you've given for marrying Edgar!" "It isn't," cried Cathy. "It's the best!" She sighed and said, "I think so much of Heathcliff. He is the best part of me."

"Well," Ellen said, "I don't really understand any of this. Still, I will keep your secret." They stopped talking when Joseph entered the room. Cathy watched Hareton, while Ellen cooked dinner. Soon Joseph said, "Where's Heathcliff?"

"In the barn, I think," said Ellen. "I'll call him."

Ellen went and called for Heathcliff, but he did not answer. When she came back she whispered to Cathy that she thought that Heathcliff had heard much of what Cathy had said. She thought Heathcliff may have become upset and left the house. Cathy jumped up, frightened, and ran to look for him. Cathy was gone for so long that Joseph and Ellen decided to eat their supper. They were just beginning to eat when Cathy ran into the room and told Joseph to find Heathcliff and bring him back. She had not seen him. Joseph did not want to do this, but he left. Cathy walked up and down the room. "Where, oh where is he?" she kept saying.

Joseph could not find Heathcliff. He told Cathy and Ellen that the night was too dark, and there was a storm coming. "He will come home when it rains," Joseph said. They waited.

Cathy could not keep still. She kept walking from the gate to the door. Finally, she went out into the road. She did not seem to care about the thunder, and the heavy rain that was falling. She stayed outside, calling Heathcliff's name over and over. About twenty minutes later Cathy returned through the storm. Wet and shaking, she went to bed.

The next morning Cathy had a fever and was terribly sick. The doctor told Ellen that Cathy should not be upset in any way, or she would become sicker. Mrs Linton came to see Cathy many times a week. When Cathy was feeling a little better, Mrs Linton took Cathy to Thrushcross Grange to care for her. However, this poor woman and her husband both got the fever and died.

Cathy came back to Wuthering Heights, and she was harder to control than ever. Hindley let her do anything she wanted, as long as she did not try to stop him from drinking. Hindley wanted Cathy to bring honor to the Earnshaw family by marrying Edgar Linton. Ellen thought that it was strange that Cathy never talked about Heathcliff. And Heathcliff did not return. Edgar Linton, of course, was still in love with Cathy. He was extremely happy on the day they married, three years after his parents died. Ellen Dean was asked to leave Wuthering Heights and go to Thrushcross Grange, the Linton's house, with Cathy. Ellen did not want to, but when Cathy told Hindley, he ordered Ellen to go. Hindley did not want any more women in his house, he said. So Ellen took Cathy and herself to Thrushcross Grange. There, everyone lived happily for some time. There were times when Cathy was gloomy and silent, but Ellen felt that the Lintons were happy with each other.

Until, one day, Ellen met a man in the garden ... 

(end of section)