Wuthering Heights - Chapter 5
Catherines_Choice
One evening, Catherine confessed her feelings to Mrs. Dean, the housekeeper. She spoke of her love for Heathcliff and her attraction to Edgar Linton.
'I love Heathcliff,' she said. 'He is more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. But it would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now that he is poor and has no family. So I shall marry Edgar Linton, who is rich and can give me a good life.'
Heathcliff overheard this conversation. He left Wuthering Heights that night, heartbroken and angry. He disappeared for three years, and no one knew where he had gone.
Catherine was devastated by Heathcliff's departure. She fell ill and would not eat or speak. Her brother Hindley was also affected. He was drinking heavily and had become violent and cruel.
A few months later, Catherine agreed to marry Edgar Linton. She tried to be happy, but her heart was not in the marriage. She still loved Heathcliff, though she tried to forget him.
Meanwhile, Hindley's wife died, leaving him with a young son, Hareton. Hindley became even more miserable and drank more than before. He treated the child badly, just as he had treated Heathcliff. Hareton grew up wild and uneducated, loved only by the kind housekeeper, Mrs. Dean.
Catherine and Edgar moved to Thrushcross Grange after their marriage. They lived a comfortable life, but Catherine was often sad and restless. She missed the wild freedom of Wuthering Heights and the passionate love she had shared with Heathcliff.
Edgar tried to make her happy, but he could not understand the depth of her emotions. He was a gentle, sensitive man, and Catherine's wild, unpredictable moods confused and frightened him.