Wuthering Heights - Chapter 8
Catherines_Death
The tension between Heathcliff and Edgar became too much for Catherine. She fell ill, and her condition grew worse each day. She became delirious, talking about her childhood and her love for Heathcliff.
Heathcliff visited her often, hiding in the garden so that Edgar would not see him. Catherine begged to see him, and one night, he climbed through her window.
When Heathcliff entered the room, Catherine was weak and pale. She reached out to him, her eyes full of tears.
'You have killed me,' she whispered. 'You and Edgar have killed me.'
Heathcliff fell to his knees beside her bed. 'What can I do to save you, Cathy? Ask anything, and I will do it.'
'Take care of yourself, Heathcliff,' she said. 'If I die, I will haunt you until you die too.'
The next day, Catherine gave birth to a daughter and then passed away. Heathcliff was heartbroken. He cursed both Catherine and Edgar, wishing that Catherine's soul would never find peace.
For weeks, Heathcliff went to her grave every night, praying for her ghost to appear. But Catherine did not come to him. He was left alone with his grief and his anger.
Edgar was also devastated. He buried Catherine in the churchyard, near the moors she had loved. He changed completely after her death, becoming even more gentle and kind, but also very sad.
Mrs. Dean took care of Catherine's baby, named Cathy after her mother. The child was beautiful and healthy, and everyone hoped she would grow up to be like her grandmother, kind and gentle, rather than like her passionate, wild mother.
Heathcliff returned to Wuthering Heights and began to plan his revenge in earnest. He owned the house now, thanks to Hindley's gambling debts, and he had complete control over Hindley's son, Hareton. He would destroy the Lintons and the Earnshaws, and he would make them suffer as he had suffered.