y not have up Mrs. Dean to finish her tale? I
can recollect its chief incidents, as far as she had gone. Yes: I
remember her hero had run off, and never been heard of for three years;
and the heroine was married. I'll ring: she'll be delighted to find me
capable of talking cheerfully. Mrs. Dean came.

'It wants twenty minutes, sir, to taking the medicine,' she commenced.

'Away, away with it!' I replied; 'I desire to have--'

'The doctor says you must drop the powders.'

'With all my heart! Don't interrupt me. Come and take your seat here.
Keep your fingers from that bitter phalanx of vials. Draw your knitting
out of your pocket--that will do--now continue the history of Mr.
Heathcliff, from where you left off, to the present day. Did he finish
his education on the Continent, and come back a gentleman? or did he get
a sizar's place at college, or escape to America, and earn honours by
drawing blood from his foster-country? or make a fortune more promptly on
the English highways?'

'He may have done a little in all these vocations, Mr. Lockwood; but I
couldn't give my word for any. I stated before that I didn't know how he
gained his money; neither am I aware of the means he took to raise his
mind from the savage ignorance into which it was sunk: but, with your
leave, I'll proceed in my own fashion, if you think it will amuse and not
weary you. Are you feeling better this morning?'

'Much.'

'That's good news.'

* * * * *

I got Miss Catherine and myself to Thrushcross Grange; and, to my
agreeable disappointment, she behaved infinitely better than I dared to
expect. She seemed almost over-fond of Mr. Linton; and even to his
sister she showed plenty of affection. They were both very attentive to
her comfort, certainly. It was not the thorn bending to the
honeysuckles, but the honeysuckles embracing the thorn. There were no
mutual concessions: one stood erect, and the others yielded: and who can
be ill-natured and bad-tempered when they encounter neither opposition
nor indifference? I observed that Mr. Edgar had a deep-rooted fear of
ruffling her humour. He concealed it from her; but if ever he heard me
answer sharply, or saw any other servant grow cloudy at some imperious
order of hers, he would show his trouble by a frown of displeasure that
never darkened on his own account. He many a time spoke sternly to me
about my pertness; and averred that the stab of a knife could not inflict
a worse pa