Wuthering Heights Page #6

Because you willed it.

You willed me here across the sea.

Cathy, have you seen Heathcliff?

Oh, there you are.

They're going to play a schottische.

Come along.

It's quite suitable

to your high moral character.

What's the matter? Has Cathy been

behaving horribly again?

If she weren't my sister-in-law,

I'd say she was jealous.

Come along.

Come in.

- I want to talk to you.

- What about, Cathy?

- About Heathcliff.

- It's very late.

I have no desire

to discuss Heathcliff with you anyway.

- You behaved disgracefully tonight.

- In what way?

It was bad enough your asking him here,

but to make a spectacle of yourself.

Catherine, be careful of what you say.

You fool. You vain little fool.

I'll not be silent any longer.

I'm going to tell the truth.

- Let me go.

- Not till I open your eyes.

My eyes are quite open, thank you.

Don't you see what he's doing?

He's using you to be near me...

to smile at me behind your back...

to try to rouse something

in my heart that's dead.

I'll not have it.

I'll not allow you to help him.

It's you who are vain

and insufferable.

- Heathcliff loves me.

- It's a lie.

It's not a lie. He's told me so.

He's kissed me.

He's held me in his arms.

He's told me that he loves me.

- I'm going to your brother.

- Go! He's asked me to marry him.

We're going to be married.

Heathcliff's going to be my husband.

You can't.

Heathcliff's not a man...

but something dark and horrible

to live with.

Do you imagine that I don't know

why you're acting so?

Because you love him.

Yes! You love him! And you're mad with

pain at the thought of my marrying him.

You want him

to pine and dream of you...

die for you, while you live in comfort

as Mrs. Linton.

You don't want him to be happy.

You want to make him suffer.

You want to destroy him!

But I want to make him happy,

and I will!

I heard your voices.

We were just discussing the ball.

There's plenty of time

for gossip tomorrow.

You ought to come to bed, darling.

You look tired.

Good night.

- Good morning, Joseph.

- Mistress Cathy, I mean.

Mr. Hindley's away.

It's Mr. Heathcliff I wish to see.

Oh.

Oh, aye.

I'll try and find him.

Leave us, Joseph.

What brings you to Wuthering Heights?

Does Edgar know?

I doubt he'd approve.

Heathcliff, is it true?

- Is what true?

- That you asked Isabella to marry you.

It is true then.

Oh, Heathcliff, you must not do this.

She hasn't harmed you.

- You have.

- Then punish me!

I'm going to,

when I take her in my arms...

when I promise her life and happiness.

If there's anything human left in you,

don't do this.

Don't make me a partner to such a crime.

It's stupid. It's mad.

If you ever looked at me

with what is in you, I'd be your slave.

If your heart were stronger than

your fear of God and the world...

I would live silently contented

in your shadow.

But no.

You must destroy us both

with that weakness you call virtue.

You must keep me tormented

with that cruelty you think so pious.

You've been smug and pleased with

my vile love of you, haven't you?

After this, you won't think of me as

Cathy's foolish and despairing lover.

You'll think of me

as Isabella's husband...

and be glad for my happiness...

as I was for yours.

- Drive to the village. Get Mr. Linton.

- Very well, ma'am.

Marry? It's preposterous.

Isabella and Heathcliff?

It's true.

What will you do about it?

Do? I'll put her under lock and key

if need be.

- We must go after them.

- Going after them is useless.

We must go after them while there's

still time. They mustn't marry.

Don't disturb yourself.

There's nothing I can do.

But you must, Edgar.

Get your pistols.

Go after them. Kill him!

But stop them from marrying.

This marriage cannot be, do you hear?

It must...

And so Heathcliff and Isabella

were married.

Many months later

at Wuthering Heights...

during one of Dr. Kenneth's

increasingly rare visits...

Why don't you hit yourself

over the head with a hammer...

the instant you get up

in the morning?

- Why?

- If you hit yourself hard enough...

you'll remain unconscious the whole day

and achieve the same results...

you would from

a whole gallon of spirits...

with much less wear and tear

on the kidneys.

Don't you agree with me,

Mrs. Heathcliff?

What does it matter?

Well, I'd hoped that it did matter...

that when you came here,

things would change.

Only I changed.

I remember this house when it rang

with laughter and love. Good-bye.

Ask your husband to call

another doctor in future.

Whoever dwells in this house

is beyond my healing arts.

I shall miss you, Dr. Kenneth.

I brought you into the world...

but it's a world you're not going

to grace very long if you stay here.

Dear child, I must tell you this.

Go back where you belong,

back with Edgar for a month or two.

It would mean your salvation,

and his.

Edgar's disowned me.

Nonsense. That was natural under

the circumstances, but he needs you now.

He does. Why?

Cathy is gravely ill.

In fact, it's only a matter

of days.

Hours, perhaps.

What is it?

Fever.

Inflammation of the lungs.

But there's something beyond that.

I don't know. I'd call it a will to die.

If Cathy died...

I might begin to live.

Begin to live, eh?

In this house with Heathcliff,

nothing can live.

Nothing but hate. It's breathing

like the devil's own breath on me.

And you, he hates you worse

than he does me. He loathes you.

Each time you kiss him his heart breaks

with rage because it's not Cathy.

- Kill him.

- I forbade you to speak about him.

- Stop it, you hear me?

- Kill him!

That's the first lucid talk I've heard

out of Hindley for weeks.

It's not very Christian talk,

but it's coherent.

Seemed to make some points.

- I'm delighted with your improvement.

- I tried to stop him.

Thank you, my dear wife.

Your loyalty is touching.

Your curses will come home

to feed on your own heart.

Every agony you've given

will return.

Why do we have him here?

I can't breathe with him in the house.

Existence would be so much less without

my boyhood friend under my roof.

Don't you see?

You poison yourself with hating him.

Darling, please send him away

and let love come into the house.

Why isn't there the smell of heather

in your hair?

Why won't you let me come near you?

You're not black and horrible as they

all think. You're full of pain.

I can make you happy. Let me try.

You won't regret it. I'll be your slave.

I can bring life back to you,

new and fresh.

Why are your eyes always empty...

like Linton's eyes?

They're not empty.

If you'd only look deeper.

Look at me.

I'm pretty.

I'm a woman, and I love you.

You're all of life to me.

Let me be a single breath of it

for you.

Heathcliff, let your heart

look at me just once.

Oh, why did God give me life?

What is it but hunger and pain?

What do you want, Ellen?

What are you doing here?

I want to speak to Miss Isabella.

You can do so in front of me.

Her brother has asked me

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