Chapter X: Chapter XXXVII

On [an] ... evening ... I was ... I came, just ere dark ...
coming from the garden.... It the darkness ... of dusk
had got dusk, ... the moon gathered.... I beheld the
causing ... shadows to lurk in house--scarce by this dim light
the corners of ... portions of distinguishable.... Entering a
the building. I set my burden on portal fastened by a latch, ...
the house steps by the ... door I stood.... The windows were
and lingered to rest ... my back latticed, ... the front door was
to the entrance, when I heard a narrow; ... one step led up to
voice behind me say:-- it.... I heard a movement--that
narrow front-door was unclosing,
"... Is that you?" and some shape was about to
issue from the grange.
It was a deep voice, and foreign [Charlotte Brontë's _Wuthering
in sound.... Something stirred Heights_ version of the returned
in the porch; and moving nearer runaway lover, is also staged at
I distinguished a tall man "the grange."] It opened slowly:
dressed in dark clothes, with a figure came out into the
dark face and hair. He leant twilight and stood on the step;
against the side, and held his a man, ... he stretched forth
fingers on the latch as if his hand.... Dusk as it was I
intending to open for had recognized him--it was my
himself.... A ray fell on his master ... Rochester. I stayed
features; the cheeks were my step, almost my breath....
sallow, and half-covered with His form was of the same strong
black whiskers; the brows and stalwart contour as ever:
lowering, the eyes deep-set and his port was still erect, his
singular. I remembered the eyes. hair was still raven-black: nor
were his features altered or
sunk.... But in his countenance
I saw a change: that looked
desperate and brooding--that
reminded me of some wronged and
fettered wild beast or bird,
dangerous to approach in his
sullen woe.... He closed the
door. I now drew near and
knocked: John's wife opened for
me.... She started as if she had
seen a ghost: I calmed her. To
her hurried "Is it really you,
"What!" I cried, uncertain Miss, come at this late
whether to regard him as a hour...?" I answered by taking
worldly visitor, and raised my her hand.
hands in amazement. "What! you
come back? Is it really you? Is "... Tell your master ... a
it?" person wishes to speak to him."

"Yes; Heathcliffe," he replied When she returned, I inquired
... "where is she?... Is she what he had said.
here? Speak! I want to have one
word with her--your mistress "You are to send in your name
[Catherine]. Go, and say some and business," she replied.
person ... desires to see her."
She then proceeded to fill a
"... And you _are_ Heathcliffe. glass of water, and place it on
But altered!" a tray, together with candles.

... I could not persuade myself "Is that what he rang for?" I
to proceed. At length I resolved asked.
on making an excuse to ask if
... [Catherine] would have the "Yes; he always has candles
candles lighted, and I opened brought in at dusk...."
the door. [She] sat ... by a
window whose lattice lay back. "Give the tray to me, I will
carry it in."
"What does he want?" asked
Catherine. ... Mary opened the door for
me.... Mr. Rochester turned
"I did not question him," I mechanically.
answered.
"This is you, Mary, is it not?"
... Mr. Edgar inquired ... who
it was? "Mary is in the kitchen," I
answered.
"Some one mistress does not
expect," I replied. "That "_Who_ is it? _What_ is it? Who
Heathcliffe.... Hush! you must speaks?"
not call him ... names.... She'd
be sadly grieved to hear you. "... I came only this evening,"
She was nearly heart-broken when I answered.
he ran off. I guess his return
will make a jubilee to her." "Great God!--what delusion has
come over me? What sweet madness
"Oh, ... Heathcliffe's come has seized me?... Oh! I _cannot_
back--he is," panted Catherine. see.... Whatever--whoever you
"... I'll ... secure my guest. are--be perceptible to my touch
I'm afraid the joy is too great or I cannot live!"
to be real!"
I arrested his hand and prisoned
"... Catherine, try to be glad it in both mine.
without being absurd! The whole
household need not witness the "Is that Jane?"
sight of your welcoming a
runaway servant." "... This is her voice," I
added.... "My dear master, ... I
I ... found Heathcliffe ... and am Jane Eyre:... I am come back
ushered him into the presence of to you."
the master and mistress.
"In truth?--in the flesh? My
... Now, I was amazed [by] the living Jane?"
transformation of
Heathcliffe;... A half-civilized "You touch me, sir--you hold me.
ferocity lurked yet in the I am not vacant like air, am I?"
depressed brows and eyes full of
black fire, but it was subdued, "... But I cannot be so blest
quite divested of roughness, after all my misery. It is a
though too stern for grace.... dream: such dreams I have
He took a seat opposite had.... But I always woke and
Catherine, who kept her gaze found it an empty mockery; and I
fixed on him, as if she feared was desolate and abandoned."
he would vanish were she to
remove it. He did not raise his ... I began ... to withdraw
to her often; a quick glance now myself from his arms--but he
and then sufficed; but it eagerly snatched me closer:--
flashed back each time; ... the
undisguised delight he drank "No, you must not go. No--I have
from hers.... Catherine ... rose touched you, heard you; ... my
and seized Heathcliffe's hands very soul demands you.... Who
again, and laughed like one can tell what a dark, hopeless
beside herself. life I have dragged on for
months past? ... feeling but a
"I shall think it a dream ceaseless sorrow, and at times a
to-morrow!" she cried. "I shall very delirium of desire to
not be able to believe that I behold my Jane again. Yes; for
have seen and touched, and her restoration I longed....
spoken to you once more.... Will she not depart as suddenly
Cruel Heathcliffe! You don't as she came? To-morrow ... I
deserve this welcome. To be shall find her no more....
absent and silent for three Cruel, cruel deserter! O Jane,
years, and never to think of what did I feel when I
me!" discovered you had fled and left
Thornfield?"
"... I've fought through a
bitter life since I last heard "Jane! ... my heart swells
your voice, and you must forgive with gratitude to the beneficent
me, for I struggled only for God of this earth just now.... I
you!" did wrong: I would have sullied
my innocent flower: the
"... The event of this evening," Omnipotent snatched it from me.
said Catherine, "has reconciled I, in my stiff-necked rebellion,
me to God and humanity! I had almost cursed the dispensation:
risen in angry rebellion against instead of bending to the decree
Providence--oh, I've endured I defied it.... Of late, Jane,
very, very bitter misery.... I ... I began to experience
can afford to suffer anything remorse, repentance; the wish
hereafter! Should the meanest for reconciliation to my
thing alive slap me on the Maker.... Now I thank God."
cheek, I'd not only turn the
other, but I'd ask pardon for
provoking it.... I'm an angel!"

(Later on in _Wuthering Heights_
Charlotte Brontë, temporarily
neglecting her use of Method I.,
interchange of the sexes, in
this connection, makes
Heathcliffe say to Catherine:--

"Why did you betray your own
heart, Cathy?... You loved me,
then what _right_ had you to
leave me?... Because misery and
degradation and death and
nothing that God or Satan could
inflict would have parted us,
_you_ of your own will did it.").

The above parallel descriptions, it will be found, agree practically word for word. I will now give the substance side by side, and let the reader keep in mind Charlotte Brontë's Method I., interchange of the sexes of characters:--

_Wuthering Heights._ _Jane Eyre._

Catherine and Heathcliffe love Jane and Rochester love each
each other, but Heathcliffe other, but Jane suddenly
suddenly disappears. disappears.

One evening Heathcliffe as One evening Jane as suddenly
suddenly returns. The narrator returns. The narrator of the
of the return of the runaway return of the runaway Jane tells
Heathcliffe tells us that it is us that it is evening, and she
evening, and she is outside the is outside the house, when in
house, when in the dim light she the dim light she distinguishes
distinguishes the figure of a the figure of a man, a stranger
man, a stranger she has not seen she has not seen for some time.
for some time. Dusk as it is, Dusk as it is, she recognizes
she recognizes Heathcliffe. Rochester.

In his countenance, however, In his countenance, however,
there is "a transformation, ... there is "a change--that looked
a half-civilized ferocity lurked desperate and brooding--that
yet in his eyes full of black reminded ... of ... some
fire, but was subdued." fettered wild beast ...
dangerous to approach in his
sullen woe."

"What! you come back? Is it "Is it really you, Miss, come at
really you?" cries the servant, this late hour?" cries the
"raising her hands, uncertain servant, "starting as if she had
whether to regard him as a seen a ghost," addressing the
worldly visitor," addressing the runaway Jane.
runaway Heathcliffe.

"I want to have one word with "... Tell your master a person
your mistress," says Heathcliffe wishes to see him," says Jane to
to the servant. "Go and tell her the servant.
some person ... desires to see
her."

But there is a difficulty, and But there is a difficulty, and
eventually, to accomplish the eventually, to accomplish the
meeting of the parted lovers, meeting of the parted lovers,
the taking in of the candles is the taking in of the candles is
considered as a pretext. considered as a pretext.

Catherine cries:--"Heathcliffe's Rochester cries:--"... What
come back--he is.... I'm afraid sweet delusion has come over me?
the joy is too great to be What sweet madness has seized
real!" me?"

"I shall think it a dream "I am come back to you," says
to-morrow. I shall not be able Jane.
to believe I have seen and
touched and spoken to you once "I have touched you, heard
more," says Catherine to you.... To-morrow I fear I shall
Heathcliffe. And reproachfully find [you] no more," says
he exclaims:-- Rochester to Jane. And
reproachfully he exclaims:--
"I've fought through a bitter
life since last I heard your "Who can tell what a dark,
voice, and you must forgive me, hopeless life I have dragged on
for I struggled only for you." for months past? ... feeling ...
but ... a ceaseless sorrow and
"Cruel Heathcliffe, you don't ... a very delirium of desire to
deserve this welcome," says behold my Jane again. Yes; for
Catherine; "to be absent ... and her restoration I longed....
never think of me." Cruel, cruel, deserter! O Jane,
what did I feel when I
discovered you had fled from
Thornfield?" says Rochester.

Catherine had risen in angry Rochester had risen in angry
rebellion against God because of rebellion against God because of
the cruel fate that had divided the cruel fate that had divided
her and Heathcliffe; but now him and Jane, but now that she
that he was restored to her, she was restored to him, he was
was reconciled, and was thankful reconciled, and was thankful of
of heart. heart.

-------- --------

And thus, from the rainy day And thus, from the rainy day
incident in Catherine's early incident in Jane's early
childhood to the reconciliation childhood to the reconciliation
of Catherine and Heathcliffe, we of Jane and Rochester, we have
have the main narrative of the the main narrative of the
heroine and hero of _Wuthering heroine and hero of _Jane Eyre_,
Heights_, obviously written by obviously written by Charlotte
Charlotte Brontë from facts in Brontë from facts in her own
her own life. life.

The absolute dependence of Charlotte Brontë's _Wuthering Heights_, _Jane Eyre_, and _Villette_ upon her own inner life in relation to M. Héger is proved by the evidence in the chapter on "The Rivers Family," in the chapters on "Eugène Sue and Charlotte Brontë's Brussels Life," and in those entitled "The Recoil."