Wuthering Heights: Novel Summary: Chapters 9-10

Chapter 9: Ellen tells Catherine to be quiet, as Joseph is near and that means Heathcliff will be coming. Catherine is worried that Heathcliff may have heard her and says that she will never forsake Heathcliff. She would not marry Edgar if it meant that she and Heathcliff would be separated. She thinks that if she married Heathcliff they would be beggars, and if she marries Linton, she can help Heathcliff to rise and get him away from her brother. When Joseph comes in looking for Heathcliff, Ellen calls for him outside but gets no answer. She then tells Catherine that he had heard some of what she said, and she gets frightened. Catherine runs outside to look for Heathcliff, and finally comes back, saying she will not go upstairs until she gets to talk to him. She paces the floor, and they all wait, and Catherine stays outside crying when it starts to rain. At midnight, the storm comes, and the wind is violent. Ellen tries to talk Catherine into taking off her wet things and going to bed, but she won't.
The next morning Catherine is quite distraught over Heathcliff and is in fact quite ill. Mrs. Linton comes to visit, and insists that Catherine be taken to Thrushcross Grange until she is well. Later she and her husband both catch the fever though, and die within days of each other. When Catherine comes home, she is saucier and more passionate than ever, and nothing has been heard of Heathcliff since the night he left. Three years later Catherine and Edgar are married. Ellen accompanies Catherine to Thrushcross Grange, and is quite sad to leave five-year-old Hareton behind. Mrs. Dean stops her story, realizing how late it is.
Chapter 10: Catherine and Edgar are happy at Thrushcross Grange, and Edgar humors Catherine exceedingly, giving her everything she wants. One day in September as Ellen is gathering apples, she hears someone call her, and finds Heathcliff in the garden. He tells her to go in and tell Catherine that there is someone to see her, but not to say who. She does, and when Catherine comes back after meeting the stranger she is breathless, she is so happy. Edgar does not seem to want to invite him in, and thinks Catherine is being silly. Ellen notices how much Heathcliff has changed. He is an older, well-formed man who is intelligent and dignified. Heathcliff and Catherine become absorbed in each other, and Edgar gets irritated. As he is leaving after tea, Heathcliff tells Ellen that he is going to Wuthering Heights, as Hindley invited him to stay there. Ellen is quite surprised, and has the feeling that it would have been better if Heathcliff had stayed away.
The next day Catherine and Isabella visit Wuthering Heights, and soon Heathcliff is a regular visitor to Thrushcross Grange. New trouble arises when it becomes clear that Isabella is attracted to Heathcliff. When Catherine confronts her with it, Isabella admits that she loves him. Catherine seriously advises her against it, saying that she does not know Heathcliff at all, and that he could not love her but might marry her for her fortune. Ellen tells Isabella to listen to Catherine. She goes on to say that Heathcliff is not a good man for her, and that she heard from Joseph that he and Hindley do nothing at the Heights but drink and gamble.
Edgar is away from home, so Heathcliff calls earlier than normal. Isabella is horrified when Catherine tells him that she is in love with him. He stares at her darkly but does not say anything, and Catherine holds on to her so that she cannot leave. Finally Isabella digs her nails into Catherine so that she will let her go, and she leaves the room. When Catherine tells Heathcliff that he should beware of her talons, he replies that he would wrench them off her fingers if they ever menaced [him] (113). Catherine tells Heathcliff that she likes Isabella too much to let him have her, and he says he is not interested, but Ellen can tell that he is still thinking about it.