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.

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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."