Recuperating from his wanderings, Lockwood asks Nelly about Heathcliff and his daughter-in-law. Nelly informs him that the widow’s maiden name was Catherine Linton, the daughter of Nelly’s late master, and that Hareton Earnshaw is the nephew of her late master’s wife. Cathy is the last of the Lintons, and Hareton is the last of the Earnshaws. Nelly also reveals that Heathcliff had married Mr. Linton’s sister.
This bit of information piques Lockwood’s curiosity, so he encourages Nelly to tell him the history of the people and places he has encountered. Her story begins with her life at Wuthering Heights; she grew up with Catherine and Hindley Earnshaw. Mr. Earnshaw brought an orphan home from Liverpool, named him Heathcliff (after a son who died in childbirth), and grew to love the boy more than his own son.
Catherine and Hindley both initially disliked Heathcliff, but Catherine soon grew to love him. Hindley resented Heathcliff, especially for displacing him from his father. After Mrs. Earnshaw died, within two years of Heathcliff’s arrival, Hindley was separated from everyone in his family.
