During the following summer, Frances gives birth to Hareton, but Frances dies a week later because she had been suffering from consumption. Nelly is expected to take complete control of the newborn. Hindley is distraught over the death of his wife and becomes tyrannical, forcing all the servants but Nelly and Joseph away. He also begins to treat Heathcliff more cruelly, and Heathcliff delights in Hindley’s downfall.
Catherine begins “to adopt a double character,” behaving one way with Heathcliff and another with the Lintons. Heathcliff begins keeping track of how much time she is spending with Edgar and the Lintons, and he is angry that Catherine belittles him when he confronts her with this. Edgar arrives at the end of the argument.
Nelly keeps herself in the room with Catherine during Edgar’s visit, and this annoys Catherine greatly. Unable to convince Nelly to leave, Catherine ends up pinching Nelly and then lies about it. Edgar tries to intervene, and Catherine boxes his ears. This is the first time he has seen the wild side of Catherine and he tells her that he must leave; however, on the way out, he sees Catherine through the window and returns. Later, Nelly interrupts the sweethearts to inform them that Mr. Earnshaw has returned home, drunk again.
