Wuthering Heights: Chapter 25 Summary & Analysis

Nelly pauses in her narrative to tell Lockwood that the events she's now describing took place a little over a year ago during the previous winter. She notes how odd it is to be telling the story to a stranger, though she wonders if Lockwood might fall in love with Cathy and thereby cease to be a stranger. Lockwood agrees that he just might fall in love with Cathy, but adds that she's unlikely to return the feeling and that, anyway, he'll have to leave soon because the moors aren't his home. He asks Nelly to continue the story. She does.

Obeying her father's wishes, Cathy ceases to visit Linton. But Linton also does not visit the Grange because he's too weak to make the trip. Eventually Edgar decides that his daughter's happiness is most important and he says that if she wishes Cathy may marry Linton, even though that would mean Heathcliff would definitely inherit the Grange.

As he falls further into illness, Edgar agrees to let Cathy visit Linton, though he asks that she meet him not at Wuthering Heights but on the moors. However, Nelly further explains to Lockwood, Edgar didn't know that Linton was almost as close to death as Edgar himself.