_Wuthering Heights_, however, containing too humiliating a story of Charlotte Brontë's heart-thrall, her misery and her wild vindictiveness, and also for the reasons stated in the beginning of this chapter--her saving remorse--she seems early to have determined to repudiate her authorship of it; indeed, so largely is she now found to have used the work in _Jane Eyre_, we might say she once had contemplated destroying the manuscript. The subsequent arrangement made in the name of Ellis Bell that the work by the same author should go to Mr. Newby, the publisher of _Wuthering Heights_, gave finality to this tragedy of authorship which, but for the discoveries in this, _The Key to the Brontë Works_, would have remained for ever unrevealed, and a reproach to literature--a thing of untruth thickly hidden. Had Charlotte Brontë destroyed _Wuthering Heights_ before its publication she would have saved this sensational disclosure. But she hesitated to destroy the manuscript at once, and as an alternative to identifying herself with its authorship, she sent forth her work under a _nom de guerre_, part of which had been employed by her sister Emily. We well know the difficulties that resulted; the judgment of scholars and thinkers was impugned and their sane pronouncements were pilloried. To cover Charlotte Brontë's regretful error were to connive against law and literature. _Wuthering Heights_ being published, the work was the world's property; it stood for public purposes, to submit to all criticism and research, and it came neither in Charlotte Brontë's province nor in that of any person to prevent its being subjected to the final inquiry with which the cold light of truth exposes all things. Doubtless Charlotte Brontë perceived this, and regretting the facileness of her pen and the vituperativeness of her mood of that past and hateful night, she set herself, in her subsequent works, to make clear she had overdrawn the bitterness of the relations which one time had existed between herself and M. Héger. Perhaps she could not expect her retractions would be understood of all men, but it pleased her inmost soul, and having a final sense of justice, and a softening of her heart for her vehement passionateness, she continued in all her works subsequent to her _Wuthering Heights_ to reconstruct this her early version. Thus Charlotte Brontë as Caroline Helstone of _Shirley_ is Catherine Earnshaw of _Wuthering Heights_, with the distinction I mention. Moore is admitted, as I have said, to have been drawn from M. Héger[83]:-- _Wuthering Heights._ _Shirley._ Chapter XII. Chapter XXIV. Catherine's illness, and her Caroline's illness, and her doubting the absent lover, doubting the absent lover, Heath(cliffe). Mrs. Dean in Moor(e). Mrs Pryor in attendance. attendance. -------- --------