“He’sallright，andhe’scomingheretoseeyou。”
Apremonitionthatshecouldnotresisthimifhecamestrangelymovedher。“Ofcourse，father，yourememberthatitisonlylatelythatGiles——“
“Youknowthatyoucan’tthinkofhim。Hehasgivenupallclaimtoyou。”
Shecouldnotexplainthesubtletiesofherfeelingashecouldstatehisopinion，eventhoughshehadskillinspeech，andherfatherhadnone。ThatFitzpiersacteduponherlikeadram，excitingher，throwingherintoanovelatmospherewhichbiassedherdoingsuntiltheinfluencewasover，whenshefeltsomethingofthenatureofregretforthemoodshehadexperienced——stillmoreifshereflectedonthesilent，almostsarcastic，criticismapparentinWinterborne’sairtowardsher——couldnotbetoldtothisworthycoupleinwords。
ItsohappenedthatonthisverydayFitzpierswascalledawayfromHintockbyanengagementtoattendsomemedicalmeetings，andhisvisits，therefore，didnotbeginatonce。Anote，however，arrivedfromhimaddressedtoGrace，deploringhisenforcedabsence。Asamaterialobjectthisnotewasprettyandsuperfine，anoteofasortthatshehadbeenunaccustomedtoseesinceherreturntoHintock，exceptwhenaschoolfriendwrotetoher——arareinstance，forthegirlswererespectersofpersons，andmanycooleddowntowardsthetimber-dealer’sdaughterwhenshewasoutofsight。Thusthereceiptofitpleasedher，andsheafterwardswalkedaboutwithareflectiveair。
Intheeveningherfather，whoknewthatthenotehadcome，said，“Whybeyenotsittingdowntoansweryourletter？That’swhatyoungfolksdidinmytime。”
Sherepliedthatitdidnotrequireananswer。
“Oh，youknowbest。”hesaid。Nevertheless，hewentabouthisbusinessdoubtingifshewererightinnotreplying；possiblyshemightbesomismanagingmattersastoriskthelossofanalliancewhichwouldbringhermuchhappiness。
Melbury’srespectforFitzpierswasbasedlessonhisprofessionalposition，whichwasnotmuch，thanonthestandingofhisfamilyinthecountyinby-gonedays。Thatimplicitfaithinmembersoflong-establishedfamilies，assuch，irrespectiveoftheirpersonalconditionorcharacter，whichisstillfoundamongold-fashionedpeopleintheruraldistrictsreacheditsfullintensityinMelbury。Hisdaughter’ssuitorwasdescendedfromafamilyhehadheardofinhisgrandfather’stimeasbeingoncegreat，afamilywhichhadconferreditsnameuponaneighboringvillage；how，then，couldanythingbeamissinthisbetrothal？
“Imustkeepheruptothis。”hesaidtohiswife。“Sheseesitisforherhappiness；butstillshe’syoung，andmaywantalittlepromptingfromanoldertongue。”
Withthisinviewhetookheroutforawalk，acustomofhiswhenhewishedtosayanythingspeciallyimpressive。Theirwaywasoverthetopofthatloftyridgedividingtheirwoodlandfromtheciderdistrict，whencetheyhadinthespringbeheldthemilesofapple-treesinbloom。Allwasnowdeepgreen。ThespotrecalledtoGrace’smindthelastoccasionofherpresencethere，andshesaid，“Thepromiseofanenormousapple-cropisfulfillingitself，isitnot？IsupposeGilesisgettinghismillsandpressesready。”
Thiswasjustwhatherfatherhadnotcometheretotalkabout。
Withoutreplyingheraisedhisarm，andmovedhisfingertillhefixeditatapoint。“There。”hesaid，“youseethatplantationreachingoverthehilllikeagreatslug，andjustbehindthehillaparticularlygreenshelteredbottom？That’swhereMr。
Fitzpiers’sfamilywerelordsofthemanorforIdon’tknowhowmanyhundredyears，andtherestandsthevillageofBuckburyFitzpiers。Awonderfulproperty’twas——wonderful！”
“Buttheyarenotlordsofthemanortherenow。”
“Why，no。Butgoodandgreatthingsdieaswellaslittleandfoolish。Theonlyonesrepresentingthefamilynow，Ibelieve，areourdoctorandamaidenladylivingIdon’tknowwhere。Youcan’thelpbeinghappy，Grace，inallyingyourselfwithsucharomanticalfamily。You’llfeelasifyou’vesteppedintohistory。”
“We’vebeenatHintockaslongasthey’vebeenatBuckbury；isitnotso？Yousayournameoccursinolddeedscontinually。”
“Ohyes——asyeomen，copyholders，andsuchlike。Butthinkhowmuchbetterthiswillbefor’ee。You’llbelivingahighintellectuallife，suchashasnowbecomenaturaltoyou；andthoughthedoctor’spracticeissmallhere，he’llnodoubtgotoadashingtownwhenhe’sgothishandin，andkeepastylishcarriage，andyou’llbebroughttoknowagoodmanyladiesofexcellentsociety。Ifyoushouldevermeetmethen，Grace，youcandrivepastme，lookingtheotherway。Ishouldn’texpectyoutospeaktome，orwishsuchathing，unlessithappenedtobeinsomelonely，privateplacewhere’twouldn’tloweryeatall。
Don’tthinksuchmenasneighborGilesyourequal。HeandIshallbegoodfriendsenough，buthe’snotforthelikeofyou。He’slivedourroughandhomelylifehere，andhiswife’slifemustberoughandhomelylikewise。”
Somuchpressurecouldnotbutproducesomedisplacement。AsGracewasleftverymuchtoherself，shetookadvantageofonefinedaybeforeFitzpiers’sreturntodriveintotheaforesaidvalewherestoodthevillageofBuckburyFitzpiers。Leavingherfather’smanattheinnwiththehorseandgig，sherambledonwardtotheruinsofacastle，whichstoodinafieldhardby。ShehadnodoubtthatitrepresentedtheancientstrongholdoftheFitzpiersfamily。
Theremainswerefew，andconsistedmostlyofremnantsofthelowervaulting，supportedonlowstoutcolumnssurmountedbythecrochetcapitaloftheperiod。Thetwoorthreearchesofthesevaultsthatwerestillinpositionwereutilizedbytheadjoiningfarmerasshelterforhiscalves，thefloorbeingspreadwithstraw，amidwhichtheyoungcreaturesrustled，coolingtheirthirstytonguesbylickingthequaintNormancarving，whichglistenedwiththemoisture。Itwasadegradationofevensucharudeformofartasthistobetreatadsogrossly，shethought，andforthefirsttimethefamilyofFitzpiersassumedinherimaginationthehuesofamelancholyromanticism。
Itwassoontimetodrivehome，andshetraversedthedistancewithapreoccupiedmind。Theideaofsomodernamaninscienceandaestheticsastheyoungsurgeonspringingoutofrelicssoancientwasakindofnoveltyshehadneverbeforeexperienced。
Thecombinationlenthimasocialandintellectualinterestwhichshedreaded，somuchweightdiditaddtothestrangeinfluenceheexerciseduponherwheneverhecamenearher。
Inanexcitementwhichwasnotlove，notambition，ratherafearfulconsciousnessofhazardintheair，sheawaitedhisreturn。
Meanwhileherfatherwasawaitinghimalso。Inhishousetherewasanoldworkonmedicine，publishedtowardstheendofthelastcentury，andtoputhimselfinharmonywitheventsMelburyspreadthisworkonhiskneeswhenhehaddonehisday’sbusiness，andreadaboutGalen，Hippocrates，andHerophilus——ofthedogmatic，theempiric，thehermetical，andothersectsofpractitionersthathaveariseninhistory；andthenceproceededtotheclassificationofmaladiesandtherulesfortheirtreatment，aslaiddowninthisvaluablebookwithabsoluteprecision。Melburyregrettedthatthetreatisewassoold，fearingthathemightinconsequencebeunabletoholdascompleteaconversationashecouldwishwithMr。Fitzpiers，primed，nodoubt，withmorerecentdiscoveries。
ThedayofFitzpiers’sreturnarrived，andhesenttosaythathewouldcallimmediately。InthelittletimethatwasaffordedforputtingthehouseinorderthesweepingofMelbury’sparlorwasasthesweepingoftheparlorattheInterpreter’swhichwellnighchokedthePilgrim。AttheendofitMrs。Melburysatdown，foldedherhandsandlips，andwaited。Herhusbandrestlesslywalkedinandoutfromthetimber-yard，staredattheinterioroftheroom，jerkedout“ay，ay。”andretreatedagain。BetweenfourandfiveFitzpiersarrived，hitchinghishorsetothehookoutsidethedoor。
AssoonashehadwalkedinandperceivedthatGracewasnotintheroom，heseemedtohaveamisgiving。Nothinglessthanheractualpresencecouldlongkeephimtothelevelofthisimpassionedenterprise，andthatlackingheappearedasonewhowishedtoretracehissteps。
Hemechanicallytalkedatwhatheconsideredawoodlandmatron’slevelofthoughttillarustlingwasheardonthestairs，andGracecamein。Fitzpierswasforonceasagitatedasshe。Overandabovethegenuineemotionwhichsheraisedinhishearttherehungthesensethathewascastingadiebyimpulsewhichhemightnothavethrownbyjudgment。
Mr。Melburywasnotintheroom。Havingtoattendtomattersintheyard，hehaddelayedputtingonhisafternooncoatandwaistcoattillthedoctor’sappearance，when，notwishingtobebackwardinreceivinghim，heenteredtheparlorhastilybuttoningupthosegarments。Grace’sfastidiousnesswasalittledistressedthatFitzpiersshouldseebythisactionthestrainhisvisitwasputtinguponherfather；andtomakemattersworseforherjustthen，oldGrammerseemedtohaveapassionforincessantlypumpinginthebackkitchen，leavingthedoorsopensothatthebangingandsplashingweredistinctabovetheparlorconversation。
WheneverthechatovertheteasankintopleasantdesultorinessMr。Melburybrokeinwithspeechesoflaboredprecisiononveryremotetopics，asifhefearedtoletFitzpiers’sminddwellcriticallyonthesubjectnearesttheheartsofall。IntruthaconstrainedmannerwasnaturalenoughinMelburyjustnow，forthegreatestinterestofhislifewasreachingitscrisis。Couldtherealhavebeenbeheldinsteadofthecorporealmerely，thecorneroftheroominwhichhesatwouldhavebeenfilledwithaformtypicalofanxioussuspense，large-eyed，tight-lipped，awaitingtheissue。Thatpaternalhopesandfearssointenseshouldbeboundupinthepersonofonechildsopeculiarlycircumstanced，andnothavedispersedthemselvesoverthelargerfieldofawholefamily，involveddangerousriskstofuturehappiness。
Fitzpiersdidnotstaymorethananhour，butthattimehadapparentlyadvancedhissentimentstowardsGrace，onceandforall，fromavaguelyliquescenttoanorganicshape。Shewouldnothaveaccompaniedhimtothedoorinresponsetohiswhispered“Come！”ifhermotherhadnotsaidinamatter-of-factway，“Ofcourse，Grace；gotothedoorwithMr。Fitzpiers。”AccordinglyGracewent，bothherparentsremainingintheroom。Whentheyoungpairwereinthegreatbrick-flooredhallthelovertookthegirl’shandinhis，drewitunderhisarm，andthusledherontothedoor，wherehestealthilykissedher。
Shebrokefromhimtrembling，blushedandturnedaside，hardlyknowinghowthingshadadvancedtothis。Fitzpiersdroveoff，kissinghishandtoher，andwavingittoMelburywhowasvisiblethroughthewindow。Herfatherreturnedthesurgeon’sactionwithagreatflourishofhisownhandandasatisfiedsmile。
TheintoxicationthatFitzpiershad，asusual，producedinGrace’sbrainduringthevisitpassedoffsomewhatwithhiswithdrawal。
Shefeltlikeawomanwhodidnotknowwhatshehadbeendoingfortheprevioushour，butsupposedwithtrepidationthattheafternoon’sproceedings，thoughvague，hadamountedtoanengagementbetweenherselfandthehandsome，coercive，irresistibleFitzpiers。
Thisvisitwasatypeofmanywhichfolloweditduringthelongsummerdaysofthatyear。Gracewasbornealonguponastreamofreasonings，arguments，andpersuasions，supplemented，itmustbeadded，byinclinationsofherownattimes。Nowomaniswithoutaspirations，whichmaybeinnocentenoughwithincertainlimits；
andGracehadbeensotrainedsocially，andeducatedintellectually，astoseeclearlyenoughapleasureinthepositionofwifetosuchamanasFitzpiers。Hismaterialstandingofitself，eitherpresentorfuture，hadlittleinittogiveherambition，butthepossibilitiesofarefinedandcultivatedinnerlife，ofsubtlepsychologicalintercourse，hadtheircharm。Itwasthisratherthananyvulgarideaofmarryingwellwhichcausedhertofloatwiththecurrent，andtoyieldtotheimmenseinfluencewhichFitzpiersexercisedoverherwhenevershesharedhissociety。
Anyobserverwouldshrewdlyhaveprophesiedthatwhetherornotshelovedhimasyetintheordinarysense，shewasprettysuretodosointime。
Oneeveningjustbeforedusktheyhadtakenaratherlongwalktogether，andforashortcuthomewardpassedthroughtheshrubberiesofHintockHouse——stilldeserted，andstillblanklyconfrontingwithitssightlessshutteredwindowsthesurroundingfoliageandslopes。Gracewastired，andtheyapproachedthewall，andsattogetherononeofthestonesills——stillwarmwiththesunthathadbeenpouringitsraysuponthemalltheafternoon。
“Thisplacewouldjustdoforus，woulditnot，dearest。”saidherbetrothed，astheysat，turningandlookingidlyattheoldfacade。
“Ohyes。”saidGrace，plainlyshowingthatnosuchfancyhadevercrossedhermind。“Sheisawayfromhomestill。”Graceaddedinaminute，rathersadly，forshecouldnotforgetthatshehadsomehowlostthevaluablefriendshipoftheladyofthisbower。
“Whois？——oh，youmeanMrs。Charmond。Doyouknow，dear，thatatonetimeIthoughtyoulivedhere。”
“Indeed！”saidGrace。“Howwasthat？”
Heexplained，asfarashecoulddosowithoutmentioninghisdisappointmentatfindingitwasotherwise；andthenwenton：
“Well，nevermindthat。NowIwanttoaskyousomething。ThereisonedetailofourweddingwhichIamsureyouwillleavetome。
Myinclinationisnottobemarriedatthehorridlittlechurchhere，withalltheyokelsstaringroundatus，andadroningparsonreading。”
“Where，then，canitbe？Atachurchintown？”
“No。Notatachurchatall。Ataregistryoffice。Itisaquieter，snugger，andmoreconvenientplaceineveryway。”
“Oh。”saidshe，withrealdistress。“HowcanIbemarriedexceptatchurch，andwithallmydearfriendsroundme？”
“YeomanWinterborneamongthem。”
