ThatfiveminutesofoverhearingfurnishedEustaciawithvisionsenoughtofillthewholeblankafternoon。
Suchsuddenalternationsfrommentalvacuitydosometimesoccurthusquietly。Shecouldneverhavebelievedinthemorningthathercolourlessinnerworldwouldbeforenightbecomeasanimatedaswaterunderamicroscope,andthatwithoutthearrivalofasinglevisitor。
ThewordsofSamandHumphreyontheharmonybetweentheunknownandherselfhadonhermindtheeffectoftheinvadingBard’spreludeintheCastleofIndolence,atwhichmyriadsofimprisonedshapesarosewherehadpreviouslyappearedthestillnessofavoid。
Involvedintheseimaginingssheknewnothingoftime。
Whenshebecameconsciousofexternalsitwasdusk。
Thefurze—rickwasfinished;themenhadgonehome。
Eustaciawentupstairs,thinkingthatshewouldtakeawalkatthisherusualtime;andshedeterminedthatherwalkshouldbeinthedirectionofBlooms—End,thebirthplaceofyoungYeobrightandthepresenthomeofhismother。Shehadnoreasonforwalkingelsewhere,andwhyshouldshenotgothatway?Thesceneofthedaydreamissufficientforapilgrimageatnineteen。
TolookatthepalingsbeforetheYeobrights’
househadthedignityofanecessaryperformance。
Strangethatsuchapieceofidlingshouldhaveseemedanimportanterrand。
Sheputonherbonnet,and,leavingthehouse,descendedthehillonthesidetowardsBlooms—End,whereshewalkedslowlyalongthevalleyforadistanceofamileandahalf。
Thisbroughthertoaspotinwhichthegreenbottomofthedalebegantowiden,thefurzebushestorecedeyetfurtherfromthepathoneachside,tilltheywerediminishedtoanisolatedonehereandtherebytheincreasingfertilityofthesoil。Beyondtheirregularcarpetofgrasswasarowofwhitepalings,whichmarkedthevergeoftheheathinthislatitude。Theyshowedupontheduskyscenethattheyborderedasdistinctlyaswhitelaceonvelvet。Behindthewhitepalingswasalittlegarden;
behindthegardenanold,irregular,thatchedhouse,facingtheheath,andcommandingafullviewofthevalley。
Thiswastheobscure,removedspottowhichwasabouttoreturnamanwhoselatterlifehadbeenpassedintheFrenchcapital——thecentreandvortexofthefashionableworld。
2—ThePeopleatBlooms—EndMakeReadyAllthatafternoontheexpectedarrivalofthesubjectofEustacia’sruminationscreatedabustleofpreparationatBlooms—End。Thomasinhadbeenpersuadedbyheraunt,andbyaninstinctiveimpulseofloyaltytowardshercousinClym,tobestirherselfonhisaccountwithanalacrityunusualinherduringthesemostsorrowfuldaysofherlife。
AtthetimethatEustaciawaslisteningtotherick—makers’
conversationonClym’sreturn,Thomasinwasclimbingintoaloftoverheraunt’sfuelhouse,wherethestore—appleswerekept,tosearchoutthebestandlargestofthemforthecomingholiday—time。
Theloftwaslightedbyasemicircularhole,throughwhichthepigeonscrepttotheirlodgingsinthesamehighquartersofthepremises;andfromthisholethesunshoneinabrightyellowpatchuponthefigureofthemaidenasshekneltandplungedhernakedarmsintothesoftbrownfern,which,fromitsabundance,wasusedonEgdoninpackingawaystoresofallkinds。
Thepigeonswereflyingaboutherheadwiththegreatestunconcern,andthefaceofherauntwasjustvisibleabovetheflooroftheloft,litbyafewstraymotesoflight,asshestoodhalfwayuptheladder,lookingataspotintowhichshewasnotclimberenoughtoventure。
\"Nowafewrussets,Tamsin。Heusedtolikethemalmostaswellasribstones。\"
Thomasinturnedandrolledasidethefernfromanothernook,wheremoremellowfruitgreetedherwithitsripesmell。
Beforepickingthemoutshestoppedamoment。
\"DearClym,Iwonderhowyourfacelooksnow?\"shesaid,gazingabstractedlyatthepigeon—hole。whichadmittedthesunlightsodirectlyuponherbrownhairandtransparenttissuesthatitalmostseemedtoshinethroughher。
\"Ifhecouldhavebeendeartoyouinanotherway,\"
saidMrs。Yeobrightfromtheladder,\"thismighthavebeenahappymeeting。\"
\"Isthereanyuseinsayingwhatcandonogood,Aunt?\"
\"Yes,\"saidheraunt,withsomewarmth。\"Tothoroughlyfilltheairwiththepastmisfortune,sothatothergirlsmaytakewarningandkeepclearofit。\"
Thomasinloweredherfacetotheapplesagain。
\"Iamawarningtoothers,justasthievesanddrunkardsandgamblersare,\"shesaidinalowvoice。\"Whataclasstobelongto!DoIreallybelongtothem?’Tisabsurd!Yetwhy,Aunt,doeseverybodykeeponmakingmethinkthatIdo,bythewaytheybehavetowardsme?Whydon’tpeoplejudgemebymyacts?Now,lookatmeasI
kneelhere,pickinguptheseapples——doIlooklikealostwoman?……IwishallgoodwomenwereasgoodasI!\"
sheaddedvehemently。
\"Strangersdon’tseeyouasIdo,\"saidMrs。Yeobright;
\"theyjudgefromfalsereport。Well,itisasillyjob,andIampartlytoblame。\"
\"Howquicklyarashthingcanbedone!\"repliedthegirl。
Herlipswerequivering,andtearssocrowdedthemselvesintohereyesthatshecouldhardlydistinguishapplesfromfernasshecontinuedindustriouslysearchingtohideherweakness。
\"Assoonasyouhavefinishedgettingtheapples,\"
herauntsaid,descendingtheladder,\"comedown,andwe’llgofortheholly。Thereisnobodyontheheaththisafternoon,andyouneednotfearbeingstaredat。
Wemustgetsomeberries,orClymwillneverbelieveinourpreparations。\"
Thomasincamedownwhentheappleswerecollected,andtogethertheywentthroughthewhitepalingstotheheathbeyond。Theopenhillswereairyandclear,andtheremoteatmosphereappeared,asitoftenappearsonafinewinterday,indistinctplanesofilluminationindependentlytoned,therayswhichlitthenearertractsoflandscapestreamingvisiblyacrossthosefurtheroff;
astratumofensaffronedlightwasimposedonastratumofdeepblue,andbehindtheselaystillremotersceneswrappedinfrigidgrey。
Theyreachedtheplacewheretheholliesgrew,whichwasinaconicalpit,sothatthetopsofthetreeswerenotmuchabovethegeneralleveloftheground。
Thomasinsteppedupintoaforkofoneofthebushes,asshehaddoneunderhappiercircumstancesonmanysimilaroccasions,andwithasmallchopperthattheyhadbroughtshebegantolopofftheheavilyberriedboughs。
\"Don’tscratchyourface,\"saidheraunt,whostoodattheedgeofthepit,regardingthegirlassheheldonamidtheglisteninggreenandscarletmassesofthetree。
\"Willyouwalkwithmetomeethimthisevening?\"
\"Ishouldliketo。ElseitwouldseemasifIhadforgottenhim,\"saidThomasin,tossingoutabough。
\"Notthatthatwouldmattermuch;Ibelongtooneman;
nothingcanalterthat。AndthatmanImustmarry,formypride’ssake。\"
\"Iamafraid——\"beganMrs。Yeobright。
\"Ah,youthink,’Thatweakgirl——howisshegoingtogetamantomarryherwhenshechooses?’Butletmetellyouonething,Aunt:Mr。Wildeveisnotaprofligateman,anymorethanIamanimproperwoman。Hehasanunfortunatemanner,anddoesn’ttrytomakepeoplelikehimiftheydon’twishtodoitoftheirownaccord。\"
\"Thomasin,\"saidMrs。Yeobrightquietly,fixinghereyeuponherniece,\"doyouthinkyoudeceivemeinyourdefenceofMr。Wildeve?\"
\"Howdoyoumean?\"
\"Ihavelonghadasuspicionthatyourloveforhimhaschangeditscoloursinceyouhavefoundhimnottobethesaintyouthoughthim,andthatyouactaparttome。\"
\"Hewishedtomarryme,andIwishtomarryhim。\"
\"Now,Iputittoyou:wouldyouatthispresentmomentagreetobehiswifeifthathadnothappenedtoentangleyouwithhim?\"
Thomasinlookedintothetreeandappearedmuchdisturbed。
\"Aunt,\"shesaidpresently,\"Ihave,Ithink,arighttorefusetoanswerthatquestion。\"
\"Yes,youhave。\"
\"Youmaythinkwhatyouchoose。IhaveneverimpliedtoyoubywordordeedthatIhavegrowntothinkotherwiseofhim,andIneverwill。AndIshallmarryhim。\"
\"Well,waittillherepeatshisoffer。Ithinkhemaydoit,nowthatheknows——somethingItoldhim。
Idon’tforamomentdisputethatitisthemostproperthingforyoutomarryhim。MuchasIhaveobjectedtohiminbygonedays,Iagreewithyounow,youmaybesure。
Itistheonlywayoutofafalseposition,andaverygallingone。\"
\"Whatdidyoutellhim?\"
\"Thathewasstandinginthewayofanotherloverofyours。\"
\"Aunt,\"saidThomasin,withroundeyes,\"whatDOyoumean?\"
\"Don’tbealarmed;itwasmyduty。Icansaynomoreaboutitnow,butwhenitisoverIwilltellyouexactlywhatIsaid,andwhyIsaidit。\"
Thomasinwasperforcecontent。
\"Andyouwillkeepthesecretofmywould—bemarriagefromClymforthepresent?\"shenextasked。
\"Ihavegivenmywordto。Butwhatistheuseofit?
Hemustsoonknowwhathashappened。Amerelookatyourfacewillshowhimthatsomethingiswrong。\"
Thomasinturnedandregardedherauntfromthetree。
\"Now,hearkentome,\"shesaid,herdelicatevoiceexpandingintofirmnessbyaforcewhichwasotherthanphysical。
\"Tellhimnothing。IfhefindsoutthatIamnotworthytobehiscousin,lethim。But,sincehelovedmeonce,wewillnotpainhimbytellinghimmytroubletoosoon。
Theairisfullofthestory,Iknow;butgossipswillnotdaretospeakofittohimforthefirstfewdays。
Hisclosenesstomeistheverythingthatwillhinderthetalefromreachinghimearly。IfIamnotmadesafefromsneersinaweekortwoIwilltellhimmyself。\"
TheearnestnesswithwhichThomasinspokepreventedfurtherobjections。Herauntsimplysaid,\"Verywell。
Heshouldbyrightshavebeentoldatthetimethattheweddingwasgoingtobe。Hewillneverforgiveyouforyoursecrecy。\"
\"Yes,hewill,whenheknowsitwasbecauseIwishedtosparehim,andthatIdidnotexpecthimhomesosoon。
AndyoumustnotletmestandinthewayofyourChristmasparty。Puttingitoffwouldonlymakemattersworse。\"
\"OfcourseIshallnot。IdonotwishtoshowmyselfbeatenbeforeallEgdon,andthesportofamanlikeWildeve。
Wehaveenoughberriesnow,Ithink,andwehadbettertakethemhome。Bythetimewehavedeckedthehousewiththisandhungupthemistletoe,wemustthinkofstartingtomeethim。\"
Thomasincameoutofthetree,shookfromherhairanddressthelooseberrieswhichhadfallenthereon,andwentdownthehillwithheraunt,eachwomanbearinghalfthegatheredboughs。Itwasnownearlyfouro’clock,andthesunlightwasleavingthevales。
Whenthewestgrewredthetworelativescameagainfromthehouseandplungedintotheheathinadifferentdirectionfromthefirst,towardsapointinthedistanthighwayalongwhichtheexpectedmanwastoreturn。
3—HowaLittleSoundProducedaGreatDreamEustaciastoodjustwithintheheath,straininghereyesinthedirectionofMrs。Yeobright’shouseandpremises。
Nolight,sound,ormovementwasperceptiblethere。
Theeveningwaschilly;thespotwasdarkandlonely。
Sheinferredthattheguesthadnotyetcome;andafterlingeringtenorfifteenminutessheturnedagaintowardshome。
Shehadnotfarretracedherstepswhensoundsinfrontofherbetokenedtheapproachofpersonsinconversationalongthesamepath。Soontheirheadsbecamevisibleagainstthesky。Theywerewalkingslowly;andthoughitwastoodarkformuchdiscoveryofcharacterfromaspect,thegaitofthemshowedthattheywerenotworkersontheheath。Eustaciasteppedalittleoutofthefoot—tracktoletthempass。Theyweretwowomenandaman;
andthevoicesofthewomenwerethoseofMrs。YeobrightandThomasin。
Theywentbyher,andatthemomentofpassingappearedtodiscernherduskyform。Therecametoherearsinamasculinevoice,\"Goodnight!\"
Shemurmuredareply,glidedbythem,andturnedround。
Shecouldnot,foramoment,believethatchance,unrequested,hadbroughtintoherpresencethesoulofthehouseshehadgonetoinspect,themanwithoutwhomherinspectionwouldnothavebeenthoughtof。
Shestrainedhereyestoseethem,butwasunable。
Suchwasherintentness,however,thatitseemedasifherearswereperformingthefunctionsofseeingaswellashearing。Thisextensionofpowercanalmostbebelievedinatsuchmoments。ThedeafDr。Kittowasprobablyundertheinfluenceofaparallelfancywhenhedescribedhisbodyashavingbecome,bylongendeavour,sosensitivetovibrationsthathehadgainedthepowerofperceivingbyitasbyears。
Shecouldfolloweverywordthattheramblersuttered。
Theyweretalkingnosecrets。Theyweremerelyindulgingintheordinaryvivaciouschatofrelativeswhohavelongbeenpartedinpersonthoughnotinsoul。ButitwasnottothewordsthatEustacialistened;shecouldnotevenhaverecalled,afewminuteslater,whatthewordswere。
Itwastothealternatingvoicethatgaveoutaboutone—tenthofthem——thevoicethathadwishedhergoodnight。
SometimesthisthroatutteredYes,sometimesitutteredNo;
sometimesitmadeinquiriesaboutatimeworndenizenoftheplace。Onceitsurprisedhernotionsbyremarkinguponthefriendlinessandgenialitywritteninthefacesofthehillsaround。
Thethreevoicespassedon,anddecayedanddiedoutuponherear。
Thusmuchhadbeengrantedher;andallbesideswithheld。
Noeventcouldhavebeenmoreexciting。DuringthegreaterpartoftheafternoonshehadbeenentrancingherselfbyimaginingthefascinationwhichmustattendamancomedirectfrombeautifulParis——ladenwithitsatmosphere,familiarwithitscharms。Andthismanhadgreetedher。
Withthedepartureofthefigurestheprofusearticulationsofthewomenwastedawayfromhermemory;buttheaccentsoftheotherstayedon。WasthereanythinginthevoiceofMrs。Yeobright’sson——forClymitwas——startlingasasound?No;itwassimplycomprehensive。Allemotionalthingswerepossibletothespeakerofthat\"goodnight。\"
Eustacia’simaginationsuppliedtherest——exceptthesolutiontooneriddle。WhatCOULDthetastesofthatmanbewhosawfriendlinessandgenialityintheseshaggyhills?
Onsuchoccasionsasthisathousandideaspassthroughahighlychargedwoman’shead;andtheyindicatethemselvesonherface;butthechanges,thoughactual,areminute。
Eustacia’sfeatureswentthrougharhythmicalsuccessionofthem。Sheglowed;rememberingthemendacityoftheimagination,sheflagged;thenshefreshened;
thenshefired;thenshecooledagain。Itwasacycleofaspects,producedbyacycleofvisions。
Eustaciaenteredherownhouse;shewasexcited。
Hergrandfatherwasenjoyinghimselfoverthefire,rakingabouttheashesandexposingthered—hotsurfaceoftheturves,sothattheirluridglareirradiatedthechimney—cornerwiththehuesofafurnace。
\"WhyisitthatweareneverfriendlywiththeYeobrights?\"
shesaid,comingforwardandstretchinghersofthandsoverthewarmth。\"Iwishwewere。Theyseemtobeverynicepeople。\"
\"BehangedifIknowwhy,\"saidthecaptain。\"Ilikedtheoldmanwellenough,thoughhewasasroughasahedge。
Butyouwouldneverhavecaredtogothere,evenifyoumighthave,Iamwellsure。\"
\"Whyshouldn’tI?\"
\"Yourtowntasteswouldfindthemfartoocountrified。
Theysitinthekitchen,drinkmeadandelder—wine,andsandthefloortokeepitclean。Asensiblewayoflife;
buthowwouldyoulikeit?\"
\"IthoughtMrs。Yeobrightwasaladylikewoman?
Acurate’sdaughter,wasshenot?\"
\"Yes;butshewasobligedtoliveasherhusbanddid;
andIsupposeshehastakenkindlytoitbythistime。
Ah,IrecollectthatIonceaccidentallyoffendedher,andIhaveneverseenhersince。\"
ThatnightwasaneventfulonetoEustacia’sbrain,andonewhichshehardlyeverforgot。Shedreamtadream;
andfewhumanbeings,fromNebuchadnezzartotheSwaffhamtinker,everdreamtamoreremarkableone。
Suchanelaboratelydeveloped,perplexing,excitingdreamwascertainlyneverdreamedbyagirlinEustacia’ssituationbefore。IthadasmanyramificationsastheCretanlabyrinth,asmanyfluctuationsasthenorthernlights,asmuchcolourasaparterreinJune,andwasascrowdedwithfiguresasacoronation。
ToQueenScheherazadethedreammighthaveseemednotfarremovedfromcommonplace;andtoagirljustreturnedfromallthecourtsofEuropeitmighthaveseemednotmorethaninteresting。ButamidthecircumstancesofEustacia’slifeitwasaswonderfulasadreamcouldbe。
Therewas,however,graduallyevolvedfromitstransformationscenesalessextravagantepisode,inwhichtheheathdimlyappearedbehindthegeneralbrilliancyoftheaction。
Shewasdancingtowondrousmusic,andherpartnerwasthemaninsilverarmourwhohadaccompaniedherthroughthepreviousfantasticchanges,thevisorofhishelmetbeingclosed。Themazesofthedancewereecstatic。
Softwhisperingcameintoherearfromundertheradianthelmet,andshefeltlikeawomaninParadise。
Suddenlythesetwowheeledoutfromthemassofdancers,divedintooneofthepoolsoftheheath,andcameoutsomewhereintoaniridescenthollow,archedwithrainbows。
\"Itmustbehere,\"saidthevoicebyherside,andblushinglylookingupshesawhimremovinghiscasquetokissher。
Atthatmomenttherewasacrackingnoise,andhisfigurefellintofragmentslikeapackofcards。
Shecriedaloud。\"OthatIhadseenhisface!\"
Eustaciaawoke。Thecrackinghadbeenthatofthewindowshutterdownstairs,whichthemaid—servantwasopeningtoletintheday,nowslowlyincreasingtoNature’smeagreallowanceatthissicklytimeoftheyear。
\"OthatIhadseenhisface!\"shesaidagain。\"’TwasmeantforMr。Yeobright!\"
Whenshebecamecoolersheperceivedthatmanyofthephasesofthedreamhadnaturallyarisenoutoftheimagesandfanciesofthedaybefore。Butthisdetractedlittlefromitsinterest,whichlayintheexcellentfuelitprovidedfornewlykindledfervour。Shewasatthemodulatingpointbetweenindifferenceandlove,atthestagecalled\"havingafancyfor。\"Itoccursonceinthehistoryofthemostgiganticpassions,anditisaperiodwhentheyareinthehandsoftheweakestwill。
Theperfervidwomanwasbythistimehalfinlovewithavision。Thefantasticnatureofherpassion,whichloweredherasanintellect,raisedherasasoul。
Ifshehadhadalittlemoreself—controlshewouldhaveattenuatedtheemotiontonothingbysheerreasoning,andsohavekilleditoff。IfshehadhadalittlelessprideshemighthavegoneandcircumambulatedtheYeobrights’
premisesatBlooms—Endatanymaidenlysacrificeuntilshehadseenhim。ButEustaciadidneitherofthesethings。
Sheactedasthemostexemplarymighthaveacted,beingsoinfluenced;shetookanairingtwiceorthriceadayupontheEgdonhills,andkepthereyesemployed。
Thefirstoccasionpassed,andhedidnotcomethatway。
Shepromenadedasecondtime,andwasagainthesolewandererthere。
Thethirdtimetherewasadensefog;shelookedaround,butwithoutmuchhope。Evenifhehadbeenwalkingwithintwentyyardsofhershecouldnothaveseenhim。
Atthefourthattempttoencounterhimitbegantorainintorrents,andsheturnedback。
Thefifthsallywasintheafternoon;itwasfine,andsheremainedoutlong,walkingtotheverytopofthevalleyinwhichBlooms—Endlay。Shesawthewhitepalingabouthalfamileoff;buthedidnotappear。
Itwasalmostwithheart—sicknessthatshecamehomeandwithasenseofshameatherweakness。SheresolvedtolookforthemanfromParisnomore。
ButProvidenceisnothingifnotcoquettish;andnosoonerhadEustaciaformedthisresolvethantheopportunitycamewhich,whilesought,hadbeenentirelywithholden。
4—EustaciaIsLedontoanAdventureIntheeveningofthislastdayofexpectation,whichwasthetwenty—thirdofDecember,Eustaciawasathomealone。
Shehadpassedtherecenthourinlamentingoverarumournewlycometoherears——thatYeobright’svisittohismotherwastobeofshortduration,andwouldendsometimethenextweek。\"Naturally,\"shesaidtoherself。
AmaninthefullswingofhisactivitiesinagaycitycouldnotaffordtolingerlongonEgdonHeath。Thatshewouldbeholdfacetofacetheowneroftheawakeningvoicewithinthelimitsofsuchaholidaywasmostunlikely,unlesssheweretohaunttheenvironsofhismother’shouselikearobin,todowhichwasdifficultandunseemly。
Thecustomaryexpedientofprovincialgirlsandmeninsuchcircumstancesischurchgoing。Inanordinaryvillageorcountrytownonecansafelycalculatethat,eitheronChristmasdayortheSundaycontiguous,anynativehomefortheholidays,whohasnotthroughageorennuilosttheappetiteforseeingandbeingseen,willturnupinsomepeworother,shiningwithhope,self—consciousness,andnewclothes。ThusthecongregationonChristmasmorningismostlyaTussaudcollectionofcelebritieswhohavebeenbornintheneighbourhood。
Hitherthemistress,leftneglectedathomealltheyear,canstealandobservethedevelopmentofthereturnedloverwhohasforgottenher,andthinkasshewatcheshimoverherprayerbookthathemaythrobwitharenewedfidelitywhennoveltieshavelosttheircharm。
AndhitheracomparativelyrecentsettlerlikeEustaciamaybetakeherselftoscrutinizethepersonofanativesonwholefthomebeforeheradventuponthescene,andconsiderifthefriendshipofhisparentsbeworthcultivatingduringhisnextabsenceinordertosecureaknowledgeofhimonhisnextreturn。
ButthesetenderschemeswerenotfeasibleamongthescatteredinhabitantsofEgdonHeath。Innametheywereparishioners,butvirtuallytheybelongedtonoparishatall。
PeoplewhocametothesefewisolatedhousestokeepChristmaswiththeirfriendsremainedintheirfriends’
chimney—cornersdrinkingmeadandothercomfortingliquorstilltheyleftagainforgoodandall。Rain,snow,ice,mudeverywherearound,theydidnotcaretotrudgetwoorthreemilestositwet—footedandsplashedtothenapeoftheirnecksamongthosewho,thoughinsomemeasureneighbours,livedclosetothechurch,andentereditcleananddry。
EustaciaknewitwastentoonethatClymYeobrightwouldgotonochurchatallduringhisfewdaysofleave,andthatitwouldbeawasteoflabourforhertogodrivingtheponyandgigoverabadroadinhopetoseehimthere。
Itwasdusk,andshewassittingbythefireinthedining—roomorhall,whichtheyoccupiedatthistimeoftheyearinpreferencetotheparlour,becauseofitslargehearth,constructedforturf—fires,afuelthecaptainwaspartialtointhewinterseason。Theonlyvisiblearticlesintheroomwerethoseonthewindow—sill,whichshowedtheirshapesagainstthelowsky,themiddlearticlebeingtheoldhourglass,andtheothertwoapairofancientBritishurnswhichhadbeendugfromabarrownear,andwereusedasflowerpotsfortworazor—leavedcactuses。
Somebodyknockedatthedoor。Theservantwasout;
sowashergrandfather。Theperson,afterwaitingaminute,cameinandtappedatthedooroftheroom。
\"Who’sthere?\"saidEustacia。