Mrs。Yeobrightwasinthisstateofuncertaintywhenshewasinformedonemorningthatherson’swifewasvisitinghergrandfatheratMistover。Shedeterminedtowalkupthehill,seeEustacia,andascertainfromherdaughter—in—law’slipswhetherthefamilyguineas,whichweretoMrs。Yeobrightwhatfamilyjewelsaretowealthierdowagers,hadmiscarriedornot。
WhenChristianlearntwhereshewasgoinghisconcernreacheditsheight。Atthemomentofherdeparturehecouldprevaricatenolonger,and,confessingtothegambling,toldherthetruthasfarasheknewit——thattheguineashadbeenwonbyWildeve。
\"What,ishegoingtokeepthem?\"Mrs。Yeobrightcried。
\"Ihopeandtrustnot!\"moanedChristian。\"He’sagoodman,andperhapswilldorightthings。HesaidyououghttohavegiedMr。Clym’ssharetoEustacia,andthat’sperhapswhathe’lldohimself。\"
ToMrs。Yeobright,assoonasshecouldcalmlyreflect,therewasmuchlikelihoodinthis,forshecouldhardlybelievethatWildevewouldreallyappropriatemoneybelongingtoherson。TheintermediatecourseofgivingittoEustaciawasthesortofthingtopleaseWildeve’sfancy。
Butitfilledthemotherwithangernonetheless。
ThatWildeveshouldhavegotcommandoftheguineasafterall,andshouldrearrangethedisposalofthem,placingClym’sshareinClym’swife’shands,becauseshehadbeenhisownsweetheart,andmightbesostill,wasasirritatingapainasanythatMrs。Yeobrighthadeverborne。
SheinstantlydismissedthewretchedChristianfromheremployforhisconductintheaffair;but,feelingquitehelplessandunabletodowithouthim,toldhimafterwardsthathemightstayalittlelongerifhechose。
ThenshehastenedofftoEustacia,movedbyamuchlesspromisingemotiontowardsherdaughter—in—lawthanshehadfelthalfanhourearlier,whenplanningherjourney。
Atthattimeitwastoinquireinafriendlyspiritiftherehadbeenanyaccidentalloss;nowitwastoaskplainlyifWildevehadprivatelygivenhermoneywhichhadbeenintendedasasacredgifttoClym。
Shestartedattwoo’clock,andhermeetingwithEustaciawashastenedbytheappearanceoftheyoungladybesidethepoolandbankwhichborderedhergrandfather’spremises,whereshestoodsurveyingthescene,andperhapsthinkingoftheromanticenactmentsithadwitnessedinpastdays。
WhenMrs。Yeobrightapproached,Eustaciasurveyedherwiththecalmstareofastranger。
Themother—in—lawwasthefirsttospeak。\"Iwascomingtoseeyou,\"shesaid。
\"Indeed!\"saidEustaciawithsurprise,forMrs。Yeobright,muchtothegirl’smortification,hadrefusedtobepresentatthewedding。\"Ididnotatallexpectyou。\"
\"Iwascomingonbusinessonly,\"saidthevisitor,morecoldlythanatfirst。\"Willyouexcusemyaskingthis——HaveyoureceivedagiftfromThomasin’shusband?\"
\"Agift?\"
\"Imeanmoney!\"
\"What——Imyself?\"
\"Well,Imeantyourself,privately——thoughIwasnotgoingtoputitinthatway。\"
\"MoneyfromMr。Wildeve?No——never!Madam,whatdoyoumeanbythat?\"Eustaciafiredupalltooquickly,forherownconsciousnessoftheoldattachmentbetweenherselfandWildeveledhertojumptotheconclusionthatMrs。Yeobrightalsoknewofit,andmighthavecometoaccuseherofreceivingdishonourablepresentsfromhimnow。
\"Isimplyaskthequestion,\"saidMrs。Yeobright。
\"Ihavebeen————\"
\"Yououghttohavebetteropinionsofme——Ifearedyouwereagainstmefromthefirst!\"exclaimedEustacia\"No。IwassimplyforClym,\"repliedMrs。Yeobright,withtoomuchemphasisinherearnestness。\"Itistheinstinctofeveryonetolookaftertheirown。\"
\"Howcanyouimplythatherequiredguardingagainstme?\"
criedEustacia,passionatetearsinhereyes。\"Ihavenotinjuredhimbymarryinghim!WhatsinhaveIdonethatyoushouldthinksoillofme?YouhadnorighttospeakagainstmetohimwhenIhaveneverwrongedyou。\"
\"Ionlydidwhatwasfairunderthecircumstances,\"
saidMrs。Yeobrightmoresoftly。\"Iwouldrathernothavegoneintothisquestionatpresent,butyoucompelme。
Iamnotashamedtotellyouthehonesttruth。Iwasfirmlyconvincedthatheoughtnottomarryyou——thereforeI
triedtodissuadehimbyallthemeansinmypower。Butitisdonenow,andIhavenoideaofcomplaininganymore。
Iamreadytowelcomeyou。\"
\"Ah,yes,itisverywelltoseethingsinthatbusinesspointofview,\"murmuredEustaciawithasmotheredfireoffeeling。\"ButwhyshouldyouthinkthereisanythingbetweenmeandMr。Wildeve?Ihaveaspiritaswellasyou。Iamindignant;andsowouldanywomanbe。
ItwasacondescensioninmetobeClym’swife,andnotamanoeuvre,letmeremindyou;andthereforeIwillnotbetreatedasaschemerwhomitbecomesnecessarytobearwithbecauseshehascreptintothefamily。\"
\"Oh!\"saidMrs。Yeobright,vainlyendeavouringtocontrolheranger。\"Ihaveneverheardanythingtoshowthatmyson’slineageisnotasgoodastheVyes’——perhapsbetter。
Itisamusingtohearyoutalkofcondescension。\"
\"Itwascondescension,nevertheless,\"saidEustaciavehemently。
\"AndifIhadknownthenwhatIknownow,thatIshouldbelivinginthiswildheathamonthaftermymarriage,I——Ishouldhavethoughttwicebeforeagreeing。\"
\"Itwouldbebetternottosaythat;itmightnotsoundtruthful。Iamnotawarethatanydeceptionwasusedonhispart——Iknowtherewasnot——whatevermighthavebeenthecaseontheotherside。\"
\"Thisistooexasperating!\"answeredtheyoungerwomanhuskily,herfacecrimsoning,andhereyesdartinglight。
\"Howcanyoudaretospeaktomelikethat?IinsistuponrepeatingtoyouthathadIknownthatmylifewouldfrommymarriageuptothistimehavebeenasitis,IshouldhavesaidNO。Idon’tcomplain。Ihaveneverutteredasoundofsuchathingtohim;butitistrue。
Ihopethereforethatinthefutureyouwillbesilentonmyeagerness。Ifyouinjuremenowyouinjureyourself。\"
\"Injureyou?DoyouthinkIamanevil—disposedperson?\"
\"Youinjuredmebeforemymarriage,andyouhavenowsuspectedmeofsecretlyfavouringanothermanformoney!\"
\"IcouldnothelpwhatIthought。ButIhaveneverspokenofyououtsidemyhouse。\"
\"Youspokeofmewithinit,toClym,andyoucouldnotdoworse。\"
\"Ididmyduty。\"
\"AndI’lldomine。\"
\"Apartofwhichwillpossiblybetosethimagainsthismother。Itisalwaysso。ButwhyshouldInotbearitasothershaveborneitbeforeme!\"
\"Iunderstandyou,\"saidEustacia,breathlesswithemotion。
\"Youthinkmecapableofeverybadthing。Whocanbeworsethanawifewhoencouragesalover,andpoisonsherhusband’smindagainsthisrelative?Yetthatisnowthecharactergiventome。Willyounotcomeanddraghimoutofmyhands?\"
Mrs。Yeobrightgavebackheatforheat。
\"Don’trageatme,madam!Itillbecomesyourbeauty,andIamnotworththeinjuryyoumaydoitonmyaccount,Iassureyou。Iamonlyapooroldwomanwhohaslostason。\"
\"Ifyouhadtreatedmehonourablyyouwouldhavehadhimstill。\"Eustaciasaid,whilescaldingtearstrickledfromhereyes。\"Youhavebroughtyourselftofolly;
youhavecausedadivisionwhichcanneverbehealed!\"
\"Ihavedonenothing。ThisaudacityfromayoungwomanismorethanIcanbear。\"
\"Itwasaskedfor;youhavesuspectedme,andyouhavemademespeakofmyhusbandinawayIwouldnothavedone。
YouwilllethimknowthatIhavespokenthus,anditwillcausemiserybetweenus。Willyougoawayfromme?Youarenofriend!\"
\"IwillgowhenIhavespokenaword。IfanyonesaysI
havecomeheretoquestionyouwithoutgoodgroundsforit,thatpersonspeaksuntruly。IfanyonesaysthatI
attemptedtostopyourmarriagebyanybuthonestmeans,thatperson,too,doesnotspeakthetruth。Ihavefallenonaneviltime;Godhasbeenunjusttomeinlettingyouinsultme!Probablymyson’shappinessdoesnotlieonthissideofthegrave,forheisafoolishmanwhoneglectstheadviceofhisparent。You,Eustacia,standontheedgeofaprecipicewithoutknowingit。
Onlyshowmysonone—halfthetemperyouhaveshownmetoday——andyoumaybeforelong——andyouwillfindthatthoughheisasgentleasachildwithyounow,hecanbeashardassteel!\"
Theexcitedmotherthenwithdrew,andEustacia,panting,stoodlookingintothepool。
2—HeIsSetuponbyAdversitiesbutHeSingsaSongTheresultofthatunpropitiousinterviewwasthatEustacia,insteadofpassingtheafternoonwithhergrandfather,hastilyreturnedhometoClym,whereshearrivedthreehoursearlierthanshehadbeenexpected。
Shecameindoorswithherfaceflushed,andhereyesstillshowingtracesofherrecentexcitement。
Yeobrightlookedupastonished;hehadneverseenherinanywayapproachingtothatstatebefore。
Shepassedhimby,andwouldhavegoneupstairsunnoticed,butClymwassoconcernedthatheimmediatelyfollowedher。
\"Whatisthematter,Eustacia?\"hesaid。Shewasstandingonthehearthruginthebedroom,lookinguponthefloor,herhandsclaspedinfrontofher,herbonnetyetunremoved。
Foramomentshedidnotanswer;andthensherepliedinalowvoice——
\"Ihaveseenyourmother;andIwillneverseeheragain!\"
AweightfelllikeastoneuponClym。Thatsamemorning,whenEustaciahadarrangedtogoandseehergrandfather,ClymhadexpressedawishthatshewoulddrivedowntoBlooms—Endandinquireforhermother—in—law,oradoptanyothermeansshemightthinkfittobringaboutareconciliation。Shehadsetoutgaily;andhehadhopedformuch。
\"Whyisthis?\"heasked。
\"Icannottell——Icannotremember。Imetyourmother。
AndIwillnevermeetheragain。\"
\"Why?\"
\"WhatdoIknowaboutMr。Wildevenow?Iwon’thavewickedopinionspassedonmebyanybody。O!itwastoohumiliatingtobeaskedifIhadreceivedanymoneyfromhim,orencouragedhim,orsomethingofthesort——
Idon’texactlyknowwhat!\"
\"Howcouldshehaveaskedyouthat?\"
\"Shedid。\"
\"Thentheremusthavebeensomemeaninginit。Whatdidmymothersaybesides?\"
\"Idon’tknowwhatshesaid,exceptinsofarasthis,thatwebothsaidwordswhichcanneverbeforgiven!\"
\"Oh,theremustbesomemisapprehension。Whosefaultwasitthathermeaningwasnotmadeclear?\"
\"Iwouldrathernotsay。Itmayhavebeenthefaultofthecircumstances,whichwereawkwardattheveryleast。
OClym——Icannothelpexpressingit——thisisanunpleasantpositionthatyouhaveplacedmein。Butyoumustimproveit——yes,sayyouwill——forIhateitallnow!Yes,takemetoParis,andgoonwithyouroldoccupation,Clym!Idon’tmindhowhumblywelivethereatfirst,ifitcanonlybeParis,andnotEgdonHeath。\"
\"ButIhavequitegivenupthatidea,\"saidYeobright,withsurprise。\"SurelyIneverledyoutoexpectsuchathing?\"
\"Iownit。Yettherearethoughtswhichcannotbekeptoutofmind,andthatonewasmine。MustInothaveavoiceinthematter,nowIamyourwifeandthesharerofyourdoom?\"
\"Well,therearethingswhichareplacedbeyondthepaleofdiscussion;andIthoughtthiswasspeciallyso,andbymutualagreement。\"
\"Clym,IamunhappyatwhatIhear,\"shesaidinalowvoice;
andhereyesdrooped,andsheturnedaway。
ThisindicationofanunexpectedmineofhopeinEustacia’sbosomdisconcertedherhusband。Itwasthefirsttimethathehadconfrontedthefactoftheindirectnessofawoman’smovementtowardsherdesire。Buthisintentionwasunshaken,thoughhelovedEustaciawell。
Alltheeffectthatherremarkhaduponhimwasaresolvetochainhimselfmorecloselythanevertohisbooks,soastobethesoonerenabledtoappealtosubstantialresultsfromanothercourseinarguingagainstherwhim。
Nextdaythemysteryoftheguineaswasexplained。
Thomasinpaidthemahurriedvisit,andClym’ssharewasdelivereduptohimbyherownhands。Eustaciawasnotpresentatthetime。
\"Thenthisiswhatmymothermeant,\"exclaimedClym。
\"Thomasin,doyouknowthattheyhavehadabitterquarrel?\"
TherewasalittlemorereticencenowthanformerlyinThomasin’smannertowardshercousin。Itistheeffectofmarriagetoengenderinseveraldirectionssomeofthereserveitannihilatesinone。\"Yourmothertoldme,\"shesaidquietly。
\"ShecamebacktomyhouseafterseeingEustacia。\"
\"TheworstthingIdreadedhascometopass。WasMothermuchdisturbedwhenshecametoyou,Thomasin?\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Verymuchindeed?\"
\"Yes。\"
Clymleanthiselbowuponthepostofthegardengate,andcoveredhiseyeswithhishand。
\"Don’ttroubleaboutit,Clym。Theymaygettobefriends。\"
Heshookhishead。\"Nottwopeoplewithinflammablenaturesliketheirs。Well,whatmustbewillbe。\"
\"Onethingischeerfulinit——theguineasarenotlost。\"
\"Iwouldratherhavelostthemtwiceoverthanhavehadthishappen。\"
AmidthesejarringeventsYeobrightfeltonethingtobeindispensable——thatheshouldspeedilymakesomeshowofprogressinhisscholasticplans。Withthisviewhereadfarintothesmallhoursduringmanynights。
Onemorning,afterasevererstrainthanusual,heawokewithastrangesensationinhiseyes。Thesunwasshiningdirectlyuponthewindow—blind,andathisfirstglancethitherwardasharppainobligedhimtoclosehiseyelidsquickly。
Ateverynewattempttolookabouthimthesamemorbidsensibilitytolightwasmanifested,andexcoriatingtearsrandownhischeeks。Hewasobligedtotieabandageoverhisbrowwhiledressing;andduringthedayitcouldnotbeabandoned。Eustaciawasthoroughlyalarmed。
OnfindingthatthecasewasnobetterthenextmorningtheydecidedtosendtoAngleburyforasurgeon。
Towardseveninghearrived,andpronouncedthediseasetobeacuteinflammationinducedbyClym’snightstudies,continuedinspiteofacoldpreviouslycaught,whichhadweakenedhiseyesforthetime。
Frettingwithimpatienceatthisinterruptiontoataskhewassoanxioustohasten,Clymwastransformedintoaninvalid。
Hewasshutupinaroomfromwhichalllightwasexcluded,andhisconditionwouldhavebeenoneofabsolutemiseryhadnotEustaciareadtohimbytheglimmerofashadedlamp。Hehopedthattheworstwouldsoonbeover;
butatthesurgeon’sthirdvisithelearnttohisdismaythatalthoughhemightventureoutofdoorswithshadedeyesinthecourseofamonth,allthoughtofpursuinghiswork,orofreadingprintofanydescription,wouldhavetobegivenupforalongtimetocome。
Oneweekandanotherweekworeon,andnothingseemedtolightenthegloomoftheyoungcouple。
DreadfulimaginingsoccurredtoEustacia,butshecarefullyrefrainedfromutteringthemtoherhusband。
Supposeheshouldbecomeblind,or,atallevents,neverrecoversufficientstrengthofsighttoengageinanoccupationwhichwouldbecongenialtoherfeelings,andconducetoherremovalfromthislonelydwellingamongthehills?ThatdreamofbeautifulPariswasnotlikelytocohereintosubstanceinthepresenceofthismisfortune。
Asdayafterdaypassedby,andhegotnobetter,hermindranmoreandmoreinthismournfulgroove,andshewouldgoawayfromhimintothegardenandweepdespairingtears。
Yeobrightthoughthewouldsendforhismother;
andthenhethoughthewouldnot。Knowledgeofhisstatecouldonlymakeherthemoreunhappy;andtheseclusionoftheirlifewassuchthatshewouldhardlybelikelytolearnthenewsexceptthroughaspecialmessenger。
Endeavouringtotakethetroubleasphilosophicallyaspossible,hewaitedontillthethirdweekhadarrived,whenhewentintotheopenairforthefirsttimesincetheattack。Thesurgeonvisitedhimagainatthisstage,andClymurgedhimtoexpressadistinctopinion。
Theyoungmanlearntwithaddedsurprisethatthedateatwhichhemightexpecttoresumehislabourswasasuncertainasever,hiseyesbeinginthatpeculiarstatewhich,thoughaffordinghimsightenoughforwalkingabout,wouldnotadmitoftheirbeingstraineduponanydefiniteobjectwithoutincurringtheriskofreproducingophthalmiainitsacuteform。
Clymwasverygraveattheintelligence,butnotdespairing。
Aquietfirmness,andevencheerfulness,tookpossessionofhim。Hewasnottobeblind;thatwasenough。
Tobedoomedtobeholdtheworldthroughsmokedglassforanindefiniteperiodwasbadenough,andfataltoanykindofadvance;butYeobrightwasanabsolutestoicinthefaceofmishapswhichonlyaffectedhissocialstanding;and,apartfromEustacia,thehumblestwalkoflifewouldsatisfyhimifitcouldbemadetoworkinwithsomeformofhisculturescheme。Tokeepacottagenight—schoolwasonesuchform;andhisafflictiondidnotmasterhisspiritasitmightotherwisehavedone。
HewalkedthroughthewarmsunwestwardintothosetractsofEgdonwithwhichhewasbestacquainted,beingthoselyingnearertohisoldhome。Hesawbeforehiminoneofthevalleysthegleamingofwhettediron,andadvancing,dimlyperceivedthattheshinecamefromthetoolofamanwhowascuttingfurze。TheworkerrecognizedClym,andYeobrightlearntfromthevoicethatthespeakerwasHumphrey。
HumphreyexpressedhissorrowatClym’scondition,andadded,\"Now,ifyourswaslow—classworklikemine,youcouldgoonwithitjustthesame。\"
\"Yes,Icould,\"saidYeobrightmusingly。\"Howmuchdoyougetforcuttingthesefaggots?\"
\"Half—a—crownahundred,andintheselongdaysIcanliveverywellonthewages。\"
DuringthewholeofYeobright’swalkhometoAlderworthhewaslostinreflectionswhichwerenotofanunpleasantkind。
OnhiscominguptothehouseEustaciaspoketohimfromtheopenwindow,andhewentacrosstoher。
\"Darling,\"hesaid,\"Iammuchhappier。AndifmymotherwerereconciledtomeandtoyouIshould,Ithink,behappyquite。\"
\"Ifearthatwillneverbe,\"shesaid,lookingafarwithherbeautifulstormyeyes。\"HowCANyousay’Iamhappier,’andnothingchanged?\"
\"ItarisesfrommyhavingatlastdiscoveredsomethingI
cando,andgetalivingat,inthistimeofmisfortune。\"
\"Yes?\"
\"Iamgoingtobeafurze—andturf—cutter。\"
\"No,Clym!\"shesaid,theslighthopefulnesspreviouslyapparentinherfacegoingoffagain,andleavingherworsethanbefore。
\"SurelyIshall。Isitnotveryunwiseinustogoonspendingthelittlemoneywe’vegotwhenIcankeepdownexpendituresbyanhonestoccupation?Theoutdoorexercisewilldomegood,andwhoknowsbutthatinafewmonthsIshallbeabletogoonwithmyreadingagain?\"
\"Butmygrandfatherofferstoassistus,ifwerequireassistance。\"
\"Wedon’trequireit。IfIgofurze—cuttingweshallbefairlywelloff。\"
\"Incomparisonwithslaves,andtheIsraelitesinEgypt,andsuchpeople!\"AbittertearrolleddownEustacia’sface,whichhedidnotsee。Therehadbeennonchalanceinhistone,showingherthathefeltnoabsolutegriefataconsummationwhichtoherwasapositivehorror。
TheverynextdayYeobrightwenttoHumphrey’scottage,andborrowedofhimleggings,gloves,awhetstone,andahook,tousetillheshouldbeabletopurchasesomeforhimself。
Thenhesalliedforthwithhisnewfellow—labourerandoldacquaintance,andselectingaspotwherethefurzegrewthickesthestruckthefirstblowinhisadoptedcalling。
Hissight,likethewingsinRasselas,thoughuselesstohimforhisgrandpurpose,sufficedforthisstrait,andhefoundthatwhenalittlepracticeshouldhavehardenedhispalmsagainstblisteringhewouldbeabletoworkwithease。
Dayafterdayherosewiththesun,buckledonhisleggings,andwentofftotherendezvouswithHumphrey。Hiscustomwastoworkfromfouro’clockinthemorningtillnoon;
then,whentheheatofthedaywasatitshighest,togohomeandsleepforanhourortwo;afterwardscomingoutagainandworkingtillduskatnine。
ThismanfromPariswasnowsodisguisedbyhisleatheraccoutrements,andbythegoggleshewasobligedtowearoverhiseyes,thathisclosestfriendmighthavepassedbywithoutrecognizinghim。Hewasabrownspotinthemidstofanexpanseofolive—greengorse,andnothingmore。Thoughfrequentlydepressedinspiritwhennotactuallyatwork,owingtothoughtsofEustacia’spositionandhismother’sestrangement,wheninthefullswingoflabourhewascheerfullydisposedandcalm。
Hisdailylifewasofacuriousmicroscopicsort,hiswholeworldbeinglimitedtoacircuitofafewfeetfromhisperson。Hisfamiliarswerecreepingandwingedthings,andtheyseemedtoenrollhimintheirband。
Beeshummedaroundhisearswithanintimateair,andtuggedattheheathandfurze—flowersathissideinsuchnumbersastoweighthemdowntothesod。
Thestrangeamber—colouredbutterflieswhichEgdonproduced,andwhichwereneverseenelsewhere,quiveredinthebreathofhislips,alighteduponhisbowedback,andsportedwiththeglitteringpointofhishookasheflourisheditupanddown。Tribesofemerald—greengrasshoppersleapedoverhisfeet,fallingawkwardlyontheirbacks,heads,orhips,likeunskilfulacrobats,aschancemightrule;orengagedthemselvesinnoisyflirtationsunderthefern—frondswithsilentonesofhomelyhue。
Hugeflies,ignorantoflardersandwire—netting,andquiteinasavagestate,buzzedabouthimwithoutknowingthathewasaman。Inandoutofthefern—dellssnakesglidedintheirmostbrilliantblueandyellowguise,itbeingtheseasonimmediatelyfollowingthesheddingoftheiroldskins,whentheircoloursarebrightest。
Littersofyoungrabbitscameoutfromtheirformstosunthemselvesuponhillocks,thehotbeamsblazingthroughthedelicatetissueofeachthin—fleshedear,andfiringittoablood—redtransparencyinwhichtheveinscouldbeseen。Noneofthemfearedhim。Themonotonyofhisoccupationsoothedhim,andwasinitselfapleasure。
Aforcedlimitationofeffortofferedajustificationofhomelycoursestoanunambitiousman,whoseconsciencewouldhardlyhaveallowedhimtoremaininsuchobscuritywhilehispowerswereunimpeded。HenceYeobrightsometimessangtohimself,andwhenobligedtoaccompanyHumphreyinsearchofbramblesforfaggot—bondshewouldamusehiscompanionwithsketchesofParisianlifeandcharacter,andsowhileawaythetime。
OnoneofthesewarmafternoonsEustaciawalkedoutaloneinthedirectionofYeobright’splaceofwork。Hewasbusilychoppingawayatthefurze,alongrowoffaggotswhichstretcheddownwardfromhispositionrepresentingthelabouroftheday。Hedidnotobserveherapproach,andshestoodclosetohim,andheardhisundercurrentofsong。
Itshockedher。Toseehimthere,apoorafflictedman,earningmoneybythesweatofhisbrow,hadatfirstmovedhertotears;buttohearhimsingandnotatallrebelagainstanoccupationwhich,howeversatisfactorytohimself,wasdegradingtoher,asaneducatedlady—wife,woundedherthrough。Unconsciousofherpresence,hestillwentonsinging:——
\"LepointdujourAnosbosquetsrendtouteleurparure;
Floreestplusbelleasonretour;
L’oiseaureprenddouxchantd’amour;
ToutcelebredanslanatureLepointdujour。