butreasonhavingnowsomewhatrecovereditselfhesankintotaciturnity。
Oneeveningwhenhewasthusstandinginthegarden，abstractedlyspuddingupaweedwithhisstick，abonyfigureturnedthecornerofthehouseandcameuptohim。
\"Christian，isn’tit？\"saidClym。\"Iamgladyouhavefoundmeout。IshallsoonwantyoutogotoBlooms—
Endandassistmeinputtingthehouseinorder。
IsupposeitisalllockedupasIleftit？\"
\"Yes，MisterClym。\"
\"Haveyoudugupthepotatoesandotherroots？\"
\"Yes，withoutadropo’rain，thankGod。ButIwascomingtotell’eeofsomethingelsewhichisquitedifferentfromwhatwehavelatelyhadinthefamily。
IamsentbytherichgentlemanattheWoman，thatweusedtocallthelandlord，totell’eethatMrs。Wildeveisdoingwellofagirl，whichwasbornpunctuallyatoneo’clockatnoon，orafewminutesmoreorless；
and’tissaidthatexpectingofthisincreaseiswhathavekept’emtheresincetheycameintotheirmoney。\"
\"Andsheisgettingonwell，yousay？\"
\"Yes，sir。OnlyMr。Wildeveistwankybecause’tisn’taboy——that’swhattheysayinthekitchen，butIwasnotsupposedtonoticethat。\"
\"Christian，nowlistentome。\"
\"Yes，sure，Mr。Yeobright。\"
\"Didyouseemymotherthedaybeforeshedied？\"
\"No，Ididnot。\"
Yeobright’sfaceexpresseddisappointment。
\"ButIzeedherthemorningofthesamedayshedied。\"
Clym’slooklightedup。\"That’snearerstilltomymeaning，\"
hesaid。
\"Yes，Iknow’twasthesameday；forshesaid，’Ibegoingtoseehim，Christian；soIshallnotwantanyvegetablesbroughtinfordinner。’\"
\"Seewhom？\"
\"Seeyou。Shewasgoingtoyourhouse，youunderstand。\"
YeobrightregardedChristianwithintensesurprise。
\"Whydidyounevermentionthis？\"hesaid。\"Areyousureitwasmyhouseshewascomingto？\"
\"Oyes。Ididn’tmentionitbecauseI’veneverzeedyoulately。Andasshedidn’tgetthereitwasallnought，andnothingtotell。\"
\"AndIhavebeenwonderingwhysheshouldhavewalkedintheheathonthathotday！Well，didshesaywhatshewascomingfor？Itisathing，Christian，Iamveryanxioustoknow。\"
\"Yes，MisterClym。Shedidn’tsayittome，thoughI
thinkshedidtoonehereandthere。\"
\"Doyouknowonepersontowhomshespokeofit？\"
\"Thereisoneman，please，sir，butIhopeyouwon’tmentionmynametohim，asIhaveseenhiminstrangeplaces，particularindreams。OnenightlastsummerheglaredatmelikeFamineandSword，anditmademefeelsolowthatIdidn’tcomboutmyfewhairsfortwodays。
Hewasstanding，asitmightbe，MisterYeobright，inthemiddleofthepathtoMistover，andyourmothercameup，lookingaspale——\"
\"Yes，whenwasthat？\"
\"Lastsummer，inmydream。\"
\"Pooh！Who’stheman？\"
\"Diggory，thereddleman。Hecalleduponherandsatwithhertheeveningbeforeshesetouttoseeyou。
Ihadn’tgonehomefromworkwhenhecameuptothegate。\"
\"ImustseeVenn——IwishIhadknownitbefore，\"
saidClymanxiously。\"Iwonderwhyhehasnotcometotellme？\"
\"HewentoutofEgdonHeaththenextday，sowouldnotbelikelytoknowyouwantedhim。\"
\"Christian，\"saidClym，\"youmustgoandfindVenn。
Iamotherwiseengaged，orIwouldgomyself。Findhimatonce，andtellhimIwanttospeaktohim。\"
\"Iamagoodhandathuntingupfolkbyday，\"saidChristian，lookingdubiouslyroundatthedeclininglight；
\"butastonight—time，neverissuchabadhandasI，MisterYeobright。\"
\"Searchtheheathwhenyouwill，sothatyoubringhimsoon。
Bringhimtomorrow，ifyoucan。\"
Christianthendeparted。Themorrowcame，butnoVenn。
IntheeveningChristianarrived，lookingveryweary。
Hehadbeensearchingallday，andhadheardnothingofthereddleman。
\"Inquireasmuchasyoucantomorrowwithoutneglectingyourwork，\"saidYeobright。\"Don’tcomeagaintillyouhavefoundhim。\"
ThenextdayYeobrightsetoutfortheoldhouseatBlooms—End，which，withthegarden，wasnowhisown。
Hissevereillnesshadhinderedallpreparationsforhisremovalthither；butithadbecomenecessarythatheshouldgoandoverlookitscontents，asadministratortohismother’slittleproperty；forwhichpurposehedecidedtopassthenextnightonthepremises。
Hejourneyedonward，notquicklyordecisively，butintheslowwalkofonewhohasbeenawakenedfromastupefyingsleep。
Itwasearlyafternoonwhenhereachedthevalley。
Theexpressionoftheplace，thetoneofthehour，werepreciselythoseofmanysuchoccasionsindaysgoneby；
andtheseantecedentsimilaritiesfosteredtheillusionthatshe，whowastherenolonger，wouldcomeouttowelcomehim。
Thegardengatewaslockedandtheshutterswereclosed，justashehimselfhadleftthemontheeveningafterthefuneral。Heunlockedthegate，andfoundthataspiderhadalreadyconstructedalargeweb，tyingthedoortothelintel，onthesuppositionthatitwasnevertobeopenedagain。Whenhehadenteredthehouseandflungbacktheshuttershesetabouthistaskofoverhaulingthecupboardsandclosets，burningpapers，andconsideringhowbesttoarrangetheplaceforEustacia’sreception，untilsuchtimeashemightbeinapositiontocarryouthislong—delayedscheme，shouldthattimeeverarrive。
Ashesurveyedtheroomshefeltstronglydisinclinedforthealterationswhichwouldhavetobemadeinthetime—honouredfurnishingofhisparentsandgrandparents，tosuitEustacia’smodernideas。Thegauntoak—casedclock，withthepictureoftheAscensiononthedoorpanelandtheMiraculousDraughtofFishesonthebase；
hisgrandmother’scornercupboardwiththeglassdoor，throughwhichthespottedchinawasvisible；thedumb—waiter；
thewoodenteatrays；thehangingfountainwiththebrasstap——whitherwouldthesevenerablearticleshavetobebanished？
Henoticedthattheflowersinthewindowhaddiedforwantofwater，andheplacedthemoutupontheledge，thattheymightbetakenaway。Whilethusengagedheheardfootstepsonthegravelwithout，andsomebodyknockedatthedoor。
Yeobrightopenedit，andVennwasstandingbeforehim。
\"Goodmorning，\"saidthereddleman。\"IsMrs。Yeobrightathome？\"
Yeobrightlookedupontheground。\"ThenyouhavenotseenChristianoranyoftheEgdonfolks？\"hesaid。
\"No。Ihaveonlyjustreturnedafteralongstayaway。
IcalledherethedaybeforeIleft。\"
\"Andyouhaveheardnothing？\"
\"Nothing。\"
\"Mymotheris——dead。\"
\"Dead！\"saidVennmechanically。
\"HerhomenowiswhereIshouldn’tmindhavingmine。\"
Vennregardedhim，andthensaid，\"IfIdidn’tseeyourfaceIcouldneverbelieveyourwords。Haveyoubeenill？\"
\"Ihadanillness。\"
\"Well，thechange！WhenIpartedfromheramonthagoeverythingseemedtosaythatshewasgoingtobeginanewlife。\"
\"Andwhatseemedcametrue。\"
\"Yousayright，nodoubt。Troublehastaughtyouadeeperveinoftalkthanmine。AllImeantwasregardingherlifehere。Shehasdiedtoosoon。\"
\"Perhapsthroughmylivingtoolong。Ihavehadabitterexperienceonthatscorethislastmonth，Diggory。
Butcomein；Ihavebeenwantingtoseeyou。\"
HeconductedthereddlemanintothelargeroomwherethedancinghadtakenplacethepreviousChristmas，andtheysatdowninthesettletogether。\"There’sthecoldfireplace，yousee，\"saidClym。\"Whenthathalf—
burntlogandthosecinderswerealightshewasalive！
Littlehasbeenchangedhereyet。Icandonothing。
Mylifecreepslikeasnail。\"
\"Howcameshetodie？\"saidVenn。
Yeobrightgavehimsomeparticularsofherillnessanddeath，andcontinued：\"Afterthisnokindofpainwilleverseemmorethananindispositiontome。
IbegansayingthatIwantedtoaskyousomething，butI
strayfromsubjectslikeadrunkenman。Iamanxioustoknowwhatmymothersaidtoyouwhenshelastsawyou。
Youtalkedwithheralongtime，Ithink？\"
\"Italkedwithhermorethanhalfanhour。\"
\"Aboutme？\"
\"Yes。Anditmusthavebeenonaccountofwhatwesaidthatshewasontheheath。Withoutquestionshewascomingtoseeyou。\"
\"Butwhyshouldshecometoseemeifshefeltsobitterlyagainstme？There’sthemystery。\"
\"YetIknowshequiteforgave’ee。\"
\"But，Diggory——wouldawoman，whohadquiteforgivenherson，say，whenshefeltherselfillonthewaytohishouse，thatshewasbroken—heartedbecauseofhisill—usage？Never！\"
\"WhatIknowisthatshedidn’tblameyouatall。
Sheblamedherselfforwhathadhappened，andonlyherself。
Ihaditfromherownlips。\"
\"YouhaditfromherlipsthatIhadNOTill—treatedher；
andatthesametimeanotherhaditfromherlipsthatI
HADill—treatedher？Mymotherwasnoimpulsivewomanwhochangedheropinioneveryhourwithoutreason。
Howcanitbe，Venn，thatsheshouldhavetoldsuchdifferentstoriesinclosesuccession？\"
\"Icannotsay。Itiscertainlyodd，whenshehadforgivenyou，andhadforgivenyourwife，andwasgoingtoseeyeonpurposetomakefriends。\"
\"Iftherewasonethingwantingtobewildermeitwasthisincomprehensiblething！……Diggory，ifwe，whoremainalive，wereonlyallowedtoholdconversationwiththedead——justonce，abareminute，eventhroughascreenofironbars，aswithpersonsinprison——whatwemightlearn！Howmanywhonowridesmilingwouldhidetheirheads！Andthismystery——Ishouldthenbeatthebottomofitatonce。
Butthegravehasforevershutherin；andhowshallitbefoundoutnow？\"
Noreplywasreturnedbyhiscompanion，sincenonecouldbegiven；andwhenVennleft，afewminuteslater，Clymhadpassedfromthedullnessofsorrowtothefluctuationofcarkingincertitude。
Hecontinuedinthesamestatealltheafternoon。
Abedwasmadeupforhiminthesamehousebyaneighbour，thathemightnothavetoreturnagainthenextday；
andwhenheretiredtorestinthedesertedplaceitwasonlytoremainawakehourafterhourthinkingthesamethoughts。Howtodiscoverasolutiontothisriddleofdeathseemedaqueryofmoreimportancethanhighestproblemsoftheliving。TherewashousedinhismemoryavividpictureofthefaceofalittleboyasheenteredthehovelwhereClym’smotherlay。Theroundeyes，eagergaze，thepipingvoicewhichenunciatedthewords，hadoperatedlikestilettosonhisbrain。
Avisittotheboysuggesteditselfasameansofgleaningnewparticulars；thoughitmightbequiteunproductive。
Toprobeachild’smindafterthelapseofsixweeks，notforfactswhichthechildhadseenandunderstood，buttogetatthosewhichwereintheirnaturebeyondhim，didnotpromisemuch；yetwheneveryobviouschannelisblockedwegropetowardsthesmallandobscure。
Therewasnothingelselefttodo；afterthathewouldallowtheenigmatodropintotheabyssofundiscoverablethings。
Itwasaboutdaybreakwhenhehadreachedthisdecision，andheatoncearose。Helockedupthehouseandwentoutintothegreenpatchwhichmergedinheatherfurtheron。
Infrontofthewhitegarden—palingsthepathbranchedintothreelikeabroadarrow。TheroadtotherightledtotheQuietWomananditsneighbourhood；themiddletrackledtoMistoverKnap；theleft—handtrackledoverthehilltoanotherpartofMistover，wherethechildlived。
OnincliningintothelatterpathYeobrightfeltacreepingchilliness，familiarenoughtomostpeople，andprobablycausedbytheunsunnedmorningair。Inafterdayshethoughtofitasathingofsingularsignificance。
WhenYeobrightreachedthecottageofSusanNunsuch，themotheroftheboyhesought，hefoundthattheinmateswerenotyetastir。Butinuplandhamletsthetransitionfroma—bedtoabroadissurprisinglyswiftandeasy。
Therenodensepartitionofyawnsandtoiletsdivideshumanitybynightfromhumanitybyday。Yeobrighttappedattheupperwindowsill，whichhecouldreachwithhiswalkingstick；andinthreeorfourminutesthewomancamedown。
ItwasnottillthismomentthatClymrecollectedhertobethepersonwhohadbehavedsobarbarouslytoEustacia。
Itpartlyexplainedtheinsuavitywithwhichthewomangreetedhim。Moreover，theboyhadbeenailingagain；
andSusannow，aseversincethenightwhenhehadbeenpressedintoEustacia’sserviceatthebonfire，attributedhisindispositionstoEustacia’sinfluenceasawitch。Itwasoneofthosesentimentswhichlurklikemolesunderneaththevisiblesurfaceofmanners，andmayhavebeenkeptalivebyEustacia’sentreatytothecaptain，atthetimethathehadintendedtoprosecuteSusanfortheprickinginchurch，toletthematterdrop；
whichheaccordinglyhaddone。
Yeobrightovercamehisrepugnance，forSusanhadatleastbornehismothernoill—will。Heaskedkindlyfortheboy；
buthermannerdidnotimprove。
\"Iwishtoseehim，\"continuedYeobright，withsomehesitation，\"toaskhimifheremembersanythingmoreofhiswalkwithmymotherthanwhathehaspreviouslytold。\"
Sheregardedhiminapeculiarandcriticizingmanner。
Toanybodybutahalf—blindmanitwouldhavesaid，\"Youwantanotheroftheknockswhichhavealreadylaidyousolow。\"
Shecalledtheboydownstairs，askedClymtositdownonastool，andcontinued，\"Now，Johnny，tellMr。Yeobrightanythingyoucancalltomind。\"
\"Youhavenotforgottenhowyouwalkedwiththepoorladyonthathotday？\"saidClym。
\"No，\"saidtheboy。
\"Andwhatshesaidtoyou？\"
Theboyrepeatedtheexactwordshehadusedonenteringthehut。
Yeobrightrestedhiselbowonthetableandshadedhisfacewithhishand；andthemotherlookedasifshewonderedhowamancouldwantmoreofwhathadstunghimsodeeply。
\"ShewasgoingtoAlderworthwhenyoufirstmether？\"
\"No；shewascomingaway。\"
\"Thatcan’tbe。\"
\"Yes；shewalkedalongwithme。Iwascomingaway，too。\"
\"Thenwheredidyoufirstseeher？\"
\"Atyourhouse。\"
\"Attend，andspeakthetruth！\"saidClymsternly。
\"Yes，sir；atyourhousewaswhereIseedherfirst。\"
Clymstartedup，andSusansmiledinanexpectantwaywhichdidnotembellishherface；itseemedtomean，\"Somethingsinisteriscoming！\"
\"Whatdidshedoatmyhouse？\"
\"ShewentandsatunderthetreesattheDevil’sBellows。\"
\"GoodGod！thisisallnewstome！\"
\"Younevertoldmethisbefore？\"saidSusan。
\"No，Mother；becauseIdidn’tliketotell’eeIhadbeensofar。Iwaspickingblackhearts，andwentfurtherthanImeant。\"
\"Whatdidshedothen？\"saidYeobright。
\"Lookedatamanwhocameupandwentintoyourhouse。\"
\"Thatwasmyself——afurze—cutter，withbramblesinhishand。\"
\"No；’twasnotyou。’Twasagentleman。Youhadgoneinafore。\"
\"Whowashe？\"
\"Idon’tknow。\"
\"Nowtellmewhathappenednext。\"
\"Thepoorladywentandknockedatyourdoor，andtheladywithblackhairlookedoutofthesidewindowather。\"
Theboy’smotherturnedtoClymandsaid，\"Thisissomethingyoudidn’texpect？\"
Yeobrighttooknomorenoticeofherthanifhehadbeenofstone。\"Goon，goon，\"hesaidhoarselytotheboy。
\"Andwhenshesawtheyoungladylookoutofthewindowtheoldladyknockedagain；andwhennobodycameshetookupthefurze—hookandlookedatit，andputitdownagain，andthenshelookedatthefaggot—bonds；andthenshewentaway，andwalkedacrosstome，andblowedherbreathveryhard，likethis。Wewalkedontogether，sheandI，andItalkedtoherandshetalkedtomeabit，butnotmuch，becauseshecouldn’tblowherbreath。\"
\"O！\"murmuredClym，inalowtone，andbowedhishead。
\"Let’shavemore，\"hesaid。
\"Shecouldn’ttalkmuch，andshecouldn’twalk；andherfacewas，Osoqueer！\"
\"Howwasherface？\"
\"Likeyoursisnow。\"
ThewomanlookedatYeobright，andbeheldhimcolourless，inacoldsweat。\"Isn’ttheremeaninginit？\"
shesaidstealthily。\"Whatdoyouthinkofhernow？\"
\"Silence！\"saidClymfiercely。And，turningtotheboy，\"Andthenyoulefthertodie？\"
\"No，\"saidthewoman，quicklyandangrily。\"Hedidnotleavehertodie！Shesenthimaway。Whoeversaysheforsookhersayswhat’snottrue。\"
\"Troublenomoreaboutthat，\"answeredClym，withaquiveringmouth。\"Whathedidisatrifleincomparisonwithwhathesaw。Doorkeptshut，didyousay？Keptshut，shelookingoutofwindow？GoodheartofGod！——whatdoesitmean？\"
Thechildshrankawayfromthegazeofhisquestioner。
\"Hesaidso，\"answeredthemother，\"andJohnny’saGod—
fearingboyandtellsnolies。\"
\"’Castoffbymyson！’No，bymybestlife，dearmother，itisnotso！Butbyyourson’s，yourson’s——Mayallmurderessesgetthetormenttheydeserve！\"
WiththesewordsYeobrightwentforthfromthelittledwelling。
Thepupilsofhiseyes，fixedsteadfastlyonblankness，werevaguelylitwithanicyshine；hismouthhadpassedintothephasemoreorlessimaginativelyrenderedinstudiesofOedipus。Thestrangestdeedswerepossibletohismood。
Buttheywerenotpossibletohissituation。InsteadoftherebeingbeforehimthepalefaceofEustacia，andamasculineshapeunknown，therewasonlytheimperturbablecountenanceoftheheath，which，havingdefiedthecataclysmalonsetsofcenturies，reducedtoinsignificancebyitsseamedandantiquefeaturesthewildestturmoilofasingleman。
3—EustaciaDressesHerselfonaBlackMorningAconsciousnessofavastimpassivityinallwhichlayaroundhimtookpossessionevenofYeobrightinhiswildwalktowardsAlderworth。Hehadoncebeforefeltinhisownpersonthisoverpoweringofthefervidbytheinanimate；
butthenithadtendedtoenervateapassionfarsweeterthanthatwhichatpresentpervadedhim。ItwasoncewhenhestoodpartingfromEustaciainthemoiststilllevelsbeyondthehills。
Butdismissingallthishewentonwardhome，andcametothefrontofhishouse。TheblindsofEustacia’sbedroomwerestillcloselydrawn，forshewasnoearlyriser。
Allthelifevisiblewasintheshapeofasolitarythrushcrackingasmallsnailuponthedoor—stoneforhisbreakfast，andhistappingseemedaloudnoiseinthegeneralsilencewhichprevailed；butongoingtothedoorClymfounditunfastened，theyounggirlwhoattendeduponEustaciabeingastirinthebackpartofthepremises。
Yeobrightenteredandwentstraighttohiswife’sroom。
Thenoiseofhisarrivalmusthavearousedher，forwhenheopenedthedoorshewasstandingbeforethelookingglassinhernightdress，theendsofherhairgatheredintoonehand，withwhichshewascoilingthewholemassroundherhead，previoustobeginningtoiletteoperations。
Shewasnotawomangiventospeakingfirstatameeting，andsheallowedClymtowalkacrossinsilence，withoutturningherhead。Hecamebehindher，andshesawhisfaceintheglass。Itwasashy，haggard，andterrible。
Insteadofstartingtowardshiminsorrowfulsurprise，asevenEustacia，undemonstrativewifeasshewas，wouldhavedoneindaysbeforesheburdenedherselfwithasecret，sheremainedmotionless，lookingathimintheglass。
Andwhileshelookedthecarmineflushwithwhichwarmthandsoundsleephadsuffusedhercheeksandneckdissolvedfromview，andthedeathlikepallorinhisfaceflewacrossintohers。Hewascloseenoughtoseethis，andthesightinstigatedhistongue。
\"Youknowwhatisthematter，\"hesaidhuskily。
\"Iseeitinyourface。\"
Herhandrelinquishedtheropeofhairanddroppedtoherside，andthepileoftresses，nolongersupported，fellfromthecrownofherheadabouthershouldersandoverthewhitenightgown。Shemadenoreply。
\"Speaktome，\"saidYeobrightperemptorily。
Theblanchingprocessdidnotceaseinher，andherlipsnowbecameaswhiteasherface。Sheturnedtohimandsaid，\"Yes，Clym，I’llspeaktoyou。Whydoyoureturnsoearly？CanIdoanythingforyou？\"
\"Yes，youcanlistentome。Itseemsthatmywifeisnotverywell？\"
\"Why？\"
\"Yourface，mydear；yourface。Orperhapsitisthepalemorninglightwhichtakesyourcolouraway？
NowIamgoingtorevealasecrettoyou。Ha—ha！\"
\"O，thatisghastly！\"
\"What？\"
\"Yourlaugh。\"
\"There’sreasonforghastliness。Eustacia，youhaveheldmyhappinessinthehollowofyourhand，andlikeadevilyouhavedasheditdown！\"
Shestartedbackfromthedressing—table，retreatedafewstepsfromhim，andlookedhimintheface。\"Ah！youthinktofrightenme，\"shesaid，withaslightlaugh。
\"Isitworthwhile？Iamundefended，andalone。\"
\"Howextraordinary！\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"
\"AsthereisampletimeIwilltellyou，thoughyouknowwellenough。Imeanthatitisextraordinarythatyoushouldbealoneinmyabsence。Tellme，now，whereishewhowaswithyouontheafternoonofthethirty—
firstofAugust？Underthebed？Upthechimney？\"
Ashudderovercameherandshookthelightfabricofhernightdressthroughout。\"Idonotrememberdatessoexactly，\"
shesaid。\"Icannotrecollectthatanybodywaswithmebesidesyourself。\"
\"ThedayImean，\"saidYeobright，hisvoicegrowinglouderandharsher，\"wasthedayyoushutthedooragainstmymotherandkilledher。O，itistoomuch——toobad！\"
Heleantoverthefootpieceofthebedsteadforafewmoments，withhisbacktowardsher；thenrisingagain——\"Tellme，tellme！tellme——doyouhear？\"hecried，rushinguptoherandseizingherbytheloosefoldsofhersleeve。
Thesuperstratumoftimiditywhichoftenoverliesthosewhoaredaringanddefiantathearthadbeenpassedthrough，andthemettlesomesubstanceofthewomanwasreached。
Theredbloodinundatedherface，previouslysopale。
\"Whatareyougoingtodo？\"shesaidinalowvoice，regardinghimwithaproudsmile。\"Youwillnotalarmmebyholdingonso；butitwouldbeapitytotearmysleeve。\"
