Thisdidnotoriginateininherentshamelessness，butinherlivingtoofarfromtheworldtofeeltheimpactofpublicopinion。ZenobiainthedesertcouldhardlyhavecaredwhatwassaidaboutheratRome。AsfarassocialethicswereconcernedEustaciaapproachedthesavagestate，thoughinemotionshewasallthewhileanepicure。

Shehadadvancedtothesecretrecessesofsensuousness，yethadhardlycrossedthethresholdofconventionality。

11—TheDishonestyofanHonestWomanThereddlemanhadleftEustacia’spresencewithdespondingviewsonThomasin’sfuturehappiness；buthewasawakenedtothefactthatoneotherchannelremaineduntriedbyseeing，ashefollowedthewaytohisvan，theformofMrs。YeobrightslowlywalkingtowardstheQuietWoman。

Hewentacrosstoher；andcouldalmostperceiveinheranxiousfacethatthisjourneyofherstoWildevewasundertakenwiththesameobjectashisowntoEustacia。

Shedidnotconcealthefact。"Then，"saidthereddleman，"youmayaswellleaveitalone，Mrs。Yeobright。"

"Ihalfthinksomyself，"shesaid。"Butnothingelseremainstobedonebesidespressingthequestionuponhim。"

"Ishouldliketosayawordfirst，"saidVennfirmly。

"Mr。WildeveisnottheonlymanwhohasaskedThomasintomarryhim；andwhyshouldnotanotherhaveachance？

Mrs。Yeobright，Ishouldbegladtomarryyourniece。

andwouldhavedoneitanytimetheselasttwoyears。

There，nowitisout，andIhavenevertoldanybodybeforebutherself。"

Mrs。Yeobrightwasnotdemonstrative，buthereyesinvoluntarilyglancedtowardshissingularthoughshapelyfigure。

"Looksarenoteverything，"saidthereddleman，noticingtheglance。"There’smanyacallingthatdon’tbringinsomuchasmine，ifitcomestomoney；andperhapsIamnotsomuchworseoffthanWildeve。Thereisnobodysopoorastheseprofessionalfellowswhohavefailed；

andifyoushouldn’tlikemyredness——well，Iamnotredbybirth，youknow；Ionlytooktothisbusinessforafreak；

andImightturnmyhandtosomethingelseingoodtime。"

"Iammuchobligedtoyouforyourinterestinmyniece；

butIfeartherewouldbeobjections。Morethanthat，sheisdevotedtothisman。"

"True；orIshouldn’thavedonewhatIhavethismorning。"

"Otherwisetherewouldbenopaininthecase，andyouwouldnotseemegoingtohishousenow。WhatwasThomasin’sanswerwhenyoutoldherofyourfeelings？"

"Shewrotethatyouwouldobjecttome；andotherthings。"

"Shewasinameasureright。Youmustnottakethisunkindly——Imerelystateitasatruth。Youhavebeengoodtoher，andwedonotforgetit。Butasshewasunwillingonherownaccounttobeyourwife，thatsettlesthepointwithoutmywishesbeingconcerned。"

"Yes。Butthereisadifferencebetweenthenandnow，ma’am。Sheisdistressednow，andIhavethoughtthatifyouweretotalktoheraboutme，andthinkfavourablyofmeyourself，theremightbeachanceofwinningherround，andgettingherquiteindependentofthisWildeve’sbackwardandforwardplay，andhisnotknowingwhetherhe’llhaveherorno。"

Mrs。Yeobrightshookherhead。"Thomasinthinks，andI

thinkwithher，thatsheoughttobeWildeve’swife，ifshemeanstoappearbeforetheworldwithoutasluruponhername。Iftheymarrysoon，everybodywillbelievethatanaccidentdidreallypreventthewedding。Ifnot，itmaycastashadeuponhercharacter——atanyratemakeherridiculous。Inshort，ifitisanyhowpossibletheymustmarrynow。"

"Ithoughtthattillhalfanhourago。But，afterall，whyshouldhergoingoffwithhimtoAngleburyforafewhoursdoheranyharm？Anybodywhoknowshowpuresheiswillfeelanysuchthoughttobequiteunjust。

IhavebeentryingthismorningtohelponthismarriagewithWildeve——yes，I，ma’am——inthebeliefthatIoughttodoit，becauseshewassowrappedupinhim。ButImuchquestionifIwasright，afterall。However，nothingcameofit。

AndnowIoffermyself。"

Mrs。Yeobrightappeareddisinclinedtoenterfurtherintothequestion。"IfearImustgoon，"shesaid。

"Idonotseethatanythingelsecanbedone。"

Andshewenton。ButthoughthisconversationdidnotdivertThomasin’sauntfromherpurposedinterviewwithWildeve，itmadeaconsiderabledifferenceinhermodeofconductingthatinterview。ShethankedGodfortheweaponwhichthereddlemanhadputintoherhands。

Wildevewasathomewhenshereachedtheinn。Heshowedhersilentlyintotheparlour，andclosedthedoor。

Mrs。Yeobrightbegan——

"Ihavethoughtitmydutytocalltoday。Anewproposalhasbeenmadetome，whichhasratherastonishedme。

ItwillaffectThomasingreatly；andIhavedecidedthatitshouldatleastbementionedtoyou。"

"Yes？Whatisit？"hesaidcivilly。

"Itis，ofcourse，inreferencetoherfuture。YoumaynotbeawarethatanothermanhasshownhimselfanxioustomarryThomasin。Now，thoughIhavenotencouragedhimyet，Icannotconscientiouslyrefusehimachanceanylonger。

Idon’twishtobeshortwithyou；butImustbefairtohimandtoher。"

"Whoistheman？"saidWildevewithsurprise。

"Onewhohasbeeninlovewithherlongerthanshehaswithyou。Heproposedtohertwoyearsago。

Atthattimesherefusedhim。"

"Well？"

"Hehasseenherlately，andhasaskedmeforpermissiontopayhisaddressestoher。Shemaynotrefusehimtwice。"

"Whatishisname？"

Mrs。Yeobrightdeclinedtosay。"HeisamanThomasinlikes，"

sheadded，"andonewhoseconstancysherespectsatleast。

Itseemstomethatwhatsherefusedthenshewouldbegladtogetnow。Sheismuchannoyedatherawkwardposition。"

"Sheneveroncetoldmeofthisoldlover。"

"ThegentlestwomenarenotsuchfoolsastoshowEVERYcard。"

"Well，ifshewantshimIsupposeshemusthavehim。"

"Itiseasyenoughtosaythat；butyoudon’tseethedifficulty。Hewantshermuchmorethanshewantshim；

andbeforeIcanencourageanythingofthesortImusthaveaclearunderstandingfromyouthatyouwillnotinterferetoinjureanarrangementwhichIpromoteinthebeliefthatitisforthebest。Suppose，whentheyareengaged，andeverythingissmoothlyarrangedfortheirmarriage，thatyoushouldstepbetweenthemandrenewyoursuit？Youmightnotwinherback，butyoumightcausemuchunhappiness。"

"OfcourseIshoulddonosuchthing，"saidWildeve"Buttheyarenotengagedyet。HowdoyouknowthatThomasinwouldaccepthim？"

"That’saquestionIhavecarefullyputtomyself；

anduponthewholetheprobabilitiesareinfavourofheracceptinghimintime。IflattermyselfthatI

havesomeinfluenceoverher。Sheispliable，andI

canbestronginmyrecommendationsofhim。"

"Andinyourdisparagementofmeatthesametime。"

"Well，youmaydependuponmynotpraisingyou，"

shesaiddrily。"Andifthisseemslikemanoeuvring，youmustrememberthatherpositionispeculiar，andthatshehasbeenhardlyused。Ishallalsobehelpedinmakingthematchbyherowndesiretoescapefromthehumiliationofherpresentstate；andawoman’sprideinthesecaseswillleadheraverygreatway。

Alittlemanagingmayberequiredtobringherround；

butIamequaltothat，providedthatyouagreetotheonethingindispensable；thatis，tomakeadistinctdeclarationthatsheistothinknomoreofyouasapossiblehusband。

Thatwillpiqueherintoacceptinghim。"

"Icanhardlysaythatjustnow，Mrs。Yeobright。

Itissosudden。"

"Andsomywholeplanisinterferedwith！Itisveryinconvenientthatyourefusetohelpmyfamilyeventothesmallextentofsayingdistinctlyyouwillhavenothingtodowithus。"

Wildevereflecteduncomfortably。"IconfessIwasnotpreparedforthis，"hesaid。"OfcourseI’llgiveherupifyouwish，ifitisnecessary。ButIthoughtImightbeherhusband。"

"Wehaveheardthatbefore。"

"Now，Mrs。Yeobright，don’tletusdisagree。Givemeafairtime。Idon’twanttostandinthewayofanybetterchanceshemayhave；onlyIwishyouhadletmeknowearlier。Iwillwritetoyouorcallinadayortwo。

Willthatsuffice？"

"Yes，"shereplied，"providedyoupromisenottocommunicatewithThomasinwithoutmyknowledge。"

"Ipromisethat，"hesaid。Andtheinterviewthenterminated，Mrs。Yeobrightreturninghomewardasshehadcome。

Byfarthegreatesteffectofhersimplestrategyonthatdaywas，asoftenhappens，inaquarterquiteoutsideherviewwhenarrangingit。Inthefirstplace，hervisitsentWildevethesameeveningafterdarktoEustacia’shouseatMistover。

Atthishourthelonelydwellingwascloselyblindedandshutteredfromthechillanddarknesswithout。

Wildeve’sclandestineplanwithherwastotakealittlegravelinhishandandholdittothecreviceatthetopofthewindowshutter，whichwasontheoutside，sothatitshouldfallwithagentlerustle，resemblingthatofamouse，betweenshutterandglass。

Thisprecautioninattractingherattentionwastoavoidarousingthesuspicionsofhergrandfather。

Thesoftwords，"Ihear；waitforme，"inEustacia’svoicefromwithintoldhimthatshewasalone。

Hewaitedinhiscustomarymannerbywalkingroundtheenclosureandidlingbythepool，forWildevewasneveraskedintothehousebyhisproudthoughcondescendingmistress。

Sheshowednosignofcomingoutinahurry。Thetimeworeon，andhebegantogrowimpatient。Inthecourseoftwentyminutessheappearedfromroundthecorner，andadvancedasifmerelytakinganairing。

"YouwouldnothavekeptmesolonghadyouknownwhatI

comeabout，"hesaidwithbitterness。"Still，youareworthwaitingfor。"

"Whathashappened？"saidEustacia。"Ididnotknowyouwereintrouble。Itooamgloomyenough。"

"Iamnotintrouble，"saidhe。"Itismerelythataffairshavecometoahead，andImusttakeaclearcourse。"

"Whatcourseisthat？"sheaskedwithattentiveinterest。

"AndcanyouforgetsosoonwhatIproposedtoyoutheothernight？Why，takeyoufromthisplace，andcarryyouawaywithmeabroad。"

"Ihavenotforgotten。Butwhyhaveyoucomesounexpectedlytorepeatthequestion，whenyouonlypromisedtocomenextSaturday？IthoughtIwastohaveplentyoftimetoconsider。"

"Yes，butthesituationisdifferentnow。"

"Explaintome。"

"Idon’twanttoexplain，forImaypainyou。"

"ButImustknowthereasonofthishurry。"

"Itissimplymyardour，dearEustacia。Everythingissmoothnow。"

"Thenwhyareyousoruffled？"

"Iamnotawareofit。Allisasitshouldbe。

Mrs。Yeobright——butsheisnothingtous。"

"Ah，Iknewshehadsomethingtodowithit！Come，Idon’tlikereserve。"

"No——shehasnothing。SheonlysaysshewishesmetogiveupThomasinbecauseanothermanisanxioustomarryher。

Thewoman，nowshenolongerneedsme，actuallyshowsoff！"

Wildeve’svexationhasescapedhiminspiteofhimself。

Eustaciawassilentalongwhile。"Youareintheawkwardpositionofanofficialwhoisnolongerwanted，"

shesaidinachangedtone。

"Itseemsso。ButIhavenotyetseenThomasin。"

"Andthatirritatesyou。Don’tdenyit，Damon。Youareactuallynettledbythisslightfromanunexpectedquarter。"

"Well？"

"Andyoucometogetmebecauseyoucannotgether。

Thisiscertainlyanewpositionaltogether。Iamtobeastop—gap。"

"PleaserememberthatIproposedthesamethingtheotherday。"

Eustaciaagainremainedinasortofstupefiedsilence。

Whatcuriousfeelingwasthiscomingoverher？WasitreallypossiblethatherinterestinWildevehadbeensoentirelytheresultofantagonismthatthegloryandthedreamdepartedfromthemanwiththefirstsoundthathewasnolongercovetedbyherrival？Shewas，then，secureofhimatlast。Thomasinnolongerrequiredhim。

Whatahumiliatingvictory！Helovedherbest，shethought；

andyet——daredshetomurmursuchtreacherouscriticismeversosoftly？——whatwasthemanworthwhomawomaninferiortoherselfdidnotvalue？Thesentimentwhichlurksmoreorlessinallanimatenature——thatofnotdesiringtheundesiredofothers——waslivelyasapassioninthesupersubtle，epicureanheartofEustacia。Hersocialsuperiorityoverhim，whichhithertohadscarcelyeverimpressedher，becameunpleasantlyinsistent，andforthefirsttimeshefeltthatshehadstoopedinlovinghim。

"Well，darling，youagree？"saidWildeve。

"IfitcouldbeLondon，orevenBudmouth，insteadofAmerica，"

shemurmuredlanguidly。"Well，Iwillthink。

Itistoogreatathingformetodecideoffhand。

IwishIhatedtheheathless——orlovedyoumore。"

"Youcanbepainfullyfrank。Youlovedmeamonthagowarmlyenoughtogoanywherewithme。"

"AndyoulovedThomasin。"

"Yes，perhapsthatwaswherethereasonlay，"hereturned，withalmostasneer。"Idon’thatehernow。"

"Exactly。Theonlythingisthatyoucannolongergether。"

"Come——notaunts，Eustacia，orweshallquarrel。

Ifyoudon’tagreetogowithme，andagreeshortly，Ishallgobymyself。"

"OrtryThomasinagain。Damon，howstrangeitseemsthatyoucouldhavemarriedherormeindifferently，andonlyhavecometomebecauseIam——cheapest！Yes，yes——itistrue。TherewasatimewhenIshouldhaveexclaimedagainstamanofthatsort，andbeenquitewild；

butitisallpastnow。"

"Willyougo，dearest？ComesecretlywithmetoBristol，marryme，andturnourbacksuponthisdog—holeofEnglandforever？SayYes。"

"Iwanttogetawayfromhereatalmostanycost，"

shesaidwithweariness，"butIdon’tliketogowithyou。

Givememoretimetodecide。"

"Ihavealready，"saidWildeve。"Well，Igiveyouonemoreweek。"

"Alittlelonger，sothatImaytellyoudecisively。

Ihavetoconsidersomanythings。FancyThomasinbeinganxioustogetridofyou！Icannotforgetit。"

"Nevermindthat。SayMondayweek。Iwillbeherepreciselyatthistime。"

"LetitbeatRainbarrow，"saidshe。"Thisistoonearhome；

mygrandfathermaybewalkingout。"

"Thankyou，dear。OnMondayweekatthistimeIwillbeattheBarrow。Tillthengood—bye。"

"Good—bye。No，no，youmustnottouchmenow。

ShakinghandsisenoughtillIhavemadeupmymind。"

Eustaciawatchedhisshadowyformtillithaddisappeared。

Sheplacedherhandtoherforeheadandbreathedheavily；

andthenherrich，romanticlipspartedunderthathomelyimpulse——ayawn。Shewasimmediatelyangryathavingbetrayedeventoherselfthepossibleevanescenceofherpassionforhim。ShecouldnotadmitatoncethatshemighthaveoverestimatedWildeve，fortoperceivehismediocritynowwastoadmitherowngreatfollyheretofore。

Andthediscoverythatshewastheownerofadispositionsopurelythatofthedoginthemangerhadsomethinginitwhichatfirstmadeherashamed。

ThefruitofMrs。Yeobright’sdiplomacywasindeedremarkable，thoughnotasyetofthekindshehadanticipated。

IthadappreciablyinfluencedWildeve，butitwasinfluencingEustaciafarmore。Herloverwasnolongertoheranexcitingmanwhommanywomenstrovefor，andherselfcouldonlyretainbystrivingwiththem。

Hewasasuperfluity。

Shewentindoorsinthatpeculiarstateofmiserywhichisnotexactlygrief，andwhichespeciallyattendsthedawningsofreasoninthelatterdaysofanill—judged，transientlove。Tobeconsciousthattheendofthedreamisapproaching，andyethasnotabsolutelycome，isoneofthemostwearisomeaswellasthemostcuriousstagesalongthecoursebetweenthebeginningofapassionanditsend。

Hergrandfatherhadreturned，andwasbusilyengagedinpouringsomegallonsofnewlyarrivedrumintothesquarebottlesofhissquarecellaret。WheneverthesehomesupplieswereexhaustedhewouldgototheQuietWoman，and，standingwithhisbacktothefire，groginhand，tellremarkablestoriesofhowhehadlivedsevenyearsunderthewaterlineofhisship，andothernavalwonders，tothenatives，whohopedtooearnestlyforatreatofalefromthetellertoexhibitanydoubtsofhistruth。

Hehadbeentherethisevening。"IsupposeyouhaveheardtheEgdonnews，Eustacia？"hesaid，withoutlookingupfromthebottles。"ThemenhavebeentalkingaboutitattheWomanasifitwereofnationalimportance。"

"Ihaveheardnone，"shesaid。

"YoungClymYeobright，astheycallhim，iscominghomenextweektospendChristmaswithhismother。

Heisafinefellowbythistime，itseems。Isupposeyourememberhim？"

"Ineversawhiminmylife。"

"Ah，true；heleftbeforeyoucamehere。Iwellrememberhimasapromisingboy。"

"Wherehashebeenlivingalltheseyears？"

"Inthatrookeryofpompandvanity，Paris，Ibelieve。"

bookthreeTHEFASCINATION

1—"MyMindtoMeaKingdomIs"

InClymYeobright’sfacecouldbedimlyseenthetypicalcountenanceofthefuture。Shouldtherebeaclassicperiodtoarthereafter，itsPheidiasmayproducesuchfaces。

Theviewoflifeasathingtobeputupwith，replacingthatzestforexistencewhichwassointenseinearlycivilizations，mustultimatelyentersothoroughlyintotheconstitutionoftheadvancedracesthatitsfacialexpressionwillbecomeacceptedasanewartisticdeparture。Peoplealreadyfeelthatamanwholiveswithoutdisturbingacurveoffeature，orsettingamarkofmentalconcernanywhereuponhimself，istoofarremovedfrommodernperceptivenesstobeamoderntype。Physicallybeautifulmen——thegloryoftheracewhenitwasyoung——arealmostananachronismnow；

andwemaywonderwhether，atsometimeorother，physicallybeautifulwomenmaynotbeananachronismlikewise。

ThetruthseemstobethatalonglineofdisillusivecenturieshaspermanentlydisplacedtheHellenicideaoflife，orwhateveritmaybecalled。WhattheGreeksonlysuspectedweknowwell；whattheirAeschylusimaginedournurserychildrenfeel。Thatold—fashionedrevellinginthegeneralsituationgrowslessandlesspossibleasweuncoverthedefectsofnaturallaws，andseethequandarythatmanisinbytheiroperation。

ThelineamentswhichwillgetembodiedinidealsbaseduponthisnewrecognitionwillprobablybeakintothoseofYeobright。Theobserver’seyewasarrested，notbyhisfaceasapicture，butbyhisfaceasapage；

notbywhatitwas，butbywhatitrecorded。Hisfeatureswereattractiveinthelightofsymbols，assoundsintrinsicallycommonbecomeattractiveinlanguage，andasshapesintrinsicallysimplebecomeinterestinginwriting。

Hehadbeenaladofwhomsomethingwasexpected。

Beyondthisallhadbeenchaos。Thathewouldbesuccessfulinanoriginalway，orthathewouldgotothedogsinanoriginalway，seemedequallyprobable。

Theonlyabsolutecertaintyabouthimwasthathewouldnotstandstillinthecircumstancesamidwhichhewasborn。

Hence，whenhisnamewascasuallymentionedbyneighbouringyeomen，thelistenersaid，"Ah，ClymYeobright——whatishedoingnow？"Whentheinstinctivequestionaboutapersonis，Whatishedoing？itisfeltthathewillbefoundtobe，likemostofus，doingnothinginparticular。Thereisanindefinitesensethathemustbeinvadingsomeregionofsingularity，goodorbad。Thedevouthopeisthatheisdoingwell。Thesecretfaithisthatheismakingamessofit。Halfadozencomfortablemarket—men，whowerehabitualcallersattheQuietWomanastheypassedbyintheircarts，werepartialtothetopic。Infact，thoughtheywerenotEgdonmen，theycouldhardlyavoiditwhiletheysuckedtheirlongclaytubesandregardedtheheaththroughthewindow。Clymhadbeensoinwovenwiththeheathinhisboyhoodthathardlyanybodycouldlookuponitwithoutthinkingofhim。Sothesubjectrecurred：ifheweremakingafortuneandaname，somuchthebetterforhim；ifheweremakingatragicalfigureintheworld，somuchthebetterforanarrative。

ThefactwasthatYeobright’sfamehadspreadtoanawkwardextentbeforehelefthome。"Itisbadwhenyourfameoutrunsyourmeans，"saidtheSpanishJesuitGracian。

AttheageofsixhehadaskedaScriptureriddle："Whowasthefirstmanknowntowearbreeches？"andapplausehadresoundedfromtheveryvergeoftheheath。AtsevenhepaintedtheBattleofWaterloowithtiger—lilypollenandblack—currantjuice，intheabsenceofwater—colours。Bythetimehereachedtwelvehehadinthismannerbeenheardofasartistandscholarforatleasttwomilesround。

Anindividualwhosefamespreadsthreeorfourthousandyardsinthetimetakenbythefameofotherssimilarlysituatedtotravelsixoreighthundred，mustofnecessityhavesomethinginhim。PossiblyClym’sfame，likeHomer’s，owedsomethingtotheaccidentsofhissituation；

neverthelessfamoushewas。

Hegrewupandwashelpedoutinlife。ThatwaggeryoffatewhichstartedCliveasawritingclerk，Gayasalinen—draper，Keatsasasurgeon，andathousandothersinathousandotheroddways，banishedthewildandasceticheathladtoatradewhosesoleconcernwaswiththeespecialsymbolsofself—indulgenceandvainglory。

Thedetailsofthischoiceofabusinessforhimitisnotnecessarytogive。Atthedeathofhisfatheraneighbouringgentlemanhadkindlyundertakentogivetheboyastart，andthisassumedtheformofsendinghimtoBudmouth。

Yeobrightdidnotwishtogothere，butitwastheonlyfeasibleopening。ThencehewenttoLondon；andthence，shortlyafter，toParis，wherehehadremainedtillnow。

Somethingbeingexpectedofhim，hehadnotbeenathomemanydaysbeforeagreatcuriosityastowhyhestayedonsolongbegantoariseintheheath。Thenaturaltermofaholidayhadpassed，yethestillremained。

OntheSundaymorningfollowingtheweekofThomasin’smarriageadiscussiononthissubjectwasinprogressatahair—cuttingbeforeFairway’shouse。Herethelocalbarberingwasalwaysdoneatthishouronthisday，tobefollowedbythegreatSundaywashoftheinhabitantsatnoon，whichinitsturnwasfollowedbythegreatSundaydressinganhourlater。OnEgdonHeathSundayproperdidnotbegintilldinner—time，andeventhenitwasasomewhatbatteredspecimenoftheday。