Hiswalkwasrapidashecamedown，andhewentwithaspringytrend。Beforeenteringuponhismother’spremiseshestoppedandbreathed。Thelightwhichshoneforthonhimfromthewindowrevealedthathisfacewasflushedandhiseyebright。Whatitdidnotshowwassomethingwhichlingereduponhislipslikeasealsetthere。

Theabidingpresenceofthisimpresswassorealthathehardlydaredtoenterthehouse，foritseemedasifhismothermightsay，"Whatredspotisthatglowinguponyourmouthsovividly？"

Butheenteredsoonafter。Theteawasready，andhesatdownoppositehismother。Shedidnotspeakmanywords；

andasforhim，somethinghadbeenjustdoneandsomewordshadbeenjustsaidonthehillwhichpreventedhimfrombeginningadesultorychat。Hismother’staciturnitywasnotwithoutominousness，butheappearednottocare。

Heknewwhyshesaidsolittle，buthecouldnotremovethecauseofherbearingtowardshim。Thesehalf—silentsittingswerefarfromuncommonwiththemnow。AtlastYeobrightmadeabeginningofwhatwasintendedtostrikeatthewholerootofthematter。

"Fivedayshavewesatlikethisatmealswithscarcelyaword。What’stheuseofit，Mother？"

"None，"saidshe，inaheart—swollentone。"Butthereisonlytoogoodareason。"

"Notwhenyouknowall。Ihavebeenwantingtospeakaboutthis，andIamgladthesubjectisbegun。Thereason，ofcourse，isEustaciaVye。Well，IconfessIhaveseenherlately，andhaveseenheragoodmanytimes。"

"Yes，yes；andIknowwhatthatamountsto。Ittroublesme，Clym。Youarewastingyourlifehere；anditissolelyonaccountofher。Ifithadnotbeenforthatwomanyouwouldneverhaveentertainedthisteachingschemeatall。"

Clymlookedhardathismother。"Youknowthatisnotit，"

hesaid。

"Well，Iknowyouhaddecidedtoattemptitbeforeyousawher；butthatwouldhaveendedinintentions。Itwasverywelltotalkof，butridiculoustoputinpractice。

Ifullyexpectedthatinthecourseofamonthortwoyouwouldhaveseenthefollyofsuchself—sacrifice，andwouldhavebeenbythistimebackagaintoParisinsomebusinessorother。Icanunderstandobjectionstothediamondtrade——Ireallywasthinkingthatitmightbeinadequatetothelifeofamanlikeyoueventhoughitmighthavemadeyouamillionaire。

ButnowIseehowmistakenyouareaboutthisgirlIdoubtifyoucouldbecorrectaboutotherthings。"

"HowamImistakeninher？"

"Sheislazyanddissatisfied。Butthatisnotallofit。

Supposinghertobeasgoodawomanasanyyoucanfind，whichshecertainlyisnot，whydoyouwishtoconnectyourselfwithanybodyatpresent？"

"Well，therearepracticalreasons，"Clymbegan，andthenalmostbrokeoffunderanoverpoweringsenseoftheweightofargumentwhichcouldbebroughtagainsthisstatement。

"IfItakeaschoolaneducatedwomanwouldbeinvaluableasahelptome。"

"What！youreallymeantomarryher？"

"Itwouldbeprematuretostatethatplainly。Butconsiderwhatobviousadvantagestherewouldbeindoingit。She————"

"Don’tsupposeshehasanymoney。Shehasn’tafarthing。"

"Sheisexcellentlyeducated，andwouldmakeagoodmatroninaboarding—school。IcandidlyownthatI

havemodifiedmyviewsalittle，indeferencetoyou；

anditshouldsatisfyyou。Inolongeradheretomyintentionofgivingwithmyownmouthrudimentaryeducationtothelowestclass。Icandobetter。Icanestablishagoodprivateschoolforfarmers’sons，andwithoutstoppingtheschoolIcanmanagetopassexaminations。

Bythismeans，andbytheassistanceofawifelikeher————"

"Oh，Clym！"

"Ishallultimately，Ihope，beattheheadofoneofthebestschoolsinthecounty。"

Yeobrighthadenunciatedtheword"her"withafervourwhich，inconversationwithamother，wasabsurdlyindiscreet。

Hardlyamaternalheartwithinthefourseascouldinsuchcircumstances，havehelpedbeingirritatedatthatill—timedbetrayaloffeelingforanewwoman。

"Youareblinded，Clym，"shesaidwarmly。"Itwasabaddayforyouwhenyoufirstseteyesonher。

Andyourschemeismerelyacastleintheairbuiltonpurposetojustifythisfollywhichhasseizedyou，andtosalveyourconscienceontheirrationalsituationyouarein。"

"Mother，that’snottrue，"hefirmlyanswered。

"CanyoumaintainthatIsitandtelluntruths，whenallIwishtodoistosaveyoufromsorrow？Forshame，Clym！Butitisallthroughthatwoman——ahussy！"

Clymreddenedlikefireandrose。Heplacedhishanduponhismother’sshoulderandsaid，inatonewhichhungstrangelybetweenentreatyandcommand，"Iwon’thearit。

Imaybeledtoansweryouinawaywhichweshallbothregret。"

Hismotherpartedherlipstobeginsomeothervehementtruth，butonlookingathimshesawthatinhisfacewhichledhertoleavethewordsunsaid。Yeobrightwalkedonceortwiceacrosstheroom，andthensuddenlywentoutofthehouse。

Itwaseleveno’clockwhenhecamein，thoughhehadnotbeenfurtherthantheprecinctsofthegarden。

Hismotherwasgonetobed。Alightwasleftburningonthetable，andsupperwasspread。Withoutstoppingforanyfoodhesecuredthedoorsandwentupstairs。

4—AnHourofBlissandManyHoursofSadnessThenextdaywasgloomyenoughatBlooms—End。Yeobrightremainedinhisstudy，sittingovertheopenbooks；

buttheworkofthosehourswasmiserablyscant。

Determinedthatthereshouldbenothinginhisconducttowardshismotherresemblingsullenness，hehadoccasionallyspokentoheronpassingmatters，andwouldtakenonoticeofthebrevityofherreplies。Withthesameresolvetokeepupashowofconversationhesaid，aboutseveno’clockintheevening，"There’saneclipseofthemoontonight。

Iamgoingouttoseeit。"And，puttingonhisovercoat，helefther。

Thelowmoonwasnotasyetvisiblefromthefrontofthehouse，andYeobrightclimbedoutofthevalleyuntilhestoodinthefullfloodofherlight。Butevennowhewalkedon，andhisstepswereinthedirectionofRainbarrow。

Inhalfanhourhestoodatthetop。Theskywasclearfromvergetoverge，andthemoonflungherraysoverthewholeheath，butwithoutsensiblylightingit，exceptwherepathsandwater—courseshadlaidbarethewhiteflintsandglisteningquartzsand，whichmadestreaksuponthegeneralshade。

Afterstandingawhilehestoopedandfelttheheather。

Itwasdry，andheflunghimselfdownuponthebarrow，hisfacetowardsthemoon，whichdepictedasmallimageofherselfineachofhiseyes。

Hehadoftencomeupherewithoutstatinghispurposetohismother；butthiswasthefirsttimethathehadbeenostensiblyfrankastohispurposewhilereallyconcealingit。

Itwasamoralsituationwhich，threemonthsearlier，hecouldhardlyhavecreditedofhimself。Inreturningtolabourinthissequesteredspothehadanticipatedanescapefromthechafingofsocialnecessities；

yetbeholdtheywereherealso。Morethaneverhelongedtobeinsomeworldwherepersonalambitionwasnottheonlyrecognizedformofprogress——such，perhaps，asmighthavebeenthecaseatsometimeorotherinthesilveryglobethenshininguponhim。Hiseyetravelledoverthelengthandbreadthofthatdistantcountry——overtheBayofRainbows，thesombreSeaofCrises，theOceanofStorms，theLakeofDreams，thevastWalledPlains，andthewondrousRingMountains——tillhealmostfelthimselftobevoyagingbodilythroughitswildscenes，standingonitshollowhills，traversingitsdeserts，descendingitsvalesandoldseabottoms，ormountingtotheedgesofitscraters。

Whilehewatchedthefar—removedlandscapeatawnystaingrewintobeingonthelowerverge——theeclipsehadbegun。

Thismarkedapreconcertedmoment——fortheremotecelestialphenomenonhadbeenpressedintosublunaryserviceasalover’ssignal。Yeobright’smindflewbacktoearthatthesight；hearose，shookhimselfandlistened。

Minuteafterminutepassedby，perhapstenminutespassed，andtheshadowonthemoonperceptiblywidened。

Heheardarustlingonhislefthand，acloakedfigurewithanupturnedfaceappearedatthebaseoftheBarrow，andClymdescended。Inamomentthefigurewasinhisarms，andhislipsuponhers。

"MyEustacia！"

"Clym，dearest！"

Suchasituationhadlessthanthreemonthsbroughtforth。

Theyremainedlongwithoutasingleutterance，fornolanguagecouldreachtheleveloftheircondition——wordswereastherustyimplementsofaby—gonebarbarousepoch，andonlytobeoccasionallytolerated。

"Ibegantowonderwhyyoudidnotcome，"saidYeobright，whenshehadwithdrawnalittlefromhisembrace。

"Yousaidtenminutesafterthefirstmarkofshadeontheedgeofthemoon，andthat’swhatitisnow。"

"Well，letusonlythinkthathereweare。"

Then，holdingeachother’shand，theywereagainsilent，andtheshadowonthemoon’sdiscgrewalittlelarger。

"Hasitseemedlongsinceyoulastsawme？"sheasked。

"Ithasseemedsad。"

"Andnotlong？That’sbecauseyouoccupyyourself，andsoblindyourselftomyabsence。Tome，whocandonothing，ithasbeenlikelivingunderstagnantwater。"

"Iwouldratherbeartediousness，dear，thanhavetimemadeshortbysuchmeansashaveshortenedmine。"

"Inwhatwayisthat？Youhavebeenthinkingyouwishedyoudidnotloveme。"

"Howcanamanwishthat，andyetloveon？No，Eustacia。"

"Mencan，womencannot。"

"Well，whateverImayhavethought，onethingiscertain——I

doloveyou——pastallcompassanddescription。Iloveyoutooppressiveness——I，whohaveneverbeforefeltmorethanapleasantpassingfancyforanywomanIhaveeverseen。

Letmelookrightintoyourmoonlitfaceanddwelloneverylineandcurveinit！OnlyafewhairbreadthsmakethedifferencebetweenthisfaceandfacesIhaveseenmanytimesbeforeIknewyou；yetwhatadifference——thedifferencebetweeneverythingandnothingatall。

Onetouchonthatmouthagain！there，andthere，andthere。

Youreyesseemheavy，Eustacia。"

"No，itismygeneralwayoflooking。IthinkitarisesfrommyfeelingsometimesanagonizingpityformyselfthatIeverwasborn。"

"Youdon’tfeelitnow？"

"No。YetIknowthatweshallnotlovelikethisalways。

Nothingcanensurethecontinuanceoflove。Itwillevaporatelikeaspirit，andsoIfeelfulloffears。"

"Youneednot。"

"Ah，youdon’tknow。YouhaveseenmorethanI，andhavebeenintocitiesandamongpeoplethatIhaveonlyheardof，andhavelivedmoreyearsthanI；butyetIamolderatthisthanyou。Ilovedanothermanonce，andnowIloveyou。"

"InGod’smercydon’ttalkso，Eustacia！"

"ButIdonotthinkIshallbetheonewhoweariesfirst。

Itwill，Ifear，endinthisway：yourmotherwillfindoutthatyoumeetme，andshewillinfluenceyouagainstme！"

"Thatcanneverbe。Sheknowsofthesemeetingsalready。"

"Andshespeaksagainstme？"

"Iwillnotsay。"

"There，goaway！Obeyher。Ishallruinyou。Itisfoolishofyoutomeetmelikethis。Kissme，andgoawayforever。

Forever——doyouhear？——forever！"

"NotI。"

"Itisyouronlychance。Manyaman’slovehasbeenacursetohim。"

"Youaredesperate，fulloffancies，andwilful；

andyoumisunderstand。Ihaveanadditionalreasonforseeingyoutonightbesidesloveofyou。Forthough，unlikeyou，Ifeelouraffectionmaybeeternal。

Ifeelwithyouinthis，thatourpresentmodeofexistencecannotlast。"

"Oh！’tisyourmother。Yes，that’sit！Iknewit。"

"Nevermindwhatitis。Believethis，Icannotletmyselfloseyou。Imusthaveyoualwayswithme。

ThisveryeveningIdonotliketoletyougo。

Thereisonlyonecureforthisanxiety，dearest——youmustbemywife。"

Shestarted——thenendeavouredtosaycalmly，"Cynicssaythatcurestheanxietybycuringthelove。"

"Butyoumustanswerme。ShallIclaimyousomeday——I

don’tmeanatonce？"

"Imustthink，"Eustaciamurmured。"AtpresentspeakofParistome。Isthereanyplacelikeitonearth？"

"Itisverybeautiful。Butwillyoubemine？"

"Iwillbenobodyelse’sintheworld——doesthatsatisfyyou？"

"Yes，forthepresent。"

"NowtellmeoftheTuileries，andtheLouvre，"

shecontinuedevasively。

"IhatetalkingofParis！Well，IrememberonesunnyroomintheLouvrewhichwouldmakeafittingplaceforyoutolivein——theGaleried’Apollon。Itswindowsaremainlyeast；

andintheearlymorning，whenthesunisbright，thewholeapartmentisinaperfectblazeofsplendour。

Theraysbristleanddartfromtheencrustationsofgildingtothemagnificentinlaidcoffers，fromthecofferstothegoldandsilverplate，fromtheplatetothejewelsandpreciousstones，fromthesetotheenamels，tillthereisaperfectnetworkoflightwhichquitedazzlestheeye。

Butnow，aboutourmarriage————"

"AndVersailles——theKing’sGalleryissomesuchgorgeousroom，isitnot？"

"Yes。Butwhat’stheuseoftalkingofgorgeousrooms？

Bytheway，theLittleTrianonwouldsuitusbeautifullytolivein，andyoumightwalkinthegardensinthemoonlightandthinkyouwereinsomeEnglishshrubbery；

ItislaidoutinEnglishfashion。"

"Ishouldhatetothinkthat！"

"ThenyoucouldkeeptothelawninfrontoftheGrandPalace。

Allaboutthereyouwoulddoubtlessfeelinaworldofhistoricalromance。"

Hewenton，sinceitwasallnewtoher，anddescribedFontainebleau，St。Cloud，theBois，andmanyotherfamiliarhauntsoftheParisians；tillshesaid——

"Whenusedyoutogototheseplaces？"

"OnSundays。"

"Ah，yes。IdislikeEnglishSundays。HowIshouldchimeinwiththeirmannersoverthere！DearClym，you’llgobackagain？"

Clymshookhishead，andlookedattheeclipse。

"Ifyou’llgobackagainI’ll——besomething，"

shesaidtenderly，puttingherheadnearhisbreast。

"Ifyou’llagreeI’llgivemypromise，withoutmakingyouwaitaminutelonger。"

"Howextraordinarythatyouandmymothershouldbeofonemindaboutthis！"saidYeobright。"Ihavevowednottogoback，Eustacia。ItisnottheplaceIdislike；

itistheoccupation。"

"Butyoucangoinsomeothercapacity。"

"No。Besides，itwouldinterferewithmyscheme。

Don’tpressthat，Eustacia。Willyoumarryme？"

"Icannottell。"

"Now——nevermindParis；itisnobetterthanotherspots。

Promise，sweet！"

"Youwillneveradheretoyoureducationplan，Iamquitesure；andthenitwillbeallrightforme；

andsoIpromisetobeyoursforeverandever。"

Clymbroughtherfacetowardshisbyagentlepressureofthehand，andkissedher。

"Ah！butyoudon’tknowwhatyouhavegotinme，"shesaid。

"SometimesIthinkthereisnotthatinEustaciaVyewhichwillmakeagoodhomespunwife。Well，letitgo——seehowourtimeisslipping，slipping，slipping！"Shepointedtowardsthehalf—eclipsedmoon。

"Youaretoomournful。"

"No。OnlyIdreadtothinkofanythingbeyondthepresent。

Whatis，weknow。Wearetogethernow，anditisunknownhowlongweshallbeso；theunknownalwaysfillsmymindwithterriblepossibilities，evenwhenImayreasonablyexpectittobecheerful……Clym，theeclipsedmoonlightshinesuponyourfacewithastrangeforeigncolour，andshowsitsshapeasifitwerecutoutingold。

Thatmeansthatyoushouldbedoingbetterthingsthanthis。"

"Youareambitious，Eustacia——no，notexactlyambitious，luxurious。Ioughttobeofthesamevein，tomakeyouhappy，Isuppose。Andyet，farfromthat，Icouldliveanddieinahermitagehere，withproperworktodo。"

Therewasthatinhistonewhichimplieddistrustofhispositionasasolicitouslover，adoubtifhewereactingfairlytowardsonewhosetastestouchedhisownonlyatrareandinfrequentpoints。Shesawhismeaning，andwhispered，inalow，fullaccentofeagerassurance"Don’tmistakeme，Clym——thoughIshouldlikeParis，Iloveyouforyourselfalone。TobeyourwifeandliveinPariswouldbeheaventome；butIwouldratherlivewithyouinahermitageherethannotbeyoursatall。

Itisgaintomeeitherway，andverygreatgain。

There’smytoocandidconfession。"

"Spokenlikeawoman。AndnowImustsoonleaveyou。

I’llwalkwithyoutowardsyourhouse。"

"Butmustyougohomeyet？"sheasked。"Yes，thesandhasnearlyslippedaway，Isee，andtheeclipseiscreepingonmoreandmore。Don’tgoyet！Stoptillthehourhasrunitselfout；thenIwillnotpressyouanymore。

Youwillgohomeandsleepwell；Ikeepsighinginmysleep！Doyoueverdreamofme？"

"Icannotrecollectacleardreamofyou。"

"Iseeyourfaceineverysceneofmydreams，andhearyourvoiceineverysound。IwishIdidnot。ItistoomuchwhatIfeel。Theysaysuchloveneverlasts。

Butitmust！Andyetonce，Iremember，IsawanofficeroftheHussarsridedownthestreetatBudmouth，andthoughhewasatotalstrangerandneverspoketome，IlovedhimtillIthoughtIshouldreallydieoflove——

butIdidn’tdie，andatlastIleftoffcaringforhim。

HowterribleitwouldbeifatimeshouldcomewhenIcouldnotloveyou，myClym！"

"Pleasedon’tsaysuchrecklessthings。Whenweseesuchatimeathandwewillsay，’Ihaveoutlivedmyfaithandpurpose，’anddie。There，thehourhasexpired——nowletuswalkon。"

HandinhandtheywentalongthepathtowardsMistover。

Whentheywerenearthehousehesaid，"Itistoolateformetoseeyourgrandfathertonight。Doyouthinkhewillobjecttoit？"

"Iwillspeaktohim。Iamsoaccustomedtobemyownmistressthatitdidnotoccurtomethatweshouldhavetoaskhim。"

Thentheylingeringlyseparated，andClymdescendedtowardsBlooms—End。

AndashewalkedfurtherandfurtherfromthecharmedatmosphereofhisOlympiangirlhisfacegrewsadwithanewsortofsadness。Aperceptionofthedilemmainwhichhislovehadplacedhimcamebackinfullforce。

InspiteofEustacia’sapparentwillingnesstowaitthroughtheperiodofanunpromisingengagement，tillheshouldbeestablishedinhisnewpursuit，hecouldnotbutperceiveatmomentsthatshelovedhimratherasavisitantfromagayworldtowhichsherightlybelongedthanasamanwithapurposeopposedtothatrecentpastofhiswhichsointerestedher。Itmeantthat，thoughshemadenoconditionsastohisreturntotheFrenchcapital，thiswaswhatshesecretlylongedforintheeventofmarriage；

anditrobbedhimofmanyanotherwisepleasanthour。

Alongwiththatcamethewideningbreachbetweenhimselfandhismother。Wheneveranylittleoccurrencehadbroughtintomoreprominencethanusualthedisappointmentthathewascausingherithadsenthimonloneandmoodywalks；

orhewaskeptawakeagreatpartofthenightbytheturmoilofspiritwhichsucharecognitioncreated。

IfMrs。YeobrightcouldonlyhavebeenledtoseewhatasoundandworthypurposethispurposeofhiswasandhowlittleitwasbeingaffectedbyhisdevotionstoEustacia，howdifferentlywouldsheregardhim！

Thusashissightgrewaccustomedtothefirstblindinghalokindledabouthimbyloveandbeauty，Yeobrightbegantoperceivewhatastraithewasin。

SometimeshewishedthathehadneverknownEustacia，immediatelytoretractthewishasbrutal。Threeantagonisticgrowthshadtobekeptalive：hismother’strustinhim，hisplanforbecomingateacher，andEustacia’shappiness。

Hisfervidnaturecouldnotaffordtorelinquishoneofthese，thoughtwoofthethreewereasmanyashecouldhopetopreserve。ThoughhislovewasaschasteasthatofPetrarchforhisLaura，ithadmadefettersofwhatpreviouslywasonlyadifficulty。Apositionwhichwasnottoosimplewhenhestoodwhole—heartedhadbecomeindescribablycomplicatedbytheadditionofEustacia。

Justwhenhismotherwasbeginningtotolerateoneschemehehadintroducedanotherstillbittererthanthefirst，andthecombinationwasmorethanshecouldbear。

5—SharpWordsAreSpoken，andaCrisisEnsuesWhenYeobrightwasnotwithEustaciahewassittingslavishlyoverhisbooks；whenhewasnotreadinghewasmeetingher。

Thesemeetingswerecarriedonwiththegreatestsecrecy。

OneafternoonhismothercamehomefromamorningvisittoThomasin。Hecouldseefromadisturbanceinthelinesofherfacethatsomethinghadhappened。

"Ihavebeentoldanincomprehensiblething，"

shesaidmournfully。"ThecaptainhasletoutattheWomanthatyouandEustaciaVyeareengagedtobemarried。"

"Weare，"saidYeobright。"Butitmaynotbeyetforaverylongtime。"

"IshouldhardlythinkitWOULDbeyetforaverylongtime！YouwilltakehertoParis，Isuppose？"

Shespokewithwearyhopelessness。

"IamnotgoingbacktoParis。"

"Whatwillyoudowithawife，then？"

"KeepaschoolinBudmouth，asIhavetoldyou。"

"That’sincredible！Theplaceisoverrunwithschoolmasters。

Youhavenospecialqualifications。Whatpossiblechanceisthereforsuchasyou？"

"Thereisnochanceofgettingrich。Butwithmysystemofeducation，whichisasnewasitistrue，Ishalldoagreatdealofgoodtomyfellow—creatures。"

"Dreams，dreams！Iftherehadbeenanysystemlefttobeinventedtheywouldhavefounditoutattheuniversitieslongbeforethistime。"

"Never，Mother。Theycannotfinditout，becausetheirteachersdon’tcomeincontactwiththeclasswhichdemandssuchasystem——thatis，thosewhohavehadnopreliminarytraining。Myplanisoneforinstillinghighknowledgeintoemptymindswithoutfirstcrammingthemwithwhathastobeuncrammedagainbeforetruestudybegins。"

"Imighthavebelievedyouifyouhadkeptyourselffreefromentanglements；butthiswoman——ifshehadbeenagoodgirlitwouldhavebeenbadenough；butbeing————"

"Sheisagoodgirl。"

"Soyouthink。ACorfubandmaster’sdaughter！Whathasherlifebeen？Hersurnameevenisnothertrueone。"

"SheisCaptainVye’sgranddaughter，andherfathermerelytookhermother’sname。Andsheisaladybyinstinct。"

"Theycallhim’captain，’butanybodyiscaptain。"

"HewasintheRoyalNavy！"

"Nodoubthehasbeentoseainsometuborother。

Whydoesn’thelookafterher？Noladywouldroveabouttheheathatallhoursofthedayandnightasshedoes。

Butthat’snotallofit。TherewassomethingqueerbetweenherandThomasin’shusbandatonetime——IamassureofitasthatIstandhere。"

"Eustaciahastoldme。Hedidpayheralittleattentionayearago；butthere’snoharminthat。

Ilikeherallthebetter。"

"Clym，"saidhismotherwithfirmness，"Ihavenoproofsagainsther，unfortunately。Butifshemakesyouagoodwife，therehasneverbeenabadone。"

"Believeme，youarealmostexasperating，"

saidYeobrightvehemently。"AndthisverydayIhadintendedtoarrangeameetingbetweenyou。Butyougivemenopeace；youtrytothwartmywishesineverything。"

"Ihatethethoughtofanysonofminemarryingbadly！I

wishIhadneverlivedtoseethis；itistoomuchforme——itismorethanIdreamt！"Sheturnedtothewindow。

Herbreathwascomingquickly，andherlipswerepale，parted，andtrembling。

"Mother，"saidClym，"whateveryoudo，youwillalwaysbedeartome——thatyouknow。ButonethingIhavearighttosay，whichis，thatatmyageIamoldenoughtoknowwhatisbestforme。"

Mrs。Yeobrightremainedforsometimesilentandshaken，asifshecouldsaynomore。Thenshereplied，"Best？Isitbestforyoutoinjureyourprospectsforsuchavoluptuous，idlewomanasthat？Don’tyouseethatbytheveryfactofyourchoosingheryouprovethatyoudonotknowwhatisbestforyou？Yougiveupyourwholethought——yousetyourwholesoul——topleaseawoman。"

"Ido。Andthatwomanisyou。"

"Howcanyoutreatmesoflippantly！"saidhismother，turningagaintohimwithatearfullook。