第15章

Butmenaredrawnfromtheirintentionseveninthecourseofcarryingthemout,anditwasextremelydoubtful,bythetimethetwentiethguineahadbeenreached,whetherWildevewasconsciousofanyotherintentionthanthatofwinningforhisownpersonalbenefit。

Moreover,hewasnownolongergamblingforhiswife’smoney,butforYeobright’s;thoughofthisfactChristian,inhisapprehensiveness,didnotinformhimtillafterwards。

Itwasnearlyeleveno’clock,when,withalmostashriek,ChristianplacedYeobright’slastgleamingguineauponthestone。Inthirtysecondsithadgonethewayofitscompanions。

Christianturnedandflunghimselfonthefernsinaconvulsionofremorse,"O,whatshallIdowithmywretchedself?"hegroaned。"WhatshallIdo?WillanygoodHeavenhaemercyuponmywickedsoul?"

"Do?Liveonjustthesame。"

"Iwon’tliveonjustthesame!I’lldie!Isayyouarea——a————"

"Amansharperthanmyneighbour。"

"Yes,amansharperthanmyneighbour;aregularsharper!"

"Poorchips—in—porridge,youareveryunmannerly。"

"Idon’tknowaboutthat!AndIsayyoubeunmannerly!

You’vegotmoneythatisn’tyourown。HalftheguineasarepoorMr。Clym’s。"

"How’sthat?"

"BecauseIhadtogiefiftyof’emtohim。Mrs。Yeobrightsaidso。"

"Oh?……Well,’twouldhavebeenmoregracefulofhertohavegiventhemtohiswifeEustacia。Buttheyareinmyhandsnow。"

Christianpulledonhisboots,andwithheavybreathings,whichcouldbeheardtosomedistance,draggedhislimbstogether,arose,andtotteredawayoutofsight。

Wildevesetaboutshuttingthelanterntoreturntothehouse,forhedeemedittoolatetogotoMistovertomeethiswife,whowastobedrivenhomeinthecaptain’sfour—wheel。

Whilehewasclosingthelittlehorndoorafigurerosefrombehindaneighbouringbushandcameforwardintothelanternlight。Itwasthereddlemanapproaching。

8—ANewForceDisturbstheCurrentWildevestared。VennlookedcoollytowardsWildeve,and,withoutawordbeingspoken,hedeliberatelysathimselfdownwhereChristianhadbeenseated,thrusthishandintohispocket,drewoutasovereign,andlaiditonthestone。

"Youhavebeenwatchingusfrombehindthatbush?"

saidWildeve。

Thereddlemannodded。"Downwithyourstake,"hesaid。

"Orhaven’tyoupluckenoughtogoon?"

Now,gamblingisaspeciesofamusementwhichismuchmoreeasilybegunwithfullpocketsthanleftoffwiththesame;

andthoughWildeveinacoolertempermighthaveprudentlydeclinedthisinvitation,theexcitementofhisrecentsuccesscarriedhimcompletelyaway。Heplacedoneoftheguineasonaslabbesidethereddleman’ssovereign。

"Mineisaguinea,"hesaid。

"Aguineathat’snotyourown,"saidVennsarcastically。

"Itismyown,"answeredWildevehaughtily。"Itismywife’s,andwhatishersismine。"

"Verywell;let’smakeabeginning。"Heshookthebox,andthreweight,ten,andnine;thethreecastsamountedtotwenty—seven。

ThisencouragedWildeve。Hetookthebox;andhisthreecastsamountedtoforty—five。

Downwentanotherofthereddleman’ssovereignsagainsthisfirstonewhichWildevelaid。ThistimeWildevethrewfifty—onepoints,butnopair。Thereddlemanlookedgrim,threwaraffleofaces,andpocketedthestakes。

"Hereyouareagain,"saidWildevecontemptuously。

"Doublethestakes。"HelaidtwoofThomasin’sguineas,andthereddlemanhistwopounds。Vennwonagain。

Newstakeswerelaidonthestone,andthegamblersproceededasbefore。

Wildevewasanervousandexcitableman,andthegamewasbeginningtotelluponhistemper。Hewrithed,fumed,shiftedhisseat,andthebeatingofhisheartwasalmostaudible。Vennsatwithlipsimpassivelyclosedandeyesreducedtoapairofunimportanttwinkles;

hescarcelyappearedtobreathe。HemighthavebeenanArab,oranautomaton;hewouldhavebeenlikearedsandstonestatuebutforthemotionofhisarmwiththedice—box。

Thegamefluctuated,nowinfavourofone,nowinfavouroftheother,withoutanygreatadvantageonthesideofeither。Nearlytwentyminuteswerepassedthus。

Thelightofthecandlehadbythistimeattractedheath—flies,moths,andotherwingedcreaturesofnight,whichfloatedroundthelantern,flewintotheflame,orbeataboutthefacesofthetwoplayers。

Butneitherofthemenpaidmuchattentiontothesethings,theireyesbeingconcentrateduponthelittleflatstone,whichtothemwasanarenavastandimportantasabattlefield。

Bythistimeachangehadcomeoverthegame;thereddlemanwoncontinually。Atlengthsixtyguineas——Thomasin’sfifty,andtenofClym’s——hadpassedintohishands。

Wildevewasreckless,frantic,exasperated。

"’Wonbackhiscoat,’"saidVennslily。

Anotherthrow,andthemoneywentthesameway。

"’Wonbackhishat,’"continuedVenn。

"Oh,oh!"saidWildeve。

"’Wonbackhiswatch,wonbackhismoney,andwentoutofthedoorarichman,’"addedVennsentencebysentence,asstakeafterstakepassedovertohim。

"Fivemore!"shoutedWildeve,dashingdownthemoney。

"Andthreecastsbehanged——oneshalldecide。"

Theredautomatonoppositelapsedintosilence,nodded,andfollowedhisexample。Wildeverattledthebox,andthrewapairofsixesandfivepoints。Heclappedhishands;"Ihavedoneitthistime——hurrah!"

"Therearetwoplaying,andonlyonehasthrown,"

saidthereddleman,quietlybringingdownthebox。

Theeyesofeachwerethensointentlyconvergeduponthestonethatonecouldfancytheirbeamswerevisible,likeraysinafog。

Vennliftedthebox,andbeholdatripletofsixeswasdisclosed。

Wildevewasfulloffury。WhilethereddlemanwasgraspingthestakesWildeveseizedthediceandhurledthem,boxandall,intothedarkness,utteringafearfulimprecation。

Thenhearoseandbeganstampingupanddownlikeamadman。

"Itisallover,then?"saidVenn。

"No,no!"criedWildeve。"Imeantohaveanotherchanceyet。

Imust!"

"But,mygoodman,whathaveyoudonewiththedice?"

"Ithrewthemaway——itwasamomentaryirritation。

WhatafoolIam!Here——comeandhelpmetolookforthem——wemustfindthemagain。"

Wildevesnatchedupthelanternandbegananxiouslyprowlingamongthefurzeandfern。

"Youarenotlikelytofindthemthere,"

saidVenn,following。"Whatdidyoudosuchacrazythingasthatfor?Here’sthebox。Thedicecan’tbefaroff。"

WildeveturnedthelighteagerlyuponthespotwhereVennhadfoundthebox,andmauledtheherbagerightandleft。

Inthecourseofafewminutesoneofthedicewasfound。

Theysearchedonforsometime,butnootherwastobeseen。

"Nevermind,"saidWildeve;"let’splaywithone。"

"Agreed,"saidVenn。

Downtheysatagain,andrecommencedwithsingleguineastakes;

andtheplaywentonsmartly。ButFortunehadunmistakablyfalleninlovewiththereddlemantonight。Hewonsteadily,tillhewastheowneroffourteenmoreofthegoldpieces。

Seventy—nineofthehundredguineaswerehis,Wildevepossessingonlytwenty—one。Theaspectofthetwoopponentswasnowsingular。Apartfrommotions,acompletedioramaofthefluctuationsofthegamewentonintheireyes。

Adiminutivecandle—flamewasmirroredineachpupil,anditwouldhavebeenpossibletodistinguishthereinbetweenthemoodsofhopeandthemoodsofabandonment,evenasregardsthereddleman,thoughhisfacialmusclesbetrayednothingatall。Wildeveplayedonwiththerecklessnessofdespair。

"What’sthat?"hesuddenlyexclaimed,hearingarustle;

andtheybothlookedup。

Theyweresurroundedbyduskyformsbetweenfourandfivefeethigh,standingafewpacesbeyondtheraysofthelantern。Amoment’sinspectionrevealedthattheencirclingfigureswereheath—croppers,theirheadsbeingalltowardstheplayers,atwhomtheygazedintently。

"Hoosh!"saidWildeve,andthewholefortyorfiftyanimalsatonceturnedandgallopedaway。Playwasagainresumed。

Tenminutespassedaway。Thenalargedeath’sheadmothadvancedfromtheobscureouterair,wheeledtwiceroundthelantern,flewstraightatthecandle,andextinguisheditbytheforceoftheblow。Wildevehadjustthrown,buthadnotliftedtheboxtoseewhathehadcast;

andnowitwasimpossible。

"Whattheinfernal!"heshrieked。"Now,whatshallwedo?PerhapsIhavethrownsix——haveyouanymatches?"

"None,"saidVenn。

"Christianhadsome——Iwonderwhereheis。Christian!"

ButtherewasnoreplytoWildeve’sshout,saveamournfulwhiningfromtheheronswhichwerenestinglowerdownthevale。Bothmenlookedblanklyroundwithoutrising。

Astheireyesgrewaccustomedtothedarknesstheyperceivedfaintgreenishpointsoflightamongthegrassandfern。Theselightsdottedthehillsidelikestarsofalowmagnitude。

"Ah——glowworms,"saidWildeve。"Waitaminute。

Wecancontinuethegame。"

Vennsatstill,andhiscompanionwenthitherandthithertillhehadgatheredthirteenglowworms——asmanyashecouldfindinaspaceoffourorfiveminutes——uponafox—gloveleafwhichhepulledforthepurpose。Thereddlemanventedalowhumorouslaughwhenhesawhisadversaryreturnwiththese。"Determinedtogoon,then?"hesaiddrily。

"Ialwaysam!"saidWildeveangrily。Andshakingtheglowwormsfromtheleafherangedthemwithatremblinghandinacircleonthestone,leavingaspaceinthemiddleforthedescentofthedice—box,overwhichthethirteentinylampsthrewapalephosphoricshine。Thegamewasagainrenewed。Ithappenedtobethatseasonoftheyearatwhichglowwormsputforththeirgreatestbrilliancy,andthelighttheyyieldedwasmorethanampleforthepurpose,sinceitispossibleonsuchnightstoreadthehandwritingofaletterbythelightoftwoorthree。

Theincongruitybetweenthemen’sdeedsandtheirenvironmentwasgreat。Amidthesoftjuicyvegetationofthehollowinwhichtheysat,themotionlessandtheuninhabitedsolitude,intrudedthechinkofguineas,therattleofdice,theexclamationsoftherecklessplayers。

Wildevehadliftedtheboxassoonasthelightswereobtained,andthesolitarydieproclaimedthatthegamewasstillagainsthim。

"Iwon’tplayanymore——you’vebeentamperingwiththedice,"

heshouted。

"How——whentheywereyourown?"saidthereddleman。

"We’llchangethegame:thelowestpointshallwinthestake——itmaycutoffmyillluck。Doyourefuse?"

"No——goon,"saidVenn。

"O,theretheyareagain——damnthem!"criedWildeve,lookingup。Theheath—croppershadreturnednoiselessly,andwerelookingonwitherectheadsjustasbefore,theirtimideyesfixeduponthescene,asiftheywerewonderingwhatmankindandcandlelightcouldhavetodointhesehauntsatthisuntowardhour。

"Whataplaguethosecreaturesare——staringatmeso!"

hesaid,andflungastone,whichscatteredthem;

whenthegamewascontinuedasbefore。

Wildevehadnowtenguineasleft;andeachlaidfive。

Wildevethrewthreepoints;Venntwo,andrakedinthecoins。

Theotherseizedthedie,andclenchedhisteethuponitinsheerrage,asifhewouldbiteitinpieces。

"Nevergivein——herearemylastfive!"hecried,throwingthemdown。

"Hangtheglowworms——theyaregoingout。Whydon’tyouburn,youlittlefools?Stirthemupwithathorn。"

Heprobedtheglowwormswithabitofstick,androlledthemover,tillthebrightsideoftheirtailswasupwards。

"There’slightenough。Throwon,"saidVenn。

Wildevebroughtdowntheboxwithintheshiningcircleandlookedeagerly。Hehadthrownace。"Welldone!——I

saiditwouldturn,andithasturned。"Vennsaidnothing;

buthishandshookslightly。

Hethrewacealso。

"O!"saidWildeve。"Curseme!"

Thediesmackedthestoneasecondtime。Itwasaceagain。

Vennlookedgloomy,threw——thediewasseentobelyingintwopieces,thecleftsidesuppermost。

"I’vethrownnothingatall,"hesaid。

"Servesmeright——Isplitthediewithmyteeth。

Here——takeyourmoney。Blankislessthanone。"

"Idon’twishit。"

"Takeit,Isay——you’vewonit!"AndWildevethrewthestakesagainstthereddleman’schest。Venngatheredthemup,arose,andwithdrewfromthehollow,Wildevesittingstupefied。

Whenhehadcometohimselfhealsoarose,and,withtheextinguishedlanterninhishand,wenttowardsthehighroad。

Onreachingithestoodstill。Thesilenceofnightpervadedthewholeheathexceptinonedirection;andthatwastowardsMistover。Therehecouldhearthenoiseoflightwheels,andpresentlysawtwocarriagelampsdescendingthehill。Wildevescreenedhimselfunderabushandwaited。

Thevehiclecameonandpassedbeforehim。Itwasahiredcarriage,andbehindthecoachmanweretwopersonswhomheknewwell。TheresatEustaciaandYeobright,thearmofthelatterbeingroundherwaist。

TheyturnedthesharpcorneratthebottomtowardsthetemporaryhomewhichClymhadhiredandfurnished,aboutfivemilestotheeastward。

Wildeveforgotthelossofthemoneyatthesightofhislostlove,whosepreciousnessinhiseyeswasincreasingingeometricalprogressionwitheachnewincidentthatremindedhimoftheirhopelessdivision。

Brimmingwiththesubtilizedmiserythathewascapableoffeeling,hefollowedtheoppositewaytowardstheinn。

AboutthesamemomentthatWildevesteppedintothehighwayVennalsohadreacheditatapointahundredyardsfurtheron;andhe,hearingthesamewheels,likewisewaitedtillthecarriageshouldcomeup。

Whenhesawwhosatthereinheseemedtobedisappointed。

Reflectingaminuteortwo,duringwhichintervalthecarriagerolledon,hecrossedtheroad,andtookashortcutthroughthefurzeandheathtoapointwheretheturnpikeroadbentroundinascendingahill。Hewasnowagaininfrontofthecarriage,whichpresentlycameupatawalkingpace。Vennsteppedforwardandshowedhimself。

Eustaciastartedwhenthelampshoneuponhim,andClym’sarmwasinvoluntarilywithdrawnfromherwaist。Hesaid,"What,Diggory?Youarehavingalonelywalk。"

"Yes——Ibegyourpardonforstoppingyou,"saidVenn。

"ButIamwaitingaboutforMrs。Wildeve:IhavesomethingtogiveherfromMrs。Yeobright。Canyoutellmeifshe’sgonehomefromthepartyyet?"

"No。Butshewillbeleavingsoon。Youmaypossiblymeetheratthecorner。"

Vennmadeafarewellobeisance,andwalkedbacktohisformerposition,wherethebyroadfromMistoverjoinedthehighway。Hereheremainedfixedfornearlyhalfanhour,andthenanotherpairoflightscamedownthehill。

Itwastheold—fashionedwheelednondescriptbelongingtothecaptain,andThomasinsatinitalone,drivenbyCharley。

Thereddlemancameupastheyslowlyturnedthecorner。

"Ibegpardonforstoppingyou,Mrs。Wildeve,"hesaid。

"ButIhavesomethingtogiveyouprivatelyfromMrs。Yeobright。"

Hehandedasmallparcel;itconsistedofthehundredguineashehadjustwon,roughlytwistedupinapieceofpaper。

Thomasinrecoveredfromhersurprise,andtookthepacket。

"That’sall,ma’am——Iwishyougoodnight,"hesaid,andvanishedfromherview。

ThusVenn,inhisanxietytorectifymatters,hadplacedinThomasin’shandsnotonlythefiftyguineaswhichrightlybelongedtoher,butalsothefiftyintendedforhercousinClym。HismistakehadbeenbaseduponWildeve’swordsattheopeningofthegame,whenheindignantlydeniedthattheguineawasnothisown。

Ithadnotbeencomprehendedbythereddlemanthatathalfwaythroughtheperformancethegamewascontinuedwiththemoneyofanotherperson;anditwasanerrorwhichafterwardshelpedtocausemoremisfortunethantreblethelossinmoneyvaluecouldhavedone。

Thenightwasnowsomewhatadvanced;andVennplungeddeeperintotheheath,tillhecametoaravinewherehisvanwasstanding——aspotnotmorethantwohundredyardsfromthesiteofthegamblingbout。Heenteredthismovablehomeofhis,lithislantern,and,beforeclosinghisdoorforthenight,stoodreflectingonthecircumstancesoftheprecedinghours。

Whilehestoodthedawngrewvisibleinthenortheastquarteroftheheavens,which,thecloudshavingclearedoff,wasbrightwithasoftsheenatthismidsummertime,thoughitwasonlybetweenoneandtwoo’clock。Venn,thoroughlyweary,thenshuthisdoorandflunghimselfdowntosleep。

booktwoTHEARRIVAL

1—TidingsoftheComerOnthefinedaysatthistimeoftheyear,andearlier,certainephemeraloperationswereapttodisturb,intheirtriflingway,themajesticcalmofEgdonHeath。

Theywereactivitieswhich,besidethoseofatown,avillage,orevenafarm,wouldhaveappearedasthefermentofstagnationmerely,acreepingofthefleshofsomnolence。

Buthere,awayfromcomparisons,shutinbythestablehills,amongwhichmerewalkinghadthenoveltyofpageantry,andwhereanymancouldimaginehimselftobeAdamwithouttheleastdifficulty,theyattractedtheattentionofeverybirdwithineyeshot,everyreptilenotyetasleep,andsetthesurroundingrabbitscuriouslywatchingfromhillocksatasafedistance。

TheperformancewasthatofbringingtogetherandbuildingintoastackthefurzefaggotswhichHumphreyhadbeencuttingforthecaptain’suseduringtheforegoingfinedays。Thestackwasattheendofthedwelling,andthemenengagedinbuildingitwereHumphreyandSam,theoldmanlookingon。

Itwasafineandquietafternoon,aboutthreeo’clock;

butthewintersolsticehavingstealthilycomeon,thelownessofthesuncausedthehourtoseemlaterthanitactuallywas,therebeinglittleheretoremindaninhabitantthathemustunlearnhissummerexperienceoftheskyasadial。Inthecourseofmanydaysandweekssunrisehadadvanceditsquartersfromnortheasttosoutheast,sunsethadrecededfromnorthwesttosouthwest;

butEgdonhadhardlyheededthechange。

Eustaciawasindoorsinthedining—room,whichwasreallymorelikeakitchen,havingastonefloorandagapingchimney—corner。Theairwasstill,andwhileshelingeredamomentherealonesoundsofvoicesinconversationcametoherearsdirectlydownthechimney。Sheenteredtherecess,and,listening,lookeduptheoldirregularshaft,withitscavernoushollows,wherethesmokeblunderedaboutonitswaytothesquarebitofskyatthetop,fromwhichthedaylightstruckdownwithapallidglareuponthetattersofsootdrapingtheflueasseaweeddrapesarockyfissure。

Sheremembered:thefurze—stackwasnotfarfromthechimney,andthevoiceswerethoseoftheworkers。

Hergrandfatherjoinedintheconversation。"Thatladoughtnevertohavelefthome。Hisfather’soccupationwouldhavesuitedhimbest,andtheboyshouldhavefollowedon。

Idon’tbelieveinthesenewmovesinfamilies。

Myfatherwasasailor,sowasI,andsoshouldmysonhavebeenifIhadhadone。"

"Theplacehe’sbeenlivingatisParis,"saidHumphrey,"andtheytellme’tiswheretheking’sheadwascutoffyearsago。Mypoormotherusedtotellmeaboutthatbusiness。

’Hummy,’sheusedtosay,’Iwasayoungmaidthen,andasIwasathomeironingMother’scapsoneafternoontheparsoncameinandsaid,"They’vecuttheking’sheadoff,Jane;andwhat’twillbenextGodknows。"’"

"AgoodmanyofusknewaswellasHebeforelong,"

saidthecaptain,chuckling。"Ilivedsevenyearsunderwateronaccountofitinmyboyhood——inthatdamnedsurgeryoftheTriumph,seeingmenbroughtdowntothecockpitwiththeirlegsandarmsblowntoJericho……AndsotheyoungmanhassettledinParis。

Managertoadiamondmerchant,orsomesuchthing,ishenot?"

"Yes,sir,that’sit。’Tisablazinggreatbusinessthathebelongsto,soI’veheardhismothersay——likeaking’spalace,asfarasdimentsgo。"

"Icanwellmindwhenhelefthome,"saidSam。

"’Tisagoodthingforthefeller,"saidHumphrey。

"Asightoftimesbettertobesellingdimentsthannobblingabouthere。"

"Itmustcostagoodfewshillingstodealatsuchaplace。"

"Agoodfewindeed,myman,"repliedthecaptain。

"Yes,youmaymakeawaywithadealofmoneyandbeneitherdrunkardnorglutton。"

"Theysay,too,thatClymYeobrightisbecomearealperusingman,withthestrangestnotionsaboutthings。

There,that’sbecausehewenttoschoolearly,suchastheschoolwas。"

"Strangenotions,hashe?"saidtheoldman。"Ah,there’stoomuchofthatsendingtoschoolinthesedays!Itonlydoesharm。Everygatepostandbarn’sdooryoucometoissuretohavesomebadwordorotherchalkeduponitbytheyoungrascals——awomancanhardlypassforshamesometimes。Ifthey’dneverbeentaughthowtowritetheywouldn’thavebeenabletoscribblesuchvillainy。

Theirfatherscouldn’tdoit,andthecountrywasallthebetterforit。"

"Now,Ishouldthink,Cap’n,thatMissEustaciahadaboutasmuchinherheadthatcomesfrombooksasanybodyabouthere?"

"PerhapsifMissEustacia,too,hadlessromanticnonsenseinherheaditwouldbebetterforher,"

saidthecaptainshortly;afterwhichhewalkedaway。

"Isay,Sam,"observedHumphreywhentheoldmanwasgone,"sheandClymYeobrightwouldmakeaveryprettypigeon—pair——hey?Iftheywouldn’tI’llbedazed!Bothofonemindaboutnicetiesforcertain,andlearnedinprint,andalwaysthinkingabouthighdoctrine——therecouldn’tbeabettercoupleiftheyweremadeo’purpose。

Clym’sfamilyisasgoodashers。Hisfatherwasafarmer,that’strue;buthismotherwasasortoflady,asweknow。

Nothingwouldpleasemebetterthantoseethemtwomanandwife。"

"They’dlookverynatty,arm—in—crooktogether,andtheirbestclotheson,whetherorno,ifhe’satallthewell—favouredfellowheusedtobe。"

"Theywould,Humphrey。Well,Ishouldliketoseethechapterriblemuchaftersomanyyears。IfIknewforcertainwhenhewascomingI’dstrolloutthreeorfourmilestomeethimandhelpcarryanythingfor’n;thoughI

supposehe’salteredfromtheboyhewas。TheysayhecantalkFrenchasfastasamaidcaneatblackberries;

andifso,dependuponitwewhohavestayedathomeshallseemnomorethanscroffinhiseyes。"

"ComingacrossthewatertoBudmouthbysteamer,isn’the?"

"Yes;buthowhe’scomingfromBudmouthIdon’tknow。"

"That’sabadtroubleabouthiscousinThomasin。

Iwondersuchanice—notionedfellowasClymlikestocomehomeintoit。Whatanunnywatchwewerein,tobesure,whenweheardtheyweren’tmarriedatall,aftersingingto’emasmanandwifethatnight!BedazedifIshouldlikearelationofminetohavebeenmadesuchafoolofbyaman。Itmakesthefamilylooksmall。"

"Yes。Poormaid,herhearthasachedenoughaboutit。

Herhealthissufferingfromit,Ihear,forshewillbideentirelyindoors。Weneverseeheroutnow,scamperingoverthefurzewithafaceasredasarose,assheusedtodo。"

"I’veheardshewouldn’thaveWildevenowifheaskedher。"

"Youhave?’Tisnewstome。"

Whilethefurze—gatherershaddesultorilyconversedthusEustacia’sfacegraduallybenttothehearthinaprofoundreverie,hertoeunconsciouslytappingthedryturfwhichlayburningatherfeet。

Thesubjectoftheirdiscoursehadbeenkeenlyinterestingtoher。Ayoungandclevermanwascomingintothatlonelyheathfrom,ofallcontrastingplacesintheworld,Paris。

Itwaslikeamancomingfromheaven。Moresingularstill,theheathmenhadinstinctivelycoupledherandthismantogetherintheirmindsasapairbornforeachother。