ThatfiveminutesofoverhearingfurnishedEustaciawithvisionsenoughtofillthewholeblankafternoon。

Suchsuddenalternationsfrommentalvacuitydosometimesoccurthusquietly。Shecouldneverhavebelievedinthemorningthathercolourlessinnerworldwouldbeforenightbecomeasanimatedaswaterunderamicroscope，andthatwithoutthearrivalofasinglevisitor。

ThewordsofSamandHumphreyontheharmonybetweentheunknownandherselfhadonhermindtheeffectoftheinvadingBard’spreludeintheCastleofIndolence，atwhichmyriadsofimprisonedshapesarosewherehadpreviouslyappearedthestillnessofavoid。

Involvedintheseimaginingssheknewnothingoftime。

Whenshebecameconsciousofexternalsitwasdusk。

Thefurze—rickwasfinished；themenhadgonehome。

Eustaciawentupstairs，thinkingthatshewouldtakeawalkatthisherusualtime；andshedeterminedthatherwalkshouldbeinthedirectionofBlooms—End，thebirthplaceofyoungYeobrightandthepresenthomeofhismother。Shehadnoreasonforwalkingelsewhere，andwhyshouldshenotgothatway？Thesceneofthedaydreamissufficientforapilgrimageatnineteen。

TolookatthepalingsbeforetheYeobrights’

househadthedignityofanecessaryperformance。

Strangethatsuchapieceofidlingshouldhaveseemedanimportanterrand。

Sheputonherbonnet，and，leavingthehouse，descendedthehillonthesidetowardsBlooms—End，whereshewalkedslowlyalongthevalleyforadistanceofamileandahalf。

Thisbroughthertoaspotinwhichthegreenbottomofthedalebegantowiden，thefurzebushestorecedeyetfurtherfromthepathoneachside，tilltheywerediminishedtoanisolatedonehereandtherebytheincreasingfertilityofthesoil。Beyondtheirregularcarpetofgrasswasarowofwhitepalings，whichmarkedthevergeoftheheathinthislatitude。Theyshowedupontheduskyscenethattheyborderedasdistinctlyaswhitelaceonvelvet。Behindthewhitepalingswasalittlegarden；

behindthegardenanold，irregular，thatchedhouse，facingtheheath，andcommandingafullviewofthevalley。

Thiswastheobscure，removedspottowhichwasabouttoreturnamanwhoselatterlifehadbeenpassedintheFrenchcapital——thecentreandvortexofthefashionableworld。

2—ThePeopleatBlooms—EndMakeReadyAllthatafternoontheexpectedarrivalofthesubjectofEustacia’sruminationscreatedabustleofpreparationatBlooms—End。Thomasinhadbeenpersuadedbyheraunt，andbyaninstinctiveimpulseofloyaltytowardshercousinClym，tobestirherselfonhisaccountwithanalacrityunusualinherduringthesemostsorrowfuldaysofherlife。

AtthetimethatEustaciawaslisteningtotherick—makers’

conversationonClym’sreturn，Thomasinwasclimbingintoaloftoverheraunt’sfuelhouse，wherethestore—appleswerekept，tosearchoutthebestandlargestofthemforthecomingholiday—time。

Theloftwaslightedbyasemicircularhole，throughwhichthepigeonscrepttotheirlodgingsinthesamehighquartersofthepremises；andfromthisholethesunshoneinabrightyellowpatchuponthefigureofthemaidenasshekneltandplungedhernakedarmsintothesoftbrownfern，which，fromitsabundance，wasusedonEgdoninpackingawaystoresofallkinds。

Thepigeonswereflyingaboutherheadwiththegreatestunconcern，andthefaceofherauntwasjustvisibleabovetheflooroftheloft，litbyafewstraymotesoflight，asshestoodhalfwayuptheladder，lookingataspotintowhichshewasnotclimberenoughtoventure。

"Nowafewrussets，Tamsin。Heusedtolikethemalmostaswellasribstones。"

Thomasinturnedandrolledasidethefernfromanothernook，wheremoremellowfruitgreetedherwithitsripesmell。

Beforepickingthemoutshestoppedamoment。

"DearClym，Iwonderhowyourfacelooksnow？"shesaid，gazingabstractedlyatthepigeon—hole。whichadmittedthesunlightsodirectlyuponherbrownhairandtransparenttissuesthatitalmostseemedtoshinethroughher。

"Ifhecouldhavebeendeartoyouinanotherway，"

saidMrs。Yeobrightfromtheladder，"thismighthavebeenahappymeeting。"

"Isthereanyuseinsayingwhatcandonogood，Aunt？"

"Yes，"saidheraunt，withsomewarmth。"Tothoroughlyfilltheairwiththepastmisfortune，sothatothergirlsmaytakewarningandkeepclearofit。"

Thomasinloweredherfacetotheapplesagain。

"Iamawarningtoothers，justasthievesanddrunkardsandgamblersare，"shesaidinalowvoice。"Whataclasstobelongto！DoIreallybelongtothem？’Tisabsurd！Yetwhy，Aunt，doeseverybodykeeponmakingmethinkthatIdo，bythewaytheybehavetowardsme？Whydon’tpeoplejudgemebymyacts？Now，lookatmeasI

kneelhere，pickinguptheseapples——doIlooklikealostwoman？……IwishallgoodwomenwereasgoodasI！"

sheaddedvehemently。

"Strangersdon’tseeyouasIdo，"saidMrs。Yeobright；

"theyjudgefromfalsereport。Well，itisasillyjob，andIampartlytoblame。"

"Howquicklyarashthingcanbedone！"repliedthegirl。

Herlipswerequivering，andtearssocrowdedthemselvesintohereyesthatshecouldhardlydistinguishapplesfromfernasshecontinuedindustriouslysearchingtohideherweakness。

"Assoonasyouhavefinishedgettingtheapples，"

herauntsaid，descendingtheladder，"comedown，andwe’llgofortheholly。Thereisnobodyontheheaththisafternoon，andyouneednotfearbeingstaredat。

Wemustgetsomeberries，orClymwillneverbelieveinourpreparations。"

Thomasincamedownwhentheappleswerecollected，andtogethertheywentthroughthewhitepalingstotheheathbeyond。Theopenhillswereairyandclear，andtheremoteatmosphereappeared，asitoftenappearsonafinewinterday，indistinctplanesofilluminationindependentlytoned，therayswhichlitthenearertractsoflandscapestreamingvisiblyacrossthosefurtheroff；

astratumofensaffronedlightwasimposedonastratumofdeepblue，andbehindtheselaystillremotersceneswrappedinfrigidgrey。

Theyreachedtheplacewheretheholliesgrew，whichwasinaconicalpit，sothatthetopsofthetreeswerenotmuchabovethegeneralleveloftheground。

Thomasinsteppedupintoaforkofoneofthebushes，asshehaddoneunderhappiercircumstancesonmanysimilaroccasions，andwithasmallchopperthattheyhadbroughtshebegantolopofftheheavilyberriedboughs。

"Don’tscratchyourface，"saidheraunt，whostoodattheedgeofthepit，regardingthegirlassheheldonamidtheglisteninggreenandscarletmassesofthetree。

"Willyouwalkwithmetomeethimthisevening？"

"Ishouldliketo。ElseitwouldseemasifIhadforgottenhim，"saidThomasin，tossingoutabough。

"Notthatthatwouldmattermuch；Ibelongtooneman；

nothingcanalterthat。AndthatmanImustmarry，formypride’ssake。"

"Iamafraid——"beganMrs。Yeobright。

"Ah，youthink，’Thatweakgirl——howisshegoingtogetamantomarryherwhenshechooses？’Butletmetellyouonething，Aunt：Mr。Wildeveisnotaprofligateman，anymorethanIamanimproperwoman。Hehasanunfortunatemanner，anddoesn’ttrytomakepeoplelikehimiftheydon’twishtodoitoftheirownaccord。"

"Thomasin，"saidMrs。Yeobrightquietly，fixinghereyeuponherniece，"doyouthinkyoudeceivemeinyourdefenceofMr。Wildeve？"

"Howdoyoumean？"

"Ihavelonghadasuspicionthatyourloveforhimhaschangeditscoloursinceyouhavefoundhimnottobethesaintyouthoughthim，andthatyouactaparttome。"

"Hewishedtomarryme，andIwishtomarryhim。"

"Now，Iputittoyou：wouldyouatthispresentmomentagreetobehiswifeifthathadnothappenedtoentangleyouwithhim？"

Thomasinlookedintothetreeandappearedmuchdisturbed。

"Aunt，"shesaidpresently，"Ihave，Ithink，arighttorefusetoanswerthatquestion。"

"Yes，youhave。"

"Youmaythinkwhatyouchoose。IhaveneverimpliedtoyoubywordordeedthatIhavegrowntothinkotherwiseofhim，andIneverwill。AndIshallmarryhim。"

"Well，waittillherepeatshisoffer。Ithinkhemaydoit，nowthatheknows——somethingItoldhim。

Idon’tforamomentdisputethatitisthemostproperthingforyoutomarryhim。MuchasIhaveobjectedtohiminbygonedays，Iagreewithyounow，youmaybesure。

Itistheonlywayoutofafalseposition，andaverygallingone。"

"Whatdidyoutellhim？"

"Thathewasstandinginthewayofanotherloverofyours。"

"Aunt，"saidThomasin，withroundeyes，"whatDOyoumean？"

"Don’tbealarmed；itwasmyduty。Icansaynomoreaboutitnow，butwhenitisoverIwilltellyouexactlywhatIsaid，andwhyIsaidit。"

Thomasinwasperforcecontent。

"Andyouwillkeepthesecretofmywould—bemarriagefromClymforthepresent？"shenextasked。

"Ihavegivenmywordto。Butwhatistheuseofit？

Hemustsoonknowwhathashappened。Amerelookatyourfacewillshowhimthatsomethingiswrong。"

Thomasinturnedandregardedherauntfromthetree。

"Now，hearkentome，"shesaid，herdelicatevoiceexpandingintofirmnessbyaforcewhichwasotherthanphysical。

"Tellhimnothing。IfhefindsoutthatIamnotworthytobehiscousin，lethim。But，sincehelovedmeonce，wewillnotpainhimbytellinghimmytroubletoosoon。

Theairisfullofthestory，Iknow；butgossipswillnotdaretospeakofittohimforthefirstfewdays。

Hisclosenesstomeistheverythingthatwillhinderthetalefromreachinghimearly。IfIamnotmadesafefromsneersinaweekortwoIwilltellhimmyself。"

TheearnestnesswithwhichThomasinspokepreventedfurtherobjections。Herauntsimplysaid，"Verywell。

Heshouldbyrightshavebeentoldatthetimethattheweddingwasgoingtobe。Hewillneverforgiveyouforyoursecrecy。"

"Yes，hewill，whenheknowsitwasbecauseIwishedtosparehim，andthatIdidnotexpecthimhomesosoon。

AndyoumustnotletmestandinthewayofyourChristmasparty。Puttingitoffwouldonlymakemattersworse。"

"OfcourseIshallnot。IdonotwishtoshowmyselfbeatenbeforeallEgdon，andthesportofamanlikeWildeve。

Wehaveenoughberriesnow，Ithink，andwehadbettertakethemhome。Bythetimewehavedeckedthehousewiththisandhungupthemistletoe，wemustthinkofstartingtomeethim。"

Thomasincameoutofthetree，shookfromherhairanddressthelooseberrieswhichhadfallenthereon，andwentdownthehillwithheraunt，eachwomanbearinghalfthegatheredboughs。Itwasnownearlyfouro’clock，andthesunlightwasleavingthevales。

Whenthewestgrewredthetworelativescameagainfromthehouseandplungedintotheheathinadifferentdirectionfromthefirst，towardsapointinthedistanthighwayalongwhichtheexpectedmanwastoreturn。

3—HowaLittleSoundProducedaGreatDreamEustaciastoodjustwithintheheath，straininghereyesinthedirectionofMrs。Yeobright’shouseandpremises。

Nolight，sound，ormovementwasperceptiblethere。

Theeveningwaschilly；thespotwasdarkandlonely。

Sheinferredthattheguesthadnotyetcome；andafterlingeringtenorfifteenminutessheturnedagaintowardshome。

Shehadnotfarretracedherstepswhensoundsinfrontofherbetokenedtheapproachofpersonsinconversationalongthesamepath。Soontheirheadsbecamevisibleagainstthesky。Theywerewalkingslowly；andthoughitwastoodarkformuchdiscoveryofcharacterfromaspect，thegaitofthemshowedthattheywerenotworkersontheheath。Eustaciasteppedalittleoutofthefoot—tracktoletthempass。Theyweretwowomenandaman；

andthevoicesofthewomenwerethoseofMrs。YeobrightandThomasin。

Theywentbyher，andatthemomentofpassingappearedtodiscernherduskyform。Therecametoherearsinamasculinevoice，"Goodnight！"

Shemurmuredareply，glidedbythem，andturnedround。

Shecouldnot，foramoment，believethatchance，unrequested，hadbroughtintoherpresencethesoulofthehouseshehadgonetoinspect，themanwithoutwhomherinspectionwouldnothavebeenthoughtof。

Shestrainedhereyestoseethem，butwasunable。

Suchwasherintentness，however，thatitseemedasifherearswereperformingthefunctionsofseeingaswellashearing。Thisextensionofpowercanalmostbebelievedinatsuchmoments。ThedeafDr。Kittowasprobablyundertheinfluenceofaparallelfancywhenhedescribedhisbodyashavingbecome，bylongendeavour，sosensitivetovibrationsthathehadgainedthepowerofperceivingbyitasbyears。

Shecouldfolloweverywordthattheramblersuttered。

Theyweretalkingnosecrets。Theyweremerelyindulgingintheordinaryvivaciouschatofrelativeswhohavelongbeenpartedinpersonthoughnotinsoul。ButitwasnottothewordsthatEustacialistened；shecouldnotevenhaverecalled，afewminuteslater，whatthewordswere。

Itwastothealternatingvoicethatgaveoutaboutone—tenthofthem——thevoicethathadwishedhergoodnight。

SometimesthisthroatutteredYes，sometimesitutteredNo；

sometimesitmadeinquiriesaboutatimeworndenizenoftheplace。Onceitsurprisedhernotionsbyremarkinguponthefriendlinessandgenialitywritteninthefacesofthehillsaround。

Thethreevoicespassedon，anddecayedanddiedoutuponherear。

Thusmuchhadbeengrantedher；andallbesideswithheld。

Noeventcouldhavebeenmoreexciting。DuringthegreaterpartoftheafternoonshehadbeenentrancingherselfbyimaginingthefascinationwhichmustattendamancomedirectfrombeautifulParis——ladenwithitsatmosphere，familiarwithitscharms。Andthismanhadgreetedher。

Withthedepartureofthefigurestheprofusearticulationsofthewomenwastedawayfromhermemory；buttheaccentsoftheotherstayedon。WasthereanythinginthevoiceofMrs。Yeobright’sson——forClymitwas——startlingasasound？No；itwassimplycomprehensive。Allemotionalthingswerepossibletothespeakerofthat"goodnight。"

Eustacia’simaginationsuppliedtherest——exceptthesolutiontooneriddle。WhatCOULDthetastesofthatmanbewhosawfriendlinessandgenialityintheseshaggyhills？

Onsuchoccasionsasthisathousandideaspassthroughahighlychargedwoman’shead；andtheyindicatethemselvesonherface；butthechanges，thoughactual，areminute。

Eustacia’sfeatureswentthrougharhythmicalsuccessionofthem。Sheglowed；rememberingthemendacityoftheimagination，sheflagged；thenshefreshened；

thenshefired；thenshecooledagain。Itwasacycleofaspects，producedbyacycleofvisions。

Eustaciaenteredherownhouse；shewasexcited。

Hergrandfatherwasenjoyinghimselfoverthefire，rakingabouttheashesandexposingthered—hotsurfaceoftheturves，sothattheirluridglareirradiatedthechimney—cornerwiththehuesofafurnace。

"WhyisitthatweareneverfriendlywiththeYeobrights？"

shesaid，comingforwardandstretchinghersofthandsoverthewarmth。"Iwishwewere。Theyseemtobeverynicepeople。"

"BehangedifIknowwhy，"saidthecaptain。"Ilikedtheoldmanwellenough，thoughhewasasroughasahedge。

Butyouwouldneverhavecaredtogothere，evenifyoumighthave，Iamwellsure。"

"Whyshouldn’tI？"

"Yourtowntasteswouldfindthemfartoocountrified。

Theysitinthekitchen，drinkmeadandelder—wine，andsandthefloortokeepitclean。Asensiblewayoflife；

buthowwouldyoulikeit？"

"IthoughtMrs。Yeobrightwasaladylikewoman？

Acurate’sdaughter，wasshenot？"

"Yes；butshewasobligedtoliveasherhusbanddid；

andIsupposeshehastakenkindlytoitbythistime。

Ah，IrecollectthatIonceaccidentallyoffendedher，andIhaveneverseenhersince。"

ThatnightwasaneventfulonetoEustacia’sbrain，andonewhichshehardlyeverforgot。Shedreamtadream；

andfewhumanbeings，fromNebuchadnezzartotheSwaffhamtinker，everdreamtamoreremarkableone。

Suchanelaboratelydeveloped，perplexing，excitingdreamwascertainlyneverdreamedbyagirlinEustacia’ssituationbefore。IthadasmanyramificationsastheCretanlabyrinth，asmanyfluctuationsasthenorthernlights，asmuchcolourasaparterreinJune，andwasascrowdedwithfiguresasacoronation。

ToQueenScheherazadethedreammighthaveseemednotfarremovedfromcommonplace；andtoagirljustreturnedfromallthecourtsofEuropeitmighthaveseemednotmorethaninteresting。ButamidthecircumstancesofEustacia’slifeitwasaswonderfulasadreamcouldbe。

Therewas，however，graduallyevolvedfromitstransformationscenesalessextravagantepisode，inwhichtheheathdimlyappearedbehindthegeneralbrilliancyoftheaction。

Shewasdancingtowondrousmusic，andherpartnerwasthemaninsilverarmourwhohadaccompaniedherthroughthepreviousfantasticchanges，thevisorofhishelmetbeingclosed。Themazesofthedancewereecstatic。

Softwhisperingcameintoherearfromundertheradianthelmet，andshefeltlikeawomaninParadise。

Suddenlythesetwowheeledoutfromthemassofdancers，divedintooneofthepoolsoftheheath，andcameoutsomewhereintoaniridescenthollow，archedwithrainbows。

"Itmustbehere，"saidthevoicebyherside，andblushinglylookingupshesawhimremovinghiscasquetokissher。

Atthatmomenttherewasacrackingnoise，andhisfigurefellintofragmentslikeapackofcards。

Shecriedaloud。"OthatIhadseenhisface！"

Eustaciaawoke。Thecrackinghadbeenthatofthewindowshutterdownstairs，whichthemaid—servantwasopeningtoletintheday，nowslowlyincreasingtoNature’smeagreallowanceatthissicklytimeoftheyear。

"OthatIhadseenhisface！"shesaidagain。"’TwasmeantforMr。Yeobright！"

Whenshebecamecoolersheperceivedthatmanyofthephasesofthedreamhadnaturallyarisenoutoftheimagesandfanciesofthedaybefore。Butthisdetractedlittlefromitsinterest，whichlayintheexcellentfuelitprovidedfornewlykindledfervour。Shewasatthemodulatingpointbetweenindifferenceandlove，atthestagecalled"havingafancyfor。"Itoccursonceinthehistoryofthemostgiganticpassions，anditisaperiodwhentheyareinthehandsoftheweakestwill。

Theperfervidwomanwasbythistimehalfinlovewithavision。Thefantasticnatureofherpassion，whichloweredherasanintellect，raisedherasasoul。

Ifshehadhadalittlemoreself—controlshewouldhaveattenuatedtheemotiontonothingbysheerreasoning，andsohavekilleditoff。IfshehadhadalittlelessprideshemighthavegoneandcircumambulatedtheYeobrights’

premisesatBlooms—Endatanymaidenlysacrificeuntilshehadseenhim。ButEustaciadidneitherofthesethings。

Sheactedasthemostexemplarymighthaveacted，beingsoinfluenced；shetookanairingtwiceorthriceadayupontheEgdonhills，andkepthereyesemployed。

Thefirstoccasionpassed，andhedidnotcomethatway。

Shepromenadedasecondtime，andwasagainthesolewandererthere。

Thethirdtimetherewasadensefog；shelookedaround，butwithoutmuchhope。Evenifhehadbeenwalkingwithintwentyyardsofhershecouldnothaveseenhim。

Atthefourthattempttoencounterhimitbegantorainintorrents，andsheturnedback。

Thefifthsallywasintheafternoon；itwasfine，andsheremainedoutlong，walkingtotheverytopofthevalleyinwhichBlooms—Endlay。Shesawthewhitepalingabouthalfamileoff；buthedidnotappear。

Itwasalmostwithheart—sicknessthatshecamehomeandwithasenseofshameatherweakness。SheresolvedtolookforthemanfromParisnomore。

ButProvidenceisnothingifnotcoquettish；andnosoonerhadEustaciaformedthisresolvethantheopportunitycamewhich，whilesought，hadbeenentirelywithholden。

4—EustaciaIsLedontoanAdventureIntheeveningofthislastdayofexpectation，whichwasthetwenty—thirdofDecember，Eustaciawasathomealone。

Shehadpassedtherecenthourinlamentingoverarumournewlycometoherears——thatYeobright’svisittohismotherwastobeofshortduration，andwouldendsometimethenextweek。"Naturally，"shesaidtoherself。

AmaninthefullswingofhisactivitiesinagaycitycouldnotaffordtolingerlongonEgdonHeath。Thatshewouldbeholdfacetofacetheowneroftheawakeningvoicewithinthelimitsofsuchaholidaywasmostunlikely，unlesssheweretohaunttheenvironsofhismother’shouselikearobin，todowhichwasdifficultandunseemly。

Thecustomaryexpedientofprovincialgirlsandmeninsuchcircumstancesischurchgoing。Inanordinaryvillageorcountrytownonecansafelycalculatethat，eitheronChristmasdayortheSundaycontiguous，anynativehomefortheholidays，whohasnotthroughageorennuilosttheappetiteforseeingandbeingseen，willturnupinsomepeworother，shiningwithhope，self—consciousness，andnewclothes。ThusthecongregationonChristmasmorningismostlyaTussaudcollectionofcelebritieswhohavebeenbornintheneighbourhood。

Hitherthemistress，leftneglectedathomealltheyear，canstealandobservethedevelopmentofthereturnedloverwhohasforgottenher，andthinkasshewatcheshimoverherprayerbookthathemaythrobwitharenewedfidelitywhennoveltieshavelosttheircharm。

AndhitheracomparativelyrecentsettlerlikeEustaciamaybetakeherselftoscrutinizethepersonofanativesonwholefthomebeforeheradventuponthescene，andconsiderifthefriendshipofhisparentsbeworthcultivatingduringhisnextabsenceinordertosecureaknowledgeofhimonhisnextreturn。

ButthesetenderschemeswerenotfeasibleamongthescatteredinhabitantsofEgdonHeath。Innametheywereparishioners，butvirtuallytheybelongedtonoparishatall。

PeoplewhocametothesefewisolatedhousestokeepChristmaswiththeirfriendsremainedintheirfriends’

chimney—cornersdrinkingmeadandothercomfortingliquorstilltheyleftagainforgoodandall。Rain，snow，ice，mudeverywherearound，theydidnotcaretotrudgetwoorthreemilestositwet—footedandsplashedtothenapeoftheirnecksamongthosewho，thoughinsomemeasureneighbours，livedclosetothechurch，andentereditcleananddry。

EustaciaknewitwastentoonethatClymYeobrightwouldgotonochurchatallduringhisfewdaysofleave，andthatitwouldbeawasteoflabourforhertogodrivingtheponyandgigoverabadroadinhopetoseehimthere。

Itwasdusk，andshewassittingbythefireinthedining—roomorhall，whichtheyoccupiedatthistimeoftheyearinpreferencetotheparlour，becauseofitslargehearth，constructedforturf—fires，afuelthecaptainwaspartialtointhewinterseason。Theonlyvisiblearticlesintheroomwerethoseonthewindow—sill，whichshowedtheirshapesagainstthelowsky，themiddlearticlebeingtheoldhourglass，andtheothertwoapairofancientBritishurnswhichhadbeendugfromabarrownear，andwereusedasflowerpotsfortworazor—leavedcactuses。

Somebodyknockedatthedoor。Theservantwasout；

sowashergrandfather。Theperson，afterwaitingaminute，cameinandtappedatthedooroftheroom。

"Who’sthere？"saidEustacia。