首页 >出版文学> THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE>第21章
  Mrs。Yeobrightwasinthisstateofuncertaintywhenshewasinformedonemorningthatherson’swifewasvisitinghergrandfatheratMistover。Shedeterminedtowalkupthehill,seeEustacia,andascertainfromherdaughter—in—law’slipswhetherthefamilyguineas,whichweretoMrs。Yeobrightwhatfamilyjewelsaretowealthierdowagers,hadmiscarriedornot。
  WhenChristianlearntwhereshewasgoinghisconcernreacheditsheight。Atthemomentofherdeparturehecouldprevaricatenolonger,and,confessingtothegambling,toldherthetruthasfarasheknewit——thattheguineashadbeenwonbyWildeve。
  "What,ishegoingtokeepthem?"Mrs。Yeobrightcried。
  "Ihopeandtrustnot!"moanedChristian。"He’sagoodman,andperhapswilldorightthings。HesaidyououghttohavegiedMr。Clym’ssharetoEustacia,andthat’sperhapswhathe’lldohimself。"
  ToMrs。Yeobright,assoonasshecouldcalmlyreflect,therewasmuchlikelihoodinthis,forshecouldhardlybelievethatWildevewouldreallyappropriatemoneybelongingtoherson。TheintermediatecourseofgivingittoEustaciawasthesortofthingtopleaseWildeve’sfancy。
  Butitfilledthemotherwithangernonetheless。
  ThatWildeveshouldhavegotcommandoftheguineasafterall,andshouldrearrangethedisposalofthem,placingClym’sshareinClym’swife’shands,becauseshehadbeenhisownsweetheart,andmightbesostill,wasasirritatingapainasanythatMrs。Yeobrighthadeverborne。
  SheinstantlydismissedthewretchedChristianfromheremployforhisconductintheaffair;but,feelingquitehelplessandunabletodowithouthim,toldhimafterwardsthathemightstayalittlelongerifhechose。
  ThenshehastenedofftoEustacia,movedbyamuchlesspromisingemotiontowardsherdaughter—in—lawthanshehadfelthalfanhourearlier,whenplanningherjourney。
  Atthattimeitwastoinquireinafriendlyspiritiftherehadbeenanyaccidentalloss;nowitwastoaskplainlyifWildevehadprivatelygivenhermoneywhichhadbeenintendedasasacredgifttoClym。
  Shestartedattwoo’clock,andhermeetingwithEustaciawashastenedbytheappearanceoftheyoungladybesidethepoolandbankwhichborderedhergrandfather’spremises,whereshestoodsurveyingthescene,andperhapsthinkingoftheromanticenactmentsithadwitnessedinpastdays。
  WhenMrs。Yeobrightapproached,Eustaciasurveyedherwiththecalmstareofastranger。
  Themother—in—lawwasthefirsttospeak。"Iwascomingtoseeyou,"shesaid。
  "Indeed!"saidEustaciawithsurprise,forMrs。Yeobright,muchtothegirl’smortification,hadrefusedtobepresentatthewedding。"Ididnotatallexpectyou。"
  "Iwascomingonbusinessonly,"saidthevisitor,morecoldlythanatfirst。"Willyouexcusemyaskingthis——HaveyoureceivedagiftfromThomasin’shusband?"
  "Agift?"
  "Imeanmoney!"
  "What——Imyself?"
  "Well,Imeantyourself,privately——thoughIwasnotgoingtoputitinthatway。"
  "MoneyfromMr。Wildeve?No——never!Madam,whatdoyoumeanbythat?"Eustaciafiredupalltooquickly,forherownconsciousnessoftheoldattachmentbetweenherselfandWildeveledhertojumptotheconclusionthatMrs。Yeobrightalsoknewofit,andmighthavecometoaccuseherofreceivingdishonourablepresentsfromhimnow。
  "Isimplyaskthequestion,"saidMrs。Yeobright。
  "Ihavebeen————"
  "Yououghttohavebetteropinionsofme——Ifearedyouwereagainstmefromthefirst!"exclaimedEustacia"No。IwassimplyforClym,"repliedMrs。Yeobright,withtoomuchemphasisinherearnestness。"Itistheinstinctofeveryonetolookaftertheirown。"
  "Howcanyouimplythatherequiredguardingagainstme?"
  criedEustacia,passionatetearsinhereyes。"Ihavenotinjuredhimbymarryinghim!WhatsinhaveIdonethatyoushouldthinksoillofme?YouhadnorighttospeakagainstmetohimwhenIhaveneverwrongedyou。"
  "Ionlydidwhatwasfairunderthecircumstances,"
  saidMrs。Yeobrightmoresoftly。"Iwouldrathernothavegoneintothisquestionatpresent,butyoucompelme。
  Iamnotashamedtotellyouthehonesttruth。Iwasfirmlyconvincedthatheoughtnottomarryyou——thereforeI
  triedtodissuadehimbyallthemeansinmypower。Butitisdonenow,andIhavenoideaofcomplaininganymore。
  Iamreadytowelcomeyou。"
  "Ah,yes,itisverywelltoseethingsinthatbusinesspointofview,"murmuredEustaciawithasmotheredfireoffeeling。"ButwhyshouldyouthinkthereisanythingbetweenmeandMr。Wildeve?Ihaveaspiritaswellasyou。Iamindignant;andsowouldanywomanbe。
  ItwasacondescensioninmetobeClym’swife,andnotamanoeuvre,letmeremindyou;andthereforeIwillnotbetreatedasaschemerwhomitbecomesnecessarytobearwithbecauseshehascreptintothefamily。"
  "Oh!"saidMrs。Yeobright,vainlyendeavouringtocontrolheranger。"Ihaveneverheardanythingtoshowthatmyson’slineageisnotasgoodastheVyes’——perhapsbetter。
  Itisamusingtohearyoutalkofcondescension。"
  "Itwascondescension,nevertheless,"saidEustaciavehemently。
  "AndifIhadknownthenwhatIknownow,thatIshouldbelivinginthiswildheathamonthaftermymarriage,I——Ishouldhavethoughttwicebeforeagreeing。"
  "Itwouldbebetternottosaythat;itmightnotsoundtruthful。Iamnotawarethatanydeceptionwasusedonhispart——Iknowtherewasnot——whatevermighthavebeenthecaseontheotherside。"
  "Thisistooexasperating!"answeredtheyoungerwomanhuskily,herfacecrimsoning,andhereyesdartinglight。
  "Howcanyoudaretospeaktomelikethat?IinsistuponrepeatingtoyouthathadIknownthatmylifewouldfrommymarriageuptothistimehavebeenasitis,IshouldhavesaidNO。Idon’tcomplain。Ihaveneverutteredasoundofsuchathingtohim;butitistrue。
  Ihopethereforethatinthefutureyouwillbesilentonmyeagerness。Ifyouinjuremenowyouinjureyourself。"
  "Injureyou?DoyouthinkIamanevil—disposedperson?"
  "Youinjuredmebeforemymarriage,andyouhavenowsuspectedmeofsecretlyfavouringanothermanformoney!"
  "IcouldnothelpwhatIthought。ButIhaveneverspokenofyououtsidemyhouse。"
  "Youspokeofmewithinit,toClym,andyoucouldnotdoworse。"
  "Ididmyduty。"
  "AndI’lldomine。"
  "Apartofwhichwillpossiblybetosethimagainsthismother。Itisalwaysso。ButwhyshouldInotbearitasothershaveborneitbeforeme!"
  "Iunderstandyou,"saidEustacia,breathlesswithemotion。
  "Youthinkmecapableofeverybadthing。Whocanbeworsethanawifewhoencouragesalover,andpoisonsherhusband’smindagainsthisrelative?Yetthatisnowthecharactergiventome。Willyounotcomeanddraghimoutofmyhands?"
  Mrs。Yeobrightgavebackheatforheat。
  "Don’trageatme,madam!Itillbecomesyourbeauty,andIamnotworththeinjuryyoumaydoitonmyaccount,Iassureyou。Iamonlyapooroldwomanwhohaslostason。"
  "Ifyouhadtreatedmehonourablyyouwouldhavehadhimstill。"Eustaciasaid,whilescaldingtearstrickledfromhereyes。"Youhavebroughtyourselftofolly;
  youhavecausedadivisionwhichcanneverbehealed!"
  "Ihavedonenothing。ThisaudacityfromayoungwomanismorethanIcanbear。"
  "Itwasaskedfor;youhavesuspectedme,andyouhavemademespeakofmyhusbandinawayIwouldnothavedone。
  YouwilllethimknowthatIhavespokenthus,anditwillcausemiserybetweenus。Willyougoawayfromme?Youarenofriend!"
  "IwillgowhenIhavespokenaword。IfanyonesaysI
  havecomeheretoquestionyouwithoutgoodgroundsforit,thatpersonspeaksuntruly。IfanyonesaysthatI
  attemptedtostopyourmarriagebyanybuthonestmeans,thatperson,too,doesnotspeakthetruth。Ihavefallenonaneviltime;Godhasbeenunjusttomeinlettingyouinsultme!Probablymyson’shappinessdoesnotlieonthissideofthegrave,forheisafoolishmanwhoneglectstheadviceofhisparent。You,Eustacia,standontheedgeofaprecipicewithoutknowingit。
  Onlyshowmysonone—halfthetemperyouhaveshownmetoday——andyoumaybeforelong——andyouwillfindthatthoughheisasgentleasachildwithyounow,hecanbeashardassteel!"
  Theexcitedmotherthenwithdrew,andEustacia,panting,stoodlookingintothepool。
  2—HeIsSetuponbyAdversitiesbutHeSingsaSongTheresultofthatunpropitiousinterviewwasthatEustacia,insteadofpassingtheafternoonwithhergrandfather,hastilyreturnedhometoClym,whereshearrivedthreehoursearlierthanshehadbeenexpected。
  Shecameindoorswithherfaceflushed,andhereyesstillshowingtracesofherrecentexcitement。
  Yeobrightlookedupastonished;hehadneverseenherinanywayapproachingtothatstatebefore。
  Shepassedhimby,andwouldhavegoneupstairsunnoticed,butClymwassoconcernedthatheimmediatelyfollowedher。
  "Whatisthematter,Eustacia?"hesaid。Shewasstandingonthehearthruginthebedroom,lookinguponthefloor,herhandsclaspedinfrontofher,herbonnetyetunremoved。
  Foramomentshedidnotanswer;andthensherepliedinalowvoice——
  "Ihaveseenyourmother;andIwillneverseeheragain!"
  AweightfelllikeastoneuponClym。Thatsamemorning,whenEustaciahadarrangedtogoandseehergrandfather,ClymhadexpressedawishthatshewoulddrivedowntoBlooms—Endandinquireforhermother—in—law,oradoptanyothermeansshemightthinkfittobringaboutareconciliation。Shehadsetoutgaily;andhehadhopedformuch。
  "Whyisthis?"heasked。
  "Icannottell——Icannotremember。Imetyourmother。
  AndIwillnevermeetheragain。"
  "Why?"
  "WhatdoIknowaboutMr。Wildevenow?Iwon’thavewickedopinionspassedonmebyanybody。O!itwastoohumiliatingtobeaskedifIhadreceivedanymoneyfromhim,orencouragedhim,orsomethingofthesort——
  Idon’texactlyknowwhat!"
  "Howcouldshehaveaskedyouthat?"
  "Shedid。"
  "Thentheremusthavebeensomemeaninginit。Whatdidmymothersaybesides?"
  "Idon’tknowwhatshesaid,exceptinsofarasthis,thatwebothsaidwordswhichcanneverbeforgiven!"
  "Oh,theremustbesomemisapprehension。Whosefaultwasitthathermeaningwasnotmadeclear?"
  "Iwouldrathernotsay。Itmayhavebeenthefaultofthecircumstances,whichwereawkwardattheveryleast。
  OClym——Icannothelpexpressingit——thisisanunpleasantpositionthatyouhaveplacedmein。Butyoumustimproveit——yes,sayyouwill——forIhateitallnow!Yes,takemetoParis,andgoonwithyouroldoccupation,Clym!Idon’tmindhowhumblywelivethereatfirst,ifitcanonlybeParis,andnotEgdonHeath。"
  "ButIhavequitegivenupthatidea,"saidYeobright,withsurprise。"SurelyIneverledyoutoexpectsuchathing?"
  "Iownit。Yettherearethoughtswhichcannotbekeptoutofmind,andthatonewasmine。MustInothaveavoiceinthematter,nowIamyourwifeandthesharerofyourdoom?"
  "Well,therearethingswhichareplacedbeyondthepaleofdiscussion;andIthoughtthiswasspeciallyso,andbymutualagreement。"
  "Clym,IamunhappyatwhatIhear,"shesaidinalowvoice;
  andhereyesdrooped,andsheturnedaway。
  ThisindicationofanunexpectedmineofhopeinEustacia’sbosomdisconcertedherhusband。Itwasthefirsttimethathehadconfrontedthefactoftheindirectnessofawoman’smovementtowardsherdesire。Buthisintentionwasunshaken,thoughhelovedEustaciawell。
  Alltheeffectthatherremarkhaduponhimwasaresolvetochainhimselfmorecloselythanevertohisbooks,soastobethesoonerenabledtoappealtosubstantialresultsfromanothercourseinarguingagainstherwhim。
  Nextdaythemysteryoftheguineaswasexplained。
  Thomasinpaidthemahurriedvisit,andClym’ssharewasdelivereduptohimbyherownhands。Eustaciawasnotpresentatthetime。
  "Thenthisiswhatmymothermeant,"exclaimedClym。
  "Thomasin,doyouknowthattheyhavehadabitterquarrel?"
  TherewasalittlemorereticencenowthanformerlyinThomasin’smannertowardshercousin。Itistheeffectofmarriagetoengenderinseveraldirectionssomeofthereserveitannihilatesinone。"Yourmothertoldme,"shesaidquietly。
  "ShecamebacktomyhouseafterseeingEustacia。"
  "TheworstthingIdreadedhascometopass。WasMothermuchdisturbedwhenshecametoyou,Thomasin?"
  "Yes。"
  "Verymuchindeed?"
  "Yes。"
  Clymleanthiselbowuponthepostofthegardengate,andcoveredhiseyeswithhishand。
  "Don’ttroubleaboutit,Clym。Theymaygettobefriends。"
  Heshookhishead。"Nottwopeoplewithinflammablenaturesliketheirs。Well,whatmustbewillbe。"
  "Onethingischeerfulinit——theguineasarenotlost。"
  "Iwouldratherhavelostthemtwiceoverthanhavehadthishappen。"
  AmidthesejarringeventsYeobrightfeltonethingtobeindispensable——thatheshouldspeedilymakesomeshowofprogressinhisscholasticplans。Withthisviewhereadfarintothesmallhoursduringmanynights。
  Onemorning,afterasevererstrainthanusual,heawokewithastrangesensationinhiseyes。Thesunwasshiningdirectlyuponthewindow—blind,andathisfirstglancethitherwardasharppainobligedhimtoclosehiseyelidsquickly。
  Ateverynewattempttolookabouthimthesamemorbidsensibilitytolightwasmanifested,andexcoriatingtearsrandownhischeeks。Hewasobligedtotieabandageoverhisbrowwhiledressing;andduringthedayitcouldnotbeabandoned。Eustaciawasthoroughlyalarmed。
  OnfindingthatthecasewasnobetterthenextmorningtheydecidedtosendtoAngleburyforasurgeon。
  Towardseveninghearrived,andpronouncedthediseasetobeacuteinflammationinducedbyClym’snightstudies,continuedinspiteofacoldpreviouslycaught,whichhadweakenedhiseyesforthetime。
  Frettingwithimpatienceatthisinterruptiontoataskhewassoanxioustohasten,Clymwastransformedintoaninvalid。
  Hewasshutupinaroomfromwhichalllightwasexcluded,andhisconditionwouldhavebeenoneofabsolutemiseryhadnotEustaciareadtohimbytheglimmerofashadedlamp。Hehopedthattheworstwouldsoonbeover;
  butatthesurgeon’sthirdvisithelearnttohisdismaythatalthoughhemightventureoutofdoorswithshadedeyesinthecourseofamonth,allthoughtofpursuinghiswork,orofreadingprintofanydescription,wouldhavetobegivenupforalongtimetocome。
  Oneweekandanotherweekworeon,andnothingseemedtolightenthegloomoftheyoungcouple。
  DreadfulimaginingsoccurredtoEustacia,butshecarefullyrefrainedfromutteringthemtoherhusband。
  Supposeheshouldbecomeblind,or,atallevents,neverrecoversufficientstrengthofsighttoengageinanoccupationwhichwouldbecongenialtoherfeelings,andconducetoherremovalfromthislonelydwellingamongthehills?ThatdreamofbeautifulPariswasnotlikelytocohereintosubstanceinthepresenceofthismisfortune。
  Asdayafterdaypassedby,andhegotnobetter,hermindranmoreandmoreinthismournfulgroove,andshewouldgoawayfromhimintothegardenandweepdespairingtears。
  Yeobrightthoughthewouldsendforhismother;
  andthenhethoughthewouldnot。Knowledgeofhisstatecouldonlymakeherthemoreunhappy;andtheseclusionoftheirlifewassuchthatshewouldhardlybelikelytolearnthenewsexceptthroughaspecialmessenger。
  Endeavouringtotakethetroubleasphilosophicallyaspossible,hewaitedontillthethirdweekhadarrived,whenhewentintotheopenairforthefirsttimesincetheattack。Thesurgeonvisitedhimagainatthisstage,andClymurgedhimtoexpressadistinctopinion。
  Theyoungmanlearntwithaddedsurprisethatthedateatwhichhemightexpecttoresumehislabourswasasuncertainasever,hiseyesbeinginthatpeculiarstatewhich,thoughaffordinghimsightenoughforwalkingabout,wouldnotadmitoftheirbeingstraineduponanydefiniteobjectwithoutincurringtheriskofreproducingophthalmiainitsacuteform。
  Clymwasverygraveattheintelligence,butnotdespairing。
  Aquietfirmness,andevencheerfulness,tookpossessionofhim。Hewasnottobeblind;thatwasenough。
  Tobedoomedtobeholdtheworldthroughsmokedglassforanindefiniteperiodwasbadenough,andfataltoanykindofadvance;butYeobrightwasanabsolutestoicinthefaceofmishapswhichonlyaffectedhissocialstanding;and,apartfromEustacia,thehumblestwalkoflifewouldsatisfyhimifitcouldbemadetoworkinwithsomeformofhisculturescheme。Tokeepacottagenight—schoolwasonesuchform;andhisafflictiondidnotmasterhisspiritasitmightotherwisehavedone。
  HewalkedthroughthewarmsunwestwardintothosetractsofEgdonwithwhichhewasbestacquainted,beingthoselyingnearertohisoldhome。Hesawbeforehiminoneofthevalleysthegleamingofwhettediron,andadvancing,dimlyperceivedthattheshinecamefromthetoolofamanwhowascuttingfurze。TheworkerrecognizedClym,andYeobrightlearntfromthevoicethatthespeakerwasHumphrey。
  HumphreyexpressedhissorrowatClym’scondition,andadded,"Now,ifyourswaslow—classworklikemine,youcouldgoonwithitjustthesame。"
  "Yes,Icould,"saidYeobrightmusingly。"Howmuchdoyougetforcuttingthesefaggots?"
  "Half—a—crownahundred,andintheselongdaysIcanliveverywellonthewages。"
  DuringthewholeofYeobright’swalkhometoAlderworthhewaslostinreflectionswhichwerenotofanunpleasantkind。
  OnhiscominguptothehouseEustaciaspoketohimfromtheopenwindow,andhewentacrosstoher。
  "Darling,"hesaid,"Iammuchhappier。AndifmymotherwerereconciledtomeandtoyouIshould,Ithink,behappyquite。"
  "Ifearthatwillneverbe,"shesaid,lookingafarwithherbeautifulstormyeyes。"HowCANyousay’Iamhappier,’andnothingchanged?"
  "ItarisesfrommyhavingatlastdiscoveredsomethingI
  cando,andgetalivingat,inthistimeofmisfortune。"
  "Yes?"
  "Iamgoingtobeafurze—andturf—cutter。"
  "No,Clym!"shesaid,theslighthopefulnesspreviouslyapparentinherfacegoingoffagain,andleavingherworsethanbefore。
  "SurelyIshall。Isitnotveryunwiseinustogoonspendingthelittlemoneywe’vegotwhenIcankeepdownexpendituresbyanhonestoccupation?Theoutdoorexercisewilldomegood,andwhoknowsbutthatinafewmonthsIshallbeabletogoonwithmyreadingagain?"
  "Butmygrandfatherofferstoassistus,ifwerequireassistance。"
  "Wedon’trequireit。IfIgofurze—cuttingweshallbefairlywelloff。"
  "Incomparisonwithslaves,andtheIsraelitesinEgypt,andsuchpeople!"AbittertearrolleddownEustacia’sface,whichhedidnotsee。Therehadbeennonchalanceinhistone,showingherthathefeltnoabsolutegriefataconsummationwhichtoherwasapositivehorror。
  TheverynextdayYeobrightwenttoHumphrey’scottage,andborrowedofhimleggings,gloves,awhetstone,andahook,tousetillheshouldbeabletopurchasesomeforhimself。
  Thenhesalliedforthwithhisnewfellow—labourerandoldacquaintance,andselectingaspotwherethefurzegrewthickesthestruckthefirstblowinhisadoptedcalling。
  Hissight,likethewingsinRasselas,thoughuselesstohimforhisgrandpurpose,sufficedforthisstrait,andhefoundthatwhenalittlepracticeshouldhavehardenedhispalmsagainstblisteringhewouldbeabletoworkwithease。
  Dayafterdayherosewiththesun,buckledonhisleggings,andwentofftotherendezvouswithHumphrey。Hiscustomwastoworkfromfouro’clockinthemorningtillnoon;
  then,whentheheatofthedaywasatitshighest,togohomeandsleepforanhourortwo;afterwardscomingoutagainandworkingtillduskatnine。
  ThismanfromPariswasnowsodisguisedbyhisleatheraccoutrements,andbythegoggleshewasobligedtowearoverhiseyes,thathisclosestfriendmighthavepassedbywithoutrecognizinghim。Hewasabrownspotinthemidstofanexpanseofolive—greengorse,andnothingmore。Thoughfrequentlydepressedinspiritwhennotactuallyatwork,owingtothoughtsofEustacia’spositionandhismother’sestrangement,wheninthefullswingoflabourhewascheerfullydisposedandcalm。
  Hisdailylifewasofacuriousmicroscopicsort,hiswholeworldbeinglimitedtoacircuitofafewfeetfromhisperson。Hisfamiliarswerecreepingandwingedthings,andtheyseemedtoenrollhimintheirband。
  Beeshummedaroundhisearswithanintimateair,andtuggedattheheathandfurze—flowersathissideinsuchnumbersastoweighthemdowntothesod。
  Thestrangeamber—colouredbutterflieswhichEgdonproduced,andwhichwereneverseenelsewhere,quiveredinthebreathofhislips,alighteduponhisbowedback,andsportedwiththeglitteringpointofhishookasheflourisheditupanddown。Tribesofemerald—greengrasshoppersleapedoverhisfeet,fallingawkwardlyontheirbacks,heads,orhips,likeunskilfulacrobats,aschancemightrule;orengagedthemselvesinnoisyflirtationsunderthefern—frondswithsilentonesofhomelyhue。
  Hugeflies,ignorantoflardersandwire—netting,andquiteinasavagestate,buzzedabouthimwithoutknowingthathewasaman。Inandoutofthefern—dellssnakesglidedintheirmostbrilliantblueandyellowguise,itbeingtheseasonimmediatelyfollowingthesheddingoftheiroldskins,whentheircoloursarebrightest。
  Littersofyoungrabbitscameoutfromtheirformstosunthemselvesuponhillocks,thehotbeamsblazingthroughthedelicatetissueofeachthin—fleshedear,andfiringittoablood—redtransparencyinwhichtheveinscouldbeseen。Noneofthemfearedhim。Themonotonyofhisoccupationsoothedhim,andwasinitselfapleasure。
  Aforcedlimitationofeffortofferedajustificationofhomelycoursestoanunambitiousman,whoseconsciencewouldhardlyhaveallowedhimtoremaininsuchobscuritywhilehispowerswereunimpeded。HenceYeobrightsometimessangtohimself,andwhenobligedtoaccompanyHumphreyinsearchofbramblesforfaggot—bondshewouldamusehiscompanionwithsketchesofParisianlifeandcharacter,andsowhileawaythetime。
  OnoneofthesewarmafternoonsEustaciawalkedoutaloneinthedirectionofYeobright’splaceofwork。Hewasbusilychoppingawayatthefurze,alongrowoffaggotswhichstretcheddownwardfromhispositionrepresentingthelabouroftheday。Hedidnotobserveherapproach,andshestoodclosetohim,andheardhisundercurrentofsong。
  Itshockedher。Toseehimthere,apoorafflictedman,earningmoneybythesweatofhisbrow,hadatfirstmovedhertotears;buttohearhimsingandnotatallrebelagainstanoccupationwhich,howeversatisfactorytohimself,wasdegradingtoher,asaneducatedlady—wife,woundedherthrough。Unconsciousofherpresence,hestillwentonsinging:——
  "LepointdujourAnosbosquetsrendtouteleurparure;
  Floreestplusbelleasonretour;
  L’oiseaureprenddouxchantd’amour;
  ToutcelebredanslanatureLepointdujour。