Onethingatleastwasobvious:shewasnotmadetobelookedatthus。Thereddlemanhadappearedconsciousofasmuch,and,whileMrs。Yeobrightlookedinuponher,hecasthiseyesasidewithadelicacywhichwellbecamehim。
Thesleeperapparentlythoughtsotoo,forthenextmomentsheopenedherown。
Thelipsthenpartedwithsomethingofanticipation,somethingmoreofdoubt;andherseveralthoughtsandfractionsofthoughts,assignalledbythechangesonherface,wereexhibitedbythelighttotheutmostnicety。
Aningenuous,transparentlifewasdisclosed,asiftheflowofherexistencecouldbeseenpassingwithinher。
Sheunderstoodthesceneinamoment。
"Oyes,itisI,Aunt,"shecried。"Iknowhowfrightenedyouare,andhowyoucannotbelieveit;butallthesame,itisIwhohavecomehomelikethis!"
"Tamsin,Tamsin!"saidMrs。Yeobright,stoopingovertheyoungwomanandkissingher。"Omydeargirl!"
Thomasinwasnowonthevergeofasob,butbyanunexpectedself—commandsheutterednosound。Withagentlepantingbreathshesatupright。
"Ididnotexpecttoseeyouinthisstate,anymorethanyoume,"shewentonquickly。"WhereamI,Aunt?"
"Nearlyhome,mydear。InEgdonBottom。Whatdreadfulthingisit?"
"I’lltellyouinamoment。Sonear,arewe?ThenI
willgetoutandwalk。Iwanttogohomebythepath。"
"Butthiskindmanwhohasdonesomuchwill,Iamsure,takeyourightontomyhouse?"saidtheaunt,turningtothereddleman,whohadwithdrawnfromthefrontofthevanontheawakeningofthegirl,andstoodintheroad。
"Whyshouldyouthinkitnecessarytoaskme?Iwill,ofcourse,"saidhe。
"Heisindeedkind,"murmuredThomasin。"Iwasonceacquaintedwithhim,Aunt,andwhenIsawhimtodayIthoughtIshouldpreferhisvantoanyconveyanceofastranger。
ButI’llwalknow。Reddleman,stopthehorses,please。"
Themanregardedherwithtenderreluctance,butstoppedthemAuntandniecethendescendedfromthevan,Mrs。Yeobrightsayingtoitsowner,"Iquiterecognizeyounow。
Whatmadeyouchangefromthenicebusinessyourfatherleftyou?"
"Well,Idid,"hesaid,andlookedatThomasin,whoblushedalittle。"Thenyou’llnotbewantingmeanymoretonight,ma’am?"
Mrs。Yeobrightglancedaroundatthedarksky,atthehills,attheperishingbonfires,andatthelightedwindowoftheinntheyhadneared。"Ithinknot,"shesaid,"sinceThomasinwishestowalk。Wecansoonrunupthepathandreachhome——weknowitwell。"
Andafterafewfurtherwordstheyparted,thereddlemanmovingonwardswithhisvan,andthetwowomenremainingstandingintheroad。Assoonasthevehicleanditsdriverhadwithdrawnsofarastobebeyondallpossiblereachofhervoice,Mrs。Yeobrightturnedtoherniece。
"Now,Thomasin,"shesaidsternly,"what’sthemeaningofthisdisgracefulperformance?"
5—PerplexityamongHonestPeopleThomasinlookedasifquiteovercomebyheraunt’schangeofmanner。"Itmeansjustwhatitseemstomean:I
am——notmarried,"sherepliedfaintly。"Excuseme——forhumiliatingyou,Aunt,bythismishap——Iamsorryforit。
ButIcannothelpit。"
"Me?Thinkofyourselffirst。"
"Itwasnobody’sfault。Whenwegottheretheparsonwouldn’tmarryusbecauseofsometriflingirregularityinthelicense。"
"Whatirregularity?"
"Idon’tknow。Mr。Wildevecanexplain。IdidnotthinkwhenIwentawaythismorningthatIshouldcomebacklikethis。"Itbeingdark,Thomasinallowedheremotiontoescapeherbythesilentwayoftears,whichcouldrolldownhercheekunseen。
"Icouldalmostsaythatitservesyouright——ifIdidnotfeelthatyoudon’tdeserveit,"continuedMrs。Yeobright,who,possessingtwodistinctmoodsinclosecontiguity,agentlemoodandanangry,flewfromonetotheotherwithouttheleastwarning。"Remember,Thomasin,thisbusinesswasnoneofmyseeking;fromtheveryfirst,whenyoubegantofeelfoolishaboutthatman,Iwarnedyouhewouldnotmakeyouhappy。IfeltitsostronglythatIdidwhatIwouldneverhavebelievedmyselfcapableofdoing——stoodupinthechurch,andmademyselfthepublictalkforweeks。Buthavingonceconsented,Idon’tsubmittothesefancieswithoutgoodreason。
Marryhimyoumustafterthis。"
"DoyouthinkIwishtodootherwiseforonemoment?"
saidThomasin,withaheavysigh。"Iknowhowwrongitwasofmetolovehim,butdon’tpainmebytalkinglikethat,Aunt!Youwouldnothavehadmestaytherewithhim,wouldyou?——andyourhouseistheonlyhomeI
havetoreturnto。Hesayswecanbemarriedinadayortwo。"
"Iwishhehadneverseenyou。"
"Verywell;thenIwillbethemiserablestwomanintheworld,andnotlethimseemeagain。No,Iwon’thavehim!"
"Itistoolatetospeakso。Comewithme。Iamgoingtotheinntoseeifhehasreturned。OfcourseIshallgettothebottomofthisstoryatonce。
Mr。Wildevemustnotsupposehecanplaytricksuponme,oranybelongingtome。"
"Itwasnotthat。Thelicensewaswrong,andhecouldn’tgetanotherthesameday。Hewilltellyouinamomenthowitwas,ifhecomes。"
"Whydidn’thebringyouback?"
"Thatwasme!"againsobbedThomasin。"WhenIfoundwecouldnotbemarriedIdidn’tliketocomebackwithhim,andIwasveryill。ThenIsawDiggoryVenn,andwasgladtogethimtotakemehome。Icannotexplainitanybetter,andyoumustbeangrywithmeifyouwill。"
"Ishallseeaboutthat,"saidMrs。Yeobright;andtheyturnedtowardstheinn,knownintheneighbourhoodastheQuietWoman,thesignofwhichrepresentedthefigureofamatroncarryingherheadunderherarm,beneathwhichgruesomedesignwaswrittenthecoupletsowellknowntofrequentersoftheinn:——
SINCETHEWOMAN’SQUIET
LETNOMANBREEDARIOT。[1]
[1]Theinnwhichreallyborethissignandlegendstoodsomemilestothenorthwestofthepresentscene,whereinthehousemoreimmediatelyreferredtoisnownolongeraninn;andthesurroundingsaremuchchanged。
Butanotherinn,someofwhosefeaturesarealsoembodiedinthisdescription,theREDLIONatWinfrith,stillremainsasahavenforthewayfarer(1912)。
ThefrontofthehousewastowardstheheathandRainbarrow,whosedarkshapeseemedtothreatenitfromthesky。
Uponthedoorwasaneglectedbrassplate,bearingtheunexpectedinscription,"Mr。Wildeve,Engineer"——auselessyetcherishedrelicfromthetimewhenhehadbeenstartedinthatprofessioninanofficeatBudmouthbythosewhohadhopedmuchfromhim,andhadbeendisappointed。
Thegardenwasattheback,andbehindthisranastilldeepstream,formingthemarginoftheheathinthatdirection,meadow—landappearingbeyondthestream。
Butthethickobscuritypermittedonlyskylinestobevisibleofanysceneatpresent。Thewateratthebackofthehousecouldbeheard,idlyspinningwhirpoolsinitscreepbetweentherowsofdryfeather—headedreedswhichformedastockadealongeachbank。Theirpresencewasdenotedbysoundsasofacongregationprayinghumbly,producedbytheirrubbingagainsteachotherintheslowwind。
Thewindow,whencethecandlelighthadshoneupthevaletotheeyesofthebonfiregroup,wasuncurtained,butthesilllaytoohighforapedestrianontheoutsidetolookoveritintotheroom。Avastshadow,inwhichcouldbedimlytracedportionsofamasculinecontour,blottedhalftheceiling。
"Heseemstobeathome,"saidMrs。Yeobright。
"MustIcomein,too,Aunt?"askedThomasinfaintly。
"Isupposenot;itwouldbewrong。"
"Youmustcome,certainly——toconfronthim,sothathemaymakenofalserepresentationstome。Weshallnotbefiveminutesinthehouse,andthenwe’llwalkhome。"
Enteringtheopenpassage,shetappedatthedooroftheprivateparlour,unfastenedit,andlookedin。
ThebackandshouldersofamancamebetweenMrs。Yeobright’seyesandthefire。Wildeve,whoseformitwas,immediatelyturned,arose,andadvancedtomeethisvisitors。
Hewasquiteayoungman,andofthetwoproperties,formandmotion,thelatterfirstattractedtheeyeinhim。Thegraceofhismovementwassingular——itwasthepantomimicexpressionofalady—killingcareer。
Nextcameintonoticethemorematerialqualities,amongwhichwasaprofusecropofhairimpendingoverthetopofhisface,lendingtohisforeheadthehigh—corneredoutlineofanearlyGothicshield;
andaneckwhichwassmoothandroundasacylinder。
Thelowerhalfofhisfigurewasoflightbuild。
Altogetherhewasoneinwhomnomanwouldhaveseenanythingtoadmire,andinwhomnowomanwouldhaveseenanythingtodislike。
Hediscernedtheyounggirl’sforminthepassage,andsaid,"Thomasin,then,hasreachedhome。
Howcouldyouleavemeinthatway,darling?"AndturningtoMrs。Yeobright——"Itwasuselesstoarguewithher。
Shewouldgo,andgoalone。"
"Butwhat’sthemeaningofitall?"demandedMrs。Yeobrighthaughtily。
"Takeaseat,"saidWildeve,placingchairsforthetwowomen。
"Well,itwasaverystupidmistake,butsuchmistakeswillhappen。ThelicensewasuselessatAnglebury。
ItwasmadeoutforBudmouth,butasIdidn’treaditI
wasn’tawareofthat。"
"ButyouhadbeenstayingatAnglebury?"
"No。IhadbeenatBudmouth——tilltwodaysago——andthatwaswhereIhadintendedtotakeher;butwhenIcametofetchherwedecideduponAnglebury,forgettingthatanewlicensewouldbenecessary。
TherewasnottimetogettoBudmouthafterwards。"
"Ithinkyouareverymuchtoblame,"saidMrs。Yeobright。
"ItwasquitemyfaultwechoseAnglebury,"Thomasinpleaded。
"IproposeditbecauseIwasnotknownthere。"
"IknowsowellthatIamtoblamethatyouneednotremindmeofit,"repliedWildeveshortly。
"Suchthingsdon’thappenfornothing,"saidtheaunt。
"Itisagreatslighttomeandmyfamily;andwhenitgetsknowntherewillbeaveryunpleasanttimeforus。
Howcanshelookherfriendsinthefacetomorrow?Itisaverygreatinjury,andoneIcannoteasilyforgive。
Itmayevenreflectonhercharacter。"
"Nonsense,"saidWildeve。
Thomasin’slargeeyeshadflownfromthefaceofonetothefaceoftheotherduringthisdiscussion,andshenowsaidanxiously,"Willyouallowme,Aunt,totalkitoveralonewithDamonforfiveminutes?Willyou,Damon?"
"Certainly,dear,"saidWildeve,"ifyourauntwillexcuseus。"
Heledherintoanadjoiningroom,leavingMrs。Yeobrightbythefire。
Assoonastheywerealone,andthedoorclosed,Thomasinsaid,turningupherpale,tearfulfacetohim,"Itiskillingme,this,Damon!IdidnotmeantopartfromyouinangeratAngleburythismorning;
butIwasfrightenedandhardlyknewwhatIsaid。
I’venotletAuntknowhowmuchIsufferedtoday;anditissohardtocommandmyfaceandvoice,andtosmileasifitwereaslightthingtome;butItrytodoso,thatshemaynotbestillmoreindignantwithyou。
Iknowyoucouldnothelpit,dear,whateverAuntmaythink。"
"Sheisveryunpleasant。"
"Yes,"Thomasinmurmured,"andIsupposeIseemsonow……Damon,whatdoyoumeantodoaboutme?"
"Doaboutyou?"
"Yes。Thosewhodon’tlikeyouwhisperthingswhichatmomentsmakemedoubtyou。Wemeantomarry,Isuppose,don’twe?"
"Ofcoursewedo。WehaveonlytogotoBudmouthonMonday,andwemarryatonce。"
"Thendoletusgo!——ODamon,whatyoumakemesay!"
Shehidherfaceinherhandkerchief。"HereamIaskingyoutomarryme,whenbyrightsyououghttobeonyourkneesimploringme,yourcruelmistress,nottorefuseyou,andsayingitwouldbreakyourheartifIdid。
Iusedtothinkitwouldbeprettyandsweetlikethat;
buthowdifferent!"
"Yes,reallifeisneveratalllikethat。"
"ButIdon’tcarepersonallyifitnevertakesplace,"
sheaddedwithalittledignity;"no,Icanlivewithoutyou。
ItisAuntIthinkof。Sheissoproud,andthinkssomuchofherfamilyrespectability,thatshewillbecutdownwithmortificationifthisstoryshouldgetabroadbefore——itisdone。MycousinClym,too,willbemuchwounded。"
"Thenhewillbeveryunreasonable。Infact,youareallratherunreasonable。"
Thomasincolouredalittle,andnotwithlove。Butwhateverthemomentaryfeelingwhichcausedthatflushinher,itwentasitcame,andshehumblysaid,"Inevermeantobe,ifIcanhelpit。Imerelyfeelthatyouhavemyaunttosomeextentinyourpoweratlast。"
"Asamatterofjusticeitisalmostduetome,"saidWildeve。
"ThinkwhatIhavegonethroughtowinherconsent;
theinsultthatitistoanymantohavethebannsforbidden——thedoubleinsulttoamanunluckyenoughtobecursedwithsensitiveness,andbluedemons,andHeavenknowswhat,asIam。Icanneverforgetthosebanns。
AharshermanwouldrejoicenowinthepowerIhaveofturninguponyourauntbygoingnofurtherinthebusiness。"
Shelookedwistfullyathimwithhersorrowfuleyesashesaidthosewords,andheraspectshowedthatmorethanonepersonintheroomcoulddeplorethepossessionofsensitiveness。
Seeingthatshewasreallysufferingheseemeddisturbedandadded,"Thisismerelyareflectionyouknow。
Ihavenottheleastintentiontorefusetocompletethemarriage,Tamsiemine——Icouldnotbearit。"
"Youcouldnot,Iknow!"saidthefairgirl,brightening。
"You,whocannotbearthesightofpaininevenaninsect,oranydisagreeablesound,orunpleasantsmelleven,willnotlongcausepaintomeandmine。"
"Iwillnot,ifIcanhelpit。"
"Yourhanduponit,Damon。"
Hecarelesslygaveherhishand。
"Ah,bymycrown,what’sthat?"hesaidsuddenly。
Therefellupontheirearsthesoundofnumerousvoicessinginginfrontofthehouse。Amongthese,twomadethemselvesprominentbytheirpeculiarity:onewasaverystrongbass,theotherawheezythinpiping。
ThomasinrecognizedthemasbelongingtoTimothyFairwayandGrandferCantlerespectively。
"Whatdoesitmean——itisnotskimmity—riding,Ihope?"
shesaid,withafrightenedgazeatWildeve。
"Ofcoursenot;no,itisthattheheath—folkhavecometosingtousawelcome。Thisisintolerable!"Hebeganpacingabout,themenoutsidesingingcheerily——
"Hetold’herthatshe’wasthejoy’ofhislife’,Andif’
she’dcon—sent’hewouldmakeherhiswife’;Shecould’
notrefuse’him;tochurch’sotheywent’,YoungWillwasforgot’,andyoungSue’wascontent’;Andthen’
wasshekiss’d’andsetdown’onhisknee’,Noman’
intheworld’wassolov’—ingashe’!"
Mrs。Yeobrightburstinfromtheouterroom。
"Thomasin,Thomasin!"shesaid,lookingindignantlyatWildeve;
"here’saprettyexposure!Letusescapeatonce。Come!"
Itwas,however,toolatetogetawaybythepassage。
Aruggedknockinghadbegunuponthedoorofthefrontroom。
Wildeve,whohadgonetothewindow,cameback。
"Stop!"hesaidimperiously,puttinghishanduponMrs。Yeobright’sarm。"Weareregularlybesieged。
Therearefiftyofthemoutthereifthere’sone。
YoustayinthisroomwithThomasin;I’llgooutandfacethem。Youmuststaynow,formysake,tilltheyaregone,sothatitmayseemasifallwasright。
Come,Tamsiedear,don’tgomakingascene——wemustmarryafterthis;thatyoucanseeaswellasI。Sitstill,that’sall——anddon’tspeakmuch。I’llmanagethem。
Blunderingfools!"
Hepressedtheagitatedgirlintoaseat,returnedtotheouterroomandopenedthedoor。Immediatelyoutside,inthepassage,appearedGrandferCantlesinginginconcertwiththosestillstandinginfrontofthehouse。
HecameintotheroomandnoddedabstractedlytoWildeve,hislipsstillparted,andhisfeaturesexcruciatinglystrainedintheemissionofthechorus。Thisbeingended,hesaidheartily,"Here’swelcometothenew—madecouple,andGodbless’em!"
"Thankyou,"saidWildeve,withdryresentment,hisfaceasgloomyasathunderstorm。
AttheGrandfer’sheelsnowcametherestofthegroup,whichincludedFairway,Christian,Samtheturf—cutter,Humphrey,andadozenothers。AllsmileduponWildeve,anduponhistablesandchairslikewise,fromageneralsenseoffriendlinesstowardsthearticlesaswellastowardstheirowner。
"WebenothereaforeMrs。Yeobrightafterall,"
saidFairway,recognizingthematron’sbonnetthroughtheglasspartitionwhichdividedthepublicapartmenttheyhadenteredfromtheroomwherethewomensat。
"Westruckdownacross,d’yesee,Mr。Wildeve,andshewentroundbythepath。"
"AndIseetheyoungbride’slittlehead!"saidGrandfer,peepinginthesamedirection,anddiscerningThomasin,whowaswaitingbesideherauntinamiserableandawkwardway。
"Notquitesettledinyet——well,well,there’splentyoftime。"
Wildevemadenoreply;andprobablyfeelingthatthesoonerhetreatedthemthesoonertheywouldgo,heproducedastonejar,whichthrewawarmhaloovermattersatonce。
"That’sadropoftherightsort,Icansee,"
saidGrandferCantle,withtheairofamantoowell—
manneredtoshowanyhurrytotasteit。
"Yes,"saidWildeve,"’tissomeoldmead。Ihopeyouwilllikeit。"
"Oay!"repliedtheguests,intheheartytonesnaturalwhenthewordsdemandedbypolitenesscoincidewiththoseofdeepestfeeling。"Thereisn’taprettierdrinkunderthesun。"
"I’lltakemyoaththereisn’t,"addedGrandferCantle。
"Allthatcanbesaidagainstmeadisthat’tisratherheady,andapttolieaboutamanagoodwhile。
Buttomorrow’sSunday,thankGod。"
"Ifeel’dforalltheworldlikesomeboldsoldierafterIhadhadsomeonce,"saidChristian。
"Youshallfeelsoagain,"saidWildeve,withcondescension,"Cupsorglasses,gentlemen?"
"Well,ifyoudon’tmind,we’llhavethebeaker,andpass’enround;’tisbetterthanhelingitoutindribbles。"
"Jowntheslipperyglasses,"saidGrandferCantle。
"What’sthegoodofathingthatyoucan’tputdownintheashestowarm,hey,neighbours;that’swhatIask?"
"Right,Grandfer,"saidSam;andthemeadthencirculated。
"Well,"saidTimothyFairway,feelingdemandsuponhispraiseinsomeformorother,"’tisaworthythingtobemarried,Mr。Wildeve;andthewomanyou’vegotisadimant,sosaysI。Yes,"hecontinued,toGrandferCantle,raisinghisvoicesoastobeheardthroughthepartition,"herfather(inclininghisheadtowardstheinnerroom)
wasasgoodafelleraseverlived。Healwayshadhisgreatindignationreadyagainstanythingunderhand。"
"Isthatverydangerous?"saidChristian。
"Andtherewerefewinthesepartsthatwereupsideswithhim,"
saidSam。"Wheneveraclubwalkedhe’dplaytheclarinetinthebandthatmarchedbefore’emasifhe’dnevertouchedanythingbutaclarinetallhislife。Andthen,whentheygottochurchdoorhe’dthrowdowntheclarinet,mountthegallery,snatchupthebassviol,androzumawayasifhe’dneverplayedanythingbutabassviol。
Folkwouldsay——folkthatknowedwhatatruestavewas——’Surely,surelythat’sneverthesamemanthatIsawhandlingtheclarinetsomasterlybynow!"
"Icanmindit,"saidthefurze—cutter。"’Twasawonderfulthingthatonebodycouldholditallandnevermixthefingering。"
"TherewasKingsberechurchlikewise,"Fairwayrecommenced,asoneopeninganewveinofthesamemineofinterest。
Wildevebreathedthebreathofoneintolerablybored,andglancedthroughthepartitionattheprisoners。
"HeusedtowalkoverthereofaSundayafternoontovisithisoldacquaintanceAndrewBrown,thefirstclarinetthere;
agoodmanenough,butratherscreechyinhismusic,ifyoucanmind?"
"’Awas。"
"AndneighbourYeobrightwouldtakeAndrey’splaceforsomepartoftheservice,toletAndreyhaveabitofanap,asanyfriendwouldnaturallydo。"
"Asanyfriendwould,"saidGrandferCantle,theotherlistenersexpressingthesameaccordbytheshorterwayofnoddingtheirheads。
"NosoonerwasAndreyasleepandthefirstwhiffofneighbourYeobright’swindhadgotinsideAndrey’sclarinetthaneveryoneinchurchfeeledinamomenttherewasagreatsoulamong’em。Allheadswouldturn,andthey’dsay,’Ah,Ithought’twashe!’OneSundayI
canwellmind——abassvioldaythattime,andYeobrighthadbroughthisown。’TwastheHundred—and—thirty—thirdto’Lydia’;andwhenthey’dcometo’Randownhisbeardando’erhisrobesitscostlymoistureshed,’
neighbourYeobright,whohadjustwarmedtohiswork,drovehisbowintothemstringsthatgloriousgrandthathee’ena’mostsawedthebassviolintotwopieces。
Everywinderinchurchrattledasif’twereathunderstorm。
OldPa’sonWilliamsliftedhishandsinhisgreatholysurpliceasnaturalasifhe’dbeenincommonclothes,andseemedtosayhisself,’Oforsuchamaninourparish!’
ButnotasoulinKingsberecouldholdacandletoYeobright。"
"Wasitquitesafewhenthewindershook?"Christianinquired。
Hereceivednoanswer,allforthemomentsittingraptinadmirationoftheperformancedescribed。
AswithFarinelli’ssingingbeforetheprincesses,Sheridan’srenownedBegumSpeech,andothersuchexamples,thefortunateconditionofitsbeingforeverlosttotheworldinvestedthedeceasedMr。Yeobright’stourdeforceonthatmemorableafternoonwithacumulativeglorywhichcomparativecriticism,hadthatbeenpossible,mightconsiderablyhaveshorndown。
"Hewasthelastyou’dhaveexpectedtodropoffintheprimeoflife,"saidHumphrey。
"Ah,well;hewaslookingfortheearthsomemonthsaforehewent。Atthattimewomenusedtorunforsmocksandgown—piecesatGreenhillFair,andmywifethatisnow,beingalong—leggedslitteringmaid,hardlyhusband—high,wentwiththerestofthemaidens,for’awasagood,runneraforeshegotsoheavy。
WhenshecamehomeIsaid——wewerethenjustbeginningtowalktogether——’Whathaveyegot,myhoney?’
’I’vewon——well,I’vewon——agown—piece,’saysshe,hercolourscomingupinamoment。’Tisasmockforacrown,Ithought;andsoitturnedout。Ay,whenIthinkwhatshe’llsaytomenowwithoutamosselofredinherface,itdoseemstrangethat’awouldn’tsaysuchalittlethingthen……However,thenshewenton,andthat’swhatmademebringupthestory。Well,whateverclothesI’vewon,whiteorfigured,foreyestoseeorforeyesnottosee’
(’acoulddoaprettystrokeofmodestyinthosedays),’I’dsoonerhavelostitthanhaveseenwhatIhave。