PoorMr。Yeobrightwastookbaddirectlyhereachedthefairground,andwasforcedtogohomeagain。’Thatwasthelasttimeheeverwentoutoftheparish。"
"’Afalteredonfromonedaytoanother,andthenweheardhewasgone。"
"D’yethinkhehadgreatpainwhen’adied?"saidChristian。
"Ono——quitedifferent。Noranypainofmind。
HewasluckyenoughtobeGodA’mighty’sownman。"
"Andotherfolk——d’yethink’twillbemuchpainto’em,MisterFairway?"
"Thatdependsonwhethertheybeafeard。"
"Ibain’tafeardatall,IthankGod!"saidChristianstrenuously。
"I’mgladIbain’t,forthen’twon’tpainme……I
don’tthinkIbeafeard——orifIbeIcan’thelpit,andIdon’tdeservetosuffer。IwishIwasnotafeardatall!"
Therewasasolemnsilence,andlookingfromthewindow,whichwasunshutteredandunblinded,Timothysaid,"Well,whatafesslittlebonfirethatoneis,outbyCap’nVye’s!’Tisburningjustthesamenowasever,uponmylife。"
Allglanceswentthroughthewindow,andnobodynoticedthatWildevedisguisedabrief,telltalelook。
Farawayupthesombrevalleyofheath,andtotherightofRainbarrow,couldindeedbeseenthelight,small,butsteadyandpersistentasbefore。
"Itwaslightedbeforeourswas,"Fairwaycontinued;
"andyeteveryoneinthecountryroundisoutafore’n。"
"Perhapsthere’smeaninginit!"murmuredChristian。
"Howmeaning?"saidWildevesharply。
Christianwastooscatteredtoreply,andTimothyhelpedhim。
"Hemeans,sir,thatthelonesomedark—eyedcreatureuptherethatsomesayisawitch——everIshouldcallafineyoungwomansuchaname——isalwaysuptosomeoddconceitorother;andsoperhaps’tisshe。"
"I’dbeverygladtoaskherinwedlock,ifshe’dhaemeandtaketheriskofherwilddarkeyesill—wishingme,"
saidGrandferCantlestaunchly。
"Don’tyesayit,Father!"imploredChristian。
"Well,bedazedifhewhodomarrythemaidwon’thaeanuncommonpictureforhisbestparlour,"saidFairwayinaliquidtone,placingdownthecupofmeadattheendofagoodpull。
"AndapartnerasdeepastheNorthStar,"saidSam,takingupthecupandfinishingthelittlethatremained。
"Well,really,nowIthinkwemustbemoving,"saidHumphrey,observingtheemptinessofthevessel。
"Butwe’llgie’emanothersong?"saidGrandferCantle。
"I’masfullofnotesasabird!"
"Thankyou,Grandfer,"saidWildeve。"Butwewillnottroubleyounow。Someotherdaymustdoforthat——whenIhaveaparty。"
"Bejown’difIdon’tlearntennewsongsfor’t,orI
won’tlearnaline!"saidGrandferCantle。"AndyoumaybesureIwon’tdisappointyebybidingaway,Mr。Wildeve。"
"Iquitebelieveyou,"saidthatgentleman。
Allthentooktheirleave,wishingtheirentertainerlonglifeandhappinessasamarriedman,withrecapitulationswhichoccupiedsometime。Wildeveattendedthemtothedoor,beyondwhichthedeep—dyedupwardstretchofheathstoodawaitingthem,anamplitudeofdarknessreigningfromtheirfeetalmosttothezenith,whereadefiniteformfirstbecamevisibleintheloweringforeheadofRainbarrow。
DivingintothedenseobscurityinalineheadedbySamtheturf—cutter,theypursuedtheirtracklesswayhome。
Whenthescratchingofthefurzeagainsttheirleggingshadfaintedupontheear,WildevereturnedtotheroomwherehehadleftThomasinandheraunt。Thewomenweregone。
Theycouldonlyhaveleftthehouseinoneway,bythebackwindow;andthiswasopen。
Wildevelaughedtohimself,remainedamomentthinking,andidlyreturnedtothefrontroom。Herehisglancefelluponabottleofwinewhichstoodonthemantelpiece。
"Ah——oldDowden!"hemurmured;andgoingtothekitchendoorshouted,"IsanybodyherewhocantakesomethingtooldDowden?"
Therewasnoreply。Theroomwasempty,theladwhoactedashisfactotumhavinggonetobed。Wildevecamebackputonhishat,tookthebottle,andleftthehouse,turningthekeyinthedoor,fortherewasnoguestattheinntonight。AssoonashewasontheroadthelittlebonfireonMistoverKnapagainmethiseye。
"Stillwaiting,areyou,mylady?"hemurmured。
However,hedidnotproceedthatwayjustthen;
butleavingthehilltotheleftofhim,hestumbledoveraruttedroadthatbroughthimtoacottagewhich,likeallotherhabitationsontheheathatthishour,wasonlysavedfrombeingvisiblebyafaintshinefromitsbedroomwindow。ThishousewasthehomeofOllyDowden,thebesom—maker,andheentered。
Thelowerroomwasindarkness;butbyfeelinghiswayhefoundatable,whereonheplacedthebottle,andaminutelateremergedagainupontheheath。Hestoodandlookednortheastattheundyinglittlefire——highupabovehim,thoughnotsohighasRainbarrow。
Wehavebeentoldwhathappenswhenawomandeliberates;
andtheepigramisnotalwaysterminablewithwoman,providedthatonebeinthecase,andthatafairone。
Wildevestood,andstoodlonger,andbreathedperplexedly,andthensaidtohimselfwithresignation,"Yes——byHeaven,Imustgotoher,Isuppose!"
InsteadofturninginthedirectionofhomehepressedonrapidlybyapathunderRainbarrowtowardswhatwasevidentlyasignallight。
6—TheFigureagainsttheSkyWhenthewholeEgdonconcoursehadleftthesiteofthebonfiretoitsaccustomedloneliness,acloselywrappedfemalefigureapproachedthebarrowfromthatquarteroftheheathinwhichthelittlefirelay。
Hadthereddlemanbeenwatchinghemighthaverecognizedherasthewomanwhohadfirststoodtheresosingularly,andvanishedattheapproachofstrangers。Sheascendedtoheroldpositionatthetop,wheretheredcoalsoftheperishingfiregreetedherlikelivingeyesinthecorpseofday。Thereshestoodstillaroundherstretchingthevastnightatmosphere,whoseincompletedarknessincomparisonwiththetotaldarknessoftheheathbelowitmighthaverepresentedavenialbesideamortalsin。
Thatshewastallandstraightinbuild,thatshewaslady—likeinhermovements,wasallthatcouldbelearntofherjustnow,herformbeingwrappedinashawlfoldedintheoldcornerwisefashion,andherheadinalargekerchief,aprotectionnotsuperfluousatthishourandplace。
Herbackwastowardsthewind,whichblewfromthenorthwest;
butwhethershehadavoidedthataspectbecauseofthechillygustswhichplayedaboutherexceptionalposition,orbecauseherinterestlayinthesoutheast,didnotatfirstappear。
Herreasonforstandingsodeadstillasthepivotofthiscircleofheath—countrywasjustasobscure。
Herextraordinaryfixity,herconspicuousloneliness,herheedlessnessofnight,betokenedamongotherthingsanutterabsenceoffear。AtractofcountryunalteredfromthatsinisterconditionwhichmadeCaesaranxiouseveryyeartogetclearofitsgloomsbeforetheautumnalequinox,akindoflandscapeandweatherwhichleadstravellersfromtheSouthtodescribeourislandasHomer’sCimmerianland,wasnot,onthefaceofit,friendlytowomen。
Itmightreasonablyhavebeensupposedthatshewaslisteningtothewind,whichrosesomewhatasthenightadvanced,andlaidholdoftheattention。Thewind,indeed,seemedmadeforthescene,asthesceneseemedmadeforthehour。
Partofitstonewasquitespecial;whatwasheardtherecouldbeheardnowhereelse。Gustsininnumerableseriesfollowedeachotherfromthenorthwest,andwheneachoneofthemracedpastthesoundofitsprogressresolvedintothree。Treble,tenor,andbassnotesweretobefoundtherein。Thegeneralricochetofthewholeoverpitsandprominenceshadthegravestpitchofthechime。
Nexttherecouldbeheardthebaritonebuzzofahollytree。
Belowtheseinforce,abovetheminpitch,adwindledvoicestrovehardatahuskytune,whichwasthepeculiarlocalsoundalludedto。Thinnerandlessimmediatelytraceablethantheothertwo,itwasfarmoreimpressivethaneither。
Initlaywhatmaybecalledthelinguisticpeculiarityoftheheath;andbeingaudiblenowhereonearthoffaheath,itaffordedashadowofreasonforthewoman’stenseness,whichcontinuedasunbrokenasever。
ThroughouttheblowingoftheseplaintiveNovemberwindsthatnoteboreagreatresemblancetotheruinsofhumansongwhichremaintothethroatoffourscoreandten。
Itwasawornwhisper,dryandpapery,anditbrushedsodistinctlyacrosstheearthat,bytheaccustomed,thematerialminutiaeinwhichitoriginatedcouldberealizedasbytouch。Itwastheunitedproductsofinfinitesimalvegetablecauses,andthesewereneitherstems,leaves,fruit,blades,prickles,lichen,normoss。
Theywerethemummiedheathbellsofthepastsummer,originallytenderandpurple,nowwashedcolourlessbyMichaelmasrains,anddriedtodeadskinsbyOctobersuns。
Solowwasanindividualsoundfromthesethatacombinationofhundredsonlyjustemergedfromsilence,andthemyriadsofthewholedeclivityreachedthewoman’searbutasashrivelledandintermittentrecitative。
Yetscarcelyasingleaccentamongthemanyafloattonightcouldhavesuchpowertoimpressalistenerwiththoughtsofitsorigin。Oneinwardlysawtheinfinityofthosecombinedmultitudes;andperceivedthateachofthetinytrumpetswasseizedonentered,scouredandemergedfrombythewindasthoroughlyasifitwereasvastasacrater。
"Thespiritmovedthem。"Ameaningofthephraseforceditselfupontheattention;andanemotionallistener’sfetichisticmoodmighthaveendedinoneofmoreadvancedquality。
Itwasnot,afterall,thattheleft—handexpanseofoldbloomsspoke,ortheright—hand,orthoseoftheslopeinfront;butitwasthesinglepersonofsomethingelsespeakingthrougheachatonce。
Suddenly,onthebarrow,theremingledwithallthiswildrhetoricofnightasoundwhichmodulatedsonaturallyintotherestthatitsbeginningandendingwerehardlytobedistinguished。Thebluffs,andthebushes,andtheheather—bellshadbrokensilence;atlast,sodidthewoman;andherarticulationwasbutasanotherphraseofthesamediscourseastheirs。Thrownoutonthewindsitbecametwinedinwiththem,andwiththemitflewaway。
Whatsheutteredwasalengthenedsighing,apparentlyatsomethinginhermindwhichhadledtoherpresencehere。
Therewasaspasmodicabandonmentaboutitasif,inallowingherselftoutterthesound。thewoman’sbrainhadauthorizedwhatitcouldnotregulate。
Onepointwasevidentinthis;thatshehadbeenexistinginasuppressedstate,andnotinoneoflanguor,orstagnation。
Farawaydownthevalleythefaintshinefromthewindowoftheinnstilllastedon;andafewadditionalmomentsprovedthatthewindow,orwhatwaswithinit,hadmoretodowiththewoman’ssighthanhadeitherherownactionsorthesceneimmediatelyaround。
Sheliftedherlefthand,whichheldaclosedtelescope。
Thissherapidlyextended,asifshewerewellaccustomedtotheoperation,andraisingittohereyedirectedittowardsthelightbeamingfromtheinn。
Thehandkerchiefwhichhadhoodedherheadwasnowalittlethrownback,herfacebeingsomewhatelevated。
Aprofilewasvisibleagainstthedullmonochromeofcloudaroundher;anditwasasthoughsideshadowsfromthefeaturesofSapphoandMrs。Siddonshadconvergedupwardsfromthetombtoformanimagelikeneitherbutsuggestingboth。This,however,wasmeresuperficiality。
Inrespectofcharacterafacemaymakecertainadmissionsbyitsoutline;butitfullyconfessesonlyinitschanges。
Somuchisthisthecasethatwhatiscalledtheplayofthefeaturesoftenhelpsmoreinunderstandingamanorwomanthantheearnestlaboursofalltheothermemberstogether。
Thusthenightrevealedlittleofherwhoseformitwasembracing,forthemobilepartsofhercountenancecouldnotbeseen。
Atlastshegaveupherspyingattitude,closedthetelescope,andturnedtothedecayingembers。Fromthesenoappreciablebeamsnowradiated,exceptwhenamorethanusuallysmartgustbrushedovertheirfacesandraisedafitfulglowwhichcameandwentliketheblushofagirl。
Shestoopedoverthesilentcircle,andselectingfromthebrandsapieceofstickwhichborethelargestlivecoalatitsend,broughtittowhereshehadbeenstandingbefore。
Sheheldthebrandtotheground,blowingtheredcoalwithhermouthatthesametime;tillitfaintlyilluminatedthesod,andrevealedasmallobject,whichturnedouttobeanhourglass,thoughsheworeawatch。Sheblewlongenoughtoshowthatthesandhadallslippedthrough。
"Ah!"shesaid,asifsurprised。
Thelightraisedbyherbreathhadbeenveryfitful,andamomentaryirradiationoffleshwasallthatithaddisclosedofherface。Thatconsistedoftwomatchlesslipsandacheekonly,herheadbeingstillenveloped。
Shethrewawaythestick,tooktheglassinherhand,thetelescopeunderherarm,andmovedon。
Alongtheridgeranafaintfoot—track,whichtheladyfollowed。Thosewhoknewitwellcalleditapath;
and,whileamerevisitorwouldhavepasseditunnoticedevenbyday,theregularhauntersoftheheathwereatnolossforitatmidnight。Thewholesecretoffollowingtheseincipientpaths,whentherewasnotlightenoughintheatmospheretoshowaturnpikeroad,layinthedevelopmentofthesenseoftouchinthefeet,whichcomeswithyearsofnight—ramblinginlittle—troddenspots。
Toawalkerpractisedinsuchplacesadifferencebetweenimpactonmaidenherbage,andonthecrippledstalksofaslightfootway,isperceptiblethroughthethickestbootorshoe。
Thesolitaryfigurewhowalkedthisbeattooknonoticeofthewindytunestillplayedonthedeadheathbells。
Shedidnotturnherheadtolookatagroupofdarkcreaturesfurtheron,whofledfromherpresenceassheskirtedaravinewheretheyfed。Theywereaboutascoreofthesmallwildponiesknownasheath—croppers。TheyroamedatlargeontheundulationsofEgdon,butinnumberstoofewtodetractmuchfromthesolitude。
Thepedestriannoticednothingjustnow,andacluetoherabstractionwasaffordedbyatrivialincident。
Abramblecaughtholdofherskirt,andcheckedherprogress。
Insteadofputtingitoffandhasteningalong,sheyieldedherselfuptothepull,andstoodpassivelystill。
Whenshebegantoextricateherselfitwasbyturningroundandround,andsounwindingthepricklyswitch。
Shewasinadespondingreverie。
HercoursewasinthedirectionofthesmallundyingfirewhichhaddrawntheattentionofthemenonRainbarrowandofWildeveinthevalleybelow。Afaintilluminationfromitsraysbegantoglowuponherface,andthefiresoonrevealeditselftobelit,notonthelevelground,butonasalientcornerorredanofearth,atthejunctionoftwoconvergingbankfences。Outsidewasaditch,dryexceptimmediatelyunderthefire,wheretherewasalargepool,beardedallroundbyheatherandrushes。
Inthesmoothwaterofthepoolthefireappearedupsidedown。
Thebanksmeetingbehindwerebareofahedge,savesuchaswasformedbydisconnectedtuftsoffurze,standinguponstemsalongthetop,likeimpaledheadsaboveacitywall。Awhitemast,fittedupwithsparsandothernauticaltackle,couldbeseenrisingagainstthedarkcloudswhenevertheflamesplayedbrightlyenoughtoreachit。Altogetherthescenehadmuchtheappearanceofafortificationuponwhichhadbeenkindledabeaconfire。
Nobodywasvisible;buteverandanonawhitishsomethingmovedabovethebankfrombehind,andvanishedagain。
Thiswasasmallhumanhand,intheactofliftingpiecesoffuelintothefire,butforallthatcouldbeseenthehand,likethatwhichtroubledBelshazzar,wastherealone。
Occasionallyanemberrolledoffthebank,anddroppedwithahissintothepool。
Atonesideofthepoolroughstepsbuiltofclodsenabledeveryonewhowishedtodosotomountthebank;whichthewomandid。Withinwasapaddockinanuncultivatedstate,thoughbearingevidenceofhavingoncebeentilled;
buttheheathandfernhadinsidiouslycreptin,andwerereassertingtheiroldsupremacy。Furtheraheadweredimlyvisibleanirregulardwelling—house,garden,andoutbuildings,backedbyaclumpoffirs。
Theyounglady——foryouthhadrevealeditspresenceinherbuoyantboundupthebank——walkedalongthetopinsteadofdescendinginside,andcametothecornerwherethefirewasburning。Onereasonforthepermanenceoftheblazewasnowmanifest:thefuelconsistedofhardpiecesofwood,cleftandsawn——theknottybolesofoldthorntreeswhichgrewintwosandthreesaboutthehillsides。
Ayetunconsumedpileoftheselayintheinnerangleofthebank;andfromthiscornertheupturnedfaceofalittleboygreetedhereves。Hewasdilatorilythrowingupapieceofwoodintothefireeverynowandthen,abusinesswhichseemedtohaveengagedhimaconsiderablepartoftheevening,forhisfacewassomewhatweary。
"Iamgladyouhavecome,MissEustacia,"hesaid,withasighofrelief。"Idon’tlikebidingbymyself。"
"Nonsense。Ihaveonlybeenalittlewayforawalk。
Ihavebeengoneonlytwentyminutes。"
"Itseemedlong,"murmuredthesadboy。"Andyouhavebeensomanytimes。"
"Why,Ithoughtyouwouldbepleasedtohaveabonfire。
Areyounotmuchobligedtomeformakingyouone?"
"Yes;butthere’snobodyheretoplaywi’me。"
"IsupposenobodyhascomewhileI’vebeenaway?"
"Nobodyexceptyourgrandfather——helookedoutofdoorsoncefor’ee。Itoldhimyouwerewalkingrounduponthehilltolookattheotherbonfires。"
"Agoodboy。"
"IthinkIhearhimcomingagain,miss。"
Anoldmancameintotheremoterlightofthefirefromthedirectionofthehomestead。Hewasthesamewhohadovertakenthereddlemanontheroadthatafternoon。
Helookedwistfullytothetopofthebankatthewomanwhostoodthere,andhisteeth,whichwerequiteunimpaired,showedlikeparianfromhispartedlips。
"Whenareyoucomingindoors,Eustacia?"heasked。
"’Tisalmostbedtime。I’vebeenhomethesetwohours,andamtiredout。Surely’tissomewhatchildishofyoutostayoutplayingatbonfiressolong,andwastingsuchfuel。
Mypreciousthornroots,therarestofallfiring,thatIlaidbyonpurposeforChristmas——youhaveburnt’emnearlyall!"
"IpromisedJohnnyabonfire,anditpleaseshimnottoletitgooutjustyet,"saidEustacia,inawaywhichtoldatoncethatshewasabsolutequeenhere。
"Grandfather,yougointobed。Ishallfollowyousoon。
Youlikethefire,don’tyou,Johnny?"
Theboylookedupdoubtfullyatherandmurmured,"Idon’tthinkIwantitanylonger。"
Hergrandfatherhadturnedbackagain,anddidnotheartheboy’sreply。Assoonasthewhite—hairedmanhadvanishedshesaidinatoneofpiquetothechild,"Ungratefullittleboy,howcanyoucontradictme?
Nevershallyouhaveabonfireagainunlessyoukeepitupnow。Come,tellmeyouliketodothingsforme,anddon’tdenyit。"
Therepressedchildsaid,"Yes,Ido,miss,"andcontinuedtostirthefireperfunctorily。
"StayalittlelongerandIwillgiveyouacrookedsix—pence,"
saidEustacia,moregently。"Putinonepieceofwoodeverytwoorthreeminutes,butnottoomuchatonce。
Iamgoingtowalkalongtheridgealittlelonger,butIshallkeeponcomingtoyou。Andifyouhearafrogjumpintothepondwithaflouncelikeastonethrownin,besureyourunandtellme,becauseitisasignofrain。"
"Yes,Eustacia。"
"MissVye,sir。"
"MissVy——stacia。"
"Thatwilldo。Nowputinonestickmore。"
Thelittleslavewentonfeedingthefireasbefore。
Heseemedamereautomaton,galvanizedintomovingandspeakingbythewaywardEustacia’swill。HemighthavebeenthebrassstatuewhichAlbertusMagnusissaidtohaveanimatedjustsofarastomakeitchatter,andmove,andbehisservant。
Beforegoingonherwalkagaintheyounggirlstoodstillonthebankforafewinstantsandlistened。
ItwastothefullaslonelyaplaceasRainbarrow,thoughatratheralowerlevel;anditwasmoreshelteredfromwindandweatheronaccountofthefewfirstothenorth。
Thebankwhichenclosedthehomestead,andprotecteditfromthelawlessstateoftheworldwithout,wasformedofthicksquareclods,dugfromtheditchontheoutside,andbuiltupwithaslightbatterorincline,whichformsnoslightdefensewherehedgeswillnotgrowbecauseofthewindandthewilderness,andwherewallmaterialsareunattainable。Otherwisethesituationwasquiteopen,commandingthewholelengthofthevalleywhichreachedtotheriverbehindWildeve’shouse。Highabovethistotheright,andmuchnearerthitherwardthantheQuietWomanInn,theblurredcontourofRainbarrowobstructedthesky。
AfterherattentivesurveyofthewildslopesandhollowravinesagestureofimpatienceescapedEustacia。
Sheventedpetulantwordseverynowandthen,butthereweresighsbetweenherwords,andsuddenlisteningsbetweenhersighs。DescendingfromherperchsheagainsaunteredofftowardsRainbarrow,thoughthistimeshedidnotgothewholeway。
Twiceshereappearedatintervalsofafewminutesandeachtimeshesaid——
"Notanyflounceintothepondyet,littleman?"
"No,MissEustacia,"thechildreplied。
"Well,"shesaidatlast,"Ishallsoonbegoingin,andthenIwillgiveyouthecrookedsixpence,andletyougohome。"
"Thank’ee,MissEustacia,"saidthetiredstoker,breathingmoreeasily。AndEustaciaagainstrolledawayfromthefire,butthistimenottowardsRainbarrow。
Sheskirtedthebankandwentroundtothewicketbeforethehouse,whereshestoodmotionless,lookingatthescene。
Fiftyyardsoffrosethecornerofthetwoconvergingbanks,withthefireuponit;withinthebank,liftinguptothefireonestickatatime,justasbefore,thefigureofthelittlechild。Sheidlywatchedhimasheoccasionallyclimbedupinthenookofthebankandstoodbesidethebrands。Thewindblewthesmoke,andthechild’shair,andthecornerofhispinafore,allinthesamedirection;
thebreezedied,andthepinaforeandhairlaystill,andthesmokewentupstraight。
WhileEustacialookedonfromthisdistancetheboy’sformvisiblystarted——hesliddownthebankandranacrosstowardsthewhitegate。
"Well?"saidEustacia。
"Ahopfroghavejumpedintothepond。Yes,Iheard’en!"
"Thenitisgoingtorain,andyouhadbettergohome。
Youwillnotbeafraid?"Shespokehurriedly,asifherhearthadleaptintoherthroatattheboy’swords。
"No,becauseIshallhaethecrookedsixpence。"
"Yes。hereitis。Nowrunasfastasyoucan——notthatway——throughthegardenhere。Nootherboyintheheathhashadsuchabonfireasyours。"
Theboy,whoclearlyhadhadtoomuchofagoodthing,marchedawayintotheshadowswithalacrity。WhenhewasgoneEustacia,leavinghertelescopeandhourglassbythegate,brushedforwardfromthewickettowardstheangleofthebank,underthefire。
Here,screenedbytheoutwork,shewaited。Inafewmomentsasplashwasaudiblefromthepondoutside。
Hadthechildbeentherehewouldhavesaidthatasecondfroghadjumpedin;butbymostpeoplethesoundwouldhavebeenlikenedtothefallofastoneintothewater。