Thisdidnotoriginateininherentshamelessness，butinherlivingtoofarfromtheworldtofeeltheimpactofpublicopinion。ZenobiainthedesertcouldhardlyhavecaredwhatwassaidaboutheratRome。AsfarassocialethicswereconcernedEustaciaapproachedthesavagestate，thoughinemotionshewasallthewhileanepicure。
Shehadadvancedtothesecretrecessesofsensuousness，yethadhardlycrossedthethresholdofconventionality。
11—TheDishonestyofanHonestWomanThereddlemanhadleftEustacia’spresencewithdespondingviewsonThomasin’sfuturehappiness；buthewasawakenedtothefactthatoneotherchannelremaineduntriedbyseeing，ashefollowedthewaytohisvan，theformofMrs。YeobrightslowlywalkingtowardstheQuietWoman。
Hewentacrosstoher；andcouldalmostperceiveinheranxiousfacethatthisjourneyofherstoWildevewasundertakenwiththesameobjectashisowntoEustacia。
Shedidnotconcealthefact。"Then，"saidthereddleman，"youmayaswellleaveitalone，Mrs。Yeobright。"
"Ihalfthinksomyself，"shesaid。"Butnothingelseremainstobedonebesidespressingthequestionuponhim。"
"Ishouldliketosayawordfirst，"saidVennfirmly。
"Mr。WildeveisnottheonlymanwhohasaskedThomasintomarryhim；andwhyshouldnotanotherhaveachance？
Mrs。Yeobright，Ishouldbegladtomarryyourniece。
andwouldhavedoneitanytimetheselasttwoyears。
There，nowitisout，andIhavenevertoldanybodybeforebutherself。"
Mrs。Yeobrightwasnotdemonstrative，buthereyesinvoluntarilyglancedtowardshissingularthoughshapelyfigure。
"Looksarenoteverything，"saidthereddleman，noticingtheglance。"There’smanyacallingthatdon’tbringinsomuchasmine，ifitcomestomoney；andperhapsIamnotsomuchworseoffthanWildeve。Thereisnobodysopoorastheseprofessionalfellowswhohavefailed；
andifyoushouldn’tlikemyredness——well，Iamnotredbybirth，youknow；Ionlytooktothisbusinessforafreak；
andImightturnmyhandtosomethingelseingoodtime。"
"Iammuchobligedtoyouforyourinterestinmyniece；
butIfeartherewouldbeobjections。Morethanthat，sheisdevotedtothisman。"
"True；orIshouldn’thavedonewhatIhavethismorning。"
"Otherwisetherewouldbenopaininthecase，andyouwouldnotseemegoingtohishousenow。WhatwasThomasin’sanswerwhenyoutoldherofyourfeelings？"
"Shewrotethatyouwouldobjecttome；andotherthings。"
"Shewasinameasureright。Youmustnottakethisunkindly——Imerelystateitasatruth。Youhavebeengoodtoher，andwedonotforgetit。Butasshewasunwillingonherownaccounttobeyourwife，thatsettlesthepointwithoutmywishesbeingconcerned。"
"Yes。Butthereisadifferencebetweenthenandnow，ma’am。Sheisdistressednow，andIhavethoughtthatifyouweretotalktoheraboutme，andthinkfavourablyofmeyourself，theremightbeachanceofwinningherround，andgettingherquiteindependentofthisWildeve’sbackwardandforwardplay，andhisnotknowingwhetherhe’llhaveherorno。"
Mrs。Yeobrightshookherhead。"Thomasinthinks，andI
thinkwithher，thatsheoughttobeWildeve’swife，ifshemeanstoappearbeforetheworldwithoutasluruponhername。Iftheymarrysoon，everybodywillbelievethatanaccidentdidreallypreventthewedding。Ifnot，itmaycastashadeuponhercharacter——atanyratemakeherridiculous。Inshort，ifitisanyhowpossibletheymustmarrynow。"
"Ithoughtthattillhalfanhourago。But，afterall，whyshouldhergoingoffwithhimtoAngleburyforafewhoursdoheranyharm？Anybodywhoknowshowpuresheiswillfeelanysuchthoughttobequiteunjust。
IhavebeentryingthismorningtohelponthismarriagewithWildeve——yes，I，ma’am——inthebeliefthatIoughttodoit，becauseshewassowrappedupinhim。ButImuchquestionifIwasright，afterall。However，nothingcameofit。
AndnowIoffermyself。"
Mrs。Yeobrightappeareddisinclinedtoenterfurtherintothequestion。"IfearImustgoon，"shesaid。
"Idonotseethatanythingelsecanbedone。"
Andshewenton。ButthoughthisconversationdidnotdivertThomasin’sauntfromherpurposedinterviewwithWildeve，itmadeaconsiderabledifferenceinhermodeofconductingthatinterview。ShethankedGodfortheweaponwhichthereddlemanhadputintoherhands。
Wildevewasathomewhenshereachedtheinn。Heshowedhersilentlyintotheparlour，andclosedthedoor。
Mrs。Yeobrightbegan——
"Ihavethoughtitmydutytocalltoday。Anewproposalhasbeenmadetome，whichhasratherastonishedme。
ItwillaffectThomasingreatly；andIhavedecidedthatitshouldatleastbementionedtoyou。"
"Yes？Whatisit？"hesaidcivilly。
"Itis，ofcourse，inreferencetoherfuture。YoumaynotbeawarethatanothermanhasshownhimselfanxioustomarryThomasin。Now，thoughIhavenotencouragedhimyet，Icannotconscientiouslyrefusehimachanceanylonger。
Idon’twishtobeshortwithyou；butImustbefairtohimandtoher。"
"Whoistheman？"saidWildevewithsurprise。
"Onewhohasbeeninlovewithherlongerthanshehaswithyou。Heproposedtohertwoyearsago。
Atthattimesherefusedhim。"
"Well？"
"Hehasseenherlately，andhasaskedmeforpermissiontopayhisaddressestoher。Shemaynotrefusehimtwice。"
"Whatishisname？"
Mrs。Yeobrightdeclinedtosay。"HeisamanThomasinlikes，"
sheadded，"andonewhoseconstancysherespectsatleast。
Itseemstomethatwhatsherefusedthenshewouldbegladtogetnow。Sheismuchannoyedatherawkwardposition。"
"Sheneveroncetoldmeofthisoldlover。"
"ThegentlestwomenarenotsuchfoolsastoshowEVERYcard。"
"Well，ifshewantshimIsupposeshemusthavehim。"
"Itiseasyenoughtosaythat；butyoudon’tseethedifficulty。Hewantshermuchmorethanshewantshim；
andbeforeIcanencourageanythingofthesortImusthaveaclearunderstandingfromyouthatyouwillnotinterferetoinjureanarrangementwhichIpromoteinthebeliefthatitisforthebest。Suppose，whentheyareengaged，andeverythingissmoothlyarrangedfortheirmarriage，thatyoushouldstepbetweenthemandrenewyoursuit？Youmightnotwinherback，butyoumightcausemuchunhappiness。"
"OfcourseIshoulddonosuchthing，"saidWildeve"Buttheyarenotengagedyet。HowdoyouknowthatThomasinwouldaccepthim？"
"That’saquestionIhavecarefullyputtomyself；
anduponthewholetheprobabilitiesareinfavourofheracceptinghimintime。IflattermyselfthatI
havesomeinfluenceoverher。Sheispliable，andI
canbestronginmyrecommendationsofhim。"
"Andinyourdisparagementofmeatthesametime。"
"Well，youmaydependuponmynotpraisingyou，"
shesaiddrily。"Andifthisseemslikemanoeuvring，youmustrememberthatherpositionispeculiar，andthatshehasbeenhardlyused。Ishallalsobehelpedinmakingthematchbyherowndesiretoescapefromthehumiliationofherpresentstate；andawoman’sprideinthesecaseswillleadheraverygreatway。
Alittlemanagingmayberequiredtobringherround；
butIamequaltothat，providedthatyouagreetotheonethingindispensable；thatis，tomakeadistinctdeclarationthatsheistothinknomoreofyouasapossiblehusband。
Thatwillpiqueherintoacceptinghim。"
"Icanhardlysaythatjustnow，Mrs。Yeobright。
Itissosudden。"
"Andsomywholeplanisinterferedwith！Itisveryinconvenientthatyourefusetohelpmyfamilyeventothesmallextentofsayingdistinctlyyouwillhavenothingtodowithus。"
Wildevereflecteduncomfortably。"IconfessIwasnotpreparedforthis，"hesaid。"OfcourseI’llgiveherupifyouwish，ifitisnecessary。ButIthoughtImightbeherhusband。"
"Wehaveheardthatbefore。"
"Now，Mrs。Yeobright，don’tletusdisagree。Givemeafairtime。Idon’twanttostandinthewayofanybetterchanceshemayhave；onlyIwishyouhadletmeknowearlier。Iwillwritetoyouorcallinadayortwo。
Willthatsuffice？"
"Yes，"shereplied，"providedyoupromisenottocommunicatewithThomasinwithoutmyknowledge。"
"Ipromisethat，"hesaid。Andtheinterviewthenterminated，Mrs。Yeobrightreturninghomewardasshehadcome。
Byfarthegreatesteffectofhersimplestrategyonthatdaywas，asoftenhappens，inaquarterquiteoutsideherviewwhenarrangingit。Inthefirstplace，hervisitsentWildevethesameeveningafterdarktoEustacia’shouseatMistover。
Atthishourthelonelydwellingwascloselyblindedandshutteredfromthechillanddarknesswithout。
Wildeve’sclandestineplanwithherwastotakealittlegravelinhishandandholdittothecreviceatthetopofthewindowshutter，whichwasontheoutside，sothatitshouldfallwithagentlerustle，resemblingthatofamouse，betweenshutterandglass。
Thisprecautioninattractingherattentionwastoavoidarousingthesuspicionsofhergrandfather。
Thesoftwords，"Ihear；waitforme，"inEustacia’svoicefromwithintoldhimthatshewasalone。
Hewaitedinhiscustomarymannerbywalkingroundtheenclosureandidlingbythepool，forWildevewasneveraskedintothehousebyhisproudthoughcondescendingmistress。
Sheshowednosignofcomingoutinahurry。Thetimeworeon，andhebegantogrowimpatient。Inthecourseoftwentyminutessheappearedfromroundthecorner，andadvancedasifmerelytakinganairing。
"YouwouldnothavekeptmesolonghadyouknownwhatI
comeabout，"hesaidwithbitterness。"Still，youareworthwaitingfor。"
"Whathashappened？"saidEustacia。"Ididnotknowyouwereintrouble。Itooamgloomyenough。"
"Iamnotintrouble，"saidhe。"Itismerelythataffairshavecometoahead，andImusttakeaclearcourse。"
"Whatcourseisthat？"sheaskedwithattentiveinterest。
"AndcanyouforgetsosoonwhatIproposedtoyoutheothernight？Why，takeyoufromthisplace，andcarryyouawaywithmeabroad。"
"Ihavenotforgotten。Butwhyhaveyoucomesounexpectedlytorepeatthequestion，whenyouonlypromisedtocomenextSaturday？IthoughtIwastohaveplentyoftimetoconsider。"
"Yes，butthesituationisdifferentnow。"
"Explaintome。"
"Idon’twanttoexplain，forImaypainyou。"
"ButImustknowthereasonofthishurry。"
"Itissimplymyardour，dearEustacia。Everythingissmoothnow。"
"Thenwhyareyousoruffled？"
"Iamnotawareofit。Allisasitshouldbe。
Mrs。Yeobright——butsheisnothingtous。"
"Ah，Iknewshehadsomethingtodowithit！Come，Idon’tlikereserve。"
"No——shehasnothing。SheonlysaysshewishesmetogiveupThomasinbecauseanothermanisanxioustomarryher。
Thewoman，nowshenolongerneedsme，actuallyshowsoff！"
Wildeve’svexationhasescapedhiminspiteofhimself。
Eustaciawassilentalongwhile。"Youareintheawkwardpositionofanofficialwhoisnolongerwanted，"
shesaidinachangedtone。
"Itseemsso。ButIhavenotyetseenThomasin。"
"Andthatirritatesyou。Don’tdenyit，Damon。Youareactuallynettledbythisslightfromanunexpectedquarter。"
"Well？"
"Andyoucometogetmebecauseyoucannotgether。
Thisiscertainlyanewpositionaltogether。Iamtobeastop—gap。"
"PleaserememberthatIproposedthesamethingtheotherday。"
Eustaciaagainremainedinasortofstupefiedsilence。
Whatcuriousfeelingwasthiscomingoverher？WasitreallypossiblethatherinterestinWildevehadbeensoentirelytheresultofantagonismthatthegloryandthedreamdepartedfromthemanwiththefirstsoundthathewasnolongercovetedbyherrival？Shewas，then，secureofhimatlast。Thomasinnolongerrequiredhim。
Whatahumiliatingvictory！Helovedherbest，shethought；
andyet——daredshetomurmursuchtreacherouscriticismeversosoftly？——whatwasthemanworthwhomawomaninferiortoherselfdidnotvalue？Thesentimentwhichlurksmoreorlessinallanimatenature——thatofnotdesiringtheundesiredofothers——waslivelyasapassioninthesupersubtle，epicureanheartofEustacia。Hersocialsuperiorityoverhim，whichhithertohadscarcelyeverimpressedher，becameunpleasantlyinsistent，andforthefirsttimeshefeltthatshehadstoopedinlovinghim。
"Well，darling，youagree？"saidWildeve。
"IfitcouldbeLondon，orevenBudmouth，insteadofAmerica，"
shemurmuredlanguidly。"Well，Iwillthink。
Itistoogreatathingformetodecideoffhand。
IwishIhatedtheheathless——orlovedyoumore。"
"Youcanbepainfullyfrank。Youlovedmeamonthagowarmlyenoughtogoanywherewithme。"
"AndyoulovedThomasin。"
"Yes，perhapsthatwaswherethereasonlay，"hereturned，withalmostasneer。"Idon’thatehernow。"
"Exactly。Theonlythingisthatyoucannolongergether。"
"Come——notaunts，Eustacia，orweshallquarrel。
Ifyoudon’tagreetogowithme，andagreeshortly，Ishallgobymyself。"
"OrtryThomasinagain。Damon，howstrangeitseemsthatyoucouldhavemarriedherormeindifferently，andonlyhavecometomebecauseIam——cheapest！Yes，yes——itistrue。TherewasatimewhenIshouldhaveexclaimedagainstamanofthatsort，andbeenquitewild；
butitisallpastnow。"
"Willyougo，dearest？ComesecretlywithmetoBristol，marryme，andturnourbacksuponthisdog—holeofEnglandforever？SayYes。"
"Iwanttogetawayfromhereatalmostanycost，"
shesaidwithweariness，"butIdon’tliketogowithyou。
Givememoretimetodecide。"
"Ihavealready，"saidWildeve。"Well，Igiveyouonemoreweek。"
"Alittlelonger，sothatImaytellyoudecisively。
Ihavetoconsidersomanythings。FancyThomasinbeinganxioustogetridofyou！Icannotforgetit。"
"Nevermindthat。SayMondayweek。Iwillbeherepreciselyatthistime。"
"LetitbeatRainbarrow，"saidshe。"Thisistoonearhome；
mygrandfathermaybewalkingout。"
"Thankyou，dear。OnMondayweekatthistimeIwillbeattheBarrow。Tillthengood—bye。"
"Good—bye。No，no，youmustnottouchmenow。
ShakinghandsisenoughtillIhavemadeupmymind。"
Eustaciawatchedhisshadowyformtillithaddisappeared。
Sheplacedherhandtoherforeheadandbreathedheavily；
andthenherrich，romanticlipspartedunderthathomelyimpulse——ayawn。Shewasimmediatelyangryathavingbetrayedeventoherselfthepossibleevanescenceofherpassionforhim。ShecouldnotadmitatoncethatshemighthaveoverestimatedWildeve，fortoperceivehismediocritynowwastoadmitherowngreatfollyheretofore。
Andthediscoverythatshewastheownerofadispositionsopurelythatofthedoginthemangerhadsomethinginitwhichatfirstmadeherashamed。
ThefruitofMrs。Yeobright’sdiplomacywasindeedremarkable，thoughnotasyetofthekindshehadanticipated。
IthadappreciablyinfluencedWildeve，butitwasinfluencingEustaciafarmore。Herloverwasnolongertoheranexcitingmanwhommanywomenstrovefor，andherselfcouldonlyretainbystrivingwiththem。
Hewasasuperfluity。
Shewentindoorsinthatpeculiarstateofmiserywhichisnotexactlygrief，andwhichespeciallyattendsthedawningsofreasoninthelatterdaysofanill—judged，transientlove。Tobeconsciousthattheendofthedreamisapproaching，andyethasnotabsolutelycome，isoneofthemostwearisomeaswellasthemostcuriousstagesalongthecoursebetweenthebeginningofapassionanditsend。
Hergrandfatherhadreturned，andwasbusilyengagedinpouringsomegallonsofnewlyarrivedrumintothesquarebottlesofhissquarecellaret。WheneverthesehomesupplieswereexhaustedhewouldgototheQuietWoman，and，standingwithhisbacktothefire，groginhand，tellremarkablestoriesofhowhehadlivedsevenyearsunderthewaterlineofhisship，andothernavalwonders，tothenatives，whohopedtooearnestlyforatreatofalefromthetellertoexhibitanydoubtsofhistruth。
Hehadbeentherethisevening。"IsupposeyouhaveheardtheEgdonnews，Eustacia？"hesaid，withoutlookingupfromthebottles。"ThemenhavebeentalkingaboutitattheWomanasifitwereofnationalimportance。"
"Ihaveheardnone，"shesaid。
"YoungClymYeobright，astheycallhim，iscominghomenextweektospendChristmaswithhismother。
Heisafinefellowbythistime，itseems。Isupposeyourememberhim？"
"Ineversawhiminmylife。"
"Ah，true；heleftbeforeyoucamehere。Iwellrememberhimasapromisingboy。"
"Wherehashebeenlivingalltheseyears？"
"Inthatrookeryofpompandvanity，Paris，Ibelieve。"
bookthreeTHEFASCINATION
1—"MyMindtoMeaKingdomIs"
InClymYeobright’sfacecouldbedimlyseenthetypicalcountenanceofthefuture。Shouldtherebeaclassicperiodtoarthereafter，itsPheidiasmayproducesuchfaces。
Theviewoflifeasathingtobeputupwith，replacingthatzestforexistencewhichwassointenseinearlycivilizations，mustultimatelyentersothoroughlyintotheconstitutionoftheadvancedracesthatitsfacialexpressionwillbecomeacceptedasanewartisticdeparture。Peoplealreadyfeelthatamanwholiveswithoutdisturbingacurveoffeature，orsettingamarkofmentalconcernanywhereuponhimself，istoofarremovedfrommodernperceptivenesstobeamoderntype。Physicallybeautifulmen——thegloryoftheracewhenitwasyoung——arealmostananachronismnow；
andwemaywonderwhether，atsometimeorother，physicallybeautifulwomenmaynotbeananachronismlikewise。
ThetruthseemstobethatalonglineofdisillusivecenturieshaspermanentlydisplacedtheHellenicideaoflife，orwhateveritmaybecalled。WhattheGreeksonlysuspectedweknowwell；whattheirAeschylusimaginedournurserychildrenfeel。Thatold—fashionedrevellinginthegeneralsituationgrowslessandlesspossibleasweuncoverthedefectsofnaturallaws，andseethequandarythatmanisinbytheiroperation。
ThelineamentswhichwillgetembodiedinidealsbaseduponthisnewrecognitionwillprobablybeakintothoseofYeobright。Theobserver’seyewasarrested，notbyhisfaceasapicture，butbyhisfaceasapage；
notbywhatitwas，butbywhatitrecorded。Hisfeatureswereattractiveinthelightofsymbols，assoundsintrinsicallycommonbecomeattractiveinlanguage，andasshapesintrinsicallysimplebecomeinterestinginwriting。
Hehadbeenaladofwhomsomethingwasexpected。
Beyondthisallhadbeenchaos。Thathewouldbesuccessfulinanoriginalway，orthathewouldgotothedogsinanoriginalway，seemedequallyprobable。
Theonlyabsolutecertaintyabouthimwasthathewouldnotstandstillinthecircumstancesamidwhichhewasborn。
Hence，whenhisnamewascasuallymentionedbyneighbouringyeomen，thelistenersaid，"Ah，ClymYeobright——whatishedoingnow？"Whentheinstinctivequestionaboutapersonis，Whatishedoing？itisfeltthathewillbefoundtobe，likemostofus，doingnothinginparticular。Thereisanindefinitesensethathemustbeinvadingsomeregionofsingularity，goodorbad。Thedevouthopeisthatheisdoingwell。Thesecretfaithisthatheismakingamessofit。Halfadozencomfortablemarket—men，whowerehabitualcallersattheQuietWomanastheypassedbyintheircarts，werepartialtothetopic。Infact，thoughtheywerenotEgdonmen，theycouldhardlyavoiditwhiletheysuckedtheirlongclaytubesandregardedtheheaththroughthewindow。Clymhadbeensoinwovenwiththeheathinhisboyhoodthathardlyanybodycouldlookuponitwithoutthinkingofhim。Sothesubjectrecurred：ifheweremakingafortuneandaname，somuchthebetterforhim；ifheweremakingatragicalfigureintheworld，somuchthebetterforanarrative。
ThefactwasthatYeobright’sfamehadspreadtoanawkwardextentbeforehelefthome。"Itisbadwhenyourfameoutrunsyourmeans，"saidtheSpanishJesuitGracian。
AttheageofsixhehadaskedaScriptureriddle："Whowasthefirstmanknowntowearbreeches？"andapplausehadresoundedfromtheveryvergeoftheheath。AtsevenhepaintedtheBattleofWaterloowithtiger—lilypollenandblack—currantjuice，intheabsenceofwater—colours。Bythetimehereachedtwelvehehadinthismannerbeenheardofasartistandscholarforatleasttwomilesround。
Anindividualwhosefamespreadsthreeorfourthousandyardsinthetimetakenbythefameofotherssimilarlysituatedtotravelsixoreighthundred，mustofnecessityhavesomethinginhim。PossiblyClym’sfame，likeHomer’s，owedsomethingtotheaccidentsofhissituation；
neverthelessfamoushewas。
Hegrewupandwashelpedoutinlife。ThatwaggeryoffatewhichstartedCliveasawritingclerk，Gayasalinen—draper，Keatsasasurgeon，andathousandothersinathousandotheroddways，banishedthewildandasceticheathladtoatradewhosesoleconcernwaswiththeespecialsymbolsofself—indulgenceandvainglory。
Thedetailsofthischoiceofabusinessforhimitisnotnecessarytogive。Atthedeathofhisfatheraneighbouringgentlemanhadkindlyundertakentogivetheboyastart，andthisassumedtheformofsendinghimtoBudmouth。
Yeobrightdidnotwishtogothere，butitwastheonlyfeasibleopening。ThencehewenttoLondon；andthence，shortlyafter，toParis，wherehehadremainedtillnow。
Somethingbeingexpectedofhim，hehadnotbeenathomemanydaysbeforeagreatcuriosityastowhyhestayedonsolongbegantoariseintheheath。Thenaturaltermofaholidayhadpassed，yethestillremained。
OntheSundaymorningfollowingtheweekofThomasin’smarriageadiscussiononthissubjectwasinprogressatahair—cuttingbeforeFairway’shouse。Herethelocalbarberingwasalwaysdoneatthishouronthisday，tobefollowedbythegreatSundaywashoftheinhabitantsatnoon，whichinitsturnwasfollowedbythegreatSundaydressinganhourlater。OnEgdonHeathSundayproperdidnotbegintilldinner—time，andeventhenitwasasomewhatbatteredspecimenoftheday。