where he had been standing with
another person quite silently and quite long enough to hear all this
puny stir of resurrection in nature; yet he had not heard it. His
walk was rapid as he came down, and he went with a springy tread.
Before entering upon his mother's premises he stopped and breathed.
The light which shone forth on him from the window revealed that
his face was flushed and his eye bright. What it did not show was
something which lingered upon his lips like a seal set there. The
abiding presence of this impress was so real that he hardly dared to
enter the house, for it seemed as if his mother might say, "What red
spot is that glowing upon your mouth so vividly?"

But he entered soon after. The tea was ready, and he sat down
opposite his mother. She did not speak many words; and as for him,
something had been just done and some words had been just said on
the hill which prevented him from beginning a desultory chat. His
mother's taciturnity was not without ominousness, but he appeared not
to care. He knew why she said so little, but he could not remove the
cause of her bearing towards him. These half-silent sittings were far
from uncommon with them now. At last Yeobright made a beginning of
what was intended to strike at the whole root of the matter.

"Five days have we sat like this at meals with scarcely a word.
What's the use of it, mother?"

"None," said she, in a heart-swollen tone. "But there is only too
good a reason."

"Not when you know all. I have been wanting to speak about this, and
I am glad the subject is begun. The reason, of course, is Eustacia
Vye. Well, I confess I have seen her lately, and have seen her a good
many times."

"Yes, yes; and I know what that amounts to. It troubles me, Clym.
You are wasting your life here; and it is solely on account of her.
If it had not been for that woman you would never have entertained
this teaching scheme at all."

Clym looked hard at his mother. "You know that is not it," he said.

"Well, I know you had decided to attempt it before you saw her; but
that would have ended in intentions. It was very well to talk of, but
ridiculous to put in practice. I fully expected that in the course of
a month or two you would have seen the folly of such self-sacrifice,
and would have been by this time back again to Paris in some business
or other. I can understand objections to the diamond trade--I really
was thinking that it might be inadequate to the life