ddleman that at half-way through the performance
the game was continued with the money of another person; and it was an
error which afterwards helped to cause more misfortune than treble the
loss in money value could have done.

The night was now somewhat advanced; and Venn plunged deeper into the
heath, till he came to a ravine where his van was standing--a spot not
more than two hundred yards from the site of the gambling bout. He
entered this movable home of his, lit his lantern, and, before closing
his door for the night, stood reflecting on the circumstances of
the preceding hours. While he stood the dawn grew visible in the
north-east quarter of the heavens, which, the clouds having cleared
off, was bright with a soft sheen at this midsummer time, though it
was only between one and two o'clock. Venn, thoroughly weary, then
shut his door and flung himself down to sleep.

BOOK FOURTH
THE CLOSED DOOR

I

The Rencounter by the Pool

The July sun shone over Egdon and fired its crimson heather to
scarlet. It was the one season of the year, and the one weather of
the season, in which the heath was gorgeous. This flowering period
represented the second or noontide division in the cycle of those
superficial changes which alone were possible here; it followed the
green or young-fern period, representing the morn, and preceded the
brown period, when the heathbells and ferns would wear the russet
tinges of evening; to be in turn displaced by the dark hue of the
winter period, representing night.

Clym and Eustacia, in their little house at Alderworth, beyond East
Egdon, were living on with a monotony which was delightful to them.
The heath and changes of weather were quite blotted out from their
eyes for the present. They were enclosed in a sort of luminous mist,
which hid from them surroundings of any inharmonious colour, and
gave to all things the character of light. When it rained they were
charmed, because they could remain indoors together all day with such
a show of reason; when it was fine they were charmed, because they
could sit together on the hills. They were like those double stars
which revolve round and round each other, and from a distance appear
to be one. The absolute solitude in which they lived intensified
their reciprocal thoughts; yet some might have said that it had the
disadvantage of consuming their mutual affections at a fearfully
prodigal rate. Yeobright did not fear for his own pa