contemplated
her for a minute, and then retreating into the heath beat the ferns
lightly, whereupon moths flew out alarmed. Securing one, he returned
to the window, and holding the moth to the chink, opened his hand.
The moth made towards the candle upon Eustacia's table, hovered round
it two or three times, and flew into the flame.
Eustacia started up. This had been a well-known signal in old times
when Wildeve had used to come secretly wooing to Mistover. She at
once knew that Wildeve was outside, but before she could consider
what to do her husband came in from upstairs. Eustacia's face burnt
crimson at the unexpected collision of incidents, and filled it with
an animation that it too frequently lacked.
"You have a very high colour, dearest," said Yeobright, when he came
close enough to see it. "Your appearance would be no worse if it were
always so."
"I am warm," said Eustacia. "I think I will go into the air for a few
minutes."
"Shall I go with you?"
"O no. I am only going to the gate."
She arose, but before she had time to get out of the room a loud
rapping began upon the front door.
"I'll go--I'll go," said Eustacia in an unusually quick tone for her;
and she glanced eagerly towards the window whence the moth had flown;
but nothing appeared there.
"You had better not at this time of the evening," he said. Clym
stepped before her into the passage, and Eustacia waited, her
somnolent manner covering her inner heat and agitation.
She listened, and Clym opened the door. No words were uttered
outside, and presently he closed it and came back, saying, "Nobody
was there. I wonder what that could have meant?"
He was left to wonder during the rest of the evening, for no
explanation offered itself, and Eustacia said nothing, the additional
fact that she knew of only adding more mystery to the performance.
Meanwhile a little drama had been acted outside which saved Eustacia
from all possibility of compromising herself that evening at least.
While Wildeve had been preparing his moth-signal another person had
come behind him up to the gate. This man, who carried a gun in his
hand, looked on for a moment at the other's operation by the window,
walked up to the house, knocked at the door, and then vanished round
the corner and over the hedge.
"Damn him!" said Wildeve. "He has been watching me again."
As his signal had been rendered futile by this uproarious rapping
Wildeve withdrew, passed out at
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