FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296  
297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   >>   >|  
e intense. Echoes from those past times when they had exchanged tender words all the day long came like the diffused murmur of a seashore left miles behind. "Surely," he said, "she might have brought herself to communicate with me before now, and confess honestly what Wildeve was to her." Instead of remaining at home that night he determined to go and see Thomasin and her husband. If he found opportunity he would allude to the cause of the separation between Eustacia and himself, keeping silence, however, on the fact that there was a third person in his house when his mother was turned away. If it proved that Wildeve was innocently there he would doubtless openly mention it. If he were there with unjust intentions Wildeve, being a man of quick feeling, might possibly say something to reveal the extent to which Eustacia was compromised. But on reaching his cousin's house he found that only Thomasin was at home, Wildeve being at that time on his way towards the bonfire innocently lit by Charley at Mistover. Thomasin then, as always, was glad to see Clym, and took him to inspect the sleeping baby, carefully screening the candlelight from the infant's eyes with her hand. "Tamsin, have you heard that Eustacia is not with me now?" he said when they had sat down again. "No," said Thomasin, alarmed. "And not that I have left Alderworth?" "No. I never hear tidings from Alderworth unless you bring them. What is the matter?" Clym in a disturbed voice related to her his visit to Susan Nunsuch's boy, the revelation he had made, and what had resulted from his charging Eustacia with having wilfully and heartlessly done the deed. He suppressed all mention of Wildeve's presence with her. "All this, and I not knowing it!" murmured Thomasin in an awestruck tone. "Terrible! What could have made her--O, Eustacia! And when you found it out you went in hot haste to her? Were you too cruel?--or is she really so wicked as she seems?" "Can a man be too cruel to his mother's enemy?" "I can fancy so." "Very well, then--I'll admit that he can. But now what is to be done?" "Make it up again--if a quarrel so deadly can ever be made up. I almost wish you had not told me. But do try to be reconciled. There are ways, after all, if you both wish to." "I don't know that we do both wish to make it up," said Clym. "If she had wished it, would she not have sent to me by this time?" "You seem to wish to, and yet you have not
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296  
297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308   309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Thomasin

 

Wildeve

 

Eustacia

 

innocently

 
mention
 

mother

 

Alderworth

 

awestruck

 
murmured
 

knowing


presence
 
Terrible
 

suppressed

 

Nunsuch

 

related

 

matter

 

disturbed

 

revelation

 

heartlessly

 

tender


wilfully
 

resulted

 

charging

 

exchanged

 

reconciled

 

intense

 
wished
 
Echoes
 

wicked

 
quarrel

deadly

 

tidings

 
feeling
 

possibly

 

Instead

 
remaining
 
unjust
 

intentions

 

reaching

 

cousin


confess

 

honestly

 

compromised

 
reveal
 

extent

 
openly
 

doubtless

 

allude

 

silence

 
separation