laid on the
carpet, with their feet to the fire, when such restorative processes
as could be thought of were adopted at once, the stableman being in
the meantime sent for a doctor. But there seemed to be not a whiff
of life left in either of the bodies. Then Thomasin, whose stupor of
grief had been thrust off awhile by frantic action, applied a bottle
of hartshorn to Clym's nostrils, having tried it in vain upon the
othertwo. He sighed.

"Clym's alive!" she exclaimed.

He soon breathed distinctly, and again and again did she attempt to
revive her husband by the same means; but Wildeve gave no sign. There
was too much reason to think that he and Eustacia both were for ever
beyond the reach of stimulating perfumes. Their exertions did not
relax till the doctor arrived, when one by one, the senseless three
were taken upstairs and put into warm beds.

Venn soon felt himself relieved from further attendance, and went
to the door, scarcely able yet to realize the strange catastrophe
that had befallen the family in which he took so great an interest.
Thomasin surely would be broken down by the sudden and overwhelming
nature of this event. No firm and sensible Mrs. Yeobright lived now
to support the gentle girl through the ordeal; and, whatever an
unimpassioned spectator might think of her loss of such a husband
as Wildeve, there could be no doubt that for the moment she was
distracted and horrified by the blow. As for himself, not being
privileged to go to her and comfort her, he saw no reason for waiting
longer in a house where he remained only as a stranger.

He returned across the heath to his van. The fire was not yet out,
and everything remained as he had left it. Venn now bethought himself
of his clothes, which were saturated with water to the weight of lead.
He changed them, spread them before the fire, and lay down to sleep.
But it was more than he could do to rest here while excited by a vivid
imagination of the turmoil they were in at the house he had quitted,
and, blaming himself for coming away, he dressed in another suit,
locked up the door, and again hastened across to the inn. Rain was
still falling heavily when he entered the kitchen. A bright fire was
shining from the hearth, and two women were bustling about, one of
whom was Olly Dowden.

"Well, how is it going on now?" said Venn in a whisper.

"Mr. Yeobright is better; but Mrs. Yeobright and Mr. Wildeve are dead
and cold. The doctor says they were qu