asting her eyes
around and lowering her voice. "Well, first you will promise me
this--that you won't be angry and call me anything harsh if you
disagree with what I propose?"

Yeobright promised, and she continued: "What I want is your advice,
for you are my relation--I mean, a sort of guardian to me--aren't you,
Clym?"

"Well, yes, I suppose I am; a sort of guardian. In fact, I am, of
course," he said, altogether perplexed as to her drift.

"I am thinking of marrying," she then observed blandly. "But I shall
not marry unless you assure me that you approve of such a step. Why
don't you speak?"

"I was taken rather by surprise. But, nevertheless, I am very glad
to hear such news. I shall approve, of course, dear Tamsie. Who can
it be? I am quite at a loss to guess. No I am not--'tis the old
doctor!--not that I mean to call him old, for he is not very old after
all. Ah--I noticed when he attended you last time!"

"No, no," she said hastily. "'Tis Mr. Venn."

Clym's face suddenly became grave.

"There, now, you don't like him, and I wish I hadn't mentioned him!"
she exclaimed almost petulantly. "And I shouldn't have done it,
either, only he keeps on bothering me so till I don't know what to
do!"

Clym looked at the heath. "I like Venn well enough," he answered at
last. "He is a very honest and at the same time astute man. He is
clever too, as is proved by his having got you to favour him. But
really, Thomasin, he is not quite--"

"Gentleman enough for me? That is just what I feel. I am sorry now
that I asked you, and I won't think any more of him. At the same time
I must marry him if I marry anybody--that I WILL say!"

"I don't see that," said Clym, carefully concealing every clue to his
own interrupted intention, which she plainly had not guessed. "You
might marry a professional man, or somebody of that sort, by going
into the town to live and forming acquaintances there."

"I am not fit for town life--so very rural and silly as I always have
been. Do not you yourself notice my countrified ways?"

"Well, when I came home from Paris I did, a little; but I don't now."

"That's because you have got countrified too. O, I couldn't live in a
street for the world! Egdon is a ridiculous old place; but I have got
used to it, and I couldn't be happy anywhere else at all."

"Neither could I," said Clym.

"Then how could you say that I should marry some town man? I am sure,
say what you will, that I must marry Dig