第3章
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  Averystrangeone。\"

  \"No——don’ttalkaboutitif’tisagreeableofyenotto!

  ’TwillmakemyskincrawlwhenIthinkofitinbedalone。

  Butyouwill——ah,youwill,Iknow,Timothy;andIshalldreamallnighto’t!Averystrangeone?Whatsortofaspiritdidyemeanwhenyesaid,averystrangeone,Timothy?——no,no——don’ttellme。\"

  \"Idon’thalfbelieveinspiritsmyself。ButIthinkitghostlyenough——whatIwastold。’Twasalittleboythatzidit。\"

  \"Whatwasitlike?——no,don’t——\"

  \"Aredone。Yes,mostghostsbewhite;butthisisasifithadbeendippedinblood。\"

  Christiandrewadeepbreathwithoutlettingitexpandhisbody,andHumphreysaid,\"Wherehasitbeenseen?\"

  \"Notexactlyhere;butinthissameheth。But’tisn’tathingtotalkabout。Whatdoyesay,\"continuedFairwayinbriskertones,andturninguponthemasiftheideahadnotbeenGrandferCantle’s——\"whatdoyousaytogivingthenewmanandwifeabitofasongtonightaforewegotobed——beingtheirwedding—day?Whenfolksarejustmarried’tisaswelltolookglado’t,sincelookingsorrywon’tunjoin’em。Iamnodrinker,asweknow,butwhenthewomenfolkandyoungstershavegonehomewecandropdownacrosstotheQuietWoman,andstrikeupaballetinfrontofthemarriedfolks’door。’Twillpleasetheyoungwife,andthat’swhatIshouldliketodo,formany’stheskinfulI’vehadatherhandswhenshelivedwithherauntatBlooms—End。\"

  \"Hey?Andsowewill!\"saidGrandferCantle,turningsobrisklythathiscoppersealsswungextravagantly。

  \"I’masdryasakexwithbidinguphereinthewind,andIhaven’tseenthecolourofdrinksincenammet—

  timetoday。’TissaidthatthelastbrewattheWomanisveryprettydrinking。And,neighbours,ifweshouldbealittlelateinthefinishing,why,tomorrow’sSunday,andwecansleepitoff?\"

  \"GrandferCantle!youtakethingsverycarelessforanoldman,\"saidthewidewoman。

  \"Itakethingscareless;Ido——toocarelesstopleasethewomen!Klk!I’llsingthe’JovialCrew,’oranyothersong,whenaweakoldmanwouldcryhiseyesout。Jownit;

  Iamupforanything。

  \"Theking’look’do’—verhisleft’shoul—der’,Andagrim’looklook’—edhee’,EarlMar’—shal,hesaid’,butfor’myoath’

  Orhang’—edthou’shouldstbee’。\"

  \"Well,that’swhatwe’lldo,\"saidFairway。\"We’llgive’emasong,an’itpleasetheLord。What’sthegoodofThomasin’scousinClyma—cominghomeafterthedeed’sdone?

  Heshouldhavecomeafore,ifsobehewantedtostopit,andmarryherhimself。\"

  \"Perhapshe’scomingtobidewithhismotheralittletime,asshemustfeellonelynowthemaid’sgone。\"

  \"Now,’tisveryodd,butIneverfeellonely——no,notatall,\"

  saidGrandferCantle。\"Iamasbraveinthenighttimeasa’admiral!\"

  Thebonfirewasbythistimebeginningtosinklow,forthefuelhadnotbeenofthatsubstantialsortwhichcansupportablazelong。Mostoftheotherfireswithinthewidehorizonwerealsodwindlingweak。Attentiveobservationoftheirbrightness,colour,andlengthofexistencewouldhaverevealedthequalityofthematerialburnt,andthroughthat,tosomeextentthenaturalproduceofthedistrictinwhicheachbonfirewassituate。

  Theclear,kinglyeffulgencethathadcharacterizedthemajorityexpressedaheathandfurzecountryliketheirown,whichinonedirectionextendedanunlimitednumberofmiles;

  therapidflaresandextinctionsatotherpointsofthecompassshowedthelightestoffuel——straw,beanstalks,andtheusualwastefromarableland。Themostenduringofall——steadyunalteringeyeslikePlanets——signifiedwood,suchashazel—branches,thorn—faggots,andstoutbillets。

  Firesofthelast—mentionedmaterialswererare,andthoughcomparativelysmallinmagnitudebesidethetransientblazes,nowbegantogetthebestofthembymerelongcontinuance。

  Thegreatoneshadperished,buttheseremained。

  Theyoccupiedtheremotestvisiblepositions——sky—backedsummitsrisingoutofrichcoppiceandplantationdistrictstothenorth,wherethesoilwasdifferent,andheathforeignandstrange。

  Saveone;andthiswasthenearestofany,themoonofthewholeshiningthrong。Itlayinadirectionpreciselyoppositetothatofthelittlewindowinthevalebelow。

  Itsnearnesswassuchthat,notwithstandingitsactualsmallness,itsglowinfinitelytranscendedtheirs。

  Thisquieteyehadattractedattentionfromtimetotime;

  andwhentheirownfirehadbecomesunkenanddimitattractedmore;someevenofthewoodfiresmorerecentlylightedhadreachedtheirdecline,butnochangewasperceptiblehere。

  \"Tobesure,hownearthatfireis!\"saidFairway。

  \"Seemingly。Icanseeafellowofsomesortwalkingroundit。

  Littleandgoodmustbesaidofthatfire,surely。\"

  \"Icanthrowastonethere,\"saidtheboy。

  \"AndsocanI!\"saidGrandferCantle。

  \"No,no,youcan’t,mysonnies。Thatfireisnotmuchlessthanamileoff,forallthat’aseemssonear。\"

  \"’Tisintheheath,butnofurze,\"saidtheturf—cutter。

  \"’Tiscleft—wood,that’swhat’tis,\"saidTimothyFairway。

  \"Nothingwouldburnlikethatexceptcleantimber。And’tisontheknapaforetheoldcaptain’shouseatMistover。

  Suchaqueermortalasthatmanis!Tohavealittlefireinsideyourownbankandditch,thatnobodyelsemayenjoyitorcomeanighit!Andwhatazanyanoldchapmustbe,tolightabonfirewhenthere’snoyoungsterstoplease。\"

  \"Cap’nVyehasbeenforalongwalktoday,andisquitetiredout,\"saidGrandferCantle,\"so’tisn’tlikelytobehe。\"

  \"Andhewouldhardlyaffordgoodfuellikethat,\"

  saidthewidewoman。

  \"Thenitmustbehisgranddaughter,\"saidFairway。

  \"Notthatabodyofheragecanwantafiremuch。\"

  \"Sheisverystrangeinherways,livinguptherebyherself,andsuchthingspleaseher,\"saidSusan。

  \"She’sawell—favouredmaidenough,\"saidHumphreythefurze—cutter,\"especiallywhenshe’sgotoneofherdandygownson。\"

  \"That’strue,\"saidFairway。\"Well,letherbonfireburnan’twill。Oursiswell—nighoutbythelooko’t。\"

  \"Howdark’tisnowthefire’sgonedown!\"saidChristianCantle,lookingbehindhimwithhishareeyes。\"Don’tyethinkwe’dbettergethome—along,neighbours?Thehethisn’thaunted,Iknow;butwe’dbettergethome……Ah,whatwasthat?\"

  \"Onlythewind,\"saidtheturf—cutter。

  \"Idon’tthinkFifth—of—Novembersoughttobekeptupbynightexceptintowns。Itshouldbebydayinoutstep,ill—accountedplaceslikethis!\"

  \"Nonsense,Christian。Liftupyourspiritslikeaman!Susy,dear,youandIwillhaveajig——hey,myhoney?——before’tisquitetoodarktoseehowwell—favouredyoubestill,thoughsomanysummershavepassedsinceyourhusband,asonofawitch,snappedyouupfromme。\"

  ThiswasaddressedtoSusanNunsuch;andthenextcircumstanceofwhichthebeholderswereconsciouswasavisionofthematron’sbroadformwhiskingofftowardsthespacewhereonthefirehadbeenkindled。

  ShewasliftedbodilybyMr。Fairway’sarm,whichhadbeenflungroundherwaistbeforeshehadbecomeawareofhisintention。Thesiteofthefirewasnowmerelyacircleofashesfleckedwithredembersandsparks,thefurzehavingburntcompletelyaway。Oncewithinthecirclehewhirledherroundandroundinadance。

  Shewasawomannoisilyconstructed;inadditiontoherenclosingframeworkofwhaleboneandlath,sheworepattenssummerandwinter,inwetweatherandindry,topreserveherbootsfromwear;andwhenFairwaybegantojumpaboutwithher,theclickingofthepattens,thecreakingofthestays,andherscreamsofsurprise,formedaveryaudibleconcert。

  \"I’llcrackthynumskullforthee,youmandychap!\"

  saidMrs。Nunsuch,asshehelplesslydancedroundwithhim,herfeetplayinglikedrumsticksamongthesparks。

  \"Myankleswereallinafeverbefore,fromwalkingthroughthatpricklyfurze,andnowyoumustmake’emworsewiththesevlankers!\"

  ThevagaryofTimothyFairwaywasinfectious。Theturf—cutterseizedoldOllyDowden,and,somewhatmoregently,poussettedwithherlikewise。Theyoungmenwerenotslowtoimitatetheexampleoftheirelders,andseizedthemaids;

  GrandferCantleandhisstickjiggedintheformofathree—leggedobjectamongtherest;andinhalfaminuteallthatcouldbeseenonRainbarrowwasawhirlingofdarkshapesamidaboilingconfusionofsparks,whichleaptaroundthedancersashighastheirwaists。

  Thechiefnoiseswerewomen’sshrillcries,men’slaughter,Susan’sstaysandpattens,OllyDowden’s\"heu—heu—heu!\"

  andthestrummingofthewinduponthefurze—bushes,whichformedakindoftunetothedemoniacmeasuretheytrod。

  Christianalonestoodaloof,uneasilyrockinghimselfashemurmured,\"Theyoughtnottodoit——howthevlankersdofly!’tistemptingtheWickedone,’tis。\"

  \"Whatwasthat?\"saidoneofthelads,stopping。

  \"Ah——where?\"saidChristian,hastilyclosinguptotherest。

  Thedancersalllessenedtheirspeed。

  \"’Twasbehindyou,Christian,thatIheardit——downhere。\"

  \"Yes——’tisbehindme!\"Christiansaid。\"Matthew,Mark,Luke,andJohn,blessthebedthatIlieon;fourangelsguard——\"

  \"Holdyourtongue。Whatisit?\"saidFairway。

  \"Hoi—i—i—i!\"criedavoicefromthedarkness。

  \"Halloo—o—o—o!\"saidFairway。

  \"IsthereanycarttrackupacrossheretoMis’essYeobright’s,ofBlooms—End?\"cametotheminthesamevoice,asalong,slimindistinctfigureapproachedthebarrow。

  \"Oughtwenottorunhomeashardaswecan,neighbours,as’tisgettinglate?\"saidChristian。\"Notrunawayfromoneanother,youknow;runclosetogether,Imean。\"

  \"Scrapeupafewstraylocksoffurze,andmakeablaze,sothatwecanseewhothemanis,\"saidFairway。

  Whentheflamearoseitrevealedayoungmanintightraiment,andredfromtoptotoe。\"IsthereatrackacrossheretoMis’essYeobright’shouse?\"herepeated。

  \"Ay——keepalongthepathdownthere。\"

  \"Imeanawaytwohorsesandavancantravelover?\"

  \"Well,yes;youcangetupthevalebelowherewithtime。

  Thetrackisrough,butifyou’vegotalightyourhorsesmaypickalongwi’care。Haveyebroughtyourcartfarup,neighbourreddleman?\"

  \"I’veleftitinthebottom,abouthalfamileback,Isteppedoninfronttomakesureoftheway,as’tisnight—time,andIhan’tbeenhereforsolong。\"

  \"Oh,wellyoucangetup,\"saidFairway。\"WhataturnitdidgivemewhenIsawhim!\"headdedtothewholegroup,thereddlemanincluded。\"Lord’ssake,Ithought,whateverfierymommetisthiscometotroubleus?Noslighttoyourlooks,reddleman,foryebain’tbad—lookinginthegroundwork,thoughthefinishisqueer。MymeaningisjusttosayhowcuriousIfelt。Ihalfthoughtit’twasthedevilortheredghosttheboytoldof。\"

  \"Itgiedmeaturnlikewise,\"saidSusanNunsuch,\"forI

  hadadreamlastnightofadeath’shead。\"

  \"Don’tyetalko’tnomore,\"saidChristian。\"Ifhehadahandkerchiefoverhisheadhe’dlookforalltheworldliketheDevilinthepictureoftheTemptation。\"

  \"Well,thankyoufortellingme,\"saidtheyoungreddleman,smilingfaintly。\"Andgoodnightt’yeall。\"

  Hewithdrewfromtheirsightdownthebarrow。

  \"IfancyI’veseenthatyoungman’sfacebefore,\"

  saidHumphrey。\"Butwhere,orhow,orwhathisnameis,Idon’tknow。\"

  Thereddlemanhadnotbeengonemorethanafewminuteswhenanotherpersonapproachedthepartiallyrevivedbonfire。Itprovedtobeawell—knownandrespectedwidowoftheneighbourhood,ofastandingwhichcanonlybeexpressedbythewordgenteel。Herface,encompassedbytheblacknessoftherecedingheath,showedwhitely,andwith—outhalf—lights,likeacameo。

  Shewasawomanofmiddle—age,withwell—formedfeaturesofthetypeusuallyfoundwhereperspicacityisthechiefqualityenthronedwithin。AtmomentssheseemedtoberegardingissuesfromaNebodeniedtoothersaround。

  Shehadsomethingofanestrangedmien;thesolitudeexhaledfromtheheathwasconcentratedinthisfacethathadrisenfromit。Theairwithwhichshelookedattheheathmenbetokenedacertainunconcernattheirpresence,oratwhatmightbetheiropinionsofherforwalkinginthatlonelyspotatsuchanhour,thusindirectlyimplyingthatinsomerespectorothertheywerenotuptoherlevel。

  Theexplanationlayinthefactthatthoughherhusbandhadbeenasmallfarmersheherselfwasacurate’sdaughter,whohadoncedreamtofdoingbetterthings。

  Personswithanyweightofcharactercarry,likeplanets,theiratmospheresalongwiththemintheirorbits;

  andthematronwhoenterednowuponthescenecould,andusuallydid,bringherowntoneintoacompany。

  Hernormalmanneramongtheheathfolkhadthatreticencewhichresultsfromtheconsciousnessofsuperiorcommunicativepower。Buttheeffectofcomingintosocietyandlightafterlonelywanderingindarknessisasociabilityinthecomeraboveitsusualpitch,expressedinthefeaturesevenmorethaninwords。

  \"Why,’tisMis’essYeobright,\"saidFairway。\"Mis’essYeobright,nottenminutesagoamanwashereaskingforyou——areddleman。\"

  \"Whatdidhewant?\"saidshe。

  \"Hedidn’ttellus。\"

  \"Somethingtosell,Isuppose;whatitcanbeIamatalosstounderstand。\"

  \"IamgladtohearthatyoursonMr。ClymiscominghomeatChristmas,ma’am,\"saidSam,theturf—cutter。\"Whatadogheusedtobeforbonfires!\"

  \"Yes。Ibelieveheiscoming,\"shesaid。

  \"Hemustbeafinefellowbythistime,\"saidFairway。

  \"Heisamannow,\"sherepliedquietly。

  \"’Tisverylonesomefor’eeinthehethtonight,mis’ess,\"saidChristian,comingfromtheseclusionhehadhithertomaintained。\"Mindyoudon’tgetlost。

  EgdonHethisabadplacetogetlostin,andthewindsdohufflequeerertonightthaneverIheard’emafore。

  ThemthatknowEgdonbesthavebeenpixy—ledhereattimes。\"

  \"Isthatyou,Christian?\"saidMrs。Yeobright。

  \"Whatmadeyouhideawayfromme?\"

  \"’TwasthatIdidn’tknowyouinthislight,mis’ess;

  andbeingamanofthemournfullestmake,Iwasscaredalittle,that’sall。OftentimesifyoucouldseehowterribledownIgetinmymind,’twouldmake’eequitenervousforfearIshoulddiebymyhand。\"

  \"Youdon’ttakeafteryourfather,\"saidMrs。Yeobright,lookingtowardsthefire,whereGrandferCantle,withsomewantoforiginality,wasdancingbyhimselfamongthesparks,astheothershaddonebefore。

  \"Now,Grandfer,\"saidTimothyFairway,\"weareashamedofye。Areverentoldpatriarchmanasyoube——seventyifaday——togohornpipinglikethatbyyourself!\"

  \"Aharrowingoldman,Mis’essYeobright,\"

  saidChristiandespondingly。\"Iwouldn’tlivewithhimaweek,soplaywardasheis,ifIcouldgetaway。\"

  \"’TwouldbemoreseemlyinyetostandstillandwelcomeMis’essYeobright,andyouthevenerablesthere,GrandferCantle,\"saidthebesom—woman。

  \"Faith,andsoitwould,\"saidtherevellercheckinghimselfrepentantly。\"I’vesuchabadmemory,Mis’essYeobright,thatIforgethowI’mlookeduptobytherestof’em。Myspiritsmustbewonderfulgood,you’llsay?Butnotalways。’Tisaweightuponamantobelookeduptoascommander,andIoftenfeelit。\"

  \"Iamsorrytostopthetalk,\"saidMrs。Yeobright。\"ButImustbeleavingyounow。IwaspassingdowntheAngleburyRoad,towardsmyniece’snewhome,whoisreturningtonightwithherhusband;andseeingthebonfireandhearingOlly’svoiceamongtherestIcameupheretolearnwhatwasgoingon。

  Ishouldlikehertowalkwithme,asherwayismine。\"

  \"Ay,sure,ma’am,I’mjustthinkingofmoving,\"saidOlly。

  \"Why,you’llbesafetomeetthereddlemanthatItoldyeof,\"

  saidFairway。\"He’sonlygonebacktogethisvan。

  Weheardthatyournieceandherhusbandwerecomingstraighthomeassoonastheyweremarried,andwearegoingdownthereshortly,togive’emasongo’welcome。\"

  \"Thankyouindeed,\"saidMrs。Yeobright。

  \"Butweshalltakeashortercutthroughthefurzethanyoucangowithlongclothes;sowewon’ttroubleyoutowait。\"

  \"Verywell——areyouready,Olly?\"

  \"Yes,ma’am。Andthere’salightshiningfromyourniece’swindow,see。Itwillhelptokeepusinthepath。\"

  SheindicatedthefaintlightatthebottomofthevalleywhichFairwayhadpointedout;andthetwowomendescendedthetumulus。

  4—TheHaltontheTurnpikeRoadDown,downwardtheywent,andyetfurtherdown——theirdescentateachstepseemingtooutmeasuretheiradvance。

  Theirskirtswerescratchednoisilybythefurze,theirshouldersbrushedbytheferns,which,thoughdeadanddry,stooderectaswhenalive,nosufficientwinterweatherhavingasyetarrivedtobeatthemdown。

  TheirTartareansituationmightbysomehavebeencalledanimprudentonefortwounattendedwomen。ButtheseshaggyrecesseswereatallseasonsafamiliarsurroundingtoOllyandMrs。Yeobright;andtheadditionofdarknesslendsnofrightfulnesstothefaceofafriend。

  \"AndsoTamsinhasmarriedhimatlast,\"saidOlly,whentheinclinehadbecomesomuchlesssteepthattheirfoot—stepsnolongerrequiredundividedattention。

  Mrs。Yeobrightansweredslowly,\"Yes;atlast。\"

  \"Howyouwillmissher——livingwith’eeasadaughter,asshealwayshave。\"

  \"Idomissher。\"

  Olly,thoughwithoutthetacttoperceivewhenremarkswereuntimely,wassavedbyherverysimplicityfromrenderingthemoffensive。Questionsthatwouldhavebeenresentedinothersshecouldaskwithimpunity。

  ThisaccountedforMrs。Yeobright’sacquiescenceintherevivalofanevidentlysoresubject。

  \"Iwasquitestrooktohearyou’dagreedtoit,ma’am,thatIwas,\"continuedthebesom—maker。

  \"YouwerenotmorestruckbyitthanIshouldhavebeenlastyearthistime,Olly。Thereareagoodmanysidestothatwedding。Icouldnottellyouallofthem,evenifItried。\"

  \"Ifeltmyselfthathewashardlysolid—goingenoughtomatewithyourfamily。Keepinganinn——whatisit?

  But’a’sclever,that’strue,andtheysayhewasanengineeringgentlemanonce,buthascomedownbybeingtoooutwardlygiven。\"

  \"Isawthat,uponthewhole,itwouldbebettersheshouldmarrywhereshewished。\"

  \"Poorlittlething,herfeelingsgotthebetterofher,nodoubt。’Tisnature。Well,theymaycallhimwhattheywill——he’veseveralacresofheth—groundbrokeuphere,besidesthepublichouse,andtheheth—croppers,andhismannersbequitelikeagentleman’s。Andwhat’sdonecannotbeundone。\"

  \"Itcannot,\"saidMrs。Yeobright。\"See,here’sthewagon—trackatlast。Nowweshallgetalongbetter。\"

  Theweddingsubjectwasnofurtherdweltupon;

  andsoonafaintdivergingpathwasreached,wheretheypartedcompany,OllyfirstbegginghercompaniontoremindMr。Wildevethathehadnotsenthersickhusbandthebottleofwinepromisedontheoccasionofhismarriage。

  Thebesom—makerturnedtothelefttowardsherownhouse,behindaspurofthehill,andMrs。Yeobrightfollowedthestraighttrack,whichfurtheronjoinedthehighwaybytheQuietWomanInn,whithershesupposedherniecetohavereturnedwithWildevefromtheirweddingatAngleburythatday。

  ShefirstreachedWildeve’sPatch,asitwascalled,aplotoflandredeemedfromtheheath,andafterlongandlaboriousyearsbroughtintocultivation。Themanwhohaddiscoveredthatitcouldbetilleddiedofthelabour;

  themanwhosucceededhiminpossessionruinedhimselfinfertilizingit。WildevecamelikeAmerigoVespucci,andreceivedthehonoursduetothosewhohadgonebefore。

  WhenMrs。Yeobrighthaddrawnneartotheinn,andwasabouttoenter,shesawahorseandvehiclesometwohundredyardsbeyondit,comingtowardsher,amanwalkingalongsidewithalanterninhishand。

  Itwassoonevidentthatthiswasthereddlemanwhohadinquiredforher。Insteadofenteringtheinnatonce,shewalkedbyitandtowardsthevan。

  Theconveyancecameclose,andthemanwasabouttopassherwithlittlenotice,whensheturnedtohimandsaid,\"Ithinkyouhavebeeninquiringforme?IamMrs。YeobrightofBlooms—End。\"

  Thereddlemanstarted,andhelduphisfinger。

  Hestoppedthehorses,andbeckonedtohertowithdrawwithhimafewyardsaside,whichshedid,wondering。

  \"Youdon’tknowme,ma’am,Isuppose?\"hesaid。

  \"Idonot,\"saidshe。\"Why,yes,Ido!YouareyoungVenn——yourfatherwasadairymansomewherehere?\"

  \"Yes;andIknewyourniece,MissTamsin,alittle。

  Ihavesomethingbadtotellyou。\"

  \"Abouther——no!Shehasjustcomehome,Ibelieve,withherhusband。Theyarrangedtoreturnthisafternoon——totheinnbeyondhere。\"

  \"She’snotthere。\"

  \"Howdoyouknow?\"

  \"Becauseshe’shere。She’sinmyvan,\"headdedslowly。

  \"Whatnewtroublehascome?\"murmuredMrs。Yeobright,puttingherhandoverhereyes。

  \"Ican’texplainmuch,ma’am。AllIknowisthat,asI

  wasgoingalongtheroadthismorning,aboutamileoutofAnglebury,Iheardsomethingtrottingaftermelikeadoe,andlookingroundthereshewas,whiteasdeathitself。

  ’Oh,DiggoryVenn!’shesaid,’Ithought’twasyou——willyouhelpme?Iamintrouble。’\"

  \"HowdidsheknowyourChristianname?\"saidMrs。Yeobrightdoubtingly。

  \"IhadmetherasaladbeforeIwentawayinthistrade。

  Sheaskedthenifshemightride,andthendownshefellinafaint。Ipickedherupandputherin,andthereshehasbeeneversince。Shehascriedagooddeal,butshehashardlyspoke;allshehastoldmebeingthatshewastohavebeenmarriedthismorning。

  Itriedtogethertoeatsomething,butshecouldn’t;

  andatlastshefellasleep。\"

  \"Letmeseeheratonce,\"saidMrs。Yeobright,hasteningtowardsthevan。

  Thereddlemanfollowedwiththelantern,and,steppingupfirst,assistedMrs。Yeobrighttomountbesidehim。

  Onthedoorbeingopenedsheperceivedattheendofthevananextemporizedcouch,aroundwhichwashungapparentlyallthedraperythatthereddlemanpossessed,tokeeptheoccupantofthelittlecouchfromcontactwiththeredmaterialsofhistrade。Ayounggirllaythereon,coveredwithacloak。Shewasasleep,andthelightofthelanternfelluponherfeatures。

  Afair,sweet,andhonestcountryfacewasrevealed,reposinginanestofwavychestnuthair。Itwasbetweenprettyandbeautiful。Thoughhereyeswereclosed,onecouldeasilyimaginethelightnecessarilyshininginthemastheculminationoftheluminousworkmanshiparound。

  Thegroundworkofthefacewashopefulness;butoveritnowIaylikeaforeignsubstanceafilmofanxietyandgrief。Thegriefhadbeentheresoshortlyastohaveabstractednothingofthebloom,andhadasyetbutgivenadignitytowhatitmighteventuallyundermine。

  Thescarletofherlipshadnothadtimetoabate,andjustnowitappearedstillmoreintensebytheabsenceoftheneighbouringandmoretransientcolourofhercheek。

  Thelipsfrequentlyparted,withamurmurofwords。

  Sheseemedtobelongrightlytoamadrigal——torequireviewingthroughrhymeandharmony。

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