\"Idon’tlikeyourgoingoutafterdarkalone，Tamsin，\"
saidherauntquietly，withoutlookingupfromherwork。
\"Ihaveonlybeenjustoutsidethedoor。\"
\"Well？\"inquiredMrs。Yeobright，struckbyachangeinthetoneofThomasin’svoice，andobservingher。
Thomasin’scheekwasflushedtoapitchfarbeyondthatwhichithadreachedbeforehertroubles，andhereyesglittered。
\"ItwasHEwhoknocked，\"shesaid。
\"Ithoughtasmuch。\"
\"Hewishesthemarriagetobeatonce。\"
\"Indeed！What——isheanxious？\"Mrs。Yeobrightdirectedasearchinglookuponherniece。\"WhydidnotMr。Wildevecomein？\"
\"Hedidnotwishto。Youarenotfriendswithhim，hesays。
Hewouldliketheweddingtobethedayaftertomorrow，quiteprivately；atthechurchofhisparish——notatours。\"
\"Oh！Andwhatdidyousay？\"
\"Iagreedtoit，\"Thomasinansweredfirmly。\"Iamapracticalwomannow。Idon’tbelieveinheartsatall。
Iwouldmarryhimunderanycircumstancessince——sinceClym’sletter。\"
AletterwaslyingonMrs。Yeobright’swork—basket，andatThomasin’swordsherauntreopenedit，andsilentlyreadforthetenthtimethatday：——
WhatisthemeaningofthissillystorythatpeoplearecirculatingaboutThomasinandMr。Wildeve？Ishouldcallsuchascandalhumiliatingiftherewastheleastchanceofitsbeingtrue。Howcouldsuchagrossfalsehoodhavearisen？Itissaidthatoneshouldgoabroadtohearnewsofhome，andIappeartohavedoneit。
OfcourseIcontradictthetaleeverywhere；butitisveryvexing，andIwonderhowitcouldhaveoriginated。
ItistooridiculousthatsuchagirlasThomasincouldsomortifyusastogetjiltedontheweddingday。
Whathasshedone？
\"Yes，\"Mrs。Yeobrightsaidsadly，puttingdowntheletter。
\"Ifyouthinkyoucanmarryhim，doso。AndsinceMr。Wildevewishesittobeunceremonious，letitbethattoo。
Icandonothing。Itisallinyourownhandsnow。
MypoweroveryourwelfarecametoanendwhenyouleftthishousetogowithhimtoAnglebury。\"Shecontinued，halfinbitterness，\"Imayalmostask，whydoyouconsultmeinthematteratall？Ifyouhadgoneandmarriedhimwithoutsayingawordtome，Icouldhardlyhavebeenangry——simplybecause，poorgirl，youcan’tdoabetterthing。\"
\"Don’tsaythatanddisheartenme。\"
\"Youareright——Iwillnot。\"
\"Idonotpleadforhim，Aunt。Humannatureisweak，andIamnotablindwomantoinsistthatheisperfect。
Ididthinkso，butIdon’tnow。ButIknowmycourse，andyouknowthatIknowit。Ihopeforthebest。\"
\"AndsodoI，andwewillbothcontinueto，\"saidMrs。Yeobright，risingandkissingher。\"Thenthewedding，ifitcomesoff，willbeonthemorningoftheverydayClymcomeshome？\"
\"Yes。Idecidedthatitoughttobeoverbeforehecame。
Afterthatyoucanlookhimintheface，andsocanI。Ourconcealmentswillmatternothing。\"
Mrs。Yeobrightmovedherheadinthoughtfulassent，andpresentlysaid，\"Doyouwishmetogiveyouaway？
Iamwillingtoundertakethat，youknow，ifyouwish，asIwaslasttime。AfteronceforbiddingthebannsI
thinkIcandonoless。\"
\"Idon’tthinkIwillaskyoutocome，\"saidThomasinreluctantly，butwithdecision。\"Itwouldbeunpleasant，Iamalmostsure。Betterlettherebeonlystrangerspresent，andnoneofmyrelationsatall。Iwouldratherhaveitso。
Idonotwishtodoanythingwhichmaytouchyourcredit，andIfeelthatIshouldbeuncomfortableifyouwerethere，afterwhathaspassed。Iamonlyyourniece，andthereisnonecessitywhyyoushouldconcernyourselfmoreaboutme。\"
\"Well，hehasbeatenus，\"herauntsaid。\"ItreallyseemsasifhehadbeenplayingwithyouinthiswayinrevengeformyhumblinghimasIdidbystandingupagainsthimatfirst。\"
\"Ono，Aunt，\"murmuredThomasin。
Theysaidnomoreonthesubjectthen。DiggoryVenn’sknockcamesoonafter；andMrs。Yeobright，onreturningfromherinterviewwithhimintheporch，carelesslyobserved，\"Anotherloverhascometoaskforyou。\"
\"No？\"
\"Yes，thatqueeryoungmanVenn。\"
\"Askstopayhisaddressestome？\"
\"Yes；andItoldhimhewastoolate。\"
Thomasinlookedsilentlyintothecandle—flame。\"PoorDiggory！\"
shesaid，andthenarousedherselftootherthings。
Thenextdaywaspassedinmeremechanicaldeedsofpreparation，boththewomenbeinganxioustoimmersethemselvesinthesetoescapetheemotionalaspectofthesituation。
SomewearingapparelandotherarticleswerecollectedanewforThomasin，andremarksondomesticdetailswerefrequentlymade，soastoobscureanyinnermisgivingsaboutherfutureasWildeve’swife。
Theappointedmorningcame。ThearrangementwithWildevewasthatheshouldmeetheratthechurchtoguardagainstanyunpleasantcuriositywhichmighthaveaffectedthemhadtheybeenseenwalkingofftogetherintheusualcountryway。
Auntandniecestoodtogetherinthebedroomwherethebridewasdressing。Thesun，whereitcouldcatchit，madeamirrorofThomasin’shair，whichshealwaysworebraided。
Itwasbraidedaccordingtoacalendarsystem——themoreimportantthedaythemorenumerousthestrandsinthebraid。
Onordinaryworking—daysshebraideditinthrees；
onordinarySundaysinfours；atMaypolings，gipsyings，andthelike，shebraideditinfives。Yearsagoshehadsaidthatwhenshemarriedshewouldbraiditinsevens。
Shehadbraideditinsevenstoday。
\"IhavebeenthinkingthatIwillwearmybluesilkafterall，\"
shesaid。\"Itismyweddingday，eventhoughtheremaybesomethingsadaboutthetime。Imean，\"sheadded，anxioustocorrectanywrongimpression，\"notsadinitself，butinitshavinghadgreatdisappointmentandtroublebeforeit。\"
Mrs。Yeobrightbreathedinawaywhichmighthavebeencalledasigh。\"IalmostwishClymhadbeenathome，\"shesaid。
\"Ofcourseyouchosethetimebecauseofhisabsence。\"
\"Partly。IhavefeltthatIactedunfairlytohiminnottellinghimall；but，asitwasdonenottogrievehim，IthoughtIwouldcarryouttheplantoitsend，andtellthewholestorywhentheskywasclear。\"
\"Youareapracticallittlewoman，\"saidMrs。Yeobright，smiling。
\"Iwishyouandhe——no，Idon’twishanything。There，itisnineo’clock，\"sheinterrupted，hearingawhizzandadingingdownstairs。
\"ItoldDamonIwouldleaveatnine，\"saidThomasin，hasteningoutoftheroom。
Herauntfollowed。WhenThomasinwasgoingupthelittlewalkfromthedoortothewicket—gate，Mrs。Yeobrightlookedreluctantlyather，andsaid，\"Itisashametoletyougoalone。\"
\"Itisnecessary，\"saidThomasin。
\"Atanyrate，\"addedherauntwithforcedcheerfulness，\"Ishallcalluponyouthisafternoon，andbringthecakewithme。
IfClymhasreturnedbythattimehewillperhapscometoo。
IwishtoshowMr。WildevethatIbearhimnoill—will。
Letthepastbeforgotten。Well，Godblessyou！There，Idon’tbelieveinoldsuperstitions，butI’lldoit。\"
Shethrewaslipperattheretreatingfigureofthegirl，whoturned，smiled，andwentonagain。
Afewstepsfurther，andshelookedback。\"Didyoucallme，Aunt？\"shetremulouslyinquired。\"Good—bye！\"
MovedbyanuncontrollablefeelingasshelookeduponMrs。Yeobright’sworn，wetface，sheranback，whenherauntcameforward，andtheymetagain。\"O——Tamsie，\"saidtheelder，weeping，\"Idon’tliketoletyougo。\"
\"I——Iam——\"Thomasinbegan，givingwaylikewise。
But，quellinghergrief，shesaid\"Good—bye！\"againandwenton。
ThenMrs。Yeobrightsawalittlefigurewendingitswaybetweenthescratchingfurze—bushes，anddiminishingfarupthevalley——apale—bluespotinavastfieldofneutralbrown，solitaryandundefendedexceptbythepowerofherownhope。
Buttheworstfeatureinthecasewasonewhichdidnotappearinthelandscape；itwastheman。
ThehourchosenfortheceremonybyThomasinandWildevehadbeensotimedastoenablehertoescapetheawkwardnessofmeetinghercousinClym，whowasreturningthesamemorning。
Toowntothepartialtruthofwhathehadheardwouldbedistressingaslongasthehumiliatingpositionresultingfromtheeventwasunimproved。Itwasonlyafterasecondandsuccessfuljourneytothealtarthatshecouldliftupherheadandprovethefailureofthefirstattemptapureaccident。
ShehadnotbeengonefromBlooms—EndmorethanhalfanhourwhenYeobrightcamebythemeadsfromtheotherdirectionandenteredthehouse。
\"Ihadanearlybreakfast，\"hesaidtohismotheraftergreetingher。\"NowIcouldeatalittlemore。\"
Theysatdowntotherepeatedmeal，andhewentoninalow，anxiousvoice，apparentlyimaginingthatThomasinhadnotyetcomedownstairs，\"What’sthisIhaveheardaboutThomasinandMr。Wildeve？\"
\"Itistrueinmanypoints，\"saidMrs。Yeobrightquietly；
\"butitisallrightnow，Ihope。\"Shelookedattheclock。
\"True？\"
\"Thomasinisgonetohimtoday。\"
Clympushedawayhisbreakfast。\"Thenthereisascandalofsomesort，andthat’swhat’sthematterwithThomasin。
Wasitthisthatmadeherill？\"
\"Yes。Notascandal——amisfortune。Iwilltellyouallaboutit，Clym。Youmustnotbeangry，butyoumustlisten，andyou’llfindthatwhatwehavedonehasbeendoneforthebest。\"
Shethentoldhimthecircumstances。AllthathehadknownoftheaffairbeforehereturnedfromPariswasthattherehadexistedanattachmentbetweenThomasinandWildeve，whichhismotherhadatfirstdiscountenanced，buthadsince，owingtotheargumentsofThomasin，lookeduponinalittlemorefavourablelight。Whenshe，therefore，proceededtoexplainallhewasgreatlysurprisedandtroubled。
\"Andshedeterminedthattheweddingshouldbeoverbeforeyoucameback，\"saidMrs。Yeobright，\"thattheremightbenochanceofhermeetingyou，andhavingaverypainfultimeofit。That’swhyshehasgonetohim；
theyhavearrangedtobemarriedthismorning。\"
\"ButIcan’tunderstandit，\"saidYeobright，rising。
\"’Tissounlikeher。Icanseewhyyoudidnotwritetomeafterherunfortunatereturnhome。Butwhydidn’tyouletmeknowwhentheweddingwasgoingtobe——thefirsttime？\"
\"Well，Ifeltvexedwithherjustthen。Sheseemedtometobeobstinate；andwhenIfoundthatyouwerenothinginhermindIvowedthatsheshouldbenothinginyours。
Ifeltthatshewasonlymynieceafterall；Itoldhershemightmarry，butthatIshouldtakenointerestinit，andshouldnotbotheryouaboutiteither。\"
\"Itwouldn’thavebeenbotheringme。Mother，youdidwrong。\"
\"Ithoughtitmightdisturbyouinyourbusiness，andthatyoumightthrowupyoursituation，orinjureyourprospectsinsomewaybecauseofit，soIsaidnothing。Ofcourse，iftheyhadmarriedatthattimeinapropermanner，Ishouldhavetoldyouatonce。\"
\"Tamsinactuallybeingmarriedwhilewearesittinghere！\"
\"Yes。Unlesssomeaccidenthappensagain，asitdidthefirsttime。Itmay，consideringhe’sthesameman。\"
\"Yes，andIbelieveitwill。Wasitrighttolethergo？
SupposeWildeveisreallyabadfellow？\"
\"Thenhewon’tcome，andshe’llcomehomeagain。\"
\"Youshouldhavelookedmoreintoit。\"
\"Itisuselesstosaythat，\"hismotheransweredwithanimpatientlookofsorrow。\"Youdon’tknowhowbadithasbeenherewithusalltheseweeks，Clym。Youdon’tknowwhatamortificationanythingofthatsortistoawoman。
Youdon’tknowthesleeplessnightswe’vehadinthishouse，andthealmostbitterwordsthathavepassedbetweenussincethatFifthofNovember。Ihopenevertopasssevensuchweeksagain。Tamsinhasnotgoneoutsidethedoor，andIhavebeenashamedtolookanybodyintheface；
andnowyoublamemeforlettingherdotheonlythingthatcanbedonetosetthattroublestraight。\"
\"No，\"hesaidslowly。\"UponthewholeIdon’tblameyou。
Butjustconsiderhowsuddenitseemstome。HerewasI，knowingnothing；andthenIamtoldallatoncethatTamsieisgonetobemarried。Well，Isupposetherewasnothingbettertodo。Doyouknow，Mother，\"hecontinuedafteramomentortwo，lookingsuddenlyinterestedinhisownpasthistory，\"IoncethoughtofTamsinasasweetheart？Yes，Idid。Howoddboysare！AndwhenIcamehomeandsawherthistimesheseemedsomuchmoreaffectionatethanusual，thatIwasquiteremindedofthosedays，particularlyonthenightoftheparty，whenshewasunwell。
Wehadthepartyjustthesame——wasnotthatrathercrueltoher？\"
\"Itmadenodifference。Ihadarrangedtogiveone，anditwasnotworthwhiletomakemoregloomthannecessary。
TobeginbyshuttingourselvesupandtellingyouofTamsin’smisfortuneswouldhavebeenapoorsortofwelcome。\"
Clymremainedthinking。\"Ialmostwishyouhadnothadthatparty，\"hesaid；\"andforotherreasons。ButIwilltellyouinadayortwo。WemustthinkofTamsinnow。\"
Theylapsedintosilence。\"I’lltellyouwhat，\"
saidYeobrightagain，inatonewhichshowedsomeslumberingfeelingstill。\"Idon’tthinkitkindtoTamsintoletherbemarriedlikethis，andneitherofustheretokeepupherspiritsorcareabitabouther。Shehasn’tdisgracedherself，ordoneanythingtodeservethat。
Itisbadenoughthattheweddingshouldbesohurriedandunceremonious，withoutourkeepingawayfromitinaddition。Uponmysoul，’tisalmostashame。
I’llgo。\"
\"Itisoverbythistime，\"saidhismotherwithasigh；
\"unlesstheywerelate，orhe——\"
\"ThenIshallbesoonenoughtoseethemcomeout。
Idon’tquitelikeyourkeepingmeinignorance，Mother，afterall。Really，Ihalfhopehehasfailedtomeether！\"
\"Andruinedhercharacter？\"
\"Nonsense——thatwouldn’truinThomasin。\"
Hetookuphishatandhastilyleftthehouse。
Mrs。Yeobrightlookedratherunhappy，andsatstill，deepinthought。Butshewasnotlongleftalone。
AfewminuteslaterClymcamebackagain，andinhiscompanycameDiggoryVenn。
\"Ifindthereisn’ttimeformetogetthere，\"saidClym。
\"Isshemarried？\"Mrs。Yeobrightinquired，turningtothereddlemanafaceinwhichastrangestrifeofwishes，forandagainst，wasapparent。
Vennbowed。\"Sheis，ma’am。\"
\"Howstrangeitsounds，\"murmuredClym。
\"Andhedidn’tdisappointherthistime？\"saidMrs。Yeobright。
\"Hedidnot。Andthereisnownoslightonhername。
Iwashasteningath’arttotellyouatonce，asIsawyouwerenotthere。\"
\"Howcameyoutobethere？Howdidyouknowit？\"
sheasked。
\"Ihavebeeninthatneighbourhoodforsometime，andI
sawthemgoin，\"saidthereddleman。\"Wildevecameuptothedoor，punctualastheclock。Ididn’texpectitofhim。\"Hedidnotadd，ashemighthaveadded，thathowhecametobeinthatneighbourhoodwasnotbyaccident；that，sinceWildeve’sresumptionofhisrighttoThomasin，Venn，withthethoroughnesswhichwaspartofhischaracter，haddeterminedtoseetheendoftheepisode。
\"Whowasthere？\"saidMrs。Yeobright。
\"Nobodyhardly。Istoodrightoutoftheway，andshedidnotseeme。\"Thereddlemanspokehuskily，andlookedintothegarden。
\"Whogaveheraway？\"
\"MissVye。\"
\"Howveryremarkable！MissVye！Itistobeconsideredanhonour，Isuppose？\"
\"Who’sMissVye？\"saidClym。
\"CaptainVye’sgranddaughter，ofMistoverKnap。\"
\"AproudgirlfromBudmouth，\"saidMrs。Yeobright。
\"Onenotmuchtomyliking。Peoplesayshe’sawitch，butofcoursethat’sabsurd。\"
Thereddlemankepttohimselfhisacquaintancewiththatfairpersonage，andalsothatEustaciawastherebecausehewenttofetchher，inaccordancewithapromisehehadgivenassoonashelearntthatthemarriagewastotakeplace。
Hemerelysaid，incontinuationofthestory————
\"Iwassittingonthechurchyardwallwhentheycameup，onefromoneway，theotherfromtheother；andMissVyewaswalkingthereabouts，lookingattheheadstones。
AssoonastheyhadgoneinIwenttothedoor，feelingI
shouldliketoseeit，asIknewhersowell。Ipulledoffmybootsbecausetheyweresonoisy，andwentupintothegallery。Isawthenthattheparsonandclerkwerealreadythere。\"
\"HowcameMissVyetohaveanythingtodowithit，ifshewasonlyonawalkthatway？\"
\"Becausetherewasnobodyelse。Shehadgoneintothechurchjustbeforeme，notintothegallery。Theparsonlookedroundbeforebeginning，andasshewastheonlyonenearhebeckonedtoher，andshewentuptotherails。Afterthat，whenitcametosigningthebook，shepushedupherveilandsigned；andTamsinseemedtothankherforherkindness。\"
ThereddlemantoldthetalethoughtfullyfortherelingereduponhisvisionthechangingcolourofWildeve，whenEustacialiftedthethickveilwhichhadconcealedherfromrecognitionandlookedcalmlyintohisface。
\"Andthen，\"saidDiggorysadly，\"Icameaway，forherhistoryasTamsinYeobrightwasover。\"
\"Iofferedtogo，\"saidMrs。Yeobrightregretfully。
\"Butshesaiditwasnotnecessary。\"
\"Well，itisnomatter，\"saidthereddleman。\"Thethingisdoneatlastasitwasmeanttobeatfirst，andGodsendherhappiness。NowI’llwishyougoodmorning。\"
Heplacedhiscaponhisheadandwentout。
FromthatinstantofleavingMrs。Yeobright’sdoor，thereddlemanwasseennomoreinoraboutEgdonHeathforaspaceofmanymonths。Hevanishedentirely。
Thenookamongthebrambleswherehisvanhadbeenstandingwasasvacantaseverthenextmorning，andscarcelyasignremainedtoshowthathehadbeenthere，exceptingafewstraws，andalittlerednessontheturf，whichwaswashedawaybythenextstormofrain。
ThereportthatDiggoryhadbroughtofthewedding，correctasfarasitwent，wasdeficientinonesignificantparticular，whichhadescapedhimthroughhisbeingatsomedistancebackinthechurch。WhenThomasinwastremblinglyengagedinsigninghernameWildevehadflungtowardsEustaciaaglancethatsaidplainly，\"Ihavepunishedyounow。\"Shehadrepliedinalowtone——andhelittlethoughthowtruly——\"Youmistake；
itgivesmesincerestpleasuretoseeheryourwifetoday。\"
bookfourTHECLOSEDDOOR
1—TheRencounterbythePoolTheJulysunshoneoverEgdonandfireditscrimsonheathertoscarlet。Itwastheoneseasonoftheyear，andtheoneweatheroftheseason，inwhichtheheathwasgorgeous。Thisfloweringperiodrepresentedthesecondornoontidedivisioninthecycleofthosesuperficialchangeswhichalonewerepossiblehere；itfollowedthegreenoryoung—fernperiod，representingthemorn，andprecededthebrownperiod，whentheheathbellsandfernswouldweartherussettingesofevening；tobeinturndisplacedbythedarkhueofthewinterperiod，representingnight。
ClymandEustacia，intheirlittlehouseatAlderworth，beyondEastEgdon，werelivingonwithamonotonywhichwasdelightfultothem。Theheathandchangesofweatherwerequiteblottedoutfromtheireyesforthepresent。
Theywereenclosedinasortofluminousmist，whichhidfromthemsurroundingsofanyinharmoniouscolour，andgavetoallthingsthecharacteroflight。Whenitrainedtheywerecharmed，becausetheycouldremainindoorstogetheralldaywithsuchashowofreason；
whenitwasfinetheywerecharmed，becausetheycouldsittogetheronthehills。Theywerelikethosedoublestarswhichrevolveroundandroundeachother，andfromadistanceappeartobeone。Theabsolutesolitudeinwhichtheylivedintensifiedtheirreciprocalthoughts；
yetsomemighthavesaidthatithadthedisadvantageofconsumingtheirmutualaffectionsatafearfullyprodigalrate。Yeobrightdidnotfearforhisownpart；
butrecollectionofEustacia’soldspeechabouttheevanescenceoflove，nowapparentlyforgottenbyher，sometimescausedhimtoaskhimselfaquestion；andherecoiledatthethoughtthatthequalityoffinitenesswasnotforeigntoEden。
Whenthreeorfourweekshadbeenpassedthus，Yeobrightresumedhisreadinginearnest。Tomakeupforlosttimehestudiedindefatigably，forhewishedtoenterhisnewprofessionwiththeleastpossibledelay。
Now，Eustacia’sdreamhadalwaysbeenthat，oncemarriedtoClym，shewouldhavethepowerofinducinghimtoreturntoParis。Hehadcarefullywithheldallpromisetodoso；
butwouldhebeproofagainsthercoaxingandargument？
ShehadcalculatedtosuchadegreeontheprobabilityofsuccessthatshehadrepresentedParis，andnotBudmouth，tohergrandfatherasinalllikelihoodtheirfuturehome。
Herhopeswereboundupinthisdream。Inthequietdayssincetheirmarriage，whenYeobrighthadbeenporingoverherlips，hereyes，andthelinesofherface，shehadmusedandmusedonthesubject，evenwhileintheactofreturninghisgaze；andnowthesightofthebooks，indicatingafuturewhichwasantagonistictoherdream，struckherwithapositivelypainfuljar。Shewashopingforthetimewhen，asthemistressofsomeprettyestablishment，howeversmall，nearaParisianBoulevard，shewouldbepassingherdaysontheskirtsatleastofthegayworld，andcatchingstraywaftsfromthosetownpleasuresshewassowellfittedtoenjoy。YetYeobrightwasasfirminthecontraryintentionasifthetendencyofmarriagewererathertodevelopthefantasiesofyoungphilanthropythantosweepthemaway。
Heranxietyreachedahighpitch；buttherewassomethinginClym’sundeviatingmannerwhichmadeherhesitatebeforesoundinghimonthesubject。Atthispointintheirexperience，however，anincidenthelpedher。
Itoccurredoneeveningaboutsixweeksaftertheirunion，andaroseentirelyoutoftheunconsciousmisapplicationofVennofthefiftyguineasintendedforYeobright。
AdayortwoafterthereceiptofthemoneyThomasinhadsentanotetoheraunttothankher。Shehadbeensurprisedatthelargenessoftheamount；butasnosumhadeverbeenmentionedshesetthatdowntoherlateuncle’sgenerosity。Shehadbeenstrictlychargedbyheraunttosaynothingtoherhusbandofthisgift；
andWildeve，aswasnaturalenough，hadnotbroughthimselftomentiontohiswifeasingleparticularofthemidnightsceneintheheath。Christian’sterror，inlikemanner，hadtiedhistongueonthesharehetookinthatproceeding；
andhopingthatbysomemeansorotherthemoneyhadgonetoitsproperdestination，hesimplyassertedasmuch，withoutgivingdetails。
Therefore，whenaweekortwohadpassedaway，Mrs。Yeobrightbegantowonderwhysheneverheardfromhersonofthereceiptofthepresent；andtoaddgloomtoherperplexitycamethepossibilitythatresentmentmightbethecauseofhissilence。Shecouldhardlybelieveasmuch，butwhydidhenotwrite？ShequestionedChristian，andtheconfusioninhisanswerswouldatoncehaveledhertobelievethatsomethingwaswrong，hadnotone—halfofhisstorybeencorroboratedbyThomasin’snote。