`PhoebesilvarumquepotensDiana!’Thehorsestoodstilltillhehadfinishedthehymn,whichJuderepeatedundertheswayofapolytheisticfancythathewouldneverhavethoughtofhumouringinbroaddaylight。
  Reachinghome,hemusedoverhiscurioussuperstition,innateoracquired,indoingthis,andthestrangeforgetfulnesswhichhadledtosuchalapsefromcommonsenseandcustominonewhowished,nexttobeingascholar,tobeaChristiandivine。Ithadallcomeofreadingheathenworksexclusively。Themorehethoughtofitthemoreconvincedhewasofhisinconsistency。Hebegantowonderwhetherhecouldbereadingquitetherightbooksforhisobjectinlife。CertainlythereseemedlittleharmonybetweenthispaganliteratureandthemediaevalcollegesatChristminster,thatecclesiasticalromanceinstone。
  UltimatelyhedecidedthatinhissheerloveofreadinghehadtakenupawrongemotionforaChristianyoungman。HehaddabbledinClarke’sHomer,buthadneveryetworkedmuchattheNewTestamentintheGreek,thoughhepossessedacopy,obtainedbypostfromasecond-handbookseller。
  HeabandonedthenowfamiliarIonicforanewdialect,andforalongtimeonwardlimitedhisreadingalmostentirelytotheGospelsandEpistlesinGriesbach’stext。Moreover,ongoingintoAlfredstononeday,hewasintroducedtopatristicliteraturebyfindingatthebookseller’ssomevolumesoftheFatherswhichhadbeenleftbehindbyaninsolventclergymanoftheneighbourhood。
  AsanotheroutcomeofthischangeofgroovehevisitedonSundaysallthechurcheswithinawalk,anddecipheredtheLatininscriptionsonfifteenth-centurybrassesandtombs。Ononeofthesepilgrimageshemetwithahunch-backedoldwomanofgreatintelligence,whoreadeverythingshecouldlayherhandson,andshetoldhimmoreyetoftheromanticcharmsofthecityoflightandlore。Thitherheresolvedasfirmlyasevertogo。
  Buthowliveinthatcity?Atpresenthehadnoincomeatall。
  Hehadnotradeorcallingofanydignityorstabilitywhateveronwhichhecouldsubsistwhilecarryingoutanintellectuallabourwhichmightspreadovermanyyears。
  Whatwasmostrequiredbycitizens?Food,clothing,andshelter。
  Anincomefromanyworkinpreparingthefirstwouldbetoomeagre;formakingthesecondhefeltadistaste;thepreparationofthethirdrequisiteheinclinedto。Theybuiltinacity;thereforehewouldlearntobuild。
  Hethoughtofhisunknownuncle,hiscousinSusanna’sfather,anecclesiasticalworkerinmetal,andsomehowmediaevalartinanymaterialwasatradeforwhichhehadratherafancy。Hecouldnotgofarwronginfollowinghisuncle’sfootsteps,andengaginghimselfawhilewiththecarcasesthatcontainedthescholarsouls。
  Asapreliminaryheobtainedsomesmallblocksoffreestone,metalnotbeingavailable,andsuspendinghisstudiesawhile,occupiedhissparehalf-hoursincopyingtheheadsandcapitalsinhisparishchurch。
  Therewasastone-masonofahumblekindinAlfredston,andassoonashehadfoundasubstituteforhimselfinhisaunt’slittlebusiness,heofferedhisservicestothismanforatriflingwage。HereJudehadtheopportunityoflearningatleasttherudimentsoffreestone-working。
  Sometimelaterhewenttoachurch-builderinthesameplace,andunderthearchitect’sdirectionbecamehandyatrestoringthedilapidatedmasonriesofseveralvillagechurchesroundabout。
  Notforgettingthathewasonlyfollowingupthishandicraftasaproptoleanonwhilehepreparedthosegreaterengineswhichheflatteredhimselfwouldbebetterfittedforhim,heyetwasinterestedinhispursuitonitsownaccount。Henowhadlodgingsduringtheweekinthelittletown,whencehereturnedtoMarygreenvillageeverySaturdayevening。Andthushereachedandpassedhisnineteenthyear。
  JudetheObscureChapter06I-viAtthismemorabledateofhislifehewas,oneSaturday,returningfromAlfredstontoMarygreenaboutthreeo’clockintheafternoon。Itwasfine,warm,andsoftsummerweather,andhewalkedwithhistoolsathisback,hislittlechiselsclinkingfaintlyagainstthelargeronesinhisbasket。
  Itbeingtheendoftheweekhehadleftworkearly,andhadcomeoutofthetownbyaround-aboutroutewhichhedidnotusuallyfrequent,havingpromisedtocallataflour-millnearCresscombetoexecuteacommissionforhisaunt。
  Hewasinanenthusiasticmood。HeseemedtoseehiswaytolivingcomfortablyinChristminsterinthecourseofayearortwo,andknockingatthedoorsofoneofthosestrongholdsoflearningofwhichhehaddreamedsomuch。Hemight,ofcourse,havegonetherenow,insomecapacityorother,buthepreferredtoenterthecitywithalittlemoreassuranceastomeansthanhecouldbesaidtofeelatpresent。Awarmself-contentsuffusedhimwhenheconsideredwhathehadalreadydone。Nowandthenashewentalongheturnedtofacethepeepsofcountryoneithersideofhim。Buthehardlysawthem;theactwasanautomaticrepetitionofwhathehadbeenaccustomedtodowhenlessoccupied;andtheonematterwhichreallyengagedhimwasthementalestimateofhisprogressthusfar。
  `Ihaveacquiredquiteanaveragestudent’spowertoreadthecommonancientclassics,Latininparticular。’Thiswastrue,Judepossessingafacilityinthatlanguagewhichenabledhimwithgreateasetohimselftobeguilehislonelywalksbyimaginaryconversationstherein。
  `Ihavereadtwobooksoftheiliad,besidesbeingprettyfamiliarwithpassagessuchasthespeechofPhoenixintheninthbook,thefightofHectorandAjaxinthefourteenth,theappearanceofAchillesunarmedandhisheavenlyarmourintheeighteenth,andthefuneralgamesinthetwenty-third。IhavealsodonesomeHesiod,alittlescrapofThucydides,andalotoftheGreekTestament……Iwishtherewasonlyonedialectallthesame。
  `Ihavedonesomemathematics,includingthefirstsixandtheeleventhandtwelfthbooksofEuclid;andalgebraasfarassimpleequations。
  `IknowsomethingoftheFathers,andsomethingofRomanandEnglishhistory。
  `Thesethingsareonlyabeginning。ButIshallnotmakemuchfartheradvancehere,fromthedifficultyofgettingbooks。HenceImustnextconcentrateallmyenergiesonsettlinginChristminster。OncethereIshallsoadvance,withtheassistanceIshallthereget,thatmypresentknowledgewillappeartomebutaschildishignorance。Imustsavemoney,andIwill;andoneofthosecollegesshallopenitsdoorstome-shallwelcomewhomnowitwouldspurn,ifIwaittwentyyearsforthewelcome。
  `I’llbeD。D。beforeIhavedone!’
  Andthenhecontinuedtodream,andthoughthemightbecomeevenabishopbyleadingapure,energetic,wise,Christianlife。Andwhatanexamplehewouldset!Ifhisincomewere5000poundsayear,hewouldgiveaway4500poundsinoneformandanother,andlivesumptuouslyforhim
  ontheremainder。Well,onsecondthoughts,abishopwasabsurd。Hewoulddrawthelineatanarchdeacon。Perhapsamancouldbeasgoodandaslearnedandasusefulinthecapacityofarchdeaconasinthatofbishop。Yethethoughtofthebishopagain。
  `MeanwhileIwillread,assoonasIamsettledinChristminster,thebooksIhavenotbeenabletogetholdofhere:Livy,Tacitus,Herodotus,AEschylus,Sophocles,Aristophanes-’
  `Ha,ha,ha!Hoity-toity!’Thesoundswereexpressedinlightvoicesontheothersideofthehedge,buthedidnotnoticethem。Histhoughtswenton:
  `-Euripides,Plato,Aristotle,Lucretius,Epictetus,Seneca,Antoninus。ThenImustmasterotherthings:theFathersthoroughly;Bedeandecclesiasticalhistorygenerally;asmatteringofHebrew-Ionlyknowthelettersasyet-’
  `Hoity-toity!’
  `-butIcanworkhard。Ihavestayingpowerinabundance,thankGod!anditisthatwhichtells……Yes,ChristminstershallbemyAlmaMater;andI’llbeherbelovedson,inwhomsheshallbewellpleased。’
  InhisdeepconcentrationonthesetransactionsofthefutureJude’swalkhadslackened,andhewasnowstandingquitestill,lookingatthegroundasthoughthefuturewerethrownthereonbyamagiclantern。
  Onasuddensomethingsmackedhimsharplyintheear,andhebecameawarethatasoftcoldsubstancehadbeenflungathim,andhadfallenathisfeet。
  Aglancetoldhimwhatitwas-apieceofflesh,thecharacteristicpartofabarrow-pig,whichthecountrymenusedforgreasingtheirboots,asitwasuselessforanyotherpurpose。Pigswereratherplentifulhereabout,beingbredandfattenedinlargenumbersincertainpartsofNorthWessex。
  Ontheothersideofthehedgewasastream,whence,ashenowforthefirsttimerealized,hadcometheslightsoundsofvoicesandlaughterthathadmingledwithhisdreams。Hemountedthebankandlookedoverthefence。Onthefurthersideofthestreamstoodasmallhomestead,havingagardenandpig-stiesattached;infrontofit,besidethebrook,threeyoungwomenwerekneeling,withbucketsandplattersbesidethemcontainingheapsofpigs’chitterlings,whichtheywerewashingintherunningwater。
  Oneortwopairsofeyesslylyglancedup,andperceivingthathisattentionhadatlastbeenattracted,andthathewaswatchingthem,theybracedthemselvesforinspectionbyputtingtheirmouthsdemurelyintoshapeandrecommencingtheirrinsingoperationswithassiduity。
  `Thankyou!’saidJudeseverely。
  `Ididn’tthrowit,Itellyou!’assertedonegirltoherneighbour,asifunconsciousoftheyoungman’spresence。
  `NorI,’thesecondanswered。
  `Oh,Anny,howcanyou!’saidthethird。
  `IfIhadthrownanythingatall,itshouldn’thavebeenthat!’
  `Pooh!Idon’tcareforhim!’Andtheylaughedandcontinuedtheirwork,withoutlookingup,stillostentatiouslyaccusingeachother。
  Judegrewsarcasticashewipedhisface,andcaughttheirremarks。
  `youdidn’tdoit-ohno!’hesaidtotheup-streamoneofthethree。
  Shewhomheaddressedwasafinedark-eyedgirl,notexactlyhandsome,butcapableofpassingassuchatalittledistance,despitesomecoarsenessofskinandfibre。Shehadaroundandprominentbosom,fulllips,perfectteeth,andtherichcomplexionofaCochinhen’segg。Shewasacompleteandsubstantialfemaleanimal-nomore,noless;andJudewasalmostcertainthattoherwasattributabletheenterpriseofattractinghisattentionfromdreamsofthehumanerletterstowhatwassimmeringinthemindsaroundhim。
  `Thatyou’llneverbetold,’saidshedeedily。
  `Whoeverdiditwaswastefulofotherpeople’sproperty。’
  `Oh,that’snothing。’
  `Butyouwanttospeaktome,Isuppose?’
  `Ohyes;ifyouliketo。’
  `ShallIclamberacross,orwillyoucometotheplankabovehere?’
  Perhapssheforesawanopportunity;forsomehoworothertheeyesofthebrowngirlrestedinhisownwhenhehadsaidthewords,andtherewasamomentaryflashofintelligence,adumbannouncementofaffinityinpossebetweenherselfandhim,which,sofarasJudeFawleywasconcerned,hadnosortofpremeditationinit。Shesawthathehadsingledheroutfromthethree,asawomanissingledoutinsuchcases,fornoreasonedpurposeoffurtheracquaintance,butincommonplaceobediencetoconjunctiveordersfromheadquarters,unconsciouslyreceivedbyunfortunatemenwhenthelastintentionoftheirlivesistobeoccupiedwiththefeminine。
  Springingtoherfeet,shesaid:`Bringbackwhatislyingthere。’
  Judewasnowawarethatnomessageonanymatterconnectedwithherfather’sbusinesshadpromptedhersignaltohim。Hesetdownhisbasketoftools,pickedupthescrapofoffal,beatapathwayforhimselfwithhisstick,andgotoverthehedge。Theywalkedinparallellines,oneoneachbankofthestream,towardsthesmallplankbridge。Asthegirldrewnearertoit,shegavewithoutJudeperceivingit,anadroitlittlesucktotheinteriorofeachofhercheeksinsuccession,bywhichcuriousandoriginalmanoeuvreshebroughtasbymagicuponitssmoothandrotundsurfaceaperfectdimple,whichshewasabletoretainthereaslongasshecontinuedtosmile。Thisproductionofdimplesatwillwasanotunknownoperation,whichmanyattempted,butonlyafewsucceededinaccomplishing。
  Theymetinthemiddleoftheplank,andJude,tossingbackhermissile,seemedtoexpecthertoexplainwhyshehadaudaciouslystoppedhimbythisnovelartilleryinsteadofbyhailinghim。
  Butshe,slylylookinginanotherdirection,swayedherselfbackwardsandforwardsonherhandasitclutchedtherailofthebridge;till,movedbyamatorycuriosity,sheturnedhereyescriticallyuponhim。
  `Youdon’tthinkIwouldshythingsatyou?’
  `Ohno。’
  `Wearedoingthisformyfather,whonaturallydoesn’twantanythingthrownaway。Hemakesthatintodubbin。’Shenoddedtowardsthefragmentonthegrass。
  `Whatmadeeitheroftheothersthrowit,Iwonder?’Judeasked,politelyacceptingherassertion,thoughhehadverylargedoubtsastoitstruth。
  `Impudence。Don’ttellfolkitwasI,mind!’
  `HowcanI?Idon’tknowyourname。’
  `Ah,no。ShallItellittoyou?’
  `Do!’
  `ArabellaDonn。I’mlivinghere。’
  `ImusthaveknownitifIhadoftencomethisway。ButImostlygostraightalongthehigh-road。’
  `Myfatherisapig-breeder,andthesegirlsarehelpingmewashtheinnerdsforblack-puddingsandsuchlike。’
  Theytalkedalittlemoreandalittlemore,astheystoodregardingeachotherandleaningagainstthehand-railofthebridge。Theunvoicedcallofwomantoman,whichwasutteredverydistinctlybyArabella’spersonality,heldJudetothespotagainsthisintention-almostagainsthiswill,andinawaynewtohisexperience。ItisscarcelyanexaggerationtosaythattillthismomentJudehadneverlookedatawomantoconsiderherassuch,buthadvaguelyregardedthesexasbeingsoutsidehislifeandpurposes。Hegazedfromhereyestohermouth,thencetoherbosom,andtoherfullroundnakedarms,wet,mottledwiththechillofthewater,andfirmasmarble。
  `Whatanice-lookinggirlyouare!’hemurmured,thoughthewordshadnotbeennecessarytoexpresshissenseofhermagnetism。
  `Ah,youshouldseemeSundays!’shesaidpiquantly。
  `Idon’tsupposeIcould?’heanswered`That’sforyoutothinkon。There’snobodyaftermejustnow,thoughtheremedbeinaweekortwo。’Shehadspokenthiswithoutasmile,andthedimplesdisappeared。
  Judefelthimselfdriftingstrangely,butcouldnothelpit。`Willyouletme?’
  `Idon’tmind。’
  Bythistimeshehadmanagedtogetbackonedimplebyturningherfaceasideforamomentandrepeatingtheoddlittlesuckingoperationbeforementioned,Judebeingstillunconsciousofmorethanageneralimpressionofherappearance。`NextSunday?’hehazarded。`To-morrow,thatis?’
  `Yes。’
  `ShallIcall?’
  `Yes。’