TheseSunday—morninghair—cuttingswereperformedbyFairway;
  thevictimsittingonachopping—blockinfrontofthehouse,withoutacoat,andtheneighboursgossipingaround,idlyobservingthelocksofhairastheyroseuponthewindafterthesnip,andflewawayoutofsighttothefourquartersoftheheavens。Summerandwinterthescenewasthesame,unlessthewindweremorethanusuallyblusterous,whenthestoolwasshiftedafewfeetroundthecorner。
  Tocomplainofcoldinsittingoutofdoors,hatlessandcoatless,whileFairwaytoldtruestoriesbetweenthecutsofthescissors,wouldhavebeentopronounceyourselfnomanatonce。Toflinch,exclaim,ormoveamuscleofthefaceatthesmallstabsundertheearreceivedfromthoseinstruments,oratscarificationsoftheneckbythecomb,wouldhavebeenthoughtagrossbreachofgoodmanners,consideringthatFairwaydiditallfornothing。AbleedingaboutthepollonSundayafternoonswasamplyaccountedforbytheexplanation。
  "Ihavehadmyhaircut,youknow。"
  TheconversationonYeobrighthadbeenstartedbyadistantviewoftheyoungmanramblingleisurelyacrosstheheathbeforethem。
  "Amanwhoisdoingwellelsewherewouldn’tbideheretwoorthreeweeksfornothing,"saidFairway。
  "He’sgotsomeprojectin’shead——dependuponthat。"
  "Well,’acan’tkeepadimentshophere,"saidSam。
  "Idon’tseewhyheshouldhavehadthemtwoheavyboxeshomeifhehadnotbeengoingtobide;andwhatthereisforhimtodoheretheLordinheavenknows。"
  BeforemanymoresurmisescouldbeindulgedinYeobrighthadcomenear;andseeingthehair—cuttinggroupheturnedasidetojointhem。Marchingup,andlookingcriticallyattheirfacesforamoment,hesaid,withoutintroduction,"Now,folks,letmeguesswhatyouhavebeentalkingabout。"
  "Ay,sure,ifyouwill,"saidSam。
  "Aboutme。"
  "Now,itisathingIshouldn’thavedreamedofdoing,otherwise,"saidFairwayinatoneofintegrity;"butsinceyouhavenamedit,MasterYeobright,I’llownthatwewastalkingabout’ee。Wewerewonderingwhatcouldkeepyouhomeheremollyhorningaboutwhenyouhavemadesuchaworld—widenameforyourselfinthenick—nacktrade——now,that’sthetrutho’t。"
  "I’lltellyou,"saidYeobright。withunexpectedearnestness。
  "Iamnotsorrytohavetheopportunity。I’vecomehomebecause,allthingsconsidered,Icanbeatriflelessuselessherethananywhereelse。ButIhaveonlylatelyfoundthisout。WhenIfirstgotawayfromhomeIthoughtthisplacewasnotworthtroublingabout。Ithoughtourlifeherewascontemptible。Tooilyourbootsinsteadofblackingthem,todustyourcoatwithaswitchinsteadofabrush——wasthereeveranythingmoreridiculous?Isaid。"
  "So’tis;so’tis!"
  "No,no——youarewrong;itisn’t。"
  "Begyourpardon,wethoughtthatwasyourmaning?"
  "Well,asmyviewschangedmycoursebecameverydepressing。
  IfoundthatIwastryingtobelikepeoplewhohadhardlyanythingincommonwithmyself。Iwasendeavouringtoputoffonesortoflifeforanothersortoflife,whichwasnotbetterthanthelifeIhadknownbefore。
  Itwassimplydifferent。"
  "True;asightdifferent,"saidFairway。
  "Yes,Parismustbeatakingplace,"saidHumphrey。
  "Grandshop—winders,trumpets,anddrums;andherebeweoutofdoorsinallwindsandweathers——"
  "Butyoumistakeme,"pleadedClym。"Allthiswasverydepressing。ButnotsodepressingassomethingI
  nextperceived——thatmybusinesswastheidlest,vainest,mosteffeminatebusinessthateveramancouldbeputto。
  Thatdecidedme——IwouldgiveitupandtrytofollowsomerationaloccupationamongthepeopleIknewbest,andtowhomIcouldbeofmostuse。Ihavecomehome;
  andthisishowImeantocarryoutmyplan。IshallkeepaschoolasneartoEgdonaspossible,soastobeabletowalkoverhereandhaveanight—schoolinmymother’shouse。ButImuststudyalittleatfirst,togetproperlyqualified。Now,neighbours,Imustgo。"
  AndClymresumedhiswalkacrosstheheath。
  "He’llnevercarryitoutintheworld,"saidFairway。
  "Inafewweekshe’lllearntoseethingsotherwise。"
  "’Tisgood—heartedoftheyoungman,"saidanother。
  "But,formypart,Ithinkhehadbettermindhisbusiness。"
  2—TheNewCourseCausesDisappointmentYeobrightlovedhiskind。Hehadaconvictionthatthewantofmostmenwasknowledgeofasortwhichbringswisdomratherthanaffluence。Hewishedtoraisetheclassattheexpenseofindividualsratherthanindividualsattheexpenseoftheclass。Whatwasmore,hewasreadyatoncetobethefirstunitsacrificed。
  Inpassingfromthebucolictotheintellectuallifetheintermediatestagesareusuallytwoatleast,frequentlymanymore;andoneofthosestagesisalmostsuretobeworldlyadvanced。Wecanhardlyimaginebucolicplacidityquickeningtointellectualaimswithoutimaginingsocialaimsasthetransitionalphase。
  Yeobright’slocalpeculiaritywasthatinstrivingathighthinkinghestillcleavedtoplainliving——nay,wildandmeagrelivinginmanyrespects,andbrotherlinesswithclowns。
  HewasaJohntheBaptistwhotookennoblementratherthanrepentanceforhistext。Mentallyhewasinaprovincialfuture,thatis,hewasinmanypointsabreastwiththecentraltownthinkersofhisdate。MuchofthisdevelopmenthemayhaveowedtohisstudiouslifeinParis,wherehehadbecomeacquaintedwithethicalsystemspopularatthetime。
  Inconsequenceofthisrelativelyadvancedposition,Yeobrightmighthavebeencalledunfortunate。
  Theruralworldwasnotripeforhim。Amanshouldbeonlypartiallybeforehistime——tobecompletelytothevanwardinaspirationsisfataltofame。
  HadPhilip’swarlikesonbeenintellectuallysofaraheadastohaveattemptedcivilizationwithoutbloodshed,hewouldhavebeentwicethegodlikeherothatheseemed,butnobodywouldhaveheardofanAlexander。
  Intheinterestsofrenowntheforwardnessshouldliechieflyinthecapacitytohandlethings。Successfulpropagandistshavesucceededbecausethedoctrinetheybringintoformisthatwhichtheirlistenershaveforsometimefeltwithoutbeingabletoshape。Amanwhoadvocatesaestheticeffortanddeprecatessocialeffortisonlylikelytobeunderstoodbyaclasstowhichsocialefforthasbecomeastalematter。Toargueuponthepossibilityofculturebeforeluxurytothebucolicworldmaybetoarguetruly,butitisanattempttodisturbasequencetowhichhumanityhasbeenlongaccustomed。YeobrightpreachingtotheEgdoneremitesthattheymightrisetoaserenecomprehensivenesswithoutgoingthroughtheprocessofenrichingthemselveswasnotunlikearguingtoancientChaldeansthatinascendingfromearthtothepureempyreanitwasnotnecessarytopassfirstintotheinterveningheavenofether。
  WasYeobright’smindwell—proportioned?No。Awellproportionedmindisonewhichshowsnoparticularbias;
  oneofwhichwemaysafelysaythatitwillnevercauseitsownertobeconfinedasamadman,torturedasaheretic,orcrucifiedasablasphemer。Also,ontheotherhand,thatitwillnevercausehimtobeapplaudedasaprophet,reveredasapriest,orexaltedasaking。
  Itsusualblessingsarehappinessandmediocrity。
  ItproducesthepoetryofRogers,thepaintingsofWest,thestatecraftofNorth,thespiritualguidanceofTomline;
  enablingitspossessorstofindtheirwaytowealth,towindupwell,tostepwithdignityoffthestage,todiecomfortablyintheirbeds,andtogetthedecentmonumentwhich,inmanycases,theydeserve。ItneverwouldhaveallowedYeobrighttodosucharidiculousthingasthrowuphisbusinesstobenefithisfellow—creatures。
  Hewalkedalongtowardshomewithoutattendingtopaths。
  IfanyoneknewtheheathwellitwasClym。Hewaspermeatedwithitsscenes,withitssubstance,andwithitsodours。
  Hemightbesaidtobeitsproduct。Hiseyeshadfirstopenedthereon;withitsappearanceallthefirstimages,ofhismemoryweremingled,hisestimateoflifehadbeencolouredbyit:histoyshadbeentheflintknivesandarrow—headswhichhefoundthere,wonderingwhystonesshould"grow"tosuchoddshapes;hisflowers,thepurplebellsandyellowfurze:hisanimalkingdom,thesnakesandcroppers;hissociety,itshumanhaunters。
  TakeallthevaryinghatesfeltbyEustaciaVyetowardstheheath,andtranslatethemintoloves,andyouhavetheheartofClym。Hegazeduponthewideprospectashewalked,andwasglad。
  TomanypersonsthisEgdonwasaplacewhichhadslippedoutofitscenturygenerationsago,tointrudeasanuncouthobjectintothis。Itwasanobsoletething,andfewcaredtostudyit。Howcouldthisbeotherwiseinthedaysofsquarefields,plashedhedges,andmeadowswateredonaplansorectangularthatonafinedaytheylookedlikesilvergridirons?Thefarmer,inhisride,whocouldsmileatartificialgrasses,lookwithsolicitudeatthecomingcorn,andsighwithsadnessatthefly—eatenturnips,bestoweduponthedistantuplandofheathnothingbetterthanafrown。
  ButasforYeobright,whenhelookedfromtheheightsonhiswayhecouldnothelpindulginginabarbaroussatisfactionatobservingthat,insomeoftheattemptsatreclamationfromthewaste,tillage,afterholdingonforayearortwo,hadrecededagainindespair,thefernsandfurze—tuftsstubbornlyreassertingthemselves。
  Hedescendedintothevalley,andsoonreachedhishomeatBlooms—End。Hismotherwassnippingdeadleavesfromthewindow—plants。Shelookedupathimasifshedidnotunderstandthemeaningofhislongstaywithher;
  herfacehadwornthatlookforseveraldays。Hecouldperceivethatthecuriositywhichhadbeenshownbythehair—cuttinggroupamountedinhismothertoconcern。
  Butshehadaskednoquestionwithherlips,evenwhenthearrivalofhistrunksuggestedthathewasnotgoingtoleavehersoon。Hersilencebesoughtanexplanationofhimmoreloudlythanwords。
  "IamnotgoingbacktoParisagain,Mother,"hesaid。
  "Atleast,inmyoldcapacity。Ihavegivenupthebusiness。"
  Mrs。Yeobrightturnedinpainedsurprise。"Ithoughtsomethingwasamiss,becauseoftheboxes。Iwonderyoudidnottellmesooner。"
  "Ioughttohavedoneit。ButIhavebeenindoubtwhetheryouwouldbepleasedwithmyplan。Iwasnotquiteclearonafewpointsmyself。Iamgoingtotakeanentirelynewcourse。"
  "Iamastonished,Clym。Howcanyouwanttodobetterthanyou’vebeendoing?"
  "Veryeasily。ButIshallnotdobetterinthewayyoumean;Isupposeitwillbecalleddoingworse。
  ButIhatethatbusinessofmine,andIwanttodosomeworthythingbeforeIdie。AsaschoolmasterIthinktodoit——aschool—mastertothepoorandignorant,toteachthemwhatnobodyelsewill。"
  "Afterallthetroublethathasbeentakentogiveyouastart,andwhenthereisnothingtodobuttokeepstraightontowardsaffluence,yousayyouwillbeapoorman’sschoolmaster。Yourfancieswillbeyourruin,Clym。"
  Mrs。Yeobrightspokecalmly,buttheforceoffeelingbehindthewordswasbuttooapparenttoonewhoknewheraswellashersondid。Hedidnotanswer。
  Therewasinhisfacethathopelessnessofbeingunderstoodwhichcomeswhentheobjectorisconstitutionallybeyondthereachofalogicthat,evenunderfavouringconditions,isalmosttoocoarseavehicleforthesubtletyoftheargument。
  Nomorewassaidonthesubjecttilltheendofdinner。
  Hismotherthenbegan,asiftherehadbeennointervalsincethemorning。"Itdisturbsme,Clym,tofindthatyouhavecomehomewithsuchthoughtsasthose。
  Ihadn’ttheleastideathatyoumeanttogobackwardintheworldbyyourownfreechoice。Ofcourse,Ihavealwayssupposedyouweregoingtopushstraighton,asothermendo——allwhodeservethename——whentheyhavebeenputinagoodwayofdoingwell。"
  "Icannothelpit,"saidClym,inatroubledtone。
  "Mother,Ihatetheflashybusiness。Talkaboutmenwhodeservethename,cananymandeservingthenamewastehistimeinthateffeminateway,whenheseeshalftheworldgoingtoruinforwantofsomebodytobuckletoandteachthemhowtobreastthemiserytheyarebornto?Igetupeverymorningandseethewholecreationgroaningandtravailinginpain,asSt。Paulsays,andyetthereamI,traffickinginglitteringsplendourswithwealthywomenandtitledlibertines,andpanderingtothemeanestvanities——I,whohavehealthandstrengthenoughforanything。Ihavebeentroubledinmymindaboutitalltheyear,andtheendisthatIcannotdoitanymore。"
  "Whycan’tyoudoitaswellasothers?"
  "Idon’tknow,exceptthattherearemanythingsotherpeoplecareforwhichIdon’t;andthat’spartlywhyI
  thinkIoughttodothis。Foronething,mybodydoesnotrequiremuchofme。Icannotenjoydelicacies;
  goodthingsarewasteduponme。Well,Ioughttoturnthatdefecttoadvantage,andbybeingabletodowithoutwhatotherpeoplerequireIcanspendwhatsuchthingscostuponanybodyelse。"
  Now,Yeobright,havinginheritedsomeoftheseveryinstinctsfromthewomanbeforehim,couldnotfailtoawakenareciprocityinherthroughherfeelings,ifnotbyarguments,disguiseitasshemightforhisgood。
  Shespokewithlessassurance。"Andyetyoumighthavebeenawealthymanifyouhadonlypersevered。
  Managertothatlargediamondestablishment——whatbettercanamanwishfor?Whatapostoftrustandrespect!
  Isupposeyouwillbelikeyourfather;likehim,youaregettingwearyofdoingwell。"
  "No,"saidherson,"Iamnotwearyofthat,thoughIamwearyofwhatyoumeanbyit。Mother,whatisdoingwell?"
  Mrs。Yeobrightwasfartoothoughtfulawomantobecontentwithreadydefinitions,and,likethe"Whatiswisdom?"ofPlato’sSocrates,andthe"Whatistruth?"
  ofPontiusPilate,Yeobright’sburningquestionreceivednoanswer。
  Thesilencewasbrokenbytheclashofthegardengate,atapatthedoor,anditsopening。ChristianCantleappearedintheroominhisSundayclothes。
  ItwasthecustomonEgdontobegintheprefacetoastorybeforeabsolutelyenteringthehouse,soastobewellinforthebodyofthenarrativebythetimevisitorandvisitedstoodfacetoface。Christianhadbeensayingtothemwhilethedoorwasleavingitslatch,"TothinkthatI,whogofromhomebutonceinawhile,andhardlythen,shouldhavebeentherethismorning!"
  "’Tisnewsyouhavebroughtus,then,Christian?"
  saidMrs。Yeobright。
  "Ay,sure,aboutawitch,andyemustoverlookmytimeo’
  day;for,saysI,’Imustgoandtell’em,thoughtheywon’thavehalfdonedinner。’Iassureyeitmademeshakelikeadrivenleaf。Doyethinkanyharmwillcomeo’t?"
  "Well——what?"
  "Thismorningatchurchwewasallstandingup,andthepa’sonsaid,’Letuspray。’’Well,’thinksI,’onemayaswellkneelasstand’;sodownIwent;and,morethanthat,alltherestwereaswillingtoobligethemanasI。Wehadn’tbeenhardatitformorethanaminutewhenamostterriblescreechsoundedthroughchurch,asifsomebodyhadjustgieduptheirheart’sblood。
  AllthefolkjumpedupandthenwefoundthatSusanNunsuchhadprickedMissVyewithalongstocking—needle,asshehadthreatenedtodoassoonasevershecouldgettheyoungladytochurch,whereshedon’tcomeveryoften。She’vewaitedforthischanceforweeks,soastodrawherbloodandputanendtothebewitchingofSusan’schildrenthathasbeencarriedonsolong。
  Suefollowedherintochurch,satnexttoher,andassoonasshecouldfindachanceinwentthestocking—needleintomylady’sarm。"
  "Goodheaven,howhorrid!"saidMrs。Yeobright。
  "Sueprickedherthatdeepthatthemaidfaintedaway;
  andasIwasafeardtheremightbesometumultamongus,Igotbehindthebassviolanddidn’tseenomore。
  Buttheycarriedheroutintotheair,’tissaid;
  butwhentheylookedroundforSueshewasgone。
  Whatascreamthatgirlgied,poorthing!Therewerethepa’soninhissurpliceholdinguphishandandsaying,’Sitdown,mygoodpeople,sitdown!’Butthedeuceabitwouldtheysitdown。O,andwhatd’yethinkIfoundout,Mrs。Yeobright?Thepa’sonwearsasuitofclothesunderhissurplice!——Icouldseehisblacksleeveswhenhehelduphisarm。"
  "’Tisacruelthing,"saidYeobright。
  "Yes,"saidhismother。
  "Thenationoughttolookintoit,"saidChristian。
  "Here’sHumphreycoming,Ithink。"
  IncameHumphrey。"Well,haveyeheardthenews?
  ButIseeyouhave。’TisaverystrangethingthatwheneveroneofEgdonfolkgoestochurchsomerumjoborotherissuretobedoing。ThelasttimeoneofuswastherewaswhenneighbourFairwaywentinthefall;
  andthatwasthedayyouforbadthebanns,Mrs。Yeobright。"
  "Hasthiscruellytreatedgirlbeenabletowalkhome?"
  saidClym。
  "Theysayshegotbetter,andwenthomeverywell。
  AndnowI’vetolditImustbemovinghomewardmyself。"
  "AndI,"saidHumphrey。"Trulynowweshallseeifthere’sanythinginwhatfolkssayabouther。"
  WhentheyweregoneintotheheathagainYeobrightsaidquietlytohismother,"DoyouthinkIhaveturnedteachertoosoon?"
  "Itisrightthatthereshouldbeschoolmasters,andmissionaries,andallsuchmen,"shereplied。
  "Butitisright,too,thatIshouldtrytoliftyououtofthislifeintosomethingricher,andthatyoushouldnotcomebackagain,andbeasifIhadnottriedatall。"
  LaterinthedaySam,theturf—cutter,entered。
  "I’vecomea—borrowing,Mrs。Yeobright。Isupposeyouhaveheardwhat’sbeenhappeningtothebeautyonthehill?"
  "Yes,Sam:halfadozenhavebeentellingus。"
  "Beauty?"saidClym。
  "Yes,tolerablywell—favoured,"Samreplied。"Lord!allthecountryownsthat’tisoneofthestrangestthingsintheworldthatsuchawomanshouldhavecometoliveupthere。"
  "Darkorfair?"
  "Now,thoughI’veseenhertwentytimes,that’sathingIcannotcalltomind。"
  "DarkerthanTamsin,"murmuredMrs。Yeobright。
  "Awomanwhoseemstocarefornothingatall,asyoumaysay。"
  "Sheismelancholy,then?"inquiredClym。
  "Shemopesaboutbyherself,anddon’tmixinwiththepeople。"
  "Issheayoungladyinclinedforadventures?"
  "Nottomyknowledge。"
  "Doesn’tjoininwiththeladsintheirgames,togetsomesortofexcitementinthislonelyplace?"
  "No。"
  "Mumming,forinstance?"
  "No。Hernotionsbedifferent。Ishouldrathersayherthoughtswerefarawayfromhere,withlordsandladiesshe’llneverknow,andmansionsshe’llneverseeagain。"
  ObservingthatClymappearedsingularlyinterestedMrs。YeobrightsaidratheruneasilytoSam,"Youseemoreinherthanmostofusdo。MissVyeistomymindtooidletobecharming。Ihaveneverheardthatsheisofanyusetoherselfortootherpeople。
  Goodgirlsdon’tgettreatedaswitchesevenonEgdon。"
  "Nonsense——thatprovesnothingeitherway,"saidYeobright。
  "Well,ofcourseIdon’tunderstandsuchniceties,"
  saidSam,withdrawingfromapossiblyunpleasantargument;
  "andwhatsheiswemustwaitfortimetotellus。
  ThebusinessthatIhavereallycalledaboutisthis,toborrowthelongestandstrongestropeyouhave。
  Thecaptain’sbuckethasdroppedintothewell,andtheyareinwantofwater;andasallthechapsareathometodaywethinkwecangetitoutforhim。
  Wehavethreecart—ropesalready,buttheywon’treachtothebottom。"
  Mrs。Yeobrighttoldhimthathemighthavewhateverropeshecouldfindintheouthouse,andSamwentouttosearch。
  WhenhepassedbythedoorClymjoinedhim,andaccompaniedhimtothegate。
  "Isthisyoungwitch—ladygoingtostaylongatMistover?"
  heasked。
  "Ishouldsayso。"
  "Whatacruelshametoill—useher,Shemusthavesufferedgreatly——moreinmindthaninbody。"
  "’Twasagracelesstrick——suchahandsomegirl,too。
  Yououghttoseeher,Mr。Yeobright,beingayoungmancomefromfar,andwithalittlemoretoshowforyouryearsthanmostofus。"
  "Doyouthinkshewouldliketoteachchildren?"
  saidClym。
  Samshookhishead。"Quiteadifferentsortofbodyfromthat,Ireckon。"
  "O,itwasmerelysomethingwhichoccurredtome。
  Itwouldofcoursebenecessarytoseeherandtalkitover——notaneasything,bytheway,formyfamilyandhersarenotveryfriendly。"
  "I’lltellyouhowyoumidseeher,Mr。Yeobright,"
  saidSam。"Wearegoingtograppleforthebucketatsixo’clocktonightatherhouse,andyoucouldlendahand。
  There’sfiveorsixcoming,butthewellisdeep,andanothermightbeuseful,ifyoudon’tmindappearinginthatshape。
  She’ssuretobewalkinground。"
  "I’llthinkofit,"saidYeobright;andtheyparted。
  Hethoughtofitagooddeal;butnothingmorewassaidaboutEustaciainsidethehouseatthattime。
  Whetherthisromanticmartyrtosuperstitionandthemelancholymummerhehadconversedwithunderthefullmoonwereoneandthesamepersonremainedasyetaproblem。
  3—TheFirstActinaTimewornDramaTheafternoonwasfine,andYeobrightwalkedontheheathforanhourwithhismother。WhentheyreachedtheloftyridgewhichdividedthevalleyofBlooms—Endfromtheadjoiningvalleytheystoodstillandlookedround。
  TheQuietWomanInnwasvisibleonthelowmarginoftheheathinonedirection,andafarontheotherhandroseMistoverKnap。
  "YoumeantocallonThomasin?"heinquired。
  "Yes。Butyouneednotcomethistime,"saidhismother。
  "InthatcaseI’llbranchoffhere,Mother。IamgoingtoMistover。"
  Mrs。Yeobrightturnedtohiminquiringly。
  "Iamgoingtohelpthemgetthebucketoutofthecaptain’swell,"hecontinued。"AsitissoverydeepImaybeuseful。AndIshouldliketoseethisMissVye——notsomuchforhergoodlooksasforanotherreason。"
  "Mustyougo?"hismotherasked。
  "Ithoughtto。"
  Andtheyparted。"Thereisnohelpforit,"murmuredClym’smothergloomilyashewithdrew。"Theyaresuretoseeeachother。IwishSamwouldcarryhisnewstootherhousesthanmine。"
  Clym’sretreatingfiguregotsmallerandsmallerasitroseandfelloverthehillocksonhisway。
  "Heistender—hearted,"saidMrs。Yeobrighttoherselfwhileshewatchedhim;"otherwiseitwouldmatterlittle。
  Howhe’sgoingon!"