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!"