The Return of the Native

by Thomas Hardy

  The next slight touch in the shaping of Clym's destiny occurred a fewdays after. A barrow was opened on the heath, and Yeobright attendedthe operation, remaining away from his study during several hours. Inthe afternoon Christian returned from a journey in the same direction,and Mrs. Yeobright questioned him.

  "They have dug a hole, and they have found things like flowerpotsupside down, Mis'ess Yeobright; and inside these be real charnelbones. They have carried 'em off to men's houses; but I shouldn'tlike to sleep where they will bide. Dead folks have been known to comeand claim their own. Mr. Yeobright had got one pot of the bones, andwas going to bring 'em home--real skellington bones--but 'twas orderedotherwise. You'll be relieved to hear that he gave away his potand all, on second thoughts; and a blessed thing for ye, Mis'essYeobright, considering the wind o' nights."

  "Gave it away?"

  "Yes. To Miss Vye. She has a cannibal taste for such churchyardfurniture seemingly."

  "Miss Vye was there too?"

  "Ay, 'a b'lieve she was."

  When Clym came home, which was shortly after, his mother said, in acurious tone, "The urn you had meant for me you gave away."

  Yeobright made no reply; the current of her feeling was too pronouncedto admit it.

  The early weeks of the year passed on. Yeobright certainly studied athome, but he also walked much abroad, and the direction of his walkwas always towards some point of a line between Mistover andRainbarrow.

  The month of March arrived, and the heath showed its first signs ofawakening from winter trance. The awakening was almost feline in itsstealthiness. The pool outside the bank by Eustacia's dwelling, whichseemed as dead and desolate as ever to an observer who moved and madenoises in his observation, would gradually disclose a state of greatanimation when silently watched awhile. A timid animal world had cometo life for the season. Little tadpoles and efts began to bubble upthrough the water, and to race along beneath it; toads made noiseslike very young ducks, and advanced to the margin in twos and threes;overhead, bumble-bees flew hither and thither in the thickening light,their drone coming and going like the sound of a gong.

  On an evening such as this Yeobright descended into the Blooms-Endvalley from beside that very pool, where he had been standing withanother person quite silently and quite long enough to hear all thispuny stir of resurrection in nature; yet he had not heard it. Hiswalk was rapid as he came down, and he went with a springy tread.Before entering upon his mother's premises he stopped and breathed.The light which shone forth on him from the window revealed thathis face was flushed and his eye bright. What it did not show wassomething which lingered upon his lips like a seal set there. Theabiding presence of this impress was so real that he hardly dared toenter the house, for it seemed as if his mother might say, "What redspot is that glowing upon your mouth so vividly?"

  But he entered soon after. The tea was ready, and he sat downopposite his mother. She did not speak many words; and as for him,something had been just done and some words had been just said onthe hill which prevented him from beginning a desultory chat. Hismother's taciturnity was not without ominousness, but he appeared notto care. He knew why she said so little, but he could not remove thecause of her bearing towards him. These half-silent sittings were farfrom uncommon with them now. At last Yeobright made a beginning ofwhat was intended to strike at the whole root of the matter.

  "Five days have we sat like this at meals with scarcely a word.What's the use of it, mother?"

  "None," said she, in a heart-swollen tone. "But there is only toogood a reason."

  "Not when you know all. I have been wanting to speak about this, andI am glad the subject is begun. The reason, of course, is EustaciaVye. Well, I confess I have seen her lately, and have seen her a goodmany times."

  "Yes, yes; and I know what that amounts to. It troubles me, Clym.You are wasting your life here; and it is solely on account of her.If it had not been for that woman you would never have entertainedthis teaching scheme at all."

  Clym looked hard at his mother. "You know that is not it," he said.

  "Well, I know you had decided to attempt it before you saw her; butthat would have ended in intentions. It was very well to talk of, butridiculous to put in practice. I fully expected that in the course ofa month or two you would have seen the folly of such self-sacrifice,and would have been by this time back again to Paris in some businessor other. I can understand objections to the diamond trade--I reallywas thinking that it might be inadequate to the life of a man like youeven though it might have made you a millionaire. But now I see howmistaken you are about this girl I doubt if you could be correct aboutother things."

  "How am I mistaken in her?"

  "She is lazy and dissatisfied. But that is not all of it. Supposingher to be as good a woman as any you can find, which she certainly isnot, why do you wish to connect yourself with anybody at present?"

  "Well, there are practical reasons," Clym began, and then almost brokeoff under an overpowering sense of the weight of argument which couldbe brought against his statement. "If I take a school an educatedwoman would be invaluable as a help to me."

  "What! you really mean to marry her?"

  "It would be premature to state that plainly. But consider whatobvious advantages there would be in doing it. She--"

  "Don't suppose she has any money. She hasn't a farthing."

  "She is excellently educated, and would make a good matron in aboarding-school. I candidly own that I have modified my views alittle, in deference to you; and it should satisfy you. I no longeradhere to my intention of giving with my own mouth rudimentaryeducation to the lowest class. I can do better. I can establish agood private school for farmers' sons, and without stopping theschool I can manage to pass examinations. By this means, and by theassistance of a wife like her--"

  "Oh, Clym!"

  "I shall ultimately, I hope, be at the head of one of the best schoolsin the county."

  Yeobright had enunciated the word "her" with a fervour which, inconversation with a mother, was absurdly indiscreet. Hardly amaternal heart within the four seas could, in such circumstances, havehelped being irritated at that ill-timed betrayal of feeling for a newwoman.

  "You are blinded, Clym," she said warmly. "It was a bad day for youwhen you first set eyes on her. And your scheme is merely a castle inthe air built on purpose to justify this folly which has seized you,and to salve your conscience on the irrational situation you are in."

  "Mother, that's not true," he firmly answered.

  "Can you maintain that I sit and tell untruths, when all I wish to dois to save you from sorrow? For shame, Clym! But it is all throughthat woman--a hussy!"

  Clym reddened like fire and rose. He placed his hand upon hismother's shoulder and said, in a tone which hung strangely betweenentreaty and command, "I won't hear it. I may be led to answer you ina way which we shall both regret."

  His mother parted her lips to begin some other vehement truth, but onlooking at him she saw that in his face which led her to leave thewords unsaid. Yeobright walked once or twice across the room, andthen suddenly went out of the house. It was eleven o'clock when hecame in, though he had not been further than the precincts of thegarden. His mother was gone to bed. A light was left burning on thetable, and supper was spread. Without stopping for any food hesecured the doors and went upstairs.