The Woodlanders Part 2, Thomas Hardy [e textbook reader txt] 📗
- Author: Thomas Hardy
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She Was In white Up To The Waist, And Figured above. She Was, In
Short, Grace, His Wife, Lacking the Portion Of Her Dress Which The
Gin Retained.
"Don'T Be Grieved about Me--Don'T, Dear Edgar!" She Exclaimed,
Rushing up And Bending over Him. "I Am Not Hurt A Bit! I Was
Coming on To Find You After I Had Released myself, But I Heard
Footsteps; And I Hid Away, Because I Was Without Some Of My
Clothing, And I Did Not Know Who The Person Might Be."
Fitzpiers Had Sprung To His Feet, And His Next Act Was No Less
Unpremeditated by Him Than It Was Irresistible By Her, And Would
Have Been So By Any Woman Not Of Amazonian Strength. He Clasped
His Arms Completely Round, Pressed her To His Breast, And Kissed
Her Passionately.
"You Are Not Dead!--You Are Not Hurt! Thank God--Thank God!" He
Said, Almost Sobbing in his Delight And Relief From The Horror Of
His Apprehension. "Grace, My Wife, My Love, How Is This--What Has
Happened?"
"I Was Coming on To You," She Said As Distinctly As She Could In
The Half-Smothered state Of Her Face Against His. "I Was Trying
To Be As Punctual As Possible, And As I Had Started a Minute Late
I Ran Along The Path Very Swiftly--Fortunately For Myself. Just
When I Had Passed between These Trees I Felt Something clutch At
My Dress From Behind With A Noise, And The Next Moment I Was
Pulled backward By It, And Fell To The Ground. I Screamed with
Terror, Thinking it Was A Man Lying down There To Murder Me, But
The Next Moment I Discovered it Was Iron, And That My Clothes Were
Caught In a Trap. I Pulled this Way And That, But The Thing would
Not Let Go, Drag It As I Would, And I Did Not Know What To Do. I
Did Not Want To Alarm My Father Or Anybody, As I Wished nobody To
Know Of These Meetings With You; So I Could Think Of No Other Plan
Than Slipping off My Skirt, Meaning to Run On And Tell You What A
Strange Accident Had Happened to Me. But When I Had Just Freed
Myself By Leaving the Dress Behind, I Heard Steps, And Not Being
Sure It Was You, I Did Not Like To Be Seen In such A Pickle, So I
Hid Away."
"It Was Only Your Speed that Saved you! One Or Both Of Your Legs
Would Have Been Broken If You Had Come At Ordinary Walking pace."
"Or Yours, If You Had Got Here First," Said She, Beginning to
Realize The Whole Ghastliness Of The Possibility. "Oh, Edgar,
There Has Been An Eye Watching over Us To-Night, And We Should Be
Thankful Indeed!"
He Continued to Press His Face To Hers. "You Are Mine--Mine Again
Now."
Part 2 Chapter 22 Pg 143
She Gently Owned that She Supposed she Was. "I Heard What You
Said When You Thought I Was Injured," She Went On, Shyly, "And I
Know That A Man Who Could Suffer As You Were Suffering must Have A
Tender Regard For Me. But How Does This Awful Thing come Here?"
"I Suppose It Has Something to Do With Poachers." Fitzpiers Was
Still So Shaken By The Sense Of Her Danger That He Was Obliged to
Sit Awhile, And It Was Not Until Grace Said, "If I Could Only Get
My Skirt Out Nobody Would Know Anything about It," That He
Bestirred himself.
By Their United efforts, Each Standing on One Of The Springs Of
The Trap, They Pressed them Down Sufficiently To Insert Across The
Jaws A Billet Which They Dragged from A Faggot Near At Hand; And
It Was Then Possible To Extract The Silk Mouthful From The
Monster'S Bite, Creased and Pierced with Many Holes, But Not Torn.
Fitzpiers Assisted her To Put It On Again; And When Her Customary
Contours Were Thus Restored they Walked on Together, Grace Taking
His Arm, Till He Effected an Improvement By Clasping it Round Her
Waist.
The Ice Having been Broken In this Unexpected manner, She Made No
Further Attempt At Reserve. "I Would Ask You To Come Into The
House," She Said, "But My Meetings With You Have Been Kept Secret
From My Father, And I Should Like To Prepare Him."
"Never Mind, Dearest. I Could Not Very Well Have Accepted the
Invitation. I Shall Never Live Here Again--As Much For Your Sake
As For Mine. I Have News To Tell You On This Very Point, But My
Alarm Had Put It Out Of My Head. I Have Bought A Practice, Or
Rather A Partnership, In the Midlands, And I Must Go There In a
Week To Take Up Permanent Residence. My Poor Old Great-Aunt Died
About Eight Months Ago, And Left Me Enough To Do This. I Have
Taken A Little Furnished house For A Time, Till We Can Get One Of
Our Own."
He Described the Place, And The Surroundings, And The View From
The Windows, And Grace Became Much Interested. "But Why Are You
Not There Now?" She Said.
"Because I Cannot Tear Myself Away From Here Till I Have Your
Promise. Now, Darling, You Will Accompany Me There--Will You Not?
To-Night Has Settled that."
Grace'S Tremblings Had Gone Off, And She Did Not Say Nay. They
Went On Together.
The Adventure, And The Emotions Consequent Upon The Reunion Which
That Event Had Forced on, Combined to Render Grace Oblivious Of
The Direction Of Their Desultory Ramble, Till She Noticed they
Were In an Encircled glade In the Densest Part Of The Wood,
Whereon The Moon, That Had Imperceptibly Added its Rays To The
Scene, Shone Almost Vertically. It Was An Exceptionally Soft,
Balmy Evening for The Time Of Year, Which Was Just That Transient
Period In the May Month When Beech-Trees Have Suddenly Unfolded
Large Limp Young Leaves Of The Softness Of Butterflies' Wings.
Boughs Bearing such Leaves Hung Low Around, And Completely
Part 2 Chapter 22 Pg 144Enclosed them, So That It Was As If They Were In a Great Green
Vase, Which Had Moss For Its Bottom And Leaf Sides.
The Clouds Having been Packed in the West That Evening so As To
Retain The Departing glare A Long While, The Hour Had Seemed much
Earlier Than It Was. But Suddenly The Question Of Time Occurred
To Her.
"I Must Go Back," She Said; And Without Further Delay They Set
Their Faces Towards Hintock. As They Walked he Examined his Watch
By The Aid Of The Now Strong Moonlight.
"By The Gods, I Think I Have Lost My Train!" Said Fitzpiers.
"Dear Me--Whereabouts Are We?" Said She.
"Two Miles In the Direction Of Sherton."
"Then Do You Hasten On, Edgar. I Am Not In the Least Afraid. I
Recognize Now The Part Of The Wood We Are In and I Can Find My Way
Back Quite Easily. I'Ll Tell My Father That We Have Made It Up.
I Wish I Had Not Kept Our Meetings So Private, For It May Vex Him
A Little To Know I Have Been Seeing you. He Is Getting old And
Irritable, That Was Why I Did Not. Good-By."
"But, As I Must Stay At The Earl Of Wessex To-Night, For I Cannot
Possibly Catch The Train, I Think It Would Be Safer For You To Let
Me Take Care Of You."
"But What Will My Father Think Has Become Of Me? He Does Not Know
In The Least Where I Am--He Thinks I Only Went Into The Garden For
A Few Minutes."
"He Will Surely Guess--Somebody Has Seen Me For Certain. I'Ll Go
All The Way Back With You To-Morrow."
"But That Newly Done-Up Place--The Earl Of Wessex!"
"If You Are So Very Particular About The Publicity I Will Stay At
The Three Tuns."
"Oh No--It Is Not That I Am Particular--But I Haven'T A Brush Or
Comb Or Anything!"
Part 2 Chapter 23 Pg 145
All The Evening melbury Had Been Coming to His Door, Saying, "I
Wonder Where In the World That Girl Is! Never In all My Born Days
Did I Know Her Bide Out Like This! She Surely Said She Was Going
Part 2 Chapter 23 Pg 146Into The Garden To Get Some Parsley."
Melbury Searched the Garden, The Parsley-Bed, And The Orchard, But
Could Find No Trace Of Her, And Then He Made Inquiries At The
Cottages Of Such Of His Workmen As Had Not Gone To Bed, Avoiding
Tangs'S Because He Knew The Young People Were To Rise Early To
Leave. In these Inquiries One Of The Men'S Wives Somewhat
Incautiously Let Out The Fact That She Had Heard A Scream In the
Wood, Though From Which Direction She Could Not Say.
This Set Melbury'S Fears On End. He Told The Men To Light
Lanterns, And Headed by Himself They Started, Creedle Following at
The Last Moment With Quite A Burden Of Grapnels And Ropes, Which
He Could Not Be Persuaded to Leave Behind, And The Company Being
Joined by The Hollow-Turner And The Man Who Kept The Cider-House
As They Went Along.
They Explored the Precincts Of The Village, And In a Short Time
Lighted upon The Man-Trap. Its Discovery Simply Added an Item Of
Fact Without Helping their Conjectures; But Melbury'S Indefinite
Alarm Was Greatly Increased when, Holding a Candle To The Ground,
He Saw In the Teeth Of The Instrument Some Frayings From Grace'S
Clothing. No Intelligence Of Any Kind Was Gained till They Met A
Woodman Of Delborough, Who Said That He Had Seen A Lady Answering
To The Description Her Father Gave Of Grace, Walking through The
Wood On A Gentleman'S Arm In the Direction Of Sherton.
"Was He Clutching her Tight?" Said Melbury.
"Well--Rather," Said The Man.
"Did She Walk Lame?"
"Well, 'Tis True Her Head Hung Over Towards Him A Bit."
Creedle Groaned tragically.
Melbury, Not Suspecting the Presence Of
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