The Woodlanders Part 2 by Thomas Hardy (best romantic books to read txt) 📕

Perished--Starved for Want Of Sun.  It Was With Some Caution That

Grace Now Walked,  Though She Was Quite Free From Any Of The

Commonplace Timidities Of Her Ordinary Pilgrimages To Such Spots.

She Feared no Lurking harms,  But That Her Effort Would Be All In

Vain,  And Her Return To The House Rendered imperative.

She Had Walked between Three And Four Miles When That Prescriptive

Comfort And Relief To Wanderers In woods--A Distant Light--Broke

At Last Upon Her Searching eyes.  It Was So Very Small As To Be

Almost Sinister To A Stranger,  But To Her It Was What She Sought.

She Pushed forward,  And The Dim Outline Of A Dwelling was

Disclosed.

The House Was A Square Cot Of One Story Only,  Sloping up On All

Sides To A Chimney In the Midst.  It Had Formerly Been The Home Of

A Charcoal-Burner,  In times When That Fuel Was Still Used in the

County Houses.  Its Only Appurtenance Was A Paled enclosure,  There

Being no Garden,  The Shade Of The Trees Preventing the Growth Of

Vegetables.  She Advanced to The Window Whence The Rays Of Light

Proceeded,  And The Shutters Being as Yet Unclosed,  She Could

Survey The Whole Interior Through The Panes.

The Room Within Was Kitchen,  Parlor,  And Scullery All In one; The

Natural Sandstone Floor Was Worn Into Hills And Dales By Long

Treading,  So That None Of The Furniture Stood Level,  And The Table

Slanted like A Desk.  A Fire Burned on The Hearth,  In front Of

Which Revolved the Skinned carcass Of A Rabbit,  Suspended by A

String from A Nail.  Leaning with One Arm On The Mantle-Shelf

Stood Winterborne,  His Eyes On The Roasting animal,  His Face So

Rapt That Speculation Could Build Nothing on It Concerning his

Thoughts,  More Than That They Were Not With The Scene Before Him.

She Thought His Features Had Changed a Little Since She Saw Them

Last.  The Fire-Light Did Not Enable Her To Perceive That They

Were Positively Haggard.

Grace'S Throat Emitted a Gasp Of Relief At Finding the Result So

Nearly As She Had Hoped.  She Went To The Door And Tapped lightly.

He Seemed to Be Accustomed to The Noises Of Woodpeckers,

Squirrels,  And Such Small Creatures,  For He Took No Notice Of Her

Tiny Signal,  And She Knocked again.  This Time He Came And Opened

The Door.  When The Light Of The Room Fell Upon Her Face He

Started,  And,  Hardly Knowing what He Did,  Crossed the Threshold To

Her,  Placing his Hands Upon Her Two Arms,  While Surprise,  Joy,

Alarm,  Sadness,  Chased through Him By Turns.  With Grace It Was

The Same: Even In this Stress There Was The Fond Fact That They

Had Met Again.  Thus They Stood,

    "Long Tears Upon Their Faces,  Waxen White

         With Extreme Sad Delight."

He Broke The Silence By Saying in a Whisper,  "Come In."

"No,  No,  Giles!" She Answered,  Hurriedly,  Stepping yet Farther

Back From The Door.  "I Am Passing by--And I Have Called on You--I

Won'T Enter.  Will You Help Me?  I Am Afraid.  I Want To Get By A

Roundabout Way To Sherton,  And So To Exbury.  I Have A School-

Fellow There--But I Cannot Get To Sherton Alone.  Oh,  If You Will

Only Accompany Me A Little Way! Don'T Condemn Me,  Giles,  And Be

Offended! I Was Obliged to Come To You Because--I Have No Other

Help Here.  Three Months Ago You Were My Lover; Now You Are Only

My Friend.  The Law Has Stepped in,  And Forbidden What We Thought

Of.  It Must Not Be.  But We Can Act Honestly,  And Yet You Can Be

My Friend For One Little Hour?  I Have No Other--"

She Could Get No Further.  Covering her Eyes With One Hand,  By An

Effort Of Repression She Wept A Silent Trickle,  Without A Sigh Or

Sob.  Winterborne Took Her Other Hand.  "What Has Happened?" He

Said.

"He Has Come."

There Was A Stillness As Of Death,  Till Winterborne Asked,  "You

Mean This,  Grace--That I Am To Help You To Get Away?"

"Yes," Said She.  "Appearance Is No Matter,  When The Reality Is

Right.  I Have Said To Myself I Can Trust You."

Giles Knew From This That She Did Not Suspect His Treachery--If It

Could Be Called such--Earlier In the Summer,  When They Met For The

Last Time As Lovers; And In the Intensity Of His Contrition For

That Tender Wrong,  He Determined to Deserve Her Faith Now At

Least,  And So Wipe Out That Reproach From His Conscience.  "I'Ll

Come At Once," He Said.  "I'Ll Light A Lantern."

He Unhooked a Dark-Lantern From A Nail Under The Eaves And She Did

Not Notice How His Hand Shook With The Slight Strain,  Or Dream

That In making this Offer He Was Taxing a Convalescence Which

Could Ill Afford Such Self-Sacrifice.  The Lantern Was Lit,  And

They Started.

The First Hundred yards Of Their Course Lay Under Motionless

Trees,  Whose Upper Foliage Began To Hiss With Falling drops Of

Rain.  By The Time That They Emerged upon A Glade It Rained

Heavily.

"This Is Awkward," Said Grace,  With An Effort To Hide Her Concern.

Winterborne Stopped.  "Grace," He Said,  Preserving a Strictly

Business Manner Which Belied him,  "You Cannot Go To Sherton To-

Night."

"But I Must!"

"Why? It Is Nine Miles From Here.  It Is Almost An Impossibility

In This Rain."

"True--Why?" She Replied,  Mournfully,  At The End Of A Silence.

"What Is Reputation To Me?"

"Now Hearken," Said Giles.  "You Won'T--Go Back To Your--"

"No,  No,  No!  Don'T Make Me!" She Cried,  Piteously.

"Then Let Us Turn." They Slowly Retraced their Steps,  And Again

Stood Before His Door.  "Now,  This House From This Moment Is

Yours,  And Not Mine," He Said,  Deliberately.  "I Have A Place Near

By Where I Can Stay Very Well."

Her Face Had Drooped.  "Oh!" She Murmured,  As She Saw The Dilemma.

"What Have I Done!"

There Was A Smell Of Something burning within,  And He Looked

Through The Window.  The Rabbit That He Had Been Cooking to Coax A

Weak Appetite Was Beginning to Char.  "Please Go In and Attend To

It," He Said.  "Do What You Like.  Now I Leave.  You Will Find

Everything about The Hut That Is Necessary."

"But,  Giles--Your Supper," She Exclaimed.  "An Out-House Would Do

For Me--Anything--Till To-Morrow At Day-Break!"

He Signified a Negative.  "I Tell You To Go In--You May Catch

Agues Out Here In your Delicate State.  You Can Give Me My Supper

Through The Window,  If You Feel Well Enough.  I'Ll Wait A While."

He Gently Urged her To Pass The Door-Way,  And Was Relieved when He

Saw Her Within The Room Sitting down.  Without So Much As Crossing

The Threshold Himself,  He Closed the Door Upon Her,  And Turned the

Key In the Lock.  Tapping at The Window,  He Signified that She

Should Open The Casement,  And When She Had Done This He Handed in

The Key To Her.

"You Are Locked in," He Said; "And Your Own Mistress."

Even In her Trouble She Could Not Refrain From A Faint Smile At

His Scrupulousness,  As She Took The Door-Key.

"Do You Feel Better?" He Went On.  "If So,  And You Wish To Give Me

Some Of Your Supper,  Please Do.  If Not,  It Is Of No Importance.

I Can Get Some Elsewhere."

The Grateful Sense Of His Kindness Stirred her To Action,  Though

She Only Knew Half What That Kindness Really Was.  At The End Of

Some Ten Minutes She Again Came To The Window,  Pushed it Open,  And

Said In a Whisper,  "Giles!"  He At Once Emerged from The Shade,

And Saw That She Was Preparing to Hand Him His Share Of The Meal

Upon A Plate.

"I Don'T Like To Treat You So Hardly," She Murmured,  With Deep

Regret In her Words As She Heard The Rain Pattering on The Leaves.

"But--I Suppose It Is Best To Arrange Like This?"

"Oh Yes," He Said,  Quickly.

"I Feel That I Could Never Have Reached sherton."

"It Was Impossible."

"Are You Sure You Have A Snug Place Out There?" (With Renewed

Misgiving.)

"Quite.  Have You Found Everything you Want? I Am Afraid It Is

Rather Rough Accommodation."

"Can I Notice Defects?  I Have Long Passed that Stage,  And You

Know It,  Giles,  Or You Ought To."

His Eyes Sadly Contemplated her Face As Its Pale Responsiveness

Modulated through A Crowd Of Expressions That Showed only Too

Clearly To What A Pitch She Was Strung.  If Ever Winterborne'S

Heart Fretted his Bosom It Was At This Sight Of A Perfectly

Defenceless Creature Conditioned by Such Circumstances.  He Forgot

His Own Agony In the Satisfaction Of Having at Least Found Her A

Shelter.  He Took His Plate And Cup From Her Hands,  Saying,  "Now

I'Ll Push The Shutter To,  And You Will Find An Iron Pin On The

Inside,  Which You Must Fix Into The Bolt.  Do Not Stir In the

Morning till I Come And Call You."

She Expressed an Alarmed hope That He Would Not Go Very Far Away.

"Oh No--I Shall Be Quite Within Hail," Said Winterborne.

She Bolted the Window As