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

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."

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

Enclosed 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!"

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

Into 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