a total stranger and never spoke to me, I loved him till I
thought I should really die of love--but I didn't die, and at last I
left off caring for him. How terrible it would be if a time should
come when I could not love you, my Clym!"

"Please don't say such reckless things. When we see such a time at
hand we will say, 'I have outlived my faith and purpose,' and die.
There, the hour has expired: now let us walk on."

Hand in hand they went along the path towards Mistover. When they
were near the house he said, "It is too late for me to see your
grandfather tonight. Do you think he will object to it?"

"I will speak to him. I am so accustomed to be my own mistress that
it did not occur to me that we should have to ask him."

Then they lingeringly separated, and Clym descended towards
Blooms-End.

And as he walked further and further from the charmed atmosphere of
his Olympian girl his face grew sad with a new sort of sadness. A
perception of the dilemma in which his love had placed him came back
in full force. In spite of Eustacia's apparent willingness to wait
through the period of an unpromising engagement, till he should be
established in his new pursuit, he could not but perceive at moments
that she loved him rather as a visitant from a gay world to which she
rightly belonged than as a man with a purpose opposed to that recent
past of his which so interested her. Often at their meetings a word or
a sigh escaped her. It meant that, though she made no conditions as to
his return to the French capital, this was what she secretly longed
for in the event of marriage; and it robbed him of many an otherwise
pleasant hour. Along with that came the widening breach between
himself and his mother. Whenever any little occurrence had brought
into more prominence than usual the disappointment that he was causing
her it had sent him on lone and moody walks; or he was kept awake
a great part of the night by the turmoil of spirit which such a
recognition created. If Mrs. Yeobright could only have been led to see
what a sound and worthy purpose this purpose of his was and how little
it was being affected by his devotions to Eustacia, how differently
would she regard him!

Thus as his sight grew accustomed to the first blinding halo
kindled about him by love and beauty, Yeobright began to perceive
what a strait he was in. Sometimes he wished that he had never
known Eustacia, immediately to retract the wish as brutal. Three
a