ll accept
whose company I choose, for all that may be said by the miserable
inhabitants of Egdon."

"Then let us walk on--if you are ready. Our nearest way is towards
that holly-bush with the dark shadow that you see down there."

Eustacia arose, and walked beside him in the direction signified,
brushing her way over the damping heath and fern, and followed by the
strains of the merrymakers, who still kept up the dance. The moon had
now waxed bright and silvery, but the heath was proof against such
illumination, and there was to be observed the striking scene of a
dark, rayless tract of country under an atmosphere charged from its
zenith to its extremities with whitest light. To an eye above them
their two faces would have appeared amid the expanse like two pearls
on a table of ebony.

On this account the irregularities of the path were not visible, and
Wildeve occasionally stumbled; whilst Eustacia found it necessary
to perform some graceful feats of balancing whenever a small tuft
of heather or root of furze protruded itself through the grass of
the narrow track and entangled her feet. At these junctures in her
progress a hand was invariably stretched forward to steady her,
holding her firmly until smooth ground was again reached, when the
hand was again withdrawn to a respectful distance.

They performed the journey for the most part in silence, and drew
near to Throope Corner, a few hundred yards from which a short path
branched away to Eustacia's house. By degrees they discerned coming
towards them a pair of human figures, apparently of the male sex.

When they came a little nearer Eustacia broke the silence by saying,
"One of those men is my husband. He promised to come to meet me."

"And the other is my greatest enemy," said Wildeve.

"It looks like Diggory Venn."

"That is the man."

"It is an awkward meeting," said she; "but such is my fortune. He
knows too much about me, unless he could know more, and so prove
to himself that what he now knows counts for nothing. Well, let it
be: you must deliver me up to them."

"You will think twice before you direct me to do that. Here is a man
who has not forgotten an item in our meetings at Rainbarrow: he is in
company with your husband. Which of them, seeing us together here,
will believe that our meeting and dancing at the gipsy-party was by
chance?"

"Very well," she whispered gloomily. "Leave me before they come up."

Wildeve bade her a tender farewell