he sat up and
listened. There was not a sound in the gloom beyond the spiritless stir
of the summer wind. Feeling about for the obstacle which had flung
him down, he discovered that two tufts of heath had been tied together
across the path, forming a loop, which to a traveller was certain
overthrow. Wildeve pulled off the string that bound them, and went on
with tolerable quickness. On reaching home he found the cord to be of a
reddish colour. It was just what he had expected.

Although his weaknesses were not specially those akin to physical fear,
this species of coup-de-Jarnac from one he knew too well troubled the
mind of Wildeve. But his movements were unaltered thereby. A night
or two later he again went along the vale to Alderworth, taking the
precaution of keeping out of any path. The sense that he was watched,
that craft was employed to circumvent his errant tastes, added piquancy
to a journey so entirely sentimental, so long as the danger was of no
fearful sort. He imagined that Venn and Mrs. Yeobright were in league,
and felt that there was a certain legitimacy in combating such a
coalition.

The heath tonight appeared to be totally deserted; and Wildeve, after
looking over Eustacia's garden gate for some little time, with a cigar
in his mouth, was tempted by the fascination that emotional smuggling
had for his nature to advance towards the window, which was not quite
closed, the blind being only partly drawn down. He could see into the
room, and Eustacia was sitting there alone. Wildeve contemplated her
for a minute, and then retreating into the heath beat the ferns lightly,
whereupon moths flew out alarmed. Securing one, he returned to the
window, and holding the moth to the chink, opened his hand. The moth
made towards the candle upon Eustacia's table, hovered round it two or
three times, and flew into the flame.

Eustacia started up. This had been a well-known signal in old times when
Wildeve had used to come secretly wooing to Mistover. She at once knew
that Wildeve was outside, but before she could consider what to do her
husband came in from upstairs. Eustacia's face burnt crimson at the
unexpected collision of incidents, and filled it with an animation that
it too frequently lacked.

"You have a very high colour, dearest," said Yeobright, when he came
close enough to see it. "Your appearance would be no worse if it were
always so."

"I am warm," said Eustacia. "I think I will go into the air for