an to bear a jilt
ill-will he would have told me of his good fortune in crowing tones;
instead of doing that he mentioned not a word, in deference to my
misfortunes, and merely implied that he loved me still, as one superior
to him."

Wildeve's silence that day on what had happened to him was just the kind
of behaviour calculated to make an impression on such a woman. Those
delicate touches of good taste were, in fact, one of the strong points
in his demeanour towards the other sex. The peculiarity of Wildeve was
that, while at one time passionate, upbraiding, and resentful towards a
woman, at another he would treat her with such unparalleled grace as
to make previous neglect appear as no discourtesy, injury as no insult,
interference as a delicate attention, and the ruin of her honour as
excess of chivalry. This man, whose admiration today Eustacia had
disregarded, whose good wishes she had scarcely taken the trouble to
accept, whom she had shown out of the house by the back door, was
the possessor of eleven thousand pounds--a man of fair professional
education, and one who had served his articles with a civil engineer.

So intent was Eustacia upon Wildeve's fortunes that she forgot how much
closer to her own course were those of Clym; and instead of walking on
to meet him at once she sat down upon a stone. She was disturbed in her
reverie by a voice behind, and turning her head beheld the old lover and
fortunate inheritor of wealth immediately beside her.

She remained sitting, though the fluctuation in her look might have told
any man who knew her so well as Wildeve that she was thinking of him.

"How did you come here?" she said in her clear low tone. "I thought you
were at home."

"I went on to the village after leaving your garden; and now I have come
back again--that's all. Which way are you walking, may I ask?"

She waved her hand in the direction of Blooms-End. "I am going to meet
my husband. I think I may possibly have got into trouble whilst you were
with me today."

"How could that be?"

"By not letting in Mrs. Yeobright."

"I hope that visit of mine did you no harm."

"None. It was not your fault," she said quietly.

By this time she had risen; and they involuntarily sauntered on
together, without speaking, for two or three minutes; when Eustacia
broke silence by saying, "I assume I must congratulate you."

"On what? O yes; on my eleven thousand pounds, you mean. Well, since I
didn't get some