ready thrown herself on the
sofa, in resigned fatigue.

"Well, Rosy," he said, standing over her, and touching her hair, "what
do you think of Mrs. Casaubon now you have seen so much of her?"

"I think she must be better than any one," said Rosamond, "and she is
very beautiful. If you go to talk to her so often, you will be more
discontented with me than ever!"

Lydgate laughed at the "so often." "But has she made you any less
discontented with me?"

"I think she has," said Rosamond, looking up in his face. "How heavy
your eyes are, Tertius--and do push your hair back." He lifted up his
large white hand to obey her, and felt thankful for this little mark of
interest in him. Poor Rosamond's vagrant fancy had come back terribly
scourged--meek enough to nestle under the old despised shelter. And
the shelter was still there: Lydgate had accepted his narrowed lot with
sad resignation. He had chosen this fragile creature, and had taken
the burthen of her life upon his arms. He must walk as he could,
carrying that burthen pitifully.

CHAPTER LXXXII.

"My grief lies onward and my joy behind."
--SHAKESPEARE: Sonnets.

Exiles notoriously feed much on hopes, and are unlikely to stay in
banishment unless they are obliged. When Will Ladislaw exiled himself
from Middlemarch he had placed no stronger obstacle to his return than
his own resolve, which was by no means an iron barrier, but simply a
state of mind liable to melt into a minuet with other states of mind,
and to find itself bowing, smiling, and giving place with polite
facility. As the months went on, it had seemed more and more difficult
to him to say why he should not run down to Middlemarch--merely for the
sake of hearing something about Dorothea; and if on such a flying visit
he should chance by some strange coincidence to meet with her, there
was no reason for him to be ashamed of having taken an innocent journey
which he had beforehand supposed that he should not take. Since he was
hopelessly divided from her, he might surely venture into her
neighborhood; and as to the suspicious friends who kept a dragon watch
over her--their opinions seemed less and less important with time and
change of air.

And there had come a reason quite irrespective of Dorothea, which
seemed to make a journey to Middlemarch a sort of philanthropic duty.
Will had given a disinterested attention to an intended settlement on a
new p