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.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 antagonistic growths had to be kept alive: his mother's trust in him, his plan for becoming a teacher, and Eustacia's happiness.
His fervid nature could not afford to relinquish one of these, though two of the three were as many as he could hope to preserve.Though his love was as chaste as that of Petrarch for his Laura, it had made fetters of what previously was only a difficulty.A position which was not too simple when he stood whole-hearted had become indescribably complicated by the addition of Eustacia.
Just when his mother was beginning to tolerate one scheme he had introduced another still bitterer than the first, and the combination was more than she could bear.
5 - Sharp Words Are Spoken, and a Crisis Ensues When Yeobright was not with Eustacia he was sitting slavishly over his books; when he was not reading he was meeting her.
These meetings were carried on with the greatest secrecy.
One afternoon his mother came home from a morning visit to Thomasin.He could see from a disturbance in the lines of her face that something had happened.
"I have been told an incomprehensible thing,"she said mournfully."The captain has let out at the Woman that you and Eustacia Vye are engaged to be married.""We are," said Yeobright."But it may not be yet for a very long time.""I should hardly think it WOULD be yet for a very long time! You will take her to Paris, I suppose?"She spoke with weary hopelessness.
"I am not going back to Paris."
"What will you do with a wife, then?"
"Keep a school in Budmouth, as I have told you.""That's incredible! The place is overrun with schoolmasters.
You have no special qualifications.What possible chance is there for such as you?""There is no chance of getting rich.But with my system of education, which is as new as it is true, I shall do a great deal of good to my fellow-creatures.""Dreams, dreams! If there had been any system left to be invented they would have found it out at the universities long before this time.""Never, Mother.They cannot find it out, because their teachers don't come in contact with the class which demands such a system--that is, those who have had no preliminary training.My plan is one for instilling high knowledge into empty minds without first cramming them with what has to be uncrammed again before true study begins.""I might have believed you if you had kept yourself free from entanglements; but this woman--if she had been a good girl it would have been bad enough; but being----""She is a good girl."
"So you think.A Corfu bandmaster's daughter! What has her life been? Her surname even is not her true one.""She is Captain Vye's granddaughter, and her father merely took her mother's name.And she is a lady by instinct.""They call him 'captain,' but anybody is captain.""He was in the Royal Navy!"
"No doubt he has been to sea in some tub or other.
Why doesn't he look after her? No lady would rove about the heath at all hours of the day and night as she does.
But that's not all of it.There was something queer between her and Thomasin's husband at one time--I am as sure of it as that I stand here.""Eustacia has told me.He did pay her a little attention a year ago; but there's no harm in that.
I like her all the better."
"Clym," said his mother with firmness, "I have no proofs against her, unfortunately.But if she makes you a good wife, there has never been a bad one.""Believe me, you are almost exasperating,"said Yeobright vehemently."And this very day I had intended to arrange a meeting between you.But you give me no peace; you try to thwart my wishes in everything.""I hate the thought of any son of mine marrying badly! Iwish I had never lived to see this; it is too much for me--it is more than I dreamt!" She turned to the window.
Her breath was coming quickly, and her lips were pale, parted, and trembling.
