She faintly shook her head, but said, "I'll try to think of you
more--if I can."
With this Fitzpiers was compelled to be satisfied, and he asked her
when she would meet him again.
"As we arranged--in a fortnight."
"If it must be a fortnight it must!"
"This time at least. I'll consider by the day I see you again if I can
shorten the interval."
"Well, be that as it may, I shall come at least twice a week to look at
your window."
"You must do as you like about that. Good-night."
"Say 'husband.'"
She seemed almost inclined to give him the word; but exclaiming, "No,
no; I cannot," slipped through the garden-hedge and disappeared.
Fitzpiers did not exaggerate when he told her that he should haunt the
precincts of the dwelling. But his persistence in this course did not
result in his seeing her much oftener than at the fortnightly interval
which she had herself marked out as proper. At these times, however,
she punctually appeared, and as the spring wore on the meetings were
kept up, though their character changed but little with the increase in
their number.
The small garden of the cottage occupied by the Tangs family--father,
son, and now son's wife--aligned with the larger one of the
timber-dealer at its upper end; and when young Tim, after leaving work
at Melbury's, stood at dusk in the little bower at the corner of his
enclosure to smoke a pipe, he frequently observed the surgeon pass
along the outside track before-mentioned. Fitzpiers always walked
loiteringly, pensively, looking with a sharp eye into the gardens one
after another as he proceeded; for Fitzpiers did not wish to leave the
now absorbing spot too quickly, after travelling so far to reach it;
hoping always for a glimpse of her whom he passionately desired to take
to his arms anew.
Now Tim began to be struck with these loitering progresses along the
garden boundaries in the gloaming, and wondered what they boded. It
was, naturally, quite out of his power to divine the singular,
sentimental revival in Fitzpiers's heart; the fineness of tissue which
could take a deep, emotional--almost also an artistic--pleasure in
being the yearning inamorato of a woman he once had deserted, would
have seemed an absurdity to the young sawyer. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzpiers
were separated; therefore the question of affection as between them was
settled. But his Suke had, since that meeting on their marriage-day,
repentantly admitted, to the urgency of his questioning, a good deal
concerning her past levities. Putting all things together, he could
hardly avoid connecting Fitzpiers's mysterious visits to this spot with
Suke's residence under his roof. But he made himself fairly easy: the
vessel in which they were about to emigrate sailed that month; and then
Suke would be out of Fitzpiers's way forever.