United States or Honduras ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
But let me look first indoors." She vanished for a minute or two, and went in. Her grandfather was safely asleep in his chair. "Now, then," she said, on returning, "walk down the garden a little way, and when I am ready I'll call you." Charley walked and waited, and presently heard a soft whistle. He returned to the fuelhouse door. "Did you whistle, Miss Vye?"
On a ledge in the fuelhouse stood three tall rushlights and by the light of them seven or eight lads were marching about, haranguing, and confusing each other, in endeavours to perfect themselves in the play.
At the time that Eustacia was listening to the rick-makers' conversation on Clym's return, Thomasin was climbing into a loft over her aunt's fuelhouse, where the store-apples were kept, to search out the best and largest of them for the coming holiday-time.
Eustacia had watched the assemblage through the hole; and seeing that now was the proper moment to enter, she went from the "linhay" and boldly pulled the bobbin of the fuelhouse door. Her grandfather was safe at the Quiet Woman. "Here's Charley at last! How late you be, Charley." "'Tis not Charley," said the Turkish Knight from within his visor.
The choice of Captain Vye's fuelhouse as the scene of rehearsal was dictated by the fact that his dwelling was nearly in the centre of the heath. The fuelhouse was as roomy as a barn, and was a most desirable place for such a purpose.
Seven o'clock, the hour of the rehearsal, came round, and in a short time Eustacia could hear voices in the fuelhouse. To dissipate in some trifling measure her abiding sense of the murkiness of human life she went to the "linhay" or lean-to shed, which formed the root-store of their dwelling and abutted on the fuelhouse.
The next evening Eustacia stood punctually at the fuelhouse door, waiting for the dusk which was to bring Charley with the trappings. Her grandfather was at home tonight, and she would be unable to ask her confederate indoors. He appeared on the dark ridge of heathland, like a fly on a Negro, bearing the articles with him, and came up breathless with his walk.
"What do you want, Charley?" "Please will your grandfather lend us his fuelhouse to try over our parts in, tonight at seven o'clock?" "What, are you one of the Egdon mummers for this year?" "Yes, miss. The cap'n used to let the old mummers practise here." "I know it. Yes, you may use the fuelhouse if you like," said Eustacia languidly.
Word Of The Day