Page:Hardy - Jude the Obscure, 1896.djvu/340

 perfectly certain it was—by the light in her eyes as she looked at me. She was a fleshy, coarse woman."

"Well, I should not have called Arabella coarse exactly, except in speech, though she may be getting so by this time under the duties of the public-house. She was rather handsome when I knew her."

"Handsome! But yes; so she is!"

"I think I heard a quiver in your little mouth. Well, waiving that, as she is nothing to me, and virtuously married to another man, why should she come troubling us?"

"Are you sure she's married? Have you definite news of it?"

"No, not definite news. But that was why she asked me to release her. She and the man both wanted to lead a proper life, as I understood."

"Oh, Jude, it was, it was Arabella!" cried Sue, covering her eyes with her hand. And I am so miserable! It seems such an ill-omen, whatever she may have come for. You could not possibly see her, could you?"

"I don't really think I could. It would be so very painful to talk to her now—for her as much as for me. However, she's gone. Did she say she would come again?"

"No. But she went away very reluctantly."

Sue, whom the least thing upset, could not eat any supper, and when Jude had finished his he prepared to go to bed. He had no sooner raked out the fire, fastened the doors, and got to the top of the stairs, than there came a knock. Sue instantly emerged from her room, which she had but just entered.

"There she is again!" Sue whispered, in appalled accents.

"How do you know?"

"She knocked like that last time."

They listened, and the knocking came again. No servant was kept in the house, and if the summons were to be responded to one of them would have to do it in per-