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 'Go away!' she murmured.

'I will—I'll look for your mother,' said he blandly. But in passing her he whispered: 'Mark me; you'll be civil yet!'

When he was gone she bent down upon the entrance to the vaults, and said—

'Why am I on the wrong side of this door!'

In the meantime Marian and Izz Huett had journeyed onward with the chattels of the plough-man in the direction of their land of Canaan—the Egypt of some other family who had left it only that morning. But the girls did not for a long time think of where they were going. Their talk was of Angel Clare and Tess, and her persistent lover, whose connection with Tess's previous history they had partly heard and partly guessed ere this.

Tisn't as though she had never known him afore,' said Marian. 'His having won her once makes all the difference in the world. 'Twould be a thousand pities if he were to tole her away again. Mr. Clare can never be anything to us, Izz; and why should we grudge him to her, and not try to mend this quarrel? If he could on'y