"Ah, dear Jude; that's because you are like a totally deaf man
observing people listening to music. You say 'What are they
regarding? Nothing is there.' But something is."
"That is a hard saying from you; and not a true parallel! You threw
off old husks of prejudices, and taught me to do it; and now you go
back upon yourself. I confess I am utterly stultified in my estimate
of you."
"Dear friend, my only friend, don't be hard with me! I can't help
being as I am, I am convinced I am right--that I see the light at
last. But oh, how to profit by it!"
They walked along a few more steps till they were outside the
building and she had returned the key. "Can this be the girl," said
Jude when she came back, feeling a slight renewal of elasticity now
that he was in the open street; "can this be the girl who brought
the pagan deities into this most Christian city?--who mimicked Miss
Fontover when she crushed them with her heel?--quoted Gibbon, and
Shelley, and Mill? Where are dear Apollo, and dear Venus now!"
"Oh don't, don't be so cruel to me, Jude, and I so unhappy!" she
sobbed. "I can't bear it! I was in error--I cannot reason with you.
I was wrong--proud in my own conceit! Arabella's coming was the
finish. Don't satirize me: it cuts like a knife!"
He flung his arms round her and kissed her passionately there in the
silent street, before she could hinder him. They went on till they
came to a little coffee-house. "Jude," she said with suppressed
tears, "would you mind getting a lodging here?"
"I will--if, if you really wish? But do you? Let me go to our door
and understand you."
He went and conducted her in. She said she wanted no supper, and
went in the dark upstairs and struck a light. Turning she found that
Jude had followed her, and was standing at the chamber door. She
went to him, put her hand in his, and said "Good-night."
"But Sue! Don't we live here?"
"You said you would do as I wished!"
"Yes. Very well! ... Perhaps it was wrong of me to argue
distastefully as I have done! Perhaps as we couldn't conscientiously
marry at first in the old-fashioned way, we ought to have parted.
Perhaps the world is not illuminated enough for such experiments as
ours! Who were we, to think we could act as pioneers!"