BOOK TWO

Chapters 1-3

Summary

Humphrey and Sam, the furze cutters, are engaged in bringing together and stacking up the furze, closely supervised by Captain Vye. They talk about Clym, his profession, his "strange notions," and his life in Paris. After Captain Vye leaves, Sam and Humphrey remark that Eustacia and Clym are made for each other, foreshadowing their attraction to one another. Eustacia herself begins daydreaming and goes to have a look at the Yeobrights' house.

At Bloomsend, Clym's house, Mrs. Yeobright and her niece are busy preparing for Clym's arrival, picking apples and gathering holly. Throughout the dialogue Thomasin's affair with Wildeve is alluded to, and Thomasin makes her aunt promise not to tell Clym of it; if telling is required, she will do so herself.

Eustacia waits on the heath for a glimpse of Clym. Though she does not see him clearly, she hears him, and something in his voice sets her dreaming. Expecting to meet him, she walks on the heath for the next few nights, but is unsuccessful in encountering him.

Hardy's "chorus characters" are functioning again: Sam and Humphrey provoke the curiosity of Eustacia by mentioning Clym's arrival. Disgusted with and frustrated by everything and everyone on Egdon Heath, Eustacia looks forward to the arrival of "a young and clever man coming into that lonely heath," as if he were a visitor from heaven. She cannot think of anything else but Clym. After hearing his "Good Night" on the heath, her imagination is fired.

In these chapters, the plot picks up momentum. Everyone is keyed up for the return of Clym, the native. Eustacia is particularly interested in Clym's arrival, for she has a romantic vision about him. When he returns, Eustacia tries unsuccessfully to encounter him on the heath five different times; since she does not actually meet Clym, she can only continue her dreams about him.

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