The woman who had been shaken out of her sleep by Thomasin had hastily dressed herself and lighted a fire, the other servant being left to snore on in peace at the back of the house.  The insensible forms of Eustacia, Clym, and Wildeve were then brought in and laid on the carpet, with their feet to the fire, when such restorative processes as could be thought of were adopted at once, the stableman being in the meantime sent for a doctor.  But there seemed to be not a whiff of life left in either of the bodies.  Then Thomasin, whose stupor of grief had been thrust off awhile by frantic action, applied a bottle of hartshorn to Clym’s nostrils, having tried it in vain upon the othertwo.  He sighed.

“Clym’s alive!” she exclaimed.

He soon breathed distinctly, and again and again did she attempt to revive her husband by the same means; but Wildeve gave no sign.  There was too much reason to think that he and Eustacia both were for ever beyond the reach of stimulating perfumes.  Their exertions did not relax till the doctor arrived, when one by one, the senseless three were taken upstairs and put into warm beds.

Venn soon felt himself relieved from further attendance, and went to the door, scarcely able yet to realize the strange catastrophe that had befallen the family in which he took so great an interest.  Thomasin surely would be broken down by the sudden and overwhelming nature of this event.  No firm and sensible Mrs. Yeobright lived now to support the gentle girl through the ordeal; and, whatever an unimpassioned spectator might think of her loss of such a husband as Wildeve, there could be no doubt that for the moment she was distracted and horrified by the blow.  As for himself, not being privileged to go to her and comfort her, he saw no reason for waiting longer in a house where he remained only as a stranger.

He returned across the heath to his van.  The fire was not yet out, and everything remained as he had left it.  Venn now bethought himself of his clothes, which were saturated with water to the weight of lead.  He changed them, spread them before the fire, and lay down to sleep.  But it was more than he could do to rest here while excited by a vivid imagination of the turmoil they were in at the house he had quitted, and, blaming himself for coming away, he dressed in another suit, locked up the door, and again hastened across to the inn.  Rain was still falling heavily when he entered the kitchen.  A bright fire was shining from the hearth, and two women were bustling about, one of whom was Olly Dowden.

“Well, how is it going on now?” said Venn in a whisper.

“Mr. Yeobright is better; but Mrs. Yeobright and Mr. Wildeve are dead and cold.  The doctor says they were quite gone before they were out of the water.”

“Ah!  I thought as much when I hauled ’em up.  And Mrs. Wildeve?”

“She is as well as can be expected.  The doctor had her put between blankets, for she was almost as wet as they that had been in the river, poor young thing.  You don’t seem very dry, reddleman.”