The communication sank deep into Gertrude's mind. Her nature wasrather a timid one; and probably of all remedies that the whitewizard could have suggested there was not one which would havefilled her with so much aversion as this, not to speak of theimmense obstacles in the way of its adoption.

　　Casterbridge, the county-town, was a dozen or fifteen miles off; andthough in those days, when men were executed for horse-stealing,arson, and burglary, an assize seldom passed without a hanging, itwas not likely that she could get access to the body of the criminalunaided. And the fear of her husband's anger made her reluctant tobreathe a word of Trendle's suggestion to him or to anybody abouthim.

　　She did nothing for months, and patiently bore her disfigurement asbefore. But her woman's nature, craving for renewed love, throughthe medium of renewed beauty (she was but twenty-five), was everstimulating her to try what, at any rate, could hardly do her anyharm. 'What came by a spell will go by a spell surely,' she wouldsay. Whenever her imagination pictured the act she shrank in terrorfrom the possibility of it: then the words of the conjuror, 'Itwill turn your blood,' were seen to be capable of a scientific noless than a ghastly interpretation; the mastering desire returned,and urged her on again.

　　There was at this time but one county paper, and that her husbandonly occasionally borrowed. But old-fashioned days had old-fashioned means, and news was extensively conveyed by word of mouthfrom market to market, or from fair to fair, so that, whenever suchan event as an execution was about to take place, few within aradius of twenty miles were ignorant of the coming sight; and, sofar as Holmstoke was concerned, some enthusiasts had been known towalk all the way to Casterbridge and back in one day, solely towitness the spectacle. The next assizes were in March; and whenGertrude Lodge heard that they had been held, she inquiredstealthily at the inn as to the result, as soon as she could findopportunity.

　　She was, however, too late. The time at which the sentences were tobe carried out had arrived, and to make the journey and obtainadmission at such short notice required at least her husband'sassistance. She dared not tell him, for she had found by delicateexperiment that these smouldering village beliefs made him furiousif mentioned, partly because he half entertained them himself. Itwas therefore necessary to wait for another opportunity.

　　Her determination received a fillip from learning that two epilepticchildren had attended from this very village of Holmstoke many yearsbefore with beneficial results, though the experiment had beenstrongly condemned by the neighbouring clergy. April, May, June,passed; and it is no overstatement to say that by the end of thelast-named month Gertrude well-nigh longed for the death of afellow-creature. Instead of her formal prayers each night, herunconscious prayer was, 'O Lord, hang some guilty or innocent personsoon!'

　　This time she made earlier inquiries, and was altogether moresystematic in her proceedings. Moreover, the season was summer,between the haymaking and the harvest, and in the leisure thusafforded him her husband had been holiday-taking away from home.

　　The assizes were in July, and she went to the inn as before. Therewas to be one execution--only one--for arson.

　　Her greatest problem was not how to get to Casterbridge, but whatmeans she should adopt for obtaining admission to the jail. Thoughaccess for such purposes had formerly never been denied, the customhad fallen into desuetude; and in contemplating her possibledifficulties, she was again almost driven to fall back upon herhusband. But, on sounding him about the assizes, he was souncommunicative, so more than usually cold, that she did notproceed, and decided that whatever she did she would do alone.

　　Fortune, obdurate hitherto, showed her unexpected favour. On theThursday before the Saturday fixed for the execution, Lodge remarkedto her that he was going away from home for another day or two onbusiness at a fair, and that he was sorry he could not take her withhim.

　　She exhibited on this occasion so much readiness to stay at homethat he looked at her in surprise. Time had been when she wouldhave shown deep disappointment at the loss of such a jaunt.

　　However, he lapsed into his usual taciturnity, and on the day namedleft Holmstoke.

　　It was now her turn. She at first had thought of driving, but onreflection held that driving would not do, since it wouldnecessitate her keeping to the turnpike-road, and so increase bytenfold the risk of her ghastly errand being found out. She decidedto ride, and avoid the beaten track, notwithstanding that in herhusband's stables there was no animal just at present which by anystretch of imagination could be considered a lady's mount, in spiteof his promise before marriage to always keep a mare fo............