Return of the Native Book 2 Chapter 1

In which the tranquil vastness of Egdon Heath is stirred by the mundane labours of faggot gathering and the whispered anticipation of a long-absent young man returning from the dazzling foreign city of Paris; meanwhile, Eustacia, caught in a quiet reverie, contemplates the curious coincidence of her own fate seemingly intertwined with his, and finds herself drawn by an impulsive desire to visit the modest home at Blooms-End. Thus, the heath sets the stage for the silent unfolding of lives touched by distant tides and tender uncertainties.