He plunged through a hole in the garden hedge, and into the lane.
"He'll be lost if I don't follow 'n!" said she.
"Come along with me!"
She rushed in full pursuit out of the garden, Jude alongside her, barely contriving to keep the fugitive in sight.
Occasionally they would shout to some boy to stop the animal, but he always wriggled past and ran on as before.
"Let me take your hand, darling," said Jude.
"You are getting out of breath."
She gave him her now hot hand with apparent willingness, and they trotted along together.
"This comes of driving 'em home," she remarked.
"They always know the way back if you do that.
They ought to have been carted over."
By this time the pig had reached an unfastened gate admitting to the open down, across which he sped with all the agility his little legs afforded.
As soon as the pursuers had entered and ascended to the top of the high ground it became apparent that they would have to run all the way to the farmer's if they wished to get at him.
From this summit he could be seen as a minute speck, following an unerring line towards his old home.
"It is no good!" cried Arabella.
"He'll be there long before we get there.
It don't matter now we know he's not lost or stolen on the way.
They'll see it is ours, and send un back.
Oh dear, how hot I be!"
Without relinquishing her hold of Jude's hand she swerved aside and flung herself down on the sod under a stunted thorn, precipitately pulling Jude on to his knees at the same time.
"Oh, I ask pardon—I nearly threw you down, didn't I!
But I am so tired!"
She lay supine, and straight as an arrow, on the sloping sod of this hill-top, gazing up into the blue miles of sky, and still retaining her warm hold of Jude's hand.
He reclined on his elbow near her.
"We've run all this way for nothing," she went on, her form heaving and falling in quick pants, her face flushed, her full red lips parted, and a fine dew of perspiration on her skin.
"Well—why don't you speak, deary?"
"I'm blown too.
It was all up hill."
They were in absolute solitude—the most apparent of all solitudes, that of empty surrounding space.
Nobody could be nearer than a mile to them without their seeing him.
They were, in fact, on one of the summits of the county, and the distant landscape around Christminster could be discerned from where they lay.
But Jude did not think of that then.
"Oh, I can see such a pretty thing up this tree," said Arabella.
"A sort of a—caterpillar, of the most loveliest green and yellow you ever came across!"
"Where?" said Jude, sitting up.
"You can't see him there—you must come here," said she.
He bent nearer and put his head in front of hers.
"No—I can't see it," he said.
"Why, on the limb there where it branches off—close to the moving leaf—there!"
She gently pulled him down beside her.
"I don't see it," he repeated, the back of his head against her cheek.
"But I can, perhaps, standing up."
He stood accordingly, placing himself in the direct line of her gaze.
"How stupid you are!" she said crossly, turning away her face.
"I don't care to see it, dear: why should I?" he replied looking down upon her.
"Get up, Abby."
"Why?"
"I want you to let me kiss you.
I've been waiting to ever so long!"
She rolled round her face, remained a moment looking deedily aslant at him; then with a slight curl of the lip sprang to her feet, and exclaiming abruptly