In A Mere Interlude, Baptista and her new husband, Charles, visit the Mount. Unwisely, given that anyone who even goes near water is liable to drown in Hardy's literature, Charles decides to take a dip.
"The heat of the morning was by this time intense. They clambered up on some cliffs, and while sitting there, looking around at St. Michael's Mount and other objects. Charles said to her that he thought he would run down to the beach at their feet, and take just one plunge into the sea. Baptista did not much like the idea of being left alone; it was gloomy, she said. But he assured her he would not be gone more than a quarter of an hour at the outside, and she passively assented. Down he went, disappeared, appeared again, and looked back. Then he again proceeded, and vanished, till, as a small waxen object, she saw him emerge from the nook that had screened him, cross the white fringe of foam, and walk into the undulating mass of blue. Once in the water he seemed less inclined to hurry than before; he remained a long time; and, unable either to appreciate his skill or criticize his want of it at that distance, she withdrew her eyes from the spot, and gazed at the still outline of St. Michael's--now beautifully toned in grey."
Well, you can guess how it ends...
"This brought her to the present, and she turned from the outline of St. Michael's Mount to look about for her husband's form. He was, as far as she could discover, no longer in the sea. Then he was dressing. By moving a few steps she could see where his clothes lay. But Charles was not beside them."
On the principle that it's an ill wind, Baptista goes on to marry the man she was due to marry in the first place.
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