Double Harness

village lay, and thence over rolling stretches of close turf, till the prospect ended in the gleam of waves and the silver-grey mist that lay over the sea.

itting up straight, gave utterance to what his surr

leave this and g

ho lay full length on his back on the turf, with a straw hat over

tland went on, without

at on his head, and knocked out his pipe. He glance

ny for a man who's just g

would write a book about. But it's not worth a book. A page of str

acco-pouch. The sigh seemed to hover doubtfully

ow whether it's legal cruelty to throw libr

im, I should think; and they'd pro

look if I went into cour

tley agreed. "Doesn't she give you

low, she's most aggre

't you give h

you m

c?" murmured Grantle

mber of P

ot. That's a

nk their father a scoundrel." He paused, and added grimly: "And I

ve exhausted the re

t so. Wait till you have s

e bloom's still on my romance, old chap. Talking of children to a man who's only been engaged a week!" Hi

stiff black hair which stood up on his head. His face was not wanting in character, but a look of pla

explanation,"

or Harriet'll blow the roof off over tha

e warning of its character. At the foot of it stood the Old Mill House, backing on to a little stream. Farther on lay the church and the parsonage; opposite to them was the post-office, which was also a general shop and also had rooms to let to visitors. The village inn, next to the post-office, and a dozen or so of labourers' cottages

ourtland as they passed Old Mill House, a rambling,

e uneuphonious name of Mumple living with them. She's been a sort of nurse-housekeeper-companion: a mixed kind of position-breakfast and midday dinner with the family, but didn't join his reverence's evening meal. You know the sort of thing. She's monstrously fat; but Sibylla loves her. And the new rector moved in a fortnight ago, and everybody hates him. And the temporary curate, who was here because the ne

share in a solid old-fashioned banking-house; was now a director of the great joint-stock undertaking in which the family business had consented to merge itself on handsome terms; had just as much work to do as he liked, and possessed, and always had enjoyed, more money th

ked country girl for wife! That's

ding-and there's the post-office. Go in, a

r men's wives are generally received with much the same mixture of scepticism and disdain as the witticisms

by the inn and conversing with a young man who wore a very old coat and rough tweed knickerbockers. Grantley introduced him as Mr. Jeremy Chiddingfold, and Courtland knew that he was Sibylla's brot

; for though Jeremy was a vigorous, if not a handsome, masculi

ry his sister-oh, we can talk away, Jeremy; Tom Courtland doesn't matter. He knows a

means embarrassed Jeremy; per

, you know," Grantley went on, smiling and stretch

e altogether!"

o him with a quick

g. "It's early in life to have come

, quite so; but--

of priests," Jeremy

y attacked, was immensely diverted, though his own feelings gave a rather bitter

fall in love

en fo

world must be p

t necessary to

histled

theory," said Grantley; "in p

a thump on the bench. "Because they're hidebound, and, as I say, th

You speak feelingly. Your father, perhaps-

However that's got nothing to do with it. I'm going o

t one another, smiled,

pretending we do. You tell

expect marriage, as we have it, to succeed when women are what they are? And haven't they always been the same? Of course

in much more than the valley in which

age," said Courtland, "I should

pt out of a lot of sc

ou would!" s

needed no e

ng women, Jeremy?" Grantley pursued

eremy. "Well, let me reco

ll us more about wo

pose you're thin

Grantley. "You know h

which he had been in the end obliged to refer his listeners to another authority, Jeremy lost at the same time

n, perhaps, than Sibyll

ght, if you know

ed to say to me about Harriet,"

ey used to have awful rows-do still now and then. Sibylla used to fly out at Mumples, then Mumples sat on Sibylla, and then, w

t consciousness of recti

d tempers, and Mumples is infernally religious and Sibylla's generous to the point of idiocy in my opinion. So after a row, when Sibylla h

deep into family

, and the governor and I could hea

e and that sor

really loved Mumples better than anything on earth. Then Mumples would weigh in, and call Sibylla the sweetest and meekest lamb on earth, and say that she loved Sibylla more than anything on earth, and that she-Mumples-was the worst-tempered and cruellest and unjustest woman alive, not fit to be near such an angel as Sibylla. Then Sibylla used to say that was

ay back an

ve your things to-er-Mump

my, but with a more resigned and better-tempered air. His remi

to have a preceptress of more

oth awfully fond of her. Besides she's had such beastly

not

nt to quod, you kno

years! B

n; but it seems to have been a cold sort of passion, because he waited twelve hours for him befor

he d

t out in about three years.

n! Does she go

. The governor was high sheriff's chaplain at the time, so he got to know Mumples, a

comes across!" si

ve for a moment, but he

umples-I can't thump her. I should be better than Mumples in one way, t

n if you didn't think

Grantley, and to sober him. He spent a

at last. "But at any rate

er think so. But if it wasn't

ight, J

fe. She sees things uncommonly sha

ack to H

on the subject of his theories. The two watched him stride

a country parso

an embryo. But I think he's a promi

ow you're going to m

n't be expected to take a cheerful view. Poor old

thereabouts-a slim long-legged child, almost gaunt in her immaturity, and lamentably grown out of her frock. She cried shrill g

have come to live in the village is a gross personal affront to Jeremy Chiddingfold. He's especial

laughed in

get that wire in

a fool to stand what he did from the woman. But what was the use of that? Tom Court