The Woodlanders

had already bestirred themselves, rising at this time of the year at the far less dreary hour of absolute darkness. It had been above an hour earlier, before a single bird had untu

he gardens, and stoats that had been sucking the blood of the rabbits, discerning that their human nei

ng erection. It formed three sides of an open quadrangle, and consisted of all sorts of buildings, the

e novelty, but no canonized antique; faded, not hoary; looking at you from the still distinct middle-distance of the early Georgian time, and awakening on that account the instincts of reminiscence more decidedly than the remoter and far grander memorials which have to speak from the misty reaches of mediaevalism. The faces, dress, passions, gratitudes, and revenues of the great-great-gra

ards the road, formerly a regular carriage entrance, though the middle of the area was now made use of for stacking timber, fagots, bundles, and other products of the wood

used for spar-making, sawing, crib-framing, and copse-ware manufacture in

his father having been the first Mrs. Melbury’s lover, Winterborne’s aunt had married and emigrated with the brother of the timber-merchant many years before — an alliance that was sufficient to place Winterborne, though the poorer, on a foot

principle. Melbury, with his timber and copse-ware business, found that the weight of his labor came in winter and spring. Winterborne was in the apple and cider trade, and his requirements in cartage and other work came

over to the spar-house where two or three men were already at work, two of them being travelling spar-makers from White-hart Lane, who

low shades of the roof could be seen dangling etiolated arms of ivy which had crept through the joints of the tiles and were groping in vain for some support, their le

atter being enticed in by the ruddy blaze, though they had no particular business there. None of them call for any remark except, perhaps, Creedle. To have completely described him it would have been necessary to write a military memoir, for he wore under his smock-frock a cast-off soldier’s jacket that had seen hot service, its collar showing just above the flap of the

overeign attention of the head, the minds of its professors wandered considerably from the objects before them; hence the tales, chronicles, an

nd the conversation interrupted by his momentary presence flowed anew, reaching his ears

d frequent one — the personal character of Mrs. Char

e first see her, ‘you go to your church, and sit, and kneel, as if your knee-jints were greased with very saint’s anointment, and tell off your Hear-us-good-Lords like a business man counting money; and y

it in her hu

and letting his eyes water. “That man! ‘Not if the angels of heaven come down, Creedle,’ he said, ‘shall you do another day’s work for me!’ Yes — he’d say anything — anything

door and the spar-shed, whither she had come now for fuel. She had two facial aspects — one, of a soft and flexible kind, she used indoors when ass

and stirring, when I bear in mind that after fifty one year counts as two did afore! But your smoke

ss that really a woman couldn’t feel hurt if you were to spit fire and brimstone itself at her. Here,” she added, holding out a spar-gad to one o

e this morning,” sa

told poor men from gentlemen, or John from a reasonable-sized object. And I don’t think maister’s slept at all

woman had gon

learning is better than houses and lands. But to keep a maid at school till she

he was a little playward gir

ool as wind. She was inoculated for the small-pox and had it beautifully fine, just about the time that I was out of my appr

asis, as if, considering their number, they wer

rain if so be he huffed her. Whenever she and her husband came to a puddle in their walks together he’d take her up like a half-penny doll and put her

from his door. He was carrying an open letter in his hand, and came st

r,’ says she, ‘I’m coming home tomorrow’ (that’s today), ‘but I didn’t think it worth while to write long beforehand.’ The little rascal, and didn’t

t happens that even among the moodiest the tendency to be cheered is stronger than the tendency to be cast down;

her hair were substantial enough, if Ambrose’s eyes had been a reason for keeping it on. As for the timber-merchant, it was plain that his invitation had been

wards the door of the spar-house, when his f

e said, nodding as he en

rce sufficient to go away and begin work, he felt the necessity of throwing some into h

’son’s son — along with a lot of others, asked me ‘Who dragged Whom round the walls of What?’ and I said, ‘Sam Barrett, who dragged his wife in a chair round the tower corner when she went to be churched.’ They laughed at me with such torrents of scorn that I went home ashamed, and couldn’t sleep for shame; and I cried that night till my pillow was wet: till at last I thought to myself there and then —‘They may

it difficult for them to reply. Winterborne’s interest was of a kind which did not show itsel

ed, awaking from a reverie. “Well, what was the

there, whether or no. . . . But as the saying is, ‘Go abroad and you’ll hear news of home.’ It seems that our new neighbor, this young Dr

reminded of other things by the subject of it; “I’ve got to meet a gentleman

om till I hear what sort of barga

’em direct from London, and not from the Sherton book-seller. The parcel was delivered by mistake at the pa’son’s, and he wasn’t at home; so his wife opened it, and went into hysterics when she read ’em, thinking her husband had

us young man,” muse

said Timo

f science and philosophy and poetry, and, in fact, every kind of knowledge;

worse they be the better they be. I mean that if you hear anything of

tom from old Jones and go to this one directly I’ve anything the matter

sort called self-made, and had worked hard. He knew the origin of every one of these cramps: that in his left shoulder had come of carrying a pollard, unassisted, from Tutcombe Bottom home; that in one leg was caused by the crash of an elm against it when they were felling; that in the other was from lifting a bole. On many a morrow after wearying himself by these prodigious muscular efforts, he had risen from his bed fresh as usual; his lassitude had departed, apparently forev

inter to save house-labor, he sat down by the fire, and looked a long time at the pair of dancing shadows cast by each

. “I’ve recollected that I promised to meet Mrs. Charmond’s stewar

by himself? ’Twill bring ’e

fail, every time hitherto. It has been a great pleasure to drive into Sherton,

on’t think she will, if you send

l — I’ll

ace before her mother’s death. After that melancholy event little Grace had clung to the nurse with much affection; and ultimately Melbury, in dread lest the only woman who cared for the girl s

ll five o’clock, you can get your business very well over in time to receive her,” said Melbury. “The green gig will do for

ht all this to be a kindly chance. Wishing even more than her father to despatch his

roads rendering that labor useless; but they were washed today. The harness was blacked, and when the rather elderly white horse had been put in, and Win

home; and ’tis these little things that catch a dainty woman’s eye if they are neglected. We, living here alone, don’t

will,” s

us if we

scorn

st saw us, ’tis as well to meet her views as nearly as possible. Why, ’tis a year since she was in this old place, owing to her going abro

advanced and refined being, was she not his own all the time? Not so Giles; he felt doubtful — perhaps a trifle cynic

m as an advertisement of what he dealt in. This had been tied across the gig; and as it would

orse; and Melbury went indoors. Before the gig had passe

tra about her. And, Giles,” he added, when the young man, having taken the articles, put the horse in motion once more, “tell

d itself —“There, now, I hope the two will bring it to a point and have done with it! ’Tis a pity to let suc

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