Wessex Tales

e high, grassy and furzy downs, coombs, or ewe-leases, asthey are indifferently called, that fill a large area of certaincounties in the

iles from a county-town. Yet that affected it little. Five milesof irregular upland, during the long inimical seasons, with theirsleets, snows, rains, and mists, afford withdrawing space enough

ng of twofootpaths at right angles hard by, which may have crossed there andthus for a good five hundred years. Hence the house was exposed tothe elements on all sides. But, though the wind up here blewunmistakably when it did blow, and the rain hit hard whenever itfell, the various weathers of the winter season were not quite soformidable on the coomb as they were imagined to be by dwel

sheep and outdoor animals as hadno shelter stood with their buttocks to the winds; while the tailsof little birds trying to roost on some scraggy thorn were blowninside-out like umbrellas. The gable-end of the cottage was stain

ng room of the dwelling. Aglance into the apartment at eight o'clock on this eventful eveningwould have res

were hung ornamentally overthe fireplace, the curl of each shining crook varying from theantiquated type engra

trifle smaller than the grease which enveloped them, in candlestick

ng onthe chimney-piece. This position of candles was in itself

o give substance, blazed afire of thorns, t

the parish-clerk, and JohnPitcher, a neighbouring dairyman, the shepherd's father-in-law,lolled in the settle; a young man and maid, who were blushing overtentative pourparlers on a life-companionship, sat beneath thecorner-cupboard; and

nity, was lent to the majority by the absence of any expressionor trait denoting that they wished to get on in the world, enlargetheir minds,

but anundisturbed position of ease in chairs and settles was apt to leadon the men to such an unconscionable deal of toping that they wouldsometimes fairly drink the house dry. A dancing-party was thealternative; but this, while avoiding the foregoing objection on thescore of good drink, had a counterbalancing disadvantage in thematter of good victuals, the ravenous appetites

ch he scrambled back to the first position withsounds not of unmixed purity of tone. At seven the shrill tweedle-dee of this youngster had begun, accompanied by a booming ground-bass from Elijah New, the parish-clerk, who

ng as long as they hadmuscle and wind. Mrs. Fennel, seeing the steam begin to generate onthe countenances of her guests, crossed over and touched thefiddler's elbow and put her hand on the serpent's mouth. But theytook no notice, and fearing she might lose her character of genialhostess if she were to interf

nFennel's pastoral dwelling, an incident having considerable be

igure tothe solitary hill of Higher Crowstairs from the direction of thedistant town. This personage strode on through

pple frame; his gaitsuggested that he had somewhat passed the period of perfect andinstinctive agility, though not so far as to be otherwise than rapidof motion when occasion required. At a rough guess, he might havebeen about forty years o

black coat nor a dark garment of any sortthat he wore, there was something about him which suggested that henaturally belonged to the black-coated tribes o

or rather came along, with yet more determinedviolence. The outskirts of the little se

principle of masking the homelier features of yourestablishment by a conventional frontage was unknown. Thetraveller's eye was attracted to this

he cabbage-leaves of the garden, on the eight orten beehives just discernible by the path, and its dripping from theeaves into a row of buckets and pans that had been placed under thewalls of the cottage. For at High

solutely necessitated in uplandhabitations during the droughts of summer. But at this season therewer

the serpent ceased an

kneel down on a largestone beside the row of vessels, and to drink a copious draught fromone of them. Having quenched his thirst he rose and lifted his handto knock, but paused with his eye upon the panel. Since the darksurface of the wood r

lewell (mostly dry), the well-cover, the top rail of the garden-gate,were varnished with the same dull liquid glaze; while, far away inthe vale, a faint whiteness of more than usual extent showed th

that direction seemed to clinchhis i

he hedge-carpenter was suggesting a song to the company,which nobody just then

said the shep

strianappeared upon the door-mat. The shepherd arose, snu

g low over his eyes, without concealing that theywere large, open, and determined, moving with a flash rather than aglance round the room. He seemed ple

osing your time, for we are having a bit of a fling fora glad cause--though, to

get your familyover and done with, as soon as you

this glad cause?'

christening,' s

isodes, and being invited by a gesture toa pull at the mug, he readily acquiesced. His manner,

hwart this coomb--hey?' sa

chimney-corner, if you have nothing to urge against it, ma'a

er, who, having got completely inside the chimney-corner,stretched out

n his boots, 'and I am notwell fitted either. I have had some rough times lately, and havebeen forced to pick

reabouts?' s

hat--further u

I; and by your tongue you

me,' he said quickly. 'My timewould

ess of his hostess had the effect

happy,' continuedthe new-comer. 'And that is a l

our pipe,' sai

ou to lend me a

and no pipe

ped it somewhe

y pipe, saying, as hedid so, 'Hand me your bac

gh the movement of s

aid his entertainer,

is pipe at the candle with asuction that drew the whole flame into the bowl, he resettledhimself in

rbing discussion in which theywere engaged with the band about a tune for the next dance. Thematter bein

the brands as if doing it thoroughly were the oneaim of his existence; and a second time

was a s

hair being slightlyfrosted, his eyebrows bristly, and his whiskers cut back from hischeeks. His face was rather full and flabby, and yet it was notaltogether a face without power. A few grog-blossoms marked theneighbourhood of his no

he said, 'Imust ask for a few minutes' shelter, comrades, o

nnel had theleast tinge of niggardliness in his composition; but the room wasfar from large, spare chairs were not numerous

oom to the dancers, that its inner edge grazedthe elbow of the man who had ensconced himself by the fire; and thusthe two strangers were brought into close companionship. Theynodded to each other by way of breaking the ice of unacquaintance,and the first stranger handed his neighbour

urious blueness overspread thecountenance of the shepherd's wife, who had regarded with no littl

toper to the shepherd

bees there's honey,and where there's honey there's mead." But mead of such a trulycomfortable sort as this I reall

y it!' said the

y think we shall make any more. For honeysells well, and we ourselves can make shift with a drop o' smallmead and metheglin for common use from the comb-washings."'O, but you'll never have the heart!' reproachfully c

ofthe taciturnity induced by the pipe of tobacco, could not or w

ace, rosemary, yeast, andprocesses of working, bottling, and cellaring--tasted remarkablystrong; but it did not taste so strong as it actually was. Hence,presently, the stranger

dto Casterbridge I must go. I should have been almost there by thisti

in Casterbridge?'

ough I shortly me

set up in tr

t is easy to see that thegentleman is ri

nswering, 'Rich is not quite the word for me, dame. I do work, andI must work. And even if I only get to Casterbridge by midnight Im

spite o' seeming, you

the shephe

d truly I must upand off, or I shan't get a lodging in the town.' However, thespeaker did not move, and directly add

nel. 'Small, we call it,though to be sur

ully. 'I won't spoil your firstkin

ery day, and I'll fill the mug again.' He went away to the darkplace

ptied it once, though it held enough for tenpeople; and now he's not contented wi' the

on't like the look

ght, and achristening. Daze it, what's a cup of mead

ully at thebarrel. 'But what is the man's calling, and wher

now. I'll as

against this time byMrs. Fennel. She poured out his allowance in a small cup, keepingthe large one at a discreet d

in the chimney-corner, with sudden demonstrativeness

e for these parts,'

w mine--if they've the

stranger in

erved thehedge-carpenter, looking at his own hands. 'My fi

s he resumed his pipe. The manat the table took up the hedge-carpenter's remark, and addedsmartly, 'True

r at thetable, whose soul had now risen to a good working temperature,relieved the difficulty by exclaiming that, to start the company, hewould sing himself. Thrusting one thumb into the arm-hole of hiswaistcoat, he waved the other hand in the air, a

of the man in the chimney-corner, who, at thesinger's word, 'Chorus! 'joined

ly on the ground, the shepherdess gazed keenly at thesinger, and with some suspicion; she was doubting whether thisstranger were merely singing an old song from recollection, or wascomposing one there a

andwent on with the next stanza as requested:-'My tools are but

d a post whereon to swing,Ar

ally. The guestsone and all started back with suppressed exclamations. The youngwoman engaged to the man of fifty f

ford and had no work to do--Timothy Summers, whose family werea-starving, and so he went out of Shottsford by the high-road, andtook a sheep in open daylight, defying the farmer and the farmer'swife and the farmer's lad, and every man jack among 'em. He' (andthey

o reciprocated hisjoviality in any way, he held out his cup towards that appreciativecomrade, who also held out his own. They clinked together, the eyesof the rest of the room

e entrance, and it was with some effort that he resistedhis alarmed wife's de

those who had preceded him, was a stranger. This time it was ashort, small

stranger in cinder-gray. It wasjust at the instant when the latter, who had thrown his mind intohis song with such a will that he scarcely heeded the interru

, and the lad who did it ta'en,An

r soheartily that his mead splashed over on the hearth, repeated

ird stranger had been

the picture of abject terror--his kneestrembling, his hand shaking so violently that the door-latch bywhich he supported himself rattled audibly: his whi

can it be?' sa

d nothing. Instinctively they withdrew further andfurther from the grim gentleman in their midst, whom some of themseemed to take for the Prince of

tter of the rain againstthe window-shutters, accompanied by the occasional hiss of a straydrop that fell down th

tant sound of a gunreverberated through the air-

the stranger who had su

that mean?' a

ed from the jail--t

n in the chimney-corner, who said quietly, 'I've often beentold that in

Y man?' murmured the p

we'vezeed him! That little man who looked in at the door by now

d the breath went out of h

o sink within him like a

he'd been shot at,' s

ed to sink; and hebolted as if he'd been shot at

ice it,' remark

ring what made him run

omen against the wall,

picions became a certainty. The sinister gentleman incinder-gray roused himself. '

ering out from the wall, hisbetrothed b

a sworn c

be,

e, with assistance, and bring himb

my staff. I'll go home and getit, and

ind your staff; th

in yaller and gold, and the lion and the unicorn, so as when Iraise en up and hit my prisoner, 'tis made a lawful blow thereby. Iwouldn't 'te

rity enough forthis,' said the formidable officer in gr

anterns?--I demand it

est of you a

yes--the rest of ye!

good stout staves

he law! And take 'em in yerhands and go in

ument was needed to show the shepherd's guests that after whatthey had seen it would look very much like connivance if they didno

th hurdle-staves in their hands, they pouredout of the door, taking a direction along

notes of grief came downthrough the chinks of the floor to the ears of the women below, whojumped up one by one, and seemed glad of the excuse to ascend andcomfor

was the stranger ofthe chimney-corner, who had gone out with the rest. The motive ofhis return was shown by his helping himself to a cut piece ofskimmer-cake that lay on a ledge beside where he had sat, and whichhe had apparently for

elp in the capture.' And this speaker also revealed the object ofhis r

' said the other, continuing h

ughts, I felt there we

identially, 'and such

o' the Government to take car

felt as you did, that the

mbs running over the humps and

ther, betwee

youknow, stirred up to anything in a moment. They'll have hi

e shall have saved ourselv

ridge; and 'tis as much asmy legs will do

he noddedindefinitely to the right), 'and I feel as you do

mug, afterwhich, shaking hands heartily at the door, a

nable to form any such plan now. They descended in alldirections down the hill, and straightway several of the party fellinto the snare set by Nature for all misguided midnight ramblersover this part of the cretaceous formation. The 'lanchets,' orflint slopes, which belted

eir eyes and warn the fugitive than to assist them inthe exploration, were extinguished, due silence was observed; and inthis more rational order they plunged into the vale. It was agrassy, briery, moist defile,

ereby a passing bird some fifty years before. And here, standing alittle to one side of the trunk, as motionless as the trunk itself;a

e!' said the constable st

side ought to saythat. That's the doctrine of vag

if you had all the weight o' thisundertaking upon your mind, perhaps you'd say the wrong

opportunity whatever for exhibiting theircourage, he strolled slowly towards them. He was,

,' he said, 'did I

e arrest 'ee on the charge of not biding inCasterbridge jail in a decent proper ma

ed himself with preternatural civility to thesearch-party, who, with their staves in the

ached the house that some new events had arisen intheir absence. On entering they discovered the shepherd's livingroom to be invaded by two officers f

must do his duty! He isinside this circle of able-bodied persons, who have lent me usefulaid, considering

?' said one of

,' said th

he turnkey; and the first

sight o' the singing instrument of the law who satthere?' Here he related the stra

quite a different character fromthis one; a gauntish fellow, with dark hair and eyes, rather good-loo

was the man in th

after inquiringparticulars from the shepherd in t

he's not the man we were in search of. For theman we were in search of was not the man we

r!' said the magistrate. 'You hadbet

seemed to have moved him as nothing else coulddo. 'Sir,' he said, stepping forward to t

very man, my brother, that I thought tosee in the condemned cell at Casterbridge. He was in this chimney-corner; and jammed close to him, so that he could not have got outif he had tried, was the executioner who'd come to take his life,singing a song about it and not knowing that it

s storymade a great impression on all around. 'And do you know

never seen him since

or we've been between ye ev

ink to fly to?--wha

tch-and-cloc

elwright--a wicked rogu

ant, no doubt,' said ShepherdFennel. 'I t

y retaining thispoor man in custody,' said the magistr

able to raze out the written troubles in hisbrain, for they concerned another whom he regarded with moresolicitude than himself. When this was do

vellous coolness anddaring in hob-and-nobbing with the hangman, under the unprecedentedcircumstances of the shepherd's party, won their admiration. Sothat it may be questioned if all those who ostensibly madethemselves so busy in exploring woods and fields and lanes werequite so thorough when it came to the priv

buried himself in the depths of a populous city. Atany rate, the gentleman in cinder-gray never did his morning's workat Casterbridge, nor

e guests who made up the christening party havemainly followed their entertainers to th

that night,and the details connected therewith, is a story

rch