第4章

CHAPTERIII：ATURNINTHEDISCUSSION

"I’mafraidDick’salostman，"saidthetranter。

"What？——no！"saidMail，implyingbyhismannerthatitwasafarcommonerthingforhisearstoreportwhatwasnotsaidthanthathisjudgmentshouldbeatfault。

"Ay，"saidthetranter，stillgazingatDick’sunconsciousadvance。

"Idon’tatalllikewhatIsee！There’stoomanyo’themlooksoutofthewinderwithoutnoticinganything;toomuchshiningofboots;

toomuchpeepingroundcorners;toomuchlookingattheclock;

tellingaboutcleverthingsSHEdidtillyoubesickofit;andthenuponahinttothateffectahorriblesilenceabouther。I’vewalkedthepathonceinmylifeandknowthecountry，neighbours;

andDick’salostman！"Thetranterturnedaquarterroundandsmiledasmileofmiserablesatireatthesettingnewmoon，whichhappenedtocatchhiseye。

Theothersbecamefartooseriousatthisannouncementtoallowthemtospeak;andtheystillregardedDickinthedistance。

"’Twashismother’sfault，"thetrantercontinued，"inaskingtheyoungwomantoourpartylastChristmas。WhenIeyedthebluefrockandlightheelso’themaid，Ihadmythoughtsdirectly。’Godblessthee，Dickymysonny，’Isaidtomyself;’there’sadelusionforthee！’"

"TheyseemedtoberatherdistantinmannerlastSunday，Ithought？"

Mailtentativelyobserved，asbecameonewhowasnotamemberofthefamily。

"Ay，that’sapartofthezickness。Distancebelongstoit，slynessbelongstoit，queerestthingsonearthbelongstoit！There，’tmayaswellcomeearlyaslates’farasIknow。Thesoonerbegun，thesoonerover;forcomeitwill。"

"ThequestionIaskis，"saidMr。Spinks，connectingintoonethreadthetwosubjectsofdiscourse，asbecameamanlearnedinrhetoric，andbeatingwithhishandinawaywhichsignifiedthatthemannerratherthanthematterofhisspeechwastobeobserved，"howdidMr。Mayboldknowshecouldplaytheorgan？Youknowwehaditfromherownlips，asfarashipsgo，thatshehasnever，firstorlast，breathedsuchathingtohim;muchlessthatsheeverwouldplay。"

InthemidstofthispuzzleDickjoinedtheparty，andthenewswhichhadcausedsuchaconvulsionamongtheancientmusicianswasunfoldedtohim。"Well，"hesaid，blushingattheallusiontoMissDay，"Iknowbysomewordsofhersthatshehasaparticularwishnottoplay，becausesheisafriendofours;andhowthealterationcomes，Idon’tknow。"

"Now，thisismyplan，"saidthetranter，revivingthespiritofthediscussionbytheinfusionofnewideas，aswashiscustom——"thisismyplan;ifyoudon’tlikeit，noharm’sdone。Weallknowoneanotherverywell，don’twe，neighbours？"

Thattheyknewoneanotherverywellwasreceivedasastatementwhich，thoughfamiliar，shouldnotbeomittedinintroductoryspeeches。

"ThenIsaythis"——andthetranterinhisemphasisslappeddownhishandonMr。Spinks’sshoulderwithamomentumofseveralpounds，uponwhichMr。Spinkstriedtolooknotintheleaststartled——"I

saythatweallmovedown—alongstraightasalinetoPa’sonMayble’swhentheclockhasgonesixto—morrownight。Thereweoneandallstandinthepassage，thenoneortwoofusgoinandspaktoen，manandman;andsay，’Pa’sonMayble，everytradesmand’liketohavehisownwayinhisworkshop，andMellstockChurchisyours。

Insteadofturningusoutneckandcrop，letusstayontillChristmas，andwe’llgiewaytotheyoungwoman，Mr。Mayble，andmakenomoreadoaboutit。Andweshallalwaysbequitewillingtotouchourhatswhenwemeetye，Mr。Mayble，justasbefore。’Thatsoundsverywell？Hey？"

"Properwell，infaith，ReubenDewy。"

"Andwewon’tsitdowninhishouse;’twouldbelookingtoofamiliarwhenonlyjustreconciled？"

"Noneedatalltositdown。Justdoourdutymanandman，turnround，andmarchout——he’llthinkallthemoreofusforit。"

"IhardlythinkLeafhadbettergowi’us？"saidMichael，turningtoLeafandtakinghismeasurefromtoptobottombytheeye。"He’ssoterriblesillythathemightruintheconcern。"

"Hedon’twanttogomuch;doye，ThomasLeaf？"saidWilliam。

"Hee—hee！no;Idon’twantto。Onlyateenybit！"

"Ibemortalafeard，Leaf;thatyou’llneverbeabletotellhowmanycutsd’taketosharpenaspar，"saidMail。

"Ineverhadnohead，never！that’showithappenedtohappen，hee—

hee！"

Theyallassentedtothis，notwithanysenseofhumiliatingLeafbydisparaginghimafteranopenconfession，butbecauseitwasanacceptedthingthatLeafdidn’tintheleastmindhavingnohead，thatdeficiencyofhisbeinganunimpassionedmatterofparishhistory。

"ButIcansingmytreble！"continuedThomasLeaf;quitedelightedatbeingcalledafoolinsuchafriendlyway;"Icansingmytrebleaswellasanymaid，ormarriedwomaneither，andbetter！AndifJimhadlived，Ishouldhavehadacleverbrother！To—morrowispoorJim’sbirthday。He’dha’beentwenty—sixifhe’dlivedtillto—morrow。"

"YoualwaysseemverysorryforJim，"saidoldWilliammusingly。

"Ah！Ido。Suchastaytomotherashe’dalwaysha’been！She’dneverhavehadtoworkinheroldageifhehadcontinuedstrong，poorJim！"

"Whatwashisagewhen’adied？"

"Fourhoursandtwentyminutes，poorJim。’Awasbornasmightbeatnight;and’adidn’tlastasmightbetillthemorning。No，’adidn’tlast。MothercalledenJimonthedaythatwouldha’beenhischristeningdayifhehadlived;andshe’salwaysthinkingabouten。Youseehediedsoveryyoung。"

"Well，’twasratheryouthful，"saidMichael。

"Nowtomymindthatwomanisveryromanticalonthemattero’

children？"saidthetranter，hiseyesweepinghisaudience。

"Ah，wellshemidbe，"saidLeaf。"Shehadtwelveregularoneafteranother，andtheyall，exceptmyself;diedveryyoung;eitherbeforetheywasbornorjustafterwards。"

"Porefeller，too。Isupposeth’stwanttocomewi’us？"thetrantermurmured。

"Well，Leaf;youshallcomewi’usasyoursissuchamelancholyfamily，"saidoldWilliamrathersadly。

"Ineverseesuchamelancholyfamilyasthataforeinmylife，"

saidReuben。"There’sLeaf’smother，poorwoman！EverymorningI

seehereyesmooningoutthroughthepanesofglasslikeapot—sickwinder—flower;andasLeafsingsaveryhightreble，andwedon’tknowwhatweshoulddowithoutenforupperG，we’llletencomeasatrate，poorfeller。"

"Ay，we’llletencome，’ab’lieve，"saidMr。Penny，lookingup，asthepullhappenedtobeatthatmoment。

"Now，"continuedthetranter，dispersingbyanewtoneofvoicethesedigressionsaboutLeaf;"astogoingtoseethepa’son，oneofusmightcallandaskenhismeaning，and’twouldbejustaswelldone;butitwilladdabitofflourishtothecauseifthequirewaitsonhimasabody。Thenthegreatthingtomindis，notforanyofourfellerstobenervous;sobeforestartingwe’lloneandallcometomyhouseandhavearasherofbacon;theneveryman—jackhetapintofciderintohisinside;thenwe’llwarmupanextradropwi’somemeadandabitofginger;everyonetakeathimbleful—

—justaglimmerofadrop，mindye，nomore，tofinishoffhisinnerman——andmarchofftoPa’sonMayble。Why，sonnies，aman’snothimselftillheisfortifiedwi’abitandadrop？Weshallbeabletolookanygentlemaninthefacethenwithoutshrinkorshame。"

Mailrecoveredfromadeepmeditationanddownwardglanceintotheearthintimetogiveacordialapprovaltothislineofaction，andthemeetingadjourned。

CHAPTERIV：INTERVIEWWITHTHEVICAR

Atsixo’clockthenextday，thewholebodyofmeninthechoiremergedfromthetranter’sdoor，andadvancedwithafirmstepdownthelane。Thisdignityofmarchgraduallybecameobliteratedastheywenton，andbythetimetheyreachedthehillbehindthevicarageafaintresemblancetoaflockofsheepmighthavebeendiscernedinthevenerableparty。Awordfromthetranter，however，setthemrightagain;andastheydescendedthehill，theregulartramp，tramp，trampoftheunitedfeetwasclearlyaudiblefromthevicaragegarden。Attheopeningofthegatetherewasanothershortintervalofirregularshuffling，causedbyaratherpeculiarhabitthegatehad，whenswungopenquickly，ofstrikingagainstthebankandslammingbackintotheopener’sface。

"Nowkeepstepagain，willye？"saidthetranter。"Itlooksbetter，andmorebecomesthehighclassofarrantwhichhasbroughtushere。"Thustheyadvancedtothedoor。

AtReuben’sringthemoremodestofthegroupturnedaside，adjustedtheirhats，andlookedcriticallyatanyshrubthathappenedtolieinthelineofvision;endeavouringthustogiveapersonwhochancedtolookoutofthewindowstheimpressionthattheirrequest，whateveritwasgoingtobe，wasratheracasualthoughtoccurringwhilsttheywereinspectingthevicar’sshrubberyandgrass—plotthanapredeterminedthing。Thetranter，who，comingfrequentlytothevicaragewithluggage，coals，firewood，etc。，hadnoneoftheaweforitsprecinctsthatfilledthebreastsofmostoftheothers，fixedhiseyesfirmlyontheknockerduringthisintervalofwaiting。Theknockerhavingnocharacteristicworthyofnotice，herelinquisheditforaknotinoneofthedoor—panels，andstudiedthewindinglinesofthegrain。

"O，sir，please，here’sTranterDewy，andoldWilliamDewy，andyoungRichardDewy，O，andallthequiretoo，sir，excepttheboys，a—cometoseeyou！"saidMr。Maybold’smaid—servanttoMr。Maybold，thepupilsofhereyesdilatinglikecirclesinapond。

"Allthechoir？"saidtheastonishedvicar（whomaybeshortlydescribedasagood—lookingyoungmanwithcourageouseyes，timidmouth，andneutralnose），abandoninghiswritingandlookingathisparlour—maidafterspeaking，likeamanwhofanciedhehadseenherfacebeforebutcouldn’trecollectwhere。

"Andtheylooksveryfirm，andTranterDewydoturnneithertotherighthandnortotheleft，butstaresquitestraightandsolemnwithhismindmadeup！"

"O，allthechoir，"repeatedthevicartohimself;tryingbythatsimpledevicetotrotouthisthoughtsonwhatthechoircouldcomefor。

"Yes;everyman—jackof’em，asIbealive！"（Theparlour—maidwasratherlocalinmanner，havinginfactbeenraisedinthesamevillage。）"Really，sir，’tisthoughtedbymanyintownandcountrythat——"

"Townandcountry！——Heavens，IhadnoideathatIwaspublicpropertyinthisway！"saidthevicar，hisfaceacquiringahuesomewherebetweenthatoftheroseandthepeony。"Well，’Itisthoughtintownandcountrythat——’"

"Itisthoughtthatyoubegoingtogetithotandstrong——excusenmyincivility，sir。"

ThevicarsuddenlyrecalledtohisrecollectionthathehadlongagosettledittobedecidedlyamistaketoencouragehisservantJaneingivingpersonalopinions。TheservantJanesawbythevicar’sfacethatherecalledthisfacttohismind;andremovingherforeheadfromtheedgeofthedoor，andrubbingawaytheindentthatedgehadmade，vanishedintothepassageasMr。Mayboldremarked，"Showthemin，Jane。"

Afewminuteslaterashufflingandjostling（reducedtoasrefinedaformaswascompatiblewiththenatureofshufflesandjostles）

washeardinthepassage;thenanearnestandprolongedwipingofshoes，conveyingthenotionthatvolumesofmudhadtoberemoved;

buttheroadsbeingsocleanthatnotaparticleofdirtappearedonthechoir’sboots（thoseofalltheeldermembersbeingnewlyoiled，andDick’sbrightlypolished），thiswipingmighthavebeensetdownsimplyasadesiretoshowthatrespectablemenhadnowishtotakeameanadvantageofcleanroadsforcurtailingproperceremonies。

Nexttherecameapowerfulwhisperfromthesamequarter：—

"Nowstandstock—stillthere，mysonnies，oneandall！Anddon’tmakenonoise;andkeepyourbacksclosetothewall，thatcompanymaypassinandouteasyiftheywanttowithoutsqueezingthroughye：andwetwoareenoughtogoin。"……Thevoicewasthetranter’s。

"IwishIcouldgointooandseethesight！"saidareedyvoice——

thatofLeaf。

"’TisapityLeafissoterriblesilly，orelsehemight，"saidanother。

"Ineverinmylifeseedaquiregointoastudytohaveitoutabouttheplayingandsinging，"pleadedLeaf;"andIshouldliketoseeitjustonce！"

"Verywell;we’llletencomein，"saidthetranter。"You’llbelikechipsinporridge，{1}Leaf——neithergoodnorhurt。Allright，mysonny，comealong;"andimmediatelyhimself，oldWilliam，andLeafappearedintheroom。

"Wetookthelibertytocomeandsee’ee，sir，"saidReuben，lettinghishathanginhislefthand，andtouchingwithhisrightthebrimofanimaginaryoneonhishead。"We’vecometosee’ee，sir，manandman，andnooffence，Ihope？"

"Noneatall，"saidMr。Maybold。

"Thisoldagedmanstandingbymysideisfather;WilliamDewybyname，sir。"

"Yes;Iseeitis，"saidthevicar，noddingasidetooldWilliam，whosmiled。

"Ithoughtyoumightn’tknowenwithouthisbass—viol，"thetranterapologized。"Yousee，healwayswearshisbestclothesandhisbass—viola—Sundays，anditdomakesuchadifferenceina’oldman’slook。"

"Andwho’sthatyoungman？"thevicarsaid。

"Tellthepa’sonyername，"saidthetranter，turningtoLeaf;whostoodwithhiselbowsnailedbacktoabookcase。

"Please，ThomasLeaf，yourholiness！"saidLeaf;trembling。

"Ihopeyou’llexcusehislooksbeingsoverythin，"continuedthetranterdeprecatingly，turningtothevicaragain。"But’tisn’thisfault，poorfeller。He’srathersillybynature，andcouldnevergetfat;thoughhe’sa’excellenttreble，andsowekeephimon。"

"Ineverhadnohead，sir，"saidLeaf;eagerlygraspingatthisopportunityforbeingforgivenhisexistence。

"Ah，pooryoungman！"saidMr。Maybold。

"Blessyou，hedon’tminditabit，ifyoudon’t，sir，"saidthetranterassuringly。"Doye，Leaf？"

"NotI——notamorsel——hee，hee！Iwasafearditmightn’tpleaseyourholiness，sir，that’sall。"

Thetranter，findingLeafgetonsoverywellthroughhisnegativequalities，wastemptedinafitofgenerositytoadvancehimstillhigher，bygivinghimcreditforpositiveones。"He’sverycleverforasillychap，good—now，sir。Youneverknowedayoungfellerkeephissmock—frockssoclane;veryhonesttoo。Hisghastlylooksisallthereisagainsten，poorfeller;butwecan’thelpourlooks，youknow，sir。"

"True：wecannot。Youlivewithyourmother，Ithink，Leaf？"

ThetranterlookedatLeaftoexpressthatthemostfriendlyassistanttohistonguecoulddonomoreforhimnow，andthathemustbelefttohisownresources。

"Yes，sir：awidder，sir。Ah，ifbrotherJimhadlivedshe’dhavehadacleversontokeepherwithoutwork！"

"Indeed！poorwoman。Giveherthishalf—crown。I’llcallandseeyourmother。"

"Say，’Thankyou，sir，’"thetranterwhisperedimperativelytowardsLeaf。

"Thankyou，sir！"saidLeaf。

"That’sit，then;sitdown，Leaf;"saidMr。Maybold。

"Y—yes，sir！"

ThetranterclearedhisthroatafterthisaccidentalparenthesisaboutLeaf;rectifiedhisbodilyposition，andbeganhisspeech。

"Mr。Mayble，"hesaid，"Ihopeyou’llexcusemycommonway，butI

alwaysliketolookthingsintheface。"

Reubenmadeapointoffixingthissentenceinthevicar’smindbygazinghardathimattheconclusionofit，andthenoutofthewindow。

Mr。MayboldandoldWilliamlookedinthesamedirection，apparentlyundertheimpressionthatthethings’facesalludedtoweretherevisible。

"WhatIhavebeenthinking"——thetranterimpliedbythisuseofthepasttensethathewashardlysodiscourteousastobepositivelythinkingitthen——"isthatthequireoughttobegie’dalittletime，andnotdoneawaywi’tillChristmas，asafairthingbetweenmanandman。And，Mr。Mayble，Ihopeyou’llexcusemycommonway？"

"Iwill，Iwill。TillChristmas，"thevicarmurmured，stretchingthetwowordstoagreatlength，asifthedistancetoChristmasmightbemeasuredinthatway。"Well，IwantyoualltounderstandthatIhavenopersonalfaulttofind，andthatIdon’twishtochangethechurchmusicbyforciblemeans，orinawaywhichshouldhurtthefeelingsofanyparishioners。WhyIhaveatlastspokendefinitelyonthesubjectisthataplayerhasbeenbroughtunder——I

maysaypressedupon——mynoticeseveraltimesbyoneofthechurchwardens。AndastheorganIbroughtwithmeisherewaiting"

（pointingtoacabinet—organstandinginthestudy），"thereisnoreasonforlongerdelay。"

"WemadeamistakeIsupposethen，sir？Butweunderstoodtheyoungwomandidn’twanttoplayparticularly？"Thetranterarrangedhiscountenancetosignifythathedidnotwanttobeinquisitiveintheleast。

"No，nordidshe。NordidIdefinitelywishhertojustyet;foryourplayingisverygood。But，asIsaid，oneofthechurchwardenshasbeensoanxiousforachange，that，asmattersstand，Icouldn’tconsistentlyrefusemyconsent。"

Nowforsomereasonorother，thevicaratthispointseemedtohaveanideathathehadprevaricated;andasanhonestvicar，itwasathinghedeterminednottodo。Hecorrectedhimself;blushingashedidso，thoughwhyheshouldblushwasnotknowntoReuben。

"Understandmerightly，"hesaid："thechurch—wardenproposedittome，butIhadthoughtmyselfofgetting——MissDaytoplay。"

"Whichchurchwardenmightthatbewhoproposedher，sir？——excusingmycommonway。"Thetranterintimatedbyhistonethat，sofarfrombeinginquisitive，hedidnotevenwishtoaskasinglequestion。

"Mr。Shiner，Ibelieve。"

"Clk，mysonny！——begyourpardon，sir，that’sonlyaformofwordsofmine，andslippedoutaccidental——henourishesenmityagainstusforsomereasonoranother;perhapsbecauseweplayedratherharduponenChristmasnight。Anyhow’tiscertainsurethatMr。Shiner’srealloveformusicofaparticularkindisn’thisreason。He’venomoreearthanthatchair。Butletthatbe。"

"Idon’tthinkyoushouldconcludethat，becauseMr。Shinerwantsadifferentmusic，hehasanyill—feelingforyou。Imyself;Imustown，preferorgan—musictoanyother。Iconsideritmostproper，andfeeljustifiedinendeavouringtointroduceit;butthen，althoughothermusicisbetter，Idon’tsayyoursisnotgood。"

"Wellthen，Mr。Mayble，sincedeath’stobe，we’lldielikemenanydayyouname（excusingmycommonway）。"

Mr。Mayboldbowedhishead。

"Allwethoughtwas，thatforusoldancientsingerstobechokedoffquietatnotimeinparticular，asnow，intheSundaysafterEaster，wouldseemrathermeanintheeyesofotherparishes，sir。

ButifwefellgloriouswithabitofaflourishatChristmas，weshouldhavearespectableend，andnotdwindleawayatsomenamelesspaltrysecond—Sunday—afterorSunday—next—beforesomething，that’sgotnonameofhisown。"

"Yes，yes，that’sreasonable;Iownit’sreasonable。"

"Yousee，Mr。Mayble，we’vegot——doIkeepyouinconvenientlong，sir？"

"No，no。"

"We’vegotourfeelings——fatherthereespecially。"

Thetranter，inhisearnestness，hadadvancedhispersontowithinsixinchesofthevicar’s。

"Certainly，certainly！"saidMr。Maybold，retreatingalittleforconvenienceofseeing。"Youareallenthusiasticonthesubject，andIamallthemoregratifiedtofindyouso。ALaodiceanlukewarmnessisworsethanwrongheadednessitself。"

"Exactly，sir。Infactnow，Mr。Mayble，"Reubencontinued，moreimpressively，andadvancingalittlecloserstilltothevicar，"fatherthereisaperfectfigureo’wonder，inthewayofbeingfondofmusic！"

Thevicardrewbackalittlefurther，thetrantersuddenlyalsostandingbackafootortwo，tothrowopentheviewofhisfather，andpointingtohimatthesametime。

OldWilliammoveduneasilyinthelargechair，andwithaminutesmileonthemereedgeofhislips，forgood—manners，saidhewasindeedveryfondoftunes。

"Now，youseeexactlyhowitis，"Reubencontinued，appealingtoMr。

Maybold’ssenseofjusticebylookingsidewaysintohiseyes。Thevicarseemedtoseehowitwassowellthatthegratifiedtranterwalkeduptohimagainwithevenvehementeagerness，sothathiswaistcoat—buttonsalmostrubbedagainstthevicar’sashecontinued：

"Astofather，ifyouorI，oranymanorwomanofthepresentgeneration，atthetimemusicisa—playing，wastoshakeyourfistinfather’sface，asmaybethisway，andsay，"Don’tyoubedelightedwiththatmusic！——thetranterwentbacktowhereLeafwassitting，andheldhisfistsoclosetoLeaf’sfacethatthelatterpressedhisheadbackagainstthewall："Allright，Leaf;mysonny，Iwon’thurtyou;’tisjusttoshowmymeaningtoMr。Mayble。——AsI

wassaying，ifyouorI，oranyman，wastoshakeyourfistinfather’sfacethisway，andsay，"William，yourlifeoryourmusic！"

he’dsay，"Mylife！"Nowthat’sfather’snatureallover;andyousee，sir，itmusthurtthefeelingsofamanofthatkindforhimandhisbass—violtobedoneawaywi’neckandcrop。"

Thetranterwentbacktothevicar’sfrontandagainlookedearnestlyathisface。

"True，true，Dewy，"Mr。Mayboldanswered，tryingtowithdrawhisheadandshoulderswithoutmovinghisfeet;butfindingthisimpracticable，edgingbackanotherinch。ThesefrequentretreatshadatlastjammedMr。Mayboldbetweenhiseasy—chairandtheedgeofthetable。

Andatthemomentoftheannouncementofthechoir，Mr。Mayboldhadjustre—dippedthepenhewasusing;attheirentry，insteadofwipingit，hehadlaiditonthetablewiththeniboverhanging。Atthelastretreathiscoat—tailscameincontactwiththepen，anddownitrolled，firstagainstthebackofthechair，thenceturningasummersaultintotheseat，thencefallingtothefloorwitharattle。

Thevicarstoopedforhispen，andthetranter，wishingtoshowthat，howevergreattheirecclesiasticaldifferences，hismindwasnotsosmallastoletthisaffecthissocialfeelings，stoopedalso。

"Andhaveyouanythingelseyouwanttoexplaintome，Dewy？"saidMr。Mayboldfromunderthetable。

"Nothing，sir。And，Mr。Mayble，youbenotoffended？Ihopeyouseeourdesireisreason？"saidthetranterfromunderthechair。

"Quite，quite;andIshouldn’tthinkofrefusingtolistentosuchareasonablerequest，"thevicarreplied。SeeingthatReubenhadsecuredthepen，heresumedhisverticalposition，andadded，"Youknow，Dewy，itisoftensaidhowdifficultamatteritistoactuptoourconvictionsandpleaseallparties。Itmaybesaidwithequaltruth，thatitisdifficultforamanofanyappreciativenesstohaveconvictionsatall。Nowinmycase，Iseerightinyou，andrightinShiner。Iseethatviolinsaregood，andthatanorganisgood;andwhenweintroducetheorgan，itwillnotbethatfiddleswerebad，butthatanorganwasbetter。Thatyou’llclearlyunderstand，Dewy？"

"Iwill;andthankyouverymuchforsuchfeelings，sir。Piph—h—h—

h！Howtheblooddogetintomyhead，tobesure，wheneverIquatdownlikethat！"saidReuben，whohavingalsorisentohisfeetstuckthepenverticallyintheinkstandandalmostthroughthebottom，thatitmightnotrolldownagainunderanycircumstanceswhatever。

Nowtheancientbodyofminstrelsinthepassagefelttheircuriositysurginghigherandhigherastheminutespassed。Dick，nothavingmuchaffectionforthiserrand，soongrewtired，andwentawayinthedirectionoftheschool。Yettheirsenseofproprietywouldprobablyhaverestrainedthemfromanyattempttodiscoverwhatwasgoingoninthestudyhadnotthevicar’spenfallentothefloor。Theconvictionthatthemovementofchairs，etc。，necessitatedbythesearch，couldonlyhavebeencausedbythecatastropheofabloodyfightbeginning，overpoweredallotherconsiderations;andtheyadvancedtothedoor，whichhadonlyjustfallento。Thus，whenMr。MayboldraisedhiseyesafterthestoopinghebeheldglaringthroughthedoorMr。Pennyinfull—lengthportraiture，Mail’sfaceandshouldersaboveMr。Penny’shead，Spinks’sforeheadandeyesoverMail’scrown，andafractionalpartofBowman’scountenanceunderSpinks’sarm——crescentshapedportionsofotherheadsandfacesbeingvisiblebehindthese——thewholedozenandoddeyesbristlingwitheagerinquiry。

Mr。Penny，asisthecasewithexcitableboot—makersandmen，seeingthevicarlookathimandhearingnowordspoken，thoughtitincumbentuponhimselftosaysomethingofanykind。Nothingsuggesteditselftillhehadlookedforabouthalfaminuteatthevicar。

"You’llexcusemynamingofit，sir，"hesaid，regardingwithmuchcommiserationthemeresurfaceofthevicar’sface;"butperhapsyoudon’tknowthatyourchinhavebustouta—bleedingwhereyoucutyourselfa—shavingthismorning，sir。"

"Now，thatwasthestooping，dependupon’t，"thetrantersuggested，alsolookingwithmuchinterestatthevicar’schin。"Bloodalwayswillbustoutagainifyouhangdownthememberthat’sbeenbleeding。"

OldWilliamraisedhiseyesandwatchedthevicar’sbleedingchinlikewise;andLeafadvancedtwoorthreepacesfromthebookcase，absorbedinthecontemplationofthesamephenomenon，withpartedlipsanddelightedeyes。

"Dearme，dearme！"saidMr。Mayboldhastily，lookingveryred，andbrushinghischinwithhishand，thentakingouthishandkerchiefandwipingtheplace。

"That’sit，sir;allrightagainnow，’ab’lieve——amerenothing，"

saidMr。Penny。"Alittlebitoffuroffyourhatwillstopitinaminuteifitshouldbustoutagain。"

"I’lllet’eehaveabitoffmine，"saidReuben，toshowhisgoodfeeling;"myhatisn’tsonewasyours，sir，and’twon’thurtmineabit。"

"No，no;thankyou，thankyou，"Mr。Mayboldagainnervouslyreplied。

"’Twasratheradeepcutseemingly？"saidReuben，feelingthesetobethekindestandbestremarkshecouldmake。

"O，no;notparticularly。"

"Well，sir，yourhandwillshakesometimesa—shaving，andjustwhenitcomesintoyourheadthatyoumaycutyourself;there’stheblood。"

"Ihavebeenrevolvinginmymindthatquestionofthetimeatwhichwemakethechange，"saidMr。Maybold，"andIknowyou’llmeetmehalf—way。IthinkChristmas—dayasmuchtoolateformeasthepresenttimeistooearlyforyou。IsuggestMichaelmasorthereaboutasaconvenienttimeforbothparties;forIthinkyourobjectiontoaSundaywhichhasnonameisnotoneofanyrealweight。"

"Verygood，sir。Isupposemortalmenmustn’texpecttheirownwayentirely;andIexpressinallournamesthatwe’llmakeshiftandbesatisfiedwithwhatyousay。"Thetrantertouchedthebrimofhisimaginaryhatagain，andallthechoirdidthesame。"AboutMichaelmas，then，asfarasyouareconcerned，sir，andthenwemakeroomforthenextgeneration。"

"AboutMichaelmas，"saidthevicar。

CHAPTERV：RETURNINGHOMEWARD

"’Atookitverywell，then？"saidMail，astheyallwalkedupthehill。

"Hebehavedlikeaman，’adidso，"saidthetranter。"AndI’mgladwe’veletenknowourminds。Andthough，beyondthat，weha’n’tgotmuchbygoing，’twasworthwhile。Hewon’tforgetit。Yes，hetookitverywell。SupposingthistreeherewasPa’sonMayble，andI

standinghere，andthikgr’tstoneisfathersittingintheeasy—

chair。’Dewy，’sayshe，’Idon’twishtochangethechurchmusicinaforcibleway。’"

"Thatwasveryniceo’theman，eventhoughwordsbewind。"

"Propernice——outandoutnice。Thefactis，"saidReubenconfidentially，"’tishowyoutakeaman。Everybodymustbemanaged。Queensmustbemanaged：kingsmustbemanaged;formenwantmanagingalmostasmuchaswomen，andthat’ssayingagooddeal。"

"’Tistruly！"murmuredthehusbands。

"Pa’sonMaybleandIwereasgoodfriendsallthroughitasifwe’dbeenswornbrothers。Ay，theman’swellenough;’tiswhat’sputinhisheadthatspoilshim，andthat’swhywe’vegottogo。"

"There’sreallynobelievinghalfyouhearaboutpeoplenowadays。"

"Blessye，mysonnies！’tisn’tthepa’son’smoveatall。Thatgentlemanoverthere"（thetranternoddedinthedirectionofShiner’sfarm）"isattherootofthemischty。"

"What！Shiner？"

"Ay;andIseewhatthepa’sondon’tsee。Why，ShinerisforputtingforwardthatyoungwomanthatonlylastnightIwassayingwasourDick’ssweet—heart，butIsupposecan’tbe，andmakingmuchofherinthesightofthecongregation，andthinkinghe’llwinherbyshowingheroff。Well，perhaps’awoll。"

"Thenthemusicissecondtothewoman，theotherchurchwardenissecondtoShiner，thepa’sonissecondtothechurchwardens，andGodA’mightyisnowhereatall。"

"That’strue;andyousee，"continuedReuben，"attheverybeginningitputmeinastudastohowtoquarrelwi’en。Inshort，tosavemysoul，Icouldn’tquarrelwi’suchacivilmanwithoutbelyingmyconscience。Sayshetofatherthere，inavoiceasquietasalamb’s，"William，youarea’oldagedman，asallshallbe，sositdowninmyeasy—chair，andrestyourself。"Anddownfatherzot。I

couldfainha’laughedatthee，father;forthou’sttakeitsounconcernedatfirst，andthenlookedsofrightenedwhenthechair—

bottomsunkin。"

"Yousee，"saidoldWilliam，hasteningtoexplain，"Iwasscaredtofindthebottomgieway——whatshouldIknowo’springbottoms？——andthoughtIhadbrokeitdown：andofcourseastobreakingdownaman’schair，Ididn’twishanysuchthing。"

"And，neighbours，whenafeller，eversomuchupforamiff，d’seehisownfathersittinginhisenemy’seasy—chair，andapoorchaplikeLeafmadethebestof;asifhealmosthadbrains——why，itknocksallthewindoutofhissailatonce：itdidoutofmine。"

"Ifthatyoungfigureoffun——FanceDay，Imean，"saidBowman，"hadn’tbeensomightyforwardwi’showingherselfofftoShinerandDickandtherest，’tismybeliefweshouldneverha’leftthegallery。"

"’TismybeliefthatthoughShinerfiredthebullets，theparsonmade’em，"saidMr。Penny。"Mywifestickstoitthathe’sinlovewi’her。"

"That’sathingweshallneverknow。Ican’tonriddleher，nohow。"

"Thou’stoughttobeabletoonriddlesuchalittlechielasshe，"

thetranterobserved。

"Thelittlerthemaid，thebiggertheriddle，tomymind。Andcomingofsuchastock，too，shemaywellbeatwister。"

"Yes;GeoffreyDayisaclevermanifevertherewasone。Neversaysanything：nothe。"

"Never。"

"Youmightlivewi’thatman，mysonnies，ahundredyears，andneverknowtherewasanythinginhim。"

"Ay;oneo’theseup—countryLondonink—bottlechapswouldcallGeoffreyafool。"

"Yeneverfindoutwhat’sinthatman：never，"saidSpinks。

"Close？ah，heisclose！Hecanholdhistonguewell。Thatman’sdumbnessiswonderfultolistento。"

"There’ssomuchsenseinit。Everymomentofitisbrimmenoverwi’soundunderstanding。"

"’Acanholdhistongueveryclever——veryclevertruly，"echoedLeaf。"Adolookatmeasif’acouldseemythoughtsrunningroundliketheworksofaclock。"

"Well，allwillagreethatthemancanhaltwellinhistalk，beitalongtimeorbeitashorttime。Andthoughwecan’texpecthisdaughtertoinherithiscloseness，shemayhaveafewdribbletsfromhissense。"

"Andhispocket，perhaps。"

"Yes;theninehundredpoundthateverybodysayshe’sworth;butI

callitfourhundredandfifty;forIneverbelievemorethanhalfI

hear。"

"Well，he’vemadeapoundortwo，andIsupposethemaidwillhaveit，sincethere’snobodyelse。But’tisrathersharpuponher，ifshe’sbeenborntofortune，tobringherupasifnotbornforit，andlettingherworksohard。"

"’Tisalluponhisprinciple。Along——headedfeller！"

"Ah，"murmuredSpinks，"’twouldbesharperuponherifshewerebornforfortune，andnottoit！Isufferfromthataffliction。"

CHAPTERVI：YALBURYWOODANDTHEKEEPER’SHOUSE

AmoodofblithenessrarelyexperiencedevenbyyoungmenwasDick’sonthefollowingMondaymorning。ItwastheweekaftertheEasterholidays，andhewasjourneyingalongwithSmartthemareandthelightspring—cart，watchingthedampslopesofthehill—sidesastheystreamedinthewarmthofthesun，whichatthisunsettledseasonshoneonthegrasswiththefreshnessofanoccasionalinspectorratherthanasanaccustomedproprietor。HiserrandwastofetchFancy，andsomeadditionalhouseholdgoods，fromherfather’shouseintheneighbouringparishtoherdwellingatMellstock。Thedistantviewwasdarklyshadedwithclouds;butthenearerpartsofthelandscapewerewhitelyilluminedbythevisibleraysofthesunstreamingdownacrosstheheavygrayshadebehind。

ThetranterhadnotyettoldhissonofthestateofShiner’sheartthathadbeensuggestedtohimbyShiner’smovements。Hepreferredtoletsuchdelicateaffairsrightthemselves;experiencehavingtaughthimthattheuncertainphenomenonoflove，asitexistedinotherpeople，wasnotagroundworkuponwhichasingleactionofhisownlifecouldbefounded。

GeoffreyDaylivedinthedepthsofYalburyWood，whichformedportionofoneoftheoutlyingestatesoftheEarlofWessex，towhomDaywasheadgame—keeper，timber—steward，andgeneraloverlookerforthisdistrict。ThewoodwasintersectedbythehighwayfromCasterbridgetoLondonataplacenotfarfromthehouse，andsometreeshadoflateyearsbeenfelledbetweenitswindowsandtheascentofYalburyHill，togivethesolitarycottageraglimpseofthepassers—by。

Itwasasatisfactiontowalkintothekeeper’shouse，evenasastranger，onafinespringmorninglikethepresent。Acurlofwood—smokecamefromthechimney，anddroopedovertherooflikeabluefeatherinalady’shat;andthesunshoneobliquelyuponthepatchofgrassinfront，whichreflecteditsbrightnessthroughtheopendoorwayandupthestaircaseopposite，lightingupeachriserwithashinygreenradiance，andleavingthetopofeachstepinshade。

Thewindow—sillofthefrontroomwasbetweenfourandfivefeetfromthefloor，droppinginwardlytoabroadlowbench，overwhich，aswellasoverthewholesurfaceofthewallbeneath，therealwayshungadeepshade，whichwasconsideredobjectionableoneverygroundsaveone，namely，thattheperpetualsprinklingofseedsandwaterbythecagedcanaryabovewasnotnoticedasaneyesorebyvisitors。Thewindowwassetwiththickly—leadeddiamondglazing，formed，especiallyinthelowerpanes，ofknottyglassofvariousshadesofgreen。NothingwasbetterknowntoFancythantheextravagantmannerinwhichthesecircularknotsoreyesdistortedeverythingseenthroughthemfromtheoutside——liftinghatsfromheads，shouldersfrombodies;scatteringthespokesofcart—wheels，andbendingthestraightfir—trunksintosemicircles。Theceilingwascarriedbyabeamtraversingitsmidst，fromthesideofwhichprojectedalargenail，usedsolelyandconstantlyasapegforGeoffrey’shat;thenailwasarchedbyarainbow——shapedstain，imprintedbythebrimofthesaidhatwhenitwashungtheredrippingwet。

Themoststrikingpointabouttheroomwasthefurniture。ThiswasarepetitionuponinanimateobjectsoftheoldprincipleintroducedbyNoah，consistingforthemostpartoftwoarticlesofeverysort。

TheduplicatesystemoffurnishingoweditsexistencetotheforethoughtofFancy’smother，exercisedfromthedateofFancy’sbirthdayonwards。Thearrangementspokeforitself：nobodywhoknewthetoneofthehouseholdcouldlookatthegoodswithoutbeingawarethatthesecondsetwasaprovisionforFancy，whensheshouldmarryandhaveahouseofherown。Themostnoticeableinstancewasapairofgreen—facedeight—dayclocks，tickingalternately，whichwereseverallytwoandhalfminutesandthreeminutesstrikingthehouroftwelve，oneproclaiming，inItalianflourishes，ThomasWoodasthenameofitsmaker，andtheother——archedatthetop，andaltogetherofmorecynicalappearance——thatofEzekielSaunders。

TheyweretwodepartedclockmakersofCasterbridge，whosedesperaterivalrythroughouttheirliveswasnowheremoreemphaticallyperpetuatedthanhereatGeoffrey’s。Thesechiefspecimensofthemarriageprovisionweresupportedontherightbyacoupleofkitchendressers，eachfittedcompletewiththeircups，dishes，andplates，intheirturnfollowedbytwodumb—waiters，twofamilyBibles，twowarming—pans，andtwointermixedsetsofchairs。