'Because?you are so genteel that you must have plenty of money, and only say that for fun!' she returned. 'Ha-ha!' laughed the young man in unison, and gallantly producing his money she was enabled to whirl on again.
As he stood smiling there in the motley crowd, with his pipe in his hand, and clad in the rough pea-jacket and wideawake9 that he had put on for his stroll, who would have supposed him to be Charles Bradford Raye, Esquire, stuff-gownsman,1 educated at Wintoncester, called to the Bar at Lincoln'sInn, 2 now going the Western Circuit, merely detained in Melchester by a small arbitration after his brethren had moved on to the next county-town?
II
The square was overlooked from its remoter corner by the house of which the young girl had spoken, a dignified residence of considerable size, having several windows on each floor. Inside one of these, on the first floor, the apartment being a large drawing-room, sat a lady, in appearance from twenty
8. Approximately one dollar. lawyers must be trained to qualify for the bar and 9. Soft felt hat. to which they afterward must belong to practice 1. A junior counsel, who wears a gown of 'stuff' law. 'Wintoncester': Winchester College, the old- rather than silk; qualified to plead cases in court est English public school (the equivalent in the
but not appointed to a senior position. American system of an elite private secondary
2. One of the four London Inns of Court, at which boarding school).
.
1 85 6 / THOMAS HARDY
eight to thirty years of age. The blinds were still undrawn, and the lady was absently surveying the weird scene without, her cheek resting on her hand. The room was unlit from within, but enough of the glare from the marketplace entered it to reveal the lady's face. She was what is called an interesting creature rather than a handsome woman; dark-eyed, thoughtful, and with sensitive lips.
A man sauntered into the room from behind and came forward.
'O, Edith, I didn't see you,' he said. 'Why are you sitting here in the dark?'
'I am looking at the fair,' replied the lady in a languid voice.
'Oh? Horrid nuisance every year! I wish it could be put a stop to.'
'I like it.'
'H'm. There's no accounting for taste.'
For a moment he gazed from the window with her, for politeness sake, and then went out again. In a few minutes she rang. 'Hasn't Anna come in?' asked Mrs Harnham. 'No m'm.' 'She ought to be in by this time. I meant her to go for ten minutes only.' 'Shall I go and look for her, m'm?' said the house-maid alertly. 'No. It is not necessary: she is a good girl and will come soon.' However, when the servant had gone Mrs Harnham arose, went up to her
room, cloaked and bonneted herself, and proceeded downstairs, where she found her husband.
'I want to see the fair,' she said; 'and I am going to look for Anna. I have made myself responsible for her, and must see she comes to no harm. She ought to be indoors. Will you come with me?'
'Oh, she's all right. I saw her on one of those whirligig things, talking to her young man as I came in. But I'll go if you wish, though I'd rather go a hundred miles the other way.'
'Then please do so. I shall come to no harm alone.'
She left the house and entered the crowd which thronged the market-place, where she soon discovered Anna, seated on the revolving horse. As soon as it stopped Mrs Harnham advanced and said severely, 'Anna, how can you be such a wild girl? You were only to be out for ten minutes.'
Anna looked blank, and the young man, who had dropped into the background, came to help her alight.
'Please don't blame her,' he said politely. 'It is my fault that she has stayed. She looked so graceful on the horse that I induced her to go round again. I assure you that she has been quite safe.'
'In that case I'll leave her in your hands,' said Mrs Harnham, turning to retrace her steps.
But this for the moment it was not so easy to do. Something had attracted the crowd to a spot in their rear, and the wine-merchant's wife, caught by its sway, found herself pressed against Anna's acquaintance without power to move away. Their faces were within a few inches of each other, his breath fanned her cheek as well as Anna's. They could do no other than smile at the accident; but neither spoke, and each waited passively. Mrs Harnham then felt a man's hand clasping her fingers, and from the look of consciousness on the young fellow's face she knew the hand to be his: she also knew that from the position of the girl he had no other thought than that the imprisoned hand was Anna's. What prompted her to refrain from undeceiving him she could
.
ON THE WESTERN CIRCUIT / 1857
hardly tell. Not content with holding the hand, he playfully slipped two of his fingers inside her glove, against her palm. Thus matters continued till the pressure lessened; but several minutes passed before the crowd thinned sufficiently to allow Mrs Harnham to withdraw.
'How did they get to know each other, I wonder?' she mused as she retreated. 'Anna is really very forward?and he very wicked and nice.'
She was so gently stirred with the stranger's manner and voice, with the tenderness of his idle touch, that instead of re-entering the house she turned back again and observed the pair from a screened nook. Really she argued (being little less impulsive than Anna herself) it was very excusable in Anna to encourage him, however she might have contrived to make his acquaintance; he was so gentlemanly, so fascinating, had such beautiful eyes. The thought that he was several years her junior produced a reasonless sigh.
At length the couple turned from the roundabout towards the door of Mrs Harnham's house, and the young man could be heard saying that he would accompany her home. Anna, then, had found a lover, apparently a very
