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。
