ThefollowingDecember，adayortwobeforeChristmas，Mrs。Fellmerandhersonwerewalkingupanddownthebroadgravelpathwhichborderedtheeastfrontofthehouse。Tillwithinthelasthalf-hourthemorninghadbeenadrizzlingone，andtheyhadjustemergedforashortturnbeforeluncheon。
’Yousee，dearmother，’thesonwassaying，’itisthepeculiarityofmypositionwhichmakesherappeartomeinsuchadesirablelight。
WhenyouconsiderhowIhavebeencrippledatstarting，howmylifehasbeenmaimed；thatIfeelanythinglikepublicitydistasteful，thatIhaveyenopoliticalambition，andthatmychiefaimandhopelieintheeducationofthelittlethingAnniehasleftme，youmustseehowdesirableawifelikeMissHalboroughwouldbe，topreventmybecomingamerevegetable。’
’Ifyouadoreher，Isupposeyoumusthaveher!’repliedhismotherwithdryindirectness。’Butyou’llfindthatshewillnotbecontenttoliveonhereasyoudo，givingherwholemindtoayoungchild。’
’That’sjustwherewediffer。Herverydisqualification，thatofbeinganobody，asyoucallit，isherrecommendationinmyeyes。
Herlackofinfluentialconnectionslimitsherambition。FromwhatI
knowofher，alifeinthisplaceisallthatshewouldwishfor。
Shewouldnevercaretogooutsidethepark-gatesifitwerenecessarytostaywithin。’
’Beinginlovewithher，Albert，andmeaningtomarryher，youinventyourpracticalreasonstomakethecaserespectable。Well，doasyouwill；Ihavenoauthorityoveryou，sowhyshouldyouconsultme？
Youmeantoproposeonthisveryoccasion，nodoubt。Don’tyou，now？’
’Bynomeans。Iammerelyrevolvingtheideainmymind。Ifonfurtheracquaintancesheturnsouttobeasgoodasshehashithertoseemed——well，Ishallsee。Admit，now，thatyoulikeher。’
’Ireadilyadmitit。Sheisverycaptivatingatfirstsight。Butasastepmothertoyourchild!Youseemmightyanxious，Albert，togetridofme!’
’Notatall。AndIamnotsorecklessasyouthink。Idon’tmakeupmymindinahurry。Butthethoughthavingoccurredtome，Imentionittoyouatonce，mother。Ifyoudislikeit，sayso。’
’Idon’tsayanything。Iwilltrytomakethebestofitifyouaredetermined。Whendoesshecome？’
’To-morrow。’
Allthistimethereweregreatpreparationsintrainatthecurate’s，whowasnowahouseholder。Rosa，whosetwoorthreeweeks’stayontwooccasionsearlierintheyearhadsoaffectedthesquire，wascomingagain，andatthesametimeheryoungerbrotherCornelius，tomakeupafamilyparty。Rosa，whojourneyedfromtheMidlands，couldnotarrivetilllateintheevening，butCorneliuswastogetthereintheafternoon，Joshuagoingouttomeethiminhiswalkacrossthefieldsfromtherailway。
EverythingbeingreadyinJoshua’smodestabodehestartedonhisway，hisheartbuoyantandthankful，ifeveritwasinhislife。Hewasofsuchgoodreporthimselfthathisbrother’spathintoholyorderspromisedtobeunexpectedlyeasy；andhelongedtocompareexperienceswithhim，eventhoughtherewasonhandamoreexcitingmatterstill。Fromhisyouthhehadheldthat，inold-fashionedcountryplaces，theChurchconferredsocialprestigeuptoacertainpointatacheaperpricethananyotherprofessionorpursuit；andeventsseemedtobeprovinghimright。
HehadwalkedabouthalfanhourwhenhesawCorneliuscomingalongthepath；andinafewminutesthetwobrothersmet。TheexperiencesofCorneliushadbeenlessimmediatelyinterestingthanthoseofJoshua，buthispersonalpositionwassatisfactory，andtherewasnothingtoaccountforthesingularlysubduedmannerthatheexhibited，whichatfirstJoshuasetdowntothefatigueofover-
study；andheproceededtothesubjectofRosa’sarrivalintheevening，andtheprobableconsequencesofthisherthirdvisit。
’BeforenextEastershe’llbehiswife，myboy，’saidJoshuawithgraveexultation。
Corneliusshookhishead。’Shecomestoolate!’hereturned。
’Whatdoyoumean？’
’Lookhere。’HeproducedtheFountallpaper，andplacedhisfingeronaparagraph，whichJoshuaread。ItappearedunderthereportofPettySessions，andwasacommonplacecaseofdisorderlyconduct，inwhichamanwassenttoprisonforsevendaysforbreakingwindowsinthattown。
’Well？’saidJoshua。
’IthappenedduringaneveningthatIwasinthestreet；andtheoffenderisourfather。’
’Not——how——IsenthimmoremoneyonhispromisingtostayinCanada？’
’Heishome，safeenough。’Corneliusinthesamegloomytonegavetheremainderofhisinformation。Hehadwitnessedthescene，unobservedofhisfather，andhadheardhimsaythathewasonhiswaytoseehisdaughter，whowasgoingtomarryarichgentleman。
Theonlygoodfortuneattendingtheuntowardincidentwasthatthemillwright’snamehadbeenprintedasJoshuaAlborough。
’Beaten!Wearetobebeatenontheeveofourexpectedvictory!’
saidtheelderbrother。’HowdidheguessthatRosawaslikelytomarry？GoodHeavenCornelius，youseemdoomedtobringbadnewsalways，doyounot!’
’Ido，’saidCornelius。’PoorRosa!’
Itwasalmostintears，sogreatwastheirheart-sicknessandshame，thatthebrotherswalkedtheremainderofthewaytoJoshua’sdwelling。IntheeveningtheysetouttomeetRosa，bringinghertothevillageinafly；andwhenshehadcomeintothehouse，andwassittingdownwiththem，theyalmostforgottheirsecretanxietyincontemplatingher，whoknewnothingaboutit。
NextdaytheFellmerscame，andthetwoorthreedaysafterthatwerealivelytime。Thatthesquirewasyieldingtohisimpulses——makinguphismind——therecouldbenodoubt。OnSundayCorneliusreadthelessons，andJoshuapreached。Mrs。FellmerwasquitematernaltowardsRosa，anditappearedthatshehaddecidedtowelcometheinevitablewithagoodgrace。Theprettygirlwastospendyetanotherafternoonwiththeelderlady，superintendingsomeparishtreatatthehouseinobservanceofChristmas，andafterwardstostayontodinner，herbrotherstofetchherintheevening。Theywerealsoinvitedtodine，buttheycouldnotacceptowingtoanengagement。
Theengagementwasofasombresort。Theyweregoingtomeettheirfather，whowouldthatdaybereleasedfromFountallGaol，andtrytopersuadehimtokeepawayfromNarrobourne。EveryexertionwastobemadetogethimbacktoCanada，tohisoldhomeintheMidlands——
anywhere，sothathewouldnotimpingedisastrouslyupontheircourses，andblasttheirsister’sprospectsoftheauspiciousmarriagewhichwasjustthenhanginginthebalance。
AssoonasRosahadbeenfetchedawaybyherfriendsatthemanor-
househerbrothersstartedontheirexpedition，withoutwaitingfordinnerortea。Cornelius，towhomthemillwrightalwaysaddressedhisletterswhenhewroteany，drewfromhispocketandre-readashewalkedthecurtnotewhichhadledtothisjourneybeingundertaken；
itwasdespatchedbytheirfatherthenightbefore，immediatelyuponhisliberation，andstatedthathewassettingoutforNarrobourneatthemomentofwriting；thathavingnomoneyhewouldbeobligedtowalkalltheway；thathecalculatedonpassingthroughtheinterveningtownofIvellaboutsixonthefollowingday，whereheshouldsupattheCastleInn，andwherehehopedtheywouldmeethimwithacarriage-and-pair，orsomeothersuchconveyance，thathemightnotdisgracethembyarrivinglikeatramp。
’Thatsoundsasifhegaveathoughttoourposition，’saidCornelius。
Joshuaknewthesatirethatlurkedinthepaternalwords，andsaidnothing。Silenceprevailedduringthegreaterpartoftheirjourney。
ThelampswerelightedinIvellwhentheyenteredthestreets，andCornelius，whowasquiteunknowninthisneighbourhood，andwho，moreover，wasnotinclericalattire，decidedthatheshouldbetheonetocallattheCastleInn。Here，inanswertohisinquiryunderthedarknessofthearchway，theytoldhimthatsuchamanashehaddescribedleftthehouseaboutaquarterofanhourearlier，aftermakingamealinthekitchen-settle。Hewasrathertheworseforliquor。
’Then，’saidJoshua，whenCorneliusjoinedhimoutsidewiththisintelligence，’wemusthavemetandpassedhim!AndnowthatIthinkofit，wedidmeetsomeonewhowasunsteadyinhisgait，underthetreesontheothersideofHendfordHill，whereitwastoodarktoseehim。’
Theyrapidlyretracedtheirsteps；butforalongstretchofthewayhomecoulddiscernnobody。When，however，theyhadgoneaboutthree-
quartersofthedistance，theybecameconsciousofanirregularfootfallinfrontofthem，andcouldseeawhitishfigureinthegloom。Theyfolloweddubiously。Thefiguremetanotherwayfarer——
thesingleonethathadbeenencountereduponthislonelyroad——andtheydistinctlyheardhimaskthewaytoNarrobourne。Thestrangerreplied——whatwasquitetrue——thatthenearestwaywasbyturninginatthestilebythenextbridge，andfollowingthefootpathwhichbranchedthenceacrossthemeadows。
Whenthebrothersreachedthestiletheyalsoenteredthepath，butdidnotovertakethesubjectoftheirworrytilltheyhadcrossedtwoorthreemeads，andthelightsfromNarrobournemanor-housewerevisiblebeforethemthroughthetrees。Theirfatherwasnolongerwalking；hewasseatedagainstthewetbankofanadjoininghedge。
Observingtheirformsheshouted，’I’mgoingtoNarrobourne；whomayyoube？’
Theywentuptohim，andrevealedthemselves，remindinghimoftheplanwhichhehadhimselfproposedinhisnote，thattheyshouldmeethimatIvell。
’ByJerry，I’dforgotit!’hesaid。’Well，whatdoyouwantmetodo？’Histonewasdistinctlyquarrelsome。
Alongconversationfollowed，whichbecameembitteredatthefirsthintfromthemthatheshouldnotcometothevillage。Themillwrightdrewaquartbottlefromhispocket，andchallengedthemtodrinkiftheymeantfriendlyandcalledthemselvesmen。Neitherofthetwohadtouchedalcoholforyears，butforoncetheythoughtitbesttoaccept，soasnottoneedlesslyprovokehim。
’What’sinit？’saidJoshua。
’Adropofweakgin-and-water。Itwon’thurtye。Drin’fromthebottle。’Joshuadidso，andhisfatherpushedupthebottomofthevesselsoastomakehimswallowagooddealinspiteofhimself。Itwentdownintohisstomachlikemoltenlead。
’Ha，ha，that’sright!’saidoldHalborough。’But’twasrawspirit——
ha，ha!’
’Whyshouldyoutakemeinso!’saidJoshua，losinghisself-command，tryashewouldtokeepcalm。