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The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid by Thomas Hardy
page 89 of 132 (67%)
'Doubtless he will--what are they?'

'That I shall not be made to live with him till I am in the mind for
it; and that my having him shall be kept unknown for the present.'

'Well, what do you think of it, Hayward?'

'Anything that you or she may wish I'll do, my noble lord,' said Jim.

'Well, her request is not unreasonable, seeing that the proceedings
are, on my account, a little hurried. So we'll proceed. You rather
expected this, from my allusion to a ceremony in my note, did you
not, Margery?'

'Yes, sir,' said she, with an effort.

'Good; I thought so; you looked so little surprised.'

We now leave the scene in the bedroom for a spot not many yards off.

When the carriage seen by Margery at the door was driving up to Mount
Lodge it arrested the attention, not only of the young girl, but of a
man who had for some time been moving slowly about the opposite lawn,
engaged in some operation while he smoked a short pipe. A short
observation of his doings would have shown that he was sheltering
some delicate plants from an expected frost, and that he was the
gardener. When the light at the door fell upon the entering forms of
parson and lawyer--the former a stranger, the latter known to him--
the gardener walked thoughtfully round the house. Reaching the small
side-entrance he was further surprised to see it noiselessly open to
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