The Short Stories Of Thomas Hardy

In this volume: The Three Strangers: Three people are brought together unaware of the connection they share. A Tradition Of Eighteen Hundred And Four: Did Napoleon land at Wessex to reconnoitre for an invasion that never happened? The Melancholy Hussar Of The German Legion: A lady neglected by her betrothed fall for another. The Withered Arm: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned... Fellow-Townsmen: What goes on behind respectable facades... Interlopers At The Knap: A tale of two pairs of star-crossed lovers. The Distracted Preacher: A clergyman lays aside his morals to help the woman he loves. An Imaginative Woman: A woman on holiday with her husband and children begins to fall in love with a poet after she reads his books. The Son's Veto: A widow might miss her one chance of happiness because of her selfish son. For Conscience' Sake: A man thinks so highly of his reputation that he prioritises it over all else - even over his conscience. A Tragedy Of Two Ambitions: Two brothers are so ambitious to get out of their social environment that they ignore moral values. On The Western Circuit: When an unhappily married lady agrees to help her young protegee write to her lover, she sets off an ongoing and ill-fated misunderstanding. To Please His Wife: A man is attracted to two women, forcing the former friends into rivalry. The Fiddler Of The Reels: A woman is seduced by a fiddler's tunes, which leads to her downfall. A Few Crusted Characters - Tony Kytes The Arch Deceiver: A man who is unsure about how he feels towards his fianceè; he returns to his former girlfriends and ends up more confused than before. A History Of The Hardcomes: Should James and Steve have married each other's wives? The Superstitious Man's Story: Strange things are happening on Midsummer's Eve. Andrey Satchel and the Parson and the Clerk: A telling of Andrey's attempt to get married while drunk! Old Andrey's Experience As A Musician: Andrey is determined to be in on the Squire's Christmas festivities by posing as a musician. Absent-Mindedness In A Parish Choir: After a very busy Christmas week and a few drinks of 'something to warm', the choir make a disgrace of themselves at church! The Winters And The Palmleys: A lonely old lady has good reason to be aloof from her neighbours. Incident In The Life Of Mr George Crookhill: Taking on another man's identity can lead to unexpected - and comical - consequences. Netty Sargent's Copyhold: A canny young lady outwits the local Land Agent. A Group Of Noble Dames - The First Countess Of Wessex: The Squire and his wife argue over an arranged marriage for their daughter. Barbara of The House Of Grebe: A young lord is determined to marry his neighbour's daughter - no matter how long it takes. The Marchioness Of Stonehenge: The beautiful and much admired Lady Caroline is bored with the continued interest of the 'right' young men and looks for intrigue instead. Lady Mottisfont: A newly-married young lady falls for the abandoned baby her husband found before the marriage. The Lady Icenway: A lovely noble lady marries a wealthy colonial trader - who may or may not be already married. Squire Petrick's Lady: As she is dying, Squire Petrick's wife has a lie on her conscience that she must confess. Anna, Lady Baxby: During the English civil War, the Baxbys are firmly on the Royalist side. But Lady Anna Baxby's brother is fighting for the Parliament. The Lady Penelope: Three suitors quarrel violently over the hand of Lady Penelope - so she agrees to marry each of them. The Duchess of Hamptonshire: Mr Oldbourne wants his daughter to marry a Duke - but she wants to marry the new curate.The Honourable Laura: An eloping couple's plans are sent awry when it's found that the prospective bride is already married. A Changed Man: A handsome young Hussar captain resigns his commission to become a preacher, taking a living in a small poor parish. The Waiting Supper: A mismatched couple, separated when very young, are destined to come together again. Alicia's Diary: A love triangle of two sisters, an artist and a lot of deception. The Grave By The Handpost: Sargent Holway commits suicide because his son wishes to be a mechanic instead of a soldier - and his son carries the guilt of his father's choice. Enter A Dragoon: A woman receives a letter from her former intended, once a corporal, but now promoted to sergeant-major. A Tryst At An Ancient Earthwork: Two friends meet on a rainy night for an illegal archaeological dig at an old Celtic fort. What The Shepherd Saw: A shepherd on night-watch observes clandestine meetings and partings on three consecutive nights. A Committee Man Of 'The Terror': Madamoiselle V meets the man responsible for the executions of her father, her uncle and her betrothed. Master John Horseleigh, Knight: A tale of mistaken motives and familial vengeance.