The Trumpet-Major

Anne felt the expediency of his manner, received the affectation as real, and smiled her reply, not knowing that the adieu was for evermore. Then with a tear in his eye he went out of the door, where he bade farewell to the miller, Mrs. Loveday, and Bob, who said at parting, 'It's all right, Jack, my dear fellow. ... she has to-day agreed to bestow her hand upon me at the end of six months.'

Cavalry arrival, Anne between John and Bob, press-gang threats, and John's forever farewell resolving the triangle by fraternal sacrifice form a complete historical romance arc, so plot scores 85.

Anne Garland, she who could make apples seem like peaches, and throw over her shillings the glamour of guineas when she paid him for flour. 'Dinner is over, neighbour Loveday; please come in,' said the widow, seeing his case.

Anne, John, Bob, Festus, and the miller/widow are typed but warmly individuated under Buonaparte scare — trumpet-major against sailor brother — so cast scores 87.

'What cursed fools to let the man go! Why, look here, what's this?' He had opened the door by which sacks were taken in from waggons without, and dangling from the cat-head projecting above it was the rope used in lifting them. 'There's the way he went down,' the officer continued.

Invasion alarms, mill episodes, and press-gang set-pieces keep mid-tempo motion between cavalry opening and embarkation adieu, so pace scores 84.

In this dwelling Mrs. Garland's and Anne's ears were soothed morning, noon, and night by the music of the mill, the wheels and cogs of which, being of wood, produced notes that might have borne in their minds a remote resemblance to the wooden tones of the stopped diapason in an organ.

Historical-comedy prose — wooden mill as organ stop, tangled worsteds, soldier's heart jest — lighter than Tess but Wessex-precise, so prose scores 86.

Here's such a fine sight! What does it mean? What can they be going to do up there?' The mother thus invoked ran upstairs and came forward to the window. She was a woman of sanguine mouth and eye, unheroic manner, and pleasant general appearance.

Overcombe Mill, King George's watering-place, Portland Roads press-gang, and Buonaparte-scare coast are topography charged with wartime gossip, so world scores 88.

Here's such a fine sight! What does it mean? What can they be going to do up there?' The mother thus invoked ran upstairs and came forward to the window.

Anne calling Mother for masses of cavalry plants invasion romance before the love triangle is named — inviting historical hook, so hook scores 87.

THE TRUMPET-MAJOR JOHN LOVEDAY A SOLDIER IN THE WAR WITH BUONAPARTE AND ROBERT HIS BROTHER FIRST MATE IN THE MERCHANT SERVICE A TALE BY THOMAS HARDY

Napoleonic Wessex as comic-heroic stage rather than pastoral heath tragedy — Hardy's rare full historical romance among the novels, so innov scores 83.

Who knows that you won't hear of my attentions to some Spanish maid before a month is gone by? 'Tis the way of us, you know; a soldier's heart is not worth a week's purchase--ha, ha! Goodbye, good-bye!' Anne felt the expediency of his manner, received the affectation as real, and smiled her reply, not knowing that the adieu was for evermore.

John's feigned indifference covering forever farewell, while Bob wins Anne, is bittersweet fraternal surrender, so ending scores 86.