'Squire Petrick's Lady' by Thomas Hardy

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Dame the Sixth



By the Crimson Maltster.



Folk who are at all acquainted with the traditions of Stapleford Park will not need to be told that in the middle of the last century it was owned by that trump of mortgagees, Timothy Petrick, whose skill in gaining possession of fair estates by granting sums of money on their title-deeds has seldom if ever been equalled in our part of England.Timothy was a lawyer by profession, and agent to several noblemen, by which means his special line of business became opened to him by a sort of revelation.It is said that a relative of his, a very deep thinker, who afterwards had the misfortune to be transported for life for mistaken notions on the signing of a will, taught him considerable legal lore, which he creditably resolved never to throw away for the benefit of other people, but to reserve it entirely for his own.



However, I have nothing in particular to say about his early and active days, but rather of the time when, an old man, he had become the owner of vast estates by the means I have signified—among them the great manor of Stapleford, on which he lived, in the splendid old mansion now pulled down; likewise estates at Marlott, estates near Sherton Abbas, nearly all the borough of Millpool, and many properties near Ivell.Indeed, I can't call to mind half his landed possessions, and I don't know that it matters much at this time of day, seeing that he's been dead and gone many years.It is said that when he bought an estate he would not decide to pay the price till he had walked over every single acre with his own two feet, and prodded the soil at every point with his own spud, to test its quality, which, if we regard the extent of his properties, must have been a stiff business for him.



At the time I am speaking of he was a man over eighty, and his son was dead; but he had two grandsons, the eldest of whom, his name sake, was married, and was shortly expecting issue. Just then the grandfather was taken ill, for death, as it seemed, considering his age.By his will the old man had created an entail (as I believe the lawyers call it), devising the whole of the estates to his elder grandson and his issue male, failing which, to his younger grandson and his issue male, failing which, to remoter relatives, who need not be mentioned now.



While old Timothy Petrick was lying ill, his elder grandson's wife, Annetta, gave birth to her expected child, who, as fortune would have it, was a son.Timothy, her husband, though sprung of a scheming family, was no great schemer himself; he was the single one of the Petricks then living whose heart had ever been greatly moved by sentiments which did not run in the groove of ambition; and on this account he had not married well, as the saying is, his wife having been the daughter of a family of no better beginnings than his own; that is to say, her father was a country townsman of the professional class.But she was a very pretty woman, by all accounts, and her husband had seen, courted, and married her in a high tide of infatuation, after a very short acquaintance, and with very little knowledge of her heart's history.He had never found reason to regret his choice as yet, and his anxiety for her recovery was great.



She was supposed to be out of danger, and herself and the child progressing well, when there was a change for the worse, and she sank so rapidly that she was soon given over.When she felt that she was about to leave him, Annetta sent for her husband, and, on his speedy entry and assurance that they were alone ' she made him solemnly vow to give the child every care in any circumstances that might arise, if it should please Heaven to take her.This, of course, he readily promised.Then, after some hesitation, she told him that she could not die with a falsehood upon her soul, and dire deceit in her life; she must make a terrible confession to him before her lips were sealed forever.She thereupon related an incident concerning the baby's parentage which was not as he supposed.



Timothy Petrick, though a quick-feeling man, was not of a sort to show nerves outwardly; and he bore himself as heroically as he possibly could do in this trying moment of his life.That same night his wife died; and while she lay dead, and before her funeral, he hastened to the bedside of his sick grandfather, and revealed to him all that had happened—the baby's birth, his wife's confession, and her death, beseeching the aged man, as he loved him, to bestir himself now, at the eleventh hour, and alter his will so as to dish the intruder.Old Timothy, seeing matters in the same light as his grandson, required no urging against allowing anything to stand in the way of legitimate inheritance; he executed another will, limiting the entail to Timothy, his grandson, for life, and his male heirs thereafter to be born; after them to his other grandson, Edward, and Edward's heirs.Thus the newly-born infant, who had been the center of so many hopes, was cut off and scorned as none of the elect.



The old mortgagee lived but a short time after this, the excitement of the discovery having told upon him considerably, and he was gathered to his fathers like the most chairitable man in his neighborhood. Both wife and grandparent being buried, Timothy settled down to his usual life as well as he was able, mentally satisfied that he had, by prompt action, defeated the consequences of such dire domestic treachery as had been shown towards him, and resolving to marry a second time as soon as he could satisfy himself in choice of a wife.



But men do not always know themselves. The imbittered state of Timothy Petrick's mind bred in him by degrees such a hatred and mistrust of womankind that, though several specimens of high attractiveness came under his eyes, he could not bring himself to the point of proposing marriage.He dreaded to take up the position of husband a second time, discerning a trap in every petticoat, and a Slough Despond in possible heirs. "What has happened once, when all seemed so fair, may happen again," he said to himself."I’ll risk my name no more." So he abstained from marriage, and overcame his wish for a lineal descendant to follow him in the ownership of Stapleford.



Timothy had scarcely noticed the unfortunate child that his wife had borne, after arranging for a meager fulfilment of his promise to her to take care of the boy, by having him brought up in his house. Occasionally, remembering this promise, he went and glanced at the child, saw that he was doing well, gave a few special directions, and again went his solitary way. Thus he and the child lived on in the Stapleford mansion-house till two or three years had passed by.One day he was walking in the garden, and by some accident left his snuffbox on a bench.When he came back to find it he saw the little boy standing there; he had escaped his nurse, and was making a plaything of the box, in spite of the convulsive sneezings which the game brought in its train.Then the man with the incrusted heart became interested in the little fellow's persistence in his play under such discomforts; he looked in the child's face, saw there his wife’s countenance, though he did not see his own, and fell into thought on the piteousness of childhood—particularly of despised and rejected childhood, like this before him.



From that hour, try as he would to counteract the feeling, the human necessity to love something or other got the better of what he had called his wisdom, and shaped itself in a tender anxiety for the youngster Rupert.This name had been given him by his dying mother when, at her request, the child was baptized in her chamber, lest he should not survive for public baptism; and her husband had never thought of it as a name of any significance till, about this time, he learned by accident that it was the name of the young Marquis of Christminster, son of the Duke of Southwesterland, for whom Annetta had cherished warm feelings before her marriage. Recollecting some wandering phrases in his wife's last words, which he had not understood at the time, he perceived at last that this was the person to whom she had alluded when affording him a clew to little Rupert's history.



He would sit in silence for hours with the child, being no great speaker at the best of times; but the boy, on his part, was too ready with his tongue for any break in discourse to arise because Timothy Petrick had nothing to say.After idling away his mornings in this manner, Petrick would go to his own room and swear in long, loud whispers, and walk up and down, calling himself the most ridiculous dolt that ever lived, and declaring that he would never go near the little fellow again; to which resolve he would adhere for the space, perhaps, of a day.Such cases are happily not new to human nature, but there never was a case in which a man more completely be fooled his former self than in this.



As the child grew up, Timothy's attachment to him grew deeper, till Rupert became almost the sole object for which he lived.There had been enough of the family ambition latent in him for Timothy Petrick to feel a little envy when, some time before this date, his brother Edward had been accepted by the Honorable Harriet Mountclere, daughter of the second viscount of that name and title; but having discovered, as I have before stated, the paternity of his boy Rupert to lurk in even a higher stratum of society, those envious feelings speedily dispersed.Indeed, the more he reflected thereon after his brother's aristocratic marriage, the more content did he become.His late wife took softer outline in his memory, as he thought of the lofty taste she had displayed, though only a plain burgher's daughter, and the justification for his weakness in loving the child—the justification that he had longed for—was afforded now in the knowledge that the boy was by nature, if not by name, a representative of one of the noblest houses in England.



"She was a woman of grand instincts, after all," he said to himself, proudly."To fix her choice upon the immediate successor in that ducal line—it was finely conceived!Had he been of low blood like myself or my relations she would scarce have deserved the harsh measure that I have dealt out to her and her offspring.How much less, then, when such grovelling tastes were farthest from her soul!The man Annetta loved was noble, and my boy is noble in spite of me."



The afterclap was inevitable, and it soon came."So far, he reasoned, from cutting off this child from inheritance of my estates, as I have done, I should have rejoiced in the possession of him!He is of pure stock on one side at least, while in the ordinary run of affairs he would have been a commoner to the bone."



Being a man, whatever his faults, of good old beliefs in the divinity of kings and those about 'em, the more he overhauled the case in this light the more strongly did his poor wife's conduct in improving the blood and breed of the Petrick family win his heart.He considered what ugly, idle, hard-drinking scamps many of his own relations had been; the miserable scriveners, usurers, and pawnbrokers that he had numbered among his forefathers, and the probability that some of their bad qualities would have come out in a merely corporeal child, to give him sorrow in his old age, turn his black hairs gray, his gray hairs white, cut down every stick of timber, and Heaven knows what all, had he not, like a skilful gardener, minded his grafting and changed the sort; till at length this right-minded man fell down on his knees every night and morning and thanked God that he was not as other meanly-descended fathers in such matters.



It was in the peculiar disposition of the Petrick family that the satisfaction which ultimately settled in Timothy's breast found nourishment. The Petricks had adored the nobility, and plucked them at the same time. That excellent man Izaak Walton's feelings about fish were much akin to those of old Timothy Petrick, and of his descendants in a lesser degree, concerning the landed aristocracy.To torture and to love simultaneously is a proceeding strange to reason, but possible to practice, as these instances show.



Hence, when Timothy's brother Edward said slightingly one day that Timothy's son was well enough, but that he had nothing but shops and offices in his backward perspective, while his own children, should he have any, would be far different, in possessing such a mother as the Honorable Harriet, Timothy felt a bound of triumph within him at the power he possessed of contradicting that statement if he chose.



So much was he interested in his boy in this new aspect that he now began to read up chronicles of the illustrious house ennobled as the Dukes of Southwesterland, from their very beginning in the glories of the Restoration of the blessed Charles till the year of his own time.He mentally noted their gifts from royalty, grants of lands, purchases, intermarriages, plantings, and buildings; more particularly their political and military achievements, which had been great, and their performances in arts and letters, which had been by no means contemptible.He studied prints of the portraits of that family, and then, like a chemist watching a crystallization, began to examine young Rupert's face for the unfolding of those historic curves and shades that painters Vandyke and Lely had perpetuated on canvas.



When the boy reached the most fascinating age of child hood, and his shouts of laughter ran through Stapleford House from end to end, the remorse that oppressed Timothy Petrick knew no bounds.Of all people in the world this Rupert was the one on whom he could have wished the estates to devolve; yet Rupert, by Timothy's own desperate strategy at the time of his birth, had been ousted from all inheritance of them; and, since he did not mean to remarry, the manors would pass to his brother and his brother's children, who would be nothing to him, whose boasted pedigree on one side would be nothing to his Rupert's.



Had he only left the first will of his grandfather alone!



His mind ran on the wills continually, both of which were in existence, and the first, the cancelled one, in his own possession.Night after night, when the servants were all abed, and the click of safety-locks sounded as loud as a crash, he looked at that first will, and wished it had been the second and not the first.



The crisis came at last.One night, after having enjoyed the boy's company for hours, he could no longer bear that his beloved Rupert should be dispossessed, and he committed the felonious deed of altering the date of the earlier will to a fortnight later, which made its execution appear subsequent to the date of the second will already proved.He then boldly propounded the first will as the second.



His brother Edward submitted to what appeared to be not only incontestable fact, but a far more likely disposition of old Timothy's property; for, like many others, he had been much surprised at the limitations defined in the other will, having no clue to their cause.He joined his brother Timothy in setting aside the hitherto accepted document, and matters went on in their usual course, there being no dispositions in the substituted will differing from those in the other, except such as related to a future which had not yet arrived.



The years moved on.Rupert had not yet revealed the anxiously-expected historic lineaments which should foreshadow the political abilities of the ducal family aforesaid, when it happened on a certain day that Timothy Petrick made the acquaintance of a well-known physician of Budmouth, who had been the medical adviser and friend of the late Mrs. Petrick's family for many years, though after Annetta's marriage, and consequent removal to Stapleford, he had seen no more of her, the neighboring practitioner who attended the Petricks having then become her doctor as a matter of course.Timothy was impressed by the insight and knowledge disclosed in the conversation of the Budmouth physician, and the acquaintance ripening to intimacy, the physician alluded to a form of hallucination to which Annetta's mother and grandmother had been subject—that of believing in certain dreams as realities.He delicately inquired if Timothy had ever noticed anything of the sort in his wife during her lifetime; he, the physician, had fancied that he discerned germs of the same peculiarity in Annetta when he attended her in her girlhood.One explanation begat another, till the dumfounded Timothy Petrick was persuaded in his own mind that Annetta's confession to him had been based on a delusion.



"You look down in the mouth!" said the doctor, pausing.



"A bit unmanned.'Tis unexpected-like," sighed Timothy.



But he could hardly believe it possible; and, thinking it best to be frank with the doctor, told him the whole story which, till now, he had never related to living man, save his dying grandfather.To his surprise, the physician informed him that such a form of delusion was precisely what he would have expected from Annetta's antecedents at such a physical crisis in her life.



Petrick prosecuted his inquiries elsewhere; and the upshot of his labors was, briefly, that a comparison of dates and places showed irrefutably that his poor wife's assertion could not possibly have foundation in fact.The young Marquis of her tender passion—a highly moral and bright-minded nobleman—had gone abroad the year before Annetta's marriage, and had not returned until after her death.The young girl's love for him had been a delicate ideal dream—no more.



Timothy went home, and the boy ran out to meet him; whereupon a strangely dismal feeling of discontent took possession of his soul.After all, then, there was nothing but Plebeian blood in the veins of the heir to his name and estates; he was not to be succeeded by a noble-natured line.To be sure, Rupert was his son; but that glory and halo he believed him to have inherited from the ages, outshining that of his brother's children, had departed from Rupert's brow forever; he could no longer read history in the boy's face and centuries of domination in his eyes.



His manner towards his son grew colder and colder from that day forward; and it was with bitterness of heart that he discerned the characteristic features of the Petricks unfolding themselves by degrees. Instead of the elegant knife-edged nose, so typical of the Dukes of Southwesterland, there began to appear on his face the broad nostril and hollow bridge of his grandfather Timothy.No illustrious line of politicians was promised a continuator in that graying blue eye, for it was acquiring the expression of the orb of a particularly objectionable cousin of his own; and, instead of the mouth-curves which had thrilled Parliamentary audiences in speeches now bound in calf in every well-ordered library, there was the bull-lip of that very uncle of his who had had the misfortune with the signature of a gentleman's will, and had been transported for life inconsequence.



To think how he himself, too, had sinned in this same matter of a will for this mere fleshly reproduction of a wretched old uncle whose very name he wished to forget!The boy's Christian name, even, was an imposture and an irony, for it implied hereditary force and brilliancy to which he plainly would never attain.The consolation of real sonship was always left him certainly; but he could not help groaning to himself, "Why cannot a son be one's own and somebody else's likewise?"



The Marquis was shortly afterwards in the neighborhood of Stapleford, and Timothy Petrick met him, and eyed his noble countenance admiringly. The next day, when Petrick was in his study, somebody knocked at the door.



"Who's there?"



"Rupert."



"I'll Rupert thee, you young impostor!Say, only a poor commonplace Petrick!" his father grunted.



"Why didn't you have a voice like the Marquis I saw yesterday?" he continued, as the lad came.



"Why haven't you his looks, and a way of commanding as if you'd done it for centuries—hey?"



"Why?How can you expect it, father, when I'm not related to him?"



"Ugh!Then you ought to be!" growled his father.







As the narrator paused, the surgeon, the Colonel, the historian, the Spark, and others exclaimed that such subtle and instructive psychological studies as this (now that psychology was so much in demand) were precisely the tales they desired, as members of ascientific club, and begged the master-maltster to tell another curious mental delusion.



The maltster shook his head, and feared he was not genteel enough to tell another story with a sufficiently moral tone in it to suit the club; he would prefer to leave the next to a better man.



The Colonel had fallen into reflection.True it was, he observed, that the more dreamy and impulsive nature of woman engendered within her erratic fancies, which often started her on strange tracks, only to abandon them in sharp revulsion at the dictates of her common sense—sometimes with ludicrous effect.Events which had caused a lady's action to set in a particular direction might continue to enforce the same line of conduct, while she, like a mangle, would start on a sudden in a contrary course, and end where she began.



The Vice-President laughed, and applauded the Colonel, adding that there surely lurked a story somewhere behind that sentiment, if he were not much mistaken.



The Colonel fixed his face to a good narrative pose, and went on without further preamble.

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Intricacies of Love and Class in Thomas Hardy's "Squire Petrick's Lady"

Thomas Hardy's "Squire Petrick's Lady" is a complex and thought-provoking tale that explores the intricate relationships between love, class, and social status. Set in the rural countryside of England, the story follows the love affair between Squire Petrick and his lady, and the obstacles they must overcome in order to be together.

At its core, "Squire Petrick's Lady" is a story about the power of love to transcend social barriers. Squire Petrick is a wealthy landowner who falls in love with a woman of lower social standing, and the two of them must navigate the complexities of their respective positions in society in order to be together.

One of the most interesting aspects of the story is the way in which Hardy portrays the differences in social status between the two lovers. Squire Petrick is a member of the landed gentry, and enjoys a life of privilege and luxury. His lady, on the other hand, comes from a much humbler background, and is forced to work for a living in order to support herself.

Despite these differences, however, the two of them are deeply in love, and are willing to do whatever it takes to be together. This is evident in the way that Squire Petrick goes to great lengths to court his lady, even going so far as to disguise himself as a common laborer in order to win her heart.

Another fascinating aspect of the story is the way in which Hardy portrays the societal norms and expectations of the time. In Victorian England, the idea of a member of the gentry marrying someone from a lower social class was almost unheard of. This was a time when social status was of utmost importance, and marrying outside of one's class was considered a scandalous and potentially ruinous move.

Hardy deftly navigates these societal expectations, however, and shows us that love can triumph over even the most entrenched social norms. The fact that Squire Petrick and his lady are able to be together despite the class differences between them is a testament to the power of love to break down barriers and bring people together.

Overall, "Squire Petrick's Lady" is a compelling and thought-provoking tale that explores some of the most fundamental aspects of human relationships. Through its portrayal of the love affair between Squire Petrick and his lady, the story shows us that love is a force that can overcome even the most entrenched social norms and expectations. It is a story that is both timeless and timely, and one that is sure to resonate with readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Symbolism and Imagery in "Squire Petrick's Lady"

One of the most striking aspects of "Squire Petrick's Lady" is the use of symbolism and imagery to convey deeper themes and meanings. Throughout the story, Hardy employs a wide range of symbols and images to explore the complexities of love and social class, and to create a rich and nuanced portrait of his characters and their world.

One of the most powerful symbols in the story is the image of the rose. Throughout the tale, Hardy uses the rose as a symbol of love and desire, and as a way of conveying the intense passion that Squire Petrick and his lady feel for one another. In one particularly evocative scene, Squire Petrick and his lady are depicted standing together in a rose garden, surrounded by the fragrant blooms. This image is a powerful representation of their love, and serves to heighten the intensity of their emotions.

Another important symbol in the story is the image of the horse. Hardy uses the horse as a symbol of social status and power, and as a way of highlighting the differences in social class between Squire Petrick and his lady. Squire Petrick is depicted as a wealthy landowner who owns a stable full of fine horses, while his lady is forced to walk long distances on foot. This contrast serves to underscore the differences in their social status, and to highlight the challenges they must overcome in order to be together.

Overall, the use of symbolism and imagery in "Squire Petrick's Lady" serves to deepen our understanding of the story's themes and characters, and to create a rich and evocative portrait of life in rural England during the Victorian era. It is a testament to Hardy's skill and mastery as a writer, and a testament to the enduring power of storytelling to capture the complexities of the human experience.

The Role of Class in "Squire Petrick's Lady"

One of the central themes of "Squire Petrick's Lady" is the role of social class in shaping the lives and experiences of its characters. Throughout the story, Hardy explores the ways in which class affects everything from the characters' relationships to their opportunities in life.

At its core, the story is a commentary on the rigid social hierarchy of Victorian England, and the ways in which this hierarchy was enforced and perpetuated by the society of the time. Squire Petrick is a member of the landed gentry, a privileged class of people who enjoyed immense wealth and power. His lady, on the other hand, is from a much humbler background, and is forced to work for a living in order to support herself.

Despite this gulf in social status, however, the two of them are able to fall in love, and are willing to do whatever it takes to be together. This is a testament to the power of love to transcend even the most entrenched social barriers, and to bring people together in spite of their differences.

However, the story also highlights the many challenges that Squire Petrick and his lady must face in order to be together. Because of their differing social statuses, they are subject to intense scrutiny and criticism from the society around them. Their relationship is seen as scandalous and potentially ruinous, and they are forced to navigate a complex and treacherous social landscape in order to be together.

Overall, "Squire Petrick's Lady" is a powerful commentary on the role of class in shaping the lives and experiences of its characters. Through its portrayal of the challenges faced by Squire Petrick and his lady, the story shows us the ways in which social hierarchies can limit our opportunities and experiences, and the ways in which love can help us to transcend these barriers and find true happiness.

The Power of Love in "Squire Petrick's Lady"

At its core, "Squire Petrick's Lady" is a story about the power of love to overcome even the most entrenched social norms and expectations. Throughout the tale, Hardy depicts the intense passion and desire that Squire Petrick and his lady feel for one another, and shows us how this love is able to triumph over the many obstacles that stand in their way.

One of the most striking aspects of the story is the way in which Hardy portrays the depth of feeling between Squire Petrick and his lady. Their love is depicted as a force of nature, something that is all-consuming and all-encompassing, and something that is able to overcome even the most daunting challenges.

This is evident in the way that Squire Petrick goes to great lengths to court his lady, even going so far as to disguise himself as a common laborer in order to win her heart. It is also evident in the way that they are willing to risk everything in order to be together, even if it means defying the strict social norms of the time.

Overall, the story is a powerful testament to the enduring power of love to transform our lives and bring us joy and happiness. It is a reminder that love is a force that can overcome even the most entrenched social norms and expectations, and that it is something that is worth fighting for, no matter what the cost.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "Squire Petrick's Lady" is a timeless and thought-provoking tale that explores some of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience. Through its portrayal of the love affair between Squire Petrick and his lady, the story shows us the power of love to transcend even the most entrenched social norms and expectations, and to bring people together in spite of their differences.

Through its use of symbolism and imagery, the story creates a rich and evocative portrait of life in rural England during the Victorian era, and highlights the complexities of the relationships between its characters.

Overall, "Squire Petrick's Lady" is a powerful and moving story that is sure to resonate with readers of all ages and backgrounds. It is a testament to the enduring power of storytelling to capture the complexities of the human experience, and a demonstration of Thomas Hardy's skill and mastery as a writer.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Thomas Hardy’s “The Prose Squire Petrick’s Lady” is a classic tale of love, class, and societal expectations. Set in the 19th century, the story follows the life of Lady Constantine, a young and beautiful woman who is married to an older, wealthy man. Despite her privileged position, Lady Constantine feels trapped and unfulfilled in her marriage, and she longs for something more.

The story begins with Lady Constantine’s chance encounter with Squire Petrick, a young and handsome man who is also a writer. The two quickly develop a deep connection, and Lady Constantine finds herself drawn to him in ways she never thought possible. However, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Squire Petrick is of a lower social class than Lady Constantine, and their love is forbidden by the strict societal norms of the time.

Throughout the story, Hardy explores the themes of love, class, and societal expectations in a nuanced and complex way. He portrays Lady Constantine as a complex and multi-dimensional character, who is torn between her love for Squire Petrick and her duty to her husband and society. On the one hand, Lady Constantine is deeply in love with Squire Petrick, and she longs to be with him. On the other hand, she is aware of the consequences of defying societal norms, and she is afraid of the judgment and condemnation that would come with such a decision.

Hardy also portrays Squire Petrick as a sympathetic and likable character, who is deeply in love with Lady Constantine. Despite his lower social status, Squire Petrick is intelligent, kind, and thoughtful, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to be with Lady Constantine. However, he is also aware of the challenges they face, and he is hesitant to pursue their relationship for fear of the consequences.

One of the most striking aspects of “The Prose Squire Petrick’s Lady” is the way in which Hardy portrays the societal norms and expectations of the time. He shows how these norms and expectations can be suffocating and oppressive, particularly for women. Lady Constantine is expected to be a dutiful wife and mother, and she is not allowed to pursue her own desires and ambitions. Similarly, Squire Petrick is limited by his lower social status, and he is not allowed to pursue a relationship with Lady Constantine because of the class divide between them.

Despite these challenges, Lady Constantine and Squire Petrick continue to pursue their love for each other, and they eventually decide to run away together. However, their plans are foiled by Lady Constantine’s husband, who discovers their affair and confronts them. In the end, Lady Constantine is forced to choose between her love for Squire Petrick and her duty to her husband and society. She ultimately chooses to stay with her husband, but she is left with a sense of regret and longing for what could have been.

Overall, “The Prose Squire Petrick’s Lady” is a powerful and moving story that explores the complexities of love, class, and societal expectations. Hardy’s nuanced portrayal of Lady Constantine and Squire Petrick, as well as his exploration of the societal norms and expectations of the time, make this story a timeless classic that continues to resonate with readers today.

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