have Bathsheba know "his impressions;
but he would as soon have thought of carrying an odor in a net as of
attempting to convey the intangibilities of his feelings in the coarse
meshes of language. So he remained silent." On the other hand, the
speech is sometimes racy, witty, and flavored by the daily occupation
of the speaker.

The scenes usually selected for Hardy's stories are from his own
county and those immediately adjacent, to which section of country he
has given the name of Wessex. He knows it so intimately and paints it
so vividly that its moors, barrows, and villages are as much a part of
the stories as the people dwelling there. In fact, Egdon Heath has
been called the principal character in the novel, _The Return of the
Native_ (1878). The upland with its shepherd's hut, the sheep-shearing
barn, the harvest storm, the hollow of ferns, and the churchyard with
its dripping water spout are part of the wonderful landscape in _Far
From the Madding Crowd_ (1874) This is the finest artistic product of
Hardy's genius. It contains strongly-drawn characters, dramatic
incidents, a most interesting story, and some homely native humor. The
heroine, Bathsheba, is one of the brainiest and most independent of
all Hardy's women. She has grave faults; but the tragic experiences
through which she passes soften her and finally mold her into a
lovable woman. Steady, resourceful, dumb Gabriel Oak and clever,
fencing Sergeant Troy are delightful foils to each other, and are
every inch human.

[Illustration: MAX GATE. The Home of Hardy near Dorchester (the
Casterbridge of the Novels).]

_The Mayor of Casterbridge_ (1886) and _The Woodlanders_ (1886-1887)
deserve mention with _Far from the Madding Crowd_ and The _Return of
the Native_ as comprising the best four novels of the so-called Wessex
stories.

Hardy's later works exhibit an increasing absorption in ethical and
religious problems. _Tess of the D'Urbervilles_ (1892) is one of
Hardy's most powerful novels. It has for its heroine a strong, sweet,
appealing woman, whose loving character and tragic fate are presented
with fearless vigor and deep sympathetic insight. The personal
intensity of the author, which is felt to pervade this book, is
present again in _Jude the Obscure_ (1895), that record of an aspiring
soul, struggling against hopeless odds, heavy incumbrances, and sordid
realities.

General Characteristics.--Hardy's novels leave a sense of gloom upon
the read