Meanwhile Mrs. Hall had entered the house, Sally was downstairs in the
sitting-room alone, and her mother explained to her that Darton had
readily assented to the postponement.

'No doubt he has,' said Sally, with sad emphasis. 'It is not put off for
a week, or a month, or a year. I shall never marry him, and she will!'

CHAPTER IV

Time passed, and the household on the Knap became again serene under the
composing influences of daily routine. A desultory, very desultory
correspondence, dragged on between Sally Hall and Darton, who, not quite
knowing how to take her petulant words on the night of her brother's
death, had continued passive thus long. Helena and her children remained
at the dairy-house, almost of necessity, and Darton therefore deemed it
advisable to stay away.

One day, seven months later on, when Mr. Darton was as usual at his farm,
twenty miles from Hintock, a note reached him from Helena. She thanked
him for his kind offer about her children, which her mother-in-law had
duly communicated, and stated that she would be glad to accept it as
regarded the eldest, the boy. Helena had, in truth, good need to do so,
for her uncle had left her penniless, and all application to some
relatives in the north had failed. There was, besides, as she said, no
good school near Hintock to which she could send the child.

On a fine summer day the boy came. He was accompanied half-way by Sally
and his mother--to the 'White Horse,' at Chalk Newton--where he was
handed over to Darton's bailiff in a shining spring-cart, who met them
there.

He was entered as a day-scholar at a popular school at Casterbridge,
three or four miles from Darton's, having first been taught by Darton to
ride a forest-pony, on which he cantered to and from the aforesaid fount
of knowledge, and (as Darton hoped) brought away a promising headful of
the same at each diurnal expedition. The thoughtful taciturnity into
which Darton had latterly fallen was quite dissipated by the presence of
this boy.

When the Christmas holidays came it was arranged that he should spend
them with his mother. The journey was, for some reason or other,
performed in two stages, as at his coming, except that Darton in person
took the place of the bailiff, and that the boy and himself rode on
horseback.

Reaching the renowned 'White Horse,' Darton inquired if Miss and young
Mrs. Hall were there to meet little Philip (as they had agreed to be). He
was