r whoever had married her by this time next year.

Sec.3

Mr. Huxtable was not alone in his condemnation of Joanna's choice. The
whole neighbourhood disapproved of it. The joint parishes of Brodnyx and
Pedlinge had made up their minds that Joanna Godden would now be
compelled to marry Arthur Alce and settle down to mind her own business
instead of what was obviously a man's; and here she was, still at large
and her business more a man's than ever.

"She's a mare that's never been praeaperly broken in, and she wants a
strong man to do it," said Furnese at the Woolpack. He had repeated this
celebrated remark so often that it had almost acquired the status of a
proverb. For three nights Joanna had been the chief topic of
conversation in the Woolpack bar. If Arthur Alce appeared a silence
would fall on the company, to be broken at last by some remark on the
price of wool or the Rye United's last match. Everybody was sorry for
Alce, everybody thought that Thomas Godden had treated him badly by not
making his daughter marry him as a condition of her inheritance.

"Three times he's asked her, as I know for certain," said Vennal, the
tenant of Beggar's Bush.

"No, it's four," said Prickett, Joanna's neighbour at Great Ansdore,
"there was that time coming back from the Wild Beast Show."

"I was counting that," said Vennal; "that and the one that Mr. Vine's
looker heard at Lydd market, and then that time in the house."

"How do you know he asked her in the house?--that makes five."

"I don't get that--once indoors and twice out, that's three."

"Well, anyways, whether it's three or four or five, he's asked her quite
enough. It's time he had her now."

"He won't get her. She'll fly higher'n him now she's got Ansdore.
She'll be after young Edward Huxtable, or maybe Parson himself, him
having neglected to keep himself married."

"Ha! Ha! It ud be valiant to see her married to liddle Parson--she'd
forget herself and pick him up under her arm, same as she picks up her
sister. But anyways I don't think she'll get much by flying high. It's
all fine enough to talk of her having Ansdore, but whosumdever wants
Ansdore ull have to take Joanna Godden with it, and it isn't every man
who'd care to do that."

"Surelye. She's a mare that's never bin praeaperly broken in. D'you
remember the time she came prancing into church with a bustle stuck on
behind, and everyone staring and fidgeting so as pore Mus' Pratt lost
his place