Joanna Godden | Page 6

as she's in black now for this season, though maybe I
shudn't ought to say it, seeing as we've lost a good mäaster, and one as
we'll all be tediously regretting in a week or two if we äun't now. You
take my word, Martha--next time she gives you a gownd, you give it
back to her and say as you don't wear such things, being a respectable
woman. It äun't right, starting you like that on bad ways."

§4
There was only one house in the joint parishes where Joanna had any
honourable mention, and that was North Farthing House on the other
side of the Kent Ditch. Here lived Sir Harry Trevor, the second holder
of a title won in banking enterprises, and lately fallen to low estate. The
reason could perhaps be seen on his good-looking face, with its sensual,
humorous mouth, roving eyes, and lurking air of unfulfilled, undefeated
youth. The taverns of the Three Marshes had combined to give him a
sensational past, and further said that his two sons had forced him to
settle at Brodnyx with a view to preserving what was left of his morals
and their inheritance. The elder was in Holy Orders, and belonged to a
small community working in the East End of London; he seldom came
to North Farthing House. The younger, Martin, who had some definite

job in the city, was home for a few days that October. It was to him his
father said:
"I can't help admiring that girl Joanna Godden for her pluck. Old
Godden died suddenly two weeks ago, and now she's given out that
she'll run the farm herself, instead of putting in a bailiff. Of course the
neighbours disapprove, they've got very strict notions round here as to
woman's sphere and all that sort of thing."
"Godden? Which farm's that?"
"Little Ansdore--just across the Ditch, in Pedlinge parish. It's a big
place, and I like her for taking it on."
"And for any other reason?"
"Lord, no! She isn't at all the sort of woman I admire--a great big
strapping wench, the kind this marsh breeds twelve to the acre, like the
sheep. Has it ever struck you, Martin, that the women on Romney
Marsh, in comparison with the women one's used to and likes, are the
same as the Kent sheep in comparison with Southdowns--admirably
hardy and suited to the district and all that, but a bit tough and
coarse-flavoured?"
"I see that farming has already enlarged and refined your stock of
similes. I hope you aren't getting tired of it."
"No, not exactly. I'm interested in the place now I manage it without
that dolt Lambarde, and Hythe isn't too far for the phaeton if I want to
See Life. Besides, I haven't quite got over the thrill of not being in debt
and disgrace"--he threw Martin a glance which might have come from
a rebellious son to a censorious father. "But sometimes I wish there was
less Moated Grange about it all. Damn it, I'm always alone here!
Except when you or your reverend brother come down to see how I'm
behaving."
"Why don't you marry again?"

"I don't want to marry. Besides, whom the devil should I marry round
here? There's mighty few people of our own class about, and those
there are seem to have no daughters under forty."
Martin looked at him quizzically.
"Oh yes, you young beast--I know what you're thinking. You're
thinking that forty's just the right age for me. You're reminding me that
I'm a trifle _passé_ myself and ought to marry something sere and
yellow. But I tell you I don't feel any older than twenty-five--never
have, it's my affliction--while you've never been younger than forty in
all your life. It's you who ought to marry middle-age"--and he grimaced
at Martin.

§5
Joanna rather enjoyed being the centre of discussion. She had none of
the modest shrinking from being talked about which might have
affected some young women. She was glad when Martha Tilden or
another of the girls brought her any overheard scraps. "Oh, that's what
they say, is it?" and she would laugh a big jolly laugh like a boy's.
So far she had enjoyed being "Mäaster" of Little Ansdore. It meant a
lot of work and a lot of thought and a lot of talking and interference,
but Joanna shrank from none of these things. She was healthy and
vigorous and intelligent, and was, moreover, quite unhampered by any
diffidence about teaching their work to people who had been busy at it
before she was born.
Still it was scarcely more than a fortnight since she had taken on the
government, and time had probably much to show her yet. She had a
moment of depression one morning,