This etext was produced by Pat Castevans <patcat@ctnet.net>
and David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
RHODA FLEMING
By George Meredith
CONTENTS
BOOK 1.I. THE KENTISH FAMILYII. QUEEN ANNE'S FARMIII. SUGGESTS THE MIGHT OF THE MONEY DEMONIV. THE TEXT FROM SCRIPTUREV. THE SISTERS MEETVI. EDWARD AND ALGERNONVII. GREAT NEWS FROM DAHLIAVIII. INTRODUCES MRS. LOVELLIX. ROBERT INTERVENESX. DAHLIA IS NOT VISIBLEXI. AN INDICATIVE DUET IN A MINOR KEY
BOOK 2.XII. AT THE THEATRE.XIII. THE FARMER SPEAKSXIV. BETWEEN RHODA AND ROBERTXI. A VISIT TO WREXBY HALLXII. AT FAIRLY PARKXVII. A YEOMAN OF THE OLD BREEDXVIII. AN ASSEMBLY AT THE PILOT INNXIX. ROBERT SMITTEN LOWXX. MRS. LOVELL SHOWS A TAME BRUTE
BOOK 3.XXI. GIVES A GLIMPSE OF WHAT POOR VILLANIES THE STORY CONTAINSXXII. EDWARD TAKES HIS COURSEXXIII. MAJOR PERCY WARINGXXIV. WARBEACH VILLAGE CHURCHXXV. OF THE FEARFUL TEMPTATION WHICH CAME UPON ANTHONY HACKBUT, AND OF HIS MEETING WITH DAHLIAXXVI. IN THE PARKXXVII. CONTAINS A STUDY OF A FOOL IN TROUBLEXXVIII. EDWARD'S LETTERXXIX. FURTHERMORE OF THE FOOL
BOOK 4.XXX. THE EXPIATIONXXXI. THE MELTING OF THE THOUSANDXXXII. LA QUESTION D'ARGENTXXXIII. EDWARD'S RETURNXXXIV. FATHER AND SONXXXV. THE NIGHT BEFOREXXXVI. EDWARD MEETS HIS MATCHXXXVII. EDWARD TRIES HIS ELOQUENCEXXXVIII. TOO LATE
BOOK 5.XXXIX. DAHLIA GOES HOMEXL. A FREAK OF THE MONEY-DEMON, THAT MAY HAVE BEEN ANTICIPATEDXLI. DAHLIA'S FRENZYXLII. ANTHONY IN A COLLAPSEXLIII. RHODA PLEDGES HER HANDXLIV. THE ENEMY APPEARSXLV. THE FARMER IS AWAKENEDXLVI. WHEN THE NIGHT IS DARKESTXLVII. DAWN IS NEARXLVIII. CONCLUSION
RHODA FLEMING
BOOK 1.
I. THE KENTISH FAMILYII. QUEEN ANNE'S FARMIII. SUGGESTS THE MIGHT OF THE MONEY-DEMONIV. THE TEXT FROM SCRIPTUREV. THE SISTERS MEETVI. EDWARD AND ALGERNONVII. GREAT NEWS FROM DAHLIAVIII. INTRODUCES MRS. LOVELLIX. ROBERT INTERVENESX. DAHLIA IS NOT VISIBLEXI. AN INDICATIVE DUET IN A MINOR KEY
CHAPTER I
Remains of our good yeomanry blood will be found in Kent, developingstiff, solid, unobtrusive men, and very personable women. Thedistinction survives there between Kentish women and women of Kent, as atrue South-eastern dame will let you know, if it is her fortune to belongto that favoured portion of the county where the great battle was fought,in which the gentler sex performed manful work, but on what lucklessheads we hear not; and when garrulous tradition is discreet, the severehistoric Muse declines to hazard a guess. Saxon, one would presume,since it is thought something to have broken them.
My plain story is of two Kentish damsels, and runs from a home of flowersinto regions where flowers are few and sickly, on to where the flowerswhich breathe sweet breath have been proved in mortal fire.
Mrs. Fleming, of Queen Anne's Farm, was the wife of a yeoman-farmer ofthe county. Both were of sound Kentish extraction, albeit varieties ofthe breed. The farm had its name from a tradition, common to many otherfarmhouses within a circuit of the metropolis, that the ante-Hanoverianlady had used the place in her day as a nursery-hos