The Hand of Ethelberta

The Hand of Ethelberta, by Thomas Hardy
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Title: The Hand of Ethelberta Author: Thomas Hardy Release Date: October 28, 2004 Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) [eBook #3469]
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This eBook was produced from the 1907 Macmillan and Co. edition by Les Bowler, St. Ives, Dorset.
THE HAND OF ETHELBERTA—A COMEDY IN CHAPTERS by Thomas Hardy.
“Vitae post-scenia celant.”—Lucretius.
PREFACE
This somewhat frivolous narrative was produced as an interlude between stories of a more sober design, and it was given the sub-title of a comedy to indicate—though not quite accurately—the aim of the performance. A high
degree of probability was not attempted in the arrangement of the incidents, and there was expected of the reader a certain lightness of mood, which should inform him with a good-natured willingness to accept the production in the spirit in which it was offered. The characters themselves, however, were meant to be consistent and human. On its first appearance the novel suffered, perhaps deservedly, for what was involved in these intentions—for its quality of unexpectedness ...