Thomas Hardy

A changed man & other stories Thomas Hardy

The person who, next to the actors themselves, chanced to know most oftheir story, lived just below 'Top o' Town' (as the spot was called) in an oldsubstantially-built house, distinguished among its neighbours by having anoriel window on the first floor, whence could be obtained a raking view of the HighStreet, west and east, the former including Laura's dwelling, the end of the TownAvenue hard by (in which were played the odd pranks hereafter to be mentioned), the Port-Bredy road rising westwards, and the turning that led to the cavalrybarracks where the Captain was quartered. Looking eastward down the town fromthe same favoured gazebo, the long perspective of houses declined and dwindledtill they merged in the highway across the moor. The white riband of roaddisappeared over Grey's Bridge a quarter of a mile off, to plunge into innumerablerustic windings, shy shades, and solitary undulations up hill and down dale for onehundred and twenty miles till it exhibited itself at Hyde Park Corner as a smoothbland surface in touch with a busy and fashionable world