The old man jumped up from his chair and began to caper round the room. "Oh, happy thing! How well it falls out! Ha, ha — the knot is cut — I see a way out of my trouble — ha — ha!" — a wood-engraved illustration, 12 by 17.9 cm., by Gordon Browne for Thomas Hardy's "A Mere Interlude" The London Magazine 10 (May 1903): 500. To avoid further blackmail, Baptista confesses to her elderly husband that she has already been married; rather than being distressed, Mr. Heddegan is delighted because he, too, has a similar secret to confess (p. 503).

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Last modified 14 June 2008