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1 MARCH THE TWENTY-NINTH NOON Exactly seven days after Edward Springrove had seen thedown the streets of Casterbridge, old Fare of the sa to his friend, Farrove was looking down the street at some object which had attracted his attention

'Ah, 'tis e shall all come to!' he murhbour Springrove; true' Twoone behind the other in the middle of the road, hat the farmers referred to They were carpenters, and bore on their shoulders an empty coffin, covered by a thin black cloth

'I always feel a satisfaction at being breasted by such a sight as that,' said Springrove, still regarding the men's sad burden 'I call it a sort of medicine' 'And it isill up this way lately? D'seem as if the person died suddenly' 'May be so Ah, Baker, we say sudden death, don't we? But there's no difference in their nature between sudden death and death of any other sort There's no such thing as a randoer We only suddenly light upon an end --thoughtfully for at that very sah unseen by us to be so soon' 'It is just a discovery to your own mind, and not an alteration in the Lord's' 'That's it Unexpected is not as to the thing, but as to our sight' 'Now you'll hardly believe hbour, but this little scene in front of usand ing next week, that I was speaking about Why should we not stand still, says I toa quiet eye upon the Whys and the Wherefores, before the end o' it all, and we go down into thethat will co into

There's a back'ard current in the world, and we must do our utmost to advance in order just to bide where we be But, Baker, they are turning in here with the coffin, look' The two carpenters had borne their load into a narroay close at hand The far the way

''Tis a rove 'His was a fine frame, whoever he was' 'A very plain box for the poor soul--just the rough elm, you see' The corner of the cloth had blown aside