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In her complicated distress at the news brought by her brother, Cytherea's thoughts at length reverted to her friend, the Rector of Carriford. She told Owen of Mr. Raunham's warm-hearted behaviour towards herself, and of his strongly expressed wish to aid her. 'He is not only a good, but a sensible man. We seem to want an old head on our side.
Entering now a narrow valley, the sides of which obscured the sky to an angle of perhaps thirty or forty degrees above the mathematical horizon, he was obliged to suspend his judgment till he was in possession of further knowledge, having however assumed in the interim, that the fire was somewhere between Carriford Road Station and the village.
She wore a thick black veil, and grey waterproof cloak, when she left him, and her luggage was two boxes, one of plain deal, with black japanned clamps, the other sewn up in canvas. Joseph Chinney, porter at the Carriford Road Station, deposed that he saw Mrs. Manston, dressed as the last witness had described, get out of a second-class carriage on the night of the twenty-eighth.
'The lady who was supposed to have met with such a horrible fate, and was alive all the time. I saw her the other day. 'Since the fire at Carriford? 'Yes. Her husband came to ask if Mr. Brown was still living here just as you might. He seemed anxious about it; and then one evening, a week or fortnight afterwards, when he came again to make further inquiries, she was with him.
'Cytherea, he said, 'this will not do. You must stay here alone all the afternoon whilst I go to Carriford. I shall know all when I return. 'No, no, don't go! she implored. 'Soon, then, not directly. He saw her subtle reasoning that it was folly to be wise. Reflection still convinced him that good would come of persevering in his intention and dispelling his sister's idle fears.
'Yes. 'Somebody ha' come to Carriford: and the rest of it may concern you, sir. 'Well, well. 'Did you expect Mrs. Manston to-night, sir? 'Yes, unfortunately she's come, I know, and asleep long before this time, I suppose. The labourer leant his elbow upon the shaft of the gig and turned his face, pale and sweating from his late work at the fire, up to Manston's.
Six Carriford men and one stranger are gathered there, beneath the light of a flaring candle stuck on a piece of wood against the wall. The six Carriford men are the well-known ringers of the fine-toned old bells in the key of F, which have been music to the ears of Carriford parish and the outlying districts for the last four hundred years.
The train had, when passing him, already considerably slackened speed, and now a whistle was heard, announcing that Carriford Road Station was not far in its van. But contrary to the natural order of things, the discovery that it was only a commonplace train had not caused Manston to stir from his position of facing the railway.
Before the clerk could speak, another man ran in and answered the question without having heard it. 'Half Carriford is burnt down, or will be! he exclaimed. 'You can't see the flames from this station on account of the trees, but step on the bridge 'tis tremendous! He also crossed the line to assist at the entry of the train, which came in the next minute. The steward stood in the office.
Ah! couldn't we inquire of Mrs. Leat, who keeps the post-office at Carriford, if she remembers where the letters to Mrs. Manston were directed? 'He never posted his letters to her in the parish it was remarked at the time. I was thinking if something relating to her address might not be found in the report of the inquest in the Casterbridge Chronicle of the date.
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