jack-o'-lent

Updated: May 4, 2025

Darton descended the roots of the sycamore, the light was withdrawn, and the door closed. At the bottom of the slope he nearly ran against a man about to ascend. 'Can a jack-o'-lent believe his few senses on such a dark night, or can't he? exclaimed one whose utterance Darton recognized in a moment, despite its unexpectedness. 'I dare not swear he can, though I fain would! The speaker was Johns.

Thomas Hardy - Wessex Tales