With regard to the second MS. The story， or rather sketch， is a very fair specimen of light， farcical comedy. Should it be refused by an editor the reason will probably be the extreme slightness of the whole thing. There is some affectation in the expressions， which might be easily cured by excision. I cannot well express an opinion on the literary power or possibilities of the writer without knowing his or her age. There is a certain fluency in the wording， which seems to show that the person is not altogether inexperienced in expressing him or herself， so that if it is the unassisted work of a writer under 25 he is to be praised. There is real humour in the characters. and the sketch altogether is amusing. As first attempts both this and the Midsummer eve story are far above the average.
Believe me to remain
Sincerely yours
Thomas Hardy
Sturminster Newton
Dec 5. 1876
親愛的史密斯小姐：
我頗感興趣地讀完了您那篇精彩的小故事，我本想對它的作者擺起一副評論家的嚴肅麵孔，但這樣做很難。不管怎樣，我竭力不去想它出自何人之手，而是按照您希望的那樣來實事求是地評價它。
這篇故事被資深的評論家稱為大有希望的作品，構思巧妙，情節嚴謹，但文字本身反映出您在斟酌字句上功力不夠，這也許就是您提到的為何那位編輯會拒絕它的原因。這個問題在前麵幾章非常突出，我冒昧地用鉛筆在原稿上圈點出來，以提醒您關注那些讓人匪夷所思的地方，好讓您重新潤色。第一卷的最後兩頁有些偏離主題，我建議您刪去它。在掩飾P小姐與萊根家女兒們之間的恩怨上做得還不夠好，甚至連愛麗絲後來的懺悔也不能把這種印象抹去。而另一方麵，我要祝賀您把仲夏夜教堂門廊的那一幕處理得很棒，這是真正能窺見功底的地方，堪稱全書的點睛之筆。還有，您引進故事主題的方法也令人讚歎，就在人們差不多忘了故事的主題時，出現了拒絕拖貨的馬經過教堂院子，而愛麗絲緊跟其後這一幕，人們自然而然地會看出它與當時的愉快時光和總的歡樂氛圍形成了鮮明對照。