The Woodlanders Chapter 9

In which Mr. Winterborne and Grace Melbury share a tender exchange about new acquaintances and seasonal plans, with Winterborne contemplating the delicate state of their acquaintance and preparing an intimate Christmas gathering to accelerate their mutual understanding. Their modest festivity, brimming with earnest effort and gentle social awkwardness, draws the Melburys into Winterborne’s humble home, where the simplicity of rustic life contrasts subtly with the more refined tastes Grace has recently encountered.