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medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects, but
city life does not seem to have had many attractions for
Thomas Hardy, and instead of pursuing his career as an
architect he turned his attention to poetry, producing during the next two or three years a large quantity of unpublished verse. six as an art critic, he was then about twenty years of age, and it was not until he was thirty that he set to work which circumstances seemed to point out as that wherein he might hope to achieve the best fitted that of novelist. practical result - the writing of fiction.

"Desperate Remedies," his first novel, which appeared in 1871, already gave evidences of the genius possessed by its author; and "Under the Green-wood, tree," which was printed the following year, confirmed the opinion of those critics who had already predicted success for Thomas Hardy as a novelist, while it and converted those who had doubted.

His third novel, "A Pair of Blue Eyes," published in 1873, added to his reputation, and the next year came out "Far from the Madding Crowd," which is perhaps among the most popular of his works, and this was first published in serial form in the "Cornhill Magazine," and after going through many editions in volume form, was dramatized by the stage and stronger and played at the Globe in 1882. A more important work however, though perhaps less pleasing one, is "Tess of

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the D'Urfervilles," published in 1891. Among his other volumes Ethelberta, works are "The hand of Ethelberta," "A comedy in Chapt- ers," 1876. "The return of the Native," 1878. "The Trumpet-Major," 1880. "A Laodicean on The Ladocean," 1881. "Two in a Tower," 1882. "The Mayor of Casterbridge," 1886. "The Woodlanders," 1886-7 (collected). "Wessex Tales," 1888.

"A Group of Noble Dames," 1891. "Life's Little Ironies" (collected). 1894, and that powerful story, full of imperfections of varied kinds, "Jude the Obscure," 1895. A fantastic tale entitled "The Well-beloved" written some years before, was reprinted from the newspapers at that time. It was in the year when "Far from the Madding Crowd," in the light of the late years of age, married. His wife is the daughter of Mr. J. Attersoll Gifford, and a niece of the Venerable E. Gifford, D.D. (formerly Archdeacon of London, formerly a prelate of the archdiocese, and now a countess). His home is now in the midst of the counties (inclusively called "Wessex," from Dorchester). Of whose scenery he has described so well, and is not far away in 1897, and a volume of poems of various dates was issued with illustrations by the author in 1898.