ABSTRACT

It is, however, likely that 'Master John Horseleigh, Knight' was written after the original publication of A Group of Noble Dames in May 1891. Replying to W.E. Henley's request for material for the National Observer, Hardy told him on 21 October 1891 that 'I am pregnant of several Noble Dames (this is an unnatural reversal I know, but my constitution is getting mixed) - I mean I have thought of several more sketches of that sort, but can't touch one yet on account of an incubus of a syndicate story which weighs me down' (VII, 117-18). Hardy at this time was working on The Pursuit of the Well-Beloved and therefore asked Henley, 'would you not rather wait till some time (late) next year?' This timescale would accord with Hardy's submission of the story in March 1893 (to a different journal). While 'Master John Horseleigh, Knight' may be one of the 'several Noble Dames' which Hardy mentioned to Henley, the others do not appear to have been written.