Isopel Berners

A Staffordshire dingle in July 1825 provides the setting for this episode from George Borrow’s autobiography. The first-person narrative brings the reader into a world of roadside encounters, charcoal fires and talk with travellers. An introduction by Thomas Seccombe traces Borrow’s early life, his interest in languages and his acquaintance with Romany communities, giving context to the country life described in the story.

One extended conversation centres on the narrator, Belle and a postillion who decides that they must be a wealthy young couple who have run away together. His elaborate account of family allowances, carriages and future respectability reveals as much about his own expectations as about the people before him. The narrator’s dry replies and Belle’s silence give the scene its tension and humour. Readers interested in English rural life, conversational fiction and the meeting of social classes will find those interests closely connected here.