A pixy in petticoats

A pixy in petticoats by John Trevena is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set on Dartmoor, it blends romance, nature writing, village comedy, and folklore as the solitary scholar John Burrough is jolted from his quiet routine by the vivacious Beatrice Pentreath. Expect episodic adventures, witty dialogue, and moorland atmosphere as their flirtation and self-discovery unfold under the gaze of a gossiping village. The opening of the novel follows Burrough, a reclusive, bookish man on Dartmoor, who discovers a tiny footprint and a golden hairpin at his secret river nook and becomes enamored of the unknown visitor. He soon meets Beatrice Pentreath—a bold, teasing Cornish girl—after a comic exchange with the doddering vicar, and their lively banter leads to plans for a riverside tea. Burrough’s efforts to work on prehistoric “hut circles” dissolve into lovesick daydreams and confessions to his cat, while village color (and rumor) comes via Ann Cobbledick and her idle, self-styled “scholar” son Willum. At their picnic they christen the hideaway “Blissland,” name its hidden paths, brew tea in a rock “kitchen,” and trade a playful fable about three kings and a princess that mirrors Burrough’s hopes; they part with a promise to meet again on a fair “Furry-day.” The section ends with Burrough, half comic and half desperate, talking literature, money, and resolve to his ever-patient cat at dawn.

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