Thomas Hardy (1840โ1928) was an English novelist and poet. ยซThe Trumpet-Majorยป is one of Hardyโs most underrated and unpredictable works. Anne Garland, who lives with her widowed mother in a mill, has three suitors: the squireโs nephew Festus and the millerโs two sons, Robert and John. As the Wessex village prepares for possible invasion by Napoleonโs fl eet, Anne fi nds her destiny increasingly tangled up with the events of history. For Robert is a sailor while John is a soldier, both with equal commitments to their country and their love for Anne.