It must have been charming in its day, but it's palled a little since. Innocuous story, a little silly, also interesting in that it touches on some main preoccupations of Hardy's (especially the dithering heart: shall I marry A or do I love B best after all? – all in connection with considerations of social advancement). Strangely drawn out however: there's not much more narrative stuff here than in many of his short stories.