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{{Short description|1887 short story by Thomas Hardy}}
{{All plot|date=March 2010}}
"'''Alicia's Diary'''" is a [[short story]] written by [[Victorian Era|Victorian]] [[novelist]] [[Thomas Hardy]] in 1887.  It is the [[diary]] of a girl named [[Alicia (given name)|Alicia]] that is a [[tragic]] [[Romance novel|romance]]. The story was reprinted in the 1913 collection ''[[A Changed Man and Other Tales]]''.

==Plot==
Her sister, Caroline, and their mother have gone to [[France]], and eventually Alicia's suspicions are confirmed that Caroline has become engaged to an artist named Charles.  Charles keeps postponing the wedding.  Alicia's mother dies.  Due to the death of their mother and the coldness and [[procrastination]] of Charles to her, Caroline is dying.  Also, Alicia tries to leave them alone to catalyse the romantic process and to avoid charming Charles. Charles catches a glimpse of Alicia, and they soon fall in love with each other.  Needless to say, Alicia feels very guilty because of her [[incest]]uous feelings toward the [[fiancée]] of her sister.  Alicia and Charles make a deal that Charles should marry the dying Caroline, but not tell her it wasn't a legitimate marriage.  If Caroline dies, Alicia and Charles can be married.  If Caroline lives and does not want to marry Charles (after they tell her it wasn't a legitimate wedding), Alicia is free to marry Charles. The third option comes to pass, so Alicia must sacrifice her love for Charles and yield to her sister marrying Charles. Caroline and Charles marry.  Shortly following the wedding, Charles leaves and does not return.  Four months later, Alicia informs us that Charles drowned himself.  Five years later, Alicia adds a final note that Caroline married a man named Higham, who was the one who pretended to marry Caroline and Charles.  Alicia ends the short story by concluding that everyone involved in deceiving her sister have now repented (Higham by love, she says).  "[M]ay she be deceived no more."

==External links==
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/thomas-hardy/short-fiction|Display Name=An omnibus collection of Hardy's short fiction|noitalics=true}}

{{Thomas Hardy}}

[[Category:1887 short stories]]
[[Category:British short stories]]
[[Category:Fictional diaries]]
[[Category:Works by Thomas Hardy]]


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