Fairstowe is Mrs. Fowler’s home and the setting for a prospective new start for Jerry Barker’s family. After Mrs. Fowler invites them to live nearby, the place becomes the focus of plans to leave cab work for a life in the country; the move is agreed upon, but is to wait until Jerry is well enough.

Setting and Prospective Home

Fairstowe is introduced through a letter from Mrs. Fowler, whose news makes Polly Barker glad. The family is not offered a home in Mrs. Fowler’s house: a vacant cottage nearby is said to suit them, with a garden, henhouse, and apple trees. These practical features give the prospect a settled domestic character rather than presenting the move as merely an escape from London.

Work and Family Prospects

Mrs. Fowler’s coachman is expected to leave in the spring, creating the prospect of a position for Jerry. Other families in the area may offer work in a garden or stable, or as a page-boy. Dolly is also promised access to a good school. Harry, meanwhile, says he would rather become a groom or gardener than take a page-boy’s place, so the family’s plans encompass different possible paths for its children as well as employment for Jerry.

The Planned Move

The letter follows Polly’s earlier indication that she would like to hear from Mrs. Fowler if Jerry gave up cab work. Once the offer arrives, the family quickly settles on moving to the country as soon as Jerry is sufficiently recovered, and on selling the cab and horses as soon as possible. Fairstowe therefore represents a concrete alternative to the family’s life in London, but the passage describes a decision and a future arrangement, not a move already completed.