Character Analysis
Mr. Craig is a longwinded Scottish gardener… and he's as interested in Hetty as Adam is. But Adam is a vigorous, handsome man. In Hetty's eyes, Mr. Craig:
[…] was a sensible man enough, to be sure, but he was knock-kneed, and had a queer sort of sing-song in his talk; moreover, on the most charitable supposition, he must be far on the way to forty. (9.2)
As we find out later, Mr. Craig isn't even that sensible. Every time Mr. Craig starts ranting about Napoleon or his neighbors or the British government, Adam is waiting with a put-down. Still, consider this—beautiful Hetty is considering silly Mr. Craig as a suitor. Comic relief aside, Mr. Craig indicates something important about what a small world Hayslope is. Hetty isn't isolated, but she sure isn't in a society that offers her many options.