The Love of Bathsheba Learn English through story level 3

chapter 1

gabriel oak falls in love

gabriel oak was a sensible man of good

character who had been brought up by his

father as a shepherd

and then managed to save enough money to

rent his own farm on norcom hill in

dorset

he was 28

a tall well-built man

who did not seem however to think his

appearance was very important

one winter morning he was in one of his

fields on the side of norcom hill

looking over his gate

gabriel could see a yellow cart

loaded with furniture and plants

coming up the road

right on top of the pile

sat a handsome young woman

as gabriel was watching

the cart stopped at the top of the hill

and the driver climbed down to go back

and fetch something that had fallen off

the girl sat quietly in the sunshine for

a few minutes

then she picked up a parcel lying next

to her and looked round to see if the

driver was coming back

there was no sign of him

she unwrapped the parcel

and took out the mirror it contained

the sun shone on her lovely face and

hair

although it was december

she looked almost summery

sitting there in her bright red jacket

with the fresh green plants around her

she looked at herself in the mirror

and smiled

thinking that only the birds could see

her

but behind the gate

gabriel oak was watching too

she must be rather vain

he thought

she doesn’t need to look in that mirror

at all

as the girl smiled and blushed at

herself

she seemed to be dreaming

dreaming perhaps of men’s hearts won and

lost

when she heard the driver’s footsteps

she packed the mirror away

the cart moved on downhill to the

tollgate

gabriel followed on foot

as he came closer

he could hear the driver arguing with

the gatekeeper

my mistresses niece that’s her on top of

the furniture

is not going to pay you the extra

tuppence said the driver

she says she’s offered you quite enough

already

well if she doesn’t pay the toll

your mistress’s niece can’t pass through

the gate replied the gatekeeper

gabriel thought that tuppence did not

seem worth bothering about so he stepped

forward

here

he said

handing the coins to the gatekeeper

let the young woman pass

the girl in the red jacket looked

carelessly down at gabriel and told her

man to drive on

without even thanking the farmer

gabriel and the gatekeeper watched the

cart move away

that’s a lovely young woman said the

gatekeeper

but she has her faults answered gabriel

true farmer

and the greatest of them is what it

always is with

women wanting to win the argument every

time oh you’re right

no

her great fault is that she’s vain

a few days later at nearly midnight on

the longest night of the year

gabriel oak could be heard playing his

flute on norcom hill

the sky was so clear and the stars so

visible

that the earth could almost be seen

turning

in that cold hard air

the sweet notes of the flute rang out

the music came from a little hut on

wheels standing in the corner of a field

shepard’s huts like this are used as a

shelter during the winter and spring

when shepherds have to stay out all

night in the fields looking after very

young lambs

gabriel’s 250 sheep were not yet paid

for

he knew that in order to make a success

of the farming business

he had to make sure they produced a

large number of healthy

so he was determined to spend as many

nights as necessary in the fields

to save his lambs from dying of cold

or hunger

the hut was warm and quite comfortable

inside

there was a stove and some bread and

beer on a shelf

on each side of the hut was a round hole

like a window which could be closed with

a piece of wood

these air holes were usually kept open

when the stove was burning

because too much smoke in a small

airless hut could kill the shepherd

from time to time the sound of the flute

stopped

and gabriel came out of his hut to check

his sheep

whenever he discovered a half-dead new

lamb

he brought the creature into the hut

in front of the stove it soon came back

to life

and then he could return it to its

mother

he noticed a light further down the hill

it came from a wooden hut at the edge of

a field

he walked down to it

and put his eye to a hole in the wood

inside two women were feeding a sick cow

one of the women was middle-aged

the other was young and wore a cloak

gabriel could not see her face

i think she’ll be all right now aunt

said the younger woman

i can come and feed her again in the

morning

oh what a pity i lost my hat on the way

here

just then the girl dropped her cloak and

her long hair fell onto the shoulders of

her red jacket

gabriel recognized the girl of the

yellow card and the mirror

the girl who owed him tappance

the women left the hut

and gabriel returned to his sheep

as the sun was rising the next morning

gabriel waited outside his hut until he

saw the young woman riding up the hill

she was sitting sideways on the horse in

the usual ladies position

he suddenly thought of the hatch he had

lost

searched for it and found it among some

leaves on the ground

he was just going to go up to her to

give it back

when the girl did something very strange

riding under the low branches of a tree

she dropped backwards flat on the

horse’s back

with her feet on its shoulders

then first looking around to make sure

no one was watching

she sat up straight again and pulled her

dress to her knees with her legs on

either side of the horse

this was obviously easier for riding

but not very ladylike

gabriel was surprised and amused by her

behavior

he waited until she returned from her

aunt’s hut

and stepped out into the path in front

of her

i found a hat

he said

it’s mine

she said

she put it on and smiled

it flew away

at one o’clock this morning

well yes i needed my hat this morning

i had to ride to the hut in that field

where there’s a sick cow belonging to my

aunt

yes i know

i saw you

where she asked horrified

riding all the way up the hill

along the path

said gabriel

thinking of her unladylike position on

the horse’s back

a deep blush spread from her head to her

neck

gabriel turned sympathetically away

wondering when he dared look at her

again

when he turned back

she had gone

five mornings and evenings passed

the young woman came regularly to take

care of the sick cow

but never spoke to gabriel

he felt very sorry he had offended her

so much by telling her he had seen her

when she thought she was alone

[Music]

then one freezing night

gabriel returned exhausted to his hut

the warm air from the stove made him

sleepy

and he forgot to open one of the air

holes before going to sleep

the next thing he knew was that the girl

with the lovely face was with him in the

hut

holding his head in her arms

whatever is happening

he asked only half conscious

nothing now she answered

but you could have died in this hut of

yours

yes

i suppose i could

said gabriel

he was hoping he could stay there close

to her for a long time

he wanted to tell her so

but he knew he could not express himself

well

so he stayed silent

how did you find me

he asked in the end

oh

i heard your dog scratching at the door

so i came to see what the matter was

i opened the door and found you

unconscious

it must have been the smoke from the

stove

i believe you saved my life

miss

i don’t know your name

there’s no need to know it i probably

won’t see you again

my name is gabriel oak

mine isn’t

you sound very proud of your name

well

it’s the only one i shall ever have

i don’t like mine

i should think you’ll soon get a new one

well

that’s my business gabriel oak

i’m not very clever at talking miss

but i want to thank you

come

give me your hand

she hesitated then offered her hand

he took it

but held it for only a moment

i’m sorry

he said i didn’t mean to let your hand

go so quickly

you may have it again then

here it is

gabriel held it longer this time

how soft it is even in winter

not rough at all

he said

there that’s long enough

she said but without pulling it away

but i suppose you’re thinking you’d like

to kiss it

you may if you want to

i wasn’t thinking any such thing

said gabriel but

oh no you won’t

she pulled her hand sharply away

now

discover my name

she added laughing

and left

chapter 2

disaster for gabriel oak

young farmer oak was in love

he waited for the girl’s regular visits

to the sick cow just as impatiently as

his dog waited to be fed

he discovered that her name was

bathsheba everdeen and that she lived

with her aunt mrs hurst

his head was so full of her that he

could think of nothing else

i’ll make her my wife he declared to

himself

or i’ll never be able to concentrate on

work again

when she stopped coming to feed the sick

cow

he had to find a reason for visiting her

so he took a young lamb whose mother had

died and carried it in a basket across

the fields to mrs hurst’s house

i’ve brought a lamb for miss everdeen

he told bathsheba’s aunt

girls usually like looking after lambs

thank you mr oak replied mrs hurst but

bathsheba is only a visitor here

i don’t know if she’ll keep it

to tell you the truth mrs hearst

the lamb isn’t my real reason for coming

i want to ask miss everdeen

if she’d like to be married

really

asked mrs hurst looking closely at him

yes

because if she would

i’d like to marry her

do you know if she has any other young

men courting her at the moment

oh yes a lot of young men said mrs hurst

you see farmer oak

she’s so handsome and so well educated

too

of course i haven’t actually seen any of

her young men but she must have at least

10 or 12.

that’s unfortunate

said farmer oak staring sadly at the

floor

i’m just a very ordinary man

and my only chance was being the first

to ask to marry her

well

that was all i came for

i’d better go home now mrs hirst

he had gone halfway across the first

field

when he heard a cry behind him

he turned and saw a girl running after

him

it was bathsheba

gabriel blushed

farmer oak she called breathlessly

i want to say

my aunt made a mistake when she told you

i had a lot of young men courting me

in fact i haven’t got any

and i’ve never had any

i am glad to hear that

said gabriel with a wide smile holding

out his hand to take hers

but she pulled her hand away quickly

i have a nice comfortable little farm

he added a little less confidently

and when we are married

i’m sure i can work twice as hard as i

do now

and earn more

he stretched out his arm towards her

bathsheba moved rapidly behind a tree to

avoid him

performer oak she said in surprise

i never said i was going to marry you

well

said gabriel disappointed

to run after me like this

and then say you don’t want me

i only wanted to explain that my aunt

was wrong she answered eagerly

anyway i had to run to catch up with you

so i didn’t have time to decide whether

i wanted to marry or not

just

think for a minute or two replied

gabriel hopefully

i’ll wait a while miss everdeen

will you marry me

do bathsheba

i love you very much

i’ll try to think

she answered

give me time

and she looked away from him at the

distant hills

i can make you happy

he said to the back of her head

you shall have a piano

and i’ll practice the flute to play with

you in the evenings

yes

i’d like that

and at home by the fire

whenever you look up

there i’ll be

and whenever i look up

there you’ll be

wait

let me think

she was silent for a while

and then turned to him

no

she said

i don’t want to marry you

it’d be nice to have a wedding

but having a husband

well he’d always be there

as you say

whenever i looked up

there he’d be

of course he would it would be me

that’s the problem

i wouldn’t mind being a bride if i could

be one without having a husband

but as a woman can’t be a bride alone

i won’t marry

at least not yet

what a silly thing for a girl to say

cried gabriel

and then he said softly

but darling

think again

he moved round the tree to reach her

why won’t you have me

because i don’t love you she replied

moving away

but i love you

and i’m happy to be liked if that’s all

you feel for me

he spoke more seriously than he had ever

spoken before

only one thing is certain in this life

i shall love you

and want you

and keep on wanting you until i die

his feelings were plain to see in his

honest face

and his large brown hands were trembling

it seems wrong not to accept you when

you feel so strongly she replied

unhappily

i wish i hadn’t run after you

but we wouldn’t be happy together mr oak

i’m too independent

i need a husband who can keep me in

order and i’m sure you wouldn’t be able

to do that

gabriel looked hopelessly away and did

not reply

and mr oak she continued in a clear

voice

i’m so poor that my aunt has to provide

a home for me

you’re just starting your farming

business

it would be much more sensible for you

to marry a woman with money

then you could buy more sheep and

improve your farm

that’s just what i’d been thinking

answered gabriel in surprise

what common sense she had he thought

admiringly

well then why did you ask to marry me

she said angrily

i can’t do what i think would be

sensible

i must do what my heart tells me

he did not see the trap she had set for

him

now you’ve confessed that marrying me

wouldn’t be sensible mr oak do you think

i’ll marry you after that

don’t mistake my meaning like that he

cried

just because i’m honest enough to tell

you the truth

i know you’d be a good wife for me

you speak like a lady everyone says so

and your uncle at weatherbury has a

large farm i’ve heard

may i visit you in the evenings

or will you come for a walk with me on

sundays

you don’t have to decide at once

no no i cannot don’t insist don’t i

don’t love you so it would be foolish

she said with a laugh

no man likes to see his feelings laughed

at

so gabriel oak said turning away

very well

then i won’t ask you again

gabriel did not see bathsheba again and

two days later he heard that she had

left the area and was now in weatherbury

a village 20 miles away

her departure did not stop gabriel from

loving her

in fact he loved her even more deeply

now that they were apart

the next night before going to bed

gabriel called his two dogs to come into

the house for the night

his old dog george obeyed the call

but the younger one was missing

gabriel was having difficulty training

this young dog which although

enthusiastic still did not understand a

sheepdog’s duties

he did not worry about the dog’s absence

but went to bed

very early in the morning he was woken

by the sound of sheep bells ringing

violently

shepherds know every sound that sheep

bells make

and gabriel immediately realized that

his sheep were running fast

he jumped out of bed

threw on his clothes and ran up norcom

hill to his fields near the chalk pit

there were his fifty sheep with their

lambs all safe in one field

but in the other field the two hundred

pregnant sheep had completely

disappeared

he noticed a broken gate and felt sure

the sheep had gone through it

there was no sign of them in the next

field

but ahead of him at the top of the hill

he saw the young dog looking black

against the morning sky

it was standing quite still

staring down into the chalk pit

gabriel felt sick as he realized the

horrible truth

he hurried up the hill to the edge of

the chalk pit

and looked down into it

in the deep pit lay his dead and dying

sheep

two hundred of them

which would have produced 200 more in

the next few weeks

the young untrained dog must have chased

them up to the edge of the pit

where they fell to their death

his first feeling was pity for those

gentle sheep and their unborn lambs

then he thought of himself

all his savings which he had worked so

hard for in the last ten years had been

spent on renting the farm

now his hopes of being an independent

farmer were destroyed

he covered his face with his hands

after a while he looked up

thank god i’m not married to bathsheba

he thought

what would she have done married to a

husband as poor as i shall be

the young dog was shot the next day

gabriel sold all his farm tools to pay

what he owed for the sheep

he was no longer a farmer

just an ordinary man who owned the

clothes she was wearing and nothing more

now he had to find work where he could

on other men’s farms chapter 3

the fire

two months later gabriel went to the

great fair at casterbridge hoping to

find a job as farm manager

but when he realized by late afternoon

that none of the farmers at casterbridge

wanted a farm manager or even a shepherd

he decided to try his luck at another

fair the next day

it was 15 miles further away

in a village the other side of

weatherbury

the name weatherbury reminded him of

bathsheba

and he wondered if she still lived there

he set out on foot as it was getting

dark and had already walked three or

four miles when he saw a cart half full

of hay by the side of the road

that’s a comfortable place to sleep he

thought

and he was so tired after his long

disappointing day at the fair

that when he climbed into the cart he

fell asleep immediately

a couple of hours later however he was

woken by the movement of the cart

it was being driven towards weatherbury

by two farm workers who had not noticed

gabriel

he listened to their conversation

she’s a handsome woman that’s true said

one but proud too

and very vain that’s what people say

oh

if she’s vain billy smallbury

i’ll never be able to look at her

i’m such a shy man as you know said the

other a single woman and vain

and does she pay her farm work as well

i don’t know about that joseph poor

grass

gabriel thought they could be talking

about bathsheba

except that the woman they were

discussing seemed to be the mistress of

a farm

as the cart was now quite near

weatherbury

gabriel jumped out unseen by the two men

he climbed a gate into a field intending

to sleep for the rest of the night under

a hayrik

but then he noticed an unusual light in

the darkness about half a mile away

something was on fire

he hurried across the fields towards the

fire

soon in the rich orange light of the

flames he could see a heyrik burning

fiercely

it was too late to save the rick

so for a few minutes he stood and stared

at the flames

but when the smoke cleared for a moment

he was horrified to see very close to

the burning rick a whole row of

wheatricks these probably contained most

of the wheat produced on the farm that

year

and could catch fire at any moment

as he rushed towards the wheat rick that

was most in danger

he saw he was not alone

a crowd of farm workers had seen the

fire and run into the field to help save

the wheat but they were so confused they

did not know what to do

gabriel took control and gave

orders get a large cloth he shouted

put it over the wheatrick so the wind

can’t blow the flames from the hay rick

onto it now

you stand here with a bucket of water

and keep the cloth wet

the men hurried to obey him

the flames prevented from burning the

bottom and sides of the wheatrick began

to attack its roof

get me a ladder cried gabriel

and a branch and some water

he climbed up the wheat rick and sat on

the top beating down the flames with the

branch

billy smallbury one of the men who had

been in the cart climbed up with a

bucket of water to throw water on

gabriel and keep the flames off him

the smoke was at its thickest at this

corner of the rick but gabriel never

stopped his work

on the ground the villagers were doing

what they could to stop the fire which

was not much

a little further away was a young woman

who had just arrived on her horse with

her maid on foot

they were watching the fire and

discussing gabriel

he’s a fine young man mom said lydia the

maid

and look at his clothes

they’re all burnt

who does he work for asked the woman in

a clear voice

i don’t know mom nor do the others

he’s a stranger

john coggan called the woman to one of

her workers

do you think the wheat is safe now

i think so yes ma’am he answered

if the fire had spread to this waitrick

all the other ricks would have caught

fire too

that brave young man up there on top of

the rick is the one who saved your wheat

he does work hard said the young woman

looking up at gabriel who had not

noticed her

i wish he worked for me

as the ricks were no longer in danger

gabriel started to climb down

and at the bottom he met the maid

i have a message from the farmer

who wishes to thank you for all you’ve

done she said

where is he ask gabriel suddenly aware

of the chance of getting some work

it isn’t a he

it’s a she

answered the girl

a woman farmer

asked gabriel

yes

and a rich one too said a villager who

was standing near

she inherited her uncle’s farm when he

died suddenly she has business in every

bank in caster bridge

she’s over there wrapped in a cloak on

her horse added the maid

in the darkness gabriel could only see

the shape of a woman sitting on a horse

he walked over to her

although his face was black from the

smoke and his clothes were burnt by the

fire

he remembered to lift his hat politely

and asked looking up at her

do you want a shepherd mom

she let her cloak fall back from her

head in surprise

gabriel and his cold-hearted darling

bathsheba everdeen

stared at each other

she did not speak

he only repeated sadly

do you want a shepherd mom

bathsheba turned away into the shadows

to consider

she was a little sorry for him

but also glad that she had improved her

position since they last met

she realized she had almost forgotten

his offer of marriage on norcom hill

yes

she answered quietly blushing a little

i do want a shepherd but

he’s just the right man mom said one of

the villagers

that’s right said a second and a third

then will you men tell him to speak to

the farm manager said bathsheba in a

business-like way as she rode off

gabriel soon arranged the details of his

employment with bathsheba’s farm manager

benji pennyways

and walked onto the village to find a

place to live

as he walked

he thought of bathsheba

how quickly the young girl he remembered

had become the capable mistress of a

farm

when he passed the churchyard and the

ancient trees around it

he noticed that someone was standing

behind one of the trees

is this the right way to weatherbury

ask gabriel

oh yes

straight on

said a girl’s voice low and sweet

after a pause she added

you’re not a weatherbury man

no

i’m the new shepherd just arrived

only a shepherd

you seem almost like a farmer to me

only a shepherd

repeated gabriel in a dull voice

thinking of the disaster that had

destroyed his hopes of being a farmer

please don’t tell anyone in the village

that you’ve seen me

beg the girl

i’m rather poor

and i don’t want anyone to know about me

her thin arms trembled in the cold

i won’t tell anyone said gabriel

but you ought to be wearing a cloak on a

night like this

oh

it doesn’t matter

please go on and leave me

he hesitated

perhaps you’d accept this

it’s not much

but it’s all i have to spare

he put a coin into her small hand and as

he touched her wrist he noticed how

quickly the blood was beating

it was the same quick hard beat that he

felt in his lambs when they were close

to death

what’s the matter can’t i help you he

asked

he felt a deep sadness in this thin weak

creature

no

no

don’t tell anyone you’ve seen me

good night

she stayed in the shadows

and gabriel went on to weatherbury

chapter four

fanny robin disappears

the farm manager had advised gabriel to

go straight to the malt house in

weatherbury to ask for somewhere to stay

that was the place where the men of the

village spent their evenings drinking

beer and talking by the fire

when gabriel entered the warm dark room

some of bathsheba’s workers recognized

him

come in shepherd you’re welcome said one

gabriel oak is my name neighbors

the ancient molster with his white hair

and long white beard turned his old head

stiffly towards gabriel

gabriel oak of gnoccum he said

i knew your grandparents well

my boy jacob and his young son billy

know your family too

his boy jacob was bald and toothless

and young billy was about forty

you must be very old monster said

gabriel politely

dab such an old son as jacob here

yes i’ve lived for over 100 years

replied the little old man proudly

sit down and drink with us shepherd

the cup of warm beer passed around the

circle of drinkers

there was silence for a moment

then gabriel turned the conversation to

the matter closest to his heart

what kind of mistress is miss everdeen

he asked

we know almost nothing of her shepherd

answered jan coggin a big cheerful man

with a red face

she only arrived here a few days ago

when her uncle died

but the aberdeens are a good family to

work for

of course it’s the farm manager who’ll

be giving us our orders

uh

said the molster frowning bendy

pennyways

you can’t trust him added jacob darkly

soon afterwards gabriel left with jan

coghan who had offered the shepherd a

bed in his house

the remaining men were just preparing to

leave when suddenly a young man called

laban tall rushed into the malt house

almost too excited to speak

it’s benji pennyways he cried

miss everdanes caught him stealing wheat

from the barn

she sent him away

and worse than that

fanny robin you know miss everdeen’s

youngest maid is missing

the mistress wants us to look for her

tomorrow

and billy smallbury she wants you to go

to casterbridge to see if you can find

the young soldier who’s been courting

fanny

that night the news spread fast round

the village

but did not reach gabriel whose dreams

were only of bathsheba

through the long slow hours of darkness

he saw her lovely face

and forgot that she did not love him

the next morning bathsheba and her maid

liddy were dusting some books when a

visitor arrived at the front door

it was mr boldwood who had a large farm

in weatherbury

i can’t see him like this liddy

said bathsheba looking in horror at her

dusty dress

go down and tell him i’m busy

when liddy came back after mr boldwood

had gone bathsheba asked

what did he want liddy

and who is he exactly

he just wanted to ask if fanny had been

found miss

you know as she had no family or friends

he was kind enough to pay for her to go

to school

and found her a job here with your uncle

he’s your neighbor

his farm is next to yours

is he married and how old is he

he isn’t married

he’s about 40

very handsome

and rich

all the girls in the area have tried to

persuade him to marry

but he just doesn’t seem interested in

women

have you ever had an offer of marriage

miss

yes i have liddy

answered bathsheba after a pause

thinking of gabriel

but he wasn’t quite good enough for me

oh how nice to be able to refuse

when most of us are glad to accept the

first offer

and did you love him miss

oh no

but i rather liked him

in the afternoon bathsheba called her

workers together and spoke to them in

the old hall of the farmhouse

men

i want to tell you that i’m not going to

employ a new farm manager

i shall manage the farm myself

there were gasps of surprise from the

men

she gave her orders for the next week’s

farm work

and then turned to one of the men

billy smallbury

what have you discovered about fanny

robin

i think she’s run away with her young

man mom

the soldiers have left casterbridge

and i suppose she’s gone with them

well

perhaps we’ll discover more later one of

you can go and tell mr boldwood what

billy says

now men

i hope i can trust you all to do your

work well for me

good night

later that evening in a town many miles

north of weatherbury

a small white shape could be seen

walking slowly along a path beside a

large building

it was a dull snowy night

with heavy grey clouds hanging low in

the sky

the kind of night when hopes are

destroyed

and love is lost

one

two

three

four

five

the white shape was counting windows in

the building

then it began to throw small stones

covered in snow at the fifth window

at last the window opened

and a man called out

is there

is that sergeant troy

asked a girl’s voice

yes

answered the man

who are you

oh frank

don’t you know me

cried the girl desperately

i’m your

i’m fanny robin

fanny

gasped the man in surprise

how did you get here

i walked most of the way from

weatherbury

but frank

are you glad to see me

frank

when will it be

what are you talking about

you know

you

promised when shall we be married frank

oh

i see

well

you need proper clothes

we must inform the vicar

it takes time

i didn’t expect you to come so soon

oh frank

i love you so

and

you said you’d marry me don’t cry now

it’s foolish

if i said so of course i will

i’ll come and see you tomorrow

to decide the details

oh yes frank do

i’m staying at mrs twills in north

street

come tomorrow frank

good night frank

chapter five

bathsheba sends a valentine

when bathsheba first appeared at the

weekly casterbridge market where farmers

bought and sold their wheat and animals

she caused a sensation

men’s heads turned to look at her

the only woman there

like any woman she was happy to be

admired

but she was also determined to sell her

wheat at a good price

and to do business with the other

farmers like a man

there was one farmer however

who did not seem to notice her

and this annoyed her a little

it was mr boldwood

one sunday afternoon on the 13th of

february

bathsheba and liddy were in the sitting

room together

it was a dull cold day and they were

both very bored

have you ever tried to discover who

you’re going to marry miss

ask liddy

with a bible

and a key

i don’t believe in such foolish games

liddy

well

some people believe it works

all right let’s try it said bathsheba

suddenly jumping up from her seat

together they opened the big family

bible

and put a key on a page

now

you think of someone you could marry

miss

said liddy then read aloud the words on

that page

and if the bible moves

perhaps you’ll marry him

bathsheba read the words holding the

bible

as they watched

the bible turned in her hands

and bathsheba blushed

who were you thinking of

asked liddy curiously

i’m not going to tell you

answered her mistress

by the way

did you notice mr boldwood in church

this morning asked liddy making it very

clear who she was thinking of

he didn’t turn his head once to look at

you

why should he replied bathsheba annoyed

i didn’t ask him to look at me

oh no

but everybody else in church was looking

at you

bathsheba did not reply to this

after a few minutes she said oh i nearly

forgot the valentine card i bought

yesterday

a valentine

who’s it for miss

farmer boldwood

no of course not

it’s for one of the village children

that sweet little boy of jan coggins

i’ll write the address on the envelope

now and we’ll post it today

what fun it would be to send it to that

silly old boldwood laughed liddy

bathsheba paused to consider

it was certainly a little depressing

that the wealthiest and most important

man in the area did not seem to admire

her as all the other men did

we’ll throw a coin to decide she said

lightly

no

we shouldn’t play with money on a sunday

i know

we’ll throw this book

if it comes down open i’ll send the

valentine to jan’s son

if it comes down shut

i’ll send it to boldwood

the little book went up in the air

and came down

shut

bathsheba immediately picked up her pen

and wrote boldwood’s address on the

envelope

now we need a seal she said

look for an interesting one liddy

ah let’s use this one i can’t remember

what it says but i know it’s funny

when she had sealed the envelope

bathsheba looked closely at the words

left by the seal

marry me

just right she cried

that would make even a vicar laugh

and so the valentine was sent not for

love but as a joke

bathsheba had no idea of the effect it

would have

it arrived at mr boldwood’s house on the

morning of saint valentine’s day 14th of

february

he was puzzled but strangely excited by

it

he had never received one before

and all day he thought about it

who could the woman be

who admired him so much

that she sent him a valentine

he kept on looking at it

until the words on the large red seal

danced in front of his tired eyes and he

could no longer read them

but he knew what they said

marry me

the valentine had destroyed the peaceful

routine of boldwood’s life

that night he dreamed of the unknown

woman and when he woke up very early the

first thing he saw was the valentine

with its message in red on the table by

his bed

marry me

he repeated to

himself he was too restless to sleep

anymore

so he went out for a walk

he watched the sun rise over the snowy

fields

and on his way home he met the postman

who handed him a letter

boldwood took it quickly and opened it

thinking it could be from the center of

the valentine

i don’t think it’s for you sir said the

postman

i think it’s for your shepherd

boldwood looked at the address on the

envelope

to the new shepherd

weatherbury farm near casterbridge

oh what a mistake

it isn’t mine or my shepherds it must be

for miss everdeen’s shepherd

his name is

gabriel oak

at that moment he noticed a figure in a

distant field

ah there he is now boldwood added i’ll

take the letter to him myself

the shepherd started walking towards the

malt house and boldwood followed him

holding the letter

chapter six

fanny’s mistake

at the malt house the men were

discussing bathsheba

is she getting on without a farm manager

the old molster asked the younger men

she can’t manage the farm alone replied

jacob and she won’t listen to our advice

proud she is i’ve often said it

you have jacob you have that’s true

agreed little joseph poor grass

but she’s intelligent said billy

smallbury and must have some common

sense

it seems her old uncle’s furniture

wasn’t good enough for her said the

monster i hear she’s bought new beds

chairs and a piano

if she’s a farmer

why does she want a piano

just then they heard a heavy footstep

outside and a voice called

neighbors can i bring a few lambs in

there

of course shepherd they all replied

gabriel appeared in the doorway his

cheeks red and his healthy face shining

on his shoulders were four half-dead

lambs which he put down carefully close

to the fire

i haven’t got a shepherd’s hut here as i

used to have at norcomb he explained

these new lambs would die if i couldn’t

keep them warm for a while

it’s very kind of you molster to let me

bring them in here

we’ve been talking of the mistress and

her strange behavior shepherd said the

monster

what have you been saying about her ask

gabriel sharply turning to the others

i suppose you’ve been speaking against

her he added angrily to joseph poor

grass

no

no not a word said joseph trembling and

blushing with terror

well look here neighbors

gabriel although normally one of the

quietest and most gentle men on earth

had suddenly become aggressive

the first man i hear saying anything bad

about our mistress will receive this in

his face

and he banged his great heavy hand down

on the molsters table

no

don’t get so angry shepherd and sit down

said jacob

we he you’re a very clever man shepherd

added joseph poor grass from behind the

master’s bed where he had been hiding

we all wish we were as clever as you

don’t we neighbors

there was general agreement

i think

mistress ought to have made you her farm

manager

you’re so suitable for the job continued

joseph he could see that gabriel was no

longer angry

i don’t mind confessing i was hoping to

be her farm manager said gabriel in his

honest way

but miss everdeen can do as she likes

and she’s chosen to manage her own farm

and keep me

as an ordinary shepherd only

he sounded rather depressed

and looked sadly into the fire

before anyone could reply the door

opened and mr boldwood came in he

greeted them all and handed the letter

to gabriel

i opened this by mistake oak he said but

it must be for you i’m sorry

oh it doesn’t matter at all answered

gabriel who had no secrets from anyone

he read this letter

dear friend

i don’t know your name but i want to

thank you for your kindness to me on the

night i left weatherbury

i’m also returning the money you gave me

i’m happy to say

i’m going to marry the young man who has

been courting me

sergeant troy

as he is a nobleman’s son

i know he wouldn’t like me to accept a

gift from anyone

please don’t tell anyone about my

marriage

we intend to surprise weatherbury by

arriving there as husband and wife very

soon

thank you again

fanny robin

you better read it mr boldwood said

gabriel

it’s from fanny robin

she wants to keep this a secret

but i know you’re interested in her

i met her on my way to weatherbury but i

didn’t know then who she was

when mr boldwood had finished reading

the letter he looked very serious

oh fanny he said

i don’t think this sergeant troy will

ever marry her he’s clever and handsome

but he can’t be trusted

what a silly girl fanny is

i’m very sorry to hear that said gabriel

by the way oak said mr boldwood quietly

as he and the shepherd left the malt

house together

could you tell me whose writing this is

he showed gabriel the envelope

containing the valentine

gabriel looked at it and said simply

miss aberdeens

then he realized that bathsheba must

have written to mr boldwood without

signing her name

and he looked puzzled at the farmer

mr boldwood replied rather too quickly

to gabriel’s unspoken question

it’s quite normal to try to discover who

has written the valentine

that’s the fun of it

there was no fun at all in his manner

goodbye oak he added and walked slowly

back to his empty house

a few days later in the town north of

weatherbury where the soldiers were

staying a wedding was arranged

as the church clock in the square struck

half past eleven

a handsome young soldier marched into

the church and spoke to the vicar

then he stood still in the center of the

church

waiting for his bride

the church was full of the women and

girls who had attended the morning

service and had decided to wait to see

the wedding

they watched the young man straight back

whispering among themselves

the soldier waited without moving a

muscle

the church clock struck a quarter to

twelve

and still the bride did not come

the whispers stopped

and there was silence

the young man stood as stiff and

straight as the church columns around

him

there was a little quiet laughter from

some of the women but soon they were

silent again

waiting for the end

as the church clock struck twelve they

listened to the heavy notes ringing out

from the church tower

the vicar left his position near the

soldier and disappeared into a back room

every woman in the church was waiting to

see the young man’s face

and he knew it

at last he turned

and marched bravely back the way he had

come

through the rows of smiling women

when he got outside and crossed the

square he met a girl hurrying towards

the church

when she saw him the anxiety on her face

changed to

terror well

he said staring coldly at her

oh frank

i made a mistake

i thought it was the other church the

one near the market

and i waited there till a quarter to 12

and then i realized my mistake

but it doesn’t matter because we can

just as easily get married tomorrow

you’re a fool to play games with me

he replied angrily

so

shall we get married tomorrow frank she

asked not understanding how seriously

she had offended him

tomorrow he repeated and laughed

i don’t want another experience like

that for a while i can promise you

but frank

she begged in a trembling voice

it wasn’t such a terrible mistake

now

dear frank

when will our wedding be

ah when

god knows he said

and turning away from her

walked rapidly away

chapter 7

farmer boldwood proposes marriage

on saturday at casterbridge market

boldwood saw the woman who was

disturbing his dreams

for the first time he turned his head

and looked at her

it was in fact the first time in his

life that he had looked at any woman

up to now he had considered women to be

distant almost foreign creatures who had

nothing to do with him

now he saw bathsheba’s hair

and every detail of her face

he noticed her figure her dress

and even her feet

she seemed very beautiful to him

and his heart began to move within him

and this woman

this lovely young woman

has asked me to marry her he thought

as he was watching bathsheba selling

wheat to another farmer

he was filled with jealousy

all this time bathsheba was aware of his

eyes on her

at last she had made him look at her

but she would have preferred him to

admire her from the beginning without

the encouragement of her valentine

she felt sorry she had disturbed the

usual calmness of a man she respected

but considered she could not apologize

to him without either offending or

encouraging him

mr boldwood did not try to speak to her

and returned home to his farm

he was a man of strong feelings which

normally lay hidden deep inside him

because he was serious and did not joke

with his neighbors

people thought he was cold

but when he loved or hated

it was with his whole heart

if bathsheba had known how strong the

feelings of this dark and silent figure

were

she would have blamed herself terribly

for her thoughtlessness

but nobody guessed what lay behind his

calm appearance

a few days later mr boldwood was looking

at bathsheba’s fields which were next to

his own

when he saw her helping gabriel oak with

the sheep

to boldwood bathsheba shone like the

moon on a dark night

his heart which had never been touched

before was filled completely with his

love for her

he decided to go and speak to her

as he stopped at the gate of the field

bathsheba looked up and noticed him

gabriel was watching her face and saw

her blush

he immediately thought of the envelope

with the valentine that boldwood had

shown him and suspected bathsheba of

encouraging the farmer to fall in love

with her

boldwood realized they had noticed him

and suddenly felt unsure of himself

he did not know enough about women to

discover from bathsheba’s manner whether

she wanted to see him or not

and so he did not enter the field but

walked on past the gate

bathsheba however knew that he had come

to see her and felt extremely guilty

she promised herself never again to

disturb the peace of this man’s life

unfortunately her promise was made too

late

as such promises often are

it was not until the end of may that

boldwood was brave enough to declare his

love

he went to bathsheba’s house where the

maids told him their mistress was

watching the sheep washing

every spring the sheep were washed in a

special pool to keep their wool clean

and to get rid of insects on their skin

boldwood walked across the fields to the

pool where he found the farm workers

busily washing the sheep

bathsheba was standing near them and saw

boldwood coming towards her

she moved away walking beside the river

but she could hear footsteps behind her

in the grass

and felt love all around her like

perfume in the air

boldwood caught up with her

miss everdeen

he said quietly

she trembled turned and said

good morning

she had guessed the truth from the way

he spoke those two words

i feel

almost too much to think

he said simply

my life does not belong to me anymore

miss everdeen

but to you

i’ve come to propose marriage to you

bathsheba tried not to show any

expression on her face

i’m now 41 he continued

i’ve never married

or thought i ever would marry

but we all change

and i changed when i saw you

more than anything else

i want you as my wife

i think

mr boldwood

that although i respect you very much

i don’t feel

enough for you

to accept your proposal

but my life is worthless without you he

cried calm no longer

i want you

to let me say i love you again and again

bathsheba remain silent

i think and hope you care enough for me

to listen to what i have to say he had

it

bathsheba was about to ask why he should

think that

when she remembered the valentine

after all

it was quite natural for him to think

she admired him

i wish i could court you with beautiful

words the farmer went on

but i can only say i love you madly and

want you for my wife

i wouldn’t have proposed if you hadn’t

allowed me to hope

mr boldwood

this is difficult for me

i’m afraid i can’t marry you

i’m not in love with you

i should never have sent that valentine

forgive me

it was a thoughtless thing to do

no

no don’t say it was thoughtless

say it was the beginning of a feeling

that you would like me

just consider whether you can accept me

as a husband

i know i’m too old for you

but believe me i’ll take more care of

you than a younger man would

you will have nothing to worry about

you’ll have everything you want

god only knows how much you mean to me

bathsheba’s young heart was full of pity

for this sensitive man who had spoken so

simply and honestly

don’t say it

don’t

you feel so much and i feel nothing she

replied

don’t discuss it anymore

i can’t think

oh i’ve given you such pain

tell me that you don’t refuse completely

give me some hope

may i ask you again

may i think of you

yes i suppose so

may i hope you will accept my proposal

next time

no

don’t hope

i must go now

give me time to think

yes

i’ll give you time

he answered gratefully

thank you

i’m happier now

no

please don’t be happier mr boldwood

if happiness only comes from my agreeing

i must think

i’ll wait

he agreed

they turned away from each other

and returned to their separate houses

chapter 8

bathsheba’s sheep in danger

because bathsheba was not at all in love

with farmer boldwood

she was able to consider his proposal of

marriage calmly

it was an offer which many women of good

family in the area would have been

delighted to accept

he was serious respectable and rich

if she had wanted a husband she could

not have found a good reason for

refusing to marry him

but she was still enjoying her new

position as mistress of a farm and house

and although she respected and liked him

she did not want to marry him

however

she was honest enough to feel that

as she had begun the courting by sending

him the valentine

she ought not to refuse him now

there was only one person whose opinion

she trusted more than her own

and that person was gabriel oak

so the next day she decided to ask his

advice

she found him with jan coggin sharpening

the shears which would be used to shear

the sheep

jan

go and help joseph with the horses she

ordered

i’ll help you gabriel

i want to talk to you

the shears were sharpened on a stone

which was turned by a wheel which was

itself turned by a handle

bathsheba could not manage the handle so

she held the shears while gabriel turned

the handle

you aren’t holding them right miss he

told her

let me show you how

he let go of the handle and put his

large hands round hers

to hold the shears

like that he said continuing to hold her

hands for a peculiarly long time

that’s enough said bathsheba i don’t

want my hands held turn the handle

they went on sharpening the shears

gabriel what do the men think about me

and mr boldwood

they say you’ll marry him before the end

of the year miss

what a foolish thing to say

i want you to contradict it gabriel

well bathsheba said gabriel staring at

her in surprise

miss everdeen you mean she said

well

if mr boldwood really asked you to marry

him i’m not going to contradict that

just to please you

i said i wanted you just to say it

wasn’t true that i was going to marry

him

she said less confidently

i can say that if you wish miss everdeen

i could also give my opinion of the way

you’ve behaved

he continued with his work

bathsheba knew that he would always give

his honest opinion

even if she asked him whether she should

marry another man

and there was nobody else she could

trust

well

what is your opinion of my behavior

she asked

no

good respectable woman

would behave like that

he replied

you should never have sent him that

valentine

bathsheba blushed angrily

luckily i don’t care about your opinion

why do you think i’m not good or

respectable i wonder

because i didn’t agree to marry you

perhaps

not at all

said gabriel quietly

i’ve long ago stopped thinking about

that

or wishing it i suppose she said

expecting him to protest that he still

loved her

or wishing it repeated gabriel calmly

bathsheba would not have minded being

spoken too angrily by gabriel for her

thoughtlessness

if only he had told her he loved her

but his cold words of blame annoyed her

greatly

i cannot allow any man to accuse me of

bad behavior she cried

so you will leave the farm at the end of

the week

all right

i will

said gabriel calmly

in fact i would rather go at once

go at once then she replied angrily

don’t let me see your face anymore

very well miss everdeen

and so he took his shears and walked

quietly away

it was only 24 hours after gabriel had

left the farm the three men came running

to report a disaster to bathsheba

sixty of your sheep said joseph poor

grass breathless

have broken through the gate said billy

also breathless

and got into a field of young clover

said laban tall

they’re eating the clover and they’re

all swollen up

they’ll all die if someone doesn’t do

something

oh you fools cried bathsheba

go straight to the field and get them

out

she rushed towards the cloverfield

followed by the men

her sheep were all lying down

their stomachs badly swollen

joseph billy and laban carried the sheep

back into their own field

where the poor creatures lay helplessly

without moving

oh what can i do what can i do

cried bathsheba

there’s only one way of saving them said

laban

someone must make a hole in the sheep’s

side explain billy with a special tool

then the air comes out

and the sheep will survive

can you do it

can i do it she asked wildly

no ma’am

if it isn’t done very carefully the

sheep will die

most shepherds can’t even do it

only one man in the area can do it said

joseph

who is he

let’s get him said his mistress

it’s gabriel oak

ah he’s a clever man replied joseph

that’s right he certainly is agreed the

other two

how dare you say his name to me she said

angrily what about farmer boldwood

perhaps he can do it

no mom answered la ban when his she bet

some clover the other day and was

swollen just like these he sent for

gabriel at once and gabriel saved their

lives

i don’t care

don’t just stand there go and find

someone cried bathsheba

the men ran off without any clear idea

where they were going

and bathsheba was left alone with her

dying sheep

never will i send for him

never

she promised herself

one of the sheep jumped high in the air

fell heavily and did not move

it was dead

bathsheba knew she must swallow her

pride

and called to laban who was waiting at

the gate

take a horse

and go and find gabriel she ordered

give him a message from me that he must

return at once

bathsheba and her men waited miserably

in the field

several more sheep jumped wildly into

the air their stomachs horribly swollen

and their muscles stiff

then died

at last a rider could be seen across the

fields but it was not gabriel it was

laban

he says he won’t come unless you ask him

politely

la ban reported to bathsheba

what

said the young woman opening her eyes

white

joseph poor grass hid behind a tree in

case she became violent

how dare he answer me like that

another sheep fell dead

the men looked very serious

and did not offer their opinion

bathsheba’s eyes filled with tears

and she did not try to hide her anger

and her injured pride

don’t cry about it miss suggested billy

sympathetically

why not ask gabriel in a gentler way

i’m sure he’ll come then

oh he’s cruel to me said bathsheba

drying her eyes

but i’ll beg him

yes i’ll have to

she wrote a few words quickly on a piece

of paper

and at the last moment added at the

bottom

gabriel

do not desert me

she blushed a little as she wrote this

and gave the letter to laban who rode

off again to find gabriel

when gabriel arrived bathsheba knew from

his expression

which words in her note had made him

come

he went straight to work on the swollen

sheep and managed to save almost all of

them

when he had finished bathsheba came to

speak to him

gabriel

will you stay on with me

she asked smiling

i will

said gabriel

and she smiled at him again

a few days later the sheep shearing

began

the sheep were shown every year at the

beginning of june and their wool was

sold

the shearing was always done in the

great barn which had stood on the farm

for four centuries

today the sunshine poured in on the

shearers

bathsheba was watching them carefully to

make sure that the sheep were not

injured and that all the wool was cut

off

gabriel was the most experienced shearer

he loved being watched by bathsheba and

felt warm with pride when she

congratulated him on his speed

but he was not happy for long

farmer boldwood arrived at the door of

the barn and spoke to bathsheba

they stepped outside into the bright

sunlight to carry on their conversation

gabriel could not hear what they were

saying

but noticed that bathsheba was blushing

he continued cheering

feeling suddenly very sad

bathsheba went back to the house and

returned a short while later in her new

green riding dress

she and boldwood were obviously going

for a ride together

as gabriel’s concentration was broken

for a moment his shears cut the sheep’s

skin bathsheba at the door of the bar

noticed the animal jump and saw the

blood

oh gabriel

she said

be more careful

gabriel knew she was aware that she

herself had indirectly caused the poor

sheep’s wound

but he bravely hid his hurt feelings

and watched boldwood and bathsheba ride

away

feeling as sure as the other workers

that the couple would soon be married

chapter 9

bathsheba meets a handsome soldier

farmers always gave a special supper to

the sheepshearers when they had finished

their work

this year bathsheba had ordered her

maids to put a long table in the garden

with the top end of the table just

inside the house

the farm workers took their seats and

she sat at the top of the table

so that she was with them but a little

apart

there was an empty place at the bottom

of the table

at first she asked gabriel to sit there

but just then mr boldwood arrived

apologizing for his lateness

gabriel said bathsheba

will you move again please and let mr

boldwood sit there

gabriel moved away in silence to another

seat

they all ate and drank and celebrated

the end of the sheep-shearing by singing

their favorite songs

mr boldwood seemed unusually cheerful

and at the end of the meal he left his

seat and went to join bathsheba at her

end of the table just inside the sitting

room

it was growing dark

but gabriel and the other men could not

avoid noticing how boldwood looked at

her

it was clear that the middle-aged farmer

was deeply in love

after a while bathsheba said good night

to her farmworkers and closed the

sitting room door and windows

now she and boldwood were alone

kneeling in front of her he took her

hands

tell me

tell me what you’ve decided he begged

i’ll try to love you

she answered in a trembling voice

and if you think i’ll make a good wife

i’ll agree to marry you

but mr boldwood

any woman would hesitate before deciding

on something as important as marriage

could you wait a few weeks

until i’m sure

i’ll be away on business for five or six

weeks anyway

do you really think that by that time

you will

i feel almost sure

that when you come back at harvest time

i’ll be able to promise to marry you

but remember

i can’t promise yet

i don’t ask for anything more

i can wait

good night miss everdeen

and he left her

bathsheba now realized how thoughtlessly

she had behaved towards him

and understood how deeply he loved her

she was very sorry for her mistake

and was therefore punishing herself by

agreeing to marry him

that evening she went round the farm as

usual lighting her lamp whenever

necessary to check that all the animals

were safe

on her way back

she was walking along the narrow public

path which led to her house

it was very dark there among the trees

and she was a little surprised to hear

some footsteps coming towards her

it was unfortunate that she would meet

the traveler at the darkest point of the

path

as she was about to pass the dark sheep

something seemed to attach her skirt to

the ground and she had to stop

what’s happened have i hurt you friend a

man asked

no

said bathsheba trying to pull her skirt

away

ah you’re a lady

the spur on my boot has got tied up with

your dress

have you got a lamp i’ll light it for

you

the light from the lamp shone suddenly

on a handsome young man in a bright red

and gold army uniform

he looked admiringly at bathsheba

thank you for letting me see such a

beautiful face he said

i didn’t want to show it to you she said

coldly blushing

please undo your spur quickly

he bent down to pull rather lazily at

his boots

you’re making it even worse she accused

him angrily to keep me here longer

oh no surely not smile the soldier

don’t be angry

i was doing it so that i could have the

pleasure of apologizing to such a lovely

woman

bathsheba had no idea what to say

she wondered whether to escape by

pulling the material away but did not

want to tear her best dress

i’ve seen many women in my life

continued the young man staring into her

face

but i’ve never seen a woman as beautiful

as you

i don’t care if you’re offended that’s

the truth

who are you then if you don’t care who

you offend

people know me in weatherbury

my name’s sergeant troy

ah

you see your skirt’s free now

i wish you and i had been tied together

forever

she pulled her dress quickly away from

his spurs

and ran up the path and into her house

the next day she discovered from liddy

that sergeant troy’s supposed father was

a doctor

but people said his real father was a

nobleman

he had been brought up in weatherbury

and was well known as a young soldier

with a great interest in girls

bathsheba could not remain angry for

long with someone who admired her as

much as he obviously did

it was unfortunate that boldwood when

courting her

had forgotten to tell her even once

that she was beautiful

sergeant troy was certainly an unusual

man

he lived only in the present

caring nothing for the past or the

future

because he never expected anything he

was never disappointed

to men he usually told the truth

but to women never

he was intelligent and well educated and

proud of his success with women

a week or two after the sheep shearing

bathsheba was in the hayfields where her

workers were cutting the hay

she was surprised to see a bright red

figure appear from behind a cart

sergeant troy had come to help on the

farm

she blushed as the young soldier came to

speak to her

miss everdeen he said

i didn’t realize it was the queen of

caster bridge market i was speaking to

the other night

i apologize for expressing my feelings

so strongly to you then

of course i’m not a stranger here

i often helped your uncle on the farm

and now i’m helping you

i suppose i must thank you for that

replied the queen of casterbridge market

rather ungratefully

your cross because i was honest when i

spoke to you that night

but i couldn’t look at you and say you

aren’t beautiful

you are pretending sergeant troy said

both sheba laughing in spite of herself

at his clever way of talking

no miss everdeen

you must let me say how lovely you are

what’s wrong with that

it’s wrong because

it isn’t true

she said hesitating

but you know that everybody notices how

beautiful you are don’t you

well no

that is

i’ve heard liddy say they do but

she paused

she had never intended to become

involved in this kind of conversation

with the soldier

but somehow he had trapped her into

replying

thank you for helping the men with the

hay she continued

but please don’t speak to me again

oh miss bathsheba that’s too hard

i won’t be here long

i’m going back to the army in a month

but you don’t really care about a word

from me do you

i do miss everdeen

perhaps you think it’s foolish of me to

want just a good morning

but you have never loved a beautiful

woman like yourself as i do

but you only saw me the other night

i don’t believe you could fall in love

so fast

i won’t listen to you anymore

i wish i knew what time it was i’ve

spent too much time with you

haven’t you got a watch miss i’ll give

you one

and he handed her a heavy gold watch

that watch belonged to a nobleman my

father

and is all the inheritance i have

but

sergeant troy

i can’t take this it’s your father’s and

so valuable said bathsheba horrified

i loved my father true

but i love you more

the young man was not pretending now

as he looked at bathsheba’s beautiful

excited face

can it be true

that you love me

you’ve seen so little of me

please take it back

well then i’ll take it he said

because it’s all i have to prove that i

come of good family

but will you speak to me while i’m in

weatherbury

will you let me work in your fields

yes or no

i don’t know

oh

why did you come and disturb me like

this

perhaps in setting a trap

i’ve caught myself

such things sometimes happen

goodbye miss aberdeen

blushing and almost crying

bathsheba hurried home

whispering to herself

oh what have i done

what does it mean

i wish i knew how much of what he says

is true

chapter 10

bathsheba in love

once or twice during the next few days

bathsheba saw troy working in her hay

fields

he behaved in a pleasant friendly manner

towards her and she began to lose her

fear of him

cutting your hay is harder work than

sword practice he told her one day a

smile lighting up his handsome face

is it

i’ve never seen sword practice she

answered

ah

would you like to

asked troy

bathsheba hesitated

she had heard wonderful stories from

people who had watched soldiers

practicing

stories of shining metal flashing

through the air

i would like to see it very much

well i’ll show you

i can get a sword by this evening

will you

and he bent over her whispering in her

ear

oh no

said bathsheba blushing i couldn’t

surely you could nobody would know

well

if i came

liddy would have to come with me

i don’t see why you want to bring her

troy said coldly

well then

i won’t bring her

and i’ll come

but only for a very short time

so

at eight o’clock that evening bathsheba

found herself in spite of her doubts

climbing the hill near her house and

going down the other side

now she was in what seemed like a

natural theater

a deep round hollow in the ground

it was completely hidden from her house

and the path

this was the place where troy had asked

her to meet him

and troy

in his bright red uniform

was there

now he said producing his sword which

flashed in the evening sunlight

let me show you

one

two

three four

like this

a sword can kill a man in a second

bathsheba saw a kind of rainbow in the

air and gasped

how cruel and murderous she cried

yes

now i’ll pretend to fight you

you are my enemy

but the only difference from a real

fight is that i’ll miss you each time

stand in front of me

and don’t move

bathsheba was beginning to enjoy this

i’ll just test you first a detroit to

see whether you are brave enough

the sword flashed in the air

from her left to right side

it seemed to go through her body

but there it was again in troy’s hand

perfectly clean and free from blood

oh she cried frightened

have you killed me oh no you haven’t how

did you do it

i haven’t touched you

said troy quietly

now you aren’t afraid are you

i promise i won’t hurt you or even touch

you

i

don’t think i’m afraid

is the sword very sharp

oh no

just stand very still

now

in a second

bathsheba could no longer see the sky or

the ground

the shining weapon flashed above around

and in front of her catching light from

the low sun and whistling as it rushed

through the air

never had sergeant troy managed his

sword better than today

your hair is a little untidy he said

allow me

and before she could move or speak

a curl dropped to the ground

you are very brave for a woman

he congratulated her

it was because i didn’t expect it

now i’m afraid of you i am really

this time i won’t even touch your hair

i’m going to kill that insect on your

dress

stand still

not daring to tremble

she saw the point of his sword coming

towards her heart

and sure that this time she would die

closed her eyes but when she opened them

she saw the insect dead

on the point of the sword

it’s magic she cried

and how could you cut off one of my

curls with a sword that isn’t sharp

it’s sharper than any knife he said

i had to lie to you about that to give

you the confidence to stand still

bathsheba’s feelings were almost too

much for her to control

and she sat down suddenly in the grass

i could have died

she whispered

you were perfectly safe troy told her

my sword never makes a mistake

i must leave you now

i’ll keep this to remind me of you

he bent to pick up the curl of hair

which he put carefully in his pocket

next to his

heart was not strong enough to say or do

anything

he came closer

bent again

and a minute later his red coat

disappeared through the grass

bathsheba blushed guiltily and tears

rolled down her face

in that minute

troy had kissed her on the lips

determined independent women often show

their weakness when they fall in love

and bathsheba had very little experience

of the world or of men

it was as difficult for her to see

troy’s bad qualities which he kept

carefully hidden

as to admire gabriel oak’s good ones

which were not all obvious at first

sight

one evening a few days later gabriel

went to find his mistress

he knew that she was falling in love and

had decided to warn her of the mistake

she was making

he found her walking along a path

through the fields

i was worried about you walking alone

miss he said

it’s rather late

and there are some bad men in the area

he was hoping to introduce troy’s name

as one of the bad men

i never meet any said bathsheba lightly

gabriel tried again

farmer boldwood will be taking care of

you in future of course

what do you mean gabriel

well

when you and him married miss as

everybody expects

you’ve let him court you after

all everybody is wrong gabriel

i didn’t promise him anything

i respect him but i won’t marry him

i wish you had never met that young

sergeant troy miss he said sadly

he’s not good enough for you

how dare you say that

he’s of good family and well-educated

replied bathsheba angrily

he can’t be trusted miss

don’t trust him i beg you

he’s as good as anybody in the village

he goes to church regularly he told me

so himself

i’m afraid nobody has ever seen him in

church

i certainly haven’t

gabriel’s heart ached when he saw how

completely bathsheba trusted the soldier

that’s because he enters by the old

tower door and sits at the back where he

can’t be seen

she replied eagerly

you know mistress said gabriel in a deep

voice full of sadness

that i love you

and shall love you forever

i accept that i can’t marry you now that

i’m poor

but bathsheba

dear mistress

think of your position

be careful of your behavior towards this

soldier

mr boldwood is 16 years older than you

consider how well he would look after

you

leave my farm gabriel said bathsheba her

face white with anger

you can’t speak like that to me your

mistress

don’t be foolish

you’ve already sent me away once how

would you manage without me

no

although i’d like to have my own farm

i’ll stay with you

and you know why

well i suppose you can stay if you wish

will you leave me here now please

i ask not as your mistress

but as a woman

of course miss everdeen

said gabriel gently

he was a little surprised by her request

as it was getting dark and they were on

a lonely hill some way from her house

as she moved away from him

the reason became clear

the figure of a soldier appeared on the

hill and came to meet bathsheba

gabriel turned away and walked sadly

home

on his way he passed the church where he

looked closely at the old tower door

it was covered with climbing plants and

clearly had not been used for years

half an hour later bathsheba arrived

home

with troy’s words of love still in her

ears

he had kissed her a second time

wild and feverish with excitement

she sat down immediately to write to

boldwood to inform him that she could

not marry him

the letter would reach him on his

business trip

she was so eager to send the letter at

once that she called liddy to post it

liddy tell me she said urgently when her

maid entered the room

promise me that sergeant troy isn’t a

bad man promise me that he doesn’t chase

girls as people say

but miss

how can i say he doesn’t if he don’t be

so cruel liddy

say you don’t believe he’s bad

i

don’t know what to say miss said liddy

beginning to cry

i’ll make you angry whatever i say

oh how weak i am

how i wish i’d never seen him

you see how much i love him liddy

don’t tell anyone my secret liddy

i’ll keep your secret miss

said liddy gently

chapter 11

farmer boldwood becomes desperate

liddy was allowed a week’s holiday to

visit her sister who lived a few miles

away

to avoid seeing mr boldwood

bathsheba herself arranged to visit

lydia at her sister’s home for a day or

two

she left her cleaning woman marianne in

charge of the house

and set out on foot one evening

she had walked only about two miles when

she saw coming towards her the one man

who she did not wish to see

his changed appearance showed her that

he had received her letter

oh

is it you mr boldwood she said with a

guilty blush

you know how i feel about you

he said slowly

a love as strong as death

a letter cannot change that feeling

don’t speak of it

she whispered

then i have nothing to say

your letter was excellently clear

we are not going to marry

bathsheba said confusedly

good evening

and walked on a little further

but boldwood could not let her go

bathsheba

darling

is it really final

indeed it is

oh bathsheba have pity on me

i am mad with love for you

don’t refuse me now

you turned to me and encouraged me

before i ever thought of you

what you call encouragement was a

childish joke

i’m deeply sorry i sent the valentine

must you go on reminding me of it

i love you too much to blame you for it

bathsheba you are the first woman i have

ever loved

how nearly you promised to marry me

what has happened to your kindness

towards me

bathsheba looked him quietly and openly

in the face and said

mr boldwood

i promised you nothing

how can you be so heartless

if i had known how awfully bitter this

love would be i’d have avoided you and

been deaf to you

i tell you all this but what do you care

bathsheba’s control was breaking

she shook her head desperately as the

man’s angry words rained down on her

forgive me sir

i can’t love as you can

that’s not a good reason miss everdeen

you aren’t the cold woman you’re

pretending to be

you’re hiding the fact that you’ve a

burning heart like mine

your love is given to another man

he knows she thought

he knows about frank

why didn’t troy leave my darling alone

he continued fiercely tell me honestly

if you hadn’t met him would you have

accepted my proposal

she delayed her answer but she was too

honest to stay silent

yes

she whispered

in my absence he stole my most valuable

prize from me

now i’ve lost my respect and my good

name and everybody laughs at me

marry him go on marry him

i would have died for you

but you have given yourself to a

worthless man

perhaps he has even kissed you

tell me he hasn’t

she was frightened of boldwood’s anger

but she answered bravely

he has

i’m not ashamed to speak the truth

i would have given a fortune to touch

your hand cried boldwood wildly

but you have let a man like that kiss

you

one day he’ll be sorry

and realize the pain he’s caused me

be kind to him sir she cried miserably

because i love him so much

boldwood was no longer listening to her

i’ll punish him

sweet bathsheba forgive me

i’ve been blaming you

but it’s his fault

he stole your dear heart away with his

lies

when i find him i’ll fight him

keep him away from me bathsheba

the desperate man stood still for a

moment

then turned and left her

bathsheba walked up and down crying and

whispering to herself

then threw herself down by the road

exhausted

she knew that troy was away in bath at

the moment but would be returning to

weatherbury very soon

if he came to visit her and boldwood saw

him a fierce argument would be the

result and troy could be hurt

but perhaps gabriel and boldwood were

right

and she should not see him again

if she could only see troy now

he would help her to decide

she jumped to her feet and hurried back

along the road to weatherbury

that night marianne the only person

sleeping in bathsheba’s house

was woken by strange noises in the field

where the horses were kept

she looked out of her bedroom window

just in time to see a dark figure

leading bathsheba’s horse and cart out

of the field

she ran to jan coggins house for help

jan and gabriel immediately rode after

the thief

after riding for some time in the dark

they finally caught up with the cart at

a toll gate

keep the gate closed shouted gabriel to

the gatekeeper that man stolen the horse

and cart

well man asked the gatekeeper puzzled

gabriel looked closely at the driver of

the cart

and saw a woman

bathsheba

she turned her face away from the light

when she heard his voice

but jan coghan had also recognized her

she was quick to hide her surprise but

not her annoyance

well gabriel she asked coldly

where are you going

we thought someone had stolen the horse

and cart

oh how foolish of you

some important business made me change

my plans

i’m on my way to bath

i may visit lydia at her sisters later

i arrived home during the night so i

didn’t wake marianne up i just took the

horse and cart myself

thank you for taking all this trouble

but it wasn’t necessary

the gatekeeper opened the gate and she

passed through

cogan and gabriel turned their horses

and rode slowly home

gabriel said

i think we’ll keep this strange trip of

hers to bath a secret jan

and jan agreed

so at first the people of weatherbury

had no idea where she had gone

she stayed away for two weeks and there

were reports that she had been seen in

bath with sergeant troy

gabriel knew in his heart that this must

be true

he worked as hard as ever on her farm

but all the time

there was a deep ache inside him

chapter 12

bathsheba makes her choice

on the same day that bathsheba arrived

home

mr boldwood went to apologize to her for

speaking so violently the last time he

had seen her

he knew nothing of her trip to bath and

suppose she had only been to visit liddy

but at her door he was told he could not

see her

and he realized she had not forgiven him

on his way home through weatherbury he

saw the coach from bath it stopped at

the usual place and a soldier in a red

and gold uniform jumped down

sergeant troy picked up his bag and was

about to take the road to bathsheba’s

house when boldwood stepped forward

sergeant troy

i am william boldwood

indeed said troy showing little interest

i want to speak to you

about two women

troy saw the heavy stick boldwood was

holding

and realized how determined he was

he decided it was worth being polite

i’ll listen with pleasure but do speak

quietly

well then

i’ve heard about your relationship with

fanny robin

and i think you ought to marry her

i suppose i ought

indeed i want to but i cannot

why can’t you

troy was going to reply immediately but

he stopped himself

i am too poor

he said looking quickly at boldwood to

see if the farmer believed him

boldwood did not notice the look

i don’t want to talk about right or

wrong

i just want to discuss business with you

i was engaged to miss everdeen when you

came

not engaged said troy

more or less engaged insisted boldwood

if you hadn’t come she would certainly

have accepted my proposal by now

well

her position in society is so much

higher than yours that you can’t hope to

marry her

so all i ask is that you don’t bother

her anymore

and marry fanny

why should i ask troy carelessly

i’ll pay you

if you leave weatherbury today

i’ll give you 50 pounds

fanny will have 50 pounds for wedding

clothes and i’ll give her 500 pounds the

day she marries you

boldwood’s manner showed that he was a

little ashamed of offering money

but he was prepared to do almost

anything to prevent troy marrying

bathsheba

troy appeared to consider the offer

it’s true i like fanny best although

she’s only a maid

50 pounds now you said

here’s the money

said boldwood handing the soldier a

purse of gold coins

stop

listen

said troy in a whisper

light footsteps could be heard on the

road coming from bathsheba’s house

it’s bathsheba she’s expecting me

i must go and speak to her and say

goodbye to her as you and i have

arranged

why do you need to speak to her

she’ll look for me if i don’t

don’t worry you’ll hear every word i say

to her

it may help you in your courting when

i’ve gone

stand over there behind the tree and

listen

troy stepped forward and whistled a

double note

frank darling is that you

it was bathsheba’s voice

oh god

said boldwood unheard behind the tree

yes it’s me replied troy

you’re so late frank she continued

the coach arrived a long time ago

frank

it’s so lucky there’s nobody in my house

except me tonight

so nobody will know about your visit

excellent said troy

but i’ll just have to collect my bag so

you run home and i promise to be there

in ten minutes

yes frank she ran back to her house

troy turned to boldwood who had stepped

out from behind the tree his face white

and his whole body trembling

shall i tell her i cannot marry her

laugh the soldier

no

no wait

i have more to say to you whispered

boldwood the muscles in his face

strangely out of control

now

said troy

you see my problem

i can’t marry them both

but i have two reasons for choosing

fanny

first i like her best

i think

and second

you’re paying me for it

at that moment boldwood lost control

he attacked troy fiercely holding his

neck with both hands

wait gasped troy who had not expected

this

let me breathe

if you kill me you injure the woman you

love

what do you mean cried the farmer i

should kill you like a dog

but he let go of troy’s neck and

listened

you heard how bathsheba loves me and

expects me to visit her tonight

soon the whole village will know this

the only way to save her good name and

her position in weatherbury

is for me to marry her

true

true agreed boldwood after a pause

try

marry her poor weak woman

she must love you madly to give herself

so completely to you

but what about fanny

asked the soldier cleverly

don’t desert her troy i beg you

i don’t mean fanny

i’m speaking of bathsheba

how can i persuade you

i know

i’ll pay you 500 pounds on the day you

marry bathsheba

troy was secretly shocked at boldwood’s

wild offer

and i’ll receive something now as well

he asked

yes

all the money i have with me

he counted the coins in his pocket

21 pounds

it’s all for you

give me the money

and we’ll go to her house

i’ll ask her to marry me

of course i won’t say anything about the

money

they went along the road to the

farmhouse

and boldwood waited outside while troy

entered

he returned in a moment with a piece cut

out of a bath newspaper

here

read this

he said smiling

and boldwood read

marriages

on the 17th in bath

frank troy

sergeant to bathsheba everdeen of

weatherbury

the paper fell from boldwood’s hands as

the soldier began to laugh

fifty pounds to marry fanny

21 pounds not to marry fanny but

bathsheba

and now you see i’m already bathsheba’s

husband

you’re a fool boldwood

although i may be a bad man i’d never

bribe anyone to marry as you’ve tried to

and fanny

she left me long ago and i don’t know

where she is i’ve searched everywhere

for her

now take your money back i don’t want it

and troy threw the gold coins into the

road

you black-hearted dog

i’ll punish you one day

remember that

cried the broken man

troy laughed loudly as he closed

bathsheba’s front door

through the whole of the long night that

followed

boldwood’s dark figure could be seen

walking over the hills of weatherbury

like a ghost

just before the clock struck five the

next morning

gabriel and coggin were walking to the

hayfields past their mistress’s house

when they saw a surprising sight

bathsheba’s bedroom window was open

and looking out of it was a handsome man

with his red jacket undone

it was sgt troy

she has married him whispered coggin

gabriel said nothing

but he felt so ill that he had to rest

on the gate for a moment

he thought with pity of her future

as he knew her marriage to troy could

not be happy for long

good morning friends shouted troy

cheerfully to the men

we must be polite to him whispered

coggin if he’s married the mistress

good morning sergeant troy

said gabriel miserably

now that i’ve left the army i’ll soon be

down in the fields with you again said

troy lightly my new position won’t

change that

and i’ll be friendly with you all just

as before

drink to my health men

and he threw a coin towards gabriel who

refused to pick it up

coggin however put it in his pocket

as they went on their way they noticed

mr boldwood riding past them

gabriel forgot his own sadness when he

saw the bitterness and deep despair

on the farmer’s face chapter 13

the storm

there was always a harvest supper for

the farm workers after all the hay and

wheat had been cut

on behalf of his wife sergeant troy

decided to have it one evening at the

end of august in the great barn

the weather was unpleasantly warm that

night

on his way to the harvest supper gabriel

stopped to check the eight huge hay and

wheat ricks

if as he suspected there was a storm

the ricks which were all uncovered would

be badly damaged

he went on to the barn where the farm

workers had already finished eating and

started dancing

gabriel had to wait until sergeant troy

had finished his dance with bathsheba

before he could warn him about possible

damage to the ricks

troy however was enjoying himself too

much to listen to gabriel’s message

friends he was saying

i’ve ordered brandy to be served to you

all so that we can celebrate my wedding

properly

no frank

don’t give them brandy

begged bathsheba it will only do them

harm

don’t be silly said troy

friends

let’s send the women home

then we men can drink and sing as much

as we like

angrily bathsheba left the barn followed

by the other women

gabriel left soon afterwards

later when he went to check that

bathsheba’s sheep were safe

he noticed that they looked very

frightened

they were crowded together in a corner

their tails pointing the same way

to the shepherd this meant they were

expecting a storm

he went to look at the ricks again

should the whole harvest of the farm

worth at least 750 pounds be lost

because of a woman’s weakness

never if i can prevent it thought

gabriel

he returned to the barn to ask the other

farmworkers to help him cover the ricks

but the only noise he could hear coming

from the barn was the men’s loud and

regular breathing

and when he entered

he found them all asleep

including troy

the brandy which they had been too

polite to refuse had made them drunk in

a very short time as they were not used

to drinking anything stronger than beer

it was useless trying to wake them

gabriel left the barn and returned to

the ricks

two of which he managed to cover with

the heavy material kept on the farm for

this purpose

the only way to cover the other six

ricks was by thatching them with straw

and this was a long and difficult job to

do alone

the moon disappeared

and there was a slow light wind

like the breath of a dying man

as gabriel climbed the ladder and

started thatching high up on top of the

third rick

lightning flashed in the sky

and there was a loud crash of thunder

in the sudden brightness gabriel could

see every tree around him

until the light disappeared just as

suddenly leaving him in the blackest

darkness

he knew his position was dangerous but

considered his life was not valuable

enough to worry about

another flash of lightning allowed him

to see the figure of a woman running

towards the rick

was it bathsheba

is that you ma’am he called to the

darkness

who’s there said bathsheba’s voice

is gabriel i’m on the rick thatching

oh gabriel

i’m so worried about the ricks can we

save them the thunder woke me i can’t

find my husband is he there

no he isn’t he’s

asleep in the barn

he promised me the ricks would be

covered and he hasn’t done it

can i help you let me help

you can bring the straw up to me in

armfuls if you aren’t afraid to climb

the ladder in the dark said gabriel i’ll

do anything to help she said

she started to go up and down the ladder

carrying the straw

in the brightness of the lightning

gabriel saw their two shadows wildly

enlarged on the hill in front of him

then came the loudest crash so far

how terrible cried bathsheba and held

onto his arm

the lightning flashed in a wild dance of

death and thunder came from every part

of the huge sky

bathsheba and gabriel could only stare

and tremble at the strange and dangerous

beauty of the storm

as they watched a tall tree in front of

them seemed to be burning with a white

flame

there was a final violent crash of

thunder

and in the bright light they saw that

the tree had been torn in half by the

lightning

that was close to us said gabriel

we’d better go down

they climbed down and stood together in

the darkness

bathsheba seeming to think only of the

storm

gabriel thinking only of her

at last he said

the storm appears to have passed

but the rain will be coming soon

i’ll go up and finish thatching the

ricks

gabriel

you are kind to me

why aren’t the others here

don’t tell me i know

they’re all drunk in the barn aren’t

they

it was my husband’s fault

gabriel

i want to tell you something

the soft flashes of the dying lightning

showed her face very white against the

black sky

i care about your good opinion of me

so i want to explain why i went to bath

that night

it wasn’t to marry troy

it was to break off my relationship with

him

perhaps you wonder why i married him

then

well i suppose i must tell you

it was because he told me he had seen a

woman more beautiful than me

and said that if i wanted him as a

husband i must marry him at once

i was wild with love and jealousy so i

married him

gabriel did not reply

i’ll bring some more straw up to you

shall i

she offered

she made several more journeys before he

noticed her tiredness

i think you’d better go indoors now he

said as gently as a mother

i’ll finish the work alone

if i’m useless i’ll go said bathsheba

but oh if you fell

you aren’t useless but you’re tired

you’ve done well

and you’ve done better she said

gratefully

thank you a thousand times gabriel

good night

she disappeared in the darkness

he went on thatching in a kind of dream

she had spoken more warmly to him

tonight than she had ever done when she

was unmarried and free to speak as

warmly as she liked

the wind changed and became stronger

at the same time heavy rain started

falling

as gabriel worked on the top of the

ricks he suddenly remembered that eight

months before

he had been fighting against fire in the

same place as desperately as he was

fighting against water now

and for love of the same woman

who did not love him

it was not until seven o’clock in the

morning that gabriel climbed down from

the last rick exhausted and wet to the

skin

he noticed figures coming out of the

barn walking slowly and painfully to

their homes

they all looked ashamed except troy who

was whistling cheerfully as he entered

the farmhouse

none of them thought of looking at the

ricks

on his way back to coggins house gabriel

met boldwood

how are you sir ask gabriel

yes it’s a wet day

oh i’m very well thank you

you look a little different sir

no you’re wrong oak i’m just the same

nothing hurts me

but you look tired

i’ve been working all night to get our

rakes covered

never worked so hard in my life

yours are safe of course sir

oh yes

boldwood added after a silence

what did you ask

your ricks are all covered

no

none of them i forgot to tell the men to

thatch them

i expect most of my wheat will be

destroyed in this rain

forgot

repeated gabriel to himself

it was difficult to believe that the

most careful farmer in the area would

lose all his harvest because of a

moment’s forgetfulness

this would never have happened before

boldwood fell in love with bathsheba

clearly wanted to talk although it was

still raining heavily

oak

you knew i wanted to get married

i thought my mistress was going to marry

you said gabriel sympathetically

however

nothing that we expect ever happens

he spoke with the calmness of a man used

to disaster

perhaps the villagers laughed at me said

boldwood with the pretended likeness

oh no

i don’t think so

but the truth is

that we were never engaged

so she never broke off the engagement

you see

but boldwood could not remain calm

oh gabriel he said wildly i’m weak and

foolish

and i feel it’s better to die than to

live

after a silence

he continued more normally

i’ve accepted the fact of her refusal

now

i’m sorry of course

but no woman has ever controlled my life

well

good morning

chapter 14

bathsheba discovers the truth

summer turned into autumn

and one saturday evening in october

bathsheba and her husband were riding

home from casterbridge market

yes if it hadn’t rained so hard i’d have

won 200 pounds easily my love troy was

saying

the horse i put my money on fell over in

the mud you see

such bad luck

but frank said bathsheba miserably

do you realize you’ve lost more than a

hundred pounds in a month with this

awful horse racing

it’s foolish of you to spend my money

like that

you promise not to go to the next race

on monday won’t you

it doesn’t matter whether i go or not

i’ve already put money on an excellent

horse in the monday race

don’t cry bathsheba if i’d known you

were so cautious i’d never have he did

not finish what he was saying

just then they noticed a woman walking

towards them

although it was almost dark they could

see that she was poorly dressed

please sir

do you know what time the caster bridge

workhouse closes

she asked in a voice of extreme sadness

troy jumped in surprise but kept his

face turned away from her before

replying

i don’t know

when the woman heard him speak and

looked up to his face

her expression showed both pain and

happiness

she gave a cry

and fell to the ground unconscious

oh poor thing cried bathsheba i’ll help

her no

stay on your horse and take mine

ordered troy jumping down

take the horses to the top of the hill

bathsheba obeyed and moved away

troy lifted up the woman

i thought you were far away

or dead he told her in a strangely

gentle voice

why didn’t you write to me fanny

i was afraid too

have you any money

no

here’s all i have it’s not much

i can’t ask my wife for any more at the

moment

the woman said nothing

listen

continue troy

i’ll have to leave you now

you’re going to the caster bridge

workhouse

well stay there for tonight and tomorrow

anyway

but i’ll find somewhere better for you

i’ll meet you on monday morning at 10

o’clock on the bridge just outside town

i’ll bring you all the money i can

goodbye

at the top of the hill bathsheba turned

and saw the woman walking slowly on

towards caster bridge

troy soon caught up with his wife

he looked very upset

who is that woman bathsheba looked

closely into his face

she’s not important to either of us he

replied coldly

i think you know her

bathsheba went on

i don’t care what you think

he answered

and they continued their ride in silence

the two miles to casterbridge seemed a

very long way to the woman who was tired

and ill

sometimes she walked sometimes she

rested a little beside the road

all through the night her eyes were

fixed on the lights of casterbridge the

end of her journey

at six o’clock the next morning

she finally fell in front of the door of

the workhouse

and the people there took her in

bathsheba and her husband did not speak

much that evening or the following day

but on sunday evening troy said suddenly

bathsheba

could you let me have 20 pounds i need

it

oh she said sadly

for the race is tomorrow

oh frank only a few weeks ago you said i

was far sweeter than all your other

pleasures

now won’t you stop risking money on

horses

which is more a worry than a pleasure

say yes to your wife frank say yes

her beautiful face would have persuaded

most men including troy if he had not

been married to her

but he no longer loved her enough to

agree to anything she wanted

well the money isn’t for racing anyway

he said

don’t keep me short of money bathsheba

well you’ll be sorry

i’m sorry already she replied

sorry that our love has come to an end

love always ends after marriage

i think you hate me

no

not you

i only hate your faults

then why not help me to improve

come let’s be friends just give me the

20 pounds

well here’s the money take it

thank you

i expect i’ll be away before breakfast

tomorrow

must you go frank stay with me

there was a time when you used to call

me darling

now you don’t care how i spend my time

i must go said troy taking out his watch

he opened the back of the watch case and

bathsheba who happened to be looking

saw that there was a curl of hair hidden

inside

oh frank she gasped

a woman’s hair

whose is it

troy closed the watch immediately and

replied carelessly

why yours of course i’d quite forgotten

i had it

you’re lying frank

it’s yellow hair mine is darker

well all right if i must tell you it’s

the hair of a young woman i was going to

marry before i met you

tell me her name

is she married

i can’t tell you her name but she’s

single

is she alive

is she pretty

yes to both questions

how can she be pretty poor thing with

hair that color

her hair has been admired by everybody

who’s seen her

it’s beautiful hair

don’t be jealous bathsheba

you shouldn’t have married me if you

didn’t trust me

this is all i get for loving you so much

cried bathsheba bitterly

i would have died for you when i married

you

and now you laugh at my foolishness in

marrying you

but you’ll burn that hair won’t you

frank

to please me

troy only answered

i have a duty to someone in my past

mistakes were made which i must put

right

that’s more important than my

relationship with you if you’re sorry

you married me well so am i

frank

i’m only sorry if you love another woman

more than me said bathsheba in a

trembling voice

you like the woman with that pretty hair

yes

it is pretty

was she the woman we met on the road

last night

well yes

now you know the truth i hope you’re

happy you haven’t told me everything

tell me the whole truth she said looking

bravely into his face

i never thought i’d beg a man to do

anything but my pride is all gone

don’t be so desperate said troy crossley

he left the room

bathsheba was in deep despair

she knew that she had lost her

independence as a woman which she had

been so proud of

she hated herself for falling in love so

easily with her handsome husband

who she now realized could not be

trusted

the next morning troy left the house

early

bathsheba was walking in her garden when

she noticed gabriel oak and mr boldwood

deep in conversation in the road

they called to joseph poor grass who was

picking apples and soon he came along

the path to bathsheba’s house

well

what’s the message joseph she asked

curious

i’m afraid fanny robins dead man

dead in the caster bridge workhouse

no

why

what did she die from

i don’t know ma’am

but she was never very strong mr

boldwood is sending a cart to bring her

back to be buried here

oh

i won’t let mr boldwood do that

fanny was my uncle’s maid and mine too

oh very sad to die in a workhouse

tell mr boldwood

that you will drive my new cart over to

casterbridge this afternoon to fetch her

body

and joseph

put flowers on the cart for poor fanny

how long was she in the workhouse

only a day mum

she arrived ill and exhausted on sunday

morning

she came on foot through weatherbury

the color left bathsheba’s face at once

along the road from weatherbury to

casterbridge she asked eagerly

when did she pass weatherbury

last saturday night it was

ma’am thank you joseph

you may go

later that afternoon bathsheba asked

liddy

what was the color of poor fanny robin’s

hair

i only saw her for a day or two

she used to keep it covered

but it was lovely golden hair ma’am

her young man was a soldier wasn’t he

yes

and mr troy knows him well

what

mr troy told you that

yes

one day i asked him if he knew fanny’s

young man

and he said

he knew him as well as he knew himself

that’s enough liddy said bathsheba her

anxiety making her unusually cross

chapter 15 fanny’s revenge

that afternoon joseph poor grass was

bringing fanny’s coffin back from

casterbridge

feeling a little frightened of the dead

body behind him in the cart

and depressed by the autumn fog

he stopped for some beer at a pub where

he met jan coggin and laban tall

there gabriel oak found the three men

completely drunk two hours later

as joseph was clearly incapable of

driving the cart

gabriel drove it to weatherbury himself

on the way into the village the vicar

stopped him

i’m afraid it’s too late now for the

burial he said

but i can arrange for the body to be

buried tomorrow

i could take the coffin to the church

for the night sir offered gabriel hoping

to prevent bathsheba from seeing it

but just then bathsheba herself appeared

no gabriel

she said

poor fanny must rest in her old home for

her last night

bring the coffin into the house

the coffin was carried into a small

sitting room and gabriel was left alone

with it in spite of all his care the

worst had happened

and bathsheba was about to make a

terrible discovery

but suddenly he had an idea

he looked at the words written simply on

the coffin lid

fanny robin and child

with a cloth

gabriel carefully removed the last two

words

quietly he left the room

bathsheba was in a strange mood she felt

lonely and miserable

but she had not stopped loving her

husband

in spite of her anxiety about his past

she was waiting for him to come home

when liddy knocked and entered

mom

marianne has just heard something

she hesitated a little

not about you or us ma’am

about fanny

there’s a story in weatherbury that

liddy whispered in her mistress’s ear

bathsheba trembled from head to foot

i don’t believe it she cried

there’s only one name on the coffin lit

but i suppose it could be true

she said no more

and liddy went quietly out of the room

bathsheba felt almost sure she knew the

truth about fanny and troy

but she wanted to be certain

she entered the sitting room where the

coffin lay

holding her hot hands to her forehead

she cried

tell me your secret fanny

i hope it isn’t true there are two of

you

if i could only look at you

i’d know

after a pause

she added slowly

and

i

will

a few moments later she stood beside the

uncovered coffin

staring in she said

it was best to know the worst

and i know it now

her tears fell fast beside the dead pear

in the coffin

tears for fanny

and for herself

although bathsheba not fanny had married

troy

in death fanny was the winner

she was taking her revenge now on

bathsheba for the difficulties she had

experienced in her life

bathsheba forgot the passing of time as

she looked at fanny’s cold white face

and yellow hair

and did not realize troy had arrived

home

he threw open the door and came in

he did not guess who is in the coffin

what’s the matter

who’s dead he asked

bathsheba tried to push past him

let me out she cried

no stay i insist

he held her arm

and together they looked into the coffin

troy stood completely still when he saw

the mother and baby

little by little

his shoulders bent forward

and his face showed deep sadness

bathsheba was watching his expression

closely

and she had never been more miserable

slowly troy knelt to give fanny robin a

gentle kiss

bathsheba threw her arms around his neck

crying wildly from the depths of her

heart

don’t

don’t kiss them

oh frank no

i love you better than she did

kiss me too frank

you will kiss me too frank

troy looked puzzled for a moment

not expecting this childlike cry from

his proud wife

but then he pushed her away

i will not kiss you he said

can you give me a reason

ask bathsheba fighting to control

herself

perhaps it was unfortunate that she

asked

i’ve been a bad black-hearted man

but this woman

dead as she is

is more to me than you ever were or are

or can be

i would have married her

if i’d never seen your beautiful face

and i wish i had married her

he turned to fanny

but never mind darling

he said

in the sight of god you are my wife

at these words a long low cry of despair

and anger came from bathsheba’s lips

if she’s

that

what

am i

you are

nothing to me

nothing

said troy heartlessly

a ceremony in front of a vicar doesn’t

make a marriage

i don’t consider myself your husband

bathsheba wanted only to get away from

him and his words

she ran straight out of the house

she stayed out all night wrapped in a

cloak waiting for the coffin to be taken

for burial

as soon as the men had taken it away the

next morning she re-entered the house

very cautiously to avoid troy

but her husband had gone out very early

and did not return

chapter 16

sergeant troy leaves

when bathsheba ran out of the house the

previous night

troy first replaced the coffin lid

then went upstairs to lie on his bed and

wait miserably for the morning

the day before on monday he had waited

for fanny as arranged on the bridge just

outside cast bridge for over an hour

he had bathsheba’s twenty pounds and

seven pounds of his own to give fanny

when she did not come he became angry

remembering the last time she had failed

to arrive on her wedding day

in fact she was at that moment being put

in her coffin at the workhouse but he

did not know that

he rode straight to the races at

budmouth and stayed there all afternoon

but he was still thinking of fanny

and he did not risk any money on the

horses

only on his way home did he suddenly

realize that illness could have

prevented her from meeting him

and only when he entered the farmhouse

that evening did he discover that she

was dead

on tuesday morning troy got up

and without even thinking about

bathsheba went straight to the

churchyard to find the position of

fanny’s grave

he continued on foot to cast a bridge to

order the best gravestone available for

27 pounds which was all the money he had

having arranged for it to be put on the

grave that afternoon

he returned to weatherbury in the

evening with a basket of flowering

plants

the new gravestone was already in place

and he worked solidly for several hours

in the churchyard putting the plants

carefully into the soft earth of her

grave

when it started raining however he

decided to spend the rest of the night

in the shelter of the church and finish

his planting in the morning

the rain that night was unusually heavy

and water began to pour from a broken

pipe on the church roof straight on to

fanny’s grave

as the earth there had only recently

been dug

the grave became a kind of muddy pool

soon the plants were floating on top of

the grave

and then were washed away in the stream

of water flowing through the churchyard

when troy woke up stiff and still tired

he went out of the church to finish work

on the grave

the rain had stopped and the sun was

shining through the red and gold autumn

leaves

the air was warm and clear

as troy walked along the path

he noticed it was very muddy and covered

with plants

surely these could not be the ones he

had planted

he turned the corner

and saw the damage the heavy rain had

done

the new gravestone was stained with mud

and there was a shallow hole in the

grave where the water had poured in

nearly all the plants had been washed

out of the grave

this strange accident had a worse effect

on troy than any of his troubles

worse even than fanny’s death

he had tried to show his love for her

knowing that he had failed to do so when

she was alive

planting the flowers was also a way of

softening his feelings of sadness and

guilt at her death

and now his work had been destroyed

he was too depressed to start work on

the grave again

he left it as it was

and went silently out of the churchyard

a minute later he had left the village

meanwhile bathsheba had spent a day and

a night as a willing prisoner in a small

bedroom in her house

except when liddy brought her food or

messages she kept the bedroom door

locked so that her husband could not

come in

[Music]

liddy knew there was trouble between

husband and wife but did not know the

reason

on wednesday morning she brought

breakfast up to bathsheba

what heavy rain we had in the night

ma’am she said

yes

and there was a strange noise from the

churchyard

gabriel thinks it was water from a

broken pipe on the church roof

and he’s gone there to see

are you going to the churchyard ma’am to

look at fanny’s grave

did mr troy come in last night bathsheba

asked anxiously

no ma’am he didn’t

and lavantol says he saw mr troy walking

out of the village towards budmoth

replied liddy

budmoth

thirteen miles away

at once bathsheba’s heart felt lighter

yes liddy

i need some fresh air

i’ll go to see fanny’s grave she said

and after breakfast she walked almost

cheerfully to the churchyard

she saw the hole in the grave and the

expensive new gravestone

but did not think it could be fanny’s

she looked round for a plain grave

then she noticed gabriel reading the

words on the gravestone and her eyes

followed his

this stone was put up by francis troy

in loving memory of fanny robin who died

on october 9 1866

aged 20.

gabriel looked anxiously at her to see

if she was upset

but she remained calm

she asked him to fill in the hole and to

have the broken water pipe repaired

finally

to show she did not hate the woman who

had caused her such bitterness she

replanted the flowers herself

and cleaned the muddy gravestone so that

the words could be read clearly

then she went home

troy meanwhile was walking towards the

south

he could not decide what to do next

all he knew was that he had to get away

from weatherbury

at the top of a hill he saw the sea

stretching for miles in front of him

now he felt more cheerful and decided to

swim

so he climbed down the cliffs undressed

on the beach and jumped into the sea

the water was so smooth that he swam

confidently out to where it was very

deep

here he was surprised and a little

frightened to find that he was being

carried further out to sea

he suddenly remembered that the budmouth

coast was famous for the number of

swimmers drowned there every year and he

began to be afraid that he would soon be

one of them

however strongly he swam

the sea pulled him further away from the

coast

and he was already beginning to feel

tired and breathless

just then he saw a small boat moving out

to sea towards a ship

with his right arm he swam and with his

left he waved wildly shouting as loudly

as he could

the sailors saw him at once and rode

over to rescue him

chapter 17

farmer boldwood begins to hope

when troy did not return

bathsheba felt neither happiness nor

sadness

she had no hope for the future

she was sure that one day he would

return and spend the rest of her money

then they would have to sell the farm

she could do nothing to prevent it

one saturday at casterbridge market a

stranger came up to her

i must tell you ma’am he said

your husband is dead

no

it can’t be true gasp bathsheba

darkness came over her eyes and she fell

but not to the ground

boldwood who had been standing in a

corner watching her ran forward to catch

her

tell me more he said to the stranger as

he held the unconscious girl gently in

his arms

the police found her husband’s clothes

on the beach he must have been swimming

and drowned off the budmouth coast

there was a strange excitement in

boldwood’s face

but he said nothing

he carried her to a private room at the

hotel

where she could rest until she felt well

enough to ride home

when she arrived home still feeling weak

and confused

liddy had already heard the news

shall we get some black clothes made for

you ma’am

said the maid hesitating a little

no liddy it isn’t necessary

you see i think he may still be alive

i feel

i think i’m sure he’s alive

but the following monday troy’s death

was reported in the local newspaper

a witness had seen him in deep water

shouting and waving for help

and when his clothes and his watch found

on the beach were delivered to the

farmhouse

bathsheba began to doubt that he was

alive

she opened the back of his watch case

and took out the curl of golden hair

he was fannies

and she was his

she said to herself

they should be together

i mean nothing to either of them

why should i keep her hair

she held the curl over the fire

no

i won’t burn it

i’ll keep it in memory of her

poor thing

through the autumn and winter

bathsheba’s life was more peaceful

she no longer took such an interest in

the farm

and very sensibly appointed gabriel oak

her farm manager

he had already been doing the job

unofficially and now would be paid for

it

at last his good qualities were being

recognized

gabriel’s luck had certainly changed

boldwood could not concentrate on

farming these days either

his wheat and hay had all been so

damaged by the rain that it was

worthless

weatherbury people were shocked by the

changes they had noticed recently in

farmer boldwood

soon he himself realized that something

must be done

and arranged for gabriel to manage his

farm too

so gabriel was responsible for both the

important farms in the area

while their owners sat alone in their

lonely farmhouses

after a time boldwood started to hope

that one day if bathsheba remarried at

all she would marry him

he tried to maintain a friendly

business-like relationship with her

keeping his love for her out of sight

until the right moment came to propose

again

he had no idea how long he would have to

wait to marry her

but he was prepared to wait for the rest

of his life

the right moment did not come until the

following summer when most of the

weatherbury people attended the great

sheep fair at green hill

gabriel was there with bathsheba’s and

boldwood sheep and so were both his

employers

this year a traveling circus put up its

tent and offered the public a horse

riding show

most of bathsheba’s farm workers were

already in the tent when bathsheba

herself arrived to see the show

at the back of the tent behind a curtain

with the circus riders

and one of them pulling on his boots

was sergeant troy

after being rescued troy had decided to

stay on the ship and work as a sailor

but he was not happy with this

travelling life and finally returned to

england

he hesitated to go back to bathsheba and

a comfortable life on the farm

perhaps bathsheba would fail at farming

and then he would be responsible for her

and anyway perhaps she would not welcome

him back

for the moment he was working as actor

and horse rider with the circus

so it was with no plans for the future

that troy found himself at green hill

fair dangerously close to weatherbury

when he looked through a hole in the

curtain to see the audience

he was horrified to see his wife

she looked more beautiful than he

remembered

perhaps she would laugh at him a

nobleman’s son working in a circus

as he rode into the tent he was careful

to keep his face away from her and

remain wrapped in his cloak she did not

seem to recognize him

when the show was over troy went out

into the darkness

in the large tent where meals and drinks

were being served he saw bathsheba

talking to a man

was she forgetting her husband so soon

thought troy angrily

he decided to listen to their

conversation and knelt down outside the

tent making a little hole with his knife

in the heavy cotton so that he could see

the two people inside

she was drinking a cup of tea which

boldwood had just brought her

troy watched her every movement

she was as handsome as ever

and she belonged to him

after a few moments troy got up and

walked slowly from the tent

he was considering what to do next

meanwhile boldwood had offered to ride

back to weatherbury with bathsheba as it

was getting laid and she accepted

her pity for the man she had hurt so

deeply made her behave more kindly

towards him than was perhaps sensible

her kindness made poor boldwood dream of

their future marriage

and suddenly unable to stop himself he

said

mrs troy

will you marry again someday

you forget that my husband’s death has

never been proved

so i may not really be a widow she said

confused

i’ve a feeling he’s alive

and i’m not thinking of marrying anyone

else

do you know bathsheba that according to

the lawyers you can remarry seven years

after your husband’s supposed death

that is six years from now

could you

promise to marry me then

i don’t know

six years is too far away

i’m bitterly sorry i behaved so stupidly

towards you but

i can promise

i’ll never marry another man while you

want me to be your wife but

you could put right the mistake you made

by promising to be my wife in six years

time

there was wild hope in his eyes

oh what shall i do

i don’t love you

but if i can give you happiness by just

promising then i will

consider

and

promise soon

shall we say by christmas

your promise at christmas

well

i’ll say no more

as christmas came nearer bathsheba

became more anxious

and one day she confessed her difficulty

to gabriel

the saddest reason of all for agreeing

to his proposal she said

is that if i don’t i’m afraid he’ll go

mad

his feelings are so extreme

i don’t say that because i’m vain

but i believe i hold that man’s future

in my hands

oh gabriel it’s a terrible worry

then why don’t you promise ma’am

i don’t think people would think it

wrong

the only thing that makes it wrong in my

view is that you don’t love

him that is my punishment gabriel

for playing that foolish trick with the

valentine on him

gabriel had given her a reasonable

sensible answer as she knew he would

but she felt annoyed with his cool

advice

not once had he spoken of his love for

her

or said that he could wait for her too

she would have refused him of course

but at least it would have shown that he

still admired her chapter 18

mr boldwood’s christmas party

for months weatherbury people had been

discussing the party that mr boldwood

was going to give just before christmas

and now the day had finally arrived

bathsheba was getting ready for it

i’m upset liddy

it’s foolish of me i know she said

i wish i didn’t have to go to the party

i haven’t spoken to mr boldwood since

the autumn when i promised to see him at

christmas

so i’ll have to go

my black silk dress please

surely you don’t need to wear black

tonight ma’am

you’ve been a widow for 14 months now

that’s a long time

no

if i wear a bright dress people will say

i’m encouraging mr boldwood

how do i look liddy

i’ve hardly ever seen you look so lovely

ma’am

i risk offending him if i don’t go

oh i wish i could have continued as i’ve

been for the last year or so with no

hopes or fears

and no pleasures and no sadness

if mr boldwood asked you to run away

with him what would you say man

said liddy with a smile

now liddy no joking this is far too

serious i won’t marry anyone for a long

time

get my cloak it’s time to go

at the same time in his farmhouse

boldwood was also dressing

he was trying on a new coat which had

just been delivered tonight he wanted to

look his best

just then gabriel entered to report on

farm business

oh oak said boldwood

you’re invited to the party tonight of

course

i’ll try to come if i’m not too busy

said gabriel quietly

i’m glad to see you looking happier sir

yes i confess i’m cheerful tonight

but my happiness depends on a hope oak

my hands are shaking

could you help me with the buttons on

this coat

and as gabriel came forward to help he

went on feverishly

oak

does a woman keep her promise to become

engaged you know women better than i do

tell me

i don’t think i understand women well at

all

but if she wants to put right a mistake

she may keep a promise like that

i think she will

whispered boldwood

she says she can think of me as a

husband seven years after troy’s

disappearance

seven years said gabriel shaking his

head

a long time

but it isn’t seven years answered

boldwood impatiently it’s only five

years nine months and a few days now

build your hopes on her promise sir

remember

she disappointed you once

and she’s young

she never promised me that first time so

she’s never broken her promise to me yet

i trust her to keep her word

but let’s talk business for a moment oak

you work so hard as my farm manager that

i want you to have a larger share of the

profits

i know a little about your secret

you have warm feelings for her too

but you’ve let me succeed in courting

her

i want to show you how grateful i am for

that

oh that’s not necessary thank you said

gabriel hurriedly

i must get used to my disappointment as

other men have

he left rather worried by boldwood’s

strange manner

outside the front door of boldwood’s

house a group of men were talking

quietly

sergeant troy was seen in casterbridge

this afternoon said billy smallbury his

body was never found you know neighbours

should we tell the mistress asked

labantol

poor woman

what a mistake she made in marrying him

just then boldwood came out and walked

to the gate

he did not notice the men who were

standing in the darkness

i hope to god shall come he whispered

oh my darling my darling

why do you make me wait like this

they all heard his words clearly

the sound of wheels came from the road

and bathsheba arrived

boldwood took her into the house and the

door closed behind them

i didn’t realize he was still in love

with her said billy

poor mr boldwood the news will be hard

for him said jan coghan

we’ll have to tell the mistress her

husband’s still alive

we’ll go in and find the right moment to

speak to her

but the right moment never came

bathsheba had planned to stay at the

party for only an hour and she was in

fact preparing to leave when boldwood

found her alone in an upstairs room

mrs troy you can’t go

he said wildly we’ve only just begun

i’d like to go now

i think i’ll walk home

you know what i want to say to you

bathsheba looked silently at the floor

you do give it

he said eagerly

give what she asked

although she knew well what he meant

your promise

just a business arrangement between two

sensible people who no longer think of

love

to marry me in five to six years

you owe it to me

i have no feeling in that matter at all

she replied hesitating

but if i must

i promise

if i’m really a widow

you’ll marry me in five and

three-quarter years time

let me think

i’ll marry nobody else oh i don’t know

is frank really dead

perhaps i should ask a lawyer

say the words my dear one and i won’t

speak about it anymore

a long engagement then marriage

oh bathsheba promise yourself to me

he begged wildly forgetting his cool

business-like manner

i’ve loved you so much and for so long

very well

she said after a pause

i’ll marry you six years from now

if we’re both alive

and if my husband doesn’t return

then wear this ring for me

boldwood took from his pocket a diamond

engagement ring

and held it out to her

no

no i can’t

i don’t want anyone to know

just wear it tonight

to please me

bathsheba could say no more

and weakly let him put it on her finger

he left her

in a few minutes she was calmer

she put on her cloak and went downstairs

she paused at the foot of the stairs

boldwood was standing near the fire

and he had just noticed that a group of

villagers were whispering among

themselves

what’s the matter men he asked

cheerfully is anybody engaged or married

born or dead tell us the news tall

i wish somebody was dead

replied laban tall in a whisper

what was that tall ask boldwood speak

out if you have anything to say

at that moment there was a knock on the

front door

one of the men opened it

a stranger wants to see mrs troy he said

ask him to come in said boldwood

the message was given

and troy

wrapped up to his eyes in the cloak

stood in the doorway

those who knew he was in the area

recognized him immediately

boldwood did not

he said

come in stranger and have a christmas

drink with us.

troy entered

threw off his cloak and looked boldwood

in the face

but it was only when he laughed that

bold would recognize the man who had

destroyed his hope and happiness once

and was about to do it again

troy turned to bathsheba

she had dropped miserably onto the

lowest stair

her mouth was blue and dry

her eyes empty and staring

he said

bathsheba

i’ve come here for you

she did not reply

come home with me do you hear

he went towards her

a strange thin voice full of despair

came from the fireplace

bathsheba

go with your husband

said boldwood

she did not move

and when troy stretched out his hand to

pull her towards him

she fell back with a quick low scream

a second later there was a loud bang

and the hall was filled with smoke

at bathsheba’s cry boldwood’s despair

had turned to anger

from the wall above the fireplace he had

taken a gun and shot troy

who now lay very still

boldwood turned the gun on himself but

was stopped by one of his men

it doesn’t matter

boldwood gasped there’s another way to

die

he crossed the room to bathsheba

and kissed her hand

then he went out into the darkness

before anyone could prevent him chapter

19

bathsheba and gabriel

gabriel arrived at boldwood’s house

about five minutes after the shooting

the villagers were all shocked and

silent

but bathsheba was sitting on the floor

calmly holding troy’s head

gabriel

she said simply

i’m afraid it’s too late

but ride to caster bridge for a doctor

mr boldwood has shot my husband

gabriel obeyed at once

and while riding along was thinking so

hard about the shooting

that in the darkness he failed to notice

a man walking along the road to cast a

bridge

that man was boldwood

on his way to casterbridge to confess to

his crime

bathsheba ordered the body to be removed

to her house

and by herself she washed and dressed

her dead husband for burial

but when the doctor the vicar and

gabriel arrived and she no longer needed

to be strong

her self-control finally broke and she

became very ill

on the doctor’s advice she was put to

bed

and her illness continued for several

months

at his trial the following march

boldwood was found guilty of murder

for which the usual punishment was death

however weatherbury people began to

protest publicly that he should not be

held responsible for the crime

over the last few weeks the villagers

had noticed how his moods changed from

wild despair to feverish excitement

he had forgotten his farm

and even lost the previous year’s

harvest

and a pile of carefully wrapped parcels

of dresses and jewels was found at his

house

addressed to bathsheba boldwood and

dated six years ahead

these were accepted by the judges as

signs of his madness

and in the end boldwood was sent to

prison for life

gabriel knew that bathsheba blamed

herself for troy’s death

and would have blamed herself even more

for boldwoods

her health improved only very slowly

she hardly ever went out of the house or

garden

and did not discuss her feelings with

anyone even liddy

but by the summer she was beginning to

spend more time in the open air

and one august evening she walked to the

churchyard

she could hear the village children

inside the church practicing their

singing for sunday

she went straight to fanny’s grave and

read troy’s words on the large

gravestone

this stone was put up by francis troy

in loving memory of fanny robin who died

on october 9

1866

aged 20.

underneath

on the same stone were the words she had

added

in the same grave lies francis troy

who died on december the 24th 1867

aged 26.

as she listened to the sweet voices of

the children coming from the church

and thought of the pain she had

experienced in her short life

tears came to her eyes

she wished she were as innocent as those

children again

she was still crying when she suddenly

noticed gabriel oak who had come up the

path on his way to the church

and was watching her sympathetically

are you going in

she asked trying to dry her tears

i was he replied

i’m one of the church singers you know

and tonight’s my practice evening

but i don’t think i’ll go in now

there was a pause

while they both tried to think of

something to say

at last gabriel said slowly

i haven’t seen you

to speak to

for a long time

are you better now

yes i am

she replied

i came to look at the gravestone

eight months ago it happened

said gabriel

it seems like yesterday to me

and to me it seems like years

long years ago

there’s something i must tell you

said gabriel hesitating

the fact is

i won’t be your farm manager much longer

i’m thinking of leaving england

and farming in america

leaving england she cried in surprise

and disappointment

but everyone thought you would rent poor

mr boldwood’s farm and manage it

yourself

the lawyers have offered it to me it’s

true

but i’ll be leaving weatherbury next

spring

i have my reasons

and what shall i do without you

oh gabriel

we’re such old

friends you’ve helped me so much in the

past

and now that i’m more helpless than ever

you’re going away

it’s unfortunate said gabriel unhappily

it’s because of that helplessness

that i have to go

and he walked so quickly out of the

churchyard that she could not follow him

in the next few months bathsheba noticed

miserably that gabriel communicated with

her as little as possible

and then only by messenger

she could not avoid thinking that he the

last friend she had

had lost interest in supporting her and

was about to desert her

on the day after christmas she received

the letter from him which he had been

expecting

in it he explained that he would leave

the farm in three months time

bathsheba sat and cried bitterly over

this letter

she was deeply hurt that gabriel no

longer loved her

she was also worried about having to

manage the farm by herself again

she thought about it all morning

and was so depressed by the afternoon

that she put on her cloak and found her

way to where gabriel lived

she knocked at the door

who is it said gabriel opening the door

oh it’s you

mistress i won’t be your mistress much

longer will i gabriel she said sadly

well no

i suppose not

because these two people who knew each

other well were meeting in a strange

place

they felt like the strangers they were

when they first met

and neither spoke for a moment

gabriel

perhaps i shouldn’t have come but

i

i thought

i must have offended you and that’s why

you’re going away

offended me

you couldn’t do that bathsheba

couldn’t i

she said gladly

but then

why are you going

i am not going to america you know

i decided not to when you seemed against

the idea

no

i’ve arranged to rent mr boldwood’s farm

and i could have been your farm manager

as well if

well

if people hadn’t said things about us

what

said bathsheba surprised

what things

well

if you must know

that i’m just waiting and hoping for the

chance to marry you someday

marry me that’s too foolish

too soon

to think of

yes of course

it’s foolish

i certainly agree

too soon were the words i used

i’m sorry

but i think you said too foolish

i’m sorry too

she replied with tears in her eyes

too soon was what i said

but it doesn’t matter a bit not at all

but i only meant

too soon

indeed you must believe me

gabriel looked into her face for a long

time

bathsheba he said

coming closer

if i only knew one thing

whether you’d allow me to love you

and marry you after all

if i only knew

but you never will know

she whispered

why not

because you never ask

oh

said gabriel delightedly

my darling

you should never have sent me that cruel

letter this morning it shows you don’t

care a bit about me

now bathsheba he said laughing

you know very well that i had to be very

careful as a single man working for you

a good-looking young woman

i’ve been so worried about your good

name

that’s why i was going to leave

and that’s the only reason

oh i’m so glad i came

she cried thankfully as she got up to

leave

i’ve thought so much more about you

since i imagined you didn’t even want to

see me again

but gabriel

i shouldn’t have come to visit you

i seem to be courting you

how awful

well

i’ve courted you my beautiful bathsheba

for a very long time

so one visit from you isn’t much to ask

as he walked back to the farmhouse with

her they talked of his plans for

boldwood’s farm

they spoke very little of their feelings

for each other

they were such old friends that

expressions of love were probably

unnecessary

their shared interests and their long

friendly relationship

had given them a complete understanding

of each other’s character

and this finally developed after their

wedding

into a love that nothing could destroy

you