Twelve: Far From The Madding Crowd: Thomas Hardy: Bathsheba Enters The Corn Exchange

The corn market of Casterbridge. The extensive hall of Corn Exchange was supported by Tuscan pillars. [1] The hall was thronged with farmers and merchants, all of them men. They talked among each other in twos and threes. Most of them had in their hands a young ash tree pulled directly from the earth as their walking stick, with which they poked pigs, sheep, neighbours with their backs turned, and restful things in general in the course of their roamings. During conversations each put his sapling to different usage -- bending it round his back, forming an arch of it between his two hands, pushing the end of it on the ground till it reached a semi-circle, or tucked it under his arm causing the sample bag to open and handful of corn poured into his palm, and flung upon the floor for market fowls to peck it.

Among these male farmers, and merchants came a lone female member. She was well-dressed, and  attracted the attention of the whole corn exchange. Like a chaise between carts she moved. She was heard as romance after sermon and she was felt as a breeze among furnaces. 

At her first entry to the corn exchange, the lumbering dialogues were ceased. Every eye has been turned towards her, and some of them fixed there. Two or three farmers were known to her, and to these she had made her way. 

Bathsheba gradually acquired the acumen of selling and bargaining. She had her sample bags and could demonstrate the sample grains by drawing up into her arm. She could argue with her unbroken row of teeth and keenly pointed corners of her red lips to any merchant, whether taller or shorter than herself. While negotiating, she would always wait for the merchant to express his points and give due weightage if she found them valid. She would also take a look at the general trend of the market. The novelty of her engagement and her charm attracted the merchants.

One day when marketing was over, she rushed off to Liddy, who was waiting for her mistress beside the yellow jig in which they had driven to town. The horse was put in, and on they trotted. Sugar, tea and drapery parcels were behind.

"I have been through it Liddy, and it is over. They are accustomed to see me there. But this morning was as bad as being naked -- eyes everywhere!" 

"I knew it. Men are such class to look at our body." 

"But there was one man who had more sense to waste his time upon me." Liddy could not follow what her mistress was trying to say.

"A very good looking man," she continued, "upright; about forty, I think. Do you know who he could be?"

Liddy couldn't think.

"Can't you guess at all?" said Bathsheba with some disappointment.

"I haven't a notion; besides I took no notice of you. If he had taken, it would have mattered."

Bathsheba suffered a reverse feeling and remained silent. A low carriage, quickly overtook them rapidly behind a horse of unimpeachable breed.

"Why, there he is!" she said. Liddy looked. "That! That's farmer Boldwood. The man you couldn't see the other day when he called." 

"Oh, farmer Boldwood," murmured Bathsheba, and looked at him when he outstripped them. The farmer had never turned his head once, but with eyes fixed on the most advanced point along the road, passed unconsciously and abstractedly as if Bathsheba and her charms were thin air.

"He's an interesting man -- don't you think so? she remarked.

"Oh yes, very. Everybody owns it," replied Liddy.

"I wonder why he is so wrapt up and indifferent, and seemingly far away from all he sees around him." 

"It is said that he met with some bitter disappointment when he was a young man and merry. A woman abandoned him, they say." 

"That's a story created by men; women scarcely abandon men. I think it is simply his nature. A reserved man."

"Simply his nature," repeated Liddy.

"More romantic to think he had been cheated."

"Perhaps, afterall he had been."

"Depend upon it he has. Oh yes, Miss, he has. I feel he must have." 

"It is interesting to think extremes of people. I think it was a little of both - rather cruelly used and rather reserved.

"Oh dear, no miss; I can't change to between the two!" 

"That's most likely." 

"Well, yes, so it is. I am convinced it is most likely. You may take my word, miss, that's what is the matter with him." 

The End of the Chapter 

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1. Tuscan pillars: Pillars of classical architecture of Tuscan order. The order was developed by Romans. Pillars of smooth shafts supporting a plain entablature ( horizontal beam or structure).

° Corn Exchange: An eighteenth and nineteenth century setup for farmers to sell cerals (wheat, barley, oats) to merchants. These buildings were repurposed as community venues for public meetings and entertainment.