Twenty Four: Far From The Madding Crowd: Thomas Hardy - A Rum Start

After the shear supper, before going to bed as a bailiff Bathsheba had checked all was well with the farm; and again she was to see everything was in order about the homestead. Gabriel had already done these jobs without her knowledge or order; but this tender devotion was unknown to her, and whatever  known was not accounted. 

She carried a dark lantern [1] and every now and then turned on the light to examine nooks and corners coolly.  She always anticipated omission on the part of human hands leaving a door opened, or the horses might not be well bedded, or all the fowls were not in the coop.

The buildings were inspected as usual and she moved onto farm paddock [2]. Here, the stillness of night was broken by steady munching of many mouths, and breathing through many nostrils, ending in snorts and puffs like the blowing of bellows.

After inspection, her way back to the house was by a path through a young plantation of firs which sheltered the premises from the north wind.  Dense foliage made it gloomy even at midday, twilight in the evening, dark as midnight at dusk. The fir trees on all sides made it an enclave. It is a vast low naturally formed hall and the leaves of trees formed its ceiling. Dead leaves and flowers spread a carpet on the soil below. The path was new to her, at this hour though she came by that way along with Liddy.  This path was always used by night ramblers, and she was not much apprehensive of this.  Now she regretted taking this course without a companion.  Slipping along this path covertly Bathsheba fancied she could hear footsteps entering the path at the opposite end.  It was a rustle of footsteps; her own instantly fell as gently as snow flakes.  She reassured that the path was public and any villager returning home was about to knock at her. 

The footsteps approached, came close, and a figure was apparently on  the point of gliding past her when something tugged at her skirt and pinned it forcibly to the ground.  The instantaneous tug threw Bathsheba off her balance.  In recovering she struck against warm clothes and buttons.

"A rum start, upon my soul!" said a masculine voice, a foot or so above her head.  "Have I hurt you, mate?" 

"No," said Bathsheba attempting to shrink away.

"We have got hitched together somehow." 

"Are you a woman?" 

"Yes." 

"A lady?" 

"It doesn't matter." 

"I am a man." 

"Oh!" 

Bathsheba softly tugged again, but to no purpose.

"Is that a dark lantern you have? I fancy so," said the man.

"Yes." 

"If you'll allow me I will open it, and set you free." 

A hand seized the lantern, the shutter was opened, the rays burst out, and Bathsheba beheld the surroundings, with astonishment. 

The man to whom she was hooked was brilliant in brass and scarlet.  A soldier. His sudden appearance to darkness brightened Bathsheba.  Gloom was overthrown by his presence.

The military man's spur was entangled in the gimp that decorated her dress. He caught a view of her face. 

"I will unfasten you in a moment, miss," he said with new-born gallantry.

"Oh no, I can do it, thank you," said she hastily and stooped to disentangle the gimp.  The job was not easy. The rowel of the spur had wound itself among the gimp chords, that separation was likely a matter of time. 

He too stooped, and the lantern standing on the ground threw the gleam through its opened shutter on the dead leaves and twigs, and on the blades of the long damp grass making a picture of a large glow-worm.  It radiated upward upon their faces, and sent over the plantation huge shades of the man and woman, distangled and mangled upon the tree trunks, and wasted to nothing.

He looked hard into her eyes when she raised them for a moment; she looked down again because his eyes were penetrating.  Her sidelong glance perceived him young and slim, and that he wore three chevrons upon his sleeve.

Bathsheba pulled again.

"You are a prisoner, miss; it is no use blinking the matter," said the soldier dryly.  "I must cut your dress if you are in such a hurry." 

"Yes -- please do!" she exclaimed helplessly.

"It wouldn't be necessary if you could wait a moment; and he unwound a cord from the little wheel.  She withdrew her own hand, but whether by accident or design he touched it; Bathsheba was vexed; she hardly knew why.  His unraveling went on for some time. She looked at him again. 

"Thank you for the sight of such a beautiful face!" said the young seargent without ceremony. She coloured with embarassment.  " 'T was unwillingly shown," she replied.

"I like you better for that incivility, miss," he said.

"I should have liked --I wish -- you had never shown yourself to me by intruding here!"  She pulled again, and the gathers of her dress began to give way.

"I deserve such a reproof. But why should such a beautiful girl have such an aversion to her father's sex?" 

"Go your way, please." 

"What, beauty, and drag you after me? Do but look, I never saw such a tangle!" 

"Oh it is shameful of you, you have been making worse on purpose to keep me here -- you have!" 

"I don't think so," said the Seargent, with a merry twinkle.

"I tell you have!" she exclaimed in high temper, "I insist upon undoing it.  Now, allow me!"

"Certainly miss, I am not of steel."  He added a sigh with archness. "I am thankful for beauty, even when it is thrown to me like a piece of bone to a dog. These moments will soon be over!" He wanted to prolong the game. 

"Not for my pleasure," said Bathsheba, but in fact she was getting some pleasure from these exercise. Both of them knew that each other was engaged in a game that people play. Bathsheba very much flattered by his praises. No one had praised her that much - Either Gabriel or Boldwood. Still, Bathsheba was apprehensive of her situation.  So she wanted to put a stop to the game.  She thought of an option to free herself at the risk of leaving a portion of her skirt boldly behind her.

The thought was too dreadful. The dress was head and front of her wardrobe; not another in her stock became so well.

"All in good time, it will be soon done," said the stranger.

"This trifling provokes -- --" 

"Not too cruel!" 

"Insults me!" 

"It is done in order that I may have the pleasure of apologising to so charming a woman which I straightway do most humbly madam, he said bowing low.

Bathsheba really knew not what to say.

"I have seen a good many women in my time," murmured the young man critically regarding her bent head, "but I have never seen a woman so beautiful as you. I don't care whether you like it or not."

"Who are you, then, so independent of the society?" asked Bathsheba.

"No stranger.  Seargent Troy.  I am staying in this place -- there! it is undone at last, you see.  Your light fingers were more eager than mine.  I wish it had been the knot of knots, with there is no untying." 

This was worse and worse.  She started up, and so did he.  How to decently get away from him -- that was her difficulty now.  She sidled off inch by inch, the lantern in her hand, till she could see the redness of his coat no longer.

"Ah, beauty; goodbye," he said.

She made no reply, and walking a few steps, turned about and went indoors.  

Liddy had just retired to rest.  In ascending to her own chamber, Bathsheba opened the girl's door slightly, and said --

"Liddy, is any soldier staying in the village --- seargent somebody - rather gentleman -- and good looking - a red  coat with blue facings?" 

Liddy was in half sleep. "No.... Miss; but really it might be Seargent Troy home on furlough, though I have not seen him.  He was there once in that way when the regiment was at Casterbridge." 

"Yes, that's the name.  Had he any moustache --- no whiskers or beard?"

"He had." 

"What kind of person is he?" 

"Oh! miss, I blush to name it -- a gay man.  But very quick and trim, who might have made his thousands, like a squire.  Such a clever young dand he is! A doctor's son by name, which is a great deal; and he is an earl's son by nature!"

"Which is a great deal more.  Fancy! Is it true?"

"Yes, and he was brought up so well, and sent to Casterbridge Grammar School for years and years.  Learnt all languages; it is said that he could take down Chinese in short-hand.  However he wasted his gifted lot and listed a soldier; but even then he rose to be a seargent without trying at all. 

Ah! Such a blessing it is to be high born; nobility of blood will shine out even in the ranks and files.  And is he really come, miss?"

"I believe so, goodnight, Liddy."

Bathsheba liked him very much, because he praised her beauty.  He was adamant so that he may tame her. He had these quality that she had been looking.  So she could not clearly decide whether it was her opinion that he had insulted her. How can it be an insult when he praised me, she thought. It was a fatal blow that Boldwood omitted to praise her.

End of the Chapter 

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Notes:-

1. Dark lantern: A historic portable candle lantern, or occasionally whale oil lamp featuring a sliding metal shutter or door. This design allows the user to instantly conceal the light without extinguishing the flame, making it popular for night time work. 

2. Farm paddock: A small enclosed field often fenced, used primarily for grazing livestock like horses or cattle, or for holding animals. Paddock system helps division of land to manage crop rotation, and  maximize forage usage. Fencing in those days was done by planting shrubs around the borders, making hedges, or by using peg or stake vertically and splint or laths horizontally