Thirty Three: Far From The Madding Crowd: Thomas Hardy - In The Sun: A Harbinger

A week passed and there was no tidings of Bathsheba. Nor was there any explanation of her Gilpin's Rig. 

Then a note came for Maryann, stating that the business which had called her mistress to Bath still detained her there; but she hoped to return in the course of another week. 

Another week passed.  The oat-harvest began, and all the men were in the field under monochromatic Lammas sky amid the trembling air and short shadows of noon.  Indoors nothing was to be heard save the droning of blue-bottle flies; out of doors the whetting of scythes and the hiss of tressy oat-ears rubbing together as their perpendicular stalks of amber-yellow fell heavily to each swath. Every drop of moisture in the form of cider was raining as perspiration from their heads and cheeks. Drought was everywhere else. 

They withdrew for a while into the shade of a tree in the fence.  Coggan saw a figure in blue coat and brass buttons running to them across the field. 

"I wonder who that is?" said he. 

"Hope nothing is wrong about  mistress," said Maryann, who with some other women was tying the bundles, "but an unluck came to me indoors this morning.  I went to unlock the door and dropped the key, and it fell upon the stone floor and broke into two pieces.  Breaking a key is a dreadful bodement.  I hope mis'ess was home." 

"Tis Cain Ball," said Gabriel as he paused whetting his reaphook. 

Oak was not bound by his agreement to assist in the corn-field; but he lent a hand in the anxiety of harvest month, besides the corn belonged to Bathsheba. 

"He's dressed up in his best clothes," said Mathew Moon.  "He has been away from home for a few days, and he has had that felon upon his finger; for it is said since I can't work I will have a holiday."

"A good time for one, an excellent time," said Joseph Poorgrass, straightening his back; for he like some others had a way of resting awhile from his labour on such hot days. 

By this time Cain Ball was nearing the group of harvesters; and he was carrying a large slice of bread and ham in one hand, from which he took mouthfuls as he ran, the other hand being wrapped in a bandage. When he came close, his mouth assumed a bell shape, and he began to cough violently. 

"Now, Cainy!" said Gabriel, sternly. "How many more times must I tell you to stop running so fast when you are eating.  You'll choke yourself some day, that's what you will do, Cain Ball." 

"Hok-hok hok!" replied Cain.  "A crumb of my victuals went wrong way --- hok hok ! That's what it is Mr Oak!  And I have been visiting to Bath because I had a felon on my thumb, and I have seen ---

At the mention of Bath, they all threw down their hooks and forks and drew round him.  Unfortunately, a sneeze jerked him, "yes, he continued, directing his thoughts to Bath.  "I saw the world at last. And I saw our mis'ess." 

"Bother the boy," said Gabriel, "something is always going wrong through your throat, so that you can't tell what's necessary to be told."

"There, please Mr Oak, a gnat just flew into my stomach and brought this cough again." 

"Yes, that's just it.  Your mouth is always open, you young rascal."

"It's terrible bad to have a gnat fly in your stomach!" said Mathew Moon. 

"Well, at Bath you saw" prompted Gabriel. 

"I saw your mistress," continued the junior shepherd, "and a soldier walking along. And they got closer and closer, and then they went arm-in-crook, like courting couple." He lost the thread of his narrative simultaneously with his loss of breath.  He looked up and down the field for a clue.  "Well, I see our mis'ess and a soldier."

"Damn the boy," said Gabriel.

"It's my way, Mr Oak."

"Here's some cider for you," said Jan Coggan lifting a flagon of cider, pulling out the cork, and applying the hole to Cainy's mouth; Joseph Poorgrass was apprehensive of the consequences that would follow Cainy Ball's strangulation in his cough and the dying of story of his Bath adventures. 

"Cainy Ball," said Joseph Poorgrass,  "always  say 'pleas God' before you do anything. It's a safeguard and might save you from being choked to.death." 

Coggan poured the cidar liberally into the mouth of Cainy Ball; some of it ran down the side of the flagon, some running down outside his throat, some of it went wrong way around the little crowd  because of cough and sneeze till it was evaporated in the hot atmosphere.

"A clumsy sneeze!  Why can't you have better manners, you young dog!" said Coggan, withdrawing the flagon.

"The cider went up my nose!" cried Cainy, as soon as he could speak; "it's gone down my neck, and into my poor dumb felon, and over my shiny buttons and all my best clothes!"

"The poor boy's cough is terrible," said Mathew Moon.

"It's my nature," said Cain.  "Mother used to say I was excitable." 

"True, true," said Joseph Poorgrass.  "I knew his grandfather, a nervous and modest man.  Like me, he was always blush.  But it was not my fault." 

"Not at all, master Poorgrass," said Coggan.  "It's a very noble quality in you."

"Cainy's grandfather was a very clever man," said Mathew Moon.  "Invented an apple tree, the Early Ball apple." 

"Now, then," said Gabriel impatiently, *what did you see Cain?" 

"I saw our mis'ess go to a sort of park.  There were seats, and shrubs and flowers; arm-in-crook with a soldier," continued Cainy firmly.  "And I think the soldier was sergeant Troy. And they sat together for more than half an hour, talking, moving things, and she once was crying almost to death.  And when they came out her eyes were shining, and she was as white as lily; and they looked into one another's eyes as desperately friendly as a man and woman can be." 

Gabriel's features seemed to get thinner.  "Well, what did you see, besides?" 

"Oh, all sorts."

"White as lily.  Are you sure it was she?"

"Yes."

"Well, what was besides?"

"Great glass windows to the shops, and great clouds in the sky, full of rain, and old trees in the country round."

"You stun-poll.  What will you say next!" said Coggan.

"Leave him alone," interfered Joseph Poorgrass.  The boy meant that the sky and the earth in the kingdom of Bath is not different from ours here. It adds to our knowledge." 

"And the people of Bath," continued Cainy Ball "saw to light their fire as luxury for the water springs up readily boiled for use." 

"It is true as light," testified Mathew Moon.  "I have heard other navigators saying the same." 

"Well, it is a curious place to live in," said Mathew Moon.

"Miss Everdene and the soldier were walking about, together, you say," said Gabriel.

"And she wore a beautiful gold colour silk gown, trimmed with black lace.  It was a very winsome sight; and her hair was brushed splendid.  And when the sun shone upon the bright gown and his red coat --- my! how handsome they looked.  You could see them all the length of the street."

"And what then?" murmured Gabriel.

"Then I went into Griffin's to have my boots get mended, then to Riggs' batty-cake shop, and while I was chewing down and walked on I saw a clock with a face as big as a baking-trendle," 

"But that's nothing to do with the mistress," ---

"I am coming to that if you'll leave me alone, mister Oak!" remonstrated Cainy. You will bring on my cough, and then everything ends." 

"Yes, let him tell in his own way," said Jan Coggan.

Gabriel waited patiently.  Cainy went on, "there were large houses, and more people than at Weatherbury, and club-walking on.  I went to grand churches and chapels. And how the parson would pray!  He would kneel down and put up his hands together and make his gold rings on his fingers gleam and twinkle in your eyes. By praying he earned so excellently.  Ah yes, I wish I lived there." 

"Our poor parson can't get any money to buy such rings," said Mathew Moon.

"Perhaps he has made of different stuff than to wear them," said Gabriel grimly.  "Well, that's enough of this.  Go on Cainy, quick."

"Parsons wear moustaches and long beards: a new style, continued Cainy.

"And look like Moses and Aaron, and make we folks feel like the children of Israel."

"A very right feeling," said Joseph Poorgrass.

"And there's two religions going on, High Church and High Chapel. I was very fair, and went to High Church in the morning and High Chapel in the evening."

"A right and proper boy," said Joseph Poorgrass.

"Well, at High Church they pray singing, and believe in all colours of the rainbow; and at High Chapel they pray preaching, and they believe in drab and whitewash only.  And then I didn't see no more Miss Everdene at all." 

"Then, why didn't you say before?" exclaimed Oak with much disappointment.

"Ah," said Mathew Moon, "she'll wish her cake dough if so be she is over intimate with that man." 

"She is not," said Gabriel.

"She would know better," said Coggan, "she has too much.sense under those knots of black hair to do such a mad thing." 

"You see, he's not a coarse, ignorant man, for he was well brought up," said Mathew dubiously.  "Wildness  made him a soldier, and maids rather like your man of sin." 

"Now, Cain Ball," said Gabriel restlessly, "can you swear in the most awful form that the woman you saw was Miss Everdene?" 

"Cain Ball, you are no longer a babe and suckling," said Joseph Poorgrass, "and you know what taking an oath is.  Now before all workfolk here assembled can you swear to your words as the shepherd asked you?" 

"Please, no Mr Oak!" said Cainy looking from one to the other with great uneasiness, "I don't mind saying it is true, but I don't like to say it is true --- if that's what you mean."

"Cain, Cain, how can you!" said Joseph Poorgrass sternly. 

"No, I don't.  You want to squander a poor boy's soul, Poorgrass.  That's what it's, said Cain, beginning to cry.

All I want to mention was common truth.  It was Miss Everdene and Sergeant Troy.  You want to make of it somebody else."

"There's no getting at the right of it," said Gabriel, turning to his work.

"Cain Ball, you'll come to a bit of bread," said Joseph Poorgrass.

Reapers' hook were flourished again, and the old sounds went on.  Gabriel, without making any pretence of being lively, did nothing to show that he was particularly dull.  However, Coggan knew pretty nearly how the land lay, and when they were in a nook together he said --- "Don't take on about her, Gabriel.  What difference does it make whose sweetheart she is, since she can't be yours?"

"That's the very thing I say to myself," said Gabriel.

          END OF THE CHAPTER