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CHAPTER FIVE

Mr Boldwood’s Proposal

On Saturday morning, Farmer William Boldwood was at Casterbridge market when Bathsheba arrived. For several nights, Boldwood’s dreams had been about Bathsheba Everdene. But now, for the first time, he looked at her closely. He saw her black hair, the shape of her face, her clothes. And he saw that she was beautiful.

‘This is the woman who has asked me to marry her!’ he thought.

Bathsheba saw him watching her, and smiled. ‘He knows who sent the valentine card,’ she thought. ‘But only a joke made him notice me.’

Suddenly, Bathsheba was sorry. She respected Boldwood. She was sorry that she had disturbed this quiet, calm man’s life.

Boldwood was a serious man, but he had strong feelings. As the weeks passed and spring came, he watched Bathsheba. He watched her from his fields next to her farm. At last he decided to speak to her.

One morning in May, Boldwood saw Bathsheba at the sheep-washing pool with Gabriel Oak and her other farm workers. She was watching the men push each sheep down into the water. The women were watching and laughing as the water splashed over everyone. When she saw Boldwood, Bathsheba moved away and began to walk towards the river. Boldwood followed her.

‘Miss Everdene!’ he said, when they were both walking next to the river. ‘I can’t think sensibly about anything or anybody since I saw you clearly. So I’ve come to make you a proposal of marriage. More than anything in the world, I want you to be my wife.’

Bathsheba tried to stay calm. She stopped walking and looked at him. ‘Mr Boldwood,’ she said carefully. ‘I admire you and respect you, but I can’t marry you.’

‘Miss Everdene, my life is empty without you!’ said Boldwood. ‘Oh, I wish that I could court you with pretty words! Let me say again and again that I love you! I want you to be my wife. I’m speaking to you now because you gave me hope. You wrote “Marry Me” on the valentine.’

‘I was wrong and foolish to send you that valentine,’ said Bathsheba. ‘Please forgive me! I promise that I’ll never play jokes again.’

‘No, no! Don’t say this!’ cried Boldwood. His eyes shone fiercely as he spoke and he stood close to her.

‘I don’t love you, Mr Boldwood,’ said Bathsheba. She was frightened by his strong feelings. ‘Please, don’t speak about this anymore. I can’t think clearly. I didn’t know that you were going to say this to me.’

‘Don’t say that you’ll never love me!’ he said quickly. ‘Let me speak to you about this again. Let me hope that one day you will accept my proposal!’

‘No, don’t hope!’ Bathsheba replied. ‘Give me time. Let me think.’

‘Yes, I’ll give you time,’ he said, quietly. ‘I’ll wait.’

Bathsheba was not in love with Boldwood, so she was able to think calmly about his proposal. Many women would be proud to marry Boldwbod. She knew this. The farmer was a man of good character, and he was rich.

‘I started a foolish game by sending that valentine,’ she thought. ‘But perhaps I should be honest now. Perhaps I should marry him. But I can’t do it.’

The day after Boldwood made his proposal, Bathsheba went to see Gabriel Oak.

‘Tell me,’ she said to him. ‘Did the workers say anything about me and Mr Boldwood?’

‘They think that you will probably marry him before the end of the year,’ said Gabriel.

‘How stupid!’ said Bathsheba. ‘I want you to tell them that it’s not true.’

Gabriel was surprised when he heard this. But he was also happy. ‘Yes, I can tell them,’ he said. ‘But do you want my opinion, Bathsheba?’

‘You should call me Miss Everdene,’ she said, coldly. But she did want Gabriel’s opinion. She respected him more than anyone else. ‘Well, what do you have to say?’ she asked.

‘You were wrong to send Farmer Boldwood the valentine card,’ said Gabriel. ‘It was unkind and dishonest.’

Bathsheba’s face became red and she said angrily, ‘I’m not interested in your opinion! And why am I unkind and dishonest? Is it because I didn’t marry you!’

‘No,’ said Gabriel quietly. ‘I stopped thinking about my proposal a long time ago.’

‘And you’ll never wish to ask again, I suppose?’ she said. But she expected him to say that he still loved her.

‘No, I don’t wish to,’ he said. ‘But I repeat. You were wrong when you sent Mr Boldwood that valentine. It was cruel and dishonest.’

‘I won’t let you to speak to me like that!’ said Bathsheba. She was shaking with anger. ‘Please leave my farm at the end of the week!’

‘I’ll be happier if I go now,’ said Gabriel.

‘Very well, go!’ she said. ‘I don’t want to see you again.’

Twenty-four hours later, three of Bathsheba’s farm workers came running to her house with terrible news.

‘Sixty of your sheep broke the fence around their field!’ said Joe Poorgrass.

‘And they got into a field of clover!’ said Henery Fray. ‘They’ve eaten the clover and they’re all sick,’ said Laban Tall. ‘Their stomachs are swollen! They’ll die if someone doesn’t help them!’

Bathsheba hurried out to the field with the men. Her sheep were lying on the ground. Their stomachs were very swollen and they groaned in pain.

‘Oh, what can we do?’ she cried.

‘Someone must make a hole in their sides and let out the air,’ said Laban. ‘You need a special tool to make a small hole.’

‘And there’s only one man who can do this,’ said Joseph Poorgrass. ‘Gabriel Oak.’

‘Don’t speak his name!’ said Bathsheba, angrily. ‘I don’t want to hear it. Perhaps Farmer Boldwood will help us.’

‘No, ma’am,’ said Laban. ‘This happened to two of his sheep a few days ago. He sent for Shepherd Oak, and Shepherd Oak saved them.’

‘I’ll never send for him - never!’ said Bathsheba.

Suddenly, one of the sheep jumped up, then fell heavily onto the ground. It did not move and Bathsheba went to look at it. The sheep was dead.

‘Oh, what shall I do - what shall I do!’ she cried. She looked at the dead sheep for several moments. Then she said, ‘Laban, take a horse and ride quickly. Find Oak and give him this order. Tell the shepherd that he must return immediately.’

Laban took one of the horses from a field and rode away. Bathsheba watched the man and the horse disappear over the hill. Then she began to walk up and down beside the sick sheep. After an hour, Laban returned. He was alone.

‘Well?’ said Bathsheba. ‘Where is Shepherd Oak?’

‘Gabriel won’t come until you ask him politely, ma’am,’ said Laban.

‘What! Is that his answer?’

Suddenly, another sheep jumped into the air and fell dead. Bathsheba began to cry. ‘Oh, how can Oak be so cruel!’

‘Gabriel is a good man, ma’am,’ said Laban. ‘He’ll come if you ask him, and not order him.’

Bathsheba hurried back to the house. She wrote these words in a note: Do not desert me, Gabriel.

Laban rode away with the note. Fifteen minutes later, he returned with Gabriel Oak. Gabriel went straight to the sheep and began to work on them. He pushed a sharp tool into the side of each sheep and let out the air in their swollen stomachs. He saved all except four of the animals.

Bathsheba came and stood beside him.

‘Gabriel, I - I was wrong to send you away. Will you stay with me?’ she asked, smiling.

‘I will,’ he said.