Far From the Madding Crowd

JOSEPH I’ve heard other adventurers tell of the s-same!

LIDDY And don’t victuals spring up from the ground too?

CAINY Nope. Now there’s the blot on Bath. Tis not like here where God’s roots come up from below – there they grow nowt. And twas a drawback I couldn’t get over. Oh. And I saw our mistress – arm in crook with a soldier.

Pause.

JAN You what?

LIDDY What soldier?

MARY-ANN What soldier?!

CAINY Sergeant Troy.

GABRIEL Tell us what you saw.

CAINY I seed ‘em going to a park, with seats and shrubs and flowers – cowslips I think they were, and lupins and them red ones like poppies but bigger –

GABRIEL Cainy! What did you see?

CAINY I seed them sat together, talking moving things – I think, cos she was weeping. And when they left she was white as a lily, and her eyes shining like a pond.

GABRIEL You are sure it was her?

CAINY As plain as I see my swollen thumb.

GABRIEL And Troy.

CAINY Yes, Sir.

JAN She has too much sense under her hat to marry him, surely.

MARY-ANN Cain Ball. You are no longer a suckling. ‘Tis a horrible testament you give of your mistress. Do you swear it’s true?

CAINY Yes.

JAN On your heart?

CAINY Yes.

MARY-ANN On your bloodstone?

CAINY What’s bloodstone?

MARY-ANN The prophet Matthew says if lie on your bloodstone you’ll be ground into a powder and sent to Lucifer. Now before us all, do you swear to what you saw?

CAINY I don’t know.

GABRIEL How can you not know?

JAN You wicked boy, making up such –

CAINY No, I saw what I saw, as plain as I see you, and I thought from my soul it was them, but if to swear means I’m burnt to a cinder if I’m wrong, then how can I swear? I hardly want to be toasted.

GABRIEL All right Cainy, alright. Back to it! (To CAINY) And you.

CAINY But my thumb!

They all return to work, including CAINY. GABRIEL moves away. JAN follows him.

JAN Don’t let it fill your head, Gabe. What difference is it whose sweetheart she is, since she cannot be yours.

GABRIEL What do you mean my head, I… (relinquishing) That’s the very thing I say to myself.

6. Confrontation And A Carpet Bag

Late at night. BOLDWOOD is walking purposefully along on a path, when he meets TROY, coming the other way with a carpet bag.

BOLDWOOD Sergeant Troy?

TROY At your service.

BOLDWOOD Just arrived from Melchester?

TROY No. Bath.

BOLDWOOD Sir, I’m William Boldwood, and I wish to speak to you of a young woman you have wronged.

TROY Wronged? Who?

BOLDWOOD Fanny Robin. I know of her attachment to you. You ought to marry her.

TROY I s’pose I ought. I’d have liked to.

BOLDWOOD Well – why haven’t you?

TROY (Pause) I am too poor.

BOLDWOOD Let me speak plainly. I won’t make comment on your conduct, however low I find it. I have a proposal for you.

TROY I can’t marry you as well.

BOLDWOOD I was engaged to Miss Everdene before you even saw her –

TROY You were never engaged.

BOLDWOOD As good as.

TROY She might have said no.

BOLDWOOD Damn your cheek! If you’d not come, we’d be married. You know perfectly well that, with your difference in station, this’ll never end in wedlock, so

why not marry Fanny and leave Miss Everdene be. I’d make it worth your while.

TROY How, exactly?

BOLDWOOD Take up your carpet-bag, leave town now and you’ll have fifty pounds tonight. And there’ll be five hundred for her on your wedding-day.

TROY Five hundred pounds?! Well, I do like Fan the best, and if, as you say, Miss Everdene is out of my reach, why I have everything to gain by this.

BOLDWOOD So you agree?

TROY I do.

BOLDWOOD You do?.

TROY Yes.

TROY Fifty pounds tonight, you say?

BOLDWOOD Here (handing him the money)

TROY So you assumed I would accept?

BOLDWOOD I thought you might.

TROY But you only have my word, whilst I have fifty pounds.

BOLDWOOD If I cannot appeal to your honour, I trust your shrewdness not to lose five hundred.

TROY Shh. Listen!

A low whistle, a signal, from somewhere nearby.

‘Tis she.

BOLDWOOD Who?

TROY Bathsheba. I ought to go to her.

BOLDWOOD Why? No!

TROY She’s expecting me tonight – I must tell her goodbye, as you wish.

BOLDWOOD You do not need to speak.

TROY You’ll hear every word. Besides, it might help your love-making when I am gone.

BOLDWOOD You’re mocking me.

TROY Not at all. But think – if I disappear without word, I’ll fill her every waking thought. And you wouldn’t want that. Better tell her straight.

BOLDWOOD Well keep it short.

TROY Hold my bag – and listen well.

BATHSHEBA appears with a lantern. BOLDWOOD hides in the shadows.

BATHSHEBA Frank, dearest, is that you?

BOLDWOOD (Hushed) Oh God.

TROY Bathsheba.

BATHSHEBA I had almost given you up.

TROY I promised I’d come.

BATHSHEBA My love! Come on, there’s not a soul inside. I sent them all off so no-one’ll know of your visit to your lady’s bower.

TROY I must fetch my bag, you go ahead and I’ll be with you directly.

BATHSHEBA How my heart will beat til then!

BATHSHEBA goes. TROY comes back –

TROY So… what think you? Shall I give her up and break her heart?

BOLDWOOD grabs him by the neck and slams him up against the tree.

BOLDWOOD By Heaven, I’ve a mind to kill you!

TROY And ruin her.

BOLDWOOD Save her!

TROY Now there’s the rub. See, our courtship’s been so public, she could only be saved by marrying me.

BOLDWOOD You whoreson –

TROY She has flung her dignity away and quite given herself up. Though I do like Fanny best. She would make a better wife, for Bathsheba has quite a temper, whereas Fanny would do as I pleased.

BOLDWOOD Marry her.

TROY Who?

BOLDWOOD Bathsheba

TROY Bathsheba?!

BOLDWOOD You’ve ruined her, do not desert her. I’ll help you to do it.

TROY Sorry? You’ll help me marry Bathsheba?

BOLDWOOD She’ll make you a good wife. Why don’t you secure her at once?

TROY What way have I to secure her in that I haven’t already?

BOLDWOOD You son of Lucifer!

BOLDWOOD throws himself at TROY, who reels away.

TROY Sir, don’t kill me. Not now you know how she loves me.

BOLDWOOD Use the five hundred I meant for Fanny, then you can marry at once.

TROY What am I to have now?

BOLDWOOD Whatever I have. Take it all. But you must sign to swear you’ll do it.

TROY I have paper here. We’ll sign on that.

He takes out a folded newspaper from his bag.

Ah but look – tis already inscribed. Oh. Now that is interesting. On the seventeenth, at St. Ambrose’s Church (handing the sheet to him) Francis Troy to Bathsheba Everdene… married.

BOLDWOOD It cannot be.

BOLDWOOD snatches the newspaper and is floored.

It cannot be.

TROY So let us surmise. Fifty pounds to marry Fanny. Twenty-one pounds not to. Finale – already married to Bathsheba. Now, Boldwood, that’s what comes of interfering between a man and his wife.

BOLDWOOD No!

TROY Oh, and one more word. Bad as I am, I am not such a villain as to trade in women for coins, as you have done tonight. I would have married Fan, but I have never once been able to find her, though God knows I tried. So now that our business is done, take your money.

BOLDWOOD You dare!

TROY Oh I don’t need it. I married well enough never to worry again. (Goes)

BOLDWOOD You black hound! You will regret this as long as you live!

But TROY is already gone.

7. Morning Glory

Morning, birdsong. JAN COGGAN and GABRIEL cross BATHSHEBA’s yard carrying pails, when TROY opens an upstairs window and leans out to survey the view.

JAN She has married him. Oak?

TROY Morning, comrades!

JAN Morning to you. (To GABRIEL) Answer the man. Keep him civil.

GABRIEL Morning.

TROY What a rambling old place this is.

GABRIEL It is a fine house.

TROY Some might say. But I feel like new wine in an old bottle. I’ll put sash-windows right through it, and be rid of all of this old wood – the place is full of oak. I shall join you in the fields later. I hope we can keep on just as friendly terms, despite my elevation. Here, have half a crown to drink my health.

He flicks a coin down at GABRIEL’s feet.

Well? Don’t you want it?

A stand off. GABRIEL doesn’t move. JAN picks it up.

Don’t spend it all at once (Goes)

JAN Gabe –

GABRIEL Jan, I can be silent, I can stomach that, but if my place here depends on smoothing him down, I won’t do it. I won’t stay. I’d rather be in a ditch. (Going)

JAN Gabe?

JAN follows, concerned.

8. A Wedding Dance

A barn dance. Fiddles, merriment, wedding celebrations. BATHSHEBA and TROY are the belles of the ball. GABRIEL is absent. One dance comes to an end. Cheers.

FIDDLER What will you have next, Ma’am?

BATHSHEBA Whatever you like!

FIDDLER Then ‘tis only proper we play The Soldier’s Joy, considering your choice of husband.

TROY The soldier’s joy it shall be, for though today I bought my discharge from her good nibs the Queen, I will always be a soldier in my heart.

FIDDLER “The soldier’s joy”!

ALL “The soldier’s joy”!

A dance. GABRIEL enters to one side and grabs CAINY Ball from the proceedings.

GABRIEL Cainy! Tell the Sergeant I must speak to him – a heavy rain’s about to fall and the ricks aren’t protected.

CAINY Will you give me a shilling?

GABRIEL I’ll give you a clip round the ear.

Cain runs off to speak to TROY, who’s swept up with the fun. The dance continues.

Well, what’d he say?

CAINY No.

GABRIEL No?

CAINY He says it will not rain, so stop bothering him with such fidgets.

GABRIEL Fidgets?! But the ricks will be destroyed!

A crack of thunder. CAINY sees his opportunity to escape back into the throng.

GABRIEL Cainy!

Another thunder crack. GABRIEL leaves at pace.

TROY Friends, it is not only the harvest home that we are celebrating tonight; but a Wedding Feast. A short time ago I had the happiness to lead this lady to the altar – and til now we’ve had no publish flourish of it at all. And I say, that will not do! So, in order that every man may go happy to bed, I have ordered some brandy; a treble-strong goblet for you all!

BATHSHEBA Frank – they’ve had enough. It’ll only do them harm.

TROY Harm? What would you know? Friends, let us send the women-folk home! ‘Tis time they were in bed. Then we cock-birds will have a jolly carouse to ourselves.

BATHSHEBA (To TROY) And what of my place at the wedding feast? Am I no part of it?

TROY (To BATHSHEBA) You have had your fun – now let me have mine. (To the ensemble) And if any man shows the white feather, let him look elsewhere for a winter’s work.

BATHSHEBA, mortified, strides out – followed by the women. TROY bears down on CAINY and makes him drink a good deal of the jug.