Far From the Madding Crowd

Well then – one who intrigues you.

BATHSHEBA All right.

MARY-ANN Now watch how it spins.

They spin the book. MARY-ANN and LIDDY cry out in excitement.

BATHSHEBA What does that mean?

MARY-ANN Never have I seen it move like that! You will have him, all right, whoever he is.

LIDDY She’s blushing!

BATHSHEBA That’s quite enough. I have correspondence to do. And you have bread to bake.

She goes to sort a pile of letters and cards.

LIDDY Did you notice Mr. Boldwood in church this morning?

BATHSHEBA Why should I?

His pew is opposite yours, Miss.

BATHSHEBA And?

LIDDY Didn’t you see his goings on?

BATHSHEBA What goings on? What was he doing?

LIDDY That’s just it. Nothing. He never looked at you once.

BATHSHEBA And why should he? I didn’t ask him to.

LIDDY Everyone else did. While he ignored you completely, just like at the Cornmarket.

Is that a Valentines, Ma’am?

BATHSHEBA Yes – I bought it yesterday.

LIDDY Who’s it for? Farmer Boldwood?!

BATHSHEBA No chance. It’s for little Cainy Ball as a thank you for his errands. Now what shall I put.

She begins to write a poem.

LIDDY Wouldn’t it be fun to send it to old Boldwood. Proud as he is. How he would puzzle over it!

BATHSHEBA He wouldn’t see the humour in it at all.

LIDDY No indeed – he’d take it dead serious.

MARY-ANN He’d think on’t half the night!

BATHSHEBA Tis funny – now I think on it, I really don’t want to send it to Cainy – I already gave him a shilling. Shall we toss for it, as men do? Heads for Cainy – tails Boldwood!

MARY-ANN Ma’am!

LIDDY We can’t toss money on a Sunday – tis ungodly.

BATHSHEBA Well then, let’s toss the hymn book. Closed for Boldwood.

She throws it in the air. It lands closed.

Boldwood it is! Now let me choose a stamp.

MARY-ANN Which one’ll you have, ma’am?

BATHSHEBA I think… this one.

She picks one and stamps the page. The other two look on – they can’t believe it.

12. Pink

Music. BOLDWOOD is writing in his study. There’s a knock on the door. A dour servant enters.

BOLDWOOD Birkin, I’m busy.

BIRKIN There’s a letter, Sir.

BOLDWOOD A bill of sale, no doubt. Leave it over there.

BIRKIN Sir, it is… pink.

The music stops. BOLDWOOD looks up. Silence.

BOLDWOOD Pink?

He pauses, then extends his hand. BIRKIN places the letter on it, then hovers.

That will be ALL, Birkin.

BIRKIN Sir.

BIRKIN takes a step back and hovers.

BOLDWOOD Birkin!

BIRKIN Sir!

BIRKIN leaves, disappointed. Comedy sequence where BOLDWOOD props the letter on the mantelpiece, then retreats from it. He watches the letter. Then distracts himself. Goes to it – then backs off. Then finally opens it and reads… and for the first time in many years, he feels something stir.

13. Prophesies

The men are gathered round the fire having a dram, perhaps eating potatoes out of the hearth.

MATTHEW To think she can manage herself! Never in all my creeping up have I heard the like.

JAN Tis the end, I can feel it. Summat bad’s a’coming.

MATTHEW Aye – our Sal put the bellows upon the table twice last week.

JOSEPH And there was a c – coffin handle upon my sister’s candle.

GABRIEL enters.

JAN And old Gammer Ball said she dreamt of being stung by bees – there is something in this.

MATTHEW Liddy said she he’s bought a new harpsichord and all. What’s a farmer want with that?

JAN She’ll be spending away, and we’ll all be as poor as old grass by winter.

SERVING GIRL Sit down, shepherd. They’ve just been saying of the odd goings on with the new Mistress.

GABRIEL Have they now?

SERVING GIRL Pulling her over the coals for her pride.

GABRIEL There’s to be no dandle-smack-and-cottle talk of yours about the Mistress. I won’t allow it.

JAN Is that so?

GABRIEL You spoken against her, Joseph Poorgrass?

JOSEPH I di – di – di – no.

GABRIEL Jan?

JAN Not I.

GABRIEL Matthew Moon.

MATTHEW Me? Not a word.

GABRIEL Let me tell you now, there’s my fist – and the first man I hear speak against her will have taste of that, I swear it.

SERVING GIRL Hear, hear.

MATTHEW (To the Serving girl) Eh – you get back to dosing ale. (To GABRIEL) Don’t you take on so, shepherd. Tis all well for you, being clever as you are.

GABRIEL Who’s been telling you I am clever?

JAN Tis blowed about from pillar to post quite common.

SERVING GIRL Why, I heard you can tell the time by the stars.

GABRIEL Well.

JOSEPH Aye, and that you can print names upon w-wagons as good as copperplate.

JAN She ought to have made you baily. ‘Tis what we all expected.

GABRIEL Well I don’t mind owning that I hoped as much. But she has right to do the job and keep me down as common shepherd if she pleases.

SERVING GIRL You know, she don’t let him keep the skins off the dead lambs?

GABRIEL How do you know?

JAN Don’t she?

GABRIEL No. Did her Uncle?

MATTHEW Always. Tis right and fair. And every twin lamb the shepherd could sell for his own profit. Don’t say you ain’t got that, neither?

JOSEPH You are badly used shepherd. We thinks she took against thee.

GABRIEL There’s no call for that talk.

BOLDWOOD has arrived.

SERVING GIRL Farmer Boldwood.

JAN To what do we owe this pleasure?

BOLDWOOD I wonder if I might borrow the shepherd, if I can draw him away from the malt.

GABRIEL and BOLDWOOD step outside. The men indoors continue drinking. Meanwhile, elsewhere on stage, FANNY catches MRS. TWILL. She has a pen and paper.

FANNY Mrs. Twill, would you be kind and take down a note for me.

MRS. TWILL I am plucking a chicken.

FANNY Please, it’s important. I’ll do the bird for you after.

MRS. TWILL reluctantly takes the paper and pen and sits down to write. Meanwhile, outside –

GABRIEL Sir?

BOLDWOOD You must excuse me. When the mail cart came this evening, I opened this without reading the address. I believe it’s for you – please forgive the accident.

GABRIEL I don’t know the hand.

GABRIEL begins to read.

Have you read it, Sir?

BOLDWOOD No, indeed.

FANNY Dear shepherd.

GABRIEL I think you ought, if you’ve an interest in Fanny Robin.

BOLDWOOD takes it.

FANNY ‘I don’t know your name but I hope these few lines reach you. Thank you for the kindness you showed me. Here is the coin which I borrowed from you.’

GABRIEL (Taking the coin out) I meant it as a gift.

FANNY ‘All has ended happily for me, for I’m to marry my sweetheart. Sergeant Troy, of the eleventh dragoon. He is a most handsome man.’ Oh – put very handsome.

MRS. TWILL I shall not.

FANNY ‘I’d be much obliged if you could keep this secret, for we mean to surprise them all by arriving soon as husband and wife. Thank you again for your kindness. Your sincerest well wisher, Fanny Robin.’

MRS. TWILL Here. You’ll catch the post cart if you go now.

FANNY takes the letter and goes. MRS. TWILL watches her go with concern.

GABRIEL Do you know this Sergeant Troy?

BOLDWOOD I am not a betting man, Gabriel, but I’d put money on his breaking his promise to her. He has quite a reputation, swept up by the madness of enlisting, and its attendant ways. Her name will be ruined. He will never marry her, I am sure of it.

GABRIEL I wish I’d known. Perhaps I could have stopped her.

BOLDWOOD When a woman’s determined, no man on earth can stop her.

GABRIEL I am sorry, Sir. Good night. (Leaving)

BOLDWOOD Oak – one more thing.

GABRIEL Sir?

BOLDWOOD I too had a letter. I don’t recognise the hand. I wonder…

He takes the card out but pauses, embarrassed, before he hands it over. GABRIEL sees the sort of card it is.

GABRIEL Oh. A Saint Valentines.

BOLDWOOD It seems so… well? Do you know the handwriting?

GABRIEL reads. Something changes in him.

GABRIEL Tis Miss Everdene’s hand.

BOLDWOOD Miss Everdene’s? Right. Well thank you, shepherd. Good night.

Awkward. BOLDWOOD goes. GABRIEL stands, lost.

14. Lambing

Spring is beginning. The company crowd round and assist in the birth of the year’s first lamb. GABRIEL delivers it. Jubilation.

BATHSHEBA Gabriel!

GABRIEL First one of the season.

BATHSHEBA How do you do it? You know, I’ve been reading the records and we’ve never had so man y ewes survive the winter – not in the history of the farm.

GABRIEL We’ve been lucky, ma’am.

BATHSHEBA I’ve been lucky.

A moment. GABRIEL hands the lamb to BATHSHEBA.

GABRIEL Here. You hold him.

BATHSHEBA Hello little fellow – his eyes are bright as anything. Cainy – he can be yours to take care of.

CAINY Ah ma’am!

LIDDY What’ll you call him?

CAINY looks around for inspiration, then sees some.

CAINY I’ll call him Bracken.

BATHSHEBA Bracken. It’s a sweet name.

She hands it to CAINY to look after, when BOLDWOOD arrives behind them, looking particularly well dressed. LIDDY spots him.

LIDDY Ooh farmer Boldwood. Looking dapper.

BATHSHEBA Mr. Boldwood.

BOLDWOOD Hard at work?

BATHSHEBA Of course. Gabriel is overseeing the lambing.

BOLDWOOD Shepherd.

GABRIEL Sir.

BOLDWOOD I wonder, Miss Everdene, if I might trouble you for a moment of your time?

BATHSHEBA Of course. Gabriel, you can spare me for a minute?

GABRIEL Of course.

BATHSHEBA moves off with BOLDWOOD.

MARY-ANN There, plain as day. You owe me a shilling, Liddy.

LIDDY Do not.

MARY-ANN Didn’t I say, she wouldn’t rest til she had his eyes on her, she is stubborn as a bullock.

GABRIEL You finished your work yet?

MARY-ANN No.

GABRIEL Then finish it. And keep thy mouth for eating.

MARY-ANN Yes ‘shepherd’. (Quietly, to LIDDY) A shilling.

The scene disappears. BOLDWOOD and BATHSHEBA appear somewhere else.

BATHSHEBA You know we have the best yield of ewes this farm has ever seen. I am lucky to have a shepherd with quite such talent.

BOLDWOOD Miss Everdene. I feel – almost too much to speak.

BATHSHEBA Oh.

BOLDWOOD Allow me to speak to you without preface. My life has not been my own since I first saw you.