CHAPTER TEN

The friendship and business-partnership between Mr Henchard and Mr Farfrae seemed to be a stable one. The business was doing very well and the two men always seemed to be together. However, something soon came between them. It was a small thing, but like a crack in the glass, it would soon grow.

One of the employees of the company, Abel Whittle, was almost always late for work and Mr Henchard could no longer accept this. One day, he called the employee to his office and warned him not to be late again or he would be punished. Abel Whittle promised to be on time. However, the next morning, when all of the workers were ready to go into the fields, Abel was not there.

Mr Henchard, full of terrible anger, went over to Abel's home and walked directly into his employee's bedroom. As he expected, there was Abel still asleep in his bed.

"Get up, you lazy fool!" Henchard shouted.

Abel jumped up from the bed, frightened to death. He tried putting on his pants, but Henchard had no patience and ordered that he leave the house without them. They walked to Henchard's home together and met up with the rest of the workers.

Donald Farfrae, seeing Abel in nothing but his shirt and underwear, asked the poor worker why he had come to work without clothing.

"Well, sir. Mr Henchard wouldn't let me put my pants on. He's terribly angry because I was late again. But I can't help it! It's impossible for me to wake up on time. There's something wrong with my body! But Mr Henchard just can't understand that. I'm so embarrassed, I just know I'll kill myself tonight when I get back home!"

"You run back home and get dressed. I won't let any of my men work in the fields without clothing on," ordered Mr Farfrae.

Abel stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"If you don't go now, I promise I'll beat the hell out of you! Now go!" yelled the Scotsman.

Mr Henchard saw his employee walking away and demanded to know what was going on.

"I sent him back," said Mr Farfrae, "I don't think he's done anything to deserve that kind of embarrassment"

"Well I do!" argued Mr Henchard.

"Either he wears his pants or I leave the company!" shouted the Scotsman.

The two leaders looked one another in the eye for a moment. It was obvious that Mr Henchard did not want to lose his manager and that he felt bad about having gotten into an argument with him in front of all of his men.

After this, Mr Henchard began to feel that people respected Mr Farfrae more than they respected him. And he was right. Soon, people were coming to the Scotsman, instead of the Mayor, for advice about their corn and hay. One such person was a young boy, sent by his father to have his family's hay valued.

"How can I help you, young man?" asked Mr Henchard.

"My father's needing his hay valued," replied the boy.

"Well, I happen to be free at the moment, let's go take care of it now, shall we?" offered the Mayor.

"Oh, but can Mr Farfrae do it? My father wants him to."

"Why's that? I've always done it. Do they think Mr Farfrae's a better man than me?"

"Yes, sir. They do," answered the boy, not realizing that it should have been better to lie.

"Really? And, tell me, do they say other things?" asked the Mayor.

"Of course. They think Mr Farfrae's a nicer man and they wish that he were the Mayor of Casterbridge, instead of you."

Mr Henchard was hurt by these words. "Well, I'll be the one to value your father's hay today, whether he likes it or not!"

Just then, Mr Farfrae came from out of the house.

"Good morning!" he said, cheerfully, "What's troubling you? You don't look happy?"

"Nothing," answered Mr Henchard in a sad voice, "I'm just about to go out to Durnover to value some hay."

"Well, I'll come along with you," the Scotsman offered.

Mr Henchard said nothing, but started walking down the street with his manager at his side. The Scotsman then began to sing a song softly to himself. He was in an excellent mood it seemed. Henchard listened and could not help thinking about how true it was that his manager was a good man. He suddenly stopped walking and turned to his partner.

"You know, people are saying some things about me that are not very pleasant. That caused me to forget how good a person you really are. I'm sorry about that. Why don't you go ahead and value that hay on your own. They wanted you to do it anyway. I've got a meeting to attend in town at noon."

Donald Farfrae happily agreed to this and did not bother to ask further about what Henchard had heard people say. And so the damage to their friendship was repaired. However, from that time on, Mr Henchard would always feel a little jealous when he heard the Scotsman's name mentioned in town. And he stopped inviting Donald to join his family at dinner so often. Now they would be friendly business partners and nothing more.

(end of section)