CHAPTER SIXTEEN

That night, Lucetta and Elizabeth got to know each other a little better. The newly arrived woman found herself so comfortable with Elizabeth that she began to talk about parts of her life that she had planned never to mention again to anyone. She even admitted that she was from Jersey. However, there was little danger in telling Elizabeth this information.

The following morning, Lucetta told her new housemate that she was expecting a visitor. She did not mention that it was Henchard, however. Both women sat patiently in the living room, looking out upon the market that was presently full of people.

Soon Mr Henchard's hat could be seen passing in front of the house. Elizabeth then noticed Mr Farfrae standing under an apple tree that had been brought to town for sale. He followed Henchard with his eyes, seeming to want to say "hello"; Henchard, however, gave him an unfriendly look and walked on by.

The day went on and eventually the market closed. Henchard did not once come to visit. Nor did he come the next day or the several days that followed. Lucetta was very disappointed. She still wanted to marry him, even though she had now become wealthy and no longer needed his support. However, it was true that she no longer had as much feeling for him as she had before. Her love had turned a bit cold over the years.

One morning, Lucetta asked Elizabeth why her father never came to visit.

"He and I don't get along," she answered, "He avoided me when I lived with him. I can't see why he would come looking for me now."

Suddenly, great tears came to Lucetta's eyes. Of course, Elizabeth could not understand what was wrong. She did not realize right away that, once again, she was no longer wanted.

Immediately, Lucetta began to think up ways to get her housemate out of her home for the morning. She asked Elizabeth to run to several stores to buy numerous items and she even suggested that she visit the town's museum before returning.

As soon as Elizabeth left the house, Lucetta had a letter delivered to Henchard. In the letter, she wrote the following:

Michael—I will be alone this morning. I've sent your daughter out on errands. Please do not avoid me any longer.

Lucetta

Later that morning, she heard a knock at her front door and asked her servant to answer. A feeling of nervousness suddenly came over her, so she hid herself behind a window curtain in the living room. She waited until the man entered the room and then released the curtain that hid her from view. Much to her surprise, it was not her lover.

It was a much younger gentleman; wearing very fine clothing and holding a riding whip in his hand.

"I'm sorry. I was expecting someone else," explained Miss Templeman.

"No, I should apologize. I came without an appointment to see Miss Henchard. Is she here?" asked the gentleman.

"She's not, but why don't you have a seat. She won't be long," Miss Templeman lied. She, like everyone else in town, including Henchard, found the Scotsman's company very pleasing and did not want him to leave right away.

"May I ask where you're from?" inquired Farfrae.

"I come from around Bath," the woman answered.

"And I'm from Scotland, as I'm sure you already guessed. I miss my homeland, but I have to say that I'm doing quite well here. Why, this year, I made more than any other hay and corn dealer in town. No one in town seems to know how to run a business. There's hardly any competition at all. It's almost like taking candy from a baby. Although I hate to sound so cruel."

Lucetta found Farfrae interesting. His character seemed to have two very different sides: the cold, businessman and the warm, passionate man who missed his homeland.

Just then, voices could be heard outside the living room windows. Both Lucetta and Donald turned their faces to see who was there. They found an ancient-looking man of delicate health standing next to a farmer and another man, who was apparently the old man's son. The farmer offered the boy a job on his farm, thirty-five miles from town; however, he only had room for two people, the boy and his elderly father. Suddenly crying could then be heard, and a young woman appeared. She was the girlfriend of the young man and she was terribly sad that she would now have to lose her lover. Thirty-five miles, back in those days, was almost like the other side of the world to most people.

Both Lucetta and Farfrae got tears in their eyes watching the young man take the girl in his arms. This would be the last time that they would get to see one another.

Farfrae suddenly jumped out of his chair and ran outside. Lucetta saw him approach the young man, the girl, and the young man's father. He spoke to them and their faces all quickly changed to smiles. After a few more moments he shook hands with the young man and then returned to Lucetta's living room.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I offered them a job with me. Now they can stay in town," he answered.

Lucetta could not believe how good a man he was. Her already high opinion of him grew even higher. She then noticed that he seemed bothered by something as he looked out the window.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I see a man out there looking for me. I'd forgotten that I was supposed to meet him this morning."

"Well, you'd better go, then."

Farfrae did not move however. He kept staring out the window.

"Shouldn't you go?" Lucetta asked.

"I'm sorry. Yes, I should, but I've really enjoyed our time together."

"Yes, it was quite interesting."

"And special, I'd say."

"No, not special at all, but nice."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking about it for the rest of the day and night," he said.

"If, by chance, you hear some bad talk about me in town," Lucetta began, suddenly looking concerned, "don't believe a word of it."

"Don't worry, I won't," he answered and then left for the market. He had completely forgotten about looking for Elizabeth.

Only a few minutes after the Scotsman had gone, another knock came at the door. The servant told her that it was the Mayor. Lucetta, in her suddenly changed mood, ordered that the Mayor be told to come back another day, as she was not feeling well. She had come to Casterbridge to marry him, but her feeling about this had now changed. It was much less important to her. If Henchard had come to her sooner, she would have been his. Other possibilities, however, had recently presented themselves quite naturally.

Now, it was no longer a problem for Elizabeth to stay in her home. In fact, Lucetta hoped that she would stay for quite a long time, for she might keep her father from visiting.

(end of section)