CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

After reaching the bottom of the granary, Farfrae had been approached by Whittle with a note. In the note, Farfrae was asked to come to the town of Weatherbury for some urgent business. No name was signed at the bottom. The Scotsman, feeling he needed some time to be alone to think about the best way to deal with Henchard, decided to leave immediately.

In truth, a few local men in town wrote the note, because they knew that the "skimmity-ride" was going to happen that evening. They liked Farfrae and did not want him to have to see his wife treated cruelly. Of course, those who had arranged the "skimmity-ride" knew nothing about this note.

At eight o'clock that evening, as Lucetta was sitting in her living room, waiting for her husband to return, she suddenly heard the sound of strange music and people cheering. She got up to see what was happening outside, but was met at her front door by Elizabeth, whose heavy breathing showed that she had run there.

"Go back inside and close your window blinds!" Elizabeth cried, trying to push Lucetta back into the doorway.

Lucetta fought to remain outside in order to see what was happening. In a moment she saw a donkey carrying two human-sized dolls. One of the dolls was made to look like Henchard, while the other was wearing one of her own dresses. The dolls were tied together, back-to-back, so that one faced the head and the other the rear of the animal. People were running about the donkey with torches in their hands, yelling wildly to the strange music that was coming from somewhere behind.

"My God! That's me! They know!" cried Lucetta. She then fell to the floor. Her whole body shook uncontrollably and her eyes rolled back into her head. She was having a seizure.

Elizabeth shouted for the servants to get a doctor and to help her carry Lucetta up to her bedroom. The doctor soon arrived and examined the poor woman.

"Something is very wrong here," he said, "Where's Farfrae?"

"He should be back any time now," answered one of the servants.

"No, someone needs to find him and get him here quickly!" the doctor ordered.

Several men went toward Budmouth to try and find the Mayor as soon as possible, for Lucetta's life depended on seeing her husband. Her body had reacted very violently to the embarrassment and it did not seem strong enough to fight for its own life.

Henchard, after hearing the noise of the "skimmity-ride" pass the Farfrae's home and continue on to the edge of town, ran to Lucetta's front door. A servant told him about what had happened and that some men had gone to Budmouth to look for Mr Farfrae. Henchard then became full of terror, for Farfrae would be coming home from a different direction. He had gone to Weatherbury, not Budmouth! He immediately began to run in that direction out of town.

Soon, Farfrae's carriage could be heard approaching in the distance. Henchard could see that it was about to turn to the left and head toward another town, for Farfrae probably had another appointment elsewhere. Henchard then began to yell, "Farfrae! Wait!"

Farfrae saw Henchard, but did not trust him enough to stop and listen. He heard the man yelling to him, "It's your wife! She's terribly ill! The doctor asked that you come home right away!" However, the Scotsman believed that this might be a trick and that Henchard might have some friends hiding along the roadside, waiting to beat him, or maybe even kill him. He whipped his horses into a run and continued on his way to the town of Mellstock.

Henchard ran back to the Farfrae's home and announced that Donald would not be returning for at least another two hours. Everyone was extremely disappointed. Elizabeth had little hope.

"I'm afraid that those terrible people have killed her," she said.

Henchard returned to his home, where he found Jopp sitting quietly, looking very frightened.

"How's Mrs Farfrae?" he asked.

"Not good," Henchard answered.

"I was afraid of that," he said, putting his head in his hands. Then, suddenly looking back up for a moment, he said, "By the way, some sea captain came here looking for you."

"I can't be bothered with any visitors today," Henchard answered and then shut the door to his room.

(end of section)