CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

When Farfrae finally arrived home, he found that Henchard had been telling the truth. Guilt and regret rose up in him like it never had before. Before entering the bedroom, he learned from the doctor that his wife had been pregnant but had lost the baby earlier in the night. Farfrae then rushed to Lucetta's bedside and never once left it for the rest of the night.

No one is quite sure how much Lucetta told her husband that night when they were left alone in the bedroom. He certainly was told about her relationship with Henchard, but the rest he refused to share with anyone.

Meanwhile, Henchard, having found it impossible to sleep, ended up walking up and down Farfrae's street. Often he checked with the servants to see how everyone was doing. He did this until just after sunrise, a servant came out the door and removed the cloth that had been tied to the doorknocker in order to keep it from making noise.

"What are you doing?" he asked the servant.

"Mrs Farfrae has died."

Henchard then returned home and made a fire for himself. He sat, quietly, thinking of the past and feeling sorry for Farfrae. Then a knock came at his door. It was Elizabeth.

"Did you hear?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, "Please, come in and rest for a while. You've been up all night long. You can go rest in my room, while I prepare us some breakfast."

Elizabeth did as she was asked and Henchard began to set the table for their morning meal. His feelings for her had begun to change that evening as he had watched her waiting at the Farfrae's home. He now wanted to be a true father to her and he looked forward to a happy, comfortable future with her.

A second knock then came at the front door and a large man entered. He looked strong and healthy. His clothing also seemed fairly expensive.

"Mr Henchard?" he asked.

"That's me."

"I'm Newson. I don't know if you remember me. Years ago, we had a kind of business agreement in Weydon-Priors."

"Of course," Henchard answered, letting his eyes fall to the ground.

"I've been looking for you for almost two weeks now. I heard that Susan died, but that Elizabeth-Jane was living in this town. Would you know where she might be?"

"I thought you were dead," said Henchard.

"Well, after a while it became clear to me that Susan had changed her mind about our marriage. She no longer wanted to be with me. I decided, after my ship had gone through a storm and rumors had spread that we had all been killed ... I decided to let my wife continue to believe that. I knew that she'd return to you one day."

"I see. Well ... I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Elizabeth-Jane's also dead. We buried her next to her mother about a year-and-a-half ago."

"My God! Dead?" said the sailor, clearly upset by the news. "Then I guess my coming here has been a waste of time. I'm sorry to have bothered you. Goodbye." And then he left.

Henchard felt guilty for having lied, but he could not bear the idea of being alone. Elizabeth was the only person in the world who could keep him company now.

A little later, Elizabeth awoke. They had breakfast together and then both went their separate ways for the day, Henchard to work and Elizabeth to her net making. All day long, Henchard was bothered by the idea that Newson might return at any moment, learn the truth about his daughter, and take her away. He had lost so many people, Susan, Farfrae, Lucetta, and now Elizabeth. The thought made him terribly sad. It seemed to him that there was no reason to keep on living.

Towards evening, he walked out to the bridge where the unfortunate townspeople spent their time. No one was there. He walked up to a place in the stream that had a deep hole and took his shirt off in preparation to jump in and kill himself. Suddenly, however, he saw a body come floating up to the top of the hole. He looked closer and found that it was his own body! At once, he became terrified! However, looking even more closely, he saw that it was the doll that the townspeople had made of him. They must have thrown it in the stream after hearing about Lucetta's death.

Henchard then collected his shirt and walked back home. He found Elizabeth waiting for him and felt relieved that Newson had still not come back for her.

"Father, you don't look very good. What's wrong?" she asked.

"I found that doll they made of me floating near the bridge. I just can't stop wondering why I didn't die like Lucetta! Why am I still alive?"

Seeing Henchard so upset, Elizabeth began to worry more than ever about him. "Father, may I move in with you? I think you need someone to take care of you for a while."

The very next day, they began their life together again. From that day forward, Henchard made every effort to secure her happiness. He even accepted a small business selling seeds and roots that the Mayor's office soon offered him.

Farfrae, meanwhile, having learned the truth about his wife's death, decided not to punish Jopp and his friends for their "skimmity-ride". He respected his dead wife too much to have her past, once again, become the talk of the town. So he left it alone and went on with his life.

After a year, Henchard's new seed shop, with help from Elizabeth, was doing rather well. Their happiness seemed secure. However, one day, while in the market, Henchard noticed Farfrae's eyes following his Elizabeth through the crowd. From that time, he became worried that the Scotsman was trying to take his Elizabeth away from him.

Henchard began to secretly follow his stepdaughter on her early evening walks. He saw that every day she would walk out past the Roman theater to the sea, where she would quietly stand and look into the distance. On her way back, he saw that Farfrae almost always met her on the road. Although, Henchard could not hear their conversation, the nature of their relationship became obvious after seeing them kiss. Even though he was friendly with Farfrae now, it was still difficult for Henchard to accept.

(end of section)