Far from the Madding Crowd Page #4

- Thank you, Oak.

- All right.

Bunch up, lads. Come on.

Give the man room.

- Will you sing us a song, mistress?

- Liddy.

- Oh, yeah. Mistress, sing us a song.

- Go on, then.

Gabriel.

Yes?

- Do you have your flute?

You'll need it. Pass up the flute.

- Will you play if I sing?

- Well, what shall it be, miss?

"Bushes and Briars."

- "Bushes and Briars."

- "Bushes and Briars."

Now, let's have a bit

of quiet for the mistress.

- Thank you.

- Very good.

- Thank you, mistress.

- That's great.

- Bravo.

- Well done.

- Good night.

- Thank you very much.

- Thank you.

Good night.

Let's get ready.

Come on.

Get up.

Come on.

Come on, give her a shot.

If I can believe...

...in any way

that I could make you a good wife...

...I will indeed be willing to marry you.

- Miss Everdene.

- But I cannot promise yet.

And I have not promised tonight.

You shall not regret it.

If it's in my power,

you shall not regret it.

When can I hope to hear?

Why, I shall not keep you in suspense

a moment longer than I need.

Please, don't decide hastily.

No, no, I won't.

Perhaps... Perhaps...

...by harvest time?

By harvest time.

By harvest time I shall know.

Yes, you shall have your answer.

But please remember,

I have not promised yet.

Good night, mate.

- Aah!

Good night.

Let me go.

I haven't got you.

- Is it a woman?

- You have.

And it is.

A lady, I should've said.

If you'll just give me the lantern

a moment...

...I'll unfasten you in no time.

Please do. I'm in a hurry.

Oh, dear. Oh, dear me.

It could be a long business. Mm.

Uh, unless you want me...

...to, uh, cut the material.

Then cut it.

You don't want me to do that.

No need. If you'll just, uh...

...hang on a moment, I'II, uh...

Hold still.

Be patient, patient.

You're not doing anything.

I'm looking at a beautiful face.

One of the most beautiful faces

I've ever seen.

Well, it's unwillingly shown.

- Oh. Ha, ha.

- Oh.

I like you the better for that

incivility, I must say.

You're making it worse on purpose.

Please go and leave me here.

Impossible, I'm afraid.

If I go, I shall drag you with me.

And, uh, ha, ha, if I leave you here,

well, I'm absolutely bound to stay...

...and keep you company.

- Who are you?

- Sergeant Troy, ma'am.

What are you doing here?

Before I entered the service

of Her Majesty...

...I used to live here.

I always come back for haymaking.

Ah, mm-hm. There we are. Free.

I only wished it had been

the knot of knots.

There's no untying.

Good night...

...beauty.

Ah, Miss Everdene,

little did I think it was you...

...the queen of the corn marketer herself,

I was speaking to the other night.

I'm sorry if I offended you.

But it does seem a bit hard.

What seems hard?

That ill luck should follow a man...

...for honestly telling a woman

she's beautiful.

It's not your honesty I take exception to.

It's your impudence.

Miss Everdene...

...you do forgive me, don't you?

I do not.

How can you blame me for your looks?

A woman like you...

...does more damage

than she can conceivably imagine.

Please go away.

I'd rather you didn't talk to me again.

I haven't been able to stop

thinking about you since I first met you.

- Oh.

Honestly.

I loved you then, at once...

...and I do now.

It's not possible.

There's no such sudden feeling in people.

Evening, Gabriel.

Sergeant Troy reporting

for sword exercise, ma'am.

Sit down.

First, I'll show you the cuts.

Cut one, as if you were sowing corn.

Cut two, as if you were hedging.

Cut three, as if you were reaping.

And four, as though you were threshing.

And from the left:

One. Two. Three. Four.

Now I'll show you

how they look in action. Stand up.

- You're the enemy, right?

- No!

You're not scared, are you?

No.

Because if you're scared, I can't perform.

I promise I won't touch you.

Don't move.

- Is it very sharp?

- No, got no edge at all.

Hold still.

- Are you sure you're not scared?

- Sure.

Of course, we usually do them

from horseback.

I'll show you.

Hold still. There's a caterpillar on you.

Don't move.

Wait a moment.

There's a lock of hair needs tidying.

Bravely borne. Wonderful in a woman.

How did you do that

with a sword that has no edge?

No edge?

This sword will shave like a razor.

But you said it...

I've been within an inch of my life.

I wouldn't say that.

I'd say half an inch...

...of being pared alive 295 times.

If he marry her,

she'll give up farming, all right.

Well, I wish I had half such a husband.

I'd give up farming, all right.

I've heard he's had almost as many girls...

...as there are letters in the alphabet.

Mistress will be Y or zed, at the least.

Temperance, Money, you're dreadful.

I heard what you said.

So don't waste time denying it.

I simply want you to know

I don't care for Mr. Troy in the least.

- So don't let me catch you gossiping again.

We wouldn't.

Because I don't care for him.

In fact, I hate him.

Do you understand? Hate him.

- I hate him too, miss.

- We all hate him, miss.

He's a wild scamp.

You do right to hate him.

What do you mean wild scamp?

How dare you to my face.

By what right have you to hate him?

You or anyone?

Not that I care for him. I don't.

I don't.

If I catch any of you

saying a word against him...

...I'll have you dismissed instantly,

understand?

It's your fault. What you said that for?

You gossip.

Oh, stop. It's not funny.

Storm's passing now, miss.

Fine tomorrow.

I hope you're not still angry, miss.

Angry? Oh, no, no.

People always say such foolery.

From now on I'm gonna tell them,

"A lady like Miss Everdene can't love him."

I'll say that in plain black and white.

You fool, can't you see?

- Aren't you a woman yourself?

- Miss?

I love him to the very distraction

and misery and agony.

Liddy, come here.

Tell me...

...the things they say about him...

...tell me they're not true.

They're not true.

No, miss.

I don't... No, I'm sure they're not true.

You only agree with me like that

to please me.

He cannot be bad as they said.

Do you hear?

Yes, miss, yes.

And you don't believe he is?

Well, I don't know what to say, miss.

If I say no, you don't believe me.

If I say yes, you rage at me.

Well, say you don't believe it.

Say you don't!

I don't believe him to be so bad

as they make out.

He's not bad at all. I know he isn't.

It's just jealousy and gossip

that makes them say so.

Anyway, he's not here...

...for a few days.

I don't often cry, do I, Lid?

Why is loving such a misery?

- I shall be ruined, Lid. I know I shall.

- Oh, no, miss.

If he comes back to Weatherbury...

Then he must not, miss.

He mustn't come back here.

No...

...he mustn't.

Ladies and gentlemen,

and listen to a tale of adventure...

...of a life of which

you have never heard before.

This is the tale of Captain Cook,

and this is his ship.

From there, he sailed on

into uncharted seas.

Never before entered by civilized man.

At last, they sighted land, and soon...

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