Far From the Madding Crowd | Page 7

through the
plantation Vega sparkled like a lamp suspended amid the leafless trees,
and Cassiopeia's chair stood daintily poised on the uppermost boughs.
"One o'clock," said Gabriel.
Being a man not without a frequent consciousness that there was some
charm in this life he led, he stood still after looking at the sky as a
useful instrument, and regarded it in an appreciative spirit, as a work of
art superlatively beautiful. For a moment he seemed impressed with the
speaking loneliness of the scene, or rather with the complete abstraction
from all its compass of the sights and sounds of man. Human shapes,
interferences, troubles, and joys were all as if they were not, and there

seemed to be on the shaded hemisphere of the globe no sentient being
save himself; he could fancy them all gone round to the sunny side.
Occupied thus, with eyes stretched afar, Oak gradually perceived that
what he had previously taken to be a star low down behind the outskirts
of the plantation was in reality no such thing. It was an artificial light,
almost close at hand.
To find themselves utterly alone at night where company is desirable
and expected makes some people fearful; but a case more trying by far
to the nerves is to discover some mysterious companionship when
intuition, sensation, memory, analogy, testimony, probability, induction
-- every kind of evidence in the logician's list -- have united to persuade
consciousness that it is quite in isolation.
Farmer Oak went towards the plantation and pushed through its lower
boughs to the windy side. A dim mass under the slope reminded him
that a shed occupied a place here, the site being a cutting into the slope
of the hill, so that at its back part the roof was almost level with the
ground. In front it was formed of board nailed to posts and covered
with tar as a preservative. Through crevices in the roof and side spread
streaks and dots of light, a combination of which made the radiance
that had attracted him. Oak stepped up behind, where, leaning down
upon the roof and putting his eye close to a hole, he could see into the
interior clearly.
The place contained two women and two cows. By the side of the latter
a steaming bran-mash stood in a bucket. One of the women was past
middle age. Her companion was apparently young and graceful; he
could form no decided opinion upon her looks, her position being
almost beneath his eye, so that he saw her in a bird's-eye view, as
Milton's Satan first saw Paradise. She wore no bonnet or hat, but had
enveloped herself in a large cloak, which was carelessly flung over her
head as a covering.
"There, now we'll go home," said the elder of the two, resting her
knuckles upon her hips, and looking at their goings-on as a whole. "I do
hope Daisy will fetch round again now. I have never been more

frightened in my life, but I don't mind breaking my rest if she
recovers."
The young woman, whose eyelids were apparently inclined to fall
together on the smallest provocation of silence, yawned without parting
her lips to any inconvenient extent, whereupon Gabriel caught the
infection and slightly yawned in sympathy.
"I wish we were rich enough to pay a man to do these things," she said.
"As we are not, we must do them ourselves," said the other; "for you
must help me if you stay."
"Well, my hat is gone, however," continued the younger. "It went over
the hedge, I think. The idea of such a slight wind catching it."
The cow standing erect was of the Devon breed, and was encased in a
tight warm hide of rich Indian red, as absolutely uniform from eyes to
tail as if the animal had been dipped in a dye of that colour, her long
back being mathematically level. The other was spotted, grey and white.
Beside her Oak now noticed a little calf about a day old, looking
idiotically at the two women, which showed that it had not long been
accustomed to the phenomenon of eyesight, and often turning to the
lantern, which it apparently mistook for the moon, inherited instinct
having as yet had little time for correction by experience. Between the
sheep and the cows Lucina had been busy on Norcombe Hill lately.
"I think we had better send for some oatmeal," said the elder woman;
"there's no more bran."
"Yes, aunt; and I'll ride over for it as soon as it is light."
"But there's no side-saddle."
"I can ride on the other: trust me."
Oak, upon hearing these remarks, became more curious to observe her
features, but this prospect being denied him by the hooding effect of

the cloak, and