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Gabriel Oak falls in love |
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Gabriel Oak was a sensible man of good character, |
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who had been brought up by his father as a shepherd, |
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and then managed to save enough money |
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to rent his own farm on Norcombe Hill, in Dorset. |
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He was twenty eight, a tall, well built man, |
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who did not seem, however, |
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to think his appear ance was very important. |
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|
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One winter morning |
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he was in one of his fields on the side of Norcombe Hill . |
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Looking over his gate, |
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Gabriel could see a yellow cart, |
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loaded with furniture and plants, |
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coming up the road. |
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Right on top of the pile |
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sat a handsome young woman |
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As Gabriel was watching, |
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the cart stopped at the top of the hill, |
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and the driver climbed down to go back |
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and fetch some thing that had fallen off. |
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|
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The girl sat quietly in the sunshine for a few minutes. |
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Then she picked up a parcel lying next to her, |
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and looked round to see if the driver was coming back. |
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There was no sign of him. |
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She unwrapped the parcel, |
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and took out the mirror it contained. |
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The sun shone on her lovely face and hair. |
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Although it was December, |
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she looked almost summery, |
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sitting there in her bright red jacket |
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with the fresh green plants around her. |
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She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, |
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thinking that only the birds could see her. |
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But behind the gate Gabriel Oak was watching too. |
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|
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' She must be rather vain,' he thought. |
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' She doesn' t need to look in that mirror at all! ' |
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|
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As the girl smiled and blushed at herself, |
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she seemed to be dreaming, |
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dreaming perhaps of men' s hearts won and lost. |
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When she heard the driver' s footsteps, |
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she packed the mirror away. |
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The cart moved on downhill to the toll gate. |
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Gabriel followed on foot. |
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As he came closer he could hear the driver arguing with the gatekeeper. |
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|
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' My mistress' s niece, |
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that' s her on top of the furniture, |
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is not going to pay you the extra twopence ,' |
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said the driver. |
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' She says she' s offered you quite enough already. ' |
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|
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' Well, if she doesn' t pay the toll, |
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your mistress' s niece can' t pass through the gate,' |
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replied the gatekeeper. |
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|
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Gabriel thought that twopence did not seem worth bothering about, |
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so he stepped forward. |
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' Here,' he said, |
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handing the coins to the gatekeeper, |
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' let the young woman pass. ' |
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|
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The girl in the red jacket looked carelessly down at Gabriel, |
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and told her man to drive on, |
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without even thanking the farmer. |
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Gabriel and the gatekeeper watched the cart move away. |
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' That' s a lovely young woman,' |
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said the gatekeeper. |
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|
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' But she has her faults,' |
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answered Gabriel. |
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' True, farmer. ' |
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' And the greatest of them is what it always is with women. ' |
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' Wanting to win the argument every time? Oh, you' re right. ' |
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' No, her great fault is that she' s vain. ' |
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A few days later, |
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at nearly midnight on the longest night of the year, |
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Gabriel Oak could be heard playing his flute on Norcombe Hill. |
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The sky was so clear and the stars so visible |
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that the earth could almost be seen turning. |
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In that cold, hard air |
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the sweet notes of the flute rang out. |
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The music came from a little hut on wheels, |
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standing in the corner of a field. |
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Shep herds' huts like this are used as a shelter during the winter and spring, |
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when shepherds have to stay out all night in the fields, |
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looking after very young lambs. |
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|
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Gabriel' s two hundred and fifty sheep were not yet paid for |
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He knew that, in order to make a success of the farming business, |
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he had to make sure they produced a large number of healthy lambs. |
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So he was determined to spend as many nights as necessary in the fields, |
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to save his lambs from dying of cold or hunger. |
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|
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The hut was warm and quite comfortable inside. |
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There was a stove, |
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and some bread and beer on a shelf. |
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On each side of the hut was a round hole like a window, |
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which could be closed with a piece of wood. |
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These air holes were usually kept open when the stove was burning, |
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because too much smoke in a small, |
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airless hut could kill the shepherd. |
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|
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From time to time the sound of the flute stopped, |
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and Gabriel came out of his hut to check his sheep. |
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Whenever he discovered a halfdead new lamb, |
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he brought the creature into the hut. |
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In front of the stove it soon came back to life, |
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and then he could return it to its mother. |
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|
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He noticed a light further down the hill. |
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It came from a wooden hut at the edge of a field. |
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He walked down to it and put his eye to a hole in the wood. |
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Inside, two women were feeding a sick cow. |
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One of the women was middle aged. |
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The other was young and wore a cloak. |
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Gabriel could not see her face. |
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|
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' I think she' ll be all right now, aunt,' |
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said the younger woman. |
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' I can come and feed her again in the morning. |
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What a pity I lost my hat on the way here!' |
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Just then the girl dropped her cloak, |
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and her long hair fell on to the shoulders of her red jacket. |
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Gabriel recognized the girl of the yellow cart and the mirror, |
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the girl who owed him twopence. |
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|
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The women left the hut, |
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and Gabriel returned to his sheep. |
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As the sun was rising the next morning, |
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Gabriel waited outside his hut |
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until he saw the young woman riding up the hill. |
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She was sitting sideways on the horse |
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in the usual lady' s position. |
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He suddenly thought of the hat she had lost, |
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searched for it, |
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and found it among some leaves on the ground. |
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He was just going to go up to her to give it back, |
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when the girl did something very strange. |
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Riding under the low branches of a tree, |
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she dropped backwards flat on the horse' s back, |
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with her feet on its shoulders. |
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Then, first looking round to make sure no one was watching, |
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she sat up straight again and pulled her dress to her knees, |
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with her legs on either side of the horse. |
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This was obviously easier for riding, |
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but not very ladylike. |
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Gabriel was surprised and amused by her behaviour. |
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He waited until she returned from her aunt' s hut, |
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and stepped out into the path in front of her. |
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' I found a hat,' he said. |
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' It' s mine,' she said. |
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She put it on and smiled. ' It flew away. ' |
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' At one o' clock this morning?' |
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|
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' Well, yes. I needed my hat this morning. |
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I had to ride to the hut in that field, |
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where there' s a sick cow belonging to my aunt. ' |
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|
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' Yes, I know. I saw you. ' |
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' Where?' she asked, horrified. |
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' Riding all the way up the hill, along the path,' |
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said Gabriel, thinking of her unladylike position on the horse' s back. |
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A deep blush spread from her head to her neck. |
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Gabriel turned sympathetically away, |
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wondering when he dared look at her again. |
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When he turned back, she had gone. |
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|
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Five mornings and evenings passed. |
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The young woman came regularly to take care of the sick cow, |
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but never spoke to Gabriel. |
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He felt very sorry he had offended her so much |
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by telling her he had seen her when she thought she was alone. |
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Then, one freezing night, |
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Gabriel returned, exhausted, to his hut. |
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The warm air from the stove made him sleepy, |
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and he forgot to open one of the airholes before going to sleep. |
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The next thing he knew was that the girl |
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with the lovely face was 10 with him in the hut, |
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holding his head in her arms. |
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|
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' Whatever is happening?' |
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he asked, only half conscious. |
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|
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' Nothing now,' she answered,' |
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but you could have died in this hut of yours. ' |
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|
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' Yes, I suppose I could,' said Gabriel. |
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He was hoping he could stay there, close to her, |
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for a long time He wanted to tell her so, |
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but he knew he could not express himself well, |
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so he stayed silent. |
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' How did you find me?' |
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he asked in the end. |
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|
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' Oh, I heard your dog scratching at the door, |
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so I came to see what the matter was. |
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I opened the door, |
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and found you unconscious. |
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It must have been the smoke from the stove. ' |
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|
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' I believe you saved my life, Miss |
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I don' t know your name. |
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|
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' There' s no need to know it. |
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I probably won' t see you again. ' |
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|
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' My name is Gabriel Oak. ' |
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|
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' Mine isn' t. |
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You sound very proud of your name. ' |
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|
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' Well, it' s the only one I shall ever have. ' |
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' I don' t like mine. ' |
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|
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' I should think you' ll soon get a new one. ' |
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|
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' Well! That' s my business, Gabriel Oak. ' |
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|
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' I' m not very clever at talking, miss, |
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but I want to thank you. |
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Come, give me your hand!' |
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|
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She hesitated, then offered her hand. |
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He took it, but held it for only a moment. |
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' I' m sorry,' he said. |
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' I didn' t mean to let your hand go so quickly. ' |
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|
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' You may have it again then. Here it is. ' |
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|
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Gabriel held it longer this time. |
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' How soft it is, even in winter, |
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not rough at all! ' he said. |
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|
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' there, that' s long enough,' she said, |
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but without pulling it away. |
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' But I suppose you' re thinking you' d like to kiss it? |
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You may if you want to. ' |
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|
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' I wasn' t thinking any such thing,' |
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said Gabriel,' but' |
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|
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' Oh no you won' t!' |
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She pulled her hand sharply away. ' |
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Now discover my name,' she added, |
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laughing, and left. |