Works of Thomas Hardy discussion
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The Three Strangers
Wessex Tales (short stories)
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The Three Strangers (from Wessex Tales) hosted by Connie
Connie wrote: "Day 3 SummaryThe shepherd said, "Walk in!" after the gaunt stranger knocked. The man's hat hung low over his eyes, hiding his appearance until he checked out the people around the room. The sheph..."
Sorry to be a day late, Connie.
I find this first stranger very interesting. He's cautious (timid?) and wary. He looked over the guests before removing his hat. Made me wonder what (or who?) he was looking for. But perhaps it's just his cautious (timid?) side coming out, or maybe he's tired after trudging around in the rain? He's a bit of a puzzle at this point.
Jean, thanks for the pictures of the cottage. Henry Macbeth-Raeburn's picture really brings out the dismal, miserable conditions of that night. I wouldn't have hesitated to quickly knock on the door of any cottage to get out of that driving rain. That makes the stranger's hesitation a bit more puzzling.
I laughed when the second stranger drained the large mug of mead and Mrs. Fennel's distress at this was mentioned. She must have been at wit's end to know how to control this unexpected drainage of food and drink. She's quite a comic character in this story. I like her. The second stranger is quite presumptuous, what with his refusing what is offered and wanting only the best. These people are strangers to him and offering him a rest place, after all. They owe him nothing. Yet he seems to expect that they are there to serve him in some manner. I don't think I like this guy.
Mod
I'm hesitant as well about the behavior of this new stranger, but I also found him funny (maybe I'm reading that wrong). This part especially made me chuckle:
"moved by its (the meade) creeping influence, (the stranger) unbuttoned his waistcoat, threw himself back in his chair, spread his legs, and made his presence felt in various ways"
It's obnoxious for sure, but he reminded me of this modern term called "man spreading", where a man sits down and stretches his legs long and wide taking up the most possible space.
**I previously thought I'd tried meade, but after Connie's links I realize what I really had was mulled wine. Plateresca, I very much like your decision to stay with dogs and not bees :-) - though making meade does sound fun.
Several people have mentioned the family mug, and Hardy has a poet's way of describing it:". . . the family mug - a huge vessel of brownware, having its upper edge worn away like a threshold by the rub of whole generations of thirsty lips that had gone the way of all flesh . . ."
What family history the mug has seen that it has been worn down by the generations drinking from it!
Plateresca, I would feel much better with dogs than with bees too. We're dogsitting for our friendly "granddog" this week, a lovely Golden Retreiver. You're right about this story being passed down as a humorous, mysterious anecdote in the region. Many of the Wessex tales have some basis in fact or folklore - to which Hardy has added his own special touches.Petra, I'm enjoying the humor between Shepherd and Shepherdess Fennel too. She's definitely keeping an eye on those two strangers, and the level of the mead in the cup!
Bridget, the second stranger certainly made his presence known! He had a disagreeable sense of self-importance that made me want to know more about him.
I only tried mead once at a party where there was a big cooler full of drinks to choose from. It was too sweet and heavy for my taste. I would be a favorite with Mrs Fennel since I wouldn't drink up her mead!
Day 5 - SummaryThe second stranger did not reply immediately when asked again about his occupation, but the man in the chimney-corner informed the group that he was a wheelwright. The hedge-carpenter said that his fingers were full of thorns so you can generally tell what a man's trade is by looking at his hands.
The second stranger said, "True, but the oddity of my trade is that, instead of setting a mark upon me, it sets a mark upon my customers."
The shepherd's wife called for another song, and the stranger at the table volunteered to sing himself. He began:
"Oh, my trade it is the rarest one,
Simple shepherds all --
My trade is a sight to see;
For my customers I tie, and take them up high
And waft 'em to a far countree!"
The only person in the room who joined him in a chorus was the first stranger in the chimney-corner. The guests wondered if he was singing an old song or composing one of his own. They were as perplexed as the guests at Belshazzar's feast, except for the first stranger who asked him to sing a second verse.
The next verse ended:
"A little hempen string, and a post where to swing,
Are implements enough for me!"
The crowd was shocked as they realized that the singer was headed to the Casterbridge Prison. A poor clockmaker, Timothy Summers, had stolen a sheep to feed his starving family. His sentence was to be carried out tomorrow morning!
Belshazzar's Feast - Belshazzar used vessels that had been looted in the destruction of the First Temple when he held a huge feast. A hand appeared, and wrote something he could not decipher on the wall. Belshazzar sent for the wise Daniel who reminded him that his father, Nebuchadnezzar, was punished when he became arrogant. Daniel read and interpreted the message that Belshazzar's kingdom would be given to others."The writing on the wall" is an idiomatic expression that suggests a portent of doom or misfortune based on the story of Belshazzar's feast in the Biblical Book of Daniel - Chapter 5.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belshaz...
Hangings - The Office of the ExecutionerWhat type of person applies for the position of a hangman?
Gilmartin and Mengham in Thomas Hardy's Shorter Fiction: A Critical Study write:
"The office of the executioner always attracted numerous applicants for the job in the nineteenth century, even though it was not especially well-paid. One has to infer that the theatricality, the power and the ritualistic nature of the execution held a fascination for those who wanted the position. A man did not have to be educated to become a hangman . . . but his job gave him the right to stand beside the sheriff, chaplain and surgeon on a stage before thousands. There, after prayers and a special order of words and ceremony, the hangman would be the center of attention, aside from the person to be hanged."
The second stranger, the hangman, feels that he can be rude to the Fennels by drinking up their supply of mead because he knows that people fear him. He has an oversized feeling of his own worth.
I'll post more about the hangman - and Hardy's experiences - on Day 6. Over to you.
Bionic Jean wrote: "The quotation "conceive and meditate of pleasant things" could also be Biblical, but I'm not sure which edition." (from messages 19 & 20), Plateresca & Jean
Well, I'm now hooked. The phrase is from Isaiah, a major prophet in the Old Testament.
"Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions!
Leave this way,
get off this path . . . "
Isaiah 30:10b-11a (NIV)
I am intrigued, as at this point Isaiah is issuing warnings to God's people, as they are rebellious and unwilling to listen to the prophet's messages.
Connie wrote: "Jean, thanks for the information about the ruined cottage at Fiddler's Green. For anyone familiar with the area, the Thomas Hardy Society has a map of walks in the area. I was unable to get a direc..."Jean & Connie You are killing me! To think that you can get up and take walks where Thomas Hardy lived, to say nothing of Charles Dickens . . . "
Lee G wrote: "Connie wrote: "Jean, thanks for the information about the ruined cottage at Fiddler's Green. For anyone familiar with the area, the Thomas Hardy Society has a map of walks in the area. I was unable..."Lee, I live in the United States and only visit the homes of Hardy and Dickens virtually through Jean's delightful groups!
Thanks for your input on the Biblical quote.
Connie, thank you so much for the info on the hangmen! I imagined nobody would want to do the job, and that hence the executioners would be well-paid. It turns out it was quite the reverse.So we know that the first stranger's occupation can be guessed by his hands, since he hurried to hide them, and we also know he pretends to be of a lower social class than he is. A wheelwright? This might well be the first thought of a clock-maker, both professionals work with wheels.
The tone of the story has become much more sinister. The second stranger being obnoxious, it becomes more of a thriller.
Plateresca, it's fun to speculate on the occupation of the first stranger! He's shown us in several ways that he's hiding something, but he's keeping his composure. I really like him as a character. "The wheels in your head are turning"too, as the old expression goes.
Connie, I like him, too! In fact, I keep thinking of this scene in The Fellowship of the Ring:'Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shadows near the wall, was also listening intently to the hobbit-talk. He had a tall tankard in front of him, and was smoking a long-stemmed pipe curiously carved. His legs were stretched out before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were now caked with mud. [...] in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that overshadowed his face; but the gleam of his eyes could be seen as he watched the hobbits.'
(view spoiler)
And, of course, it's very hobbit-like to gather in large groups, eat, drink, and sing, and to be friendly :)
Plateresca wrote: "Connie, I like him, too! In fact, I keep thinking of this scene in The Fellowship of the Ring:'Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shad..."
The hobbits of Wessex having a christening party???
I am not sure the hobbits have christenings, but they surely have birthdays! :)
Biblical references - I'm not sure where this leaves us, but I'd like to bring these together - please correct me if I'm wrong:- Belshazzar's feast is mentioned;
- Belshazzar's father was Nebuchadnezzar (the family must have found the letter z particularly appealing), and the same Mr. N. is mentioned in the very beginning: 'withdrawing space enough to isolate a Timon or a Nebuchadnezzar';
- and in the same paragraph with Mr. N. there are 'pleasant things' which might be a reference to the prophet Isaiah, while the story of the feast features Daniel, who is also a prophet.
Plateresca wrote: "Biblical references - I'm not sure where this leaves us, but I'd like to bring these together - please correct me if I'm wrong:- Belshazzar's feast is mentioned;
- Belshazzar's father was Nebuchad..."
Plateresca, both Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar disregarded God and were unjust to their fellow man. Daniel is the prophet or wise man that seems to be interpreting God's wishes to the rulers, and told them that they would be punished if they didn't reform. The group at the party is seeing the writing on the wall.
I guess we'll have to see where the story goes. We don't want to say too much now, but it would be interesting to come back to this possible foreshadowing at the end of the story, Plateresca. It would be great if Lee could help us put it all together at the end of the story with her excellent knowledge of the Bible.
Day 6 - SummaryThe second stranger clinked his cup with the one held by the first stranger in the chimney-corner, who seemed to be the only one who appreciated his humor.
There was a faint knock on the door, and Shepherd Fennel again said, "Walk in!"
A short, small, nicely dressed stranger entered, and began to ask for directions when the second stranger broke out in song again. The third verse ended in:
"To-morrow is a working day for me:
For the farmer's sheep is slain, and the lad who did it ta'en,
And on his soul may God ha' merc-y!"
The stranger in the chimney-corner again joined the singer in the chorus.
The third stranger looked terrified and started shaking, and he turned and fled from the cottage.
The other guests were becoming uncomfortable, and regarded the second stranger as the Prince of Darkness himself. They left a circle of empty space between them and the man they regarded as the devil.
". . . cirulus, cujus centrum diabolus."
The silence in the room was broken by the sound of the shooting of a gun coming from the direction of the county town. The singer said it meant that a prisoner had escaped from the jail.
There was speculation that the trembling third stranger might be the escaped prisoner. "We were all a-wondering what made him run off in such a fright," faltered one of the women against the wall, "and now 'tis explained!"
". . . circulus, cujus centrum diabolus"This translates to "the circle, whose center is the Devil."
There are several interpretations of this circle. Kristin Brady, in The Short Stories of Thomas Hardy writes:
The Latin quotation could refer to the ability of a conjuror to call up the devil and to contain his power by drawing a chalk circle around him. In any case, it is clear that the rural community instinctively rejects the hangmen, not indigenous to its locality or way of life, as an instrument of justice."
Another interpretation of the circle is that the quotation refers to Dante's The Inferno where Satan is portrayed as a demon, up to his waist in a frozen lake. The devil is isolated in the center of the fourth ring of the ninth circle of Hell.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante%2...
It's interesting that the circle has been used over the ages both in reference to the devil and to God. For example, Empedocles (494-434 BC) refers to an infinite circle:
"The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere."
Drawing of Lucifer, by Sandro Botticelli, c 1485, via University of Aix-Marseille
https://www.thecollector.com/lucifer-...
Hardy Witnessed HangingsSixteen-year-old Thomas Hardy witnessed the hanging of Elizabeth Martha Browne in August 1856.
Claire Tomalin writes in her Thomas Hardy biography:
"When he was eighteen, he took his father's telescope out onto the heath on the morning a man was due to be hanged at the prison, three miles away, to test out if it could be seen at such a distance. This time he was horrified to catch the very moment the body dropped, regretted his intention instantly and took himself 'creeping homeward wishing he had not been so curious.' He never watched a hanging again, and when he came to write Tess of the D'Urbervilles (view spoiler)
The PrisonThe county town was the fictional Casterbridge, based on Dorchester. The Dorchester Prison was built in 1795, and was closed in 2013.
The prison has a website for its guided tours that has a few photos and some information about Hardy:
https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/d...
Connie, thank you for all this info! This is very interesting, and, of course, it greatly enhances our reading of the story.I still think the first stranger could be the accused, although that leaves us wondering about the identity of the third stranger, - and vice versa, if the third one is the escaped prisoner, then who is the first one?.. It's a mystery :)
I'm afraid the party is not a great success at the moment. Where is the child that has been christened, I wonder, and why is this child so unnaturally quiet?
Mod
The county town was the fictional Casterbridge, based on Dorchester. The Dorchester Prison was built in 1795, and was closed in 2013.
The prison has a website for its guided tours that..."
Thank you for the extra information, Connie. I followed the link to the prison, and its very interesting. That must have been awful for Hardy to see an execution - even from a distance through binoculars - and how he chose to end "Tess" makes total sense.
I thought the shepherd's hooks on the wall took on an eerie feeling in the section from yesterday, as the hangman glances at them before he starts singing. So the mood is changing.
I know all the guests are speculating the third stranger is the escaped prisoner, it would certainly explain his terror at seeing the hangman. But I am wondering, would an escaped prisoner be dressed in a "decent suit of dark clothes"?
Bridget wrote: "But I am wondering, would an escaped prisoner be dressed in a "decent suit of dark clothes"?"Aha! But do you remember that the first stranger was described thus:
'Notwithstanding the regularity of his tread, there was caution in it, as in that of one who mentally feels his way; and despite the fact that it was not a black coat nor a dark garment of any sort that he wore, there was something about him which suggested that he naturally belonged to the black-coated tribes of men.'
So maybe they are wearing each other's clothes.
Theoretically, they could both be escaped prisoners, but that would not be the most exciting solution :)
Plateresca and Bridget, it looks like Hardy is throwing in some red herrings to mislead us! You've both found reasons to suspect either of the strangers. Since Sherlock Holmes has not arrived on the scene yet, I guess we'll have to wait a few days to find out who is the thief.Plateresca, the child is sleeping upstairs and is mentioned briefly soon. She sleeps better than my daughters would have, especially through the noise of the serpent. The hangman has certainly ruined the joy and fun of the party.
Bridget, I agree that it must have been a shock to see the execution through the binoculars. He didn't even get a chance to get mentally ready for the event before putting the binoculars to his eyes and seeing the body fall. I think he grew up emotionally between the ages of 16 and 18, and realized the serious nature of taking a life.
Things are getting tense in the cottage. I love how Hardy is building the mood. This is one party that will not be forgotten. It's going to be repeated a lot throughout the countryside, I think.
Mysterious, for sure. What made the third stranger bolt like that?! Hardy is keeping us guessing.
It's actually a rather funny (and mysterious) scene. I imagine the shock and surprise at having a stranger enter one's house, then run away in fear and terror.
Petra wrote: "Things are getting tense in the cottage. I love how Hardy is building the mood. This is one party that will not be forgotten. It's going to be repeated a lot throughout the countryside, I think. ..."
You are so right, Petra! Since we know that Hardy based the Wessex tales on oral tales, the story is being told fifty years later! The story seems to be building suspense like a thriller, then Hardy will throw something in to make us laugh.
Day 7 - SummaryThe alarm gun from the prison continued to fire at intervals. The hangman asked, "Is there a constable here? If so, let him step forward."
A man of fifty stepped quavering out from the wall, and the hangman told him to pursue the criminal with assistance from the group.
The constable replied that he will after he goes and gets his staff with the king's crown and other markings painted on it. He considers the staff as a symbol of his authority from the king.
The hangman said that he was a king's man himself and can give him the authority to chase the criminal.
It's a bit of a farce with the hangman calling out orders, and the timid constable repeating his orders and adding, "And do as we in authority tell ye!" The constable is trying to gain prestige in the eyes of the crowd. The men gathered stout staves, pitchforks, and lanterns and started the search.
Meanwhile, the baby started crying in an upstairs room, and the women went up to comfort her.
Life and DeathWhen the baby cries, it's a reminder that this is a day to celebrate new life. Meanwhile in contrast, the hangman is planning a death.
The constable's staff". . . there's the king's royal crown a painted on en in yaller and gold, and the lion and the unicorn, so as when I raise en up and hit my prisoner, 'tis made a lawful blow thereby."
The constable's staff would have helped him feel like an authority figure, and give him courage. Hardy does seem to be having fun with him as a comic figure.
The lion represents England and the unicorn represents Scotland. They support the shield on the coat of arms.
George IV was the King of England in the 1920s, and this is his coat of arms (from Wikipedia):
This article tells about the various symbols in the royal coat of arms, although a more modern version is pictured:
https://www.britroyals.com/arms.asp
Some police truncheons were quite elaborately decorated with symbols from the crown or their municipality. I could only find a site that sells antique police truncheons, JC Militaria, but the photos are interesting:
https://www.jcmilitaria.com/police_tr...
Connie wrote: "". . . circulus, cujus centrum diabolus". This translates to "the circle, whose center is the Devil."Connie I have been researching the idea of a circle representing God (and the Holy Trinity, which is three in one) and the circle as representing the Devil. The other symbol common in numerology is the number three, as expressed by the three strangers. Three is a powerful symbol of good things to come, or of natural cycles such as birth, life and death.
Apparently in both classical and medieval times, the circle as an image was frequently used in theological texts, and references to it are also found in 13th century Christian mystic Bonaventure's Bonaventure: The Soul's Journey into God / The Tree of Life / The Life of St. Francis. Bonaventure writes of God as being
. . . "totally within all things and totally outside them
and thus 'is an intelligible sphere
whose center is everywhere
and whose circumference is nowhere'".
Bonadventure attributes this concept of God to Alan of Lille, in Regulae Theologicae. Because the quote appears in various medieval theological treatises, this tells me that Hardy is deliberately utilizing a symbol of the circle which is both ancient and modern, and which demonstrates humanity's separation from the Divine, whether it be God or the fallen angel Satan.
The members of the party formed a circle around the third stranger out of fear, which is where we encountered the "circulus, cujus centrum diabolus" referring of course to the devil. I don't know why Hardy didn't also make a reference to the Holy One instead of just provoking the image of the Devil.
Sorry for the length.
Lee, thank you for all your information about the meaning of the circle. I imagine Hardy was trying to show that the crowd viewed the hangman as the Devil, and were trying to create a space away from the Devil. They were emotionally isolating themselves from him, and feared him as you mentioned.The gathering was not trying to separate themselves from God, and were actually celebrating a christening, a bond with God. So God was already enveloping them.
I think it's really interesting that the circle can be used in association with both God and the Devil. Both Empedocles, who I had mentioned above the image of Lucifer, and Bonadventure seem to be using the infinite sphere to show that God is everywhere with no boundary. So we are always embraced by God.
However, the gathering was forming a circle, not a sphere, around the Devil to separate themselves from him. In Dante's "Inferno," the Devil is isolated in that frozen lake so he cannot touch us.
Circles are interesting in the sense that we can isolate something by putting it in a circle while we remain outside the circle. Or we can draw a circle around us as a protection from everything outside the circle and celebrate what has been brought inside the circle -- which is often done in wiccan and neopagan rituals.
Thank you for the info on the circle. I hadn't thought about circles that much. They are a comforting and isolating unit. I see that now. I enjoyed this segment. I found the constable's need to get his staff rather humorous. Without our uniforms and symbols, our perspective of ourselves changes. Interesting that Hardy puts that in here, at this point.
I'm enjoying this story a lot. It's an interesting mix of atmosphere, humor and mystery.
Petra wrote: "Without our uniforms and symbols, our perspective of ourselves changes."So true, Petra. As I was reading, I was wondering if the constable would have been so bumbling if he had been carrying his authoritative staff.
Day 8 - SummarySoon after the pursuers went off in search of the thief, the stranger from the chimney-corner returned to the cottage. He helped himself to a piece of skimmer cake and a small amount of mead, and stood there eating ravenously.
He had not finished when the hangman returned to the cottage looking for another mug of mead. He figured that those "simple-minded souls" would have apprehended the thief by morning.
They both said that it was the business of the government to capture its criminals, not theirs. Both men had long walks ahead of them. So they shook hands, wished each other well, and went their separate ways.
The group looking for the thief had a tough time walking over the uneven ground in the dark. Some lost their footing. and many lost their grip on their lanterns.
The shepherd led them into the vale, avoiding the treacherous inclines. They finally spotted the small third stranger standing next to the trunk of a lonely ash tree.
Glossaryskimmer cakes - a cake cooked in oil, such as funnel cakes. The skimmer lifts the cakes out of the oil. The little cakes are often coated with powdered sugar. (Today we would cook donuts or fritters or carnival food this way.)
cretaceous - end of the Mesozoic Era (the age of reptiles), 145 million - 66 million years ago.
lanchet - a bank of earth that slowly builds up on the lower slope of a ploughed field; a feature of ancient field systems.
flint - a hard sedimentary rock with sharp edges, a form of silica.
escarpment - a long, precipitous clifflike ridge of land, rock, or the like, commonly formed by faulting or fracturing of the earth's crust.
rubbly - resembling rubble, broken fragments of rock.
horn lantern, or lanthorn - a lantern with the windows made with animal horn which is very tough, and long lasting, The horn is less expensive and less likely to break when compared to glass.
From the Museum of English Rural Life
https://www.reading.ac.uk/merl/interf...
I'm kind of annoyed at the hangman for his obnoxious behavior. First he get the party-goers to hunt for the third stranger, then he doesn't join the search party, but goes back to drink more of the good mead. Yet I'm not annoyed with the first stranger, who seems to need the food and drink.
It will be interesting to hear the third stranger's story of why he fled.
I had the same reactions, Petra. The hangman seems so self-centered, even though he was the one giving orders and working for the King. I suppose it's typical for an alcoholic to put the drink first.However, the gaunt first stranger seems ravenously hungry, and has no obligations to be part of the search.
Mod
I missed the farcical nature of the guests rushing around to gather pitchforks. I see it now (which is why I love these group reads so much!). I was distracted with thinking how easily the convivial group was moved into a mob mentality. The constable started out trying to prevent it, but acquiesced rather quickly as the hangman bullied him.
And now our happy group of neighbors have fallen down the escarpment and discovered the third stranger. Having already extinguished their lanterns, they are in darkness (other than the moon and stars) which makes a very interesting atmosphere.
Bridget wrote: "Having already extinguished their lanterns, they are in darkness (other than the moon and stars) which makes a very interesting atmosphere..."It's fortunate for the searchers that it's a full moon, or they might have missed the third stranger next to the tree trunk. I would be nervous if I was the stranger seeing a group of searchers advancing on me with stout sticks.
Day 9 - SummaryThe third stranger was discovered standing next to an ash tree.
"Your money or your life!" said the constable sternly to the still figure.
John Pitcher set the bumbling constable straight that they were on the side of the law, and not vagabonds.
The constable tried again, "Prisoner at the bar, surrender, in the name of the Father -- the Crown, I mane." Now he was mixing up church and state.
The constable arrested the little man, thinking he was the escaped prisoner. The search party marched him back to the shepherd's cottage.
Two officers from the Casterbridge jail and a magistrate were waiting for them.
"Gentleman," said the constable, "I have brought back your man -- not without risk and danger; but every one must do his duty!"
The officers from the prison told the constable he had arrested the wrong man. They described the sheep thief -- a gauntish fellow, with dark hair and eyes, rather good-looking, and with a musical bass voice.
The constable recognized the description of the other stranger, the man in the chimney-corner.
"Well, sir," said the constable, "he's the man we were in search of, that's true; and yet he's not the man we were in search of. For the man we were in search of was not the man we wanted, sir, if you understand my every-day way; for 'twas the man in the chimney-corner!"
The ConstableThe constable is portrayed as an inept man who is trying to impress other people with his importance. He repeated the orders of the hangman earlier, and doesn't seem to know what to say when he's arresting the prisoner. He pretends that they were in danger from the prisoner, but the short man couldn't have been more cooperative. I can picture the constable as one of the Keystone Kops! Hardy is giving the reader some comic relief after the horror of the hangman's song.
"The Three Strangers" gives us a chance to enjoy Hardy's sense of humor. Both the constable, and the earlier disagreements between the frugal Mrs Fennel and the generous shepherd bring a smile to our faces.
Mod
That's so true, Connie! I laughed when the constable said "your money or your life".
I suspected the first stranger was the missing convict, did everyone else suspect that too? He's also the one we all like the best, which I'm sure is what Hardy intended.
The first stranger was a great character, and deserves a "coolness under pressure" award!I'll post the last section later tonight.
I loved the "your money or your life" line. That made me laugh. This is a great section of the story. The group is running around in the dark after a man they don't want. I am curious about this man who was so terrified at the party and ran away.
The constable is a true character. He seems to be in that position because no one else would do it. He didn't get the position out of his ability to perform the job. LOL.
The first character is wonderfully depicted. He must have been having the most uncomfortable evening at the cottage.
Bridget, I suspected the first stranger might be the prisoner because he was so evasive about his answers, but I wasn't sure when the third stranger ran out of the cottage so quickly.
Looks can be deceiving, and Hardy manipulates our feelings so we cannot definitely know the identity of the sheep thief. I was wondering if the first stranger was the thief because he was so cautious, and sidestepped questions. Then when the third stranger turned pale, and ran out of the cottage in fear, I suspected him.
Day 10 - SummaryThe third stranger explained that the condemned man was his brother. He was walking to Casterbridge jail to say farewell to him when he stopped at the shepherd's cottage to rest. To his surprise, he saw his brother sitting in the chimney-corner while the executioner sang a song about hanging him.
"My brother threw a glance of agony at me, and I knew he meant, 'Don't reveal what you see; my life depends on it.' I was so terror-struck that I could hardly stand, and , not knowing what I did, I turned and hurried away."
The group learned that the man in the chimney-corner had been a clock-maker. He had said he was a wheelwright, but he worked with the wheels of clocks and watches instead.
The little man was released, but it was beyond the power of the magistrate or constable to "raze out the written troubles in his brain" concerning his brother.
The search for the sheep-stealer started again on the next day in appearance at least. But the country-folk thought that the punishment was too severe for his offense, and they admired the thief's coolness under pressure at the shepherd's party.
The thief was never re-captured. Rumors were afloat that people in the district never turned him in to the law. He may have sailed across the sea, or gone to a popular city.
The years have passed and most of the guests at the christening party are in their tombs. Even the shepherd's daughter is in her autumn years. But the story is still being told in the area around Higher Crowstairs.
Works of Thomas Hardy
Books mentioned in this topic
Bonaventure: The Soul's Journey into God / The Tree of Life / The Life of St. Francis (other topics)Regulae Theologicae (other topics)
Tess of the D’Urbervilles (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
The Short Stories of Thomas Hardy (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Bonaventure (other topics)F.P. Pitfield (other topics)
Gerald Hoffnung (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
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Poor Mrs. Fennel, my heart goes out to her :)
It's all very mysterious at this point. When the first stranger grabbed the poker, I wondered if he was preparing to defend himself. I suppose he passed the communal mug to the second stranger in an effort to appear to be one of the company, i. e., to conceal the fact that he had only just arrived.
Both strangers are apparently very secretive. The first one doesn't seem to be sincere about his clothes and provenance; the second one is equally evasive about his circumstances.
I wonder what happens next, of course :)
Stylistically, the story is gaining in pace now, and also sounds more humorous, - I can imagine one of the guests recounting these events in this tone as a curious anecdote.
(I actually did try mead once, but that was so long ago it hardly counts. Pagan books sometimes encourage us (neo)pagans to brew our own mead, but I feel that, since I don't have my own bees, that would still not be quite the thing. I was reading about keeping bees, but when I got to the part when they get sick and you have to treat them, I decided to stick with dogs for now, and store-bought dry wine).