Far From the Madding Crowd: Chapter 29 Summary & Analysis

Bathsheba now loves Troy in the way that self-reliant women do when they lose their self-reliance, making them weaker than anyone. Though she is a woman of the world, she still knows little of society or of self-indulgence: her love is like a child’s. But she makes no effort to control her own feelings, and is happily unaware of Troy’s own faults, unlike Gabriel’s, whose faults are all for the showing.

Gabriel recognizes this love and it pains him. He decides to speak to Bathsheba, using her treatment of Boldwood as excuse. He finds her one day walking through the corn fields. He awkwardly brings up Boldwood so that he can mention the wedding likely to take place between them, so people say. She hotly denies that this is the case. Abandoning pretense, Gabriel says he has obviously been courting her.

Bathsheba insists that she must clear up any mistake. She didn’t promise Boldwood anything: she respects but has never loved him, and as soon as he returns from traveling her answer to him will be no. Now sighing, Gabriel says he wishes she’d never met Sergeant Troy. She stonily says that he’s educated, well-born, and worthy of a woman: besides, she can’t see what this has to do with their conversation. But Gabriel begs her not to trust him: he doesn’t like him, and asks her to consider being more cool towards him. Red and angry, Bathsheba stammers that he has no right to say such things. Troy’s goodness is just hidden—he goes in privately by the old tower door at church, she says, so no one sees him. Gabriel is incredulous, and sad to see how much she trusts Troy. He declares that he knows she’s lost to himself, but only begs her to be more discreet towards him, and to consider how safe she would be in his hands.

Pale, Bathsheba tells him to leave the farm. Gabriel calmly says this is the second time she’s pretended to dismiss him. He can’t go unless she hires a bailiff: if he leaves it will go to ruin, since it’ll only be led by a woman. He may be interfering, but will remain grimly faithful. Privately, Bathsheba is grateful for this, and she asks for him to leave her alone, but as a woman, not a mistress. He stands still and allows her to get ahead of him, but then sees a figure arise in the distance—Troy’s. Gabriel turns back and goes home by the church-yard. He climbs to the tower door, which clearly hasn’t been used in years.