Far from the Madding Crowd, Chapter 23 summary

What happens

1. Bathsheba gives Gabriel the seat at the table’s foot, then asks him to surrender it to Boldwood.
2. Coggan and Poorgrass sing, but Bob Coggan’s laughter stops Poorgrass, and Jacob Smallbury supplies another ballad.
3. Bathsheba sings for the shearers with Gabriel playing his flute and Boldwood quietly adding bass notes.
4. Gabriel notices Boldwood’s carefully timed attention to Bathsheba, while the departing guests praise Pennyways for stealing nothing.
5. Alone with Boldwood, Bathsheba offers to try to love him but explicitly withholds a marriage promise.
6. Boldwood leaves satisfied, while Bathsheba feels both the burden of his devotion and pleasure in her power.

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What to notice

Bathsheba separates hope from commitment. Boldwood’s satisfaction contrasts with the limit she explicitly places on her answer.

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