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[00:03.37]Gabriel Oak falls in love
[00:30.36]
[01:12.20]Gabriel Oak was a sensible man of good character，
[01:15.98]who had been brought up by his father as a shepherd，
[01:18.92]and then managed to save enough money
[01:21.08]to rent his own farm on Norcombe Hill，in Dorset.
[01:25.63]He was twenty－eight，a tall，well－built man，
[01:29.21]who did not seem，however，
[01:31.66]to think his appear－ance was very important.
[01:34.10]
[01:36.49]One winter morning
[01:38.19]he was in one of his fields on the side of Norcombe Hill .
[01:41.57]Looking over his gate，
[01:43.81]Gabriel could see a yellow cart，
[01:47.01]loaded with furniture and plants，
[01:49.85]coming up the road.
[01:51.89]Right on top of the pile
[01:54.03]sat a handsome young woman
[01:57.61]As Gabriel was watching，
[01:59.75]the cart stopped at the top of the hill，
[02:02.64]and the driver climbed down to go back
[02:05.57]and fetch some－thing that had fallen off.
[02:06.77]
[02:08.96]The girl sat quietly in the sunshine for a few minutes.
[02:13.38]Then she picked up a parcel lying next to her，
[02:16.90]and looked round to see if the driver was coming back.
[02:20.88]There was no sign of him.
[02:23.47]She unwrapped the parcel，
[02:25.46]and took out the mirror it con-tained.
[02:29.71]The sun shone on her lovely face and hair.
[02:33.69]Although it was December，
[02:36.08]she looked almost summery，
[02:38.92]sitting there in her bright red jacket
[02:41.56]with the fresh green plants around her.
[02:45.39]She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled，
[02:49.57]thinking that only the birds could see her.
[02:53.16]But behind the gate Gabriel Oak was watching too.
[03:00.06]
[03:00.51]‘She must be rather vain，’he thought.
[03:03.51]‘She doesn't need to look in that mirror at all! ’
[03:06.95]
[03:08.59]As the girl smiled and blushed at herself，
[03:11.53]she seemed to be dreaming，
[03:14.22]dreaming perhaps of men's hearts won and lost.
[03:19.70]When she heard the driver's footsteps，
[03:22.19]she packed the mirror away.
[03:25.17]The cart moved on downhill to the toll－gate.
[03:29.35]Gabriel followed on foot.
[03:31.96]As he came closer he could hear the driver arguing with the gatekeeper.
[03:36.54]
[03:38.23]‘My mistress's niece，
[03:40.22]that's her on top of the furniture，
[03:42.86]is not going to pay you the extra twopence ，’
[03:46.56]said the driver.
[03:48.55]‘She says she's offered you quite enough already. ’
[03:52.04]
[03:53.13]‘Well，if she doesn't pay the toll，
[03:55.98]your mistress's niece can't pass through the gate，’
[03:59.71]replied the gatekeeper.
[04:01.40]
[04:02.65]Gabriel thought that twopence did not seem worth bothering about,
[04:07.62]so he stepped forward.
[04:09.93]‘Here，’he said，
[04:12.03]handing the coins to the gatekeeper，
[04:14.68]‘let the young woman pass. ’
[04:16.72]
[04:18.31]The girl in the red jacket looked carelessly down at Gabriel，
[04:22.81]and told her man to drive on，
[04:25.40]without even thanking the farmer.
[04:28.73]Gabriel and the gatekeeper watched the cart move away.
[04:33.07]‘That's a lovely young woman，’
[04:35.88]said the gatekeeper.
[04:37.12]
[04:38.52]‘But she has her faults，’
[04:40.51]answered Gabriel.
[04:42.40]‘True，farmer. ’
[04:44.90]‘And the greatest of them is what it always is with women. ’
[04:49.40]‘Wanting to win the argument every time？Oh，you're right. ’
[04:54.79]‘No，her great fault is that she's vain. ’
[05:01.38]A few days later，
[05:02.98]at nearly midnight on the longest night of the year，
[05:06.66]Gabriel Oak could be heard playing his flute on Nor-combe Hill.
[05:11.89]The sky was so clear and the stars so visible
[05:16.38]that the earth could almost be seen turning.
[05:20.21]In that cold，hard air
[05:21.52]the sweet notes of the flute rang out.
[05:26.46]The music came from a little hut on wheels，
[05:29.89]standing in the corner of a field.
[05:32.84]Shep－herds'huts like this are used as a shelter during the winter and spring，
[05:37.97]when shepherds have to stay out all night in the fields，
[05:41.05]looking after very young lambs.
[05:43.65]
[05:44.89]Gabriel's two hundred and fifty sheep were not yet paid for
[05:49.87]He knew that，in order to make a success of the farming business，
[05:53.20]he had to make sure they produced a large number of healthy lambs.
[05:59.18]So he was determined to spend as many nights as necessary in the fields，
[06:04.02]to save his lambs from dying of cold or hunger.
[06:08.40]
[06:09.90]The hut was warm and quite comfortable inside.
[06:13.79]There was a stove，
[06:15.13]and some bread and beer on a shelf.
[06:18.22]On each side of the hut was a round hole like a window，
[06:21.75]which could be closed with a piece of wood.
[06:24.85]These air－holes were usually kept open when the stove was burning，
[06:29.13]because too much smoke in a small，
[06:31.12]airless hut could kill the shepherd.
[06:35.51]
[06:36.70]From time to time the sound of the flute stopped，
[06:39.19]and Gabriel came out of his hut to check his sheep.
[06:43.67]Whenever he discovered a half-dead new lamb，
[06:47.60]he brought the creature into the hut.
[06:50.78]In front of the stove it soon came back to life，
[06:54.47]and then he could return it to its mother.
[06:57.41]
[06:58.71]He noticed a light further down the hill.
[07:02.34]It came from a wooden hut at the edge of a field.
[07:06.47]He walked down to it and put his eye to a hole in the wood.
[07:12.20]Inside，two women were feeding a sick cow.
[07:16.98]One of the women was middle－aged.
[07:19.42]The other was young and wore a cloak.
[07:22.26]Gabriel could not see her face.
[07:24.76]
[07:26.26]‘ I think she'll be all right now，aunt，’
[07:28.75]said the younger woman.
[07:30.25]‘I can come and feed her again in the morning.
[07:33.23]What a pity I lost my hat on the way here!’
[07:37.41]Just then the girl dropped her cloak，
[07:39.75]and her long hair fell on to the shoulders of her red jacket.
[07:44.03]Gabriel recognized the girl of the yellow cart and the mirror，
[07:49.18]the girl who owed him twopence.
[07:51.83]
[07:52.93]The women left the hut，
[07:55.18]and Gabriel returned to his sheep.
[07:58.23]
[08:00.17]As the sun was rising the next morning，
[08:03.06]Gabriel waited outside his hut
[08:05.14]until he saw the young woman riding up the hill.
[08:09.04]She was sitting sideways on the horse
[08:11.64]in the usual lady's position.
[08:15.08]He suddenly thought of the hat she had lost，
[08:17.96]searched for it，
[08:19.21]and found it among some leaves on the ground.
[08:23.19]He was just going to go up to her to give it back，
[08:26.27]when the girl did some-thing very strange.
[08:30.31]Riding under the low branches of a tree，
[08:33.39]she dropped backwards flat on the horse's back，
[08:37.32]with her feet on its shoulders.
[08:40.66]Then，first looking round to make sure no one was watching，
[08:45.04]she sat up straight again and pulled her dress to her knees，
[08:48.92]with her legs on either side of the horse.
[08:52.51]This was obviously easier for riding，
[08:55.30]but not very ladylike.
[08:58.18]Gabriel was surprised and amused by her behaviour.
[09:02.72]He waited until she returned from her aunt's hut，
[09:06.90]and stepped out into the path in front of her.
[09:11.38]‘I found a hat，’he said.
[09:15.46]‘It's mine，’she said.
[09:18.51]She put it on and smiled. ‘It flew away. ’
[09:24.04]‘At one o'clock this morning？’
[09:25.58]
[09:27.03]‘Well，yes. I needed my hat this morning.
[09:30.56]I had to ride to the hut in that field，
[09:33.10]where there's a sick cow belonging to my aunt. ’
[09:36.15]
[09:36.84]‘Yes，I know. I saw you. ’
[09:40.24]
[09:41.18]‘Where？’she asked，horrified.
[09:44.91]
[09:45.91]‘Riding all the way up the hill，along the path，’
[09:50.59]said Gabriel，thinking of her unladylike position on the horse's back.
[09:55.57]
[09:56.87]A deep blush spread from her head to her neck.
[10:01.65]Gabriel turned sympathetically away，
[10:04.49]wondering when he dared look at her again.
[10:07.88]When he turned back，she had gone.
[10:12.22]
[10:13.26]Five mornings and evenings passed.
[10:16.35]The young woman came regularly to take care of the sick cow，
[10:20.50]but never spoke to Gabriel.
[10:23.39]He felt very sorry he had offended her so much
[10:26.83]by telling her he had seen her when she thought she was alone.
[10:31.16]
[10:32.65]Then，one freezing night，
[10:35.44]Gabriel returned，exhausted，to his hut.
[10:39.86]The warm air from the stove made him sleepy，
[10:44.16]and he forgot to open one of the air-holes before going to sleep.
[10:49.55]The next thing he knew was that the girl
[10:51.84]with the lovely face was 10 with him in the hut，
[10:54.82]holding his head in her arms.
[10:56.96]
[10:58.76]‘Whatever is happening？’
[11:00.80]he asked，only half－conscious.
[11:03.83]
[11:04.53]‘Nothing now，’she answered，‘
[11:07.37]but you could have died in this hut of yours. ’
[11:09.71]
[11:10.81]‘Yes，I suppose I could，’said Gabriel.
[11:16.28]He was hoping he could stay there，close to her,
[11:19.62]for a long time He wanted to tell her so，
[11:24.05]but he knew he could not express himself well，
[11:27.34]so he stayed silent.
[11:30.03]‘How did you find me？’
[11:32.42]he asked in the end.
[11:34.06]
[11:35.70]‘Oh，I heard your dog scratching at the door，
[11:37.89]so I came to see what the matter was.
[11:39.98]I opened the door，
[11:41.42]and found you unconscious.
[11:44.01]It must have been the smoke from the stove. ’
[11:47.45]
[11:48.60]‘I believe you saved my life，Miss——
[11:51.79]I don't know your name.
[11:53.03]
[11:54.43]‘There's no need to know it.
[11:56.08]I probably won't see you again. ’
[11:57.87]
[11:59.06]‘My name is Gabriel Oak. ’
[12:02.41]
[12:02.96]‘Mine isn't.
[12:04.21]You sound very proud of your name. ’
[12:06.50]
[12:07.34]‘Well，it's the only one I shall ever have. ’
[12:10.53]
[12:11.87]‘I don't like mine. ’
[12:13.12]
[12:14.56]‘I should think you'll soon get a new one. ’
[12:16.95]
[12:18.24]‘Well！That's my business，Gabriel Oak. ’
[12:22.02]
[12:22.72]‘I'm not very clever at talking，miss，
[12:26.65]but I want to thank you.
[12:29.00]Come，give me your hand！’
[12:31.40]
[12:32.74]She hesitated，then offered her hand.
[12:34.64]He took it，but held it for only a moment.
[12:41.01]‘I'm sorry，’he said.
[12:43.70]‘I didn't mean to let your hand go so quickly. ’
[12:47.34]
[12:47.79]‘You may have it again then. Here it is. ’
[12:49.58]
[12:51.68]Gabriel held it longer this time.
[12:55.12]‘How soft it is，even in winter，
[12:58.95]not rough at all! ’he said.
[13:01.94]
[13:03.83]‘there，that's long enough，’she said，
[13:07.02]but without pulling it away.
[13:10.16]‘But I suppose you're thinking you'd like to kiss it？
[13:13.74]You may if you want to. ’
[13:15.58]
[13:17.07]‘I wasn't thinking any such thing，’
[13:19.57]said Gabriel，‘but—’
[13:21.02]
[13:21.41]‘Oh no you won't！’
[13:23.11]She pulled her hand sharply away. ‘
[13:26.04]Now discover my name，’she added，
[13:30.17]laughing，and left.