The Mayor of Casterbridge · Chapter
XXVIII explained
Henchard presides as a magistrate at Petty Sessions, where an old woman charged with disorderly conduct reveals that he sold his wife at Weydon Fair twenty years ago.
What happens
Henchard presides as a magistrate at Petty Sessions, where an old woman charged with disorderly conduct reveals that he sold his wife at Weydon Fair twenty years ago. The revelation shocks the court and spreads through Casterbridge. Lucetta, hearing the story, becomes distraught and decides to leave for Port-Bredy, leaving Elizabeth-Jane in charge of High-Place Hall. Henchard later calls at the house, restless and impatient, but finds Lucetta absent.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Truth
The old woman's public revelation forces Henchard's hidden past into the open, shattering his reputation.
Social Class and Reputation
Henchard's fall from respected magistrate to exposed wife-seller highlights the fragility of social standing.
Fate and Consequence
The reappearance of the furmity woman brings Henchard's past deed back to haunt him, driving Lucetta away.
Characters to notice
- Michael Henchard
Presides as magistrate, hears the old woman's accusation, and admits the truth of selling his wife.
- Lucetta Templeman
Learns of Henchard's past from the gossip, becomes miserable, and leaves for Port-Bredy.
- Elizabeth-Jane Newson
Takes charge of High-Place Hall during Lucetta's absence and receives Henchard's visits.
- Stubberd
The constable who arrests the old woman and gives evidence in court.
- Susan Henchard
Referenced as the wife Henchard sold at the fair.
- Richard Newson
Referenced as the sailor who bought Susan at the fair.
Key passages
“Hearing a’ illegal noise I went down the street at twenty-five minutes past eleven p.m. on the night of the fifth instinct, Hannah Dominy.”
Stubberd testifies that he heard an unlawful disturbance and went to investigate at 11:25 PM on the fifth of the month.
Stubberd's formal, stilted testimony contrasts with the chaotic scene.
“Twenty years ago or thereabout I was selling of furmity in a tent at Weydon Fair—”
The old woman begins her story, recalling that about twenty years ago she sold furmity at Weydon Fair.
This line triggers the revelation of Henchard's past.
“A man and a woman with a little child came into my tent... and the man who sold his wife in that fashion is the man sitting there in the great big chair.”
She describes how a man sold his wife to a sailor for five guineas, and identifies that man as Henchard, the magistrate.
The dramatic accusation exposes Henchard's secret in open court.