Far from the Madding Crowd Boldwood, not realising the valentine was a jest, becomes obsessed with Bathsheba and soon proposes marriage. Although she does not love him, she toys with the idea of accepting his offer; he is, after all, the most eligible bachelor in the district. However, she postpones giving him a definite answer. When Gabriel rebukes her for her thoughtlessness regarding Boldwood, she dismisses him. When Bathsheba's sheep begin dying from bloat, she discovers to her chagrin that Gabriel is the only man who knows how to cure them. Her pride delays the inevitable, but finally she is forced to beg him for
A Face in the Crowd (novella) A Face in the Crowd (novella) A Face in the Crowd is a novella by Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan, originally published as an e-book on August 21, 2012, as well as an audiobook, read by Craig Wasson. Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan had previously collaborated in 2004 on a non-fiction book "Faithful", chronicling the 2004 Boston Red Sox season. In "Faithful", during a discussion about watching baseball on television, King posits an idea for a story entitled "Spectators", which later evolved into "A Face in the Crowd": Later, when speaking and reading an excerpt from his work in progress