Effect of the Letter: Sunrise
- On the evening of Valentine's Day, Boldwood sits down to his supper. Up on his mantle is the letter Bathsheba has sent, and he can't help but stare at the wax seal that says "Marry Me."
- When he goes to bed, he puts the letter in the corner of his bedroom mirror and can't stop thinking about it. Uh oh. Boldwood is hooked.
- The next day, Boldwood runs up to the mail cart and blindly seizes a letter from it, thinking for some reason that he'll get another Valentine's Day card. But the letter he's grabbed is addressed to Gabriel Oak. Too late, though. Boldwood has opened it by mistake.
- Just then, he sees Oak coming over the hill and Boldwood volunteers to take the letter to him himself.