The Mayor of Casterbridge

Three weeks pass after Susan is buried. Henchard feels lonely. He is concerned that Elizabeth-Jane will never accept him as her father, so he tells her that he is her real father, though he pretends that he mistakenly believed Susan to be dead, concealing from her that he sold his family at an auction. He encourages Elizabeth-Jane to accept his surname and she agrees, writing to the local newspaper to confirm this. As Henchard searches among Susan’s papers for something to prove his story, he finds Susan’s last letter to him. The letter falls open and Henchard reads it. In the letter, Susan reveals that Elizabeth-Jane is not actually his daughter. The daughter of Henchard and Susan—named Elizabeth-Jane—died at a young age. Susan had a second child with Newson whom she also named Elizabeth-Jane. Henchard’s plans are in ruins. He spends the night wandering alone through the town, pondering the jail and the gallows. He thinks about his fate, his guilt, and his “bitter disappointment” (94). The next morning, Elizabeth-Jane tells Henchard that she has come to regard him as her “real father” (95). The words do not bring him the joy that he once hoped they might.