Gabriel at this time of his life had outgrown the instinctive dislike which every Christian boy has for reading the Bible, perusing it now frequently, and he inwardly said, "'I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets!'" This was mere exclamation -- the froth of the storm. He adored Bathsheba just the same.

Thamas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd, Chapter 22