Speaker 1: Chapter twenty three. The hot weather of July had crept
upon the unawares, and the atmosphere of the flat veil
hung heavy as an opiate over the dairy folk, the cows,
and the trees. Hot steaming rains fell frequently, making the
grass where the cows fed yet more rank and hindering
the late hay making in the other meads. It was
Sunday morning. The milking was done, the outdoor milkers had
gone home. Tess and the other three were dressing themselves rapidly,
the whole bevy having agreed to go together to Melstock Church,
which lay some three or five miles distant from the
dairy house. She had now been two or three months
at Talbothay's, and this was her first excursion. All the
preceding afternoon and night, heavy thunder storms had hissed down
upon the meads and washed some of the hay into
the river. But this morning the sun shone out all
the more brilliantly for the deluge, and the air was
balmy and clear. The crooked lane leading from their own
parish to Melstock ran along the lowest levels in a
portion of its length, and when the girls reached the
most depressed spot, They found that the result of the
rain had been to flood the lane over shoe to
a distance of some fifty yards. This would have been
no serious hindrance on a week day, they would have
clicked through it in their high patterns and boots, quite unconcerned.
But on this day of vanity, this sun's day when
flesh went forward to coquette with flesh while hypocritically affecting
business with spiritual things. On this occasion, for wearing their
white stockings and thin shoes, and their pink, white and
lilac gowns on which every mud spot would be visible,
the pool was an awkward impediment. They could hear the
church bell calling as yet nearly a mile off. Who
would have expected such a rise in the river in
summer time, said Marian, from the top of the roadside
bank on which they had climbed and were maintaining a
precarious footing in the hope of creeping along its slope
till they were past the pool. We can't get there
any hell without walking right through it, or else going
round the turnpike way, and that would make us very late,
said Retty, pausing hopelessly. And I do color up so
hard walking into church late, and all the people staring round,
said Marian that I hardly cooled down again till we
get into the that it may please these. While they
stood clinging to the bank, they heard a splashing round
the bend of the road, and presently appeared Angel clear
advancing along the lane toward them through the water. Four
hearts gave a big throb simultaneously. His aspect was probably
as unsabbatarian a one as a dogmatic parson's son often
presented his attire being his dairy clothes, his long wading boots,
a cabbage leaf inside his hat to cool his head down,
with a thistle spud to finish him off. He's not
going to church, said Marian, No I wish he was
murmured Tess Angel in fact, rightly or wrongly, to adopt
the safe phrase of evasive controversialists preferred sermons in stones
to sermons in churches and chapels on fine summer days.
This morning, however, he had gone out to see if
the damage to the hay by the flood was considerable
or not. On his walk, he observed the girls from
a long distance, though they had been so occupied with
their difficulties of passage as not to notice him. He
knew that the water had risen at that spot and
that it would soon quite checked their progress, so he
had hastened on with a dim idea of how he
could help one of them. In particular, the rosy cheeked,
bright eyed quartet looked so charming in their light summer attire,
clinging to the roadside bank like pigeons on a roof slope,
that he stopped a moment to regard them before coming close.
Their gauzy skirts had brushed up from the grass. Innumerable
flies and butterflies, which, unable to escape, remained caged in
the transparent tissue as in an aviary. Angel's eyes at
last fell upon Tess, behind most of the four. She,
being full of suppressed laughter at their dilemma, could not
help meeting his glance. Radiantly, He came beneath them in
the water, which did not rise over his long boots,
and stood looking at the entrapped flies and butterflies. Are
you trying to get to church? He said to Marian,
who was in front, including the next two in his remark,
but avoiding Tess. Yes, Sir, and Tis gettin late, and
my color do come up, so I'll carry you through
the pool. Every gill of you, the whole four flushed
as if one heart beat through them. I think you can't, sir,
said Marian. It's the only way for you to get past.
Stand still. Nonsense, you're not too heavy. I'll carry you
all four together. Now, Marian, attend, he continued, and put
your arms round my shoulders, so now hold on. That's
well done. Marian had lowered herself upon his arm and
shoulder as directed, and Angel strode off with her, his
slim figure, as viewed from behind, looking like the mere
stem to a great nosegay suggested by hers. They disappeared
round the curve of the road, and only his sousing
footsteps and the top ribbon of Marian's bonnet told where
they were. In a few minutes he reappeared. Is Hewett
was the next in order upon the bank. Here he comes,
she murmured, and they could hear that her lips were
dry with emotion. And I have to put my arms
round his neck and look into his face as Marian did.
There's nothing in that, said Tess quickly. There is a
time for everything, continued, Ear is unheeding a time to
embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. The first
is now going to be mine? Fie it is scripture?
Is yes said? Is I always a ere at church
for pretty verses? Angel Clear, to whom three quarters of
this performance was a commonplace act of kindness. Now approached
is She quietly and dreamily lowered herself into his arms,
and Angel methodically marched off with her. When he was
heard returning for the third time, Retty's throbbing heart could
be almost seen to shake her. He went up to
the red herd girl, and while he was seizing her,
he glanced at Tess. His lips could not have pronounced
more plainly, it will soon be you and I. Her
comprehension appeared in her face. She could not help it.
There was an understanding between them. Poor little Retty, though
by far the lightest weight, was the most troublesome of
Claire's burdens. Marian had been like a sack of meal,
a dead weight of plumpness under which he had literally staggered,
had ridden sensibly and calmly. Retty was a bunch of hysterics. However,
he got through with a disquieted creature deposited her and returned.
Tess could see over the hedge that dist three in
a group, standing as he had placed them. On the
next rising ground. It was now her turn. She was
embarrassed to discover that excitement at the proximity of mister
Clare's breath and eyes, which she had contemned in her companions,
was intensified in herself, and as if fearful of betraying
her secret, she pulted with him at the last moment.
I may be able to clim along the bank. Perhaps
I can clim better than they. You must be so tired,
mister Clare. No, no, Tess, said he quickly, and almost
before she was aware, she was seated in his arms
and resting against his shoulder, three layers to one. Rachel,
he whispered. They are better women than I, she replied magnanimously,
sticking to her resolve not to me, said Angel. He
saw her grow warm at this, and they went some
steps in silence. I hope I am not too heavy,
she said, timidly. Oh, no, you should lift Mary in
such a lump. You are like an undulating billow warmed
by the sun, and all this fluff of muslin about
you is the froth. It is very pretty if I
seem like that to you. Do you know that I
have undergone three quarters of this labor entirely for the
sake of the fourth quarter. No, I did not expect
such an event to day, nor I The water came
up so sudden that the rise in the water was
what she understood him to refer to the state of
her breathing. Belied, Claire stood still and inclined his face
toward hers. Oh, tessy, he exclaimed. The girl's cheeks burned
to the breeze, and she could not look into his
eyes for her emotion. It reminded Angel that he was
somewhat unfairly taking advantage of an accidental position, and he
went no further with it. No definite words of love
had crossed their lips as yet, and suspension at this
point was desirable. Now, however, he walked slowly to make
the remainder of the distance as long as possible. But
at last they came to the bend, and the rest
of their progress was in full view of the other three.
The dry land was reached, and he set her down.
Her friends were looking with round, thoughtful eyes at her
and him, and she could see that they had been
talking of her. He hastily bade them farewell, and splashed
back along the stretch of submerged road. The four moved
on together as before, till Marian broke the silence by saying, no,
in all truth, we have no chance against her. She
looked joylessly at Tess. What do you mean, asked the latter.
He likes he best, the very best. We could see
it as he brought e. He would have kissed thee
if you had encouraged him to do it. Ever so little, no, no,
said she. The gaiety with which they had set out
had somehow vanished, and yet there was no enmity or
malice between them. They were generous young souls. They had
been reared in the lonely country nooks where fatalism is
a strong sentiment, and they did not blame her. Such
supplanting was to be Tess's heart ached. There was no
concealing from herself the fact that she loved Angel Clare,
perhaps all the more passionately from knowing that the others
had also lost their hearts to him. There is contagion
in this sentiment, especially among women. And yet that same
hungry heart of hers, compassionated her friends. Tess's honest nature
had for against this, but too feebly, and the natural
result had followed. I will never stand in your way,
nor in the way of either of you. She declared
to Retty that night in the bedroom, her tears running down.
I can't help this, my dear. I don't think marrying
is in his mind at all. But if he were
even to ask me, I should refuse, as I should
refuse any man. Oh would you, why, said wondering Retty.
It cannot be. But I will be plain, putting myself
quite on the other side. I don't think he will
choose either of you. I have never expected it, thought
of it, moaned Retty. But oh I wish I were
as dead. The poor child, torn by a feeling which
she hardly understood, turned to the two other girls who
came upstairs just then. We be friends with her again,
she said to them. She thinks no more of his
choosing her than we do. So the reserve went off
and they were confiding and warm. I don't seem to
care what I do now, said Marian, whose mood was
turned to its lowest base. I was going to marry
a dairy minute Stickleford, who asked me twice, but my soul,
I would put an end to myself rather than be
his wife. Now, why don't ye speak? Is to confess, then,
murmured e is. I'm made sure to day that he
was going to kiss me as he held me, and
I lay still against his breast, hoping and hoping, and
never moved at all, But he did not. I don't
like biding here at Talbothoy's any longer. I shall go home.
The air of the sleeping chamber seemed to palpitate with
the hopeless passion of the girls. They rise breathed feverishly
under the oppressiveness of an emotion thrust on them by
cruel nature's law, an emotion which they had neither expected
nor desired. The incident of the day had fanned the
flame that was burning the inside of their hearts out,
and the torture was almost more than they could endure.
The differences which distinguished them as individuals were abstracted by
this passion, and each was just a portion of one
organism called sex. There was so much frankness and so
little jealousy, because there was no hope. Each one was
a girl of fair common sense, and she did not
delude herself with any vain conceits, or deny her love,
or give herself airs in the idea of outshining the others,
the full recognition of the futility of their infatuation from
a social point of view, its purposeless beginning, itself bounded
out look its lack of everything to justify its existence
in the eye of civilization, while lacking nothing in the
eye of nature, the one fact that did exist, ecstaticizing
them to a killing joy. All this imparted to them
a resignation, a dignity which a practical and sordid expectation
of winning him as a husband would have destroyed. They
tossed and turned on their little beds, and the cheese
ring dripped monotonously downstairs. Be you awake, Tess whispered. One
half an hour later it was is Hewett's voice, Tess
replied in the affirmative, whereupon also Retty and Marian suddenly
flung the bedclothes off them and sighed, so be we.
I wonder what she be like the lady? They say
his family have looked out for him. I wonder, said
some lady looked out for him gasped Tess, starting, I
have never heard of that. Oh, yes, STIs whispered, a
young lady of his own rank, chosen by his family,
a doctor of Divinity's daughter, near his father's parish of Emminster.
He don't much care for her, they say, but he
is sure to marry her. They had heard so very
little of this, yet it was enough to build up wretched,
doldrum dreams. Upon There in the shade of the night,
they pictured all the details of his being won round
to consent, of the wedding preparations, of the bride's happiness,
of her dress and veil, of her blissful home with him.
Then oblivion would have fallen upon themselves as far as
he and their love were concerned. Thus they talked and
ached and wept to a sleep, charm their sorrow away.
After this disclosure, Tess nourished no further foolish thought that
there even looked any grave and deliberate import in Claire's
attentions to her. It was a passing summer love of
her face for love's own temporary sake, nothing more. And
the thorny crown of this sad conception was that she
whom he really did prefer in a cursory way to
the rest, She who knew herself to be more impassioned
in nature, cleverer, more beautiful than they, was in the
eyes of propriety, far less worthy of him than the
homelier ones whom he ignored. End of Chapter twenty three.