"I've got to go a-skimming," she pleaded, "and I have on'y old Deb to

help me to-day. Mrs Crick is gone to market with Mr Crick, and Retty

is not well, and the others are gone out somewhere, and won't be home

till milking." As they retreated to the milk-house Deborah Fyander appeared on the

stairs. "I have come back, Deborah," said Mr Clare, upwards. "So I can help

Tess with the skimming; and, as you are very tired, I am sure, you

needn't come down till milking-time."

Possibly the Talbothays milk was not very thoroughly skimmed that

afternoon. Tess was in a dream wherein familiar objects appeared

as having light and shade and position, but no particular outline.

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Every time she held the skimmer under the pump to cool it for the

work her hand trembled, the ardour of his affection being so palpable

that she seemed to flinch under it like a plant in too burning a sun.

Then he pressed her again to his side, and when she had done running

her forefinger round the leads to cut off the cream-edge, he cleaned

it in nature's way; for the unconstrained manners of Talbothays dairy

came convenient now. "I may as well say it now as later, dearest," he resumed gently. "I

wish to ask you something of a very practical nature, which I have

been thinking of ever since that day last week in the meads. I shall

soon want to marry, and, being a farmer, you see I shall require for

my wife a woman who knows all about the management of farms. Will

you be that woman, Tessy?" He put it that way that she might not think he had yielded to an

impulse of which his head would disapprove.

She turned quite careworn. She had bowed to the inevitable result of

proximity, the necessity of loving him; but she had not calculated

upon this sudden corollary, which, indeed, Clare had put before her

without quite meaning himself to do it so soon. With pain that was

like the bitterness of dissolution she murmured the words of her

indispensable and sworn answer as an honourable woman.

"O Mr Clare--I cannot be your wife--I cannot be!"

The sound of her own decision seemed to break Tess's very heart, and

she bowed her face in her grief. "But, Tess!" he said, amazed at her reply, and holding her still more

greedily close. "Do you say no? Surely you love me?"

"O yes, yes! And I would rather be yours than anybody's in the

world," returned the sweet and honest voice of the distressed girl.

"But I CANNOT marry you!"




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