"I couldn' make nobody hear at all by knocking," apologized Jonathan

Kail, for it was he at last; "and as't was raining out I opened the

door. I've brought the things, sir."

"I am very glad to see them. But you are very late."

"Well, yes, sir." There was something subdued in Jonathan Kail's tone which had not

been there in the day, and lines of concern were ploughed upon his

forehead in addition to the lines of years. He continued-

"We've all been gallied at the dairy at what might ha' been a most

terrible affliction since you and your Mis'ess--so to name her

now--left us this a'ternoon. Perhaps you ha'nt forgot the cock's

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afternoon crow?"

"Dear me;--what--"

"Well, some says it do mane one thing, and some another; but what's

happened is that poor little Retty Priddle hev tried to drown

herself." "No! Really! Why, she bade us goodbye with the rest--"

"Yes. Well, sir, when you and your Mis'ess--so to name what she

lawful is--when you two drove away, as I say, Retty and Marian put on

their bonnets and went out; and as there is not much doing now, being

New Year's Eve, and folks mops and brooms from what's inside 'em,

nobody took much notice. They went on to Lew-Everard, where they

had summut to drink, and then on they vamped to Dree-armed Cross,

and there they seemed to have parted, Retty striking across the

water-meads as if for home, and Marian going on to the next village,

where there's another public-house. Nothing more was zeed or heard

o' Retty till the waterman, on his way home, noticed something by the

Great Pool; 'twas her bonnet and shawl packed up. In the water he

found her. He and another man brought her home, thinking a' was

dead; but she fetched round by degrees."

Angel, suddenly recollecting that Tess was overhearing this gloomy

tale, went to shut the door between the passage and the ante-room

to the inner parlour where she was; but his wife, flinging a shawl

round her, had come to the outer room and was listening to the man's

narrative, her eyes resting absently on the luggage and the drops of

rain glistening upon it. "And, more than this, there's Marian; she's been found dead drunk

by the withy-bed--a girl who hev never been known to touch anything

before except shilling ale; though, to be sure, 'a was always a good

trencher-woman, as her face showed. It seems as if the maids had

all gone out o' their minds!"




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