He moodily reflected with his eyes on the ground. "Married. Married! ... Well, that being so," he added, quite

calmly, tearing the licence slowly into halves and putting them in

his pocket; "that being prevented, I should like to do some good to

you and your husband, whoever he may be. There are many questions

that I am tempted to ask, but I will not do so, of course, in

opposition to your wishes. Though, if I could know your husband, I

might more easily benefit him and you. Is he on this farm?"

"No," she murmured. "He is far away."

"Far away? From YOU? What sort of husband can he be?"

"O, do not speak against him! It was through you! He found out--"

Advertisement..

"Ah, is it so! ... That's sad, Tess!"

"Yes."

"But to stay away from you--to leave you to work like this!"

"He does not leave me to work!" she cried, springing to the defence

of the absent one with all her fervour. "He don't know it! It is by

my own arrangement."

"Then, does he write?"

"I--I cannot tell you. There are things which are private to

ourselves."

"Of course that means that he does not. You are a deserted wife, my

fair Tess--" In an impulse he turned suddenly to take her hand; the buff-glove was

on it, and he seized only the rough leather fingers which did not

express the life or shape of those within.

"You must not--you must not!" she cried fearfully, slipping her hand

from the glove as from a pocket, and leaving it in his grasp. "O,

will you go away--for the sake of me and my husband--go, in the name

of your own Christianity!" "Yes, yes; I will," he said abruptly, and thrusting the glove back to

her he turned to leave. Facing round, however, he said, "Tess, as

God is my judge, I meant no humbug in taking your hand!"

A pattering of hoofs on the soil of the field, which they had not

noticed in their preoccupation, ceased close behind them; and a voice

reached her ear: "What the devil are you doing away from your work at this time o'

day?" Farmer Groby had espied the two figures from the distance, and had

inquisitively ridden across, to learn what was their business in his

field. "Don't speak like that to her!" said d'Urberville, his face

blackening with something that was not Christianity.




Most Popular