LITMIR.BIZ

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— it is — I can hardly say what!”

      “Pleasure?”

      “Oh no. Why, sir, if I tell you, it will seem — ”

      Tess’s sense of a certain ludicrousness in her errand was now so strong that, notwithstanding her awe of him, and her general discomfort at being here, her rosy lips curved towards a smile, much to the attraction of the swarthy Alexander.

      “It is so very foolish,” she stammered; “I fear can’t tell you!”

      “Never mind; I like foolish things. Try again, my dear,” said he kindly.

      “Mother asked me to come,” Tess continued; “and, indeed, I was in the mind to do so myself likewise. But I did not think it would be like this. I came, sir, to tell you that we are of the same family as you.”

      “Ho! Poor relations?”

      “Yes.”

      “Stokes?”

      “No; d’Urbervilles.”

      “Ay, ay; I mean d’Urbervilles.”

      “Our names are worn away to Durbeyfield; but we have several proofs that we are d’Urbervilles. Antiquarians hold we are, — and — and we have an old seal, marked with a ramping lion on a shield, and a castle over him. And we have a very old silver spoon, round in the bowl like a little ladle, and marked with the same castle. But it is so worn that mother uses it to stir the pea-soup.”

      “A castle argent is certainly my crest,” said he blandly. “And my arms a lion rampant.”

      “And so mother said we ought to make ourselves beknown to you — as we’ve lost our horse by a bad accident, and are the oldest branch o’ the family.”

      “Very kind of your mother, I’m sure. And I, for one, don’t regret her step.” Alec looked at Tess as he spoke, in a way that made her blush a little. “And so, my pretty girl, you’ve come on a friendly visit to us, as relations?”

      “I suppose I have,” faltered Tess, looking uncomfortable again.

      “Well — there’s no harm in it. Where do you live? What are you?”

      She gave him brief particulars; and responding to further inquiries told him that she was intending to go back by the same carrier who had brought her.

      “It is a long while before he returns past Trantridge Cross. Supposing we walk round the grounds to pass the time, my pretty Coz?”

      Tess wished to abridge her visit as much as possible; but the young man was pressing, and she consented to accompany him. He conducted her about the lawns, and flower-beds, and conservatories; and thence to the fruit-garden and greenhouses, where he asked her if she liked strawberries.

      “Yes,” said Tess, “when they come.”

      “They are already here.” D’Urberville began gathering specimens of the fruit for her, handing them back to her as he stooped; and, presently, selecting a specially fine product of the “British Queen” variety, he stood up and held it by the stem to her mouth.

      “No — no!” she said quickly, putting her fingers between his hand and her lips. “I would rather take it in my own hand.”

      “Nonsense!” he insisted; and in a slight distress she parted her lips and took it in.

      They had spent some time wandering desultorily thus, Tess eating in a half-pleased, half-reluctant state whatever d’Urberville offered her. When she could consume no more of the strawberries he filled her little basket with them; and then the two passed round to the rose trees, whence he gathered blossoms and gave her to put in her bosom. She obeyed like one in a dream, and when she could affix no more he himself tucked a bud or two into her hat, and heaped her basket with others in the prodigality of his bounty. At last, looking at his watch, he said, “Now, by the time you have had something to eat, it will be time for you to leave, if you want to catch the carrier to Shaston. Come here, and I’ll see what grub I can find.”

      Stoke d’Urberville took her back to the lawn and into the tent, where he left her, soon reappearing with a basket of light luncheon, which he put before her himself. It was evidently the gentleman’s wish not to be disturbed in this pleasant TETE-A-TETE by the servantry.

      “Do you mind my smoking?” he asked.

      “Oh, not at all, sir.”

      He watched her pretty and unconscious munching through the skeins of smoke that pervaded the tent, and Tess Durbeyfield did not divine, as she innocently looked down at the roses in her bosom, that there behind the blue narcotic haze was potentially the “tragic mischief” of her drama — one who stood fair to be the blood-red ray in the spectrum of her young life. She had an attribute which amounted to a disadvantage just now; and it was this that caused Alec d’Urberville’s eyes to rivet themselves upon her. It was a luxuriance of aspect, a fulness of growth, which made her appear more of a woman than she really was. She had inherited the feature from her mother without the quality it denoted. It had troubled her mind occasionally, till her companions had said that it was a fault which time would cure.

      She soon had finished her lunch. “Now I am going home, sir,” she said, rising.

      “And what do they call you?” he asked, as he accompanied her along the drive till they were out of sight of the house.

      “Tess Durbeyfield, down at Marlott.”

      “And you say your people have lost their horse?”

      “I— killed him!” she answered, her eyes filling with tears as she gave particulars of Prince’s death. “And I don’t know what to do for father on account of it!”

      “I must think if I cannot do something. My mother must find a berth for you. But, Tess, no nonsense about ‘d’Urberville’; — ‘Durbeyfield’ only, you know — quite another name.”

      “I wish for no better, sir,” said she with something of dignity.

      For a moment — only for a moment — when they were in the turning of the drive, between the tall rhododendrons and conifers, before the lodge became visible, he inclined his face towards her as if — but, no: he thought better of it, and let her go.

      Thus the thing began. Had she perceived this meeting’s import she might have asked why she was doomed to be seen and coveted that day by the wrong man, and not by some other man, the right and desired one in all respects — as nearly as humanity can supply the right and desired; yet to him who amongst her acquaintance might have approximated to this kind, she was but a transient impression, half forgotten.

      In the ill-judged execution of the well-judged plan of things the call seldom produces the comer, the man to love rarely coincides with the hour for loving. Nature does not often say “See!” to her poor creature at a time when seeing can lead to happy doing; or reply “Here!” to a body’s cry of “Where?” till the hide-and-seek has become an irksome, outworn game. We may wonder whether at the acme and summit of the human progress these anachronisms will be corrected by a finer intuition, a close interaction of the social machinery than that which now jolts us round and along; but such completeness is not to be prophesied, or even conceived as possible. Enough that in the present case, as in millions, it was not the two halves of a perfect whole that confronted each other at the perfect moment; a missing counterpart wandered independently about the earth waiting in crass obtuseness till the late time came. Out of which maladroit delay sprang anxieties, disappointments, shocks, catastrophes, and passing-strange destinies.

      When d’Urberville got back to the tent he sat down astride on a chair reflecting, with a pleased gleam in his face. Then he broke into a loud laugh.

      “Well, I’m damned! What a funny thing! Ha-ha-ha! And what a crumby girl!”

      Chapter 6

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