CHAPTER ONE

A New Name

One evening near the end of May, a man went from Shaston to his house in Marlott Village in the Vale of Blackmoor. He could not walk in a straight line on his weak legs, even though he was not too old. The man met an old minister on his horse.

"Good night," said the man.

"Good night, Sir John," the minister said.

The man stopped to ask the minister a question.

"Why do you call me Sir John? I am only plain John Durbeyfield," the man asked.

The minister hesitated. Then he said, "I am Minister Tringham. I know a lot about history. You are from the old and noble d'Urberville family. Sir Pagan d'Urberville is also a relative. He came from Normandy in 1066 with William the Conqueror."

"Really!" said the man. He was surprised.

"It's true," said the minister. "You have the d'Urberville face. This family owned land and did work for the King for more than a century. There have been a lot of Sir Johns in the d'Urberville family."

"Minister Tringham, do many people know this?" said the man.

The minister said, "Nobody knows the whole story. I found out last spring."

"I have an old silver spoon and an old seal at home," said the man. "Where do the d'Urbervilles live?"

"Nowhere. The noble family is no more," replied the minister. "Your dead family lies at the Kingsbere-sub-Green-hill church. The d'Urbervilles no longer own land."

"What should I do about this?" asked John Durbeyfield.

"Nothing," said the minister. "It is just an interesting fact. Good night."

The minister was a little sorry he had said anything. He left. Soon a boy came. His name was Fred. Durbeyfield said, "Take this basket, boy. Please do something for me."

The boy was unhappy. "Why do you order me around and call me 'boy'? You know my real name, and I know yours."

"But you don't," said John. "Fred, I am really a member of a noble family. I am really Sir John d'Urberville, and I have a family to prove it. Now take my basket. Go to the village and send a horse and carriage to me. I will give you a penny."

The boy calmed down and said, "Yes, Sir John."

They heard music come from the village.

"Maybe they know my news already," said John.

The boy left John Durbeyfield. John could hear the soft music.

The beautiful Vale of Blackmoor is only four hours from London. But tourists and artists do not know it yet. It is a quiet piece of countryside. The fields there are always green and there is plenty of water in the rivers. In the valley, the air will calm you. The sky is deep blue and the fields are small. Everything is healthy and green. To the south of the valley, the land is dry and the fields are big.

Marlott is a village in the Vale of Blackmoor. It is an ancient custom for women in the village to dance every holiday. For the May Day dance, they all wear white dresses. This May Day, a pretty girl named Tess had a red bow around her hair. The women saw a carriage pass by. Durbeyfield was in the carriage. They could hear him sing about his good fortune. Tess was ashamed.

"Father is tired," said Tess. Her face was red.

The girls got on with the dance. The men watched and danced, too. Three young strangers stopped to look. They were brothers. The two elder brothers started walking again, but the youngest was interested in the girls. He danced with several women. On his way out, he saw Tess. He thought her attractive. She seemed sad because he had not danced with her. He wanted to dance with her. He wanted to know her name. But it was too late. So he joined his older brothers.

Tess saw the young stranger, too. But she was too worried about her father's strange appearance to pay much attention to him. When she got home, her family's small cottage saddened her. They only had one candle. The furniture was old. Six children lived in the tiny space. When Tess arrived, her mother was doing the laundry and putting the baby to bed. Joan Durbeyfield had many children. Taking care of them made her look old, but she was still a little bit pretty. Tess was pretty like her mother had once been.

"I'll help you Mother," Tess said.

"I'm glad to see you. I have something to tell you," said her mother. "They have found out that we're the oldest family in the county. Our real name is d'Urberville. You should be proud. And that's why your father was in the carriage. Some people thought it was because he had been drinking."

"Will this help us?" asked Tess.

"Oh yes. Our famous family members should come to meet us the minute they hear."

"Where is father now?" asked Tess, worried.

Her mother paused. "You know his heart is too weak from being fat. The doctor said today that he might die soon, but no one is sure. He went to Rolliver's, the bar, to calm himself."

"Oh no!" shouted Tess. "I can't believe you let him."

Her mother replied, "I must get him now. You watch the children."

Tess knew her mother liked going to the bar to find her father. Then her mother could drink a beer and forget her family. It was one of the only times the hardworking Mrs Durbeyfield went out. Then Tess had to look after the six small Durbeyfield children.

(end of section)