CHAPTER FOUR

A Terrible Night

Tess was supposed to take care of the chickens that lived on Mrs d'Urberville's land. On her first day at work, Tess had to take a few of the chickens out of the old cottage they lived in and take them to their owner. Quickly, Tess discovered that the Mrs d'Urberville was blind. The old woman held each bird in her lap and felt it with her hands to see if it was in good health. When she was finished, she asked Tess, "Can you whistle?"

"What do you mean, Ma'am?"

"Whistle, child. Can you whistle a tune? I want you to whistle to my chickens everyday, so practice hard."

"Yes, Ma'am."

It came as little surprise that Mrs d'Urberville was such a cold woman. Tess did not expect else of such a wealthy and great old lady. However, Tess did not know that Alec had not told his mother that they had a family connection.

Tess came to enjoy her work with the chickens. One day while she stood in the cottage garden, Tess decided it was time to whistle to the chickens. She practiced whistling a tune, but was surprised to discover that she had forgotten how to whistle. She tried hard and did not notice that Mr d'Urberville had arrived. When she saw something move near the garden wall, behind a tree, she shouted in surprise. It was Alec.

"Hello, cousin Tess. You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," he said. Tess trembled. "I've been on the other side of the wall watching you," he continued. "I can teach you to whistle."

"No!" cried Tess, walking backwards toward the door.

"I won't touch you. Don't worry. Just watch me." Alec taught Tess to whistle, and she learned to whistle to the birds just as Mrs d'Urberville had asked. As more time passed, she often saw d'Urberville as he walked through the garden. Tess became less shy.

On Saturday nights, people who worked on neighboring farms went to the market town to drink and dance. The town was two or three miles away. On Sundays, they all slept late. Tess did not want to go on these trips to town for a long time, but then she got bored and started to go. Soon, she was going every week. Every Saturday night, she returned home with a large group of people. It felt safer for her that way.

Then one Saturday night, she met Alec d'Urberville just as it was time to go home. She was walking around town looking for her friends.

"Hello beautiful cousin," he said. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Waiting for my friends."

"I'll see you again," he said as he walked away.

Tess began to worry. The other workers were still dancing and would be out very late. She saw Alec standing against a door, waiting for her. His cigar glowed red in the night.

After a while, Tess joined a group of people on their way home. They were drunk, but it felt safer to be with them than to go home alone. As they walked, they began to fight and shout. Everyone but Tess had drunk too much, so the argument quickly got out of control. Tess was running from the angry group when Alec d'Urberville rode up on his horse. When he offered to take her home, Tess looked around in the dark. The group was gone and it was late. Finally, she said yes.

As they rode down the road in the dark, Tess realized that she was very tired. She was so tired that she did not notice when they left the main road and entered The Chase, the oldest forest in England. It was foggy and Alec got lost.

"Let me walk from here," Tess shouted. "It was wrong of you to leave the main road. I should not have trusted you."

"Don't worry beautiful Tess. I just wanted you to enjoy a long ride on a quiet night. The fog is too bad now to let you go. You would surely lose your way." Alec grinned. "I will leave you here and find out where we are. When I return, you can come with me or go by yourself on foot. Either way, you will know where you are."

Tess agreed to his plan. As he turned to go, Alec told her that he had given her family a new horse and many toys.

"That was very good of you," Tess said. She felt terrible. "In some ways, I wish you had not given them anything."

"You must love me a little bit now," said d'Urberville.

Tess could not reply for a long time. "I'm grateful to you, but do not love you." She began to cry.

"Don't cry. Just wait here for me." Alec made a bed for Tess out of old, dead leaves. He covered her with his coat and walked into the fog.

When Alec d'Urberville returned, he found Tess was fast asleep. She was pale and beautiful in the dark. He placed his cheek against hers. All the animals in the forest were safe in the woods. They slept, and everything was dark and silent. But there was no one to look after Tess and protect her innocence.

"Tess," whispered d'Urberville. He lay down and pressed his body against her. She was too weak and tired to escape as he held her on the ground and pulled at her skirts. She wept while her purity was lost forever.

In life, evil often ruins good. Beauty is destroyed by ugliness. Thousands of years of religion and learning cannot explain why these things happen or why they always will. It is likely that hundreds of years earlier, Tess' noble ancestors had forced other country girls to have sex. Maybe they had been crueler. But this is not Tess' fault. She should not pay for crimes of ancient family members.

From this night on, Tess' life changed completely.

One Sunday morning, Tess was carrying a heavy basket and load. It was late October, about four months after she had arrived at Trantridge. It was only a few weeks after the night in The Chase.

Tess walked toward the hills that separated her from her birthplace, the Vale. People on this side of the hills were very different from the people in her village. Even the scenery was different. People from Marlott traveled north and west. People on this side were interested in traveling east and south. Tess climbed the hill that d'Urberville sped down so dangerously on her trip to Trantridge. When she reached the top, Tess could see the familiar green land that used to be her home. Every time she climbed the hill to look at her village, it was beautiful.

But Tess had changed since the last time she had seen the Vale. She had learned that evil exists even where there is beauty. Now it hurt her to look at her old home and remember how happy and innocent she had been.

A carriage neared the hill. The man driving soon reached the place where Tess stood.

"Why did you secretly leave the house, Tess?" said an angry d'Urberville. "I've been looking for you and driving like a crazy man trying to catch up to you. No one would have kept you from leaving. If you won't come back to my mother's house, I'm driving you the rest of the way back to your old home."

"I refuse to return to your mother's house," Tess said quietly.

She sat beside d'Urberville in the carriage. She no longer feared him. He had gotten what he wanted and could do no more to hurt her. As they drove along, he made conversation and Tess sat silently thinking private thoughts. When they neared the village of Marlott, tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Don't cry," said d'Urberville coldly.

"I was born over there," said Tess.

"We're all born somewhere. It doesn't matter."

"I wish I had never been born."

"Well," he said angrily, "if you wanted to stay at home, you shouldn't have come to Trantridge. It was obvious that you didn't love me."

"True," said Tess, "I never loved you. If I loved you, I wouldn't hate myself so much for being weak."

Alec could not look at Tess.

"I didn't understand what you wanted from me until it was too late," she said.

"All women say that."

"How dare you," Tess shouted angrily. Her eyes flashed with hatred. "Some women say no and mean it."

"Fine," Alec laughed. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. I was wrong. It's true. But you have to stop accusing me of hurting you. And I will pay to make it up to you. You will never have to work on a farm again."

"I would never take anything from you." Tess spat her words at Alec.

"Do you think you're a queen as well as an actual d'Urberville my dear Tess? I think you are sadly mistaken." He continued, "I have always been a bad man, and I will always be one. But I will never do you wrong again. Please understand me. If anything should happen to you, if you are in trouble or need help, just tell me. I will send to you whatever you need."

Tess stepped from the carriage. She was about to leave Alec when he grabbed her arm and said, "You can't turn away from me my dear. Please, let me give you a kiss."

"As you like," Tess said. The emotion was gone from her voice. As he kissed her cheek, Tess stared at the distant trees. It was as if she wasn't really there.

"You won't offer me your mouth. I believe that you will never love me."

"I will never," said Tess. "I could lie and say I loved you. Then my life would be comfortable. But I still have some honor, and I cannot lie."

Alec was very depressed. "There is no reason for you to be sad, Tess," he said. "You're still the most beautiful woman for miles around, despite what I have done to you. Please just come back home with me."

"Never. I have made up my mind."

"Then goodbye." Alec drove away.

Tess did not turn to watch him go. She walked alone in the cool morning sunshine.

Soon, a man with a pot of red paint appeared behind her.

"Good morning," he said. He offered to carry her heavy basket. "You're up very early on a Sunday morning. For most, it's a day of rest," he continued, "but I do more work on Sunday than during the rest of the entire week."

"Really?" asked Tess.

"During the week, I work for men. But on Sundays I work for God. Don't you think that is more important work?" the man paused at a gate and painted large letters on it. He painted the following words:

PUNISHMENT WAITS FOR YOU

In the morning air, the trees and fields were gentle and peaceful. But the large, red words stared up at Tess. They accused her, told her she was no longer virtuous. Even though the man was a stranger and did not know what had happened to her, the words made her feel guilty.

"But what if someone forced you to do wrong?" Tess whispered. "Are the words still true then?"

The man shook his head. "I don't know the answer to that. I just paint the words and let others think about their meaning. They should make you study your own heart."

"It's a terrible thing to write," said Tess. "I don't believe that God would ever say those things." She grabbed her basket and walked away from the man. Her heart was beating fast.

When she arrived at her parent's home, smoke was rising from the chimney. When she saw the smoke, she felt warm all over. But when she looked inside the house, her heart ached. Her family was as poor as ever.

"What are you doing here my dear Tess?" asked her mother. Joan Durbeyfield was shocked to see her daughter. As she kissed Tess, she said, "Did you return home to tell us your cousin will marry you?"

"No Mother. And that man is not my cousin."

Joan looked worried. She studied Tess' face and said, "There are still some things you have not told me."

Tess was very tired. She put her head on her mother's shoulder and told Joan the whole story.

"I can't believe you did not try to get him to marry you," her mother cried. "You should have thought about doing good for your family and not just thought of yourself."

Tess did not know what to think. Alec had never said that he would marry her. And even if he had asked, Tess did not love him. She would not have accepted. This only made her hate herself even more for what had happened. She did not entirely hate d'Urberville. Even so, she couldn't marry him for any reason, not even to remain respectable.

Tess' mother was angry. "If you didn't want to marry him, you should have been more careful."

"Mother," cried Tess, "why didn't you tell me about how evil men can be? I was only a child when you forced me to leave home. I didn't know anything." Tess thought her heart was breaking.

"We must make the best of this situation. It is a result of simple human nature."

That afternoon, many of Tess' old friends came by to visit. They were young girls who lived nearby. They had missed Tess while she had been at Trantridge. They told one another that Tess would marry the rich and handsome d'Urberville. Luckily, Tess did not hear them speaking. She laughed and talked to them, and for a little while she was happy enough to forget her shame.

(end of section)