CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Separate Lives

As her carriage drove to Blackmoor, Tess wondered what she would tell her parents. She was very sad and worried. She left the carriage and walked the rest of the way home. When she got to her parents' house, her mother was there to greet her. Joan Durbeyfield was doing the washing.

"Tess," said Joan, "what are you doing here? Didn't you get married?"

"Yes, mother. I did get married."

"If you're married, where is your husband?"

Tess looked sad. "He has gone away for a little while," she said.

"Were you really married? Why would he go away? You said you were getting married on Tuesday." Mrs Durbeyfield was shocked.

"Yes, we married on Tuesday."

"It is only Saturday and he is already gone. This is not good. You have found a strange husband."

Tess began to cry. She ran to her mother and put her head on her shoulder. "Mother," she said, "you told me not to tell him. But I did tell him. I couldn't help it. And now he is gone."

"You are such a fool," shouted her mother. "You foolish girl."

"I know," Tess said through her tears. "But he was such a good man. I didn't want to lie to him. It is terrible because I loved him so much and wanted to marry him."

"It is too late now," said Mrs Durbeyfield. "I don't know what your father will say. He was very proud of your marriage and told many people. He went to the bar to tell everyone that his noble family was great again. He is coming home now."

Tess ran to her bedroom. She could hear her mother tell her father the whole story.

"People will laugh at me all over the village," John Durbeyfield said. "Do you think he really married our Tess? Or was it like the other man?"

Tess couldn't listen to another word. Even her own parents did not believe her. She could not stay in this house. She gave her mother half of the money that Clare had given her and told her parents that she was going to find him. Tess left Marlott again. She went to find work.

Angel Clare also went back home. He had spent almost a month after his wedding trying to stay calm. He had studied, but could not get Tess' face out of his mind. He thought maybe he had treated her unfairly. Tess had been a large part of his plans for the future. He could not help but think of the countries where they could have a farm together. Clare wanted to go to Brazil. The land and people would be very different. Maybe he and Tess could go there together and start a new life. He thought about it for a while. Then he went to Emminster to tell his parents about his new plan.

"Where is your wife, Angel?" asked his mother.

"She has gone to her family's house for a few days," he said. "I have come back home to tell you that I want to go to Brazil."

"But that is not good. There are no Christians there," she said.

"I hadn't thought of that."

Eventually, his parents only wanted to talk about Tess. They were more interested in her than in Brazil.

"We want to meet her. We are not angry that you married so quickly. We just want you to bring her home."

Angel told them that she would stay at her mother's house while he went to Brazil. He said that he wanted to see if the country was good enough for Tess. He told his parents he would bring her to see them before he went back to Brazil with Tess. His mother was still disappointed. While her son ate supper, she asked him many questions.

"Is she beautiful?"

"Of course," said Angel.

"Is she pure?"

"Yes."

"I imagine that you were the first man she ever loved."

"Yes," he said.

Angel's father had no questions. After the meal was over, he read a little bit from the Bible.

"This is suitable for you to hear. It talks about having a pure wife," said the minister.

"We will think of Tess while your father reads," said Mrs Clare.

As they listened to Mr Clare read, Angel wanted to cry. The words were very beautiful.

Mrs Clare said, "The Bible tells us that the best woman is one who works hard. That sounds like Tess. I really want to meet her. As long as she is pure, I know I will love her."

Clare started to cry. He said goodnight and went to his room. His mother followed him. She looked worried.

"Why are you leaving, Angel?" she asked. "Did you and Tess have a fight? Does she have a bad past?" She had guessed her son's problem.

"She is pure," he said. He felt like he had to lie.

"Then nothing else matters," said Mrs Clare. "There is nothing better than a pure country girl."

Clare was very angry with Tess. He believed that she had made him lie to his parents.

Then he remembered her face and voice. He remembered her warm lips and touching her. He missed her, but he could not see that she was pure even though she had a bad past.

The next day, Clare made plans to go to Brazil. He left Emminster. One day on his way home from work, he saw Izz Huett. He remembered her as a milkmaid at Talbothays. He knew that she had loved him. He knew she was pure. She would have been a good farmer's wife, too. He spoke with Izz. She told him that Retty was sick and that Marian had started drinking.

"What if I had asked you to marry me?" Clare asked Izz.

"I would have accepted. I would have loved you."

Clare was angry.

"I'm going to Brazil. I may not love you, but will you come with me? Tess is not going because we had problems."

"Yes," said Izz. "I will go."

"You know the world would think we were doing something wrong," said Clare. "Do you love me more than Tess?"

"I love you. But no one could love you as much as Tess did. She would have died for you."

Clare could not speak. He heard Izz's words again. He wanted to cry.

"I'm sorry, Izz. Forget what I just said. I must be crazy."

"But I want to go. I'm sorry. I was too honest." Izz began to sob.

"Izz, your honesty kept me from making a mistake. Thank you. Please forgive me."

So Angel said goodbye to Izz. But he did not go to find Tess. He decided to continue with his plan and go to Brazil. Five days later, he left.

Time passed. Tess found work at other dairies in the spring and summer. She sent all of Angel's money to her parents. They still did not work enough and needed her help. She did not want to ask Angel's family for more money.

That winter, she met Marian on another farm. The earth on this farm was poor and the work was hard. Tess did not care. She and Marian worked hard in the rain. They talked about Talbothays and the nice green fields. They talked about Angel. Tess did not tell Marian the whole story, so Marian did not understand why he left.

They wrote to Izz. They wanted her to come and work with them. Tess discovered that the farmer was the man in Trantridge who had recognized her. Angel had hit him. He made her work harder than the others.

When Izz came, Tess saw her whispering to Marian. "Is it about my husband?" Tess asked Marian.

"Yes, but Izz said I shouldn't tell. He asked her to go to Brazil with him."

Tess' face turned white. "What happened?" she asked.

"He changed his mind. But he was going to take Izz."

Tess began to sob. "I have to write him a letter. He said I could."

But that evening, she couldn't finish her letter. She looked at her wedding ring. Would a good husband ask Izz to go to Brazil so soon after leaving his wife?

This new information made her want to see Angel's family in Emminster. She wanted to know what he was doing and why he had not written to her. She was sure his parents would be kind. On Sunday, she went to the Clare home. She wore her best clothes. Marian and Izz told her everything would be fine. They loved Tess and wanted her to be happy. Tess wanted to make the Clare family love her so Angel would come back.

Tess began to be afraid when she got to Emminster. The church looked very cold, but she had to continue. She hid her thick, ugly boots behind a tree and put on her shoes.

Tess was nervous, but she knocked on the door. No one answered. She remembered that they would be at church. She waited on the street until people began to leave the church. She saw two men who looked like Angel and knew they were his brothers. She could hear them speaking.

"Poor Angel. Why did he quickly marry that milkmaid? Mercy Chant is so nice. He should have married her."

Mercy joined the brothers and they walked down the road.

"Look! A pair of boots. They are very nice. It was bad to throw them away."

The other brother said, "I will find a poor person to give them to."

Tess walked by them. Tears were running down her face. She walked as fast as she could away from Emminster. It was too bad that she met Angel's brothers and not his father. His parents would have loved poor Tess. They cared for all lost souls, even people without family or wealth.

On the way back to the farm, Tess became very tired. It was a 15-mile walk and hard work waited for her. On the way, she saw a crowd listening to a minister. She stopped to listen. The man was saying that he had been wicked for years, but had been saved by another minister. Tess was shocked to see that the man was Alec d'Urberville.

(end of section)