CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Death in the Family

Tess' letter finally arrived at the minister's house in Emminster. Mr Clare was happy.

"I think this letter is from Tess. I hope this means he will come home more quickly. He did say he wanted to come home next month," said the minister.

"I hope he has a safe trip," said Mrs Clare. "I still wish that he had gone to university like his brothers. He should have had the same opportunities as them, even if he didn't like church."

This was the only time she had ever disagreed with her husband. He was worried that he had been unfair to Angel. He thought it had been his fault that Angel's marriage had been so bad. If Angel had gone to college, he would not have studied farming and married a country girl. Both Mr and Mrs Clare were happy that Angel's recent letters showed he would be home soon. Maybe the problem between him and Tess could be solved.

While his parents spoke, Angel was riding a horse towards the coast in Brazil. He was still a little bit sick. He had fallen ill when he arrived in Brazil. He was weaker than before and he looked older. Brazil was a disappointment to him. Other farmers had come from England hoping to make a fortune, but they had died in the fields or on the road. He knew that he could not farm in Brazil.

His beliefs had also changed. He had new ideas about right and wrong. He believed that people should be judged based on what they had done and what they wanted to do. He began to think that he had been a little unfair to Tess. He thought about her and remembered that he loved her at the dairy.

Angel forgot that he had told her not to write first, and wondered why she hadn't sent a letter. He did not know that his silence was breaking her heart.

He had been traveling with another man from England. They were both sad and shared their troubles. The other man was older than Angel, and had a more relaxed way of thinking. He told Angel that leaving Tess had been a mistake.

The stranger fell ill and died a few days later. Clare traveled alone. After he had died, the man's words seemed more important to Clare. He felt ashamed of how he had treated Tess. He should have believed in her. She had no control over her past. He remembered what Izz Huett had said: "Tess would have died for you."

No woman could be better than Tess. She had treated him like a god when they got married. And when she had told him her story, she was heartbroken when she thought he would not love her.

Back on the farm, Tess hoped that Angel would return when he received her letter. But the past had not changed, so he might stay away from her. She still spent her free time preparing for him to come back, singing the songs he liked. She cried while she sang.

One evening, there was a knock at the door. A tall, thin girl entered. It was Tess' younger sister Liza-Lu.

"What's wrong?" asked Tess.

"Mother has fallen ill. Father is sick, too. He says he is a man from a noble family and shouldn't have to work. We don't know what to do."

Tess realized that she must go home, but she still had work to do on the farm. She let her sister rest and started to walk home.

It was a long walk in the dark, but Tess felt safe. She was worried about her mother. Early in the morning, she walked by the field where she had seen Clare for the first time. She felt how disappointed she had been when he did not dance with her. When she saw the old d'Urberville family house, she felt like it was part of her bones.

Her mother was getting better and taking care of the house. Her father did not seem sick at all. He said he had a new plan for making money. Tess took care of her mother, fed the children and worked in the small garden. She planted the vegetables for the next year. She liked working outside with her neighbors.

One evening, she was working in the garden when she saw Alec d'Urberville walking towards her. Tess' face went pale.

"Why did you come here?" she asked.

"I want to help you, Tess. Are you working at the other farm?"

"Yes."

"Will you join your husband now?"

"I don't know," said Tess. She was very bitter. "I have no husband."

"That may be true, but you do have a friend. When you return to your home you'll see that I've helped you."

"Alec, please don't help me. I don't want to live." Tess cried and worked.

When she was walking home, one of her sisters ran towards her. "Tess," she shouted, "Father is dead."

"But he wasn't that sick."

"The doctor said it was because he had a bad heart."

John Durbeyfield's death was more important than anyone had first thought it would be. The house was in his name. When John died, the farmer who owned the house wanted to put farm workers in it. He told the Durbeyfields to leave. They were not respected in the village because John had been lazy. And the village people thought Tess was a bad example, too.

So the Durbeyfields had to leave their home. The night before they moved, d'Urberville visited Tess. He offered Tess and her family a little house on his land. They could live in Trantridge. Tess said no, but she felt angry with Clare after Alec left. She had not wanted to do wrong and Clare had punished her. She wrote him another letter. It said:

Why have you treated me so badly? Angel, I do not deserve this. You are cruel. I will forget about you. You have been unfair to me.

Tess

Tess sent the letter before she had time to think about it.

"Was that your husband just now?" asked Joan Durbeyfield.

"No," said Tess sadly. "My husband will never come." Tess was starting to feel that d'Urberville really was her husband.

The next day, the Durbeyfields packed their things and went to Kingsbere to find rooms. It was the home of the ancient d'Urbervilles, and Joan still hoped that some good would happen because they were part of the ancient family. Near Kingsbere, a man came to tell them that there were no rooms.

Tess and her mother left the things and children near a church. They looked for a different place to stay, but all the rooms were full.

"Tess, why do you marry gentlemen if we are still in this bad position?" asked Joan.

Tess looked sadly at her family's things on the road. Then she saw Alec d'Urberville.

"I've come to help you," he said. "I will talk to your mother. You'll see that I'm more useful than an ancient d'Urberville."

Marian and Izz had watched Tess and her family pack. They knew life was hard for Tess. They hoped that she would be happy with Angel, but they knew Alec d'Urberville was always tempting Tess. They decided to write to Angel. They wanted him to know about Tess' dangerous situation. They wrote:

Dear Sir,

If you love your wife as much as she loves you, come back and watch over her. She is in danger from a man who says he is a friend. He is not. She cannot be strong forever. If water drops for a long time, it will wear away at stone. It will even wear down a diamond.

From two friends

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