Tess of the dUrbervilles Audiobook Thomas Hardys masterpiece Learn English Through Story

tess of the derbyvilles by thomas hardy

chapter one

one evening at the end of may a

middle-aged man was walking home from

shastan to the village of marlot in the

vale of blackmore

his legs were thin and weak and he could

not walk in a straight line

he had an empty egg basket on his arm

and his hat was old and worn

after a while he passed an elderly

parson riding a grey horse

good night

said the man with a basket good night

sir john

said the parson

after another step or two the man

stopped and turned round to speak to the

person

no sir

last market day we met on this road at

the same time and i said good night and

you answered good night sir john as you

did just now

i did

said the person

and once before that almost a month ago

i may have

so why do you call me sir john when i am

only john derby field

the person wrote nearer and after a

moment’s hesitation explained

it was because i’ve discovered something

of historical interest

i am parson tringham the historian

do you really not know derbyfield that

you are a direct descendant of the

ancient and noble family of the

derbevilles

they descended from sir pagan derbeville

who came from normandy with william the

conqueror in 1066.

never heard that before sir

well it’s true

let me see your face yes yes you have

the derbyville nose and chin

derbyvilles have owned land and served

their king for hundreds of years there

have been many sir john’s and you could

have been sir john yourself

wow exclaimed the man

and how long has this news about me

being known parson tringham

nobody knows about it at all

said the parson

i just happened to discover it last

spring when i was trying to find out

more about the derbyvilles and noticed

your name in the village

i’ve got an old silver spoon and an old

seal too at home

said the man wondering

so where do we

live now parson

you don’t live anywhere you have died

as a noble family

that’s bad

so where do we lie

in the churchyard at kingsbeer sub

greenhill

and where are family lands

you haven’t any

john derbyfield paused

and what should i do about it sir

oh nothing

it’s a fact of historical interest

nothing more good night

but you’ll come and have some beer with

me parson tringham

no thank you not this evening derbyfield

you’ve had enough already

the parson rode away

half regretting that he had told derby

field of his discovery

derbyfield walked on a few steps in a

dream

and then sat down with his basket in a

few minutes a boy appeared derbyfield

called to him

boy

take this basket

i want you to go and do something for me

the boy frowned

who were you john derberfield to order

me about and call me boy you know my

name as well as i know yours

do you do you

that’s the secret

well fred i don’t mind telling you that

the secret is that i’m one of a noble

family

and derbyfield lay back comfortably on

the grass

sir john derbyville that’s who i am

and i’ve got the family seal to prove it

oh

now take up the basket and tell them in

the village to send a horse and carriage

to me immediately

here’s a shilling for you

this made a difference to the boy’s view

of the situation

yes sir john thank you sir john

as they spoke sounds of music came

through the evening air from the village

what’s that

said derbyfield

have they heard my news already

it’s the women dancing sir john

the boy went on his way and derbyfield

lay waiting in the evening sun

nobody passed by for a long time and he

could just hear the faint music in the

distance

the village of marlot lies in the

beautiful veil of blackmore

although this valley is only four hours

away from london

it has not yet been discovered by

tourists and artists

the best view of the veil is from the

hills surrounding it

it looks like a map spread out

it is a quiet sheltered part of the

countryside where the fields are always

green and the rivers never dry up

to the south lies the great dividing

line of hills

from here to the coast the hills are

open the sun pours down on the huge dry

fields the atmosphere is colorless

but here in the valley

lies a completely different countryside

smaller and more delicate

the fields are tiny

the air makes you sleepy

the sky is of the deepest blue

everywhere you can see a rich greenery

of grass and trees covering smaller

hills and valleys

this

is the veil of blackmore

and in the village of marlot following

ancient custom the young women gathered

to dance every holiday

for this mayday dance all wore white

dresses

there was a fine handsome girl among

them with a red ribbon in her hair

as they danced they noticed a carriage

go by

derbyfield lay back in it singing

i’m sir john and i’ve got a spoon and

seal and my family lies at king’s beer

the girl with the ribbon who was called

tess turned red and said quickly to her

friends

father’s tired that’s all

the other girls just laughed but stopped

when tess looked unhappy the dancing

went on

in the evening the men of the village

came to watch and later to join the

dancers

three young strangers who were passing

by also stopped to look

they explained they were brothers on a

walking tour

the older two continued their walk but

the youngest seemed more interested in

the girls and his brothers were and

stayed to dance with several of them

as he left the dance he noticed tess who

seemed a little sad that he had not

chosen her

he looked back from the road and could

still see her in her white dress

standing modestly apart from the dancers

he wished he had danced with her

he wished he had asked her name

but it was too late he hurried on to

join his brothers

the young stranger had made an

impression on tess

but soon worried by her father’s strange

appearance that afternoon she decided to

walk home

after the excitement of the dance her

parents small cottage was a depressing

sight

it was dark inside as they had only one

candle

the furniture was old and worn

there were six children crowded into the

tiny space

their mother was doing the washing at

the same time as putting the baby to

sleep looking after so many children had

aged joan derbyfield

but she still showed some of her early

prettiness which tess had inherited

let me help with a washing mother

said tess gently

oh tess i’m glad you’ve come

said her mother there’s something i must

tell you

is it anything to do with father making

such a fool of himself this afternoon

asked tess frowning that’s all part of

the excitement

they’ve discovered where the oldest

family in the whole county going back a

long way

and our real name is derbaville

doesn’t that make you proud that’s why

your father rode home in the carriage

not because he’d been drinking as people

thought

i’m glad of that

will it do us any good mother

oh yes

great things may come of it

no doubt our noble relations will be

arriving in their carriages as soon as

they find out

where is father now

ask tess suddenly

her mother did not answer directly

he saw the doctor today you know

it’s fat around the heart he says that’s

the cause of his illness

he might last 10 years

might last 10 months or days

tess looked anxious

her father suddenly a great man to die

so soon

but where is father she asked firmly

now don’t you get angry said mrs

derbyfield

the poor man was feeling so weak after

the news that he went to rollovers he

needs to build up his strength to

deliver the beehives tomorrow remember

oh my god

cried tess

he went to a public house and you agreed

to it mother

no i didn’t said mrs derbyfield crossley

i’ve been waiting for you to look after

the children while i fetch him

tess knew that her mother greatly looked

forward to these trips to rollers

there she could sit by her husband’s

side among the beer drinkers and forget

that the children existed

it was one of the few bright moments in

her hard-working life

mrs derbyfield went out and tess was

left with the children

they were very young

and totally dependent on the derbyfield

couple

six helpless creatures

who had not asked to be born at all

much less to be part of the

irresponsible derbyfield family

[Music]

chapter 2

it was 11 o’clock before all the family

were in bed

and 2 o’clock next morning was the

latest time to set off with the beehives

it was a distance of 20 or 30 miles on

bad roads to caster bridge where the

saturday market was held

at half past one mrs derbyfield came

into the bedroom where tess and all the

children slept

the poor man can’t go

she whispered tess sat up in bed

but it’s late for the bees already

we must take them today

maybe a young man would go

ask mrs derby feel doubtfully

one of the ones dancing with you

yesterday

oh no

not for the world

said tess proudly and let everybody know

the reason i’d be so ashamed

i think i could go

if little abraham came with me

tess and abraham dressed

led out the old horse prince with a

loaded wagon and set off in the dark

they cheered themselves up with bread

and butter and conversation

tess

said abraham after a silence

yes abraham

aren’t you glad that we’re a noble

family

not particularly

but you’re glad you’re going to marry a

gentleman

what

said tess lifting her face

our noble relations are going to help

you marry a gentleman

me

our noble relations

we haven’t any whatever put that into

your head

i heard them talking about it at home

there’s a rich lady of our family out at

trantridge and mother said that if you

claimed relationship with her she’d help

you marry a gentleman

his sister became suddenly silent

abraham talked on not noticing her lack

of attention

did you say the stars were worlds tess

yes

unlike ours

they seem like our apples

most of them good a few bad

which do we live on a good one or a bad

one

a bad one

if we lived on a good one how would

things be different

well

father wouldn’t be ill and cough as he

does and mother wouldn’t always be

washing

and you would have been a ready-made

rich lady and not have to marry a

gentleman oh happy don’t

don’t talk of that anymore

abraham finally went to sleep on the

wagon

tess drove the horse

gradually she fell into a dream

she could see her father foolish in his

pride and the rich gentleman of her

mother’s imagination laughing at the

poor derbyfield family

suddenly she awoke from her dream to

noise and violent movement

something terrible had happened she

jumped down and discovered that the post

carriage speeding along the dark road

had driven into her slow and unlighted

wagon

poor prince was seriously hurt and as

she watched he fell to the ground

you were on the wrong side

said the post driver i must go on with

the post but i’ll send somebody to help

you as soon as i can you better stay

here with your wagon

he went on his way while tess stood and

waited tears pouring down her cheeks

daylight came

prince lay there unmoving his eyes half

open

it’s all my fault

cried tess what will mother and father

live on now

abby abby wake up

we can’t go on with our beehives prince

is dead

when abby realized what had happened his

face looked like an old man’s

it’s because we live on a bad star’s net

tess

he said through his tears

finally a man arrived with a horse to

take the wagon onto caster bridge to

deliver the beehives and then collect

prince on the way back

when they got home tess broke the news

to her parents

they were not angry with her

but she blamed herself completely

when derbifield heard he would only get

a few shillings for prince’s dead body

he rose to the occasion

we derbavilles don’t sell our horses for

cats meat

he insisted

and the following day he worked harder

than usual in digging a grave where

prince was buried

all the children cried

has he gone to heaven

asked abraham in tears

but tess did not cry

her face was dry and pale

she felt she had murdered a friend

chapter three

life now became rather difficult for the

derby fields without prints to carry

loads john derbyfield could not buy and

sell as he used to

he had never worked hard or regularly

and now he only occasionally felt like

working

tess wondered how she could help her

parents

one day her mother made a suggestion

it’s lucky we’ve found out about your

noble blood test

do you know there’s a very rich lady

called mrs durberville living on the

other side of the wood

she must be our elation

you must go to her and claim

relationship with her and ask for some

help in our trouble

i wouldn’t like to do that

said tess

if there is such a lady

it would be enough to be friendly we

can’t expect help from her

you could persuade anybody my dear

besides

something else might happen you never

know and her mother nodded wisely

i’d rather try to get work

said tess sadly

what do you say derbyfield

said his wife turning to him

i don’t like my children asking for help

said he proudly

i’m the head of the oldest branch of the

family and a noble family like ours

shouldn’t have to ask for help

tess could not accept his reasons for

not going

well

as i killed the horse mother

i suppose i ought to go

but don’t start thinking about her

finding a husband for me

who said i had such an idea

asked joan innocently

i know you mother

but i’ll go

next morning tess walked to shastan a

town she hardly knew and went on by

wagon to trantridge

the veil of blackmore was her only world

and she had never been far outside the

valley

all the knowledge she had came from her

lessons in the village school which she

had left a year or two earlier

as soon as she left school she had tried

to earn a little money by helping in the

fields or milking cows or making butter

she blamed her mother for thoughtlessly

producing so many children

joan derberfield was like a child

herself and never thought about the

future

it was tess who worried and worked and

felt responsible for her little brothers

and sisters

so naturally it was tess who should

represent her family at the derbyville

home

from trantridge she walked up a hill

and turning a corner saw the house

she stopped in amazement

it was large and almost new

a rich red against the green of the

bushes around it

behind it lay the woods called the chase

an ancient forest

there were greenhouses and well-kept

gardens

there was no lack of money here

tess hesitated almost frightened

i thought we were an old family

she said to herself

but this is all new

she wished she had not come

she was right in a way

all this was owned by the derbevilles or

the stoke derbevilles as they called

themselves at first

the stokes were a northern business

family who took an old sounding name to

add to their own when they moved into

the south

so tess was more of a derbyville than

any of them but did not know it

a young man appeared in the garden

he looked about 24

and was tall and dark with full red lips

and a black moustache curled at the ends

well my beauty

what can i do for you

he said looking interested leather

i’m mr derbaville

it needed all tess’s courage to reply

i came to see your mother sir

i’m afraid you can’t see her

she’s ill

what do you want to see her about

i

i

it seems so foolish

never mind

said he kindly

i like foolish things

try again my dear

i came sir to tell you we are of the

same family as you

aha

poor relations

yes

stokes

no

derbavilles oh yes of course i mean

derbavilles

we have several proofs that we are

derbevilles

we have an old silver spoon and a seal

at home

but mother uses a spoon to stir the soup

mother said we ought to tell you as we

are the oldest branch of the family and

we’ve lost our horse in an accident

very kind of your mother said alec

derbeville

and i certainly don’t regret it

he looked admiringly at tess whose face

blushed a deep pink

and so you’ve come on a friendly visit

i suppose i have

mama tess

looking uncomfortable

let us walk around the gardens until you

have to go home my pretty cousin

tess wanted to leave as soon as possible

but the young man insisted

he took her to the greenhouses

do you like strawberries

he asked

yes said tess

when they’re ready

these are ready now

and so saying derbaville picked one and

held it to her mouth no

no

she said

i’d rather take it myself

but alec put it into her mouth

he put roses into her hair

and filled her basket with strawberries

and flowers

he gave her food to eat and watched her

while he quietly smoked a cigarette

she looked more adult and womanly than

she really was

alec could not take his eyes off her

she did not know as she smiled

innocently at the flowers

that behind the cigarette smoke was the

cause of future sorrow in her life

what is your name

asked alec

test derbyfield

we live at marlot

i’ma see if my mother can find a place

for you

they said goodbye

and she set off home carrying her

strawberries and flowers

this then

was the beginning

why did she have to meet the wrong man

and one who was so strongly attracted to

her

yet to the right man she was only a

half-forgotten impression from an

evening’s dancing in a country field

in life

the right man to love hardly ever comes

at the right time for loving

nature does not often answer a call for

love

until the caller is tired of calling

in this case as in millions

it was not the two halves of a perfect

hole who met

a missing half wandered somewhere else

arriving much later

this delay

was to have tragic results

[Music]

chapter four

when tess arrived home the following

afternoon

a letter had already been received by

her mother

it appeared to come from mrs durberville

and offered tess work looking after

chickens

joan derbyfield was delighted

it’s just a way of getting you there

without raising your hopes she’s going

to recognize you as family i’m sure of

it

i would rather stay here with father and

you

said tess looking out of the window but

why

i’d rather not tell you mother

i don’t really know

a few days later when tess came back

from looking for work the children came

running out and danced around her

the gentleman’s been here

they shouted

joan was full of smiles

mrs derbeville’s son had called and

asked if tess could come or not he’s a

very handsome man

said mrs derbyfield

i don’t think so

said tess coldly

i’ll think it over

she left the room

he’s in love with her you can see that

said mrs derbyfield to her husband

no doubt he’ll marry her and she’ll be a

fine lady

john derbyfield had more pride in his

newfound blood than energy or health

that’s what young mr durberville is

trying to do

improve his blood by marrying into the

old line

persuaded by her mother and the children

tess finally agreed to go

mrs derbyfield secretly made wedding

plans

then the day came when tess wearing her

best sunday clothes on her mother’s

orders said goodbye to her family

good boy my girl

said sir john waking from a short sleep

tell young derbyville i’ll sell him the

title yes

sell it at a reasonable price

not for less than a thousand pounds

cried lady derbafield

no

tell him he can have it for a hundred

no fifty

no twenty

yes 20 pounds that’s the lowest

family honor is family honor and i won’t

take any less

tess felt like crying but turned quickly

and went out

her mother went with her to the edge of

the village

there she stopped and stood waving

goodbye

and watched her daughter walking away

into the distance

a wagon came to take her bags

and then a fashionable little carriage

appeared

it was driven by a well-dressed young

man

smoking a cigar

after a moment’s hesitation

tess stepped in

joan derbifield watching

wondered for the first time if she had

been right in encouraging tess to go

that night she said to her husband

perhaps i should have found out how the

gentleman really feels about her

yes perhaps you wart

murmured john half asleep

jones natural trust in the future came

back to her

well if he doesn’t marry her before

he’ll marry her after

if she plays our cards right

if he knows about her derbyville blood

you mean

no stupid if she shows him her pretty

face

meanwhile alec durberville was whipping

his horse and driving the carriage

faster and faster downhill

the trees rushed past at great speed

tess was feeling thoroughly frightened

he took no notice when she asked him to

slow down she cried out and held onto

his arm in fear

don’t touch my arm hold on to my waist

he shouted

at the top of another hill he said

laughing

put your arms around me again my beauty

never

said tess independently

let me give you one little kiss tess and

i’ll stop

will nothing else do

cried tess and despair

oh very well

as they raced on he was on the point of

kissing her when she suddenly moved

aside so that he almost fell off

i’ll break both our necks he swore

passionately

i thought you would be kind to me

said tess her eyes filling with tears

i don’t want to kiss anybody

but he insisted

so in the end she sat still and

derbeville kissed her

no sooner had he done so then she wiped

the place on her cheek with her

handkerchief

just then her hat blew off into the road

and derbaville stopped the horse

tess jumped down to get it then turned

triumphantly to alec

i shall walk from here

she said firmly

but it’s five or six miles more

i don’t care

you made that hat blow off on purpose

you did didn’t you

she was silent

he swore angrily at her

don’t use such bad words cried tess

i shall go back to mother i hate you

durbaville suddenly started laughing

look i promise never to do that again he

said come let me take you in the

carriage

but she refused and began to walk in the

direction of trantridge

so they progressed slowly

derbeville driving the carriage beside

tess chapter five

the chickens for which tess was

responsible

lived in an old cottage on mrs

durberville’s land

on her first day tess had to take some

of the chickens to show to their owner

she immediately realized the old lady

was blind

mrs derbeville held each bird and felt

it carefully to see that it was in good

health

at the end she suddenly asked tess a

question

can you whistle

whistle mom

yes whistle tunes

i want you to practice and whistle to my

birds every day

yes mom

tess was not surprised at mrs

durberville’s cold manner and did not

expect any more of such a great lady

however she did not realize that the old

lady had never even heard about the

family connection

tess began to enjoy her new work with

the chickens

and the next day in the cottage garden

she decided to practice whistling as

instructed

she was shocked to find that she had

completely forgotten how to whistle

suddenly she noticed a movement behind a

tree near the wall

it was alex herberville

well cousin tess

he said

i’ve never seen such a beautiful thing

as you

i’ve been watching you from over the

wall

look i can give you a lesson or two

oh no you won’t

cried tess going back towards the door

don’t worry i won’t touch you

just look

and he showed her how to whistle

from that moment tess found she could

whistle tunes to the birds just as mrs

durberville wanted

and as the weeks passed she often met

derbeville in the garden and began to

lose her shyness of him

every saturday night the other farm

workers from the surrounding area used

to go to drink and dance in the market

town two or three miles away

on sundays they would sleep late

for a long time tess did not go with

them

but after a while she wanted a change

from her routine and began to go on the

weekly trips regularly

she always came home with the others at

night preferring the protection of being

in a group

one saturday night she was in the town

looking for her companions as it was

time to go home

when she met alec durberville

what my beauty here so late

he said smiling at her

i’m just waiting for my friends

she answered

i’ll see you again he said as she moved

away

she became worried when she realized the

workers were still dancing wildly and

would not be going home soon

again she caught sight of alec waiting

in a doorway his cigar glowing red in

the dark

eventually she joined a group wandering

home

they had all been drinking but she felt

safer with them than alone

but after a while she became involved in

a quarrel with them and was trying to

get away from the angry group when alec

durberville rode by

he offered to take her home on the back

of his horse she hesitated

then accepted

together they rode along in the dark

tess holding on to alec

she was very tired every day that week

she had got up at five

so she did not notice that they were

riding off the main road and into the

chase

the oldest wood in england

it began to get foggy and finally alec

admitted honestly

that he was lost

put me down here sir cried tess at once

let me walk home from here how wrong of

you to bring me away from the main road

i knew i shouldn’t trust you

don’t worry my beauty laughed alec

i thought you would enjoy a longer ride

on such a lovely night

but i can’t let you go the fog is so bad

now that you couldn’t possibly find your

way

leave you here and go to find out where

we are

when i come back i’ll tell you

and you can come with me on horseback or

go alone on foot

just as you like

she agreed to this

shall i hold the horse

she asked

no he’ll stay quiet

answered alec

by the way

your father has a new horse today

and the children have some new toys

was it

was it you who gave them

oh

how good of you

murmured tess with a heavy heart

i almost wish you hadn’t

tessie

don’t you love me just a little now

i’m grateful

she admitted

but i’m afraid i don’t

and slowly she started to cry

now don’t cry my dear

sit here and wait for me

he made a bed for the tired girl among

the dead leaves and covered her with his

coat

he set off into the fog to find out

where he was

and came back to find tess fast asleep

he saw her in her white dress among the

leaves

a pale shining figure in the dark

he bent down and touched her cheek with

his

everywhere there was darkness and

silence

the birds and animals slept

safe in and under the trees

but who was looking after tess

who was protecting her innocence

tess

said derberville

and lay down beside her

the girl was not strong enough to resist

him

why was tess’s girlish purity lost

why does the wrong man take the wrong

woman why do the bad so often ruin the

good why is beauty damaged by ugliness

thousands of years of philosophy cannot

give us the answers to these questions

these things happen

and have always happened

perhaps in the past rolling home after a

battle tess’s ancestors the real

derbevilles had done the same even more

cruelly to young country girls

but we cannot accept that that is tess’s

fault and should happen to her

as the people of her village say

it was to be

and from now on

tess’s life was to be completely

different

chapter six

it was a sunday morning in late october

about four months after tess’s arrival

at trantridge and a few weeks after the

night ride in the chase

carrying a heavy basket and bundle

tess was walking towards the hills which

divided her from the veil her place of

birth

the scenery and people on this side were

very different from those in her village

marlot people mainly thought and

traveled northward and westward

while on this side people were

interested in the east and the south

she walked up the same hill which

derbeville had driven down so wildly

that june day

on reaching the top of the hill

tess paused and looked for a long time

at the familiar green world of home

it was always beautiful from here

but since she had last seen it her view

of life had changed

she had learnt that wickedness exists

even where there is beauty

and now she could hardly bear to look

down into the veil

then she looked behind her and saw a

carriage coming up the same hill that

she had just climbed with a man leading

the horse

soon he caught up with her

why did you slip away in secret like

that

asked herberville breathlessly i’ve been

driving like mad to catch up with you

just look at my horse

you know nobody would have prevented you

from going

i’m going to drive you the rest of the

way

if you won’t come back with me

i won’t come back

she said quietly

i thought so

well let me help you up give me your

basket

she stepped up into the carriage and sat

beside him

she had no fear of him now

the reason for this was also the reason

for her sorrow

they drove along derbaville making

conversation and tess thinking her own

thoughts

when they approached the village of

marlot a tear rolled down her cheek

why are you crying

he asked coldly

i was only thinking i was born over

there

well we must all be born somewhere

i wish i’d never been born

there or anywhere else

she said quietly

well you shouldn’t have come to

trentridge if you didn’t want to

you didn’t come for love of me anyway

that’s quite true

if i had ever loved you

if i loved you still

i could not hate myself for my weakness

as much as i do now

he did not look at her she added

i didn’t understand your intention until

it was too late

that’s what every woman says

how dare you say that

she cried angrily her eyes flashing at

him my god i could hit you

do you never think that some women may

not only say but feel it

all right

he said laughing i’m sorry to hurt you

i did wrong i admit it only don’t keep

accusing me i’m ready to pay for it you

need never work on the farms again

her lip lifted slightly she replied

i will not take anything from you

i cannot

one would think you were a queen as well

as being one of the real derbevilles

well test dear i suppose i’m a bad sort

of man

i’ve always been one and i always will

be one

but i promise i won’t be bad to you

again

and if anything should happen

you understand

if you are in any trouble

or need anything

just drop me a line and i’ll send by

return whatever you want

she stepped down from the carriage and

was going to leave him when he stopped

her and said

you’re not going to turn away from me

like that dear

come

let me kiss you

if you wish

she answered coldly

she offered her cool cheek to him but

her eyes rested on a distant tree as if

the kiss had nothing to do with her

you don’t give me your lips tess

i’m afraid you’ll never love me

it’s true

i have never loved you

and i never can

she added sadly

perhaps i should tell a lie

and then i could lead a comfortable life

but i have enough honor not to tell that

lie

if i loved you

i might have a very good reason to tell

you so

but i don’t

alec sighed heavily as if the scene were

depressing him

well

you’re very sad tess

and you have no reason to be

you’re still the prettiest girl for

miles around

will you come back with me

say you will

never never

i’ve made up my mind and i won’t come

then goodbye

and alec jumped up into his carriage and

drove off

tess did not watch him go but continued

her walk alone

it was still early in the day and the

sun was not yet giving any warmth

tess felt even sadder than the autumn

sadness which surrounded her

but soon a man came up behind her a man

with a pot of red paint in his hand good

morning

he said and offered to carry her basket

you’re up early on a sunday

he continued

yes

said tess

a day of rest for most people

although i do more real work today than

in the rest of the week put together

do you

in the week i work for man but on sunday

i work for god that’s better work don’t

you think wait a moment i have something

to do here

he stopped at a gate

and in large red letters on the middle

bar of the gate he painted some words

from the bible

punishment awaits you

in the soft air

against the gentle green of the trees

and the peaceful fields

these great red words stared at tess

they pointed a finger at her

this man was a stranger and could not

know her story but the words accused her

do you believe what you paint

she asked in a low voice

do i believe those words do i believe i

am alive but

she whispered trembling

suppose you were forced to do wrong

he shook his head

i can’t answer that question i paint the

words and leave others to think about

them in their own hearts

i think they’re horrible words

cried tess

i’ll take my basket and go now

and she walked away from him her heart

beating fast

i don’t believe god said those things

she thought as she reached her village

there was smoke coming from her father’s

chimney

but seeing the inside of the cottage

made her heart ache

it was as poor as ever

her mother jumped up surprised to see

her

well my dear tess

she said kissing her how are you have

you come home to be married

no

not for that mother

what isn’t your cousin going to marry

you

he’s not my cousin and he’s not going to

marry me

her mother looked at her closely

come

you haven’t told me everything

then tess went up to her mother

put her head on joan’s shoulder

and told her the whole story

and you haven’t persuaded him to marry

you

cried joan

what’s the good of going there

why didn’t you think of doing some good

for your family instead of thinking only

of yourself

tess was confused

alec had never mentioned marriage to her

but even if he had she would never have

accepted him because she did not love

him

this made her hate herself for what she

had done

she would certainly never love him in

the future

she did not quite hate him but did not

wish to marry him even to remain

respectable

you ought to have been more careful if

you didn’t want to marry him

oh mother

cried the poor girl her heart breaking

why didn’t you warn me about men

i was a child when i left home

i didn’t know how dangerous they can be

and you didn’t tell me

well we must make the best of it

said her mother it’s only human nature

after all

that afternoon the little cottage was

full of tess’s friends girls who lived

in the village and who had missed her

while she had been away

they whispered to each other that tess

was sure to marry that handsome

gentleman

fortunately a test did not hear them

she joined in there laughing and talking

and for a short time almost forgot her

shame

but the next day was monday

the beginning of the working week

when there were no best clothes and no

visitors

she’ll work with the innocent children

asleep around her

she who had lost her innocence

she looked into her future and grew very

depressed

she knew she had to travel on a long

stony road

without help or sympathy

she had nothing to look forward to

and she wanted to die

in the next few weeks however she became

more cheerful

and went to church one sunday morning

she loved listening to the well-known

tunes and gave herself up to the beauty

of the music

she wondered at the composer’s power

from the grave he could make a girl like

her who had never known him

feel extremes of emotion

she sat in a quiet dark corner listening

to the service

but when the village people arrived at

church they noticed her and started

whispering to each other

she knew what they were saying

and realized she could come to church no

more

so she spent almost all her time in her

bedroom which she shared with the

children

from here she watched the wind the snow

the rain beautiful sunsets and full

moons one after another

people began to think she had gone away

she only went out after dark to walk in

the woods and the fields

she was not afraid of the dark or the

shadows

it was people she was anxious to avoid

she was at home on the lonely hills

but she felt guilty surrounded by

innocent nature

when it rained

she thought nature was crying at her

weakness

and when the midnight wind blew she

thought nature was angry with her

but she did not realize that although

she had broken an accepted social rule

she had done nothing against nature

she was as innocent as the sleeping

birds in the trees

or the small field animals in the hedges

chapter seven

one day in august the sun was rising

through the mist

in a yellow cornfield near marlot

village it shone on two large arms of

painted wood

these with two others below

formed the turning cross of the reaping

machine

it was ready for today’s harvest

a group of men and a group of women came

down the road at sunrise

as they walked along their heads were in

the sun while their feet were in the

shadow of the hedge

they went into the field

soon there came a sound like the

lovemaking of the grasshopper

the machine had begun

and three horses pulled it slowly along

the field

its arms turned bright in the sunlight

gradually the area of standing corn was

reduced

so was the living space of the small

field animals who crowded together

not knowing that they could not escape

the machine in the end

the harvesters followed the machine

picking and tying up bundles of corn

the girls were perhaps more interesting

to look at

they wore large cotton hats to keep off

the sun

and gloves to protect their hands from

the corn

the prettiest was the one in the pale

pink jacket who never looked around her

as she worked she moved forward bending

and tying like a machine

occasionally she stood up to rest

then her face could be seen

a lovely young face

with deep dark eyes and long heavy

curling hair

her cheeks were paler her teeth more

regular

and her red lips thinner than most

country girls

it was test derby field

or derbyville

rather changed

living as a stranger in her home village

she had decided to do outdoor work and

earn a little money in the harvest

the work continued all morning and tess

began to glance towards the hill

at eleven o’clock a group of children

came over the hill

tess blushed a little but still did not

pause in her work

the eldest child carried in her arms a

baby in long clothes

another brought some lunch

the harvesters stopped work sat down and

started to eat and drink

tess also sat down

some way from the others

she called the girl her sister and took

the baby from her

unfastening her dress and still blushing

she began feeding her child

the men kindly turned away

some of them beginning to smoke

all the other women started to talk and

rearrange their hair

when the baby had finished tess played

with him without showing much enthusiasm

then suddenly she kissed him again and

again as if she could not stop the baby

cried out at the violence of her kisses

she loves that child though she says she

hates him and wishes they were both dead

said one of the women watching the young

mother

she’ll soon stop saying that

replied another she’ll get used to it it

happens to lots of girls

well it wasn’t her fault

she was forced into it that night in the

chase people heard her sobbing

a certain gentleman might have been

punished if somebody had passed by and

seen them

it was a pity that happened to her the

prettiest in the village

but that’s how it happens the ugly ones

are as safe as houses aren’t they jenny

and the speaker turned to one who was

certainly not beautiful

tess sat there unaware of their

conversation

her mouth was like a flower

and her eyes were large and soft

sometimes black blue or gray sometimes

all three colors together

she had spent months regretting her

experience and crying over it

but suddenly decided that the past was

the past

in a few years her shame and she herself

would be forgotten

meanwhile the trees were just as green

and the sun shone just as brightly as

before

life went on

she most feared what people thought of

her and imagined that they talked

constantly about her behind her back

in fact she was not often discussed and

even her friends only thought about her

occasionally

other things of more importance took up

their time

if there had been no people around her

tess would not have made herself so

unhappy she would have accepted the

situation as it was

she was miserable

not because she felt unhappy

but because she imagined herself

rejected by society

now she wanted to be useful again and to

work

so she dressed neatly and helped in the

harvest and looked people calmly in the

face even when holding her baby in her

arms

having eaten her lunch quickly tess went

back to work with the harvesters in the

cornfield until it was dark

they all came home on one of the largest

wagons singing and laughing together

but when tess reached home

she discovered that the baby had fallen

ill that afternoon

he was so small and weak that illness

was to be expected but this still came

as a shock to tess

she forgot the shame surrounding his

birth and only wished passionately to

keep him alive

however

it became clear that he was dying

now tess had a greater problem

her baby had not been baptized

her ideas on religion were not very

developed

she had more or less accepted that she

would go to hell for her crime

and did not much care what would happen

to her after death

but for her baby it was different

he was dying and must be saved from hell

it was nearly bedtime but she rushed

downstairs and asked if she could send

for the parson

her father had just returned from the

public house

and was at his most sensitive to the

shame brought upon his noble name by

tess

he refused to allow the parson in and

locked the door

the family went to sleep

as the night passed

tess realized in great misery that the

baby was close to death she walked

feverishly up and down the room

until an idea came to her

ah

perhaps baby can be saved

perhaps it will be just the same

she lit a candle and woke her young

brothers and sisters

having poured some water into a bowl she

made them kneel around with their hands

together as in church

the children were hardly awake and watch

tess with big round eyes

she looked tall in her long white night

dress

her long dark hair hanging down her back

to her waist

her enthusiasm lit up her face

giving it a beautiful purity

the face which had caused her shame

she picked up the baby

one of the children asked

are you really gonna baptize him tess

what’s his name gonna be

she had not thought of that

but remembered the story of adam and eve

in the bible

because they did wrong together god said

they would live in sorrow for the rest

of their lives

she said firmly

sorrow i baptize you in the name of the

father and of the son

and of the holy ghost

she splashed some water on the child and

there was silence

say amen children amen

they replied

tess put her hand into the water and

drew a huge cross upon the baby with her

finger

she continued the service in the

well-known words

asking for the baby to be protected

against the world

and against wickedness

her belief gave her hope

her sweet warm voice rang out the thanks

that follow the baptism

the single candle was reflected in her

shining eyes like a diamond

the children asked no more questions

but looked up at her in amazement

she seemed almost like a god to them

poor sorrows fight against the world and

wickedness was a short one

fortunately perhaps taking into account

his situation

in the blue light of the morning he

breathed his last

tess had been calm since the baptism and

she remained calm

she was no longer worried about sorrow’s

afterlife

if god did not accept the baptism

she did not value his heaven either for

herself or for her

child tess thought a good deal about the

baptism however

and wondered if it might mean that

sorrow could be buried in the churchyard

with a church service

she went to the parson’s house after

dark and met him near his

gate i should like to ask you something

sir

my baby was very ill

and i wanted you to baptize him but my

father refused to allow it

so i baptized him myself

now sir can you tell me this

and she looked him straight in the eyes

will it be just the same for him as if

you had baptized him

the person wanted to say no

she had done what should have been his

job

but the girl’s strong feeling impressed

him the man and the person fought inside

him

and the man won

my dear girl he said

it will be just the same

then will you bury him in the churchyard

she asked quickly

the person felt trapped

it was a difficult question to answer

ah

that’s a different matter

he said

i’m sorry

i cannot

oh sir

she took his hand as she spoke

he took it away shaking his head

then i’ll never come to church again

she cried

but perhaps it will be the same for him

tell me

have pity on me poor me

tell me what you really think

the person was deeply touched by her

emotion

for a surprising moment he forgot the

strict rules of his church

it will be just the same

he answered kindly

so the baby was carried in a cheap

wooden box to the churchyard at night

there is a corner of the churchyard

where the grass grows long

and where the suicides drunks unbaptized

babies and other supposed criminals are

laid

sorrow was buried here

at the cost of a shilling and a pint of

beer for the gravedigger

tess bravely made a little cross and put

it at the head of the grave one evening

when she could enter the churchyard

without being seen

it is all very well saying that we learn

from experience

tess had certainly learnt from

experience but could not see how to use

her knowledge so painfully gained

so she stayed in her parents home during

the winter

helping to look after the children

making clothes for them and earning a

little money whenever she could

important dates came round again

the night of her shame and the chase

the baby’s birth and death

her own birthday

one day when she was looking at her

pretty face in the mirror

she thought of another date even more

important

her own death

when it came it would swallow up all her

prettiness and everything that had

happened to her

when was it

it was a day lying hidden among all the

other days of the year

so that she noticed nothing when it came

round

and did not know what week month season

or year it would be

in a flash test changed from simple girl

to complicated woman

her face was often thoughtful

and there was sometimes a tragic note in

her voice

her eyes grew larger and more expressive

she became a beautiful woman

she had suffered

but had gained a certain self-confidence

from her experiences

although the village people had almost

forgotten her trouble

she decided she could never be really

happy in marlot

trying to claim relationship with the

rich derbyvilles seemed so foolish and

shameful to her

she thought her family would never be

respected there again

even now she felt hope rise within her

hope of finding a place with no family

connections and no memories in escaping

from marlot she intended to destroy the

past

perhaps now she could make up for her

crime against society

consequently she looked hard for work

away from marlot

she finally heard that a dairy man some

miles to the south needed a good milk

made for the summer

having decided to go there she promised

herself there would be no more hopeless

dreams she would simply be the dairy

made tess and nothing more

even her mother no longer talked about

their connection with the noble

derbevilles

but in spite of tess’s decision to

forget her ancestors

the dairy called talbot hayes

especially attracted her

because it was near the former lands of

the old derbeville family

she would be able to look at them

and not only observe that the noble

derbeville family had lost its greatness

but also remember

that a poor descendant had lost her

innocence

she wondered if some good might come of

being in the land of her ancestors

hope and youthful energy rose up in her

again like leaves on a young tree in

spring

[Music]