"I don't altogether think I ought to go," said Tess thoughtfully.
"Who wrote the letter? Will you let me look at it?"
"Mrs d'Urberville wrote it. Here it is."
The letter was in the third person, and briefly informed Mrs
Durbeyfield that her daughter's services would be useful to that lady
in the management of her poultry-farm, that a comfortable room would
be provided for her if she could come, and that the wages would be on
a liberal scale if they liked her.
"Oh--that's all!" said Tess.
"You couldn't expect her to throw her arms round 'ee, an' to kiss and
to coll 'ee all at once."
Tess looked out of the window. "I would rather stay here with father and you," she said.
"But why?"
"I'd rather not tell you why, mother; indeed, I don't quite know
why." A week afterwards she came in one evening from an unavailing search
for some light occupation in the immediate neighbourhood. Her idea
had been to get together sufficient money during the summer to
purchase another horse. Hardly had she crossed the threshold before
one of the children danced across the room, saying, "The gentleman's
been here!" Her mother hastened to explain, smiles breaking from every inch of
her person. Mrs d'Urberville's son had called on horseback, having
been riding by chance in the direction of Marlott. He had wished
to know, finally, in the name of his mother, if Tess could really
come to manage the old lady's fowl-farm or not; the lad who had
hitherto superintended the birds having proved untrustworthy. "Mr
d'Urberville says you must be a good girl if you are at all as you
appear; he knows you must be worth your weight in gold. He is very
much interested in 'ee--truth to tell."
Tess seemed for the moment really pleased to hear that she had won
such high opinion from a stranger when, in her own esteem, she had
sunk so low. "It is very good of him to think that," she murmured; "and if I was
quite sure how it would be living there, I would go any-when."
"He is a mighty handsome man!" "I don't think so," said Tess coldly.
"Well, there's your chance, whether or no; and I'm sure he wears a
beautiful diamond ring!"
"Yes," said little Abraham, brightly, from the window-bench; "and
I seed it! and it did twinkle when he put his hand up to his
mistarshers. Mother, why did our grand relation keep on putting his
hand up to his mistarshers?"