"
"The more fool you!"
D'Urberville in anger retreated from her to the hedge, where he
pulled off the long smockfrock which had disguised him; and rolling
it up and pushing it into the couch-fire, went away.
Tess could not get on with her digging after this; she felt restless;
she wondered if he had gone back to her father's house; and taking
the fork in her hand proceeded homewards.
Some twenty yards from the house she was met by one of her sisters.
"O, Tessy--what do you think! 'Liza-Lu is a-crying, and there's a
lot of folk in the house, and mother is a good deal better, but they
think father is dead!"
The child realized the grandeur of the news; but not as yet its
sadness, and stood looking at Tess with round-eyed importance till,
beholding the effect produced upon her, she said--
"What, Tess, shan't we talk to father never no more?"
"But father was only a little bit ill!" exclaimed Tess distractedly.
'Liza-Lu came up.
"He dropped down just now, and the doctor who was there for mother
said there was no chance for him, because his heart was growed in."
Yes; the Durbeyfield couple had changed places; the dying one was
out of danger, and the indisposed one was dead.
Pages:
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584