one for a set of brilliants like that.'
'Ought it?' said Tess.
'Yes,' said he.
He suggested to her how to tuck in the upper edge of her bodice, so
as to make it roughly approximate to the cut for evening wear; and
when she had done this, and the pendant to the necklace hung isolated
amid the whiteness of her throat, as it was designed to do, he
stepped back to survey her.
'My heavens,' said Clare, 'how beautiful you are!'
As everybody knows, fine feathers make fine birds; a peasant girl but
very moderately prepossessing to the casual observer in her simple
condition and attire will bloom as an amazing beauty if clothed as a
woman of fashion with the aids that Art can render; while the beauty
of the midnight crush would often cut but a sorry figure if placed
inside the field-woman's wrapper upon a monotonous acreage of
turnips on a dull day. He had never till now estimated the artistic
excellence of Tess's limbs and features.
'If you were only to appear in a ball-room!' he said. 'But
no--no, dearest; I think I love you best in the wing-bonnet and
cotton-frock--yes, better than in this, well as you support these
dignities.'
Tess's sense of her striking appearance had given her a flush of
excitement, which was yet not happiness.
'I'll take them off,' she said, 'in case Jonathan should see me.
They are not fit for me, are they? They must be sold, I suppose?'
'Let them stay a few minutes longer. Sell them? Never. It would be
a breach of faith.'
Influenced by a second thought she readily obeyed. She had something
to tell, and there might be help in these. She sat down with the
jewels upon her; and they again indulged in conjectures as to where
Jonathan could possibly be with their baggage. The ale they had
poured out for his consumption when he came had gone flat with long
standing.
Shortly after this they began supper, which was already laid on
a side-table. Ere they had finished there was a jerk in the
fire-smoke, the rising skein of which bulged out into the room, as if
some giant had laid his hand on the chimney-top for a moment. It had
been caused by the opening of the outer door. A heavy step was now
heard in the passage, and Angel went out.
'I couldn' make nobody hear at all by knocking,' apologized Jonathan
Kail, for it was he at last; 'and as't was raining out I opened the
door. I've brought the things, sir.'
'I am very glad to see them. But you are very late.'
'Well, yes, sir.'
There was something subdued in Jonathan Kail's tone which had not
been there in the day, and lines of concern were ploughed upon his
forehead in addition to the lines of years. He continued--
'We've all been gallied at the dairy at what might ha' been a most
terrible affliction since you and your Mis'ess--so to name her
