they'll be thrown on our hands.'
Mrs Durbeyfield looked unequal to the emergency. 'Some young feller,
perhaps, would go? One of them who were so much after dancing with
'ee yesterday,' she presently suggested.
'O no--I wouldn't have it for the world!' declared Tess proudly.
'And letting everybody know the reason--such a thing to be ashamed
of! I think _I_ could go if Abraham could go with me to kip me
company.'
Her mother at length agreed to this arrangement. Little Abraham was
aroused from his deep sleep in a corner of the same apartment, and
made to put on his clothes while still mentally in the other world.
Meanwhile Tess had hastily dressed herself; and the twain, lighting
a lantern, went out to the stable. The rickety little waggon was
already laden, and the girl led out the horse, Prince, only a degree
less rickety than the vehicle.
The poor creature looked wonderingly round at the night, at the
lantern, at their two figures, as if he could not believe that at
that hour, when every living thing was intended to be in shelter and
at rest, he was called upon to go out and labour. They put a stock
of candle-ends into the lantern, hung the latter to the off-side of
the load, and directed the horse onward, walking at his shoulder at
first during the uphill parts of the way, in order not to overload
an animal of so little vigour. To cheer themselves as well as they
could, they made an artificial morning with the lantern, some bread
and butter, and their own conversation, the real morning being far
from come. Abraham, as he more fully awoke (for he had moved in a
sort of trance so far), began to talk of the strange shapes assumed
by the various dark objects against the sky; of this tree that looked
like a raging tiger springing from a lair; of that which resembled a
giant's head.
When they had passed the little town of Stourcastle, dumbly somnolent
under its thick brown thatch, they reached higher ground. Still
higher, on their left, the elevation called Bulbarrow, or Bealbarrow,
well-nigh the highest in South Wessex, swelled into the sky,
engirdled by its earthen trenches. From hereabout the long road was
fairly level for some distance onward. They mounted in front of the
waggon, and Abraham grew reflective.
'Tess!' he said in a preparatory tone, after a silence.
'Yes, Abraham.'
'Bain't you glad that we've become gentlefolk?'
'Not particular glad.'
'But you be glad that you 'm going to marry a gentleman?'
'What?' said Tess, lifting her face.
'That our great relation will help 'ee to marry a gentleman.'
'I? Our great relation? We have no such relation. What has put
that into your head?'
'I heard 'em talking about it up at Rolliver's when I went to find
father. There's a rich lady of our family out at Trantridge, and
mother said that if you claimed kin with the lady, she'd put 'ee in
the way of marrying a gentleman.'
