Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 47
“I like very much to be here,” she murmured. “It is so solemn and lonely—after my great happiness—with nothing but the sky above my face. It seems as if there were no folk in the world but we two; and I wish there were not—except ’Liza-Lu.”
Clare though she might as well rest here till it should get a little lighter, and he flung his overcoat upon her, and sat down by her side.
“Angel, if anything happens to me, will you watch over ’Liza-Lu for my sake?” she asked, when they had listened a long time to the wind among the pillars.
“I will.”
“She is so good and simple and pure. O, Angel—I wish you would marry her if you lose me, as you will do shortly. O, if you would!”
“If I lose you I lose all! And she is my sister-in-law.”
“That’s nothing, dearest. People marry sister-laws continually about Marlott; and ’Liza-Lu is so gentle and sweet, and she is growing so beautiful. O, I could share you with her willingly when we are spirits! If you would train her and teach her, Angel, and bring her up for your own self!... She had all the best of me without the bad of me; and if she were to become yours it would almost seem as if death had not divided us... Well, I have said it. I won’t mention it again.”
She ceased, and he fell into thought. In the far north-east sky he could see between the pillars a level streak of light. The uniform concavity of black cloud was lifting bodily like the lid of a pot, letting in at the earth’s edge the coming day, against which the towering monoliths and trilithons began to be blackly defined.
“Did they sacrifice to God here?” asked she.
“No,” said he.
“Who to?”
“I believe to the sun. That lofty stone set away by itself is in the direction of the sun, which will presently rise behind it.”
“This reminds me, dear,” she said. “You remember you never would interfere with any belief of mine before we were married? But I knew your mind all the same, and I thought as you thought—not from any reasons of my own, but because you thought so. Tell me now, Angel, do you think we shall meet again after we are dead? I want to know.”
He kissed her to avoid a reply at such a time.
“O, Angel—I fear that means no!” said she, with a suppressed sob. “And I wanted so to see you again—so much, so much! What—not even you and I, Angel, who love each other so well?”
Like a greater than himself, to the critical question at the critical time he did not answer; and they were again silent. In a minute or two her breathing became more regular, her clasp of his hand relaxed, and she fell asleep. The band of silver paleness along the east horizon made even the distant parts of the Great Plain appear dark and near; and the whole enormous landscape bore that impress of reserve, taciturnity, and hesitation which is usual just before day. The eastward pillars and their architraves stood up blackly against the light, and the great flame-shaped Sun-stone beyond them; and the Stone of Sacrifice midway. Presently the night wind died out, and the quivering little pools in the cup-like hollows of the stones lay still. At the same time something seemed to move on the verge of the dip eastward—a mere dot. It was the head of a man approaching them from the hollow beyond the Sun-stone. Clare wished they had gone onward, but in the circumstances decided to remain quiet. The figure came straight towards the circle of pillars in which they were.
He heard something behind him, the brush of feet. Turning, he saw over the prostrate columns another figure; then before he was aware, another was at hand on the right, under a trilithon, and another on the left. The dawn shone full on the front of the man westward, and Clare could discern from this that he was tall, and walked as if trained. They all closed in with evident purpose. Her story then was true! Springing to his feet, he looked around for a weapon, loose stone, means of escape, anything. By this time the nearest man was upon him.
“It is no use, sir,” he said. “There are sixteen of us on the Plain, and the whole country is reared.”
“Let her finish her sleep!” he implored in a whisper of the men as they gathered round.
When they saw where she lay, which they had not done till then, they showed no objection, and stood watching her, as still as the pillars around. He went to the stone and bent over her, holding one poor little hand; her breathing now was quick and small, like that of a lesser creature than a woman. All waited in the growing light, their faces and hands as if they were silvered, the remainder of their figures dark, the stones glistening green-gray, the Plain still a mass of shade. Soon the light was strong, and a ray shone upon her unconscious form, peering under her eyelids and waking her.
“What is it, Angel?” she said, starting up. “Have they come for me?”
“Yes, dearest,” he said. “They have come.”
“It is as it should be,” she murmured. “Angel, I am almost glad—yes, glad! This happiness could not have lasted. It was too much. I have had enough; and now I shall not live for you to despise me!”
She stood up, shook herself, and went forward, neither of the men having moved.
“I am ready,” she said quietly.
LIX
The city of Wintoncester, that fine old city, aforetime capital of Wessex, lay amidst its convex and concave downlands in all the brightness and warmth of a July morning. The gabled brick, tile, and freestone houses had almost dried off for the season their integument of lichen, the streams in the meadows were low, and in the sloping High Street, from the West Gateway to the mediæval cross, and from the mediæval cross to the bridge, that leisurely dusting and sweeping was in progress which usually ushers in an old-fashioned market-day.
From the western gate aforesaid the highway, as every Wintoncestrian knows, ascends a long and regular incline of the exact length of a measured mile, leaving the houses gradually behind. Up this road from the precincts of the city two persons were walking rapidly, as if unconscious of the trying ascent—unconscious through preoccupation and not through buoyancy. They had emerged upon this road through a narrow, barred wicket in a high wall a little lower down. They seemed anxious to get out of the sight of the houses and of their kind, and this road appeared to offer the quickest means of doing so. Though they were young, they walked with bowed heads, which gait of grief the sun’s rays smiled on pitilessly.
One of the pair was Angel Clare, the other a tall budding creature—half girl, half woman—a spiritualized image of Tess, slighter than she, but with the same beautiful eyes—Clare’s sister-in-law, ’Liza-Lu. Their pale faces seemed to have shrunk to half their natural size. They moved on hand in hand, and never spoke a word, the drooping of their heads being that of Giotto’s “Two Apostles”.
When they had nearly reached the top of the great West Hill the clocks in the town struck eight. Each gave a start at the notes, and, walking onward yet a few steps, they reached the first milestone, standing whitely on the green margin of the grass, and backed by the down, which here was open to the road. They entered upon the turf, and, impelled by a force that seemed to overrule their will, suddenly stood still, turned, and waited in paralyzed suspense beside the stone.
The prospect from this summit was almost unlimited. In the valley beneath lay the city they had just left, its more prominent buildings showing as in an isometric drawing—among them the broad cathedral tower, with its Norman windows and immense length of aisle and nave, the spires of St Thomas’s, the pinnacled tower of the College, and, more to the right, the tower and gables of the ancient hospice, where to this day the pilgrim may receive his dole of bread and ale. Behind the city swept the rotund upland of St Catherine’s Hill; further off, landscape beyond landscape, till the horizon was lost in the radiance of the sun hanging above it.
Against these far stretches of country rose, in front of the other city edifices, a large red-brick building, with level gray roofs, and rows of short barred windows bespeaking captivity, the whole contrasting greatly by its formalism with the quaint irregularities of the Gothic erections. It was somewhat disguised from the road in passing it by yews and evergreen oaks, but it was visible enough up here. The wicket from which the pair had lately emerged was in the wall of this structure. From the middle of the building an ugly flat-topped octagonal tower ascended against the east horizon, and viewed from this spot, on its shady side and against the light, it seemed the one blot on the city’s beauty. Yet it was with this blot, and not with the beauty, that the two gazers were concerned.
Upon the cornice of the tower a tall staff was fixed. Their eyes were riveted on it. A few minutes after the hour had struck something moved slowly up the staff, and extended itself upon the breeze. It was a black flag.
“Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals, in Æschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess. And the d’Urberville knights and dames slept on in their tombs unknowing. The two speechless gazers bent themselves down to the earth, as if in prayer, and remained thus a long time, absolutely motionless: the flag continued to wave silently. As soon as they had strength, they arose, joined hands again, and went on.
- Parts
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 01Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 2861Total number of unique words is 112049.5 of words are in the 2000 most common words64.7 of words are in the 5000 most common words74.5 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 02Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3197Total number of unique words is 116251.5 of words are in the 2000 most common words64.8 of words are in the 5000 most common words71.8 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 03Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3137Total number of unique words is 119451.5 of words are in the 2000 most common words66.2 of words are in the 5000 most common words72.6 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 04Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3183Total number of unique words is 110355.3 of words are in the 2000 most common words71.0 of words are in the 5000 most common words77.0 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 05Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3122Total number of unique words is 104552.3 of words are in the 2000 most common words69.3 of words are in the 5000 most common words76.1 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 06Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3113Total number of unique words is 104955.1 of words are in the 2000 most common words69.6 of words are in the 5000 most common words76.1 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 07Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3169Total number of unique words is 108953.4 of words are in the 2000 most common words69.7 of words are in the 5000 most common words77.4 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 08Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3258Total number of unique words is 118452.1 of words are in the 2000 most common words67.2 of words are in the 5000 most common words75.5 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 09Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3132Total number of unique words is 110554.9 of words are in the 2000 most common words70.0 of words are in the 5000 most common words77.8 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 10Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3241Total number of unique words is 103057.5 of words are in the 2000 most common words73.4 of words are in the 5000 most common words80.3 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 11Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3381Total number of unique words is 120449.7 of words are in the 2000 most common words67.1 of words are in the 5000 most common words74.5 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 12Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3275Total number of unique words is 118153.9 of words are in the 2000 most common words70.4 of words are in the 5000 most common words77.2 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 13Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3303Total number of unique words is 122248.6 of words are in the 2000 most common words63.9 of words are in the 5000 most common words71.6 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 14Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3222Total number of unique words is 109252.3 of words are in the 2000 most common words70.0 of words are in the 5000 most common words75.8 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 15Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3224Total number of unique words is 120651.0 of words are in the 2000 most common words66.1 of words are in the 5000 most common words73.9 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 16Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3289Total number of unique words is 115250.9 of words are in the 2000 most common words64.5 of words are in the 5000 most common words71.1 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 17Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3133Total number of unique words is 107255.5 of words are in the 2000 most common words69.8 of words are in the 5000 most common words75.6 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 18Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3220Total number of unique words is 112552.7 of words are in the 2000 most common words67.8 of words are in the 5000 most common words74.8 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 19Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3296Total number of unique words is 118851.5 of words are in the 2000 most common words67.1 of words are in the 5000 most common words73.5 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 20Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3298Total number of unique words is 119352.8 of words are in the 2000 most common words68.7 of words are in the 5000 most common words75.3 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 21Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3200Total number of unique words is 104556.5 of words are in the 2000 most common words71.9 of words are in the 5000 most common words78.0 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 22Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3219Total number of unique words is 110953.0 of words are in the 2000 most common words67.8 of words are in the 5000 most common words74.5 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 23Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3302Total number of unique words is 102056.6 of words are in the 2000 most common words71.9 of words are in the 5000 most common words77.9 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 24Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3156Total number of unique words is 98457.9 of words are in the 2000 most common words73.1 of words are in the 5000 most common words78.8 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 25Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3421Total number of unique words is 109857.0 of words are in the 2000 most common words73.8 of words are in the 5000 most common words80.0 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 26Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3223Total number of unique words is 106156.5 of words are in the 2000 most common words71.6 of words are in the 5000 most common words78.9 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 27Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3228Total number of unique words is 101556.5 of words are in the 2000 most common words73.4 of words are in the 5000 most common words79.6 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 28Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3279Total number of unique words is 104556.8 of words are in the 2000 most common words73.6 of words are in the 5000 most common words80.3 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 29Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3337Total number of unique words is 109755.4 of words are in the 2000 most common words72.9 of words are in the 5000 most common words80.3 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 30Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3371Total number of unique words is 109554.7 of words are in the 2000 most common words71.5 of words are in the 5000 most common words79.9 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 31Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3271Total number of unique words is 102958.0 of words are in the 2000 most common words73.2 of words are in the 5000 most common words78.6 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 32Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3183Total number of unique words is 102057.6 of words are in the 2000 most common words74.1 of words are in the 5000 most common words80.2 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 33Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3408Total number of unique words is 115853.6 of words are in the 2000 most common words70.0 of words are in the 5000 most common words76.7 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 34Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3304Total number of unique words is 116149.6 of words are in the 2000 most common words65.3 of words are in the 5000 most common words71.9 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 35Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3345Total number of unique words is 110257.0 of words are in the 2000 most common words72.8 of words are in the 5000 most common words77.8 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 36Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3275Total number of unique words is 111952.2 of words are in the 2000 most common words69.3 of words are in the 5000 most common words77.3 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 37Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3227Total number of unique words is 106857.6 of words are in the 2000 most common words72.8 of words are in the 5000 most common words79.1 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 38Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3167Total number of unique words is 99155.9 of words are in the 2000 most common words70.5 of words are in the 5000 most common words78.2 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 39Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3247Total number of unique words is 105954.3 of words are in the 2000 most common words71.3 of words are in the 5000 most common words77.3 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 40Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3552Total number of unique words is 108555.6 of words are in the 2000 most common words70.2 of words are in the 5000 most common words77.9 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 41Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3388Total number of unique words is 116852.1 of words are in the 2000 most common words68.3 of words are in the 5000 most common words76.4 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 42Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3165Total number of unique words is 100357.3 of words are in the 2000 most common words71.6 of words are in the 5000 most common words76.7 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 43Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3246Total number of unique words is 109551.2 of words are in the 2000 most common words67.7 of words are in the 5000 most common words74.3 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 44Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3342Total number of unique words is 103059.2 of words are in the 2000 most common words74.3 of words are in the 5000 most common words81.3 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 45Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3361Total number of unique words is 96960.9 of words are in the 2000 most common words75.2 of words are in the 5000 most common words82.3 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 46Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 3290Total number of unique words is 109956.4 of words are in the 2000 most common words75.8 of words are in the 5000 most common words82.0 of words are in the 8000 most common words
- Tess of the d’Urbervilles A Pure Woman - 47Each bar represents the percentage of words per 1000 most common words.Total number of words is 1705Total number of unique words is 67063.1 of words are in the 2000 most common words75.3 of words are in the 5000 most common words81.8 of words are in the 8000 most common words