06-04-苔丝 [68]
where Marian was working．Here the earth was poor，and the work was difficult．But Tess did not mind the hard work in the fields．As she and Marian dug out the vegetables in the pouring rain，they talked of Talbothays and of the sunny green fields and of Angel Clare．Tess did not tell Marian everything，so Marian could not understand why the couple were apart．
They wrote to Izz，asking her to join them if she had no other work．It was the coldest winter for years，but Tess and Marian had to go on working in the snow．Tess realized that the farmer was the same Trantridge man who had recognized her in the market town，and had been knocked down by Angel．He made her work twice as hard as the others．
When Izz came，Tess saw her whispering to Marian．Tess had a feeling it was important．‘Is it about my husband？’she asked Marian later．
‘Well yes，Izz said I shouldn't tell．But he asked her to run away to Brazil with him！’
Tess's face went as white as the snow on the ground．
‘What happened？’
‘He changed his mind．But he was going to take her！’
Tess burst out crying．‘I must write to him！It's my fault！I shouldn't have left it to him！He said I could write to him！I've been neglecting him！’
But in the evening，in her room，she could not finish her letter to him．She looked at her wedding ring，which she wore round her neck in the day，and kept on her finger all night．What kind of husband would ask Izz to go to Brazil with him so soon after parting from his wife？
But this new information made her think again of visiting Angel's family in Emminster．She wanted to know why he had not written to her．She could meet his parents，who would surely be kind to her in her loneliness．So she decided to walk there from the farm at Flintcomb－Ash on a Sunday， her only free day．It was fifteen miles each way．She dressed in her best，encouraged by Marian and Izz，who sent her on her way at four o’clock in the morning．The girls sincerely loved Tess and wished for her happiness．It was a year since her wedding，and on that bright cold morning her unspoken hope was to win over her husband's family and so persuade him back to her．
Although she started cheerfully，she began to lose her courage as she approached Emminster．The church looked forbidding．Perhaps the rather strict parson would not approve of her travelling so far on a Sunday．But she had to go on．She took off her thick walking boots and hid them behind a tree，changing into her pretty shoes．She would collect the boots on the way out of town．
She took a deep breath and rang the bell at the parson's house．Nobody answered．She tried again．Silence．It was almost with relief that she turned and walked away．Then she suddenly remembered that they must all be at church．So she waited in a quiet part of the street until people began to stream out of church．She immediately recognized Angel's brothers and even overheard some of their conversation．
‘Poor Angel！’one of them said．‘There's that nice girl，Mercy Chant．Why on earth didn't he marry her instead of rushing into marriage with a dairymaid？’
‘It's certainly very strange．But his ideas have always been most odd．’
They joined Mercy Chant as she came out of church，and walked together along the road Tess had walked into Emminster．
‘Look，here's a pair of old boots，’said one of the brothers，noticing Tess's boots behind the tree．
‘Excellent walking boots，I see，’said Miss Chant．‘How wicked to throw them away！Give them to me．I'll find a poor person who would like them．’
Tess walked quickly past them，tears running down her face．She continued walking as fast as she could away from Emminster．How unlucky that she had met the sons and not the father！Angel's parents would have taken poor lonely Tess to their hearts immediately，as they did every other lost soul
They wrote to Izz，asking her to join them if she had no other work．It was the coldest winter for years，but Tess and Marian had to go on working in the snow．Tess realized that the farmer was the same Trantridge man who had recognized her in the market town，and had been knocked down by Angel．He made her work twice as hard as the others．
When Izz came，Tess saw her whispering to Marian．Tess had a feeling it was important．‘Is it about my husband？’she asked Marian later．
‘Well yes，Izz said I shouldn't tell．But he asked her to run away to Brazil with him！’
Tess's face went as white as the snow on the ground．
‘What happened？’
‘He changed his mind．But he was going to take her！’
Tess burst out crying．‘I must write to him！It's my fault！I shouldn't have left it to him！He said I could write to him！I've been neglecting him！’
But in the evening，in her room，she could not finish her letter to him．She looked at her wedding ring，which she wore round her neck in the day，and kept on her finger all night．What kind of husband would ask Izz to go to Brazil with him so soon after parting from his wife？
But this new information made her think again of visiting Angel's family in Emminster．She wanted to know why he had not written to her．She could meet his parents，who would surely be kind to her in her loneliness．So she decided to walk there from the farm at Flintcomb－Ash on a Sunday， her only free day．It was fifteen miles each way．She dressed in her best，encouraged by Marian and Izz，who sent her on her way at four o’clock in the morning．The girls sincerely loved Tess and wished for her happiness．It was a year since her wedding，and on that bright cold morning her unspoken hope was to win over her husband's family and so persuade him back to her．
Although she started cheerfully，she began to lose her courage as she approached Emminster．The church looked forbidding．Perhaps the rather strict parson would not approve of her travelling so far on a Sunday．But she had to go on．She took off her thick walking boots and hid them behind a tree，changing into her pretty shoes．She would collect the boots on the way out of town．
She took a deep breath and rang the bell at the parson's house．Nobody answered．She tried again．Silence．It was almost with relief that she turned and walked away．Then she suddenly remembered that they must all be at church．So she waited in a quiet part of the street until people began to stream out of church．She immediately recognized Angel's brothers and even overheard some of their conversation．
‘Poor Angel！’one of them said．‘There's that nice girl，Mercy Chant．Why on earth didn't he marry her instead of rushing into marriage with a dairymaid？’
‘It's certainly very strange．But his ideas have always been most odd．’
They joined Mercy Chant as she came out of church，and walked together along the road Tess had walked into Emminster．
‘Look，here's a pair of old boots，’said one of the brothers，noticing Tess's boots behind the tree．
‘Excellent walking boots，I see，’said Miss Chant．‘How wicked to throw them away！Give them to me．I'll find a poor person who would like them．’
Tess walked quickly past them，tears running down her face．She continued walking as fast as she could away from Emminster．How unlucky that she had met the sons and not the father！Angel's parents would have taken poor lonely Tess to their hearts immediately，as they did every other lost soul