Tess of the d'Urbervilles: Chapter 43 - Summary

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      On the surface of starved acre land, the only fat thing was Marian herself otherwise everybody starved. Tess also set to work. The Sweede-field in which she and her companion were set knocking was a stretch of hundred odd acres where she was found to work in the company of Marian. The work was to dig out the turnip, the upper portion of which had been consulted by the live-stock. In the frost of the morning, in the rain of the noon and in the chilly tempestuous winds of evening they had to work. If they did not work, they were not paid. Tess was the only fellow who was unhabitual of such hard life. Since Marian was her companion and the two always talked about their amorous past in Talbothay, the shafts of the rain did not strike them with more force. Marian put a proposal that they should call Izz also again the Taibolriays days would revive. Tess had nothing to say against the proposal.

      Then one day a peculiar quality invaded the air of this open country. Those birds who had, come here were the symptoms of the heavy snowfall. Their place and kind of work were changed. They were to draw the reeds in the barn. Tess knew that it was impossible to go on with the Swedes, but she was helpless. When the two friends reached there, to their surprise they found that Izz had arrived. But along with Izz one calamity had also arrived and that was the landlord himself. He was the same young man who was beaten by Clare and was dodged by Tess a few days back. He saw Tess and smiled. The bird itself had come to his cage. He determined to avenge himself upon her, fully. He asked her to apologize but her pride would never yield. He gave the hardest work and the maximum quality. She kept working at the lunch time also, but then Marian and Izz had to help her because she fainted. When Tess was relaxing Izz told Marian that Angel had offered to take her to Brazil. When Tess resumed her work and from Marian came to know about it she was very much distressed. She could not believe but she had to, because those were the words of a lover—of Angel. Of all these lovers none tried ever to defame him or to degrade his character. At night she wrote some lines to Clare but then tore off the letter. It was useless to plead her case when her privileges had already been offered to Izz.

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