The children, who had made use of this idea of Tess being taken up by their wealthy kinsfolk (as they imagined the other family to be) as a species of dolorifuge after the death of the horse, began to cry at Tess’s reluctance, and teased and reproached her for hesitating.
‘Tess won’t go—o—o and be made a la—a—dy of!—no, she says she wo—o—on’t!’ they wailed, with square mouths. ‘And we shan’t have a nice new horse, and lots o’ golden money to buy fairlings! And Tess won’t look pretty in her best cloze no mo—o—ore!’
Her mother chimed in to the same tune: a certain way she had of making her labours in the house seem heavier than they were by prolonging them indefinitely, also weighed in the argument. Her father alone preserved an attitude of neutrality.
‘I will go,’ said Tess at last.
Her mother could not repress her consciousness of the nuptial Vision conjured up by the girl’s consent.
‘That’s right! For such a pretty girl, it is a fine opportunity!’
Tess smiled crossly.
86
