At the last moment her courage had failed her;
she feared his blame for not telling him sooner; and her instinct
of self-preservation was stronger than her candour.
"Of course," continued the unwitting Clare, "I should have been glad
to know you to be descended exclusively from the long-suffering,
dumb, unrecorded rank and file of the English nation, and not from
the self-seeking few who made themselves powerful at the expense of
the rest. But I am corrupted away from that by my affection for you,
Tess (he laughed as he spoke), and made selfish likewise. For your
own sake I rejoice in your descent. Society is hopelessly snobbish,
and this fact of your extraction may make an appreciable difference
to its acceptance of you as my wife, after I have made you the
well-read woman that I mean to make you. My mother too, poor soul,
will think so much better of you on account of it. Tess, you must
spell your name correctly--d'Urberville--from this very day."
"I like the other way rather best."
"But you MUST, dearest! Good heavens, why dozens of mushroom
millionaires would jump at such a possession! By the bye, there's
one of that kidney who has taken the name--where have I heard of
him?--Up in the neighbourhood of The Chase, I think. Why, he is the
very man who had that rumpus with my father I told you of. What an
odd coincidence!"
"Angel, I think I would rather not take the name! It is unlucky,
perhaps!" She was agitated. "Now then, Mistress Teresa d'Urberville, I have you. Take my name,
and so you will escape yours! The secret is out, so why should you
any longer refuse me?"
"If it is SURE to make you happy to have me as your wife, and you
feel that you do wish to marry me, VERY, VERY much--"
"I do, dearest, of course!" "I mean, that it is only your wanting me very much, and being hardly
able to keep alive without me, whatever my offences, that would make
me feel I ought to say I will."
"You will--you do say it, I know! You will be mine for ever and
ever." He clasped her close and kissed her. "Yes!"
She had no sooner said it than she burst into a dry hard sobbing, so
violent that it seemed to rend her. Tess was not a hysterical girl
by any means, and he was surprised. "Why do you cry, dearest?"