An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1653 words)
aving mounted beside her, Alec d’Urberville drove rapidly along the
crest of the first hill, chatting compliments to Tess as they went, the
cart with her box being left far behind. Rising still, an immense
landscape stretched around them on every side; behind, the green valley
of her birth, before, a gray country of which she knew nothing except
from her first brief visit to Trantridge. Thus they reached the verge
of an incline down which the road stretched in a long straight descent
of nearly a mile.
Ever since the accident with her father’s horse Tess Durbeyfield,
courageous as she naturally was, had been exceedingly timid on wheels;
the least irregularity of motion startled her. She began to get uneasy
at a certain recklessness in her conductor’s driving.
“You will go down slow, sir, I suppose?” she said with attempted
unconcern.
D’Urberville looked round upon her, nipped his cigar with the tips of
his large white centre-teeth, and allowed his lips to smile slowly of
themselves.
“Why, Tess,” he answered, after another whiff or two, “it isn’t a brave
bouncing girl like you who asks that? Why, I always go down at full
gallop. There’s nothing like it for raising your spirits.”
“But perhaps you need not now?”
“Ah,” he said, shaking his head, “there are two to be reckoned with. It
is not me alone. Tib has to be considered, and she has a very queer
temper.”
“Who?”
“Why, this mare. I fancy she looked round at me in a very grim way just
then. Didn’t you notice it?”
“Don’t try to frighten me, sir,” said Tess stiffly.
“Well, I don’t. If any living man can manage this horse I can: I won’t
say any living man can do it—but if such has the power, I am he.”
“Why do you have such a horse?”
“Ah, well may you ask it! It was my fate, I suppose. Tib has killed one
chap; and just after I bought her she nearly killed me. And then, take
my word for it, I nearly killed her. But she’s touchy still, very
touchy; and one’s life is hardly safe behind her sometimes.”
They were just beginning to descend; and it was evident that the horse,
whether of her own will or of his (the latter being the more likely),
knew so well the reckless performance expected of her that she hardly
required a hint from behind.
Down, down, they sped, the wheels humming like a top, the dog-cart
rocking right and left, its axis acquiring a slightly oblique set in
relation to the line of progress; the figure of the horse rising and
falling in undulations before them. Sometimes a wheel was off the
ground, it seemed, for many yards; sometimes a stone was sent spinning
over the hedge, and flinty sparks from the horse’s hoofs outshone the
daylight. The aspect of the straight road enlarged with their advance,
the two banks dividing like a splitting stick; one rushing past at each
shoulder.
The wind blew through Tess’s white muslin to her very skin, and her
washed hair flew out behind. She was determined to show no open fear,
but she clutched d’Urberville’s rein-arm.
“Don’t touch my arm! We shall be thrown out if you do! Hold on round my
waist!”
She grasped his waist, and so they reached the bottom.
“Safe, thank God, in spite of your fooling!” said she, her face on
fire.
“Tess—fie! that’s temper!” said d’Urberville.
“’Tis truth.”
“Well, you need not let go your hold of me so thanklessly the moment
you feel yourself out of danger.”
She had not considered what she had been doing; whether he were man or
woman, stick or stone, in her involuntary hold on him. Recovering her
reserve, she sat without replying, and thus they reached the summit of
another declivity.
“Now then, again!” said d’Urberville.
“No, no!” said Tess. “Show more sense, do, please.”
“But when people find themselves on one of the highest points in the
county, they must get down again,” he retorted.
He loosened rein, and away they went a second time. D’Urberville turned
his face to her as they rocked, and said, in playful raillery: “Now
then, put your arms round my waist again, as you did before, my
Beauty.”
“Never!” said Tess independently, holding on as well as she could
without touching him.
“Let me put one little kiss on those holmberry lips, Tess, or even on
that warmed cheek, and I’ll stop—on my honour, I will!”
Tess, surprised beyond measure, slid farther back still on her seat, at
which he urged the horse anew, and rocked her the more.
“Will nothing else do?” she cried at length, in desperation, her large
eyes staring at him like those of a wild animal. This dressing her up
so prettily by her mother had apparently been to lamentable purpose.
“Nothing, dear Tess,” he replied.
“Oh, I don’t know—very well; I don’t mind!” she panted miserably.
He drew rein, and as they slowed he was on the point of imprinting the
desired salute, when, as if hardly yet aware of her own modesty, she
dodged aside. His arms being occupied with the reins there was left him
no power to prevent her manœuvre.
“Now, damn it—I’ll break both our necks!” swore her capriciously
passionate companion. “So you can go from your word like that, you
young witch, can you?”
“Very well,” said Tess, “I’ll not move since you be so determined! But
I—thought you would be kind to me, and protect me, as my kinsman!”
“Kinsman be hanged! Now!”
“But I don’t want anybody to kiss me, sir!” she implored, a big tear
beginning to roll down her face, and the corners of her mouth trembling
in her attempts not to cry. “And I wouldn’t ha’ come if I had known!”
He was inexorable, and she sat still, and d’Urberville gave her the
kiss of mastery. No sooner had he done so than she flushed with shame,
took out her handkerchief, and wiped the spot on her cheek that had
been touched by his lips. His ardour was nettled at the sight, for the
act on her part had been unconsciously done.
“You are mighty sensitive for a cottage girl!” said the young man.
Tess made no reply to this remark, of which, indeed, she did not quite
comprehend the drift, unheeding the snub she had administered by her
instinctive rub upon her cheek. She had, in fact, undone the kiss, as
far as such a thing was physically possible. With a dim sense that he
was vexed she looked steadily ahead as they trotted on near Melbury
Down and Wingreen, till she saw, to her consternation, that there was
yet another descent to be undergone.
“You shall be made sorry for that!” he resumed, his injured tone still
remaining, as he flourished the whip anew. “Unless, that is, you agree
willingly to let me do it again, and no handkerchief.”
She sighed. “Very well, sir!” she said. “Oh—let me get my hat!”
At the moment of speaking her hat had blown off into the road, their
present speed on the upland being by no means slow. D’Urberville pulled
up, and said he would get it for her, but Tess was down on the other
side.
She turned back and picked up the article.
“You look prettier with it off, upon my soul, if that’s possible,” he
said, contemplating her over the back of the vehicle. “Now then, up
again! What’s the matter?”
The hat was in place and tied, but Tess had not stepped forward.
“No, sir,” she said, revealing the red and ivory of her mouth as her
eye lit in defiant triumph; “not again, if I know it!”
“What—you won’t get up beside me?”
“No; I shall walk.”
“’Tis five or six miles yet to Trantridge.”
“I don’t care if ’tis dozens. Besides, the cart is behind.”
“You artful hussy! Now, tell me—didn’t you make that hat blow off on
purpose? I’ll swear you did!”
Her strategic silence confirmed his suspicion.
Then d’Urberville cursed and swore at her, and called her everything he
could think of for the trick. Turning the horse suddenly he tried to
drive back upon her, and so hem her in between the gig and the hedge.
But he could not do this short of injuring her.
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself for using such wicked words!”
cried Tess with spirit, from the top of the hedge into which she had
scrambled. “I don’t like ’ee at all! I hate and detest you! I’ll go
back to mother, I will!”
D’Urberville’s bad temper cleared up at sight of hers; and he laughed
heartily.
“Well, I like you all the better,” he said. “Come, let there be peace.
I’ll never do it any more against your will. My life upon it now!”
Still Tess could not be induced to remount. She did not, however,
object to his keeping his gig alongside her; and in this manner, at a
slow pace, they advanced towards the village of Trantridge. From time
to time d’Urberville exhibited a sort of fierce distress at the sight
of the tramping he had driven her to undertake by his misdemeanour. She
might in truth have safely trusted him now; but he had forfeited her
confidence for the time, and she kept on the ground progressing
thoughtfully, as if wondering whether it would be wiser to return home.
Her resolve, however, had been taken, and it seemed vacillating even to
childishness to abandon it now, unless for graver reasons. How could
she face her parents, get back her box, and disconcert the whole scheme
for the rehabilitation of her family on such sentimental grounds?
A few minutes later the chimneys of The Slopes appeared in view, and in
a snug nook to the right the poultry-farm and cottage of Tess’s
destination.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Creating false emergencies to pressure someone into compromising their boundaries while making the predator appear as the reasonable solution.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when someone creates a crisis specifically to make their inappropriate demands seem reasonable by comparison.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone creates urgency around their 'help'—real assistance doesn't come with strings that make you uncomfortable.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"You will go down slow, sir, I suppose?"
Context: When she sees the steep hill and feels afraid due to her previous accident with her father's horse
Shows Tess trying to advocate for her safety while still being polite and deferential. Her 'attempted unconcern' reveals she's already sensing danger but doesn't want to seem difficult.
In Today's Words:
Could you please be careful? I'm scared but trying not to show it.
"There's nothing like it for raising your spirits."
Context: His response when Tess asks him to drive slowly down the dangerous hill
Reveals his selfishness and disregard for her fear. He prioritizes his own thrills over her safety and well-being, a classic sign of an abusive personality.
In Today's Words:
I don't care if you're scared - I'm having fun and that's what matters.
"It is not me alone. Tib has to be considered, and she has a very queer temper."
Context: Making excuses for why he can't control the dangerous driving
Classic abuser tactic of deflecting responsibility onto external factors. He's manufacturing the crisis but pretending it's beyond his control to justify what comes next.
In Today's Words:
It's not my fault - I can't help what happens next because of this situation I definitely didn't create on purpose.
Thematic Threads
Power
In This Chapter
Alec uses physical control of the carriage and speed to create a power dynamic where Tess must negotiate for basic safety
Development
Escalation from subtle manipulation in earlier chapters to overt coercion through manufactured danger
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when someone controls the situation (driving, timing, location) to pressure your decisions
Boundaries
In This Chapter
Tess instinctively wipes away the forced kiss, then refuses further compromise by choosing to walk rather than ride
Development
Her boundary-setting skills are developing under pressure, showing growing awareness of manipulation
In Your Life:
Small acts of resistance (like wiping away that kiss) can be your way of maintaining dignity even when you can't escape immediately
False Choice
In This Chapter
Alec presents only two options: submit to his advances or risk death in a carriage accident, hiding the third option of walking
Development
Introduction of how predators limit perceived options to force compliance
In Your Life:
When someone gives you only bad choices, look for the third option they're not mentioning
Class Vulnerability
In This Chapter
Tess cannot simply leave because her family's financial desperation makes her dependent on this connection to the d'Urbervilles
Development
Deepening exploration of how economic powerlessness enables abuse
In Your Life:
Financial dependence can trap you in harmful situations, making emergency funds and job skills your best protection
Predatory Behavior
In This Chapter
Alec's anger when Tess wipes away the kiss reveals this was never about affection but about establishing dominance and compliance
Development
Clear revelation of Alec's true nature, moving beyond earlier subtle manipulation
In Your Life:
Someone who gets angry when you reclaim your dignity after they've violated it is showing you their real intentions
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
How does Alec use the carriage ride to pressure Tess, and what does her response reveal about her character?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Alec get angry when Tess wipes away the kiss, and what does this tell us about his true intentions?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern of 'manufactured crisis then rescue offer' in modern workplaces, relationships, or family dynamics?
application • medium - 4
What strategies could someone use today to recognize and respond to this type of manipulation before it escalates?
application • deep - 5
What does Tess's decision to walk rather than ride teach us about maintaining dignity in powerless situations?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map the Manipulation Pattern
Think of a situation where someone created urgency or drama, then positioned themselves as the solution—but their 'help' required you to give up something important. Write down the steps of how it unfolded, then identify what you could have done differently at each stage.
Consider:
- •Notice who benefits when the 'emergency' gets solved their way
- •Real helpers don't get angry when you set boundaries about how they help
- •Sometimes the harder choice (like walking) protects your long-term safety and self-respect
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you chose the difficult path to maintain your dignity. What did that choice cost you in the short term, and what did it protect in the long term?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 9: Learning to Whistle for the Birds
Tess arrives at The Slopes and meets the d'Urberville household, where she'll discover what her new life as a poultry keeper really entails. But Alec's behavior on the road suggests this won't be the safe haven her family imagined.
