Then Tess got home the next day, her mother said, 'A letter has come, Tess! Mrs d'Urberville wants you to work on her chicken farm. She says you will have a comfortable room and good wages!'

Tess read the letter, then said, 'I want to stay here with you and father.'

'Why?'

'I don't want to tell you why. I don't really know why.' For the next few weeks, Tess searched for work close to home, but she found none. One day, when she came home, her mother said, 'Mr d'Urberville came by on his horse and asked if you had decided to work at his mother's chicken farm. Oh, what a handsome man he is!'

'I don't think so,' said Tess coldly.

'And he was wearing a diamond ring!' said Abraham. 'I saw it. The diamond glittered every time he put his hand up to his moustache. Why did our rich relation put his hand up to his moustache so often?'

'Perhaps to show his diamond ring,' said Jack.

'Are you going to accept the offer, Tess?' asked her mother.

'Perhaps,' said Tess.

'Well, he likes her,' said Joan to her husband, 'and she should go.'

'I don't like my children going away from home,' said Jack.

'Let her go,' said his poor stupid wife. 'He likes her, and he called her "cousin"! Maybe he'll marry her, and then we will have a new horse and plenty of money!'

'I will go,' said Tess. 'But don't talk about me marrying him. I am going to earn some money so that we can buy a horse.'

Tess wrote to Mrs d'Urberville, accepting her offer. Mrs d'Urberville replied, saying she was glad. Mrs d'Urberville's handwriting seemed rather masculine.

Two days later, the entire family accompanied Tess to meet the cart. As they climbed the hill, the cart appeared on the summit. Tess kissed everyone goodbye and ran up the hill. But then a gig came out from behind the trees.

Tess's face was full of surprise and apprehension as d'Urberville asked her to mount his gig and drive with him to The Slopes. She wanted to ride in the cart. But, when she looked down the hill at her family, she thought about Prince and how she was responsible for his death. Then she climbed onto the gig with Alec d'Urberville.