The pair of legs that carried
him 1
were rickety , and there was a bias in his 1
gait which inclined him 1
somewhat to the left of a straight line .
He 1
occasionally gave a smart nod , as if in confirmation of some opinion , though he 1
was not thinking of anything in particular .
An empty egg-basket was slung upon his 1
arm , the nap of his 1
hat was ruffled , a patch being quite worn away at its brim where his 1
thumb came in taking it off .
Presently he 1
was met by an elderly parson astride on a gray mare 5
, who , as he 5
rode , hummed a wandering tune .
" Good night t ' ee , " said the man with the basket 1
.
" Good night , Sir John 1
, " said the parson 5
.
The pedestrian 1
, after another pace or two , halted , and turned round .
" Now , sir 5
, begging your 5
pardon ; we 6
met last market-day on this road 7
about this time , and I 1
said ' Good night , ' and you 5
made reply ' _ Good night , Sir John 1
_ , ' as now . "
" I 5
did , " said the parson 5
.
" And once before that -- near a month ago . "
" I 5
may have . "
" Then what might your 5
meaning be in calling me 1
' Sir John 1
' these different times , when I 1
be plain Jack Durbeyfield 1
, the haggler 85
? "
The parson 5
rode a step or two nearer .
" It was only my 5
whim , " he 5
said ; and , after a moment 's hesitation : " It was on account of a discovery I 5
made some little time ago , whilst I 5
was hunting up pedigrees for the new county 8
history .
I 5
am Parson Tringham 5
, the antiquary , of
Stagfoot Lane 9
87 .
Do n't you 1
really know , Durbeyfield 1
, that you 1
are the lineal representative of
the ancient and knightly family of the d'Urbervilles 10
88 , who derive their 10
descent from Sir Pagan d'Urberville 11
, that renowned knight who came from
Normandy 12
with
William the Conqueror 13
89 , as appears by Battle Abbey Roll ? "
" Never heard it before , sir 5
! "
" Well it 's true .
Throw up your 1
chin a moment , so that I 5
may catch the profile of your 1
face better .
Yes , that 's the d'Urberville nose and chin -- a little debased .
was one of
the twelve knights who assisted
the Lord of
Estremavilla 16
15 in
Normandy 12
in
his 15
conquest of
Glamorganshire 17
14 90 .
held manors 19
over all this part of
England 21
20 ; their 30
names appear in the Pipe Rolls in the time of King Stephen 22
.
In the reign of King John 23
was rich enough to give a manor 25
to the Knights Hospitallers 26
; and in Edward the Second 27
's time Brian 28
was summoned to Westminster 29
to attend the great Council there 29
.
You 30
declined a little in Oliver Cromwell 31
's time , but to no serious extent , and in Charles the Second 32
's reign you 30
were made Knights of the Royal Oak 33
for your 30
loyalty .
Aye , there have been generations of Sir Johns 34
among you 30
, and if knighthood were hereditary , like a baronetcy , as it practically was in old times , when men 35
were knighted from father to son , you 1
would be Sir John 36
now . "
" Ye 5
do n't say so ! "
" In short , " concluded the parson 5
, decisively smacking his 5
leg with his 5
switch , " there 's hardly such another family in
England 21
37 . "
" Daze my 1
eyes , and is n't there ? "
said Durbeyfield 1
.
" And here have I 1
been knocking about , year after year , from pillar to post , as if I 1
was no more than the commonest feller in
the parish 39
38 ... And how long hev this news about me 1
been knowed , Pa ' son Tringham 5
? "
The clergyman 5
explained that , as far as he 5
was aware , it had quite died out of knowledge , and could hardly be said to be known at all .
His 5
own investigations had begun on a day in the preceding spring when , having been engaged in tracing the vicissitudes of the d'Urberville family 30
, he 5
had observed Durbeyfield 1
's name on , and had thereupon been led to make inquiries about and grandfather 42
till he 5
had no doubt on the subject .
" At first I 5
resolved not to disturb you 1
with such a useless piece of information , " said he 5
.
" However , our 43
impulses are too strong for our 43
judgement sometimes .
I 5
thought you 1
might perhaps know something of it all the while . "
" Well , I 1
have heard once or twice , 't is true , that had seen better days afore they 44
came to Blackmoor 4
.
But I 1
took no notice o ' t , thinking it to mean that we 44
had once kept two horses where we 44
now keep only one .
I 1
've got a wold silver spoon , and a wold graven seal at home 45
, too ; but , Lord , what 's a spoon and seal ?
... And to think that I 1
and these noble d'Urbervilles 30
were one flesh all the time .
'T was said that my 1
gr ' t-granfer 46
had secrets , and did n't care to talk of where he 46
came from ... And where do we 47
raise our 47
smoke , now , parson 5
, if I 1
may make so bold ; I 1
mean , where do we 47
d'Urbervilles 30
live ? "
" You 30
do n't live anywhere .
You 30
are extinct -- as . "
" That 's bad . "
" Yes -- what the mendacious family chronicles call extinct in the male line -- that is , gone down -- gone under . "
" Then where do we 47
lie ? "
" At Kingsbere-sub-Greenhill 50
: rows and rows of you 30
in your 30
vaults , with your 30
effigies under Purbeck-marble canopies . "
" And where be our 47
family mansions and estates
51 ? "
" You 30
have n't any . "
" Oh ?
No lands 84
neither ? "
" None ; though you 30
once had 'em in abundance , as I 5
said , for you 1
family 30
consisted of numerous branches .
In this county 52
there was a seat of yours 53
at Kingsbere 50
, and another at Sherton 54
, and another in Millpond 55
, and another at Lullstead 56
, and another at Wellbridge 57
. "
" And shall we 47
ever come into our 47
own again ? "
" Ah -- that I 5
ca n't tell ! "
" And what had I 1
better do about it , sir 5
? "
asked Durbeyfield 1
, after a pause .
" Oh -- nothing , nothing ; except chasten yourself 1
with the thought of ' how are the mighty fallen . '
It is a fact of some interest to the local historian 58
and genealogist 59
, nothing more .
There are several families 61
among the cottagers of
this county 52
of almost equal lustre
60 .
Good night . "
" But you 5
'll turn back and have a quart of beer wi ' me 1
on the strength o ' t , Pa ' son Tringham 5
?
There 's a very pretty brew in tap at The Pure Drop 62
-- though , to be sure , not so good as at Rolliver 's 63
. "
" No , thank you 1
-- not this evening , Durbeyfield 1
.
You 1
've had enough already . "
Concluding thus , the parson 5
rode on his 5
way , with doubts as to his 5
discretion in retailing this curious bit of lore .
When he 5
was gone , Durbeyfield 1
walked a few steps in a profound reverie , and then sat down upon the grassy bank by the roadside 64
, depositing his 1
basket before him 1
.
In a few minutes a youth 65
appeared in the distance , walking in the same direction as that which had been pursued by Durbeyfield 1
.
The latter , on seeing him 65
, held up his 1
hand , and the lad 65
quickened his 65
pace and came near .
" Boy 65
, take up that basket !
I 1
want ' ee 65
to go on an errand for me 1
. "
The lath-like stripling 65
frowned .
" Who be you 1
, then , John Durbeyfield 1
, to order me 65
about and call me 65
' boy 66
' ?
You 1
know my 65
name as well as I 65
know yours ! "
" Do you 65
, do you 65
?
That 's the secret -- that 's the secret !
Now obey my 1
orders , and take the message I 1
'm going to charge ' ee 65
wi ' ... Well , Fred 65
, I 1
do n't mind telling you 65
that the secret is that I 1
'm one of a noble race 91
-- it has been just found out by me 1
this present afternoon , P.M. " And as he 1
made the announcement , Durbeyfield 1
, declining from his 1
sitting position , luxuriously stretched himself 1
out upon the bank among the daisies .
The lad 65
stood before Durbeyfield 1
, and contemplated his 1
length from crown to toe .
" Sir John d'Urberville 1
-- that 's who I 1
am , " continued the prostrate man 1
.
" That is if knights 67
were baronets 68
-- which they 67
be .
'T is recorded in history all about me 1
.
Dost know of such a place , lad 65
, as Kingsbere-sub-Greenhill 50
? "
" Ees .
I 65
've been there 50
to Greenhill Fair 69
. "
" Well , under the church of
that city 50
70 there lie -- " " 'T is n't a city 71
, the place 50
I 65
mean ; leastwise ' twaddn ' when I 65
was there 50
-- 't 50
was a little one-eyed , blinking sort o ' place 92
. "
" Never you 65
mind the place 72
, boy 65
, that 's not the question before us 73
.
Under the church of
that there parish 75
74 lie -- -- in coats of mail and jewels , in gr ' t lead coffins weighing tons and tons .
There 's not a man in
the county o ' South-Wessex 52
78 that 's got grander and nobler skillentons in
79 than I. " " Oh ? "
" Now take up that basket , and goo on to Marlott 3
, and when you 65
've come to The Pure Drop Inn 62
, tell 'em 82
to send a horse and carriage to me 1
immed ' ately , to carry me 1
hwome 45
.
And in the bottom o ' the carriage 81
they 82
be to put a noggin o ' rum in a small bottle , and chalk it up to my 1
account .
And when you 65
've done that goo on to with the basket , and tell to put away that washing , because she 83
need n't finish it , and wait till I 1
come hwome 45
, as I 1
've news to tell her 83
. "
As the lad 65
stood in a dubious attitude , Durbeyfield 1
put his 1
hand in his 1
pocket , and produced a shilling , one of the chronically few that he 1
possessed .
" Here 's for your 65
labour , lad 65
. "
This made a difference in the young man 65
's estimate of the position .