tess

CHAPTER 1 The novel begins with John Durbeyfield, the poor and lazy father of Tess, walking towards his home in Marlott. He is greeted by the elderly parson Trigham and is addressed as "Sir John". He is very excited to learn from the parson that his ancestors came from the elite family of D'Urbervilles. He takes this revelation seriously, ignoring the information that the family no longer has fame or wealth, and demands to be called …

…that Mrs. D'Urberville is blind and too naive to realize that the elderly woman knows nothing about who Tess is. She thinks that the woman's indifference to her is simply due to her wealth. Alec has obviously not explained anything to his mother, but he delights in calling Tess "cousin" when they are alone. In spite of Alec's all too frequent presence, Tess settles into her new routine and is happy looking after the birds.