The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-31
TIE MOST STRIKING SCENE.
In tho Opinion of Mnny It Is the Closing
Chapter OF Thomas Iinrdy's Novel, "rcss
Of tho nj rho ryillcs.v

In tho Opinion OF Mnny It Is the Closing
Chapter OF Thomas Iinrdy's Novel, "Tcss
OF tho D'Urbcrvillcs."
From the Post-IExpress.
| In answer to the query as to the most
striking scene In fiction, a correspond
ent suggests the closing chapter In
Thomas Hardys "Tess of the D'Urber-
villes A Pure Woman Faithfully Pre-
| sented." The book is one of the sad
dest in literature; and Its sadness IL of
that oppressive sort that weighs heavi-
| ly on the heart. and admits of no al
deviation from faith or philosophy. II
| Is as a cloud without "a silver lining.
| To nearly every tale OF sorrow and
sacrifice. there is some relief, in the way
| of herolsm, spiritual exaltation or good
accomplished through suffering; but In
this story the sorrow seems purposclcss
and worthless. 1t leaves you sad, but
the sadness Is without q touch of sweet
ness or satisfaction.
We need not repeat the Incidents of
| the novel. After Tess has killed the
| man who ruined her. and the pursuers
| find her sleeping on one of the great
| slabs ut Stonehenge, watched by her
| husband, Clare nothing Is sTid of the
trial. the conviction and theyexecution:
but the book closes as folyws;
The city of wintonccIv. that fine
old city. aroretime caDfal of Wessex.
lay amidst its convex and concave
down,ands in all the brightness and
warmth of July morning. The gabled
| br.cE-and-iilc and freestone houses had
almost dried off for the season their
integument of llchen, the streams In
the meadows were low, and In the slop-
ing High street. from the West Gate
way 20 the medlacvel cross, and from
the medieval cross to the bridge, that
lelsurcly dustlnE and sweeping was in
progress which usually ushers In an
old-fashioned market day.
From the western gate aforesaid the
highway, as every Wintonccstrian
knows, ascends long and regular In
cline of the exact length of n measured
mile, leaving the houses gradually be-
hind Up this road from the precincts
of the city two persons Were Walking
rapidly, as II unconscious of the trying
ascent-unconsci through preoccu-
patton. and not through buoyancy. They
had emerged upon this road through 4
narrow barred wicket In a high wall
little lower down. They seemed anx-
ious to get out of the sight of the houses
and of their kind, and this road ap-
peared to offer the quickest means OF
doing SO. Though they We're young,
they walked with bowed heads,
which gait of grief the suns rays smiled
on pitilessly.
one of the pair was Angel Glare, the
other a tall, slim, budding creature
half girl. half woman-a spirtualzed
image of Tess, slighter than she, but
with the same beautiful eyes-Clare's
sister-n-law, Liza Lu. Their pale faces
seemed to have shrunk to half their
natural size. They moved on hand in
hand. and never spoke a word, the
dropping Of their heads being that of
Giotto's 1.-TWO Apostles
When they had nearly reached the top
of the great West Hill the clocks in the
town struck s. Each gave a start at
the notes, and, walking onward yet n
few steps, they reached the first mile
stone. standing whitley on the green
margin of the grass, and backed by the
down, which here was open to the road,
They entered upon the turf, and, i'm
PEELED by force which seemed to over
rule their will, suddenly stood still,
turned, and waited in paralyzed sus-
pense behind the stone.
The prospect from this summit was
almost unlimited. In the valley beneath
lay the city they had just left, It's more
prominent buildings showing as in an
isometric drawing-among them the
broad cathedral tower, with its Nor
man windows and immense length Of
aisle and nave, the spires Of st. Thorn
as, the pinnacled tower of the college,
and, more to the right, the tower and
gables of the ancient hospice, where
to this day the pilgrim may receive
his dole of bread and ale. Behind the
city swept the .rotund upland of st.
GATHERINGS Hill; farther off, landscape
beyond landscape, till the horizon was
lost in the radiance of the sun hanging
about It,
Against these far stretches of country
rose, In front of the other city edifices.
large redbrick building, with level
gray roofs, and rows of short barred
windows bespeaking captivity, the
whole contrasting greatly by it's for
malism with the quaint irregularities
of the Gothic ercctions. 1t was some
what disguised from the road in pass
ing 1t by yews and evergreen oaks, but
1t was visible enough up here. The
st.i nk nknf ttnh lr n l. al.
emerged was in the wall of this struc-
turc. From the middle of the building
an ugly flat-topped octagonal tower as
cended against the east horizon. and
viewed from this spot, on It's shady side
and against the light. 1t seemed the one
blot on the city's beauty. Yet 1t was
with this blot, and not with the beauty,
that the two gazers were concerned.
Upon the cornice of the tower a tall
staff was fixed. Their eyes were rivet-
ed on It. A few minutes after the hour
had struck something moved slowly
up the staff, and extended itself upon
the breeze 1t was black flag.
Justice" was done, and the president
of the Immortals lin Aeschylean
phrase) had ended his sport with Tess.
And the D'Urberville knights and
danes slept on in their tombs unknow-
Ing. The two speechless gazers hent
themselves down to the earth. as If in
prayer, and remained thus long time.
absolutely motionless the flag contin-
ued to wave silently. AS soon as they
had strength they arose, Joined hands
and went on.
The artistic power of this scene Is