Tess of the d'Urbervilles Phase I: The Maiden Chapter 10

In which the rustic revelries of a rural market and fair unfold beneath a hazy September dusk, revealing the mingled mirth and roughness of country folk as they dance and stumble homewards under the moon's pale light. Tess, caught amid the convivial disorder and enmities of her neighbours, finds fleeting refuge in the unexpected intervention of Alec d’Urberville, whose offer of escape stirs both relief and restraint in her weary heart.