Tess of the d'Urbervilles Phase III: The Rally Chapter 23

In which a sudden summer flood impedes the passage of four dairy-maids to church, prompting a gallant and thoughtful young man to assist them with a kindly act that stirs tender and unspoken emotions among the group. The gentle hours of that day deepen the girls’ inward yearnings and unspoken hopes, framed by the sober understanding of their social positions and the quiet resignations of youth entangled in the delicate complexities of affection.