Imay
bring
you
better
news
another
time
.
"
Godfrey
rode
along
slowly
,
representing
to
himself
the
scene
of
confession
to
his
father
from
which
he
felt
that
there
was
now
no
longer
any
escape
.
The
revelation
about
the
money
must
be
made
the
very
next
morning
;
and
if
he
withheld
the
rest
,
Dunstan
would
be
sure
to
come
back
shortly
,
and
finding
that
he
must
bear
the
brunt
of
his
father
's
anger
,
would
tell
the
whole
story
out
of
spite
,
even
though
he
had
nothing
to
gain
by
it
.
There
was
one
step
,
perhaps
,
by
which
he
might
still
win
Dunstan
's
silence
and
put
off
the
evil
day
:
he
might
tell
his
father
that
he
had
himself
spent
the
money
paid
to
him
by
Fowler
;
and
as
he
had
never
been
guilty
of
such
an
offence
before
,
the
affair
would
blow
over
after
a
little
storming
.
But
Godfrey
could
not
bend
himself
to
this
.
He
felt
that
in
letting
Dunstan
have
the
money
,
he
had
already
been
guilty
of
a
breach
of
trust
hardly
less
culpable
than
that
of
spending
the
money
directly
for
his
own
behoof
;
and
yet
there
was
a
distinction
between
the
two
acts
which
made
him
feel
that
the
one
was
so
much
more
blackening
than
the
other
as
to
be
intolerable
to
him
.
"
I
do
n't
pretend
to
be
a
good
fellow
,
"
he
said
to
himself
;
"
but
I
'm
not
a
scoundrel
—
at
least
,
I
'll
stop
short
somewhere
.
I
'll
bear
the
consequences
of
what
I
have
done
sooner
than
make
believe
I
've
done
what
I
never
would
have
done
.
I
'd
never
have
spent
the
money
for
my
own
pleasure
—
I
was
tortured
into
it
.
"
Through
the
remainder
of
this
day
Godfrey
,
with
only
occasional
fluctuations
,
kept
his
will
bent
in
the
direction
of
a
complete
avowal
to
his
father
,
and
he
withheld
the
story
of
Wildfire
's
loss
till
the
next
morning
,
that
it
might
serve
him
as
an
introduction
to
heavier
matter
.
The
old
Squire
was
accustomed
to
his
son
's
frequent
absence
from
home
,
and
thought
neither
Dunstan
's
nor
Wildfire
's
non-appearance
a
matter
calling
for
remark
.
Godfrey
said
to
himself
again
and
again
,
that
if
he
let
slip
this
one
opportunity
of
confession
,
he
might
never
have
another
;
the
revelation
might
be
made
even
in
a
more
odious
way
than
by
Dunstan
's
malignity
:
she
might
come
,
as
she
had
threatened
to
do
.
And
then
he
tried
to
make
the
scene
easier
to
himself
by
rehearsal
:
he
made
up
his
mind
how
he
would
pass
from
the
admission
of
his
weakness
in
letting
Dunstan
have
the
money
to
the
fact
that
Dunstan
had
a
hold
on
him
which
he
had
been
unable
to
shake
off
,
and
how
he
would
work
up
his
father
to
expect
something
very
bad
before
he
told
him
the
fact
.
The
old
Squire
was
an
implacable
man
:
he
made
resolutions
in
violent
anger
,
but
he
was
not
to
be
moved
from
them
after
his
anger
had
subsided
—
as
fiery
volcanic
matters
cool
and
harden
into
rock
.
Like
many
violent
and
implacable
men
,
he
allowed
evils
to
grow
under
favour
of
his
own
heedlessness
,
till
they
pressed
upon
him
with
exasperating
force
,
and
then
he
turned
round
with
fierce
severity
and
became
unrelentingly
hard
.
This
was
his
system
with
his
tenants
:
he
allowed
them
to
get
into
arrears
,
neglect
their
fences
,
reduce
their
stock
,
sell
their
straw
,
and
otherwise
go
the
wrong
way
,
—
and
then
,
when
he
became
short
of
money
in
consequence
of
this
indulgence
,
he
took
the
hardest
measures
and
would
listen
to
no
appeal
.
Godfrey
knew
all
this
,
and
felt
it
with
the
greater
force
because
he
had
constantly
suffered
annoyance
from
witnessing
his
father
's
sudden
fits
of
unrelentingness
,
for
which
his
own
habitual
irresolution
deprived
him
of
all
sympathy
.
(
He
was
not
critical
on
the
faulty
indulgence
which
preceded
these
fits
;
that
seemed
to
him
natural
enough
.
)
Still
there
was
just
the
chance
,
Godfrey
thought
,
that
his
father
's
pride
might
see
this
marriage
in
a
light
that
would
induce
him
to
hush
it
up
,
rather
than
turn
his
son
out
and
make
the
family
the
talk
of
the
country
for
ten
miles
round
.
This
was
the
view
of
the
case
that
Godfrey
managed
to
keep
before
him
pretty
closely
till
midnight
,
and
he
went
to
sleep
thinking
that
he
had
done
with
inward
debating
.
But
when
he
awoke
in
the
still
morning
darkness
he
found
it
impossible
to
reawaken
his
evening
thoughts
;
it
was
as
if
they
had
been
tired
out
and
were
not
to
be
roused
to
further
work
.
Instead
of
arguments
for
confession
,
he
could
now
feel
the
presence
of
nothing
but
its
evil
consequences
:
the
old
dread
of
disgrace
came
back
—
the
old
shrinking
from
the
thought
of
raising
a
hopeless
barrier
between
himself
and
Nancy
—
the
old
disposition
to
rely
on
chances
which
might
be
favourable
to
him
,
and
save
him
from
betrayal
.
Why
,
after
all
,
should
he
cut
off
the
hope
of
them
by
his
own
act
?
He
had
seen
the
matter
in
a
wrong
light
yesterday
.
He
had
been
in
a
rage
with
Dunstan
,
and
had
thought
of
nothing
but
a
thorough
break-up
of
their
mutual
understanding
;
but
what
it
would
be
really
wisest
for
him
to
do
,
was
to
try
and
soften
his
father
's
anger
against
Dunsey
,
and
keep
things
as
nearly
as
possible
in
their
old
condition
.
If
Dunsey
did
not
come
back
for
a
few
days
(
and
Godfrey
did
not
know
but
that
the
rascal
had
enough
money
in
his
pocket
to
enable
him
to
keep
away
still
longer
)
,
everything
might
blow
over
.
CHAPTER
IX
.
Godfrey
rose
and
took
his
own
breakfast
earlier
than
usual
,
but
lingered
in
the
wainscoted
parlour
till
his
younger
brothers
had
finished
their
meal
and
gone
out
,
awaiting
his
father
,
who
always
went
out
and
had
a
walk
with
his
managing-man
before
breakfast
.
Every
one
breakfasted
at
a
different
hour
in
the
Red
House
,
and
the
Squire
was
always
the
latest
,
giving
a
long
chance
to
a
rather
feeble
morning
appetite
before
he
tried
it
.
The
table
had
been
spread
with
substantial
estables
nearly
two
hours
before
he
presented
himself
—
a
tall
,
stout
man
of
sixty
,
with
a
face
in
which
the
knit
brow
and
rather
hard
glance
seemed
contradicted
by
the
slack
and
feeble
mouth
.
His
person
showed
marks
of
habitual
neglect
,
his
dress
was
slovenly
;
and
yet
there
was
something
in
the
presence
of
the
old
Squire
distinguishable
from
that
of
the
ordinary
farmers
in
the
parish
,
who
were
perhaps
every
whit
as
refined
as
he
,
but
,
having
slouched
their
way
through
life
with
a
consciousness
of
being
in
the
vicinity
of
their
"
betters
,
"
wanted
that
self-possession
and
authoritativeness
of
voice
and
carriage
which
belonged
to
a
man
who
thought
of
superiors
as
remote
existences
,
with
whom
he
had
personally
little
more
to
do
than
with
America
or
the
stars
.
The
Squire
had
been
used
to
parish
homage
all
his
life
,
used
to
the
presupposition
that
his
family
,
his
tankards
,
and
everything
that
was
his
,
were
the
oldest
and
best
;
and
as
he
never
associated
with
any
gentry
higher
than
himself
,
his
opinion
was
not
disturbed
by
comparison
.
He
glanced
at
his
son
as
he
entered
the
room
,
and
said
,
"
What
,
sir
!
have
n't
you
had
your
breakfast
yet
?
"
but
there
was
no
pleasant
morning
greeting
between
them
;
not
because
of
any
unfriendliness
,
but
because
the
sweet
flower
of
courtesy
is
not
a
growth
of
such
homes
as
the
Red
House
.
"
Yes
,
sir
,
"
said
Godfrey
,
"
I
've
had
my
breakfast
,
but
I
was
waiting
to
speak
to
you
.
"
"
Ah
!
well
,
"
said
the
Squire
,
throwing
himself
indifferently
into
his
chair
,
and
speaking
in
a
ponderous
coughing
fashion
,
which
was
felt
in
Raveloe
to
be
a
sort
of
privilege
of
his
rank
,
while
he
cut
a
piece
of
beef
,
and
held
it
up
before
the
deer-hound
that
had
come
in
with
him
,
"
Ring
the
bell
for
my
ale
,
will
you
?
You
youngsters
'
business
is
your
own
pleasure
,
mostly
.
There
's
no
hurry
about
it
for
anybody
but
yourselves
.
"
The
Squire
's
life
was
quite
as
idle
as
his
sons
'
,
but
it
was
a
fiction
kept
up
by
himself
and
his
contemporaries
in
Raveloe
that
youth
was
exclusively
the
period
of
folly
,
and
that
their
aged
wisdom
was
constantly
in
a
state
of
endurance
mitigated
by
sarcasm
.
Godfrey
waited
,
before
he
spoke
again
,
until
the
ale
had
been
brought
and
the
door
closed
—
an
interval
during
which
Fleet
,
the
deer-hound
,
had
consumed
enough
bits
of
beef
to
make
a
poor
man
's
holiday
dinner
.
"
There
's
been
a
cursed
piece
of
ill-luck
with
Wildfire
,
"
he
began
;
"
happened
the
day
before
yesterday
.
"
"
What
!
broke
his
knees
?
"
said
the
Squire
,
after
taking
a
draught
of
ale
.
"
I
thought
you
knew
how
to
ride
better
than
that
,
sir
.
I
never
threw
a
horse
down
in
my
life
.
If
I
had
,
I
might
ha
'
whistled
for
another
,
for
my
father
was
n't
quite
so
ready
to
unstring
as
some
other
fathers
I
know
of
.
But
they
must
turn
over
a
new
leaf
—
they
must
.
What
with
mortgages
and
arrears
,
I
'm
as
short
o
'
cash
as
a
roadside
pauper
.
And
that
fool
Kimble
says
the
newspaper
's
talking
about
peace
.
Why
,
the
country
would
n't
have
a
leg
to
stand
on
.
Prices
'
ud
run
down
like
a
jack
,
and
I
should
never
get
my
arrears
,
not
if
I
sold
all
the
fellows
up
.
And
there
's
that
damned
Fowler
,
I
wo
n't
put
up
with
him
any
longer
;
I
've
told
Winthrop
to
go
to
Cox
this
very
day
.
The
lying
scoundrel
told
me
he
'd
be
sure
to
pay
me
a
hundred
last
month
.
He
takes
advantage
because
he
's
on
that
outlying
farm
,
and
thinks
I
shall
forget
him
.
"
The
Squire
had
delivered
this
speech
in
a
coughing
and
interrupted
manner
,
but
with
no
pause
long
enough
for
Godfrey
to
make
it
a
pretext
for
taking
up
the
word
again
.
He
felt
that
his
father
meant
to
ward
off
any
request
for
money
on
the
ground
of
the
misfortune
with
Wildfire
,
and
that
the
emphasis
he
had
thus
been
led
to
lay
on
his
shortness
of
cash
and
his
arrears
was
likely
to
produce
an
attitude
of
mind
the
most
unfavourable
for
his
own
disclosure
.
But
he
must
go
on
,
now
he
had
begun
.
"
It
's
worse
than
breaking
the
horse
's
knees
—
he
's
been
staked
and
killed
,
"
he
said
,
as
soon
as
his
father
was
silent
,
and
had
begun
to
cut
his
meat
.
"
But
I
was
n't
thinking
of
asking
you
to
buy
me
another
horse
;
I
was
only
thinking
I
'd
lost
the
means
of
paying
you
with
the
price
of
Wildfire
,
as
I
'd
meant
to
do
.
Dunsey
took
him
to
the
hunt
to
sell
him
for
me
the
other
day
,
and
after
he
'd
made
a
bargain
for
a
hundred
and
twenty
with
Bryce
,
he
went
after
the
hounds
,
and
took
some
fool
's
leap
or
other
,
that
did
for
the
horse
at
once
.
If
it
had
n't
been
for
that
,
I
should
have
paid
you
a
hundred
pounds
this
morning
.
"
The
Squire
had
laid
down
his
knife
and
fork
,
and
was
staring
at
his
son
in
amazement
,
not
being
sufficiently
quick
of
brain
to
form
a
probable
guess
as
to
what
could
have
caused
so
strange
an
inversion
of
the
paternal
and
filial
relations
as
this
proposition
of
his
son
to
pay
him
a
hundred
pounds
.
"
The
truth
is
,
sir
—
I
'm
very
sorry
—
I
was
quite
to
blame
,
"
said
Godfrey
.
"
Fowler
did
pay
that
hundred
pounds
.
He
paid
it
to
me
,
when
I
was
over
there
one
day
last
month
.
And
Dunsey
bothered
me
for
the
money
,
and
I
let
him
have
it
,
because
I
hoped
I
should
be
able
to
pay
it
you
before
this
.
"
The
Squire
was
purple
with
anger
before
his
son
had
done
speaking
,
and
found
utterance
difficult
.
"
You
let
Dunsey
have
it
,
sir
?
And
how
long
have
you
been
so
thick
with
Dunsey
that
you
must
collogue
with
him
to
embezzle
my
money
?
Are
you
turning
out
a
scamp
?
I
tell
you
,
I
wo
n't
have
it
.
I
'll
turn
the
whole
pack
of
you
out
of
the
house
together
,
and
marry
again
.
I
'd
have
you
to
remember
,
sir
,
my
property
's
got
no
entail
on
it
;
—
since
my
grandfather
's
time
the
Casses
can
do
as
they
like
with
their
land
.
Remember
that
,
sir
.
Let
Dunsey
have
the
money
!
Why
should
you
let
Dunsey
have
the
money
?
There
's
some
lie
at
the
bottom
of
it
.
"
"
There
's
no
lie
,
sir
,
"
said
Godfrey
.
"
I
would
n't
have
spent
the
money
myself
,
but
Dunsey
bothered
me
,
and
I
was
a
fool
and
let
him
have
it
.
But
I
meant
to
pay
it
,
whether
he
did
or
not
.
That
's
the
whole
story
.
I
never
meant
to
embezzle
money
,
and
I
'm
not
the
man
to
do
it
.
You
never
knew
me
do
a
dishonest
trick
,
sir
.
"
"
Where
's
Dunsey
,
then
?
What
do
you
stand
talking
there
for
?
Go
and
fetch
Dunsey
,
as
I
tell
you
,
and
let
him
give
account
of
what
he
wanted
the
money
for
,
and
what
he
's
done
with
it
.
He
shall
repent
it
.
I
'll
turn
him
out
.
I
said
I
would
,
and
I
'll
do
it
.
He
sha
n't
brave
me
.
Go
and
fetch
him
.
"
"
Dunsey
is
n't
come
back
,
sir
.
"
"
What
!
did
he
break
his
own
neck
then
?
"
said
the
Squire
,
with
some
disgust
at
the
idea
that
,
in
that
case
,
he
could
not
fulfil
his
threat
.
"
No
,
he
was
n't
hurt
,
I
believe
,
for
the
horse
was
found
dead
,
and
Dunsey
must
have
walked
off
.
I
daresay
we
shall
see
him
again
by-and-by
.
I
do
n't
know
where
he
is
.
"
"
And
what
must
you
be
letting
him
have
my
money
for
?
Answer
me
that
,
"
said
the
Squire
,
attacking
Godfrey
again
,
since
Dunsey
was
not
within
reach
.
"
Well
,
sir
,
I
do
n't
know
,
"
said
Godfrey
,
hesitatingly
.
That
was
a
feeble
evasion
,
but
Godfrey
was
not
fond
of
lying
,
and
,
not
being
sufficiently
aware
that
no
sort
of
duplicity
can
long
flourish
without
the
help
of
vocal
falsehoods
,
he
was
quite
unprepared
with
invented
motives
.
"
You
do
n't
know
?
I
tell
you
what
it
is
,
sir
.
You
've
been
up
to
some
trick
,
and
you
've
been
bribing
him
not
to
tell
,
"
said
the
Squire
,
with
a
sudden
acuteness
which
startled
Godfrey
,
who
felt
his
heart
beat
violently
at
the
nearness
of
his
father
's
guess
.
The
sudden
alarm
pushed
him
on
to
take
the
next
step
—
a
very
slight
impulse
suffices
for
that
on
a
downward
road
.
"
Why
,
sir
,
"
he
said
,
trying
to
speak
with
careless
ease
,
"
it
was
a
little
affair
between
me
and
Dunsey
;
it
's
no
matter
to
anybody
else
.
It
's
hardly
worth
while
to
pry
into
young
men
's
fooleries
:
it
would
n't
have
made
any
difference
to
you
,
sir
,
if
I
'd
not
had
the
bad
luck
to
lose
Wildfire
.
I
should
have
paid
you
the
money
.
"
"
Fooleries
!
Pshaw
!
it
's
time
you
'd
done
with
fooleries
.
And
I
'd
have
you
know
,
sir
,
you
must
ha
'
done
with
'
em
,
"
said
the
Squire
,
frowning
and
casting
an
angry
glance
at
his
son
.
"
Your
goings-on
are
not
what
I
shall
find
money
for
any
longer
.
There
's
my
grandfather
had
his
stables
full
o
'
horses
,
and
kept
a
good
house
too
,
and
in
worse
times
,
by
what
I
can
make
out
;
and
so
might
I
,
if
I
had
n't
four
good-for-nothing
fellows
to
hang
on
me
like
horse-leeches
.
I
've
been
too
good
a
father
to
you
all
—
that
's
what
it
is
.
But
I
shall
pull
up
,
sir
.
"
Godfrey
was
silent
.
He
was
not
likely
to
be
very
penetrating
in
his
judgments
,
but
he
had
always
had
a
sense
that
his
father
's
indulgence
had
not
been
kindness
,
and
had
had
a
vague
longing
for
some
discipline
that
would
have
checked
his
own
errant
weakness
,
and
helped
his
better
will
.
The
Squire
ate
his
bread
and
meat
hastily
,
took
a
deep
draught
of
ale
,
then
turned
his
chair
from
the
table
,
and
began
to
speak
again
.
"
It
'll
be
all
the
worse
for
you
,
you
know
—
you
'd
need
try
and
help
me
keep
things
together
.
"
"
Well
,
sir
,
I
've
often
offered
to
take
the
management
of
things
,
but
you
know
you
've
taken
it
ill
always
,
and
seemed
to
think
I
wanted
to
push
you
out
of
your
place
.
"
"
I
know
nothing
o
'
your
offering
or
o
'
my
taking
it
ill
,
"
said
the
Squire
,
whose
memory
consisted
in
certain
strong
impressions
unmodified
by
detail
;
"
but
I
know
,
one
while
you
seemed
to
be
thinking
o
'
marrying
,
and
I
did
n't
offer
to
put
any
obstacles
in
your
way
,
as
some
fathers
would
.
I
'd
as
lieve
you
married
Lammeter
's
daughter
as
anybody
.
I
suppose
,
if
I
'd
said
you
nay
,
you
'd
ha
'
kept
on
with
it
;
but
,
for
want
o
'
contradiction
,
you
've
changed
your
mind
.
You
're
a
shilly-shally
fellow
:
you
take
after
your
poor
mother
.
She
never
had
a
will
of
her
own
;
a
woman
has
no
call
for
one
,
if
she
's
got
a
proper
man
for
her
husband
.
But
your
wife
had
need
have
one
,
for
you
hardly
know
your
own
mind
enough
to
make
both
your
legs
walk
one
way
.
The
lass
has
n't
said
downright
she
wo
n't
have
you
,
has
she
?
"
"
No
,
"
said
Godfrey
,
feeling
very
hot
and
uncomfortable
;
"
but
I
do
n't
think
she
will
.
"
"
Think
!
why
,
have
n't
you
the
courage
to
ask
her
?
Do
you
stick
to
it
,
you
want
to
have
her
—
that
's
the
thing
?
"
"
There
's
no
other
woman
I
want
to
marry
,
"
said
Godfrey
,
evasively
.
"
Well
,
then
,
let
me
make
the
offer
for
you
,
that
's
all
,
if
you
have
n't
the
pluck
to
do
it
yourself
.
Lammeter
is
n't
likely
to
be
loth
for
his
daughter
to
marry
into
my
family
,
I
should
think
.
And
as
for
the
pretty
lass
,
she
would
n't
have
her
cousin
—
and
there
's
nobody
else
,
as
I
see
,
could
ha
'
stood
in
your
way
.
"
"
I
'd
rather
let
it
be
,
please
sir
,
at
present
,
"
said
Godfrey
,
in
alarm
.
"
I
think
she
's
a
little
offended
with
me
just
now
,
and
I
should
like
to
speak
for
myself
.
A
man
must
manage
these
things
for
himself
.
"
"
Well
,
speak
then
and
manage
it
,
and
see
if
you
ca
n't
turn
over
a
new
leaf
.
That
's
what
a
man
must
do
when
he
thinks
o
'
marrying
.
"
"
I
do
n't
see
how
I
can
think
of
it
at
present
,
sir
.
You
would
n't
like
to
settle
me
on
one
of
the
farms
,
I
suppose
,
and
I
do
n't
think
she
'd
come
to
live
in
this
house
with
all
my
brothers
.
It
's
a
different
sort
of
life
to
what
she
's
been
used
to
.
"
"
Not
come
to
live
in
this
house
?
Do
n't
tell
me
.
You
ask
her
,
that
's
all
,
"
said
the
Squire
,
with
a
short
,
scornful
laugh
.
"
I
'd
rather
let
the
thing
be
,
at
present
,
sir
,
"
said
Godfrey
.
"
I
hope
you
wo
n't
try
to
hurry
it
on
by
saying
anything
.
"
"
I
shall
do
what
I
choose
,
"
said
the
Squire
,
"
and
I
shall
let
you
know
I
'm
master
;
else
you
may
turn
out
and
find
an
estate
to
drop
into
somewhere
else
.
Go
out
and
tell
Winthrop
not
to
go
to
Cox
's
,
but
wait
for
me
.
And
tell
'
em
to
get
my
horse
saddled
.
And
stop
:
look
out
and
get
that
hack
o
'
Dunsey
's
sold
,
and
hand
me
the
money
,
will
you
?
He
'll
keep
no
more
hacks
at
my
expense
.
And
if
you
know
where
he
's
sneaking
—
I
daresay
you
do
—
you
may
tell
him
to
spare
himself
the
journey
o
'
coming
back
home
.
Let
him
turn
ostler
,
and
keep
himself
.
He
sha
n't
hang
on
me
any
more
.
"
"
I
do
n't
know
where
he
is
,
sir
;
and
if
I
did
,
it
is
n't
my
place
to
tell
him
to
keep
away
,
"
said
Godfrey
,
moving
towards
the
door
.
"
Confound
it
,
sir
,
do
n't
stay
arguing
,
but
go
and
order
my
horse
,
"
said
the
Squire
,
taking
up
a
pipe
.
Godfrey
left
the
room
,
hardly
knowing
whether
he
were
more
relieved
by
the
sense
that
the
interview
was
ended
without
having
made
any
change
in
his
position
,
or
more
uneasy
that
he
had
entangled
himself
still
further
in
prevarication
and
deceit
.
What
had
passed
about
his
proposing
to
Nancy
had
raised
a
new
alarm
,
lest
by
some
after-dinner
words
of
his
father
's
to
Mr
Lammeter
he
should
be
thrown
into
the
embarrassment
of
being
obliged
absolutely
to
decline
her
when
she
seemed
to
be
within
his
reach
.
He
fled
to
his
usual
refuge
,
that
of
hoping
for
some
unforeseen
turn
of
fortune
,
some
favourable
chance
which
would
save
him
from
unpleasant
consequences
—
perhaps
even
justify
his
insincerity
by
manifesting
its
prudence
.
And
in
this
point
of
trusting
to
some
throw
of
fortune
's
dice
,
Godfrey
can
hardly
be
called
specially
old-fashioned
.
Favourable
Chance
,
I
fancy
,
is
the
god
of
all
men
who
follow
their
own
devices
instead
of
obeying
a
law
they
believe
in
.
Let
even
a
polished
man
of
these
days
get
into
a
position
he
is
ashamed
to
avow
,
and
his
mind
will
be
bent
on
all
the
possible
issues
that
may
deliver
him
from
the
calculable
results
of
that
position
.
Let
him
live
outside
his
income
,
or
shirk
the
resolute
honest
work
that
brings
wages
,
and
he
will
presently
find
himself
dreaming
of
a
possible
benefactor
,
a
possible
simpleton
who
may
be
cajoled
into
using
his
interest
,
a
possible
state
of
mind
in
some
possible
person
not
yet
forthcoming
.
Let
him
neglect
the
responsibilities
of
his
office
,
and
he
will
inevitably
anchor
himself
on
the
chance
,
that
the
thing
left
undone
may
turn
out
not
to
be
of
the
supposed
importance
.
Let
him
betray
his
friend
's
confidence
,
and
he
will
adore
that
same
cunning
complexity
called
Chance
,
which
gives
him
the
hope
that
his
friend
will
never
know
;
let
him
forsake
a
decent
craft
that
he
may
pursue
the
gentilities
of
a
profession
to
which
nature
never
called
him
,
and
his
religion
will
infallibly
be
the
worship
of
blessed
Chance
,
which
he
will
believe
in
as
the
mighty
creator
of
success
.
The
evil
principle
deprecated
in
that
religion
,
is
the
orderly
sequence
by
which
the
seed
brings
forth
a
crop
after
its
kind
.
CHAPTER
X
.
Justice
Malam
was
naturally
regarded
in
Tarley
and
Raveloe
as
a
man
of
capacious
mind
,
seeing
that
he
could
draw
much
wider
conclusions
without
evidence
than
could
be
expected
of
his
neighbours
who
were
not
on
the
Commission
of
the
Peace
.
Such
a
man
was
not
likely
to
neglect
the
clue
of
the
tinder-box
,
and
an
inquiry
was
set
on
foot
concerning
a
pedlar
,
name
unknown
,
with
curly
black
hair
and
a
foreign
complexion
,
carrying
a
box
of
cutlery
and
jewellery
,
and
wearing
large
rings
in
his
ears
.
But
either
because
inquiry
was
too
slow-footed
to
overtake
him
,
or
because
the
description
applied
to
so
many
pedlars
that
inquiry
did
not
know
how
to
choose
among
them
,
weeks
passed
away
,
and
there
was
no
other
result
concerning
the
robbery
than
a
gradual
cessation
of
the
excitement
it
had
caused
in
Raveloe
.
Dunstan
Cass
's
absence
was
hardly
a
subject
of
remark
:
he
had
once
before
had
a
quarrel
with
his
father
,
and
had
gone
off
,
nobody
knew
whither
,
to
return
at
the
end
of
six
weeks
,
take
up
his
old
quarters
unforbidden
,
and
swagger
as
usual
.
His
own
family
,
who
equally
expected
this
issue
,
with
the
sole
difference
that
the
Squire
was
determined
this
time
to
forbid
him
the
old
quarters
,
never
mentioned
his
absence
;
and
when
his
uncle
Kimble
or
Mr
Osgood
noticed
it
,
the
story
of
his
having
killed
Wildfire
,
and
committed
some
offence
against
his
father
,
was
enough
to
prevent
surprise
.
To
connect
the
fact
of
Dunsey
's
disappearance
with
that
of
the
robbery
occurring
on
the
same
day
,
lay
quite
away
from
the
track
of
every
one
's
thought
—
even
Godfrey
's
,
who
had
better
reason
than
any
one
else
to
know
what
his
brother
was
capable
of
.
He
remembered
no
mention
of
the
weaver
between
them
since
the
time
,
twelve
years
ago
,
when
it
was
their
boyish
sport
to
deride
him
;
and
,
besides
,
his
imagination
constantly
created
an
alibi
for
Dunstan
:
he
saw
him
continually
in
some
congenial
haunt
,
to
which
he
had
walked
off
on
leaving
Wildfire
—
saw
him
sponging
on
chance
acquaintances
,
and
meditating
a
return
home
to
the
old
amusement
of
tormenting
his
elder
brother
.
Even
if
any
brain
in
Raveloe
had
put
the
said
two
facts
together
,
I
doubt
whether
a
combination
so
injurious
to
the
prescriptive
respectability
of
a
family
with
a
mural
monument
and
venerable
tankards
,
would
not
have
been
suppressed
as
of
unsound
tendency
.
But
Christmas
puddings
,
brawn
,
and
abundance
of
spirituous
liquors
,
throwing
the
mental
originality
into
the
channel
of
nightmare
,
are
great
preservatives
against
a
dangerous
spontaneity
of
waking
thought
.
When
the
robbery
was
talked
of
at
the
Rainbow
and
elsewhere
,
in
good
company
,
the
balance
continued
to
waver
between
the
rational
explanation
founded
on
the
tinder-box
,
and
the
theory
of
an
impenetrable
mystery
that
mocked
investigation
.
The
advocates
of
the
tinder-box-and-pedlar
view
considered
the
other
side
a
muddle-headed
and
credulous
set
,
who
,
because
they
themselves
were
wall-eyed
,
supposed
everybody
else
to
have
the
same
blank
outlook
;
and
the
adherents
of
the
inexplicable
,
more
than
hinted
that
their
antagonists
were
animals
inclined
to
crow
before
they
had
found
any
corn
—
mere
skimming-dishes
in
point
of
depth
—
whose
clear-sightedness
consisted
in
supposing
there
was
nothing
behind
a
barn-door
because
they
could
n't
see
through
it
;
so
that
,
though
their
controversy
did
not
serve
to
elicit
the
fact
concerning
the
robbery
,
it
elicited
some
true
opinions
of
collateral
importance
.
But
while
poor
Silas
's
loss
served
thus
to
brush
the
slow
current
of
Raveloe
conversation
,
Silas
himself
was
feeling
the
withering
desolation
of
that
bereavement
,
about
which
his
neighbours
were
arguing
at
their
case
.
To
any
one
who
had
observed
him
before
he
lost
his
gold
,
it
might
have
seemed
that
so
withered
and
shrunken
a
life
as
his
could
hardly
be
susceptible
of
a
bruise
,
could
hardly
endure
any
subtraction
but
such
as
would
put
an
end
to
it
altogether
.
But
in
reality
it
had
been
an
eager
life
,
filled
with
immediate
purpose
,
which
fenced
him
in
from
the
wide
,
cheerless
unknown
.
It
had
been
a
clinging
life
;
and
though
the
object
round
which
its
fibres
had
clung
was
a
dead
disrupted
thing
,
it
satisfied
the
need
for
clinging
.
But
now
the
fence
was
broken
down
—
the
support
was
snatched
away
.
Marner
's
thoughts
could
no
longer
move
in
their
old
round
,
and
were
baffled
by
a
blank
like
that
which
meets
a
plodding
ant
when
the
earth
has
broken
away
on
its
homeward
path
.
The
loom
was
there
,
and
the
weaving
,
and
the
growing
pattern
in
the
cloth
;
but
the
bright
treasure
in
the
hole
under
his
feet
was
gone
;
the
prospect
of
handling
and
counting
it
was
gone
:
the
evening
had
no
phantasm
of
delight
to
still
the
poor
soul
's
craving
.
The
thought
of
the
money
he
would
get
by
his
actual
work
could
bring
no
joy
,
for
its
meagre
image
was
only
a
fresh
reminder
of
his
loss
;
and
hope
was
too
heavily
crushed
by
the
sudden
blow
for
his
imagination
to
dwell
on
the
growth
of
a
new
hoard
from
that
small
beginning
.
He
filled
up
the
blank
with
grief
.
As
he
sat
weaving
,
he
every
now
and
then
moaned
low
,
like
one
in
pain
:
it
was
the
sign
that
his
thoughts
had
come
round
again
to
the
sudden
chasm
—
to
the
empty
evening-time
.
And
all
the
evening
,
as
he
sat
in
his
loneliness
by
his
dull
fire
,
he
leaned
his
elbows
on
his
knees
,
and
clasped
his
head
with
his
hands
,
and
moaned
very
low
—
not
as
one
who
seeks
to
be
heard
.
And
yet
he
was
not
utterly
forsaken
in
his
trouble
.
The
repulsion
Marner
had
always
created
in
his
neighbours
was
partly
dissipated
by
the
new
light
in
which
this
misfortune
had
shown
him
.
Instead
of
a
man
who
had
more
cunning
than
honest
folks
could
come
by
,
and
,
what
was
worse
,
had
not
the
inclination
to
use
that
cunning
in
a
neighbourly
way
,
it
was
now
apparent
that
Silas
had
not
cunning
enough
to
keep
his
own
.
He
was
generally
spoken
of
as
a
"
poor
mushed
creatur
;
"
and
that
avoidance
of
his
neighbours
,
which
had
before
been
referred
to
his
ill-will
,
and
to
a
probable
addiction
to
worse
company
,
was
now
considered
mere
craziness
.
This
change
to
a
kindlier
feeling
was
shown
in
various
ways
.
The
odour
of
Christmas
cooking
being
on
the
wind
,
it
was
the
season
when
superfluous
pork
and
black
puddings
are
suggestive
of
charity
in
well-to-do
families
;
and
Silas
's
misfortune
had
brought
him
uppermost
in
the
memory
of
housekeepers
like
Mrs
Osgood
.
Mr
Crackenthorp
,
too
,
while
he
admonished
Silas
that
his
money
had
probably
been
taken
from
him
because
he
thought
too
much
of
it
,
and
never
came
to
church
,
enforced
the
doctrine
by
a
present
of
pigs
'
pettitoes
,
well
calculated
to
dissipate
unfounded
prejudices
against
the
clerical
character
.
Neighbours
,
who
had
nothing
but
verbal
consolation
to
give
,
showed
a
disposition
not
only
to
greet
Silas
,
and
discuss
his
misfortune
at
some
length
when
they
encountered
him
in
the
village
;
but
also
to
take
the
trouble
of
calling
at
his
cottage
,
and
getting
him
to
repeat
all
the
details
on
the
very
spot
;
and
then
they
would
try
to
cheer
him
by
saying
,
"
Well
,
Master
Marner
,
you
're
no
worse
off
nor
other
poor
folks
,
after
all
;
and
if
you
was
to
be
crippled
,
the
parish
'
ud
give
you
a
'
lowance
.
"
I
suppose
one
reason
why
we
are
seldom
able
to
comfort
our
neighbours
with
our
words
is
,
that
our
goodwill
gets
adulterated
,
in
spite
of
ourselves
,
before
it
can
pass
our
lips
.
We
can
send
black
puddings
and
pettitoes
without
giving
them
a
flavour
of
our
own
egoism
;
but
language
is
a
stream
that
is
almost
sure
to
smack
of
a
mingled
soil
.
There
was
a
fair
proportion
of
kindness
in
Raveloe
;
but
it
was
often
of
a
beery
and
bungling
sort
,
and
took
the
shape
least
allied
to
the
complimentary
and
hypocritical
.
Mr
Macey
,
for
example
,
coming
one
evening
expressly
to
let
Silas
know
that
recent
events
had
given
him
the
advantage
of
standing
more
favourably
in
the
opinion
of
a
man
whose
judgment
was
not
formed
lightly
,
opened
the
conversation
by
saying
,
as
soon
as
he
had
seated
himself
and
adjusted
his
thumbs
—
"
Come
,
Master
Marner
,
why
,
you
've
no
call
to
sit
a-moaning
.
You
're
a
deal
better
off
to
ha
'
lost
your
money
,
nor
to
ha
'
kep
it
by
foul
means
.
I
used
to
think
,
when
you
first
come
into
these
parts
,
as
you
were
no
better
nor
you
should
be
;
you
were
younger
a
deal
than
what
you
are
now
;
but
you
were
allays
a
staring
,
white-faced
creatur
,
partly
like
a
bald-faced
calf
,
as
I
may
say
.
But
there
's
no
knowing
:
it
is
n't
every
queer-looksed
thing
as
Old
Harry
's
had
the
making
of
—
I
mean
,
speaking
o
'
toads
and
such
;
for
they
're
often
harmless
,
like
,
and
useful
against
varmin
.
And
it
's
pretty
much
the
same
wi
'
you
,
as
fur
as
I
can
see
.
Though
as
to
the
yarbs
and
stuff
to
cure
the
breathing
,
if
you
brought
that
sort
o
'
knowledge
from
distant
parts
,
you
might
ha
'
been
a
bit
freer
of
it
.
And
if
the
knowledge
was
n't
well
come
by
,
why
,
you
might
ha
'
made
up
for
it
by
coming
to
church
reg'lar
;
for
,
as
for
the
children
as
the
Wise
Woman
charmed
,
I
've
been
at
the
christening
of
'
em
again
and
again
,
and
they
took
the
water
just
as
well
.
And
that
's
reasonable
;
for
if
Old
Harry
's
a
mind
to
do
a
bit
o
'
kindness
for
a
holiday
,
like
,
who
's
got
anything
against
it
?
That
's
my
thinking
;
and
I
've
been
clerk
o
'
this
parish
forty
year
,
and
I
know
,
when
the
parson
and
me
does
the
cussing
of
a
Ash-Wednesday
,
there
's
no
cussing
o
'
folks
as
have
a
mind
to
be
cured
without
a
doctor
,
let
Kimble
say
what
he
will
.
And
so
,
Master
Marner
,
as
I
was
saying
—
for
there
's
windings
i
'
things
as
they
may
carry
you
to
the
fur
end
o
'
the
prayer-book
afore
you
get
back
to
'
em
—
my
advice
is
,
as
you
keep
up
your
sperrits
;
for
as
for
thinking
you
're
a
deep
un
,
and
ha
'
got
more
inside
you
nor
'
ull
bear
daylight
,
I
'm
not
o
'
that
opinion
at
all
,
and
so
I
tell
the
neighbours
.
For
,
says
I
,
you
talk
o
'
Master
Marner
making
out
a
tale
—
why
,
its
nonsense
,
that
is
:
it
'
ud
take
a
'
cute
man
to
make
a
tale
like
that
;
and
,
says
I
,
he
looked
as
scared
as
a
rabbit
.
"
During
this
discursive
address
Silas
had
continued
motionless
in
his
previous
attitude
,
leaning
his
elbows
on
his
knees
,
and
pressing
his
hands
against
his
head
.
Mr
Macey
,
not
doubting
that
he
had
been
listened
to
,
paused
,
in
the
expectation
of
some
appreciatory
reply
,
but
Marner
remained
silent
.
He
had
a
sense
that
the
old
man
meant
to
be
good-natured
and
neighbourly
;
but
the
kindness
fell
on
him
as
sunshine
falls
on
the
wretched
—
he
had
no
heart
to
taste
it
,
and
felt
that
it
was
very
far
off
him
.
"
Come
,
Master
Marner
,
have
you
got
nothing
to
say
to
that
?
"
said
Mr
Macey
at
last
,
with
a
slight
accent
of
impatience
.
"
Oh
,
"
said
Marner
,
slowly
,
shaking
his
head
between
his
hands
,
"
I
thank
you
—
thank
you
—
kindly
.
"
"
Ay
,
ay
,
to
be
sure
:
I
thought
you
would
,
"
said
Mr
Macey
;
"
and
my
advice
is
—
have
you
got
a
Sunday
suit
?
"
"
No
,
"
said
Marner
.
"
I
doubted
it
was
so
,
"
said
Mr
Macey
.
"
Now
,
let
me
advise
you
to
get
a
Sunday
suit
:
there
's
Tookey
,
he
's
a
poor
creatur
,
but
he
's
got
my
tailoring
business
,
and
some
o
'
my
money
in
it
,
and
he
shall
make
a
suit
at
a
low
price
,
and
give
you
trust
,
and
then
you
can
come
to
church
,
and
be
a
bit
neighbourly
.
Why
you
've
never
heared
me
say
'
Amen
'
since
you
come
into
these
parts
,
and
I
recommend
you
to
lose
no
time
,
for
it
'll
be
poor
work
when
Tookey
has
it
all
to
himself
,
for
I
may
n't
be
equil
to
stand
i
'
the
desk
at
all
,
come
another
winter
.
"
Here
Mr
Macey
paused
,
perhaps
expecting
some
sign
of
emotion
in
his
hearer
;
but
not
observing
any
,
he
went
on
.
"
And
as
for
the
money
for
the
suit
o
'
clothes
,
why
,
you
get
a
matter
of
a
pound
a-week
at
your
weaving
,
Master
Marner
,
and
you
're
a
young
man
,
eh
,
for
all
you
look
so
mushed
.
Why
,
you
could
n't
ha
'
been
five-and-twenty
when
you
come
into
these
parts
,
eh
?
"
Silas
started
a
little
at
the
change
to
a
questioning
tone
,
and
answered
mildly
,
"
I
do
n't
know
;
I
ca
n't
rightly
say
—
it
's
a
long
while
since
.
"
After
receiving
such
an
answer
as
this
,
it
is
not
surprising
that
Mr
Macey
observed
,
later
on
in
the
evening
at
the
Rainbow
,
that
Marner
's
head
was
"
all
of
a
muddle
,
"
and
that
it
was
to
be
doubted
if
he
ever
knew
when
Sunday
came
round
,
which
showed
him
a
worse
heathen
than
many
a
dog
.
Another
of
Silas
's
comforters
,
besides
Mr
Macey
,
came
to
him
with
a
mind
highly
charged
on
the
same
topic
.
This
was
Mrs
Winthrop
,
the
wheelwright
's
wife
.
The
inhabitants
of
Raveloe
were
not
severely
regular
in
their
church-going
,
and
perhaps
there
was
hardly
a
person
in
the
parish
who
would
not
have
held
that
to
go
to
church
every
Sunday
in
the
calendar
would
have
shown
a
greedy
desire
to
stand
well
with
Heaven
,
and
get
an
undue
advantage
over
their
neighbours
—
a
wish
to
be
better
than
the
"
common
run
,
"
that
would
have
implied
a
reflection
on
those
who
had
had
godfathers
and
godmothers
as
well
as
themselves
and
had
an
equal
right
to
the
burying-service
.
At
the
same
time
,
it
was
understood
to
be
requisite
for
all
who
were
not
household
servants
,
or
young
men
,
to
take
the
sacrament
at
one
of
the
great
festivals
:
Squire
Cass
himself
took
it
on
Christmas-day
;
while
those
who
were
held
to
be
"
good
livers
"
went
to
church
with
greater
,
though
still
with
moderate
frequency
.
Mrs
Winthrop
was
one
of
these
:
she
was
in
all
respects
a
woman
of
scrupulous
conscience
,
so
eager
for
duties
,
that
life
seemed
to
offer
them
too
scantily
unless
she
rose
at
half-past
four
,
though
this
threw
a
scarcity
of
work
over
the
more
advanced
hours
of
the
morning
,
which
it
was
a
constant
problem
with
her
to
remove
.
Yet
she
had
not
the
vixenish
temper
which
is
sometimes
supposed
to
be
a
necessary
condition
of
such
habits
:
she
was
a
very
mild
,
patient
woman
,
whose
nature
it
was
to
seek
out
all
the
sadder
and
more
serious
elements
of
life
,
and
pasture
her
mind
upon
them
.
She
was
the
person
always
first
thought
of
in
Raveloe
when
there
was
illness
or
death
in
a
family
,
when
leeches
were
to
be
applied
,
or
there
was
a
sudden
disappointment
in
a
monthly
nurse
.
She
was
a
"
comfortable
woman
"
—
good-looking
,
fresh-complexioned
,
having
her
lips
always
slightly
screwed
,
as
if
she
felt
herself
in
a
sickroom
with
the
doctor
or
the
clergyman
present
.
But
she
was
never
whimpering
;
no
one
had
seen
her
shed
tears
;
she
was
simply
grave
and
inclined
to
shake
her
head
and
sigh
,
almost
imperceptibly
,
like
a
funereal
mourner
who
is
not
a
relation
.
It
seemed
surprising
that
Ben
Winthrop
,
who
loved
his
quart-pot
and
his
joke
,
got
along
so
well
with
Dolly
;
but
she
took
her
husband
's
jokes
and
joviality
as
patiently
as
everything
else
,
considering
that
"
men
would
be
so
,
"
and
viewing
the
stronger
sex
in
the
light
of
animals
whom
it
had
pleased
Heaven
to
make
naturally
troublesome
,
like
bulls
and
turkey-cocks
.
This
good
wholesome
woman
could
hardly
fail
to
have
her
mind
drawn
strongly
towards
Silas
Marner
,
now
that
he
appeared
in
the
light
of
a
sufferer
;
and
one
Sunday
afternoon
she
took
her
little
boy
Aaron
with
her
,
and
went
to
call
on
Silas
,
carrying
in
her
hand
some
small
lard-cakes
,
flat
paste-like
articles
,
much
esteemed
in
Raveloe
.
Aaron
,
an
apple-cheeked
youngster
of
seven
,
with
a
clean
starched
frill
,
which
looked
like
a
plate
for
the
apples
,
needed
all
his
adventurous
curiosity
to
embolden
him
against
the
possibility
that
the
big-eyed
weaver
might
do
him
some
bodily
injury
;
and
his
dubiety
was
much
increased
when
,
on
arriving
at
the
Stone-pits
,
they
heard
the
mysterious
sound
of
the
loom
.
"
Ah
,
it
is
as
I
thought
,
"
said
Mrs
Winthrop
,
sadly
.
They
had
to
knock
loudly
before
Silas
heard
them
;
but
when
he
did
come
to
the
door
,
he
showed
no
impatience
,
as
he
would
once
have
done
,
at
a
visit
that
had
been
unasked
for
and
unexpected
.
Formerly
,
his
heart
had
been
as
a
locked
casket
with
its
treasure
inside
;
but
now
the
casket
was
empty
,
and
the
lock
was
broken
.
Left
groping
in
darkness
,
with
his
prop
utterly
gone
,
Silas
had
inevitably
a
sense
,
though
a
dull
and
half-despairing
one
,
that
if
any
help
came
to
him
it
must
come
from
without
;
and
there
was
a
slight
stirring
of
expectation
at
the
sight
of
his
fellow-men
,
a
faint
consciousness
of
dependence
on
their
goodwill
.
He
opened
the
door
wide
to
admit
Dolly
,
but
without
otherwise
returning
her
greeting
than
by
moving
the
armchair
a
few
inches
as
a
sign
that
she
was
to
sit
down
in
it
.
Dolly
,
as
soon
as
she
was
seated
,
removed
the
white
cloth
that
covered
her
lard-cakes
,
and
said
in
her
gravest
way
—
"
I
'd
a
baking
yisterday
,
Master
Marner
,
and
the
lard-cakes
turned
out
better
nor
common
,
and
I
'd
ha
'
asked
you
to
accept
some
,
if
you
'd
thought
well
.
I
do
n't
eat
such
things
myself
,
for
a
bit
o
'
bread
's
what
I
like
from
one
year
's
end
to
the
other
;
but
men
's
stomichs
are
made
so
comical
,
they
want
a
change
—
they
do
,
I
know
,
God
help
'
em
.
"
Dolly
sighed
gently
as
she
held
out
the
cakes
to
Silas
,
who
thanked
her
kindly
,
and
looked
very
close
at
them
,
absently
,
being
accustomed
to
look
so
at
everything
he
took
into
his
hand
—
eyed
all
the
while
by
the
wondering
bright
orbs
of
the
small
Aaron
,
who
had
made
an
outwork
of
his
mother
's
chair
,
and
was
peeping
round
from
behind
it
.
"
There
's
letters
pricked
on
'
em
,
"
said
Dolly
.
"
I
ca
n't
read
'
em
myself
,
and
there
's
nobody
,
not
Mr
Macey
himself
,
rightly
knows
what
they
mean
;
but
they
've
a
good
meaning
,
for
they
're
the
same
as
is
on
the
pulpit-cloth
at
church
.
What
are
they
,
Aaron
,
my
dear
?
"
Aaron
retreated
completely
behind
his
outwork
.
"
O
go
,
that
's
naughty
,
"
said
his
mother
,
mildly
.
"
Well
,
whativer
the
letters
are
,
they
've
a
good
meaning
;
and
it
's
a
stamp
as
has
been
in
our
house
,
Ben
says
,
ever
since
he
was
a
little
un
,
and
his
mother
used
to
put
it
on
the
cakes
,
and
I
've
allays
put
it
on
too
;
for
if
there
's
any
good
,
we
've
need
of
it
i
'
this
world
.
"
"
It
's
I
.
H
.
S.
,
"
said
Silas
,
at
which
proof
of
learning
Aaron
peeped
round
the
chair
again
.
"
Well
,
to
be
sure
,
you
can
read
'
em
off
,
"
said
Dolly
.
"
Ben
's
read
'
em
to
me
many
and
many
a
time
,
but
they
slip
out
o
'
my
mind
again
;
the
more
's
the
pity
,
for
they
're
good
letters
,
else
they
would
n't
be
in
the
church
;
and
so
I
prick
'
em
on
all
the
loaves
and
all
the
cakes
,
though
sometimes
they
wo
n't
hold
,
because
o
'
the
rising
—
for
,
as
I
said
,
if
there
's
any
good
to
be
got
,
we
've
need
on
it
i
'
this
world
—
that
we
have
;
and
I
hope
they
'll
bring
good
to
you
,
Master
Marner
,
for
it
's
wi
'
that
will
I
brought
you
the
cakes
;
and
you
see
the
letters
have
held
better
nor
common
.
"
Silas
was
as
unable
to
interpret
the
letters
as
Dolly
,
but
there
was
no
possibility
of
misunderstanding
the
desire
to
give
comfort
that
made
itself
heard
in
her
quiet
tones
.
He
said
,
with
more
feeling
than
before
—
"
Thank
you
—
thank
you
kindly
.
"
But
he
laid
down
the
cake
and
seated
himself
absently
—
drearily
unconscious
of
any
distinct
benefit
towards
which
the
cake
and
the
letters
,
or
even
Dolly
's
kindness
,
could
tend
for
him
.
"
Ah
,
if
there
's
good
anywhere
,
we
've
need
of
it
,
"
repeated
Dolly
,
who
did
not
lightly
forsake
a
serviceable
phrase
.
She
looked
at
Silas
pityingly
as
she
went
on
.
"
But
you
did
n't
hear
the
church-bells
this
morning
,
Master
Marner
.
I
doubt
you
did
n't
know
it
was
Sunday
.
Living
so
lone
here
,
you
lose
your
count
,
I
daresay
;
and
then
,
when
your
loom
makes
a
noise
,
you
ca
n't
hear
the
bells
,
more
partic'lar
now
the
frost
kills
the
sound
.
"
"
Yes
,
I
did
;
I
heard
'
em
,
"
said
Silas
,
to
whom
Sunday
bells
were
a
mere
accident
of
the
day
,
and
not
part
of
its
sacredness
.
There
had
been
no
bells
in
Lantern
Yard
.
"
Dear
heart
!
"
said
Dolly
,
pausing
before
she
spoke
again
.
"
But
what
a
pity
it
is
you
should
work
of
a
Sunday
,
and
not
clean
yourself
—
if
you
did
n't
go
to
church
;
for
if
you
'd
a
roasting
bit
,
it
might
be
as
you
could
n't
leave
it
,
being
a
lone
man
.
But
there
's
the
bakehus
,
if
you
could
make
up
your
mind
to
spend
a
twopence
on
the
oven
now
and
then
,
—
not
every
week
,
in
course
—
I
should
n't
like
to
do
that
myself
,
—
you
might
carry
your
bit
o
'
dinner
there
,
for
it
's
nothing
but
right
to
have
a
bit
o
'
summat
hot
of
a
Sunday
,
and
not
to
make
it
as
you
ca
n't
know
your
dinner
from
Saturday
.
But
now
,
upo
'
Christmas-day
,
this
blessed
Christmas
as
is
ever
coming
,
if
you
was
to
take
your
dinner
to
the
bakehus
,
and
go
to
church
,
and
see
the
holly
and
the
yew
,
and
hear
the
anthim
,
and
then
take
the
sacramen
'
,
you
'd
be
a
deal
the
better
,
and
you
'd
know
which
end
you
stood
on
,
and
you
could
put
your
trust
i
'
Them
as
knows
better
nor
we
do
,
seein
'
you
'd
ha
'
done
what
it
lies
on
us
all
to
do
.
"
Dolly
's
exhortation
,
which
was
an
unusually
long
effort
of
speech
for
her
,
was
uttered
in
the
soothing
persuasive
tone
with
which
she
would
have
tried
to
prevail
on
a
sick
man
to
take
his
medicine
,
or
a
basin
of
gruel
for
which
he
had
no
appetite
.
Silas
had
never
before
been
closely
urged
on
the
point
of
his
absence
from
church
,
which
had
only
been
thought
of
as
a
part
of
his
general
queerness
;
and
he
was
too
direct
and
simple
to
evade
Dolly
's
appeal
.
"
Nay
,
nay
,
"
he
said
,
"
I
know
nothing
o
'
church
.
I
've
never
been
to
church
.
"
"
No
!
"
said
Dolly
,
in
a
low
tone
of
wonderment
.
Then
bethinking
herself
of
Silas
's
advent
from
an
unknown
country
,
she
said
,
"
Could
it
ha
'
been
as
they
'd
no
church
where
you
was
born
?
"
"
O
yes
,
"
said
Silas
,
meditatively
,
sitting
in
his
usual
posture
of
leaning
on
his
knees
,
and
supporting
his
head
.
"
There
was
churches
—
a
many
—
it
was
a
big
town
.
But
I
knew
nothing
of
'
em
—
I
went
to
chapel
.
"
Dolly
was
much
puzzled
at
this
new
word
,
but
she
was
rather
afraid
of
inquiring
further
,
lest
"
chapel
"
might
mean
some
haunt
of
wickedness
.
After
a
little
thought
,
she
said
—
"
Well
,
Master
Marner
,
it
's
niver
too
late
to
turn
over
a
new
leaf
,
and
if
you
've
niver
had
no
church
,
there
's
no
telling
the
good
it
'll
do
you
.
For
I
feel
so
set
up
and
comfortable
as
niver
was
,
when
I
've
been
and
heard
the
prayers
,
and
the
singing
to
the
praise
and
glory
o
'
God
,
as
Mr
Macey
gives
out
—
and
Mr
Crackenthorp
saying
good
words
,
and
more
partic'lar
on
Sacramen
'
Day
;
and
if
a
bit
o
'
trouble
comes
,
I
feel
as
I
can
put
up
wi'it
,
for
I
've
looked
for
help
i
'
the
right
quarter
,
and
gev
myself
up
to
Them
as
we
must
all
give
ourselves
up
to
at
the
last
;
and
if
we'n
done
our
part
,
it
is
n't
to
be
believed
as
Them
as
are
above
us
'
ull
be
worse
nor
we
are
,
and
come
short
o
'
Theirn
.
"
Poor
Dolly
's
exposition
of
her
simple
Raveloe
theology
fell
rather
unmeaningly
on
Silas
's
ears
,
for
there
was
no
word
in
it
that
could
rouse
a
memory
of
what
he
had
known
as
religion
,
and
his
comprehension
was
quite
baffled
by
the
plural
pronoun
,
which
was
no
heresy
of
Dolly
's
,
but
only
her
way
of
avoiding
a
presumptuous
familiarity
.
He
remained
silent
,
not
feeling
inclined
to
assent
to
the
part
of
Dolly
's
speech
which
he
fully
understood
—
her
recommendation
that
he
should
go
to
church
.
Indeed
,
Silas
was
so
unaccustomed
to
talk
beyond
the
brief
questions
and
answers
necessary
for
the
transaction
of
his
simple
business
,
that
words
did
not
easily
come
to
him
without
the
urgency
of
a
distinct
purpose
.
But
now
,
little
Aaron
,
having
become
used
to
the
weaver
's
awful
presence
,
had
advanced
to
his
mother
's
side
,
and
Silas
,
seeming
to
notice
him
for
the
first
time
,
tried
to
return
Dolly
's
signs
of
goodwill
by
offering
the
lad
a
bit
of
lard-cake
.
Aaron
shrank
back
a
little
,
and
rubbed
his
head
against
his
mother
's
shoulder
,
but
still
thought
the
piece
of
cake
worth
the
risk
of
putting
his
hand
out
for
it
.
"
O
,
for
shame
,
Aaron
,
"
said
his
mother
,
taking
him
on
her
lap
,
however
;
"
why
,
you
do
n't
want
cake
again
yet
awhile
.
He
's
wonderful
hearty
,
"
she
went
on
,
with
a
little
sigh
—
"
that
he
is
,
God
knows
.
He
's
my
youngest
,
and
we
spoil
him
sadly
,
for
either
me
or
the
father
must
allays
hev
him
in
our
sight
—
that
we
must
.
"
She
stroked
Aaron
's
brown
head
,
and
thought
it
must
do
Master
Marner
good
to
see
such
a
"
pictur
of
a
child
.
"
But
Marner
,
on
the
other
side
of
the
hearth
,
saw
the
neat-featured
rosy
face
as
a
mere
dim
round
,
with
two
dark
spots
in
it
.
"
And
he
's
got
a
voice
like
a
bird
—
you
would
n't
think
,
"
Dolly
went
on
;
"
he
can
sing
a
Christmas
carril
as
his
father
's
taught
him
;
and
I
take
it
for
a
token
as
he
'll
come
to
good
,
as
he
can
learn
the
good
tunes
so
quick
.
Come
,
Aaron
,
stan
'
up
and
sing
the
carril
to
Master
Marner
,
come
.
"
Aaron
replied
by
rubbing
his
forehead
against
his
mother
's
shoulder
.
"
O
,
that
's
naughty
,
"
said
Dolly
,
gently
.
"
Stan'up
,
when
mother
tells
you
,
and
let
me
hold
the
cake
till
you
've
done
.
"
Aaron
was
not
indisposed
to
display
his
talents
,
even
to
an
ogre
,
under
protecting
circumstances
;
and
after
a
few
more
signs
of
coyness
,
consisting
chiefly
in
rubbing
the
backs
of
his
hands
over
his
eyes
,
and
then
peeping
between
them
at
Master
Marner
,
to
see
if
he
looked
anxious
for
the
"
carril
,
"
he
at
length
allowed
his
head
to
be
duly
adjusted
,
and
standing
behind
the
table
,
which
let
him
appear
above
it
only
as
far
as
his
broad
frill
,
so
that
he
looked
like
a
cherubic
head
untroubled
with
a
body
,
he
began
with
a
clear
chirp
,
and
in
a
melody
that
had
the
rhythm
of
an
industrious
hammer
,
—
"
God
rest
you
merry
,
gentlemen
,
Let
nothing
you
dismay
,
For
Jesus
Christ
our
Saviour
Was
born
on
Christmas-day
.
"
Dolly
listened
with
a
devout
look
,
glancing
at
Marner
in
some
confidence
that
this
strain
would
help
to
allure
him
to
church
.
"
That
's
Christmas
music
,
"
she
said
,
when
Aaron
had
ended
,
and
had
secured
his
piece
of
cake
again
.
"
There
's
no
other
music
equil
to
the
Christmas
music
—
'
Hark
the
erol
angils
sing
.
'
And
you
may
judge
what
it
is
at
church
,
Master
Marner
,
with
the
bassoon
and
the
voices
,
as
you
ca
n't
help
thinking
you
've
got
to
a
better
place
a'ready
—
for
I
would
n't
speak
ill
o
'
this
world
,
seeing
as
Them
put
us
in
it
as
knows
best
;
but
what
wi
'
the
drink
,
and
the
quarrelling
,
and
the
bad
illnesses
,
and
the
hard
dying
,
as
I
've
seen
times
and
times
,
one
's
thankful
to
hear
