Bring the Classics to Life

Silas Marner

LEVEL 2

Series Designer
Philip J. Solimene

Editor
Laura Solimene

Cover Art
Matthew Archambault

Black & White Illustrations

Ken Landgraf

EDCON PUBLISHING
New York
 About the Author

George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Ann (later Marian) Evans. She was born on No-
vember 22, 1819, in Warwickshire, England. Due to her father’s important role on the estate of
Arbury Hall, Ann was allowed access to the library, which aided her education and learning. Her
novels draw heavily on Greek Literature. After the death of her father in 1849, she moved to Lon-
don where she met George Henry Lewes and fell in love. Lewes was married, but his wife had
left him. With little chance of George being granted a legal divorce, Mary Ann and George Lewes
agreed to live together as man and wife. At first, this made them social outcasts but, later, their
friends and society accepted their situation. Lewes died in 1878 and in 1880 Mary Ann married
an American banker, J.W. Cross. Soon after, on December 22, 1880 George Eliot died. Her most
famous works are Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, and Silas Marner

Copyright © 2012
Edcon Publishing Group

Silas Marner
www.edconpublishing.com

EDEAP209
ePdf ISBN 0-8481-1118-4
ePdf ISBN 9-780848-111182
 CONTENTS

Words Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 5

NO. TITLE SYNOPSIS PAGE

81 A Man Called Silas Silas has no friends, children, or family. But, 6

Silas has much money.

82 The Family of Squire Cass One night while Silas is out, someone goes into 12
his house and takes his gold.

83 Silas Makes New Friends Silas goes looking for the thief that took his gold. 18
When Silas tells his story to the people in The
Rainbow, he makes some friends.

84 Chance Will Decide Godfrey does not have the courage to tell his 24
father that he is married to Molly and has a
child.

85 The Party At his father’s New Year’s Eve party, Godfrey 30

dances with Nancy, the girl he loves.

86 The Girl With the Hair When Molly dies outside in the snow, her little 36
of Gold daughter makes her way to Silas’ house.

87 Eppie and Silas Silas now has Eppie to love. He takes good care 42
of her.

88 The Years Fly By! Eppie is a young woman now. She tells Silas 48
that Aaron wants to marry her.

89 The Secret is Out Godfrey tells Nancy the truth about Molly and 54
Eppie.

90 The Wedding Party Eppie and Aaron marry. 60

Comprehension Check Answer Key . . . . . . . . . .67

Vocabulary Check Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

3
CTR 209-81

A Man Called Silas

Every night, Silas plays with his money.

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first three paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Silas is a

____a. family man.
____b. little man.
____c. strange man.
____d. good man.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 10 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out why Silas went to Raveloe.

8

A Man Called Silas
This is the story of a good
man. His name is Silas
Marner. He lives alone in a
little house in the town of
Raveloe. Silas has lived here
for 15 years. He makes his
living weaving thread into
cloth. He has no friends,
children, or family. But, he
has much money.
People know very little
about Silas, so they stay away
from him. He knows things
other people do not know.
That is why people think he is
strange. They think he may
hurt them or play tricks on
them. People want Silas to be
just like them.
Silas works all day and
plays with his money at night.
The money is in gold. Silas
works hard for it, but he does
not buy much. He does not
want much. He just works,
eats, and sleeps. And he eats
very little.
Before Silas came to
Raveloe, he lived in Lantern
Yard. He was a happy man.
He went to church in town,
and he talked to others. He
liked a girl. Her name was
Sarah. And he had a best
friend, William Dane. They
were like family to him. Silas
and his friend did many fun
things with each other.
One day his friend called
him a thief. “He took money
from another man,” William
told others. Now the people
in town began to believe
Silas was a thief. Silas was
hurt and scared. He talked
to people and told his side of
the story. But, no one believed
him.
“Look in my home,” said
Silas. “You will not find the
money.”
So they looked in his house.
To the surprise of Silas, they
found the money. Then all the
people stopped being friends
with Silas. And he lost his
girl. She began to like his
friend better.
Sometimes Silas would cry.
He would get angry too. And
he began to look old. Then he
began thinking, I must go
away. It is time to walk away
from this town. I will never be
happy here again.
So Silas said good-by to
Lantern Yard and walked to
Raveloe.
In Raveloe, Silas never
laughs or has fun. He talks to
people, but just about weaving
and cloth.
People do not like Silas.
They are scared of him and
where he comes from. They
think he has strange looks and
ways. And they do not like
that he has so much money.
Another thing people do not
like about Silas? He never
goes to church.
But, no one but Silas can
weave thread into cloth. So
when people want to buy cloth,
they talk to him. Other than
that, they do not come to see
him.
Every night Silas gets the
gold bags that he hides near
his bed. He sits by the fire and
holds his money. He looks at it
and it makes him happy. He
knows how much money he
has---right down to the penny!
For a little time, people in
Raveloe wanted to believe that
SC 209-81
Silas made people well. Once,
Silas gave a woman brown
water and she got better.
Soon, many people came to his
home. They asked them to
make their children well.
But, Silas did not know how.
He said, “I can’t make your
children better.”
The people got angry. They
did not believe Silas. Many
people said angry words.
“Silas is no friend. He will not
help our children!”
People stopped coming to
Silas’ house. Now, Silas is
alone again. No one comes
around to eat with him. No
one comes around to talk with
him. No one asks him to go to
a party. No one asks him to
take a walk.
But Silas got used to all
that. Now he wants to be
alone. He sees his money
grow. It makes him happy.
Every day he puts more money
in his bag of gold. To him,
money is like a fine, spring
day. He likes it as much as a
pretty flower garden or a
parade.
But around Christmas time,
Silas will get something much
better than money. Around
Christmas time, he will get a
surprise. It will bring him
many friends.
9
CTR 209-82

The Family of Squire Cass

Godfrey tells Dunstan his dark secret.

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first three paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.
You learned from your preview that Squire Cass
____a. sells milk and eggs from his farm.
____b. sells the flowers from his garden.
____c. does not like horses.
____d. has two boys.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 16 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out how Godfrey and Dunstan get along.

14

The Family of Squire Cass
Squire Cass is rich. He lives
in Raveloe. He does not work,
but he does own things---a big
red house, a farm, and horses.
Families give the Squire
money to live on his farm.
They sell flowers from their
gardens. They sell the milk
and eggs they get from their
cows and hens.
Squire Cass has two children:
Godfrey and Dunstan. Godfrey
is a good man, but he has no
courage. So he must lie. He
has a secret. One day he tells
Dunstan his secret---that he
married a woman who drinks
all the time.
“Her name is Molly Farren,”
Godfrey says. “Molly and I
have a baby girl.”
“Father will be angry if he
finds out you are married to
Molly,” Dunstan says. “I will
tell him if you don’t do what I
say.”
Dunstan does not like
Godfrey. He wants to hurt him.
Squire Cass likes Godfrey best,
and this makes Dunstan angry.
So he gets back at Godfrey. He
lies to him, and Godfrey
believes the lies.
One day near Christmas,
Dunstan tells Godfrey to give
him money. “If you don’t,” says
Dunstan, “I will tell your secret
to every man and woman in
town.”
Godfrey was scared. He had
no courage. He lost all his
courage when he was just a
boy. “I have not a penny and I
own nothing,” Godfrey says. “If
you tell Father, I will have to
say good-by to Nancy.”
Nancy Lammeter is a pretty
girl. She comes from a good
family. Godfrey is in love with
CTR 209-82
her. But, Nancy will not love house. It is Silas Marner ’s
him if she hears about Molly house.
and the baby. Godfrey is so Dunstan knows Silas has gold
sad, he looks as if he will cry. there. He wants to stop at the
Dunstan does not feel bad house. He looks in the window.
for Godfrey. “If you don’t want No one is there. He tries the
me to tell Nancy, then give me door. The door is open.
money,” he said. “Let me sell Is Silas playing a trick?
your horse at the next hunt. Maybe Silas is dead or not well,
Then you can let me have that Dunstan thinks. He does not
money.” see Silas. He walks in the
Godfrey does not want to house and sits by the fire. He
sell his horse. But he does not tries to guess where the gold is.
want Dunstan to let out his Under the house? Under the
secret. He tells Dunstan he bed?
can sell his horse. Dunstan looks around the
It is the day of the hunt. house. At last, he sees a brick.
Dunstan rides to the hunt on Under the brick he finds two
Godfrey’s horse, Wildfire. Many bags of gold. Dunstan is happy.
men look at the horse, but only But he must hurry. Silas will
Bryce says he will buy it. be back soon. He is never away
“May I ride the horse just from home for too long.
once more?” Dunstan asks Dunstan runs from the
Bryce. house. He holds a bag of gold
“Yes, but just don’t ride him in each hand, the gold making
fast,” says Bryce. noise as he runs. I am rich! he
The sun is hot. Dunstan has thinks. Happy New Year to me!
had too much to drink. He
makes the horse jump every
fence. He rides the horse fast!
The horse knows Dunstan is in
a hurry. Then the animal
hears a strange noise. There is
a frog in the road.
The horse wants to stop and
play with the frog. But,
Dunstan wants to jump another
fence. The horse’s feet fly over
the fence. But, they don’t come
down on the grass. They come
down on a big, apple tree.
Dunstan is not hurt, but the
horse is dead. Dunstan can
now say good-by to his money.
No one will buy a dead horse.
Now Dunstan has to walk
back to Raveloe. The sun is
gone. It is night. He sees light
coming from the window of a
15
CTR 209-83

Silas Makes New Friends

Silas’ bags of gold are gone!

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first six paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Silas had been out looking for
____a. gold.
____b. bricks.
____c. twine.
____d. something to eat.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 22 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out where Silas goes looking for help.

20

Silas Makes New Friends
Where is Silas when Dunstan
is making off with his money?
He is walking back home in the
rain. He has been out looking
for some twine. He has to have
the twine for work the next day.
But now he wants to get
home. He wants to get out of
the rain. His is very cold. He
wants something hot to eat.
After he eats, he will play with
his money. Then he will go to
sleep.
Silas knows he did not lock
the door to his house. But he is
not scared. He believes no thief
would be out on a night like this.
There is too much rain.
Silas hurries into his house.
He has wet feet and is glad to sit
by the fire. I believe I will eat
now, then look at my gold, Silas
says to himself.
Silas has something to eat.
Then he walks over to the secret
place near his bed. But, something
looks strange. Something is
wrong. The brick is not sitting
right. He takes away the brick
and looks into the hole. “My
gold!” he shouts. “Where are my
bags of gold?”
Silas can’t believe it! He puts
his hand into the hole. The bags
are not there! I must have put
them in another place, Silas
thinks to himself. He looks all
around the house. He sees
thread, a basket, and a book, but
no gold!
Silas does not feel well. He
holds his head in his hands and
cries. He asks himself, “Who
would do this to me? I do not hurt
people. Why do they hurt me?”
Silas feels like no one loves him.
He thinks he would be better off
dead.
Now Silas does not want to
eat. He sits down on his bed.
He knows he will not be getting
any sleep this night. He thinks,
and thinks, and thinks very hard.
Could the thief be an animal?
Did a big dog run off with my
money? A bear?
At last Silas knows he can’t
lie to himself any longer. He
knows it was a man who took
his bags of gold. He did not lock
his door, so some thief helped
himself to the money.
Silas wants to find the thief,
but how? After thinking some
more, Silas knows what to do. I
will get people in town to help
me!
Silas runs to town in the rain.
He knows many people sit and
have drinks at The Rainbow.
The Rainbow is the town’s bar.
There, people talk of many
things. They may have heard
something about his gold. They
may know something about the
thief.
Silas goes into the bar. He
sees Mr. Kimble, the doctor.
Next, he sees Mr. Dowlas, who
shoes horses. Mr. Snell, who
owns The Rainbow, is talking to
Mr. Macey. Mr. Macey does
work for the church. And Jem
Rodney is there. Jem likes to
hunt animals.
At first the men do not know
what to make of Silas. After all,
Silas NEVER goes out at night
to laugh or have fun. They know
that something is wrong.
Silas is angry. He looks at
the men. He shouts, “Some
thief took my gold! I want a
policeman!”
CTR 209-83
The men look at Silas. “Tell
us the story of your lost gold,”
says the doctor. “This better not
be a lie or a trick!”
When Silas hears the doctor’s
words, he gets VERY angry. But
he begins to tell the men his
story, anyway. When Silas
thinks the men don’t believe
him, he begins to accuse them.
“Have you been to my house,
Jem Rodney? Did you take my
money?”
“No!” says Rodney, “I did not
take your money. Why do you
accuse me?”
When Silas begins to accuse
another man in the bar, the man
makes him stop! The man tells
Silas they all want to help.
Silas asks them to help him
find a policeman. But no one
wants to go out in the rain. At
last, Silas and two other men go.
The other people in the bar stay
and talk about the missing
money. “I think Silas did right
to come to us,” said one of the
men. “We must find this thief!”
“Yes, we must,” said another
man, “before the thief gets our
money, too.”
The men have more drinks
and talk about Silas. Now they
think of Silas as a friend. Silas
may not have much money, but
now he has some friends.”
21
CTR 209-84

Chance Will Decide

Silas and his missing gold are the talk of the town!

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first four paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Silas thinks _________

took his gold.
____a. Godfrey
____b. the peddler
____c. Dunstan
____d. Mrs. Osgood

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 28 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out what happens when Godfrey talks to his father at breakfast.

26

Chance Will Decide
Many men are at The
Rainbow on this rainy night.
Others are at Mrs. Osgood’s
birthday party. Godfrey is at the
party, but Dunstan is not.
Dunstan is not back in town.
After the party, Godfrey
decides to wait for Dunstan at
home. As he waits, he thinks
about Nancy Lammetter. He
thinks about the lies he’s told
her.
The next day people are talk-
ing about Silas and his missing
gold. They talk about who the
thief could be. No one knows
who took the money, but Silas
makes a guess: “I think the
peddler was onto my secret. I
believe the peddler is the thief.”
Days go by. Godfrey waits for
Dunstan to come home. But
Godfrey now believes that his
brother played a trick on him.
He believes Dunstan took off
with his horse and lost all the
money.
Godfrey wants to find out the
truth. So he goes to the town
where Dunstan went on the
hunt.
“Your horse, Wildfire, is
dead,” says Bryce. “And no one
knows where Dunstan is.”
Godfrey believes Dunstan is
fine. “He will show up one day,”
says Godfrey. “He never gets
hurt. He just likes to play tricks
on other people. When he does
come back, he will get back at
me. He will never stay quiet.
He will tell my father secrets.
He does not care about me.”
Godfrey struggles over two
things - to tell more lies, or tell
the truth? Godfrey decides to
tell the truth. He wants to be a
better man than his brother. He
decides to tell his father that he
is married! He will do this in the
morning - at breakfast! Godfrey
will need courage.
Godfrey does not sleep much
that night. He struggles over
his problem. At breakfast, he
tells the Squire that Wildfire is
dead. He tells him that he let
Dunstan sell his horse.
The Squire got very angry.
“Why did you give your horse to
Dunstan?”
“I don’t know,” Godfrey says.
“You don’t know?” shouted
the Squire. “You don’t know?
Well I know! You pay him not to
tell me things!”
Godfrey knows his father is
right. He does pay Dunstan to
stay quiet. Godfrey is scared
that his father knows too much.
So he decides not to tell him
about his wife. He is scared that
Nancy will find out.
“I am too good a father to
you,” says the Squire. “You and
your brother take, take, take!
You never work!”
Then the Squire accuses
Godfrey of having no courage.
“Don’t you want to ask Nancy to
be your wife? Or are you too
scared?”
“I want to marry her,” says
Godfrey, “but I don’t think she
will have me.”
“Why don’t you just ask her,”
CTR 209-84
says the Squire. “I will do it for
you. . .if you can’t.”
The Squire was trying to
push Godfrey into marrying
Nancy. It was time for Godfrey
to grow up.
“Please don’t talk to Nancy,”
says Godfrey. “I think she may
be angry with me. And I will not
ask her to live in the house with
me and my brothers. That
would make her very unhappy.”
The Squire says he is the
head of the family. He says he
will do what he wants. But, he
decides not to talk to Nancy.
Godfrey feels strange. He is
unhappy that his father did not
push him to tell about his wife.
But, he’s also glad his father will
not push him into marrying.
“Do you know where your
brother is?” the Squire asks. “If
so, tell him not to come home.
Let him be a thief for all I care.
Let him make his own living!”
“I don’t know where he is,”
says Godfrey. “And it’s not for
me to tell him to stay away.”
Godfrey does not care for his
brother. Dunstan makes fun of
him. And he says he will tell
Godfrey’s secret.
What will Godfrey do about
his problem? Godfrey will let
Chance decide. Chance will
decide if Godfrey will marry
Nancy. Chance will decide if
Godfrey will have children. And
Chance will decide if Godfrey
will be happy or unhappy.
27
CTR 209-85

The Party

Everyone knows that Silas is sad. Dolly Winthrop brings Silas some cakes.

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentences under the picture.
4. Read the first six paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that

____a. Silas got a new suit.
____b. Silas goes to church every Sunday.
____c. Silas does not eat cake.
____d. Silas is unhappy.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 34 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out how Godfrey makes out at the New Year’s Eve party.

32

The Party
Silas is sad. He works hard.
But his work does not make him
happy.
Everyone in town knows that
Silas is sad. They don’t think he
is strange any more. They know
he is just unhappy.
Everyone believes the peddler
took Silas’ money. No one thinks
the thief is Dunstan.
One night Mr. Macey stops by
Silas’ house. He wants to make
Silas feel better. “Go buy a suit,”
he says. “Then go to church.” But
Silas does not buy a suit. Silas
does not go to church.
One day Dolly Winthrop and
her boy, Aaron, go to Silas’s house.
Dolly wants Silas to be more like
the other men in town. Silas is
not happy to see Dolly, but he
asks her in.
Dolly gives Silas some cakes
she had made. The cakes have
the letters I.H.S. on them. Dolly
does not know why she put these
letters on the cakes. She thinks
she saw them on a cloth in
church. “I want these letters to
bring you good things,” says Dolly.
Silas thanks Dolly for the cakes.
Then Dolly asks Silas if he
knows that the people in Raveloe
do not work on Sundays.
Everyone in Raveloe goes to
church on Sunday.
“For many years, I went to
chapel,” says Silas.
Mrs. Winthrop does not know
what a “chapel” is. So she tells
Silas to go to the church on
Christmas Day.
Silas does not want to go to
church, but he does not want to
hurt Dolly’s feelings. He hands
Aaron a cake. But, the little boy
is scared to go near Silas. His
mother sees the problem and tells
Aaron to sing a Christmas song.
Maybe the song will push Silas to
church, thinks Dolly.
But Silas is sad. He does not
go to church on Christmas Day.
That same day Squire Cass
and Godfrey sit down to lunch.
Godfrey is glad to hear that his
father will give a party on New
Year ’s Eve. He will get to see
Nancy at the party. But Godfrey
is scared. Dunstan may come
home and tell Godfrey’s secret -
that he is married! So Godfrey
drinks for courage.
On New Year’s Eve Nancy and
her sister, Priscilla, go to the
party. The street is wet. The
street is nothing but mud!
Godfrey must carry Nancy over
the mud. Nancy does not like
this, but she lets Godfrey carry
her.
At the Squire’s house Nancy
and her sister take off their
muddy dresses. They put on new
dresses. They talk to their aunt,
Mrs. Osgood, and the Misses
Gunn. Priscilla thinks the Misses
Gunn are show-offs. She tells
them they are ugly - like her.
Priscilla is unhappy with her
dress. It is the same as Nancy’s.
“Why do I have to put on the same
dress as you, Nancy? I look ugly
in this dress!”
Nancy says that next time
Priscilla can put on any dress she
likes!
Priscilla thinks Nancy pushes
people to do what she wants.
Priscilla asks Nancy if she will
push her husband in the same
way.
Nancy says that she will never
have a husband. But, Priscilla
knows better. Priscilla will be the
one who will not get married.
The Gunn sisters and Mrs.
Osgood head off to have fun.
CTR 209-85
Everyone at the party is having a
good time.
Godfrey asks Nancy to dance.
But Nancy does not care to dance
with him. She thinks he is
strange. Sometimes Godfrey tells
her he loves her; other times he is
quiet - he does not talk to her at
all. How can Nancy marry a man
like that?
At last, Nancy dances with
Godfrey. As they dance, the hem
of Nancy’s dress falls down. Nancy
must stop and wait for Priscilla to
help her. Nancy sits down, and
Godfrey begins to walk away.
Nancy feels hurt. “I have a prob-
lem with my hem,” she says to
Godfrey. “But if you don’t want to
wait for me, you can go.”
“You know I care for you,
Nancy. I will wait for you.”
Nancy does not know what to
think. She tells Godfrey to go.
Godfrey tells her that she is too
hard on him. But he really thinks
she likes him. If Nancy is angry,
she must care for me, he says to
himself.
Priscilla takes care of Nancy’s
hem. Then Godfrey asks Nancy if
she really wants him to go away.
“Do what you want,” says
Nancy.
Godfrey is happy. He decides
to wait for Nancy.
33
CTR 209-86

The Girl With the Hair of Gold

Molly and her daughter walk to Raveloe.

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first three paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Molly is

____a. angry.
____b. sad.
____c. happy.
____d. lost.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 40 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out what happens to Godfrey’s wife, Molly.

38

The Girl With the Hair of Gold
Everyone talks and dances
at the Squire’s party. No one
knows about the woman and
child who are walking to
Raveloe. The woman is
Godfrey’s secret wife, Molly
Farren. The child is Godfrey’s
daughter.
Why is Molly coming to
Raveloe? She is angry! She
knows Godfrey does not love her.
Molly wants to hurt Godfrey.
She wants to go to the party and
tell everyone that she is
Godfrey’s wife.
Molly can’t walk fast. She is
not well. She drinks too much.
She takes drugs, too.
Molly feels bad, so she walks
slowly. I must do something to
make me feel better, she thinks.
So she takes another drug.
Soon Molly does not care
about her child or her problems.
She lies down in the snow with
her child. They go to sleep.
The drugs make Molly a bad
mother. When she takes the
drugs, she does strange things.
She does not take good care of
her daughter. She does not eat.
She stays in bed for days at a
time. And she never laughs.
After some time the child
gets up. But her mother does
not. So the little girl looks for
something to do. She looks
between the trees and sees a
light. She wants to catch the
light. So she slowly walks to it.
The light is coming from
Silas’ house. Silas is by the door,
looking up. He does not see the
child go into the house. The lit-
tle girl lies down by Silas’ fire
and goes to sleep.
Silas closes the door. He
sees something gold by the fire.
What can it be? It must be my
gold! thinks Silas. But, it is not
his money. A little girl with
pretty, gold hair sleeps near
Silas’ fire.
The child gets up and asks
for her mother. Silas does not
know what to do. He decides the
child needs to eat. He makes
some porridge and puts sugar
in it. The little girl with the
gold hair eats it fast. She likes
the sugar in the porridge.
Silas goes over to a window
and looks out. Where is the
child’s mother? he asks himself.
Is she near? Why is the child
alone?
Silas decides to find the mother.
She may be scared, thinks Silas.
Or she may not be well.
Silas walks out of the house
and closes the door. He looks
between the trees and sees a
woman. The woman is lying in
the snow.
Silas thinks the woman is
dead or not feeling well. So he
goes to find a doctor. He walks
to town, carrying the little girl.
He goes into the Squire’s house.
The Squire sees Silas and asks,
“Why are you here?”
“I want the doctor,” says
Silas. “I think I found a dead
woman.”
Godfrey hears this and is
scared. He believes the woman
is Molly. He knows if Molly is
dead, he can marry Nancy. But,
if Molly is not dead, Godfrey will
have to tell his secret to Nancy.
Mr. Kimble, the doctor, says
he will help Silas. He asks Dolly
to come and help him. Godfrey
goes, too. He wants to see if the
woman is Molly.
Silas, Mr. Kimble, Dolly and
Godfrey walk to Silas’ house.
Mr. Kimble looks at the woman.
“She is dead,” he says.
Godfrey takes a good look,
CTR 209-86
too. Yes, that’s my wife, he
thinks to himself.
Silas feels bad for the child.
He wants to keep her. “She has
no one,” Silas says. “We can
help each other.”
Now Godfrey struggles with
a new problem. He wants to
bring up his daughter. But, he
wants to keep his secret, too. To
keep the secret, Silas must bring
up Godfrey’s daughter. What
will Godfrey decide?
“Without the child, I have
nothing to live for,” says Silas.
Godfrey thinks about this. It
will be good to let Silas keep my
daughter. I will give Silas
money to take care of her. Silas
will be good to my child.
Godfrey and Mr. Kimble talk
as they walk back home. Mr.
Kimble says it’s strange that
Silas wants to keep the child.
Godfrey says nothing. He is
quiet. . . . .but he thinks. He tells
himself that his daughter will be
happy with Silas. He wants to
believe this. Then he will not
have to tell the truth - that he is
the child’s father. Godfrey
thinks everyone will be better off
this way.
39
CTR 209-87

Eppie and Silas

Eppie gets into everything!

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first three paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that everyone in Raveloe thinks

____a. Silas will not keep the child safe.
____b. the child will make trouble for Silas.
____c. Silas is doing a good thing by bringing up the child.
____d. Silas is too old to be bringing up a child.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 46 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out how Eppie and Silas get along.

44

Eppie and Silas
Everyone in Raveloe thinks
it is strange that Silas wants to
take care of a child. But every-
one says Silas is doing a good
thing.
Dolly Winthrop wants to
help care for the child. Silas
says, no. He will do it. Dolly
gives him clothes for the child.
She tells him how to give the
child a bath. And they talk
about how to keep the child safe.
Silas wants the child to love
him. He says the child makes
him feel rich. Now he thinks
about the child - not his gold!
One day Dolly tells Silas to
take the child to church. “You
must christen her in church,”
Dolly says.
“I want to do the right
things,” says Silas. “But why
must she be christened?”
“You must do this,” Dolly
says. “It is the right thing to
do.”
So Silas takes the child to
church. He christens the child
“Eppie,” after his sister. Now
Silas takes Eppie to church
every Sunday.
Eppie is a curious child - she
gets into things. So Silas ties
her to things to keep her safe.
Eppie wants to find out
about many things. She asks
about the sun and the trees.
She asks about the things she
eats. She makes Silas curious,
too. Together, they find out
about flowers, birds, and cats
and dogs.
Eppie is a happy child. She
loves to dance and sing. She
likes to play in her bath water.
She laughs at the rain. Silas
and Eppie do many things
together. They play games and
laugh a lot.
Eppie sits with Silas while
he works. If she does not, Eppie
gets into trouble. Silas wants
Eppie to be safe.
Dolly says Silas must punish
Eppie for doing bad things. If he
does not, she will just get into
more trouble. “You must spank
her or put her down the coal
hole,” Dolly says. “I used to do
this with my children.”
One day Silas ties Eppie to
his loom. He thinks she can’t
get into trouble that way. But,
she does. She takes the scissors
from a box near the loom. Soon,
Eppie runs out of the house and
plays in the mud.
Silas finds Eppie gone. He
looks at the scissors and knows
what she did. Eppie may be in
trouble! thinks Silas.
Silas is scared. He loves
Eppie very much. But, after he
finds her, he gets angry. “I will
have to put you down the coal
hole,” he says.
But this does not work.
Eppie is not scared. She does
not cry. She thinks the coal hole
is fun! So Silas does not punish
her any more.
“I will have to put up with
her tricks,” Silas says. “I don’t
want to spank her. She is not
CTR 209-87
that bad!”
Everyone in Raveloe gets to
know and like Eppie and Silas.
They buy the cloth Silas makes.
Everyone thinks Eppie is pretty.
And no one is scared of Silas any
more. People want to do nice
things for him and for Eppie.
Silas does not care about
money any more. He buys
things for Eppie. He now knows
that love is better than gold. He
likes making Eppie happy.
Godfrey sees that Silas takes
good care of Eppie. So he does
not feel bad that he gave her up.
Sometimes he buys Eppie new
clothes. But, he does not give
her too much. People might get
too curious.
Godfrey believes that some
day he can help Eppie more. He
will be a good father. But, right
now, he can’t. He does not want
people to guess his secret.
Dunstan has not come back
to Raveloe. Now, Godfrey can be
with Nancy. He will try to be a
better man.
Godfrey believes he can
make Nancy happy. He wants to
get married. He wants to have a
child. And he wants to help
Eppie. He will look out for
Eppie as she grows. He will see
to it that Eppie has good things.
45
CTR 209-88

The Years Fly By!

Eppie asks Silas about her mother.

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first three paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Silas tells Eppie

____a. the little he knows about her mother.
____b. that her mother was never married.
____c. that he is her real father.
____d. that Godfrey is her real father.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 52 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out who wants to marry Eppie.

50

The Years Fly By!
Time had gone by very
fast–16 years! Eppie is a pretty
woman now. Silas is older, but
he is very happy. Squire Cass is
dead. And Mr. Macey still
believes that Silas will get his
money back.
Godfrey and Nancy are married.
They wanted to have children, but
they never did. Now Godfrey
wishes that he had told people
that Eppie was his child. Then
he and Nancy would have a
daughter.
Eppie knows her real mother
is dead. She knows that Silas is
not her real father. One day she
asks Silas about her mother.
Silas goes into his room and comes
back with a ring. He hands the
ring to Eppie. “Your mother got
this when she married,” he said.
“Keep it in a safe place.” Then
he told her the little he knew
about her mother.
On Sunday, Silas and Eppie
walk home from church. Aaron
Winthrop walks behind them.
Aaron loves Eppie. He wants to
do good things for her.
“I wish we had a little garden
with flowers,” Eppie says to
Silas.
Silas tells Eppie that he will
make her a garden.
Aaron could not help but
hear. “I can do the hard work
for you, Mr. Marner,” says
Aaron. “It will be fun to build
Eppie a garden.”
Eppie thanks Aaron. Silas is
pleased with Aaron for wanting
to help. “Come along,” says
Silas. “Let me show you where
the garden will be.”
Aaron goes with them to
Silas’ house. Silas’ house is
different than it was when he
CTR 209-88
first came to Raveloe. He has with her problem. She tells
Godfrey to thank for this. Nancy good-by and heads back
Godfrey had people build more to the farm.
rooms on to the house. He did Nancy feels so alone. She
this for Eppie. thinks about many things. She
Eppie, Silas and Aaron have thinks about the baby she did
lunch. After lunch, Dolly comes have - the baby that did not live
over. She talks with Aaron, long. She thinks about how she
Eppie, and Silas. Then Silas did not want to adopt Eppie.
goes outside to smoke. Smoking Why did Godfrey want to adopt
is a new custom for Silas. As he Eppie so badly? And why would
smokes, he thinks about the he not adopt another child?
customs in Raveloe. Then he Godfrey still thinks a lot
thinks about the customs in about Eppie. He believes that
Lantern Yard. They are very Chance punished him. He did
different. not tell the truth–that he is
One day Eppie tells Silas Eppie’s father. He knew he had
that Aaron wants to marry her. to keep this secret from Nancy.
“And he wants us all to live He did not want to hurt her. He
together,” she says. She went knew the truth would have done
on, “But I’m scared. I would like that.
things to stay the same.” Nancy sees people running.
“Things can’t stay the same,” She hears people shouting. It
says Silas. “One day I will not must be bad, she thinks. It must
be here to care for you. A man be trouble.
like Aaron will make a good
husband. Let us ask Mrs.
Winthrop what she thinks.”
* * *
Priscilla is still not married.
She runs her father’s farm. One
day she goes to see her sister,
Nancy. They have a long talk.
The sisters take a walk
o u t s i d e in Nancy’s garden.
Nancy tells Priscilla that
Godfrey is unhappy. At first,
Priscilla gets angry. She does
not think Nancy is making
Godfrey unhappy. But then
Nancy tells Priscilla why Godfrey
is unhappy. “He wants to have
children,” Nancy says. “And I
can’t give him children. That is
why he’s so sad.”
Priscilla feels bad for her sister.
But, Priscilla can’t help Nancy
51
CTR 209-89

The Secret is Out

After 16 long years, Dunstan has been found.

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first seven paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Nancy is amazed that

____a. Godfrey could keep a secret for so long.
____b. Godfrey had a child.
____c. Dunstan had been found.
____d. Dunstan was the thief who had taken Silas’ money.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 58 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out if Eppie stays with Silas or goes to live with Godfrey
and his wife.
56

The Secret is Out
Godfrey knows why people
are shouting and running in the
street. He runs home, scared.
“Dunstan has been found,”
Godfrey says to his wife. “He is
dead. He fell into the creek 16
years ago. Silas’ gold fell into
the creek, too.”
Nancy was amazed.
“Dunstan was the thief?” she
asks.
“Yes,” Godfrey says sadly.
Godfrey knows that Nancy
trusts him. He thinks it is the
right time to tell his secret. But
will she still trust me after she
knows the truth about Molly and
Eppie? “Secrets are awful,” he
says to Nancy. “I have been keep-
ing a secret from you for many
years.”
“What secret?” Nancy asks.
Godfrey tells Nancy that he
had another wife years ago.
“Please don’t think bad of me,”
he says. “I could not tell you
then. I was scared. I felt you
would go away.” Then he told
her about Eppie.
“The truth can be very ugly,”
Nancy says. “I never guessed
Eppie was your child.”
Godfrey asks Nancy to forgive
him.
“If you had told me, I would
have adopted Eppie,” says
Nancy.
“You would not have adopted
her,” says Godfrey. “You would
not have married me. You would
have hated me.”
Nancy says that Godfrey
may be right. “But you were not
right 16 years ago. You lied to
me then. Good people do not lie
to get what they want.”
Godfrey feels hurt and sad.
Nancy says she does not hate
him. But, Godfrey hates him-
self.
“I forgive you,” Nancy says.
“Now you must ask Eppie to
forgive you, too.”
* * * them. And she thinks Eppie has
In another house Eppie and
Silas are talking. They are
amazed that Silas has his money
back. Silas says he was sad
after he found his money miss-
ing. “I hated the thief,” he says.
“But then you came along. You
changed the way I felt about
money. I came to love you more
than my money.”
“Thank you, Father,” says
Eppie. “I am glad you adopted
me. If not, I don’t know where I
would be.”
Silas and Eppie hear a knock
at the door. Then, another
knock! knock! Who can that be?
thinks Silas.
Silas opens the door and sees
Godfrey and Nancy. “Come in,”
says Silas.
“Dunstan did an awful
thing,” says Godfrey. “I want to
make it up to you.” Godfrey
wants to give Silas money, but
Silas says no.
“Take it,” says Godfrey. “It
would be awful if Eppie had to
go to work.”
Eppie laughs. She says that
going to work would not be
awful.
Godfrey looks at Silas.
CTR 209-89
“Eppie would be happier with
Nancy and me. We will make
her a lady. Don’t you want
Eppie to be a lady and have fine
things?”
Eppie says, “I don’t want to
be away from my father. I don’t
want to be a rich lady.”
Nancy looks at her husband.
She wants Eppie to live with
a duty to forgive Godfrey. “Tell
her the truth,” she says.
Godfrey tells Silas and Eppie
that he is Eppie’s real father. “It
is my duty to take care of my
daughter.”
Silas is amazed! He is angry,
too! “Why did you not tell
me this years ago? She was
your daughter then, too.”
“I did an awful thing,” says
Godfrey. “Now I want to make it
up to Eppie.” Godfrey says
Eppie must live with him. “She
will see you all the time, Silas,”
he says. “Nothing will change.”
“Stop!” says Eppie. Looking
at Silas she says, “Can’t you see
that my father is sad?”
“But Silas is not your real
father,” says Nancy.
“Silas has cared for me for 16
years,” says Eppie. “Soon I will
marry Aaron. The three of us
will live together. That is what I
want.”
Godfrey and Nancy feel hurt.
But they never really believed
they would get their way. Silas
opens the door to show them out.
57
CTR 209-90

The Wedding Party

Silas finds that Lantern Yard has changed.

Preview: 1. Read the name of the story.

2. Look at the picture.
3. Read the sentence under the picture.
4. Read the first four paragraphs of the story.
5. Then answer the following question.

You learned from your preview that Godfrey

____a. does not get along with Aaron.
____b. must never make another mistake.
____c. must learn to trust Eppie.
____d. must accept things as they are.

Turn to the Comprehension Check on page 64 for the right answer.

Now read the story.

Read to find out about Eppie’s wedding day.

62

The Wedding Party
Godfrey and Nancy return
home from Silas’ house. Godfrey
knows he should have kept
Eppie when she was a baby. He
knows he had made a big mis-
take.
“Eppie cares a lot for Aaron,”
Godfrey says. “We should accept
that she will marry him.”
“Yes,” says Nancy, “and we
will. You know, Godfrey, I didn’t
see it before. But, Eppie looks
very much like you. And I think
she likes you. But, she does not
trust you.”
Godfrey knows that money
can’t make up for his mistake.
He and Nancy must find a way
to get Eppie to trust them. They
can never be her parents. But,
they can hope to be her friends.
Godfrey is sad that he will never
be a parent. But, he is glad he is
married to Nancy. She makes
him see that he must accept
things as they are.
The next day Silas decides
to go see his old friends in
Lantern Yard. He wants to see
if they still think of him as a
thief.
“You are not a thief,” Eppie
says. “But, we will go and talk
to the people in Lantern Yard.”
It takes Eppie and Silas
three long days to get to Lantern
Yard. Silas can’t believe how
much it has changed. “The town
is so dirty,” says Silas. “And
look at these high buildings!”
Silas looks for the chapel, but it
is no longer there. Another
building is in its place. “Lantern
Yard is not the same,” says
Silas. “It is a dirty place. And, I
don’t see any of my old friends
here.” No one knows where
Silas’ old friends are.
“I do not like this place,”
Silas says. “I want to go home.”
Silas knows that Raveloe is
his real home now. There is noth-
ing for him in Lantern Yard.
Silas just hopes that his old
friends found out that he was
not a thief. But, he will never
know.
Silas and Eppie return
home. Silas tells Dolly what he
found in Lantern Yard. He tells
her that he could not find his old
friends. “That is all right,” Dolly
says. “You know you did not
take that money!”
“That is true,” Silas says. “I
can only hope that my old
friends found that out.”
Soon Eppie’s wedding day
comes. It is a beautiful, sunny
day. Eppie looks beautiful too.
Her dress is white with flowers.
Godfrey had it made for her.
In the church, Eppie and
Aaron get married. Then, the
people in the wedding party
walk up and down the streets of
CTR 209-90
town. Eppie walks between
Silas and Aaron. Everyone
wishes them well.
Priscilla, Mr. Lammetter
and Nancy see the wedding
party go by. Priscilla says she
wishes Nancy had a child like
Eppie. Then Priscilla would
have a niece to think about –
not just farm animals.
“You are right,” says Mr.
Lammetter. “You would have a
niece to love.”
The wedding party nears
Mr. Macey. “It all came true as I
told you,” says Mr. Macey to
Silas. “You got your money
back. You can be happy now.”
Many people are at The
Rainbow. The wedding party is
having lunch there. Everyone
talks about Silas. They know
his strange story. They are
happy that he got his money
back. And they are happy that
he has Eppie to love.
Eppie, Aaron, and Silas
return home. The house looks
beautiful. Godfrey and Nancy
had put flowers all around the
house. E p p i e l o o k s a t t h e
beautiful flowers. Then she
looks at Aaron and Silas. “No
one could be happier than we
are.”
63