04-02-02-织工马南 [19]
，Godfrey tried to speak calmly．'I thought I'd wait to see…'he began．
'Oh，there was no need for you to come．Why didn't you send one of the men to fetch Dolly？The woman's dead， I'm afraid．She's very thin，and looks very poor．But she's got a wedding ring on．She'll be buried tomorrow．
'I'll just have a look at her，'said Godfrey quickly．' I think I saw a woman on the road yesterday with a child．Perhaps it was her．'And he ran into the cottage．
There on the bed was his unloved wife．He only looked at her for a moment， but for the rest of his life he never forgot her sad，tired face．
The weaver had come back with the doctor，and was sitting by the fire，with the child on his knees．The little one was awake，but her wide open blue eyes looked up into Godfrey's face without recognizing him at all．The father was glad of this，but also a little sad，especially when he saw the small hand pull lovingly at the weaver's grey hair．
'So，who's going to take care of the child？'Godfrey asked，pretending not to show much interest．
'I am，'replied Silas firmly．'The mother's dead，and I sup-pose the child hasn't got a father． She's alone in the world，and so am I．My money's gone，I don't know where，and she's come，I don't know where from．I don't understand it at all，but I'm going to keep her．'
'Poor little thing！'said Godfrey．'Let me give you some-thing for her clothes．'He put his hand in his pocket and gave Silas some coins．
As he walked back to the Red House，he felt very relieved．Nobody would recognize his dead wife，and soon his secret would be buried with her．Now he could talk of love to Nancy．He could promise to be a good husband to her．Only Dunstan knew about the secret marriage，and perhaps Dunstan would never come home．'What a good thing I didn't confess every－thing to the Squire！'he thought．'Now I can make Nancy and myself happy And the child？Well，it won't matter to her whether I'm her father or not．
That week the dead woman was buried in Raveloe，and the child stayed at the weaver's cottage．The villagers were very surprised that Silas had decided to keep her，but they liked him for wanting to help an orphan．The women，especially，were very ready to give him useful advice on taking care of children．
Dolly Winthrop came every day to help Silas．'It's no trou－ble，'she said．'I get up early，so I've got plenty of time．And I can bring you some of Aaron's old baby clothes，so you won't need to spend a lot of money on the child．I can wash her，and give her food，and—'
'Ye—es，'said silas，hesitating．He was looking a little jeal－ously at the baby in Dolly's arms．'That's very kind of you．But—but I want to do everything for her myself！I want her to be fond of me！She's my child！'
'Don't worry，'said Dolly gently，giving him the child．'Look，she loves you the best．See，she's smiling at you！And so Silas learnt how to take care of the little girl．He called her Eppie，which had been his little sister's name．His life was quite different now．When he was working and living only for his gold，he had not been interested in the world outside his cottage，or the people he sometimes met．But now that he had another reason for living，he had to look outward．He spent hours in the fields with Eppie，happily rediscovering the plants he used to know so well．Together they visited his neighbours，who were always delighted to see him and his adopted child．His days and evenings were full，taking care of a trusting，lov-ing child．
Godfrey Cass watched the little girl growing up with great interest During Eppie's childhood he often gave money to Silas to spend on her，but was careful that nobody should suspect him of being her father．His life was also changing．There was a new firmness about him which everyone noticed He was looking forward to marrying Nancy very soon．'Nancy and I will have children！'he thought happily．'But I won't forget that other child！'
■ 7 西拉斯找到了他的“金子”
就在戈弗雷·凯斯坐在可爱的南茜身边试图忘记一切烦恼的时候，他的妻子正在大雪覆盖的道路上艰难地向瑞福洛的方向跋涉着。她的孩子睡在她的臂弯里。
她已经计划好要在新年之夜到瑞福洛去，她知道她的丈夫一定正在被幸福欢笑的朋友们环绕着，她就是要选择这个时候出现在他的家人和朋友们面前，出现在红屋的舞会上。“我不在乎戈弗雷会以我为耻，”她苦涩地想，“我要让大家知道我们结婚了！”有时她恨她的丈夫，
'Oh，there was no need for you to come．Why didn't you send one of the men to fetch Dolly？The woman's dead， I'm afraid．She's very thin，and looks very poor．But she's got a wedding ring on．She'll be buried tomorrow．
'I'll just have a look at her，'said Godfrey quickly．' I think I saw a woman on the road yesterday with a child．Perhaps it was her．'And he ran into the cottage．
There on the bed was his unloved wife．He only looked at her for a moment， but for the rest of his life he never forgot her sad，tired face．
The weaver had come back with the doctor，and was sitting by the fire，with the child on his knees．The little one was awake，but her wide open blue eyes looked up into Godfrey's face without recognizing him at all．The father was glad of this，but also a little sad，especially when he saw the small hand pull lovingly at the weaver's grey hair．
'So，who's going to take care of the child？'Godfrey asked，pretending not to show much interest．
'I am，'replied Silas firmly．'The mother's dead，and I sup-pose the child hasn't got a father． She's alone in the world，and so am I．My money's gone，I don't know where，and she's come，I don't know where from．I don't understand it at all，but I'm going to keep her．'
'Poor little thing！'said Godfrey．'Let me give you some-thing for her clothes．'He put his hand in his pocket and gave Silas some coins．
As he walked back to the Red House，he felt very relieved．Nobody would recognize his dead wife，and soon his secret would be buried with her．Now he could talk of love to Nancy．He could promise to be a good husband to her．Only Dunstan knew about the secret marriage，and perhaps Dunstan would never come home．'What a good thing I didn't confess every－thing to the Squire！'he thought．'Now I can make Nancy and myself happy And the child？Well，it won't matter to her whether I'm her father or not．
That week the dead woman was buried in Raveloe，and the child stayed at the weaver's cottage．The villagers were very surprised that Silas had decided to keep her，but they liked him for wanting to help an orphan．The women，especially，were very ready to give him useful advice on taking care of children．
Dolly Winthrop came every day to help Silas．'It's no trou－ble，'she said．'I get up early，so I've got plenty of time．And I can bring you some of Aaron's old baby clothes，so you won't need to spend a lot of money on the child．I can wash her，and give her food，and—'
'Ye—es，'said silas，hesitating．He was looking a little jeal－ously at the baby in Dolly's arms．'That's very kind of you．But—but I want to do everything for her myself！I want her to be fond of me！She's my child！'
'Don't worry，'said Dolly gently，giving him the child．'Look，she loves you the best．See，she's smiling at you！And so Silas learnt how to take care of the little girl．He called her Eppie，which had been his little sister's name．His life was quite different now．When he was working and living only for his gold，he had not been interested in the world outside his cottage，or the people he sometimes met．But now that he had another reason for living，he had to look outward．He spent hours in the fields with Eppie，happily rediscovering the plants he used to know so well．Together they visited his neighbours，who were always delighted to see him and his adopted child．His days and evenings were full，taking care of a trusting，lov-ing child．
Godfrey Cass watched the little girl growing up with great interest During Eppie's childhood he often gave money to Silas to spend on her，but was careful that nobody should suspect him of being her father．His life was also changing．There was a new firmness about him which everyone noticed He was looking forward to marrying Nancy very soon．'Nancy and I will have children！'he thought happily．'But I won't forget that other child！'
■ 7 西拉斯找到了他的“金子”
就在戈弗雷·凯斯坐在可爱的南茜身边试图忘记一切烦恼的时候，他的妻子正在大雪覆盖的道路上艰难地向瑞福洛的方向跋涉着。她的孩子睡在她的臂弯里。
她已经计划好要在新年之夜到瑞福洛去，她知道她的丈夫一定正在被幸福欢笑的朋友们环绕着，她就是要选择这个时候出现在他的家人和朋友们面前，出现在红屋的舞会上。“我不在乎戈弗雷会以我为耻，”她苦涩地想，“我要让大家知道我们结婚了！”有时她恨她的丈夫，