Silas Marner Part III

GOdfrey asks Nancy to consider adopting Eppie Marner, when he realises they wotn have children. Nancy is good hearted but she has a narrow mind, and she has decided that if God does not give you a child, you should not try to find one by adoption. She refuses. Godfrey tries to make teh cottage more comfortable for Silas and Eppie and help them out a bit. He and Nancy are happy but they both miss having a child and he feels guilty at abandoning his daughter. Some years pass and Eppie becomes a young woman in her teens. She is good friends with Dolly Winthrop and her son Aaron who now works as a gardener for the Casses and Silas is happy with his child, who has given him love and companionship. Then, when Eppie is around 18, she and Aaron get engaged, and at that stage, Godfrey decides to do some drainage work on the estate. Nancy does not take much interest in the estate work, and he goes riding one Sunday to look at the works. To his horror when they drain a hole they find a dead body, with a bag of gold. It is Dunstan, who has lain there for 16 years. Godfrey is shocked and ashamed, that his brother was the one who stole Silas' little hoard of savings. He decides he has to tell Nancy the truth. He goes home and explains about finding Dunstan to his wife who being a very moral woman, is horrified that her husband's brother has behaved so wickedly. Godfrey then breaks it to her that the woman who died, that night years ago, was his wife. He tells her that Eppie was his legitimate daughter and he let her down. Nancy is again very shocked but tells him that if he had told her privately that Eppie was his own child, she would not have refused to take her in and give her a home. The couple go to Silas's and Godfrey returns the money, apologising for what has happeened. Silas takes it but he is shocked when Godfrey tells him that Eppie is his child and that he would like her now to come and live with him and Nancy.