第54章

"There, then! why, you take to it quite easy, Master Marner,"said Dolly; "but what shall you do when you're forced to sit in your loom? For she'll get busier and mischievouser every day--she will, bless her.It's lucky as you've got that high hearth i'stead of a grate, for that keeps the fire more out of her reach: but if you've got anything as can be spilt or broke, or as is fit to cut her fingers off, she'll be at it--and it is but right you should know."Silas meditated a little while in some perplexity."I'll tie her to the leg o' the loom," he said at last--"tie her with a good long strip o' something.""Well, mayhap that'll do, as it's a little gell, for they're easier persuaded to sit i' one place nor the lads.I know what the lads are; for I've had four--four I've had, God knows--and if you was to take and tie 'em up, they'd make a fighting and a crying as if you was ringing the pigs.But I'll bring you my little chair, and some bits o' red rag and things for her to play wi'; an' she'll sit and chatter to 'em as if they was alive.Eh, if it wasn't a sin to the lads to wish 'em made different, bless 'em, I should ha' been glad for one of 'em to be a little gell; and to think as I could ha'

taught her to scour, and mend, and the knitting, and everything.

But I can teach 'em this little un, Master Marner, when she gets old enough.""But she'll be _my_ little un," said Marner, rather hastily.

"She'll be nobody else's."

"No, to be sure; you'll have a right to her, if you're a father to her, and bring her up according.But," added Dolly, coming to a point which she had determined beforehand to touch upon, "you must bring her up like christened folks's children, and take her to church, and let her learn her catechise, as my little Aaron can say off--the "I believe", and everything, and "hurt nobody by word or deed",--as well as if he was the clerk.That's what you must do, Master Marner, if you'd do the right thing by the orphin child."Marner's pale face flushed suddenly under a new anxiety.His mind was too busy trying to give some definite bearing to Dolly's words for him to think of answering her.

"And it's my belief," she went on, "as the poor little creatur has never been christened, and it's nothing but right as the parson should be spoke to; and if you was noways unwilling, I'd talk to Mr.Macey about it this very day.For if the child ever went anyways wrong, and you hadn't done your part by it, Master Marner--'noculation, and everything to save it from harm--it 'ud be a thorn i' your bed for ever o' this side the grave; and I can't think as it 'ud be easy lying down for anybody when they'd got to another world, if they hadn't done their part by the helpless children as come wi'out their own asking."Dolly herself was disposed to be silent for some time now, for she had spoken from the depths of her own simple belief, and was much concerned to know whether her words would produce the desired effect on Silas.He was puzzled and anxious, for Dolly's word "christened" conveyed no distinct meaning to him.He had only heard of baptism, and had only seen the baptism of grown-up men and women.

"What is it as you mean by "christened"?" he said at last, timidly."Won't folks be good to her without it?""Dear, dear! Master Marner," said Dolly, with gentle distress and compassion."Had you never no father nor mother as taught you to say your prayers, and as there's good words and good things to keep us from harm?""Yes," said Silas, in a low voice; "I know a deal about that--used to, used to.But your ways are different: my country was a good way off." He paused a few moments, and then added, more decidedly, "But I want to do everything as can be done for the child.And whatever's right for it i' this country, and you think 'ull do it good, I'll act according, if you'll tell me.""Well, then, Master Marner," said Dolly, inwardly rejoiced, "I'll ask Mr.Macey to speak to the parson about it; and you must fix on a name for it, because it must have a name giv' it when it's christened.""My mother's name was Hephzibah," said Silas, "and my little sister was named after her.""Eh, that's a hard name," said Dolly."I partly think it isn't a christened name.""It's a Bible name," said Silas, old ideas recurring.

"Then I've no call to speak again' it," said Dolly, rather startled by Silas's knowledge on this head; "but you see I'm no scholard, and I'm slow at catching the words.My husband says I'm allays like as if I was putting the haft for the handle--that's what he says--for he's very sharp, God help him.But it was awk'ard calling your little sister by such a hard name, when you'd got nothing big to say, like--wasn't it, Master Marner?""We called her Eppie," said Silas.