CHAPTER I.

Inthedayswhenthespinning-wheelshummedbusilyinthefarmhouses—andevengreatladies,clothedinsilkandthread-lace,hadtheirtoyspinning-wheelsofpolishedoak—theremightbeseenindistrictsfarawayamongthelanes,ordeepinthebosomofthehills,certainpallidundersizedmen,who,bythesideofthebrawnycountry-folk,lookedliketheremnantsofadisinheritedrace.Theshepherd’sdogbarkedfiercelywhenoneofthesealien-lookingmenappearedontheupland,darkagainsttheearlywintersunsetforwhatdoglikesafigurebentunderaheavybag?—andthesepalemenrarelystirredabroadwithoutthatmysteriousburden.Theshepherdhimself,thoughhehadgoodreasontobelievethatthebagheldnothingbutflaxenthread,orelsethelongrollsofstronglinenspunfromthatthread,wasnotquitesurethatthistradeofweaving,indispensablethoughitwas,couldbecarriedonentirelywithoutthehelpoftheEvilOne.Inthatfar-offtimesuperstitionclungeasilyroundeverypersonorthingthatwasatallunwonted,orevenintermittentandoccasionalmerely,likethevisitsofthepedlarortheknife-grinder.Nooneknewwherewanderingmenhadtheirhomesortheiroriginandhowwasamantobeexplainedunlessyouatleastknewsomebodywhoknewhisfatherandmother?Tothepeasantsofoldtimes,theworldoutsidetheirowndirectexperiencewasaregionofvaguenessandmystery:totheiruntravelledthoughtastateofwanderingwasaconceptionasdimasthewinterlifeoftheswallowsthatcamebackwiththespringandevenasettler,ifhecamefromdistantparts,hardlyeverceasedtobeviewedwitharemnantofdistrust,whichwouldhavepreventedanysurpriseifalongcourseofinoffensiveconductonhisparthadendedinthecommissionofacrimeespeciallyifhehadanyreputationforknowledge,orshowedanyskillinhandicraft.Allcleverness,whetherintherapiduseofthatdifficultinstrumentthetongue,orinsomeotherartunfamiliartovillagers,wasinitselfsuspicious:honestfolk,bornandbredinavisiblemanner,weremostlynotoverwiseorclever—atleast,notbeyondsuchamatterasknowingthesignsoftheweatherandtheprocessbywhichrapidityanddexterityofanykindwereacquiredwassowhollyhidden,thattheypartookofthenatureofconjuring.Inthiswayitcametopassthatthosescatteredlinen-weavers—emigrantsfromthetownintothecountry—weretothelastregardedasaliensbytheirrusticneighbours,andusuallycontractedtheeccentrichabitswhichbelongtoastateofloneliness. Intheearlyyearsofthiscentury,suchalinen-weaver,namedSilasMarner,workedathisvocationinastonecottagethatstoodamongthenuttyhedgerowsnearthevillageofRaveloe,andnotfarfromtheedgeofadesertedstone-pit.ThequestionablesoundofSilas’sloom,sounlikethenaturalcheerfultrottingofthewinnowing-machine,orthesimplerrhythmoftheflail,hadahalf-fearfulfascinationfortheRaveloeboys,whowouldoftenleaveofftheirnuttingorbirds’-nestingtopeepinatthewindowofthestonecottage,counterbalancingacertainaweatthemysteriousactionoftheloom,byapleasantsenseofscornfulsuperiority,drawnfromthemockeryofitsalternatingnoises,alongwiththebent,tread-millattitudeoftheweaver.ButsometimesithappenedthatMarner,pausingtoadjustanirregularityinhisthread,becameawareofthesmallscoundrels,and,thoughcharyofhistime,helikedtheirintrusionsoillthathewoulddescendfromhisloom,and,openingthedoor,wouldfixonthemagazethatwasalwaysenoughtomakethemtaketotheirlegsinterror.ForhowwasitpossibletobelievethatthoselargebrownprotuberanteyesinSilasMarner’spalefacereallysawnothingverydistinctlythatwasnotclosetothem,andnotratherthattheirdreadfulstarecoulddartcramp,orrickets,orawrymouthatanyboywhohappenedtobeintherear?Theyhad,perhaps,heardtheirfathersandmothershintthatSilasMarnercouldcurefolks’rheumatismifhehadamind,andadd,stillmoredarkly,thatifyoucouldonlyspeakthedevilfairenough,hemightsaveyouthecostofthedoctor.Suchstrangelingeringechoesoftheolddemon-worshipmightperhapsevennowbecaughtbythediligentlisteneramongthegrey-hairedpeasantryfortherudemindwithdifficultyassociatestheideasofpowerandbenignity.Ashadowyconceptionofpowerthatbymuchpersuasioncanbeinducedtorefrainfrominflictingharm,istheshapemosteasilytakenbythesenseoftheInvisibleinthemindsofmenwhohavealwaysbeenpressedclosebyprimitivewants,andtowhomalifeofhardtoilhasneverbeenilluminatedbyanyenthusiasticreligiousfaith.Tothempainandmishappresentafarwiderrangeofpossibilitiesthangladnessandenjoyment:theirimaginationisalmostbarrenoftheimagesthatfeeddesireandhop