Primary 6 Al Karma Language School English Department Name: __________________ Class: ______________ In the early year of the nineteenth century, strange looking little men were often seen on the country roads, usually with a heavy bag on their shoulders. They were small and thin, with tired white faces, bent backs and round shoulders. . They were linen- weavers, taking the linen they had woven to the women in the village. They were often shortsighted too, because they had to look so closely at their work. To the villagers the weavers looked almost foreign, and quiet frightening. Country people used to be very suspicious of all the stangers and travelers. That's why the linen- weavers, who often moved from towns to the country, were considered strangers and were sometimes lonely as a result. Silas Marner was a linen-weaver who lived in a small cottage near the village of Raveloe. He had first come at Raveloe fifteen years before, as a young man. He worked long hours at his loom every day– even on Sundays, and had no friends or visitors. No one knew anything about his family. He 1 was pale, with strange, staring eyes. He was sad and lonely. His only friends were the bright gold coins that he earned for his weaving and kept hidden under the floorboards. The Raveloe villagers believed that he had an almost devilish power which he could use to harm them if he wanted, so they were all afraid of him. One of the villagers had had a strange experience with Silas. One evening he had discovered the weaver resting on a field gate, his eyes open but unseeing, and hid body cold and hard, like a dead man's. After a few moments Silas appeared to wake up, said 'Good night' and walked away. When this was discussed in the village. Mr Macey, the church clerk said “That’s the devil’s work, believe me!” he thought that Silas didn’t have a fit as he didn’t fall down, but believed that Silas’ soul flew out of his body sometimes and that’s why he looked so strange. He believed so because Silas didn’t go to church and was able to make Sally Oates better, when the doctor himself could do no more for her. He believed it was the devil’s work. Silas had come from a large town to the north of Raveloe. There he had lived a very different life. He belonged to a religious group. They met every Sunday at the chapel. Mr. Paston, the minister, believed that in the moment when Silas was absent from them, his soul was open to a possible message from God as he believed that Silas was chosen by God. On the other hand, William Dane, who was Silas’ best friend, disagreed with Mr. Paston as he believed that it was more like the devil’s work than God’s . William Dane, Silas’s best friend at chapel, was a serious young man who was, some people thought, a little too sure of his own goodness and cleverness. Silas, however, could see no fault in him, and trusted him completely. When Silas used to have a fit, William asked Silas to look deep into himself and see if there was any evil hiding in his soul. Silas was hurt that his friend doubted him. 2 Silas became engaged to a young woman, Sarah, who belonged to the same chapel. William joined them sometimes on their Sunday's walk. Then William borrowed Silas’ knife and used it to kill the chapel leader and stole the church money while Silas was sitting with him and was having a fit. Then he put the empty bag of church money under Silas’ bed. By that William made everybody, even Mr. Paston, believe that Silas’ was a murderer and a thief. Silas was extremely hurt from William because he betrayed him and made use of his weakness, his fit although Silas had once trusted him. Everybody accused Silas of murdering the chapel leader because Silas was the only one in the chapel leader’s house at that night, Silas’ knife was found at the dead man’s bedside and William found the missing bag of the church money, empty under Silas’ bed. Finally they decided to draw lots, as they thought that only God knew the answers, Silas was sure that God would prove his honesty. The minister took one of the papers out of the covered box. the lots said that Silas had stolen the money. As a result, Silas was so hurt especially when Sarah broke up with him and got married to William only a month later. From now on, he would live in a dark, loveless, hopeless world. After the disaster that Silas had experienced in the large town, Silas travelled to the small village Raveloe where he shut himself away in his cottage. He didn’t want to think about the disaster he had experienced. He couldn’t understand why God had refused to help him. But now that his trust in God and his friends had been broken, he didn’t feel strong enough to build up that trust again, in a new church and with new friends. In his childhood, Silas had been taught by his mother to make simple medicines from wild flowers and plants. When Silas realized that Sally Oates had all the signs of the illness which had killed his mother, he felt sorry for her and prepared some medicine for her which made her feel much better. 3 After that the villagers started visiting Silas to ask for help with their own illnesses. But Silas was too honest to take their money and give them useless medicine so he sent them away. The villagers became angry as they thought that Silas was selfish and was refusing to help them. They blamed him for accidents that happened to them and deaths in the village. So poor Silas's kindness to Sally did not help him make friends in Raveloe. The piles of gold coins in his cottage grew higher. He was delighted with every new coin, but it made him want another. His gold became a habit, a delight, a reason for living, almost a religion. He replaced God and people with the gold coins that he earned from his weaving. The gold coins became his friends, who made the cottage less lonely for him. He spent time with them at night when he had finished his work. Like a thirsty man who needed a drink, he took them out every evening to look at them, feel them and count them. He was delighted with them. 4