Summarize the following text to main points and sub-points and make detailed explain for them:

ling. She was too childish and simple for her 
imagination to rove into questions about her unknown father; for a long 
while it did not even occur to her that she must have had a father; and 
the first time that the idea of her mother having had a husband 
presented itself to her, was when Silas showed her the wedding-ring 
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which had been taken from the wasted finger, and had been carefully 
preserved by him in a little lackered box shaped like a shoe. He delivered 
this box into Eppie's charge when she had grown up, and she often 
opened it to look at the ring: but still she thought hardly at all about the 
father of whom it was the symbol. Had she not a father very close to her, 
who loved her better than any real fathers in the village seemed to love 
their daughters? On the contrary, who her mother was, and how she 
came to die in that forlornness, were questions that often pressed on 
Eppie's mind. Her knowledge of Mrs. Winthrop, who was her nearest 
friend next to Silas, made her feel that a mother must be very precious; 
and she had again and again asked Silas to tell her how her mother 
looked, whom she was like, and how he had found her against the furze 
bush, led towards it by the little footsteps and the outstretched arms. The 
furze bush was there still; and this afternoon, when Eppie came out with 
Silas into the sunshine, it was the first object that arrested her eyes and 
thoughts. 
"Father," she said, in a tone of gentle gravity, which sometimes came like 
a sadder, slower cadence across her playfulness, "we shall take the furze 
bush into the garden; it'll come into the corner, and just against it I'll put 
snowdrops and crocuses, 'cause Aaron says they won't die out, but'll 
always get more and more." 
"Ah, child," said Silas, always ready to talk when he had his pipe in his 
hand, apparently enjoying the pauses more than the puffs, "it wouldn't 
do to leave out the furze bush; and there's nothing prettier, to my 
thinking, when it's yallow with flowers. But it's just come into my head 
what we're to do for a fence—mayhap Aaron can help us to a thought; but 
a fence we must have, else the donkeys and things 'ull come and trample 
everything down. And fencing's hard to be got at, by what I can make 
out." 
"Oh, I'll tell you, daddy," said Eppie, clasping her hands suddenly, after a 
minute's thought. "There's lots o' loose stones about, some of 'em not big, 
and we might lay 'em atop of one another, and make a wall. You and me 
could carry the smallest, and Aaron 'ud carry the rest—I know he would." 
"Eh, my precious un," said Silas, "there isn't enough stones to go all 
round; and as for you carrying, why, wi' your little arms you couldn't 
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carry a stone no bigger than a turnip. You're dillicate made, my dear," he 
added, with a tender intonation—"that's what Mrs. Winthrop says." 
"Oh, I'm stronger than you think, daddy," said Eppie; "and if there 
wasn't stones enough to go all round, why they'll go part o' the way, and 
then it'll be easier to get sticks and things for the rest. See here, round 
the big pit, what a many stones!" 
She skipped forward to the pit, meaning to lift one of the stones and 
exhibit her strength, but she started back in surprise. 
"Oh, father, just come and look here," she exclaimed—"come and see 
how the water's gone down since yesterday. Why, yesterday the pit was 
ever so full!" 
"Well, to be sure," said Silas, coming to her side. "Why, that's the 
draining they've begun on, since harvest, i' Mr. Osgood's fields, I reckon. 
The foreman said to me the other day, when I passed by 'em, "Master 
Marner," he said, "I shouldn't wonder if we lay your bit o' waste as dry as 
a bone." It was Mr. Godfrey Cass, he said, had gone into the draining: 
he'd been taking these fields o' Mr. Osgood." 
"How odd it'll seem to have the old pit dried up!" said Eppie, turning 
away, and stooping to lift rather a large stone. "See, daddy, I can carry 
this quite well," she said, going along with much energy for a few steps, 
but presently letting it fall. 
"Ah, you're fine and strong, aren't you?" said Silas, while Eppie shook 
her aching arms and laughed. "Come, come, let us go and sit down on the 
bank against the stile there, and have no more lifting. You might hurt 
yourself, child. You'd need have somebody to work for you—and my arm 
isn't over strong." 
Silas uttered the last sentence slowly, as if it implied more than met the 
ear; and Eppie, when they sat down on the bank, nestled close to his 
side, and, taking hold caressingly of the arm that was not over strong, 
held it on her lap, while Silas puffed again dutifully at the pipe, which 
occupied his other arm. An ash in the hedgerow behind made a fretted 
screen from the sun, and threw happy playful shadows all about them. 
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"Father," said Eppie, very gently, after they had been sitting in silence a 
little while, "if I was to be married, ought I to be married with my 
mother's ring?" 
Silas gave an almost imperceptible start, though the question fell in with 
the under-current of thought in his own mind, and then said, in a 
subdued tone, "Why, Eppie, have you been a-thinking on it?" 
"Only this last week, father," said Eppie, ingenuously, "since Aaron 
talked to me about it." 
"And what did he say?" said Silas, still in the same subdued way, as if he 
were anxious lest he should fall into the slightest tone that was not for 
Eppie's good. 
"He said he should like to be married, because he was a-going in four-
and-twenty, and had got a deal of gardening work, now Mr. Mott's given 
up; and he goes twice a-week regular to Mr. Cass's, and once to Mr. 
Osgood's, and they're going to take him on at the Rectory." 
"And who is it as he's wanting to marry?" said Silas, with rather a sad 
smile. 
"Why, me, to be sure, daddy," said Eppie, with dimpling laughter, kissing 
her father's cheek; "as if he'd want to marry anybody else!" 
"And you mean to have him, do you?" said Silas. 
"Yes, some time," said Eppie, "I don't know when. Everybody's married 
some time, Aaron says. But I told him that wasn't true: for, I said, look at 
father—he's never been married." 
"No, child," said Silas, "your father was a lone man till you was sent to 
him." 
"But you'll never be lone again, father," said Eppie, tenderly.  
"That was what Aaron said—"I could never think o' taking you away from 
Master Marner, Eppie." And I said, "It 'ud be no use if you did, Aaron." 
And he wants us all to live together, so as you needn't work a bit, father, 
only what's for your own pleasure; and he'd be as good as a son to you—
that was what he said." 
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"And should you like that, Eppie?" said Silas, looking at her. 
"I shouldn't mind it, father," said Eppie, quite simply. "And I should like 
things to be so as you needn't work much. But if it wasn't for that, I'd 
sooner things didn't change. I'm very happy: I like Aaron to be fond of 
me, and come and see us often, and behave pretty to you—he 
always does behave pretty to you, doesn't he, father?" 
"Yes, child, nobody could behave better," said Silas, emphatically. "He's 
his mother's lad." 
"But I don't want any change," said Eppie. "I should like to go on a long, 
long while, just as we are. Only Aaron does want a change; and he made 
me cry a bit—only a bit—because he said I didn't care for him, for if I 
cared for him I should want us to be married, as he did." 
"Eh, my blessed child," said Silas, laying down his pipe as if it were 
useless to pretend to smoke any longer, "you're o'er young to be married. 
We'll ask Mrs. Winthrop—we'll ask Aaron's mother what she thinks: if 
there's a right thing to do, she'll come at it. But there's this to be thought 
on, Eppie: things will change, whether we like it or no; things won't go 
on for a long while just as they are and no difference. I shall get older and 
helplesser, and be a burden on you, belike, if I don't go away from you 
altogether. Not as I mean you'd think me a burden—I know you 
wouldn't—but it 'ud be hard upon you; and when I look for'ard to that, I 
like to think as you'd have somebody else besides me—somebody young 
and strong, as'll outlast your own life, and take care on you to the end."  
Silas paused, and, resting his wrists on his knees, lifted his hands up and 
down meditatively as he looked on the ground. 
"Then, would you like me to be married, father?" said Eppie, with a little 
trembling in her voice. 
"I'll not be the man to say no, Eppie," said Silas, emphatically; "but we'll 
ask your godmother. She'll wish the right thing by you and her son too." 
"There they come, then," said Eppie. "Let us go and meet 'em. Oh, the 
pipe! won't you have it lit again, father?" said Eppie, lifting that 
medicinal appliance from the ground. 
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"Nay, child," said Silas, "I've done enough for to-day. I think, mayhap, a 
little of it does me more good than so much at once." 
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CHAPTER 17 
 
While Silas and Eppie were seated on the bank d

Summary :