The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-19

With sudden resolution he determined to sound Marner as to the chances for a loan. Perhaps a little frightening would do the man good, too, he thought He turned up the bank, not without some fear lest he might miss the right way He felt the ground cautiously with his whip and reached the floor safely.
 He knocked boisterously, but got no reply. Knocking a second time, with the same result he pushed the door open. A bright fire was burning on the hearth. It lit up every part of the room. No- body was there.
 Dunstan seated himself by the fire. glad to feel it's comforting warmth. He wondered where the weaver could be-. The thought came to him that the man might have fallen into the stone pit This was an interesting idea. If the weaver was dead, who had right to his money? Would anybody know where it was hidden? Would anybody know that there had been any, if it should be taken away before people discovered his death?
 So rapt did he become in his specula- ton that he quite forgot there was no reason to assume that anything had hap pened to Marner. He looked around the room. His quick eye noticed an irregu- larity in the brick flooring In an in- stant before he had given the matter a really conscious thought, he was at the spot. He lifted two bricks. In a cavity beneath were two leather bags.
 A moment before the son of Squire Cass might have shrunk from the thought of vulgar theft. The two heavy bags in his hand decided his course for him without giving him time to think. With his heart in his mouth, he replaced the bricks, looked fearfully over his shoul- I der and then hurried into the darkness. | It was thicker and blacker than ever. l The weight of the bags made it hard | for him to feel his way. He stepped for ] ward swiftly to escape from the vicin- | ity of the house he had robbed.
 | Just as he disappeared into the gloom | Silas Marner came hastenng along the 1 road. An errand had called him to the village in such a hurry that he had for | gotten to lock the door, He put his SUD- | per on to cook and then decided to take a look at his loved guineas. The joy I of them wAs like a golden wine to him. l He removed the bricks. The sight of the empty hole made his heart leap vio- | lently. But the trembling man would not believe at once that his gold had l gone He passed his thin hand all around the hole, forcing himself to think that his eyes had deceived him. Then he held the candle to the cavity, trem- | bling more and more. At last he shook | so that the candle fell. He lifted his hands to his head, trying to think Then l he arose desperately looked under every | chair, shook his bed, searched every pos | sible corner, and then kneeled down | again and felt once more all around the l hole.
 | He could deceive himself no longer, nor ward off the terror He clutched his
 head again and screamed wildly. Then he tottered to the door. Without head
 covering, without fastening the door be-
 hind him, he ran to the village.
 The dignitaries at the Rainbow imag-
 ined that they saw a ghost at first, when | Silas, white, with water streaming from
 his long hair, appeared suddenly among ] them and stood gasping and speeches.,
 staring at them crazily. Bit by bit they
 became convinced that he was alive and
 then that he was telling true tale.
 Before the next morning every soul in
 Raveloe had heard the news Two hun
 dred and seventy-two pounds twelve shil-
 lings and sixpence had been stolen from
 Master Marner-an incredible sum, to be
 sure, but the weaver's declaration was too
 exact to admit doubt The squire and his
 fellow magistrates sat in grave council.
 The villagers aided the cause of justice
 valiantiy by testifying to suspicious
 strangers who had been seen by them.
 Unfortunately no one persons descrip-
 ton talled with that of any other. Soon
 everybody was in dispute with every
 body else; and slas Marner's loss might
 have ended in diyi1ing the people of Ra-