It 'ud be a great comfort to
you to see her well provided for, wouldn't it? She looks blooming
and healthy, but not fit for any hardships: she doesn't look like a
strapping girl come of working parents. You'd like to see her taken
care of by those who can leave her well off, and make a lady of her;
she's more fit for it than for a rough life, such as she might come to
have in a few years' time.'
A slight flush came over Marner's face, and disappeared, like a
passing gleam. Eppie was simply wondering Mr Cass should talk so about
things that seemed to have nothing to do with reality; but Silas was
hurt and uneasy.
'I don't take your meaning, sir,' he answered, not having words
at command to express the mingled feelings with which he had heard
Mr Cass's words.
'Well, my meaning is this, Marner,' said Godfrey, determined to
come to the point. 'Mrs Cass and I, you know, have no children- nobody
to benefit by our good home and everything else we have- more than
enough for ourselves. And we should like to have somebody in the place
of a daughter to us- we should like to have Eppie, and treat her in
every way as our own child. It would be a great comfort to you in your
old age, I hope, to see her fortune made in that way, after you have
been at the trouble of bringing her up so well. And it's right you
should have every reward for that. And Eppie, I'm sure, will always
love you and be grateful to you: she'd come and see you very often,
and we should all be on the look-out to do everything as we could
towards making you comfortable.
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