eating a
man by making him believe that he would be paid. Altogether,
the operation on the miser's mind was a task that Godfrey
would be sure to hand over to his more daring and cunning
brother: Dunstan had made up his mind to that; and by the
time he saw the light gleaming through the chinks of
Marner's shutters, the idea of a dialogue with the weaver
had become so familiar to him, that it occurred to him as
quite a natural thing to make the acquaintance forthwith.
There might be several conveniences attending this course:
the weaver had possibly got a lantern, and Dunstan was tired
of feeling his way. He was still nearly three quarters of a
mile from home, and the lane was becoming unpleasantly
slippery, for the mist was passing into rain. He turned up
the bank, not without some fear lest he might miss the right
way, since he was not certain whether the light were in
front or on the side of the cottage. But he felt the ground
before him cautiously with his whip-handle, and at last
arrived safely at the door. He knocked loudly, rather
enjoying the idea that the old fellow would be frightened at
the sudden noise. He heard no movement in reply: all was
silence in the cottage. Was the weaver gone to bed, then? If
so, why had he left a light? That was a strange
forgetfulness in a miser. Dunstan knocked still more loudly,
and, without pausing for a reply, pushed his fingers through
the latch-hole, intending to shake the door and pull the
latch-string up and down, not doubting that the door was
fastened. But, to his surprise, at this double motion the
door opened, and he found himself in front of a bright fire,
which lit up every corner of the cottage--the bed, the loom,
the three chairs, and the table--and showed him that Marner
was not there."[23]

"The country, all white, lit up by the fire, shone like a
cloth of silver tinted with red.

"A bell, far off, began to toll.

"The old 'Sauvage' remained standing before her ruined
dwelling, armed with her gun, her son's gun, for fear lest
one of those men might escape.

"When she saw that it was ended, she threw her weapon into
the brasier. A loud report rang back.

"People were coming, the peasants, the Prussians.

"They found the woman seated on the trunk of a tr