ory of housekeepers like Mrs. Osgood. Mr. Crackenthorp, too,
while he admonished Silas that his money had probably been taken from
him because he thought too much of it and never came to church,
enforced the doctrine by a present of pigs' pettitoes, well calculated
to dissipate unfounded prejudices against the clerical character.
Neighbours who had nothing but verbal consolation to give showed a
disposition not only to greet Silas and discuss his misfortune at some
length when they encountered him in the village, but also to take the
trouble of calling at his cottage and getting him to repeat all the
details on the very spot; and then they would try to cheer him by
saying, "Well, Master Marner, you're no worse off nor other poor folks,
after all; and if you was to be crippled, the parish 'ud give you a
'lowance."

I suppose one reason why we are seldom able to comfort our neighbours
with our words is that our goodwill gets adulterated, in spite of
ourselves, before it can pass our lips. We can send black puddings and
pettitoes without giving them a flavour of our own egoism; but language
is a stream that is almost sure to smack of a mingled soil. There was
a fair proportion of kindness in Raveloe; but it was often of a beery
and bungling sort, and took the shape least allied to the complimentary
and hypocritical.

Mr. Macey, for example, coming one evening expressly to let Silas know
that recent events had given him the advantage of standing more
favourably in the opinion of a man whose judgment was not formed
lightly, opened the conversation by saying, as soon as he had seated
himself and adjusted his thumbs--

"Come, Master Marner, why, you've no call to sit a-moaning. You're a
deal better off to ha' lost your money, nor to ha' kep it by foul
means. I used to think, when you first come into these parts, as you
were no better nor you should be; you were younger a deal than what you
are now; but you were allays a staring, white-faced creatur, partly
like a bald-faced calf, as I may say. But there's no knowing: it isn't
every queer-looksed thing as Old Harry's had the making of--I mean,
speaking o' toads and such; for they're often harmless, like, and
useful against varmin. And it's pretty much the same wi' you, as fur
as I can see. Though as to the yarbs and stuff to cure the breathing,
if you brought that sort o' knowledge from distant parts, you might ha'
been a bit freer of it. And if the knowledge wasn't w