n. That was all
the express note taken that Molly had disappeared from the eyes of men.
But the unwept death which, to the general lot, seemed as trivial as
the summer-shed leaf, was charged with the force of destiny to certain
human lives that we know of, shaping their joys and sorrows even to the
end.

Silas Marner's determination to keep the "tramp's child" was matter of
hardly less surprise and iterated talk in the village than the robbery
of his money. That softening of feeling towards him which dated from
his misfortune, that merging of suspicion and dislike in a rather
contemptuous pity for him as lone and crazy, was now accompanied with a
more active sympathy, especially amongst the women. Notable mothers,
who knew what it was to keep children "whole and sweet"; lazy mothers,
who knew what it was to be interrupted in folding their arms and
scratching their elbows by the mischievous propensities of children
just firm on their legs, were equally interested in conjecturing how a
lone man would manage with a two-year-old child on his hands, and were
equally ready with their suggestions: the notable chiefly telling him
what he had better do, and the lazy ones being emphatic in telling him
what he would never be able to do.

Among the notable mothers, Dolly Winthrop was the one whose neighbourly
offices were the most acceptable to Marner, for they were rendered
without any show of bustling instruction. Silas had shown her the
half-guinea given to him by Godfrey, and had asked her what he should
do about getting some clothes for the child.

"Eh, Master Marner," said Dolly, "there's no call to buy, no more nor a
pair o' shoes; for I've got the little petticoats as Aaron wore five
years ago, and it's ill spending the money on them baby-clothes, for
the child 'ull grow like grass i' May, bless it--that it will."

And the same day Dolly brought her bundle, and displayed to Marner, one
by one, the tiny garments in their due order of succession, most of
them patched and darned, but clean and neat as fresh-sprung herbs.
This was the introduction to a great ceremony with soap and water, from
which Baby came out in new beauty, and sat on Dolly's knee, handling
her toes and chuckling and patting her palms together with an air of
having made several discoveries about herself, which she communicated
by alternate sounds of "gug-gug-gug", and "mammy". The "mammy" was not
a cry of need or uneasiness: Baby had been used to utt