rner," said Dolly, inwardly rejoiced, "I'll ask
Mr. Macey to speak to the parson about it; and you must fix on a name
for it, because it must have a name giv' it when it's christened."

"My mother's name was Hephzibah," said Silas, "and my little sister was
named after her."

"Eh, that's a hard name," said Dolly. "I partly think it isn't a
christened name."

"It's a Bible name," said Silas, old ideas recurring.

"Then I've no call to speak again' it," said Dolly, rather startled by
Silas's knowledge on this head; "but you see I'm no scholard, and I'm
slow at catching the words. My husband says I'm allays like as if I
was putting the haft for the handle--that's what he says--for he's very
sharp, God help him. But it was awk'ard calling your little sister by
such a hard name, when you'd got nothing big to say, like--wasn't it,
Master Marner?"

"We called her Eppie," said Silas.

"Well, if it was noways wrong to shorten the name, it 'ud be a deal
handier. And so I'll go now, Master Marner, and I'll speak about the
christening afore dark; and I wish you the best o' luck, and it's my
belief as it'll come to you, if you do what's right by the orphin
child;--and there's the 'noculation to be seen to; and as to washing
its bits o' things, you need look to nobody but me, for I can do 'em
wi' one hand when I've got my suds about. Eh, the blessed angil!
You'll let me bring my Aaron one o' these days, and he'll show her his
little cart as his father's made for him, and the black-and-white pup
as he's got a-rearing."

Baby _was_ christened, the rector deciding that a double baptism was
the lesser risk to incur; and on this occasion Silas, making himself as
clean and tidy as he could, appeared for the first time within the
church, and shared in the observances held sacred by his neighbours.
He was quite unable, by means of anything he heard or saw, to identify
the Raveloe religion with his old faith; if he could at any time in his
previous life have done so, it must have been by the aid of a strong
feeling ready to vibrate with sympathy, rather than by a comparison of
phrases and ideas: and now for long years that feeling had been
dormant. He had no distinct idea about the baptism and the
church-going, except that Dolly had said it was for the good of the
child; and in this way, as the weeks grew to months, the child created
fresh and fresh links between his life and the lives from which he had
hitherto shrunk continua