He rose and placed his candle unsuspectingly on the floor near his loom, swept away the sand without noticing any change, and removed the bricks. The sight of the empty hole made his heart leap violently, but the belief that his gold was gone could not come at once—only terror, and the eager effort to put an end to the terror. He passed his trembling hand all about the hole, trying to think it possible that his eyes had deceived him; then he held the candle in the hole and examined it curiously, trembling more and more. At last he shook so violently that he let fall the candle, and lifted his hands to his head, trying to steady himself, that he might think. Had he put his gold somewhere else, by a sudden resolution last night, and then forgotten it? A man falling into dark waters seeks a momentary footing even on sliding stones; and Silas, by acting as if he believed in false hopes, warded off the moment of despair. He searched in every corner, he turned his bed over, and shook it, and kneaded it; he looked in his brick oven where he laid his sticks. When there was no other place to be searched, he kneeled down again and felt once more all round the hole. There was no untried refuge left for a moment's shelter from the terrible truth.
George Eliot,
Silas Marner
Painting: Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890)
Ah, I had to read Silas Marner in school. Takes me back :) Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm a new follower now
ReplyDeleteYou are picking some of my favorite artists for your posts! I like your blog. Thanks for stopping by mine and following.
ReplyDeleteBTW: Since you are a new follower, you get a point in my giveaway contest for my book, The Fourth Wish. It ends Friday evening (the 9th). If you check the August 26th, you'll find the the rules for earning additional points.