Silas Marner

Silas Marner has left his homeland after being falsely accused of a crime. In England, he is regarded with suspicion, and, alone and friendless, he occupies himself by amassing gold coins. In Marner's town is a squire with two sons. The older son is being blackmailed by the wicked younger son; the squire does not know that the older son has secretly married an opium addict and has a child. The younger son needs money and, when opportunity arises, steals Marner's gold. Later, the secret wife of the squire's older son dies while attempting to bring the child to him, and the child survives when she is drawn by a warm fire to enter Marner's home. Marner takes the child, who he names Eppie, in, and gradually the village warms to Marner for his kindness.

I love this story of Silas Marner. Perhaps I might take a fraction of a point away for Eppie's unremitting and slightly unlikely cheeriness, but the saving of a soul (Marner) by love (Eppie's) will always be my favorite sort of tale.