'The minister asked him if he knew where he had left that knife.'

Grayscale illustration of angry, seated men questioning a young man standing before them, slightly bowing. One of the men holds a pocket-knife.

Silas Marner being questioned by the church members after the death of the senior deacon and the disappearance of church funds. They found his pocket-knife in the drawer where the funds were kept and Silas was on duty watching over the ailing senior deacon. Silas had fallen asleep that night and William Dane, who was scheduled to take over, never woke him up. Later, Silas remembers that the pocket-knife had never returned to him after helping William cut a strap. William denies this accusation. The church members find Silas guilty and he loses his standing as well as his fiancé Sarah, who later marries William.

Brock, Charles E. (1870-1938)

George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org

1908

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Brock, Charles E. (1870-1938), 'The minister asked him if he knew where he had left that knife.', George Eliot Illustrations Gallery, George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/83499