As the evening progresses it soon becomes obvious that Silas has become attached to his newly found treasure. When the women of the household ask to hold her, Silas protests, saying, "I can’t part with it, I can’t let it go." On the other hand Godfrey now knows that Molly is gone for good, he will be free to marry Nancy.
On chapter fourteen, Silas’s new life with the child, whom he decides to name Eppie. She has replaced the stolen money "The money’s gone I don’t know where, and this is come from I don’t know where."
It seems that Nancy is not totally happy with her life as wife of Godfrey. Although she loves him very much and is happy when he is happy, she desperately desires children. Godfrey also feels that he’s missing something in his middle age. Apparently the couple had tried to have children but failed, and Godfrey has thought about adoption, Nancy is opposed to the idea of bringing up a child not one’s own. The child Godfrey suggested that they adopt was Eppie. Yet Nancy rejected this idea, not knowing that Godfrey was her real father. It does not last very long until chapter eighteen when Godfrey reveals he’s secret to Nancy once and for all. ‘Nancy,’ said Godfrey, slowly, when I married you, I hid something from you— something I ought to have told you. That woman Marner found dead in the snow— Eppie’s mother— that wretched woman— was my wife: Eppie is my child." The truth doesn’t seem to hurt Nancy because she regrets the fact that Godfrey kept this from her so long. Otherwise, she admits, she would have been more than willing to adopt Eppie as their own. The only hope is to convince Silas so that he can give Eppie back but he’s got an answer to that "God gave her to me because you turned your back upon her, and He looks upon her as mine: you’ve no right to her! When a man turns a blessing from his door, it falls to them as take it in." Following this, Eppie is asked whom she would rather stay with, and of course she chooses Silas, the only father she’s ever known.
After Molly’s death we see that Eppie is the major character in the story. She has brought happiness on the other side and sadness on the other side to. Godfrey blames himself for the situation, saying, "It’s part of my punishment, Nancy, for my daughter to dislike me. I should never have got into that trouble if I’d been true to you— if I hadn’t been a fool. I’d no right to expect anything but evil could come of that marriage— and when I shirked doing a father’s part too." In general Molly’s death brought happiness to Silas, Godfrey and Nancy. Silas believes that Eppie is a gift from God and that’s why he always lives he’s door wide opened. Godfrey tried to show that he is a caring father by trying to adopt Eppie while Nancy was not desperate on having children but when Godfrey revealed his secret she was willingly to adopt her. Nancy’s greatest love was when she bought Eppie a wedding ring.
The story is quite ironic because one member of the Cass family took Silas’s gold while the other gave Silas his daughter. It seems that now the Cass family will live in financial luxury while Silas experiences true fulfillment by raising a daughter.
