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DAVID 00PPERFIEfD.
that I've lmow’d so intimate so many years, and like so
much! Oh, Uncle! I never can have him. He's such
a good fellow 1’ Igives her a kiss, and I says no more
to her than ‘My dear, you're right to speak out, you’re
to choose for yourself, you’re as free as a little bird!’
Then I aways to him, and I says, ‘I wish it could have
been so, but it can’t. But you can both be as you was,
and wot I say to you is, Be as you was with her, like a
man.’ He says to me, a shaking of my hand, ‘I will l’
he says. And he was-honourable and nianful-for two
your going on, and we was just the same at home here
as afore.”
. Mr. Peggotty’s face, which had varied in its expres-
sion with the various stages of his narrative, now re-
sumed all its former triumphant delight, as he laid a
hand upon my knee and a hand upon Steerforth’s (pre-
viously wetting them both, for the greater emphasis of
the action), and divided the following speech between us:
“All of a sudden, one evening-as it might be to-
night-coines little Eni’ly from her work, and him with
her! There ain't so much in that, you'll say. No, be-
cause he takes care on her like a brother, arter dark, and
indeed afore dark, and at all times. But this tarpaulin
chap, he takes hold of her hand, and he cries out to me
joyful, ‘ Look here I This is to be my little wife 1’ And
she says, half bold and half shy, and half a laughing
and half a crying, ‘Yes, uncle! If you please.’ If I
please l" cried Mr. Peggotty, rolling his head in an ec-
stasy at the idea: “Lord, as if I should do anytliink
else !-‘ If you please, I am steadier now, and I have
thought better of it. and I’ll be as good a little wife as I
can to him, for he’s a dear, good fellow 1’ Then Missis
Gummidge, she claps her hands like a play, and you
come in. There l the murder’s out i” said Mr. Peggotty
-“ You come in I It took place this here present hour;
and here's the man that’ll marry her, the minute she’s
out of her time.”
Ham staggered, as well he might, under the blow Mr.
Peggotty dealt him in his unbounded joy, as a. mark of
confidence and friendship; but feeling called upon to
say something to us, he-said, with much faltering and
great difficulty :
“She waru’t no higher than you was, Mas’r Davy-
whcu you first come-when I thought what sl1e’d grow
up to be. I see her grow up-gent‘lmen-like a flower.
I‘d lay down my life for her-Mas’r Davy--Oh ! most
content and cheerful 1 She’s more to me--gent’lmen--
. than-sl1o’s all to me that ever I can want, and more
than ever I-than ever I could say. I-I love her true.
There ain’t a gent’lman in all the land-nor yet sailing
upon all the sea-that can love his lady more than I love
her, though tl1cre’s many a common man-would say bet-
ter-what he meant.”
I thought it affecting to see such a sturdy follow as
Ham was now, trembling in the strength of what he felt
for the pretty little creature who had won his heart.
thought the simple confidence reposed in us by Mr. Peg-
gotty and by himself, was, in itself, aflecting. I was
affected by the story altogether. How far- in emotions
were influenced by the recollections of my c ildhood, I
don't know. VVl1etlier I had come there with any linger-
ing fancy that I was still to love little Em'ly, I don’t
know. Iknow that I was filled with pleasure, by all
this ; but at first, with an indescribably sensitive pleas-
ure, that a very little would have changed to pain.
Therefore, if it had depended upon me to touch the
prevailing chord among them with any skill, I should
iave made a poor hand of it. But it depended upon
Stecrforth; and he did it with such address. that in a
few minutes we were all as easy and as happy as it was
possible to be.
“ Mr. Peggotty," he said, "you are a thoroughly good
fellow, and deserve to be as happy as you are to-night.
My hand upon it! Ham, I give you 'oy, my boy. My
hand upon that, too 1 Daisy, stir the re, and make it a
brisk one : and Mr. Pcggott , unless you can induce
your gentle niece to comebacl; (for whom I vacate this
seat in the corner), I shall go. Any gap at your fireside
on such a night--such a gap least of 1111-1 wou1da’t
make, for the wealth of the Indies I"
So Mr. Peggotty went into my old room to fetch lit-
tle Em’ly. At first little En1’ly didn’t like to come, and
I-1
1
$01
then Ilam went: Presently they brought her to the fire-
side, very much confused, and very shy,-but she soon
became more assured when she found how gently and
respectfully Steerforth spoke to her; how skilfully l)6;
avoiiled anything that would embarrass her; how he,
talked to Mr. Peggotty of boats, and ships, and tides,
a11d fish ; how he referred to me about the time when he
had seen Mr. Peggotty at Salem House ; how delighted
he was with the boat and all belonging to it ; how lightly
and easily he carried on, until he brought us, by degrees,
into a charmed circle, and we were all talking away
without any reserve.
Em’ly indeed, said little all the evening; but she looked, ‘
a]nd listened, and her face got animated, and she was
c iarmmrr.
(which abroso out of his talk with Mr. Peggotty), as if he
saw it all before him-and little Eui’ly’s eyes were fas-
tened on him all the time, as if she saw it too. He told
:;:;r.i.1:“:.:‘?2:““.9$ ii.“ “ 20 ‘tr
1 1 y a 1 e nrirra we were as res i o
lliimtas it was go iis-and liptle E:in’ly laughed until ltlhe
oa ranrr wit t 1e musica soun s, an we all laug ed
(Steerforili too), in irresistible sympathy with what was
so pleasant and light-hearted. He got Mr. Peggotty to
sing, or rather to roar, “ When the stormy winds do
blow, do blow, do blow ; ” and he sang a sailor’s song
lumsellf, so giathetdiczgly and belautifglly, that I could
nave a most ancie t at t 10 rea win creeping sorrow-
fully round the house, and mumiuirng low through our
unbrol'en silence, was there to listen.
As to Mrs. Gummidge, he roused that victim of de-
spondency with a success never attained by any one else
(so Mr. Pelggotty 1i1nform1ed line), since the decease of the
old one. Io left or so itt o leisure for being miserable
that she said next day she thought she must have been
bewitched. . ,
But he set up no monopoly of the general attention,
or the conversation. VVlien little Em’ly grew more coura-
geous, and talked (but still baslifully) across the fire to
1r11e,1 lof mar oljcilxvandergngs up<IJna$l::1l.;Jeaclii,fto1 pick ulp
sie san pe es'an wien -: er sic reco-
lccted how I used to be devoted to her; and when we
both laughed and reddened, casting these looks back on
the pleasant old times, so unreal to look at now ; he was
silent and attentive, and observed us thoughtfully. She
sat, at this time, and all the evening, on the old locker
in her own little corner by tho fire-Ilam beside licr,
where I used to sit. I could not satisfy myself whet ier
it was in her own little tormenting way, or in a maidenly
reserve before us, that she kept quite close to the wall,
and away from him ; but I observed that she did so, all
the evening.
As I remember, it was almost midnight when we took
our leave. ‘V0 had had some biscuit and dried fish for
supper, and Steerforth had produced from his pocket a.
full flask of Hollands. which we men (I may say we men,
now, without a. blush) had emptied. W e parted merrily ;
and as they all stood crowded roundl the drier to liglitlus
as far as they could upon our road, saw t ie sweet ue
eyes of little Ern’ly peeping after us, from behind Ham,
and heard her soft voice calling to us to be careful how
we went.
"A most engaging little Beauty!” said Steerforth,
taking my arm. “ VVell(l1 It’s a ‘quaint place, anzl they
are quaint, company‘ an it’s quite a new sense ion 0
mix with them.” ’ ‘
“ How fortunate we are, too,” Ireturued, ‘ to have
arrived to witness their happiness in that intended mar-
riage I I never saw people so happy. How dchglifful to
see it, and to be made the sharers 111 their honest. goy, as
we have been I ” ,
“ That’s rather a cliuriklc-headed fellow for the girl,
isn’t he ‘.”' said Steorfort 1. i .
He had been so hearty with him, and with them all,
that I felt a shock in this unexpected and cold reply.
But turning quickly upon him, and seeing a laugh in l:llS
, 1 r 1, l relieved :
Cy?-SA1,,“Ef;L:if,‘n1:1i‘Ted’; well. for you to joke about the
poor! You may skirmish with Miss Dartle, or try to
hide your sympathies in jest from me, but I know better.
VVlien I see how perfectly you understand them, how
exquisitely you can enter into happiness like this plain
Stecrforth told a story of a dismal shipwreck '
9“-"'”’