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......a.--...< .. v-Aunncah-A-.-ow?
flowerslf’ and Miss Mills smiled thoughtfully, as who
should say,‘ “ Ye May-flies enjoy your brief existence in
the bright morning of life I” -And we all walked from
the lawn towards the carriage, which was getting ready.
Ishall never have sucha ride again. Ihave never
had such another. There were only those three, their
hamper, my hamper, and the guitar-case, in the phae-
ton; and, of course, the phaeton was open; and I rode
-‘behind it, and Doi-a'sat with her back to the horses,
looking towards me. She kept the bouquet close to her
on the cushion, and wouldn’t allow Jip to sit on that
side of her at all, for fear he should crush it. She often
carried it in her hand, often refreshed herself with its
fragrance. ‘ Our eyes at those times often met ; and my
great astonishment is that I didn’t go over the head of
my gallant grey into the carriage.
There was dust, I believe. There was a good deal of
dust, I believe. I have a faint impression that Mr. Spen-
low remonstrated with me for riding in it ; but I knew
of.none.. I was sensible of a mist of love and beauty
about Dora, but of nothing else. He stood up sometimes,
and asked me what I thought of the prospect. I said it
Was delightful, and I daresay it was; but it was all
Dorarto me. The sun shone Dora, and the birds sang
Dora. . The south wind blew Dora, and the wild dowers
in the hedges were all Doras, to a bud. My comfort is,
Miss Mills understood me. Miss Mills alone could enter
into my feelings thoroughly. '
I don’t. know how long we were going, and to this hour
I know as little where We went. Perhaps it was near
Guildford. Perhaps some Arabian-night magician opened
up the place for the day, and shut it up for ever when
we came away. It was a green spot, on a hill, carpeted
with soft turf. There were shady trees, and heather,
and, as far as the e e could see, a rich landscapez
It was it trying t ing to find people here, waiting for
‘-15; and inyjealousy, even of the ladies, knew no bounds.
But all of my own sex-especially one inipostor, three or
.f0l1l‘ years my elder, with a red whisker, on which he
established an amount of presumption not to be endured
w-Were my mortal foes.
. We all unpacked our baskets, and employed ourselves
In getting dinner ready. . Red VVliiskei- p1'etend6d 110
could make a salad (which I doii’t believe). and 0b”‘1df’d
himself on public notice. Some of the Young 1‘"1“?5
washed. the lettuces for him, and sliced them under 1115
directions. Dora was among these. I felt that fate had
Pltted me against this man, and one of us must fall-
‘ Red Whisker made his salad (I wondered how the)’
fiould eat it. Notliinrr should have induced me to touch
"9 1) and voted himself into the charge of the wine-c.el10I':
Which be constructed beinrr an ingenious beast, in the
hollow trunk of a tread. By?-and-by I saw hint, ‘I'm the
m“J0I'ity of a lobster, on his plate, eating his dinner at
the feet of Dora 1 ‘
‘ I have but an indistinct idea of what happened for some
“me after this hateful object presented itself to 111): "‘e“"
Was very merry, I know ; but it was hollow merriinent.
I attached myself to a young creature in Pink: with hme
9393. and flirted with her desperately. She received my
attentions with favour but whether on my ”C.c0um'
Wkly, or because she hdd any designs on Red “’hisker,
.Ic‘“1’t S3-Y. Dora.’s health was drunk. “’lien I drunk
1‘: I ndected to interrupt my conversation for that pur-
W35‘; and to resume it immediately afterwards. ' I caught
"W5 W6 as Ibowed to her. “Dd I thought 1" looked
ahpcaling. But it looked at me over the head of Red
hlsker, and I was adamant. , , d
be 3'01"-lg creature in pink had a mother in glee?) an f
I rather think the latter separated us from lnomes 0
p0u'3)'- Ilowbcit there was a general breaking “P. of
the Party while the remnants of the dinner were being
Put away’: and I strolled off by myself ”'m‘m.g the trees’
'1‘ “ “gin” and remorseful state. I was debating ‘V1‘ethe.r
should apretcnd that I was not well, 9-ml “'1 doni
9"“ Where--upon my gallant gl'9Yi ‘When Dom .311
133 met m0. 1 d if
Mr. Copperfield,” said Miss Mills. “)'0“ ‘"9 “ '
,,b‘338‘0d her pardon. Not at all. d 1] n
I 01133 Dora,” said Miss Mills, “yo” 1"“ “ ' ,
ear no I ' ‘ he east. , -
“Mn C0PPerdled?ltil;i1idDola." Said M155 Imus’ wl'd.1 an
.DA V ID OOPPERFIIILD.
247
almost venerable air. “Enough of this. Do not allow
ti trivial misunderstanding to wither the blossoms of
spring, which, once put forth and blighted, can not be
renewed. I speak,” said Miss Mills, “from experience
of the past-the remote frrevocable past. The gushing
fountains which sparkle in the sun, must not be stopped
in mere caprice ; the oasis in the desert of Sahara, must
not be plucked up idly.”
I hardly knew what I did, I was burning all over to
that extraordinary extent; but I took Dora’s little hand
and kissed it-and she let me I I kissed Miss Mills’s hand ;
and we all seemed, to my thinking, to go straight up to
the seventh heaven.
‘Va did not come down again. lVe stayed up there
all the evening. At first we strayed to and fro among
the trees : I with Dora’s shy arm drawn through mine :
and Heaven knows, folly as it all was, it would have
been a happy fate to have been struck immortal with
those foolish feelings, and have strayed among the trees
for ever I ,
But, much too soon, we heard the otylici-s laughing
and talking, and calling “ wliere‘s Dora I 7 So we went
back, and they wanted Dora to sing. Red ll liiskcr would
have got the guitar-case out of. the carnage, but Dora.
told him nobody knew where it was, but I. So Red
IVliisker was done for in a moment: and I got it and I
unlocked it, and I took the guitar out, and sat by her,
and I held her liandkercliicf and gloves, and I drank in
every note of her dear voice, and she sang to me who
loved her, and all the othcrsimight applaud as much as
they liked, but they had iiotliing to do with itl
I was intoxicated with J0 . I was afraid it was too
happy to be real, and that I s ould wake in lluckingham
Street presently, and hear Mrs. (mupp clinking the tea
cups in getting breakfast ready. But Dora sun I ifml
others sang, and Miss Mills sang-about the slum ering
echoes in the caverns of Memory ; as if she were a hun-
dred years old-and the evening came on ; and we had
teal, with the kettle boiling gipsy-fasllloll ; Md 1 ‘"15 5”“
as in as ever.
I VV1:tgyl1applCl' than ever when the party broke up, and
the other people, defeated llcd ll liiskcr and all, n on:
1119;, several ways,.and.uvc went ours through the stil
evening and the dying l1gl1t,.wltl1 sweet scents’ rising ‘lillp
around us. Mr. Spenlow being a little drowsy uftcrit c
chuinpagnc-lionour to the soil that grew tlie'grapp1,.to
the grape that made the wine, to the sun that ripcnc f it,
and to the merchant who udultcrated it l-and being asg
asleep in a corner of the carriage, 1 1‘0d0 b)‘ ‘be W10 1?,“
mug;-d to Dom, She admired‘ my horse and patted im
-Oll, what a dear little hand it looked upon a horse] 1-
and her shawl would not keep right, and nm." and I 3“?
I drew it round her with iny arm: and I elf?” flmcled
that J11) began to see how it was, and to understand that
he must make up his mind to be friends with me. b
That sagacious Miss Il.llllS,‘l0O; that amiable, tlioug
quite used up, recluse; that little patriarch of something
less than twenty, who had done with the worlld, an
musuft on any account have the sluinberingfc Ofis. 1%
mg caverns of Memory awakened; what a kind t 11110
she did 1 , , ‘ , H].
“Mr. Copperfield,” said IIIISS. Mills, come to is
side of tlhe cag-riage ukmtoinent:-if you can spare a nio-
ment. wan to spea ' 0 you. . ,
Behold me on my gallant grey, bending atdthe pidep of
Miss Mills, with my hand upoii the cams e oorcommv
“ Dora is coming to stay with me. bl? 1:11 woula
home with mevtlie day after ID-IHOTTOIVI’). hm)‘ to see
like to call, I am sure papa would 0 IN
'on.” s -
3 lVhat could I do but invoke it fll03thl:?1S"s5:1"%ill::‘S3(E$?
Mills's 1iead,tm<1 store Miss 31‘llflac$uid' 1 do but tell
est corner 0f m)’ memory I “ ad fervent words how
Miss Mills, with grateful looks 1:51:05 and What anvincs.
mucli Iuppreciated her Oodf 9 ndslmu
limable "due I 5.“ “p0n- let lie dismissed me saying
The“ Miss Mms yam mm in. axlLlLD0X"I lelinell out
“Go back to Doral um I we d. v t "mi n H t
. me an no a :1 io rcs
of the mmugo to talk to ' llant rcy so close to the
of the way; and I rflidpipiy‘ fore.-Qicg against it, and
ffltlgflli l‘l1‘,:t1E“F1:;mg&," ‘as his owner told me, “to the
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