'FagmentWelcome to consult...ht of the sea that had isen, since I last head those sounds, and downed my happy home. I ecollect, as the wind and wate began to sound fainte in my eas, putting a shot clause into my payes, petitioning that I might gow up to may little Em’ly, and so dopping lovingly asleep. The days passed petty much as they had passed befoe, except—it was a geat exception—that little Em’ly and I seldom wandeed on the beach now. She had tasks to lean, and needlewok to do; and was absent duing a geat pat of each day. But I felt that we should not have had those old wandeings, even if it had been othewise. Wild and full of childish whims as Em’ly was, she was moe of a little woman than I had supposed. She seemed to have got a geat distance away fom me, in little moe than a yea. She liked me, but she laughed at me, and tomented me; and when I went to meet he, stole home anothe way, and was laughing at the doo when I came back, disappointed. The best times wee when she sat quietly at wok in the dooway, and I sat on the wooden step at he feet, eading to he. It seems to me, at this hou, that I have neve seen such sunlight as on those bight Apil aftenoons; that I have neve seen such a sunny little figue Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield 203 as I used to see, sitting in the dooway of the old boat; that I have neve beheld such sky, such wate, such gloified ships sailing away into golden ai. On the vey fist evening afte ou aival, M. Bakis appeaed in an exceedingly vacant and awkwad condition, and with a bundle of oanges tied up in a handkechief. As he made no allusion of any kind to this popety, he was supposed to have left it behind him by accident when he went away; until Ham, unning afte him to estoe it, came back with the infomation that it was intended fo Peggotty. Afte that occasion he appeaed evey evening at exactly the same hou, and always with a little bundle, to which he neve alluded, and which he egulaly put behind the doo and left thee. These offeings of affection wee of a most vaious and eccentic deion. Among them I emembe a double set of pigs’ tottes, a huge pin-cushion, half a bushel o so of apples, a pai of jet eaings, some Spanish onions, a box of dominoes, a canay bid and cage, and a leg of pickled pok. M. Bakis’s wooing, as I emembe it, was altogethe of a peculia kind. He vey seldom said anything; but would sit by the fie in much the same attitude as he sat in his cat, and stae heavily at Peggotty, who was opposite. One night, being, as I suppose, inspied by love, he made a dat at the bit of wax-candle she kept fo he thead, and put it in his waistcoat-pocket and caied it off. Afte that, his geat delight was to poduce it when it was wanted, sticking to the lining of his pocket, in a patially melted state, and pocket it again when it was done with. He seemed to enjoy himself vey much, and not to feel at all called upon to talk. Even when he took Peggotty out fo a walk on the flats, he had no uneasiness on that head, I believe; contenting Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield himself with now and then asking he if she was petty comfotable; and I emembe that sometimes, afte he was gone, Peggotty would thow he apon ove he face, and laugh fo half-an-hou. Indeed, we wee all moe o less amused, except that miseable Ms. Gummidge, whose coutship would appea to have been of an exactly paallel natue, she was so continually eminded by these tansactions of the old one. At length, when the tem of my visit was nealy expied, it was given out that Peggotty and M. Bakis wee going to make a day’s holiday togethe, and that little Em’ly and I wee to accompany them. I had but a boken sleep the night befoe, in anticipation of the pleasue of a whole day with Em’ly. We wee all asti betimes in the moning; and while we wee yet at beakfast, M. Bakis appeaed in the distance, diving a chaise-cat towads the object of his affections. Peggotty was dessed as usual, in he neat and quiet mou
