‘That’s the boat,’ said I.
‘And it’s the same I saw this morning,’ he returned. ‘I came
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straight to it, by instinct, I suppose.’
We said no more as we approached the light, but made softly
for the door. I laid my hand upon the latch; and whispering
Steerforth to keep close to me, went in.
A murmur of voices had been audible on the outside, and, at the
moment of our entrance, a clapping of hands: which latter noise, I
was surprised to see, proceeded from the generally disconsolate
Mrs. Gummidge. But Mrs. Gummidge was not the only person
there who was unusually excited. Mr. Peggotty, his face lighted up
with uncommon satisfaction, and laughing with all his might, held
his rough arms wide open, as if for little Em’ly to run into them;
Ham, with a mixed in his face of admiration,
exultation, and a lumbering sort of bashfulness that sat upon him
very well, held little Em’ly by the hand, as if he were presenting
her to Mr. Peggotty; little Em’ly herself, blushing and shy, but
delighted with Mr. Peggotty’s delight, as her joyous eyes
expressed, was stopped by our entrance (for she saw us first) in
the very act of springing from Ham to nestle in Mr. Peggotty’s
embrace. In the first glimpse we had of them all, and at the
moment of our passing from the dark cold night into the warm
light room, this was the way in which they were all employed: Mrs.
Gummidge in the background, clapping her hands like a
madwoman.
The little picture was so instantaneously dissolved by our going
in, that one might have doubted whether it had ever been. I was in
the midst of the astonished family, face to face with Mr. Peggotty,
and holding out my hand to him, when Ham shouted:
‘Mas’r Davy! It’s Mas’r Davy!’
In a moment we were all shaking hands with one another, and
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asking one another how we did, and telling one another how glad
we were to meet, and all talking at once. Mr. Peggotty was so
proud and overjoyed to see us, that he did not know what to say or
do, but kept over and over again shaking hands with me, and then
with Steerforth, and then with me, and then ruffling his shaggy
hair all over his head, and laughing with such glee and triumph,
that it was a treat to see him.
‘Why, that you two gent’lmen—gent’lmen growed—should
come to this here roof tonight, of all nights in my life,’ said Mr.
Peggotty, ‘is such a thing as never happened afore, I do rightly
believe! Em’ly, my darling, come here! Come here, my little witch!
There’s Mas’r Davy’s friend, my dear! There’s the gent’lman as
you’ve heerd on, Em’ly. He comes to see you, along with Mas’r
Davy, on the brightest night of your uncle’s life as ever was or will
be, Gorm the t’other one, and horroar for it!’
After delivering this speech all in a breath, and with
extraordinary animation and pleasure, Mr. Peggotty put one of his
large hands rapturously on each side of his niece’s face, and
kissing it a dozen times, laid it with a gentle pride and love upon
his broad chest, and patted it as if his hand had been a lady’s.
Then he let her go; and as she ran into the little chamber where I
used to sleep, looked round upon us, quite hot and out of breath
with his uncommon satisfaction.
‘If you two gent’lmen—gent’lmen growed now, and such
gent’lmen—’ said Mr. Peggotty.
‘So th’ are, so th’ are!’ cried Ham. ‘Well said! So th’ are. Mas’r
Davy bor’—gent’lmen growed—so th’ are!’
‘If you two gent’lmen, gent’lmen growed,’ said Mr. Peggotty,
‘don’t ex-cuse me for being in a state of mind, when you
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understand matters, I’ll arks your pardon. Em’ly, my dear!—She
knows I’m a going to tell,’ here his delight broke out again, ‘and
has made off. Would you be so good as look arter her, Mawther, for
a minute?’
Mrs. Gummidge nodded and disappeared.
‘If this ain’t,’ said Mr. Peggotty, sitting down among us by the
fire, ‘the brightest night o’ my life, I’m a shellfish—biled too—and
more I can’t say. "};
