登陆注册
4707300000300

第300章

When the time Mr. Micawber had appointed so mysteriously, was within four-and-twenty hours of being come, my aunt and I consulted how we should proceed; for my aunt was very unwilling to leave Dora. Ah! how easily I carried Dora up and down stairs, now!

We were disposed, notwithstanding Mr. Micawber's stipulation for my aunt's attendance, to arrange that she should stay at home, and be represented by Mr. Dick and me. In short, we had resolved to take this course, when Dora again unsettled us by declaring that she never would forgive herself, and never would forgive her bad boy, if my aunt remained behind, on any pretence.

'I won't speak to you,' said Dora, shaking her curls at my aunt.

'I'll be disagreeable! I'll make Jip bark at you all day. I shall be sure that you really are a cross old thing, if you don't go!'

'Tut, Blossom!' laughed my aunt. 'You know you can't do without me!'

'Yes, I can,' said Dora. 'You are no use to me at all. You never run up and down stairs for me, all day long. You never sit and tell me stories about Doady, when his shoes were worn out, and he was covered with dust - oh, what a poor little mite of a fellow!

You never do anything at all to please me, do you, dear?' Dora made haste to kiss my aunt, and say, 'Yes, you do! I'm only joking!'-lest my aunt should think she really meant it.

'But, aunt,' said Dora, coaxingly, 'now listen. You must go. Ishall tease you, 'till you let me have my own way about it. Ishall lead my naughty boy such a life, if he don't make you go. Ishall make myself so disagreeable - and so will Jip! You'll wish you had gone, like a good thing, for ever and ever so long, if you don't go. Besides,' said Dora, putting back her hair, and looking wonderingly at my aunt and me, 'why shouldn't you both go? I am not very ill indeed. Am I?'

'Why, what a question!' cried my aunt.

'What a fancy!' said I.

'Yes! I know I am a silly little thing!' said Dora, slowly looking from one of us to the other, and then putting up her pretty lips to kiss us as she lay upon her couch. 'Well, then, you must both go, or I shall not believe you; and then I shall cry!'

I saw, in my aunt's face, that she began to give way now, and Dora brightened again, as she saw it too.

'You'll come back with so much to tell me, that it'll take at least a week to make me understand!' said Dora. 'Because I know I shan't understand, for a length of time, if there's any business in it.

And there's sure to be some business in it! If there's anything to add up, besides, I don't know when I shall make it out; and my bad boy will look so miserable all the time. There! Now you'll go, won't you? You'll only be gone one night, and Jip will take care of me while you are gone. Doady will carry me upstairs before you go, and I won't come down again till you come back; and you shall take Agnes a dreadfully scolding letter from me, because she has never been to see us!'

We agreed, without any more consultation, that we would both go, and that Dora was a little Impostor, who feigned to be rather unwell, because she liked to be petted. She was greatly pleased, and very merry; and we four, that is to say, my aunt, Mr. Dick, Traddles, and I, went down to Canterbury by the Dover mail that night.

At the hotel where Mr. Micawber had requested us to await him, which we got into, with some trouble, in the middle of the night, I found a letter, importing that he would appear in the morning punctually at half past nine. After which, we went shivering, at that uncomfortable hour, to our respective beds, through various close passages; which smelt as if they had been steeped, for ages, in a solution of soup and stables.

Early in the morning, I sauntered through the dear old tranquil streets, and again mingled with the shadows of the venerable gateways and churches. The rooks were sailing about the cathedral towers; and the towers themselves, overlooking many a long unaltered mile of the rich country and its pleasant streams, were cutting the bright morning air, as if there were no such thing as change on earth. Yet the bells, when they sounded, told me sorrowfully of change in everything; told me of their own age, and my pretty Dora's youth; and of the many, never old, who had lived and loved and died, while the reverberations of the bells had hummed through the rusty armour of the Black Prince hanging up within, and, motes upon the deep of Time, had lost themselves in air, as circles do in water.

I looked at the old house from the corner of the street, but did not go nearer to it, lest, being observed, I might unwittingly do any harm to the design I had come to aid. The early sun was striking edgewise on its gables and lattice-windows, touching them with gold; and some beams of its old peace seemed to touch my heart.

I strolled into the country for an hour or so, and then returned by the main street, which in the interval had shaken off its last night's sleep. Among those who were stirring in the shops, I saw my ancient enemy the butcher, now advanced to top-boots and a baby, and in business for himself. He was nursing the baby, and appeared to be a benignant member of society.

We all became very anxious and impatient, when we sat down to breakfast. As it approached nearer and nearer to half past nine o'clock, our restless expectation of Mr. Micawber increased. At last we made no more pretence of attending to the meal, which, except with Mr. Dick, had been a mere form from the first; but my aunt walked up and down the room, Traddles sat upon the sofa affecting to read the paper with his eyes on the ceiling; and Ilooked out of the window to give early notice of Mr. Micawber's coming. Nor had I long to watch, for, at the first chime of the half hour, he appeared in the street.

'Here he is,' said I, 'and not in his legal attire!'

同类推荐
  • Bound to Rise

    Bound to Rise

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 正论

    正论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 镜湖自撰年谱

    镜湖自撰年谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Age of Invention

    The Age of Invention

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 阿毗达磨界身足论

    阿毗达磨界身足论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 黄庭内景玉经注

    黄庭内景玉经注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 医门补要

    医门补要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 都市婚恋启示录

    都市婚恋启示录

    通过不同年龄、职业、价值取向的六位女子在北京恋爱婚姻生活的讲述来分析、探讨如何结识、选定自己的另一半;如何让他对你死心塌地;如何识破渣男和陷阱;如何在新婚伊始就确定良好的相处模式;如何和婆婆过招?以期给大家提供一点儿借鉴。
  • 天医神凰

    天医神凰

    她是隐世医门之主,一手医术,活死人肉白骨;更是横行末世,人人谈之色变的女魔头,暴戾嚣张,睚眦必报。结果一朝重生,成了人人唾弃的丑陋废物!废物?哼,被废物打脸,让你知道花儿为什么这样红!丑陋?哼,当墨纹尽退,让你知道什么叫绝色无双!从此,逆天而起,夺气运,抢灵宝,嚣张异世。结果一不小心,撩错了人,就此被某个冰山妖孽堵门。
  • 我的倚天记

    我的倚天记

    【特别注明:这本书是为了致敬,所以不会选择签约上架,不管是扑街还是大火。】本人第一次写,没什么经验。各看官看个乐呵就行,不喜可不看,勿喷。有什么可以在书评区说,作者可以酌情加减剧情。本书大体上是主人公穿金老的倚天里,(但基于各个版本的电视剧融合。)一步一步成为明朝的开国皇帝和武林盟主。还穿插了和女主(周芷若)的感情线。大体就这样了,,,(具体可以看一看。)大家可以放过第一卷,它主要是为了后面,从第二卷开始正文。(注:每个人都有自己心中的经典,一千个观众读者里有一千个倚天屠龙记,在这里我也不弄巧成拙了,大家仁者见仁,智者见智吧!)
  • 炉石之末日降临

    炉石之末日降临

    你印象中的末日是什么样?独自面对无穷无尽的丧尸?人类缩在角落窝里斗?方便面换美女?不,这不是我的末日!项宁轩带领一群志同道合的战友战天斗地,勇往直前。骑巨龙、战天灾,在一场场史诗般的战斗中,从一个游戏宅慢慢蜕变为顶天立地的英雄,在末日中为人类开出一片天地。本书不小白不脑残不圣母,智商上线,有堂堂正正的阳谋碾压,也有诡计多端的阴谋暗算。给你一个不一样的末日故事。
  • 西汉会要

    西汉会要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 第一神婆

    第一神婆

    什么是易师?易师就是——算卦的!她本是中国古代哲学研究生,精通周易八卦,奇门遁甲。布阵时意外穿越到贫贱之家,家徒四壁,食不果腹;无良的爹爹为了钱财竟然要将12岁的她“嫁”给得了痨病的老汉冲喜!饿着肚子逃婚,改头换面,更名换姓……她靠着精准的易数,卖卦求生,终于在异世生存下来。本想安稳度日,却因一枚前世带来的铜钱,卷入朝堂纷争、江湖厮杀!人不犯我我不犯人,既然你们不让本姑娘过安稳的小日子,本姑娘就搅和你个天翻地覆、家破人亡!谁叫你得罪了易师呢?所以说,宁可得罪小人,不要得罪女人,尤其是会易理术数的——女易师!
  • 笙歌落琉华

    笙歌落琉华

    顾笙歌原是要许给丞相公子李言清的,只是被混不吝的七皇子华王爷叶琉华看上,非要抢过来当他的华王妃。顾笙歌重活一世,暗中积攒力量报仇雪恨后也只是盼自己这一世能做个吃喝无忧的米虫。嫁给暗流涌动的皇家确实非她所愿。奈何皇权大过天,那就嫁呗,好歹华王府的菜肴点心是出了名的精致美味不是?若是不如意,休夫逃跑的本事也还是有的。叶琉华这十八年来面上过的是要风得风要雨得雨,整个叶秦国上下还有谁比他更潇洒恣意?怎么如今要娶个媳妇儿这么难?怎么媳妇儿娶回家了要相亲相爱也这么难?自己的小王妃爱美食?那就把全天下的美食都送入王府总能留下她了吧。
  • 地球守卫团

    地球守卫团

    公元2060年,一个沉浸式游戏面世----地球守卫团。当玩家们疯狂涌入之时,一个惊天的秘密也在游戏当中慢慢浮出水面……