David Copperfield

Chapter 77 A Bigger Loss (1)
Chapter 31 A Bigger Loss(1)
At Peggotty's entreaties, I easily resolved to remain till the body of the porter made his last trip to Brandstone.Long ago, with her own money, she set aside a small plot of land in our old cemetery, near the grave of "her poor girl" (as she always called my mother), for their future burial.

When I was with Peggotty, doing all I could (very little at best), I was very happy, and in retrospect I am also proud that I did.But I have taken charge of Mr. Barkis's will and explained its contents with a sense of supreme personal and professional honor.

It is my credit for proposing to look for the will in that box.Sure enough, the will was found from the bottom of a horse nose bag in the box.Also in the bag (besides the hay) was an old gold watch with chain and pendant (Mr. Barkiss had only worn it on his wedding day and was never seen again before or since), a faded silver Smoking set, a fake lemon full of small cups and saucers (I think Mr Bagis bought it for me as a gift when I was a kid, and then got distressed), one and half guineas 87 and a half, £210 Brand new bank notes, some Bank of England securities, an old horseshoe, a fake shilling, a piece of camphor, a clam shell.The shells were so polished that they glowed iridescent inside.I think from this that Mr. Barkis had some general ideas about pearls, but never formed a clear concept.

For many years Mr. Barkis carried this case with him on his daily journeys.In order to avoid being seen, he invented a lie that the box belonged to "Mr. Blebow" and "left it at Bagis for collection", and wrote this lie neatly on the lid of the box. Those words are now gone. blurred.

I have seen that his savings over the years have been very successful.His cash amounted to nearly three thousand pounds, of which he gave Mr Peggotty a pension with interest of one thousand, and, after his death, divided the principal between Peggotty, little Emily, and myself, or Shared by the post-dead among us.He placed all the rest of his estate at the disposal of Peggotty, appointing Peggotty to be his survivor and executor of his will to dispose of his estate.

When I read this document on every possible occasion and repeatedly explained and explained the terms to those related parties, I felt that I was a full-fledged attorney.I'm starting to feel that doctoral school is more meaningful than I thought it would be.I concentrated all my attention on the will, decided it was legal in every way, made a pencil mark on the side, and thought I knew a lot.

During the week before the burial I engaged in the delicate task of liquidating all Peggotty's inheritance, arranging all affairs in order, and acting as her representative and counsel in every question (which thrilled us together).I didn't see little Emily again during that time, but they said she was to be married in a fortnight.

I didn't officially attend the funeral, I didn't wear a black coat or a bird repellent.I walked to Blandstone early in the morning, and when Mr. Barkis's body arrived (accompanied only by Peggotty and her brother), I also came to the cemetery.The madman looked out of my little window, and Mr. Qillip's baby swung his heavy head from the nurse's shoulder, and rolled his bulging eyes at the priest.Mr. Omer gasped in the background, and no one else was present.The surrounding is very quiet.When it was all over, we spent an hour in the cemetery picking a few new leaves from the tree on my mother's grave.

Here I feel a kind of fear.A dark cloud hung over the distant town.I returned to the town alone, and I dared not go near it.Thinking of what happened that night, thinking of what I will have to repeat if I write down.I can't take it.

But me writing about it doesn't make it any worse.It wouldn't make it any better if I didn't remember it.Things have happened.Can't make it go away, can't make it change again.

My old nurse and I went to London the next day to do the will, and little Emily spent the day at Mr. Omer's.We were all to meet at the old boat house that night.Ham was to fetch Emily as usual.I'm going to walk back at my leisure.The two brothers and sisters are going back just as they came, to wait for us by the fire at dusk.

I said goodbye to the dreamy barbers and Roderick Langton by the side door where they had rested with their bags, and walked for a while on the road to Farostoft.Then I turned around and walked back towards Yarmouth.I stopped to dine at a neat hotel a mile or two from the ferry I have mentioned, and so the day wore on, arriving late in the evening.It was raining heavily at that time, and the weather was not good that night.But the moon was peeking out from behind the clouds, so it wasn't too dark.

Presently I saw Mr. Peggotty's house, and saw the light from the window.After a slow trudge on the beach, I came to the door and walked in.

It did look warm inside.Mr. Peggotty was already smoking, and some supper was slowly being prepared.The stove was very busy, and had been ashesed, and the chest stood in its old place for little Em'ly's sake.It looked (if not for the different clothes) as if she had never left.He had the handmade box with the top of St. Paul's on the lid, the measuring stick from the cottage, and the candle-end, and they were all there as if they had never been disturbed.Mrs. Gummidge sat in her usual place, looking a little troubled, but she also looked quite natural.

"You are the first, Master Weiss!" said Mr. Peggotty, with a cheerful air. "If the coat gets wet, Master Weiss, don't wear it."

"Thank you, Mr. Peggotty," I said, as I hung up my coat. "It's all right."

"Really!" said Mr. Peggotty, stroking my shoulder, "very well done! Sit down, sir, it is unnecessary to welcome you, but we do welcome you with all sincerity."

"Thank you, Mr. Peggotty, I understand you very well. Say, Peggotty!" I said, kissing her, "how are you, old mother?"

"Ha, ha!" said Mr. Peggotty, sitting beside us, laughing and rubbing his hands, partly from the relief of his recent troubles, and partly from the frankness of his nature, "there is no woman in the world, sir—I said to her But—much more at ease than she! She did her duty to the dead, and he knew it; the dead did to her, and she did to the dead;—and— —and—and it's good!"

"Cheer up, my dear old mamma!" said Mr. Peggotty, (but he shook his head secretly at us, evidently feeling that the old man's memory was easily brought up in her by recent encounters.) "Don't be sad! Take heart, for You yourself, just a little bit of interest, will naturally give birth to more interest!"

"I can't do it, Dale," Mrs. Gummidge took it. "I ain't got no money left. Everything's against me. I'd be better off without me."

"Why, what shall I do without you?" said Mr. Peggotty, with an air of earnestness. "What are you talking about? I need you now more than ever?"

"I know I was never wanted!" said Mrs. Gummidge, with a pathetic whimper, "and now it's said! How can I hope to be wanted when I'm so alone and against people?" !"

Mr. Peggotty was evidently astonished that what he said should be mercilessly misinterpreted.But Peggotty tugged at his sleeve, and shook his head again, to keep him from answering.He looked at Mrs. Gummidge for some time with a heartbroken heart, glanced at the Dutch clock, rose, lit a candle, and put it in the window.

(End of this chapter)