Agnes came, and was there when Dora died. But for her comfort all the
world would have been blank for poor David as he sat alone, longing for
the child-wife who could never be his again!
IV
DAVID FINDS ALL WELL AT LAST
More than once during this life of David's with his child-wife he had
seen Mr. Peggotty. The brave old man had searched Europe for little
Em'ly in vain; then he had come back to London, feeling somehow that
some day she would stray there. He used to walk the streets by night,
looking at every face he passed. In the room where he lived he kept a
candle always lighted and one of her dresses hanging on a chair for her.
After Dora's death David joined in the search, and at length they did
find poor little Em'ly. Steerforth had treated her cruelly and finally
deserted her, and she had crept back to London heartbroken and
repentant, hoping for nothing but to die within sight of those who had
loved her so.
But nothing had dimmed Mr. Peggotty's love. Wretched as she was, he
caught her in his arms, held her to his breast as he had done so often
when she was a child, and told her she was still his own little Em'ly,
just as she had always been.
She was ill, but he nursed her back to health. Then he went to Yarmouth
to fetch Mrs. Gummidge, and they and the little Em'ly that had been
found took passage for Australia, where they might forget the dark past
and find happiness in a new life.
But before they sailed fate had brought to naught the villainous plot
that had been woven by Uriah Heep about Agnes and her father. And the
one whom they had most to thank for this was Mr. Micawber.
Heep had met Mr. Micawber once, when the latter, as usual, was in money
difficulties, and, thinking to make a tool of him, had hired him for his
clerk. Little by little Heep had then got the other into his debt, till
Mr. Micawber saw no prospect before him but the debtors' prison.
Threatening him with this, Heep tried to compel him to do various bits
of dirty and dishonest work, at which the other's soul revolted until at
length he made up his mind to expose his employer. So, pretending
obedience, Mr. Micawber wormed himself into all of the sneaking Heep's
affairs, found out the evidence of his guilt, and finally taking all the
books and papers from the office safe, sent for David and his friend
Tommy Traddles and told them all he had discovered. They found it was by
forgery that Heep had got Agnes's father into his power in the first
place, and that among others whom he had robbed was David's aunt, Miss
Betsy Trotwood, whose fortune he had stolen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account