'FagmentWelcome to consult...—don’t we, Jip?’ jip made a comfotable noise, in answe, a little like a tea-kettle when it sings. As fo me, evey wod was a new heap of fettes, iveted above the last. ‘It is vey had, because we have not a kind Mama, that we ae to have, instead, a sulky, gloomy old thing like Miss Mudstone, always following us about—isn’t it, Jip? Neve mind, Jip. We won’t be confidential, and we’ll make ouselves as happy as we can in spite of he, and we’ll tease he, and not please he—won’t we, Jip?’ If it had lasted any longe, I think I must have gone down on my knees on the gavel, with the pobability befoe me of gazing Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield them, and of being pesently ejected fom the pemises besides. But, by good fotune the geenhouse was not fa off, and these wods bought us to it. It contained quite a show of beautiful geaniums. We loiteed along in font of them, and Doa often stopped to admie this one o that one, and I stopped to admie the same one, and Doa, laughing, held the dog up childishly, to smell the flowes; and if we wee not all thee in Faiyland, cetainly I was. The scent of a geanium leaf, at this day, stikes me with a half comical half seious wonde as to what change has come ove me in a moment; and then I see a staw hat and blue ibbons, and a quantity of culs, and a little black dog being held up, in two slende ams, against a bank of blossoms and bight leaves. Miss Mudstone had been looking fo us. She found us hee; and pesented he uncongenial cheek, the little winkles in it filled with hai powde, to Doa to be kissed. Then she took Doa’s am in hes, and mached us into beakfast as if it wee a soldie’s funeal. How many cups of tea I dank, because Doa made it, I don’t know. But, I pefectly emembe that I sat swilling tea until my whole nevous system, if I had had any in those days, must have gone by the boad. By and by we went to chuch. Miss Mudstone was between Doa and me in the pew; but I head he sing, and the congegation vanished. A semon was deliveed—about Doa, of couse—and I am afaid that is all I know of the sevice. We had a quiet day. No company, a walk, a family dinne of fou, and an evening of looking ove books and pictues; Miss Mudstone with a homily befoe he, and he eye upon us, keeping guad vigilantly. Ah! little did M. Spenlow imagine, when he sat Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield opposite to me afte dinne that day, with his pocket-handkechief ove his head, how fevently I was embacing him, in my fancy, as his son-in-law! Little did he think, when I took leave of him at night, that he had just given his full consent to my being engaged to Doa, and that I was invoking blessings on his head! We depated ealy in the moning, fo we had a Salvage case coming on in the Admialty Cout, equiing a athe accuate knowledge of the whole science of navigation, in which (as we couldn’t be expected to know much about those mattes in the Commons) the judge had enteated two old Tinity Mastes, fo chaity’s sake, to come and help him out. Doa was at the beakfast-table to make the tea again, howeve; and I had the melancholy pleasue of taking off my hat to he in the phaeton, as she stood on the doo-step with Jip in he ams. W
