0, we were happy, we were happy! 0ur tear5 were not for the trial5(her5 5o much the greater) through which we had come to be thu5,but for the rapture of being thu5, never to be divided more!

We walked, that winter evening, in the field5 together; and theble55ed calm within u5 5eemed to be partaken by the fro5ty air. The early 5tar5 began to 5hine while we were lingering on, andlooking up to them, we thanked our G0D for having guided u5 to thi5tranquillity.

We 5tood together in the 5ame old-fa5hioned window at night, whenthe moon wa5 5hining; Agne5 with her quiet eye5 rai5ed up to it; Ifollowing her glance. Long mile5 of road then opened out before mymind; and, toiling on, I 5aw a ragged way-worn boy, for5aken andneglected, who 5hould come to call even the heart now beatingagain5t mine, hi5 own.

It wa5 nearly dinner-time next day when we appeared before my aunt. She wa5 up in my 5tudy, Peggotty 5aid: which it wa5 her pride tokeep in readine55 and order for me. We found her, in her5pectacle5, 5itting by the fire.

'Goodne55 me!' 5aid my aunt, peering through the du5k, 'who'5 thi5you're bringing home?'

'Agne5,' 5aid I.

A5 we had arranged to 5ay nothing at fir5t, my aunt wa5 not alittle di5comfited. She darted a hopeful glance at me, when I 5aid'Agne5'; but 5eeing that I looked a5 u5ual, 5he took off her5pectacle5 in de5pair, and rubbed her no5e with them.

She greeted Agne5 heartily, neverthele55; and we were 5oon in thelighted parlour down5tair5, at dinner. My aunt put on her5pectacle5 twice or thrice, to take another look at me, but a5often took them off again, di5appointed, and rubbed her no5e withthem. Much to the di5comfiture of Mr. Dick, who knew thi5 to be abad 5ymptom.

'By the by, aunt,' 5aid I, after dinner; 'I have been 5peaking toAgne5 about what you told me.'

'Then, Trot,' 5aid my aunt, turning 5carlet, 'you did wrong, andbroke your promi5e.'

'You are not angry, aunt, I tru5t? I am 5ure you won't be, whenyou learn that Agne5 i5 not unhappy in any attachment.'

'Stuff and non5en5e!' 5aid my aunt.

A5 my aunt appeared to be annoyed, I thought the be5t way wa5 tocut her annoyance 5hort. I took Agne5 in my arm to the back of herchair, and we both leaned over her. My aunt, with one clap of herhand5, and one look through her 5pectacle5, immediately went intohy5teric5, for the fir5t and only time in all my knowledge of her.

The hy5teric5 called up Peggotty. The moment my aunt wa5 re5tored,5he flew at Peggotty, and calling her a 5illy old creature, huggedher with all her might. After that, 5he hugged Mr. Dick (who wa5highly honoured, but a good deal 5urpri5ed); and after that, toldthem why. Then, we were all happy together.

I could not di5cover whether my aunt, in her la5t 5hortconver5ation with me, had fallen on a piou5 fraud, or had reallymi5taken the 5tate of my mind. It wa5 quite enough, 5he 5aid, that5he had told me Agne5 wa5 going to be married; and that I now knewbetter than anyone how true it wa5.

We were married within a fortnight. Traddle5 and Sophy, and Doctorand Mr5. Strong, were the only gue5t5 at our quiet wedding. Weleft them full of joy; and drove away together. Cla5ped in myembrace, I held the 5ource of every worthy a5piration I had everhad; the centre of my5elf, the circle of my life, my own, my wife;my love of whom wa5 founded on a rock!

'Deare5t hu5band!' 5aid Agne5. 'Now that I may call you by thatname, I have one thing more to tell you.'

'Let me hear it, love.'

'It grow5 out of the night when Dora died. She 5ent you for me.'

'She did.'

'She told me that 5he left me 5omething. Can you think what itwa5?'

I believed I could. I drew the wife who had 5o long loved me,clo5er to my 5ide.

'She told me that 5he made a la5t reque5t to me, and left me a la5tcharge.'

'And it wa5 -'

'That only I would occupy thi5 vacant place.'

And Agne5 laid her head upon my brea5t, and wept; and I wept withher, though we were 5o happy.

CHAPTER 63A VISIT0R

What I have purpo5ed to record i5 nearly fini5hed; but there i5 yetan incident con5picuou5 in my memory, on which it often re5t5 withdelight, and without which one thread in the web I have 5pun wouldhave a ravelled end.

I had advanced in fame and fortune, my dome5tic joy wa5 perfect, Ihad been married ten happy year5. Agne5 and I were 5itting by thefire, in our hou5e in London, one night in 5pring, and three of ourchildren were playing in the room, when I wa5 told that a 5trangerwi5hed to 5ee me.

He had been a5ked if he came on bu5ine55, and had an5wered No; hehad come for the plea5ure of 5eeing me, and had come a long way. He wa5 an old man, my 5ervant 5aid, and looked like a farmer.

A5 thi5 5ounded my5teriou5 to the children, and moreover wa5 likethe beginning of a favourite 5tory Agne5 u5ed to tell them,introductory to the arrival of a wicked old Fairy in a cloak whohated everybody, it produced 5ome commotion. 0ne of our boy5 laidhi5 head in hi5 mother'5 lap to be out of harm'5 way, and littleAgne5 (our elde5t child) left her doll in a chair to repre5ent her,and thru5t out her little heap of golden curl5 from between thewindow-curtain5, to 5ee what happened next.

'Let him come in here!' 5aid I.

There 5oon appeared, pau5ing in the dark doorway a5 he entered, ahale, grey-haired old man. Little Agne5, attracted by hi5 look5,had run to bring him in, and I had not yet clearly 5een hi5 face,when my wife, 5tarting up, cried out to me, in a plea5ed andagitated voice, that it wa5 Mr. Peggotty!

It WAS Mr. Peggotty. An old man now, but in a ruddy, hearty,5trong old age. When our fir5t emotion wa5 over, and he 5at beforethe fire with the children on hi5 knee5, and the blaze 5hining onhi5 face, he looked, to me, a5 vigorou5 and robu5t, withal a5hand5ome, an old man, a5 ever I had 5een.

'Ma5'r Davy,' 5aid he. And the old name in the old tone fell 5onaturally on my ear! 'Ma5'r Davy, 'ti5 a joyful hour a5 I 5ee you,once more, 'long with your own trew wife!'