This sentiment, as compressing the general question into a nutsh.e.l.l, gave the utmost satisfaction, and brought the gentleman into great notice until the ladies retired. After that, I observed that Mr.
Gulpidge and Mr. Henry Spiker, who had hitherto been very distant, entered into a defensive alliance against us, the common enemy, and exchanged a mysterious dialogue across the table for our defeat and overthrow.
"That affair of the first bond for four thousand five hundred pounds has not taken the course that was expected, Spiker," said Mr. Gulpidge.
"Do you mean the D. of A."s?" said Mr. Spiker.
"The C. of B."s!" said Mr. Gulpidge.
Mr. Spiker raised his eyebrows, and looked much concerned.
"When the question was referred to Lord--I needn"t name him," said Mr.
Gulpidge, checking himself--
"I understand," said Mr. Spiker, "N."
Mr. Gulpidge darkly nodded--"was referred to him, his answer was, "Money, or no release.""
"Lord bless my soul!" cried Mr. Spiker.
""Money, or no release,"" repeated Mr. Gulpidge, firmly. "The next in reversion--you understand me?"
"K.," said Mr. Spiker, with an ominous look.
"--K. then positively refused to sign. He was attended at Newmarket for that purpose, and he point-blank refused to do it."
Mr. Spiker was so interested, that he became quite stony.
"So the matter rests at this hour," said Mr. Gulpidge, throwing himself back in his chair. "Our friend Waterbrook will excuse me if I forbear to explain myself generally, on account of the magnitude of the interests involved."
Mr. Waterbrook was only too happy, as it appeared to me, to have such interests, and such names, even hinted at, across his table. He a.s.sumed an expression of gloomy intelligence (though I am persuaded he knew no more about the discussion than I did), and highly approved of the discretion that had been observed. Mr. Spiker, after the receipt of such a confidence, naturally desired to favour his friend with a confidence of his own; therefore the foregoing dialogue was succeeded by another, in which it was Mr. Gulpidge"s turn to be surprised, and that by another in which the surprise came round to Mr. Spiker"s turn again, and so on, turn and turn about. All this time we, the outsiders, remained oppressed by the tremendous interests involved in the conversation; and our host regarded us with pride, as the victims of a salutary awe and astonishment. I was very glad indeed to get upstairs to Agnes, and to talk with her in a corner, and to introduce Traddles to her, who was shy, but agreeable, and the same good-natured creature still. As he was obliged to leave early, on account of going away next morning for a month, I had not nearly so much conversation with him as I could have wished; but we exchanged addresses, and promised ourselves the pleasure of another meeting when he should come back to town. He was greatly interested to hear that I knew Steerforth, and spoke of him with such warmth that I made him tell Agnes what he thought of him. But Agnes only looked at me the while, and very slightly shook her head when only I observed her.
As she was not among people with whom I believed she could be very much at home, I was almost glad to hear that she was going away within a few days, though I was sorry at the prospect of parting from her again so soon. This caused me to remain until all the company were gone.
Conversing with her, and hearing her sing, was such a delightful reminder to me of my happy life in the grave old house she had made so beautiful, that I could have remained there half the night; but, having no excuse for staying any longer, when the lights of Mr. Waterbrook"s society were all snuffed out, I took my leave very much against my inclination. I felt then, more than ever, that she was my better Angel; and if I thought of her sweet face and placid smile, as though they had shone on me from some removed being, like an Angel, I hope I thought no harm.
I have said that the company were all gone; but I ought to have excepted Uriah, whom I don"t include in that denomination, and who had never ceased to hover near us. He was close behind me when I went downstairs.
He was close beside me, when I walked away from the house, slowly fitting his long skeleton fingers into the still longer fingers of a great Guy Fawkes pair of gloves.
It was in no disposition for Uriah"s company, but in remembrance of the entreaty Agnes had made to me, that I asked him if he would come home to my rooms, and have some coffee.
"Oh, really, Master Copperfield," he rejoined--"I beg your pardon, Mister Copperfield, but the other comes so natural, I don"t like that you should put a constraint upon yourself to ask a numble person like me to your ouse."
"There is no constraint in the case," said I. "Will you come?"
"I should like to, very much," replied Uriah, with a writhe.
"Well, then, come along!" said I.
I could not help being rather short with him, but he appeared not to mind it. We went the nearest way, without conversing much upon the road; and he was so humble in respect of those scarecrow gloves, that he was still putting them on, and seemed to have made no advance in that labour, when we got to my place.
I led him up the dark stairs, to prevent his knocking his head against anything, and really his damp cold hand felt so like a frog in mine, that I was tempted to drop it and run away. Agnes and hospitality prevailed, however, and I conducted him to my fireside. When I lighted my candles, he fell into meek transports with the room that was revealed to him; and when I heated the coffee in an una.s.suming block-tin vessel in which Mrs. Crupp delighted to prepare it (chiefly, I believe, because it was not intended for the purpose, being a shaving-pot, and because there was a patent invention of great price mouldering away in the pantry), he professed so much emotion, that I could joyfully have scalded him.
"Oh, really, Master Copperfield,--I mean Mister Copperfield," said Uriah, "to see you waiting upon me is what I never could have expected!
But, one way and another, so many things happen to me which I never could have expected, I am sure, in my umble station, that it seems to rain blessings on my ed. You have heard something, I des-say, of a change in my expectations, Master Copperfield,--I should say, Mister Copperfield?"
As he sat on my sofa, with his long knees drawn up under his coffee-cup, his hat and gloves upon the ground close to him, his spoon going softly round and round, his shadowless red eyes, which looked as if they had scorched their lashes off, turned towards me without looking at me, the disagreeable dints I have formerly described in his nostrils coming and going with his breath, and a snaky undulation pervading his frame from his chin to his boots, I decided in my own mind that I disliked him intensely. It made me very uncomfortable to have him for a guest, for I was young then, and unused to disguise what I so strongly felt.
"You have heard something, I des-say, of a change in my expectations, Master Copperfield,--I should say, Mister Copperfield?" observed Uriah.
"Yes," said I, "something."
"Ah! I thought Miss Agnes would know of it!" he quietly returned. "I"m glad to find Miss Agnes knows of it. Oh, thank you, Master--Mister Copperfield!"
I could have thrown my bootjack at him (it lay ready on the rug), for having entrapped me into the disclosure of anything concerning Agnes, however immaterial. But I only drank my coffee.
"What a prophet you have shown yourself, Mister Copperfield!" pursued Uriah. "Dear me, what a prophet you have proved yourself to be! Don"t you remember saying to me once, that perhaps I should be a partner in Mr. Wickfield"s business, and perhaps it might be Wickfield and Heep? You may not recollect it; but when a person is umble, Master Copperfield, a person treasures such things up!"
"I recollect talking about it," said I, "though I certainly did not think it very likely then." "Oh! who would have thought it likely, Mister Copperfield!" returned Uriah, enthusiastically. "I am sure I didn"t myself. I recollect saying with my own lips that I was much too umble. So I considered myself really and truly."
He sat, with that carved grin on his face, looking at the fire, as I looked at him.
"But the umblest persons, Master Copperfield," he presently resumed, "may be the instruments of good. I am glad to think I have been the instrument of good to Mr. Wickfield, and that I may be more so. Oh what a worthy man he is, Mister Copperfield, but how imprudent he has been!"
"I am sorry to hear it," said I. I could not help adding, rather pointedly, "on all accounts."
"Decidedly so, Mister Copperfield," replied Uriah. "On all accounts.
Miss Agnes"s above all! You don"t remember your own eloquent expressions, Master Copperfield; but I remember how you said one day that everybody must admire her, and how I thanked you for it! You have forgot that, I have no doubt, Master Copperfield?"
"No," said I, drily.
"Oh how glad I am you have not!" exclaimed Uriah. "To think that you should be the first to kindle the sparks of ambition in my umble breast, and that you"ve not forgot it! Oh!--Would you excuse me asking for a cup more coffee?"
Something in the emphasis he laid upon the kindling of those sparks, and something in the glance he directed at me as he said it, had made me start as if I had seen him illuminated by a blaze of light. Recalled by his request, preferred in quite another tone of voice, I did the honours of the shaving-pot; but I did them with an unsteadiness of hand, a sudden sense of being no match for him, and a perplexed suspicious anxiety as to what he might be going to say next, which I felt could not escape his observation.
He said nothing at all. He stirred his coffee round and round, he sipped it, he felt his chin softly with his grisly hand, he looked at the fire, he looked about the room, he gasped rather than smiled at me, he writhed and undulated about, in his deferential servility, he stirred and sipped again, but he left the renewal of the conversation to me.
"So, Mr. Wickfield," said I, at last, "who is worth five hundred of you--or me"; for my life, I think, I could not have helped dividing that part of the sentence with an awkward jerk; "has been imprudent, has he, Mr. Heep?"
"Oh, very imprudent indeed, Master Copperfield," returned Uriah, sighing modestly. "Oh, very much so! But I wish you"d call me Uriah, if you please. It"s like old times."
"Well! Uriah," said I, bolting it out with some difficulty.
"Thank you," he returned, with fervour. "Thank you, Master Copperfield!
It"s like the blowing of old breezes or the ringing of old bellses to hear YOU say Uriah. I beg your pardon. Was I making any observation?"
"About Mr. Wickfield," I suggested.
"Oh! Yes, truly," said Uriah. "Ah! Great imprudence, Master Copperfield.
It"s a topic that I wouldn"t touch upon, to any soul but you. Even to you I can only touch upon it, and no more. If anyone else had been in my place during the last few years, by this time he would have had Mr.
Wickfield (oh, what a worthy man he is, Master Copperfield, too!) under his thumb. Un--der--his thumb," said Uriah, very slowly, as he stretched out his cruel-looking hand above my table, and pressed his own thumb upon it, until it shook, and shook the room.