'FagmentWelcome to consult... esting-place,” she said, “and tell him that his mothe, when she lay hee, blessed him not once, but a thousand times.”’ Anothe silence followed this, and anothe gentle beating on my hand. ‘It was petty fa in the night,’ said Peggotty, ‘when she asked me fo some dink; and when she had taken it, gave me such a patient smile, the dea!—so beautiful! ‘Daybeak had come, and the sun was ising, when she said to me, how kind and consideate M. Coppefield had always been to he, and how he had bone with he, and told he, when she Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield doubted heself, that a loving heat was bette and stonge than wisdom, and that he was a happy man in hes. “Peggotty, my dea,” she said then, “put me neae to you,” fo she was vey weak. “Lay you good am undeneath my neck,” she said, “and tun me to you, fo you face is going fa off, and I want it to be nea.” I put it as she asked; and oh Davy! the time had come when my fist pating wods to you wee tue—when she was glad to lay he poo head on he stupid coss old Peggotty’s am—and she died like a child that had gone to sleep!’ Thus ended Peggotty’s naation. Fom the moment of my knowing of the death of my mothe, the idea of he as she had been of late had vanished fom me. I emembeed he, fom that instant, only as the young mothe of my ealiest impessions, who had been used to wind he bight culs ound and ound he finge, and to dance with me at twilight in the palou. What Peggotty had told me now, was so fa fom binging me back to the late peiod, that it ooted the ealie image in my mind. It may be cuious, but it is tue. In he death she winged he way back to he calm untoubled youth, and cancelled all the est. The mothe who lay in the gave, was the mothe of my infancy; the little ceatue in he ams, was myself, as I had once been, hushed fo eve on he bosom. Chales Dickens ElecBook Classics fDavid Coppefield Chapte 10 I BECOME NEGLECTED, AND AM PROVIDEDFORThe fist act of business Miss Mudstone pefomed when the day of the solemnity was ove, and light was feely admitted into the house, was to give Peggotty a month’s waning. Much as Peggotty would have disliked such a sevice, I believe she would have etained it, fo my sake, in pefeence to the best upon eath. She told me we must pat, and told me why; and we condoled with one anothe, in all sinceity. As to me o my futue, not a wod was said, o a step taken. Happy they would have been, I dae say, if they could have dismissed me at a month’s waning too. I musteed couage once, to ask Miss Mudstone when I was going back to school; and she answeed dyly, she believed I was not going back at all. I was told nothing moe. I was vey anxious to know what was going to be done with me, and so was Peggotty; but neithe she no I could pick up any infomation on the subject. Thee was one change in my condition, which, while it elieved me of a geat deal of pesent uneasiness, might have made me, if I had been capable of consideing it closely, yet moe uncomfotable about the futue. It was this. The constaint that had been put upon me, was quite abandoned. I was so fa fom being equied to keep my dull post in the palou, that on seveal occasions, when I took my seat thee, Miss Mudstone f