or "Why do you leave us?" or would give him some littleencouragement of that sort; he had even entertained the possibilityof her bursting into tears, of her throwing herself into his arms,of her falling down in a fainting fit without previous word orsign; but any approach to such a line of conduct as this, had been so far from his thoughts that he could only look at her in silentwonder.
Dolly in the meanwhile, turned to the corners of her apron, andmeasured the sides, and smoothed out the wrinkles, and was assilent as he. At last after a long pause, Joe said good-bye.
"Good-bye"--said Dolly--with as pleasant a smile as if he weregoing into the next street, and were coming back to supper; "goodbye."
"Come," said Joe, putting out both hands, "Dolly, dear Dolly, don"tlet us part like this. I love you dearly, with all my heart andsoul; with as much truth and earnestness as ever man loved woman inthis world, I do believe. I am a poor fellow, as you know--poorernow than ever, for I have fled from home, not being able to bear itany longer, and must fight my own way without help. You arebeautiful, admired, are loved by everybody, are well off and happy;and may you ever be so! Heaven forbid I should ever make youotherwise; but give me a word of comfort. Say something kind tome. I have no right to expect it of you, I know, but I ask itbecause I love you, and shall treasure the slightest word from youall through my life. Dolly, dearest, have you nothing to say tome?"
No. Nothing. Dolly was a coquette by nature, and a spoilt child.
She had no notion of being carried by storm in this way. Thecoachmaker would have been dissolved in tears, and would have kneltdown, and called himself names, and clasped his hands, and beat hisbreast, and tugged wildly at his cravat, and done all kinds ofpoetry. Joe had no business to be going abroad. He had no rightto be able to do it. If he was in adamantine chains, he couldn"t.
"I have said good-bye," said Dolly, "twice. Take your arm awaydirectly, Mr Joseph, or I"ll call Miggs."
"I"ll not reproach you," answered Joe, "it"s my fault, no doubt. Ihave thought sometimes that you didn"t quite despise me, but I wasa fool to think so. Every one must, who has seen the life I haveled--you most of all. God bless you!"
He was gone, actually gone. Dolly waited a little while, thinkinghe would return, peeped out at the door, looked up the street anddown as well as the increasing darkness would allow, came in again,waited a little longer, went upstairs humming a tune, boltedherself in, laid her head down on her bed, and cried as if herheart would break. And yet such natures are made up of so many contradictions, that if Joe Willet had come back that night, nextday, next week, next month, the odds are a hundred to one she wouldhave treated him in the very same manner, and have wept for itafterwards with the very same distress.
She had no sooner left the workshop than there cautiously peeredout from behind the chimney of the forge, a face which had alreadyemerged from the same concealment twice or thrice, unseen, andwhich, after satisfying itself that it was now alone, was followedby a leg, a shoulder, and so on by degrees, until the form of MrTappertit stood confessed, with a brown-paper cap stuck negligentlyon one side of its head, and its arms very much a-kimbo.
"Have my ears deceived me," said the "prentice, "or do I dream! amI to thank thee, Fortun", or to cus thee--which?"
He gravely descended from his elevation, took down his piece oflooking-glass, planted it against the wall upon the usual bench,twisted his head round, and looked closely at his legs.
"If they"re a dream," said Sim, "let sculptures have such wisions,and chisel "em out when they wake. This is reality. Sleep has nosuch limbs as them. Tremble, Willet, and despair. She"s mine!
She"s mine!"
With these triumphant expressions, he seized a hammer and dealt aheavy blow at a vice, which in his mind"s eye represented thesconce or head of Joseph Willet. That done, he burst into a pealof laughter which startled Miss Miggs even in her distant kitchen,and dipping his head into a bowl of water, had recourse to a jack-towel inside the closet door, which served the double purpose ofsmothering his feelings and drying his face.
Joe, disconsolate and down-hearted, but full of courage too, onleaving the locksmith"s house made the best of his way to theCrooked Billet, and there inquired for his friend the serjeant,who, expecting no man less, received him with open arms. In thecourse of five minutes after his arrival at that house ofentertainment, he was enrolled among the gallant defenders of hisnative land; and within half an hour, was regaled with a steamingsupper of boiled tripe and onions, prepared, as his friend assuredhim more than once, at the express command of his most SacredMajesty the King. To this meal, which tasted very savoury afterhis long fasting, he did ample justice; and when he had followed itup, or down, with a variety of loyal and patriotic toasts, he wasconducted to a straw mattress in a loft over the stable, and locked in there for the night.
The next morning, he found that the obliging care of his martialfriend had decorated his hat with sundry particoloured streamers,which made a very lively appearance; and in company with thatofficer, and three other military gentlemen newly enrolled, whowere under a cloud so dense that it only left three shoes, a boot,and a coat and a half visible among them, repaired to theriverside. Here they were joined by a corporal and four moreheroes, of whom two were drunk and daring, and two sober andpenitent, but each of whom, like Joe, had his dusty stick andbundle. The party embarked in a passage-boat bound for Gravesend,whence they were to proceed on foot to Chatham; the wind was intheir favour, and they soon left London behind them, a mere darkmist--a giant phantom in the air.