He had very little money in his pocket; so little indeed, thatafter paying for his breakfast (which he was too honest and perhapstoo proud to score up to his father"s charge) he had but a pennyleft. He had courage, notwithstanding, to resist all theaffectionate importunities of the serjeant, who waylaid him atthe door with many protestations of eternal friendship, and did inparticular request that he would do him the favour to accept ofonly one shilling as a temporary accommodation. Rejecting hisoffers both of cash and credit, Joe walked away with stick andbundle as before, bent upon getting through the day as he bestcould, and going down to the locksmith"s in the dusk of theevening; for it should go hard, he had resolved, but he would havea parting word with charming Dolly Varden.
He went out by Islington and so on to Highgate, and sat on manystones and gates, but there were no voices in the bells to bid himturn. Since the time of noble Whittington, fair flower ofmerchants, bells have come to have less sympathy with humankind.
They only ring for money and on state occasions. Wanderers haveincreased in number; ships leave the Thames for distant regions,carrying from stem to stern no other cargo; the bells are silent;they ring out no entreaties or regrets; they are used to it andhave grown worldly.
Joe bought a roll, and reduced his purse to the condition (with adifference) of that celebrated purse of Fortunatus, which,whatever were its favoured owner"s necessities, had one unvaryingamount in it. In these real times, when all the Fairies are deadand buried, there are still a great many purses which possess thatquality. The sum-total they contain is expressed in arithmetic bya circle, and whether it be added to or multiplied by its ownamount, the result of the problem is more easily stated than anyknown in figures.
Evening drew on at last. With the desolate and solitary feeling ofone who had no home or shelter, and was alone utterly in the worldfor the first time, he bent his steps towards the locksmith"shouse. He had delayed till now, knowing that Mrs Varden sometimeswent out alone, or with Miggs for her sole attendant, to lecturesin the evening; and devoutly hoping that this might be one of hernights of moral culture.
He had walked up and down before the house, on the opposite side ofthe way, two or three times, when as he returned to it again, hecaught a glimpse of a fluttering skirt at the door. It wasDolly"s--to whom else could it belong? no dress but hers had such aflow as that. He plucked up his spirits, and followed it into theworkshop of the Golden Key.
His darkening the door caused her to look round. Oh that face!
"If it hadn"t been for that," thought Joe, "I should never havewalked into poor Tom Cobb. She"s twenty times handsomer than ever.
She might marry a Lord!"
He didn"t say this. He only thought it--perhaps looked it also.
Dolly was glad to see him, and was SO sorry her father and motherwere away from home. Joe begged she wouldn"t mention it on anyaccount.
Dolly hesitated to lead the way into the parlour, for there it wasnearly dark; at the same time she hesitated to stand talking in theworkshop, which was yet light and open to the street. They had gotby some means, too, before the little forge; and Joe having herhand in his (which he had no right to have, for Dolly only gave it him to shake), it was so like standing before some homely altarbeing married, that it was the most embarrassing state of things inthe world.
"I have come," said Joe, "to say good-bye--to say good-bye for Idon"t know how many years; perhaps for ever. I am going abroad."
Now this was exactly what he should not have said. Here he was,talking like a gentleman at large who was free to come and go androam about the world at pleasure, when that gallant coachmaker hadvowed but the night before that Miss Varden held him bound inadamantine chains; and had positively stated in so many words thatshe was killing him by inches, and that in a fortnight more orthereabouts he expected to make a decent end and leave the businessto his mother.
Dolly released her hand and said "Indeed!" She remarked in thesame breath that it was a fine night, and in short, betrayed nomore emotion than the forge itself.
"I couldn"t go," said Joe, "without coming to see you. I hadn"tthe heart to."
Dolly was more sorry than she could tell, that he should have takenso much trouble. It was such a long way, and he must have such adeal to do. And how WAS Mr Willet--that dear old gentleman-"Is this all you say!" cried Joe.
All! Good gracious, what did the man expect! She was obliged totake her apron in her hand and run her eyes along the hem fromcorner to corner, to keep herself from laughing in his face;--notbecause his gaze confused her--not at all.
Joe had small experience in love affairs, and had no notion howdifferent young ladies are at different times; he had expected totake Dolly up again at the very point where he had left her afterthat delicious evening ride, and was no more prepared for such analteration than to see the sun and moon change places. He hadbuoyed himself up all day with an indistinct idea that she wouldcertainly say "Don"t go," or "Don"t leave us," or "Why do you go?"